I find it so sad when I hear a question like Mary Anna Towler's: "I wonder what it will take for the broad population of the Community of Monroe to dedicate itself to ending that generational curse [of violence]" (Urban Journal, September 23).

Like an addicted person looking for a fix, we continually look to government and government-funded social-service entities for answers to our most pressing problems, failing to look at the core causes of so much pain and dysfunction in our society.

I suggest that the loss of spiritual values and the weakening and frequent destruction of positive family structures are largely to blame. I am not necessarily speaking of churches, religion, or of "mom, dad and 2.3 kids," per se. Yet personal moral bankruptcy plays a large part in many of our problems, and the failure to recognize this represents a huge blind spot in our collective desire to see many of our social issues handled.

An alternative to much of the government-inspired hand wringing lies in activating a lively and continuing discussion surrounding how parents and even religious leaders might be more closely brought to task.

IVAN RAMOS, ROCHESTER