MR Gasper (Deficit – Letter July 17) says we have forgotten that the closure of services is the product of Government spending cuts. Not so, but he omits the real reason, that one can only continue to spend if one's income is sufficient to cover the cost. We all know that from our own domestic situation — ultimately everything acquired on 'tick' has to be paid for; the budget has to be balanced. Over recent decades the state or public sector had accounted for an ever increasing proportion of GDP and absorbing ever rising amount of income. As a society the principles of thrift, saving and private provision have given way to state dependency. Alongside this attitude there developed an erroneous deprecation of wealth generation, even of success, when what is required is the restoration of pride in achievement and the pursuit of excellence in all fields. A concentration on investment in enterprise which generates the wealth, not in the state that spends it, is key. Coincidentally we see also a decline in standards, in behaviour, in courtesy, in appearance and self respect, giving way to overriding belief in 'my rights' at the expense of responsibility and duty. The sooner such trends are reversed and we can get back to lauding success, excellence in educational achievement, whether private or public, and exploitation of our inherent technical skills, the quicker we may be able to regain our former enviable position in the economic league. Colin Sansom Tavistock RE Ian Gasper letter July 17. Thank you Ian. I thought I was the only person in this country who had a long enough memory to realise exactly what this present and all past Conservative governments have tried to do. Peter Broughton, Vale Down, Lydford