I am a 15-year-old teenager who attends a private school in Amherst. I am an enthusiastic supporter of commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, and I would like nothing more than to see him as the next President of the United States. I have been given the opportunity to be the Granby coordinator for Buchanan's campaign.

The United States has fallen into a deep pit. We will not get out of it without a good leader. Patrick Buchanan is that leader.

I have spent time listening to the various Republican presidential candidates. I have found Buchanan to be not only right on target in his views, but also the one man with enough guts to get America out of that pit. Buchanan can be trusted to take action, and he stands firm in his beliefs.

For example, Buchanan is staunchly pro-life. He has pledged that he will get the U.S. government out of the abortion racket and keep the pro-life platform in the Republican Party.

Some of you may have heard Buchanan's thoughts on immigration control. If he becomes President, Buchanan would be willing to put up a fence or even bring in the National Guard to keep the Southwest borders secure. This may seem like a radical and mean-spirited idea but if that is what it takes to curb illegal immigration, then it must be done.

What about education? I went to a public school, so I saw in living color the dumbing down of students. After a few months in fifth grade, I asked my parents to take me out. I think public schools don't have the right to expose children to condoms or political propaganda. The public education system is trying to play the role of the parents. Buchanan believes in shutting down the Department of Education and returning authority to the states.

I am also dismayed that there are so many countries that we are helping instead of helping our own. We need a new foreign policy that ends aid and demands rich allies to pay for their own defense. We would not have been selfish if we had decided to not intervene in Bosnia. We have so many internal problems being neglected by our political leaders.

We need a president who will focus on our best interests and stop involving young Americans in wars that are not our business. Our best interest is to fix up the war zone in our inner cities including South Central Los Angeles and Liberty City in Miami.

What about our freedom? Where has that gone when my middle-class parents give nearly half of their earnings to Uncle Sam. To get more of our freedom back, Buchanan wants to shrink the IRS, which has too much control. Buchanan has advocated that any Balanced Budget Amendment must have a tax limitation provision.

In short, it is not easy to get people to recognize what America is becoming. We must take action. We need to elect someone who is willing to clean up the mess of the deficit, juvenile crime, and the loss of American jobs.

I am proud to support Patrick Buchanan. He is not afraid to stand for what is morally right. He has not wavered on the issues; he can be trusted to do what he says; and he is bullish on the U.S. of A.

Go, Pat, Go! ?