HOPE FOR THE FUTURE WE WANT WORLD PEACE - AND A DIET PILL THAT REALLY WORKS.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

Our readers have spoken. In the true spirit of good will and altruistic hopes for a new age, they've asked for a peaceful, disease-free and transportation-friendly 21st century.

Infamy - as represented by violence, slippery politicos and O.J. Simpson - has no place in the new millennium, thank you very much.

Technology and further space exploration are definite keepers. TV sex and violence, uncontrolled immigration? Thanks, but pass. Check back again in 2100.

When asked about the 20th century's legacy, the historical footprint we'll leave behind, many of our readers listed events, people and milestones they never want to see again, such as Hitler, world wars I and II, the atom bomb and lies out of the Oval Office. Others were more apt to look at the century's gold stars - the Wright Brothers, the Beatles and the Internet.

Some readers were cautious about even hazarding a guess at what elements of the 20th century will make the history books and time capsules. But Linda Hamilton of Palmdale wanted to keep the best possible outlook: ``I hope it will be for something like all the advancements made in medicine and technology and not for hot pants or pet rocks!'' she wrote.

Amen to that.

To recap, over the past several weeks, we've asked for our readers' thoughts on the century now departed and the future. We supplied three questions: What is the legacy of the 20th century? What should carry on into Y2K? What do we never want to see again? We encouraged readers to be as earnest, as silly or as earnestly silly as they liked.

Naturally, a few readers simply HAD to remind us that, in their estimation, we were conducting our century review a year prematurely, since ``it will still be the 20th century until 2001.''

Thanks for the math lesson, folks, but it's Y2K now, so now is when we're asking the questions.

Our questions got the brain works spinning. Hamilton decided to set the questionnaire aside for a couple of days in order to give the matter some extra thought.

``I really wasn't trying to be frivolous,'' she said. ``I really do hope the century is remembered for the good things and not all the weird things.''

Roz Parker saw the inspiration for the 20th century's legacy right in front of her at her place of business. Our legacy, said Parker who is a salesperson at Canoga Jeep, is the automobile, which has changed the way we live, work and interact with each other.

So what do we never want to see again? ``The Yugo,'' was Parker's answer.

``That part was kind of a joke,'' she admitted. ``But I was serious about wanting world peace and a future where we all work together.''

Others found the task of wrapping up the millennium in 25 words or less just a little daunting. ``They are awfully big questions,'' one reader noted. True enough, but those who mailed, faxed or e-mailed back surveys handled our posers with grace, insight and originality.

And wit. On her ``we should never see again'' list, Debra Tapia e-mailed succinctly, ``Larry King having kids.''

``He's too old,'' she said. ``Can you see it? When they graduate, if he's still alive, he'll be in a wheelchair or something.''

Gazing toward the future, Tapia wants to see the 21st century include `` `Star Trek's' `transporter' becoming a reality or at the very least a reasonable mass transit system that works.'' A reasonable request from someone who commutes 150 miles every day between her home in Rosamond to her job at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

The Clintons (referred to by one reader as ``dual airbags'') made appearances on both the ``What's our legacy?'' and the ``What do we never want to see again?'' categories. In citing the century's legacy of presidential dishonesty, readers tended to pillory President Clinton far more often than any of his predecessors.

But not always.

``Let's start at Watergate and work our way up,'' said Dr. Richard Warren of Van Nuys. ``We've made a shambles of the presidency with all these people.''

Alfred Guidet, a retired U.S. Air Force officer, said he tried to remain optimistic about the future, even if we're leaving behind a legacy of ``the inhumanity of man to his fellow man because of race and religion.''

What does Guidet want? To see the new century unfold, among other things.

``I'm 81 years old,'' said Guidet. ``In my mind, I'm somewhat envious of my grandchildren who will be around for it. I'm hoping the new millennium will bring some changes in the way people think.''

The upcoming presidential race was on the minds of many. What do we never want to see again? Northridge's Maris Bellamy wrote, ``A president whose antics lead a self-enamored real-estate mogul, cheesy actor and a petulant billionaire to believe they too can be the leader of the free world.''

Whew!

Bellamy was, however, slightly less politically minded when addressing what we DO want to see in the next century. What the world really needs, she said, are ``gadgets that call telemarketers at home during dinner hour, locate all those missing socks and keep the emergency broadcast system on during a large earthquake.''

So out with the Trumps and Beattys, and in with the sock-finders?

``It would be really handy if we had something that pulled the socks out of the black hole they fall into,'' Bellamy said.

Cyrena Iwuoha wanted to keep her goals for the 21st century feasible. Yes, she wants to see diseases cured, but she would also like to see the messy Carl's Jr. burger ads disappear.

``The example about no more lying from the White House, forget it, that's not going to happen,'' said Iwuoha, an office manager in Canoga Park who calls herself ``a clown at heart.'' ``But we can stop those stupid commercials.''

Chris Dellheim, a service technician at Panavision, was one of several readers who made their hope for the 21st century San Fernando Valley specific. What we badly need, he said, is a ``real mass transit system for the San Fernando Valley.

``L.A. traffic is horrible, and that's the kindest word I can use,'' said Dellheim, who lives in Simi Valley. ``If we had things like timed traffic lights and left-turn lights, we might all get home easier.''

Those with loftier goals want the century ahead to include world peace, better education for our children, an end to hunger, cures for AIDS and diabetes, and colonization of the planets.

Others, writing with a sense of irreverence, cut right to the heart of things.

``Go ahead, cure cancer. Decipher the human genome. Create world peace wrote Catherine Bacos Clinch, who teaches writing at California State University, Dominguez Hills. ``But while you're at it, please find a diet pill that really works.''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, illustration

Cover Illustration: Looking ahead, looking back; Our readers reflect on the past and offer hopes for the future (no cutline). Features female hand adjusting automobile rear view mirror, with inset black and white image of helmeted soldiers in action in urban setting.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Photo:

(1) Linda Hamilton of Palmdale hopes the 20th century will be remembered for ``advancements made in medicine and technology and not for hot pants or pet rocks.''

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

(2) Jeep salesperson Roz Parker says the greatest invention of the 20th Century was the car, which has changed the way we live and work.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(3) IWUOHA

(4) DELLHEIM