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Sunday, April 17, 2011
LETTERS
City Hall Needs To Clean Up Its Act
As our elected officials mull whether to raise our property taxes to continue funding City Hall in its current form, consider this:
It's Monday morning, April 11, around 9 a.m. when a city pickup pulls into the Blake's Lotaburger at Guadalupe and Paseo de Peralta and parks in the handicap slot. Two young men emerge, leave the engine running and proceed to place an order at the window.
One might wonder why these two city employees are eating out on city time or why they're wasting expensive gas and unnecessarily polluting the air.
But the only issue raised by this concerned citizen on the scene was that the city truck was illegally parked in a handicapped zone.
And the hostile response from the city employees was: "What's the problem, and what's it to you anyway?"
While I found it disturbing that these young men apparently failed to comprehend the obvious error of their actions and the negative public perception it perpetuates, it was their attitude of entitlement and hostile display of arrogance that was truly infuriating.
Employees like this tarnish the reputation of all those hardworking public employees who show respect for the public they serve and the positions they hold.
A citizen shouldn't have to approach public employees about this kind of behavior in the first place but to have to tolerate hostility and intimidation for having to do so is flat-out unacceptable.
So if the city wants to jack up our property taxes so they can keep employees like these two on the payroll, then let me join the chorus of voices saying "no way." Not until City Hall cleans up its act and tosses out the bad apples first.
KARL MOFFATT
Santa Fe
Go to the Source If You Want the Truth
Why does the justice system require that you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Where would the taxpayer be if our public officials were to do the same?
If anyone has been reading the paper lately, it is obvious that trust and transparency are serious issues. Example: the North Central Regional Transit District uses $10 million a year in taxpayer money. A few private citizens ask questions based on published facts about the organization. Those facts were found on the NMDOT Transit and Rail website and on the New Mexico State Auditor's website.
If you read the newspapers, you will see the NCRTD board chairperson has launched a vicious attack against a few taxpayers who asked questions. A simple request for transparency was described by her as "spurious and false allegations." She also insisted at the beginning of an NCRTD board meeting that the public comment listed at the beginning of the agenda be postponed to the end of the agenda.
Why do City Councilor Rosemary Romero, who is NCRTD board chair, and the transit district's Executive Director Josette Lucero, along with various elected officials, persist so tenaciously to not telling the truth? Transparency in government is critical to having basic human rights. The idea that NCRTD's audits contain no serious problems because they are "unqualified" is not true. Instead of believing those who find the truth inconvenient, you can go to the New Mexico State Auditor's Office website and search for audits for 4026. Then you can know the truth yourself by reading the actual findings.
JOHN WHITBECK
Santa Fe
Beekeepers Should Be Left Alone
There is worldwide concern about the disappearance of the honeybees. Without their pollination, plants and animal would eventually disappear.
Honeybees are a very gentle, docile insect. They sting only if their home or life is threatened. They do not attack people or animals. They work hard from the moment they hatch until the moment they die. They create a home so incredible no architect could have designed nor engineer improve. They made all our flower gardens more spectacular and our fruit trees and vegetables more bountiful. Also they produce an added bonus — honey.
Beekeepers have colonies for these reasons. It has been said the hobby apiarist may be the savior of this amazing insect that we so truly depend on.
Carmichael Dominguez and the Santa Fe City Council should be directing their time to more important issues than regulating the beekeepers — issues such as Santa Fe being No. 2 in the country for burglaries, violent crime escalating, the shortage of police officers, fire dangers with the dry weather, roads and streets in bad shape. ... The list goes on.
Why waste our time and taxes on a harmless and hardworking insect? Why discourage our beekeepers by creating new ordinances and policy? And who is going to control all of the "wild" bees, let alone all the other insects?
Next time you are enjoying your sopaipilla with honey, thank a beekeeper for helping take care of this vital, amazing, wonderful little creature!
TINA BUCHEN
Santa Fe
Archbishop Right To Call Out Catholics
An open letter to Archbishop Michael Sheehan:
My wire and I were recently at the Cathedral Basilica Mass when we heard the beautiful letter read to the parishioners submitted by you. The letter was in regards to cohabitation by some of our Catholic friends who are receiving Holy Communion.
We admire you for the great fortitude it took for you to address this problem in the Catholic church. Many times we are blind and in denial of Jesus' words and do only what is convenient for us.
Not long ago, we walked with you and other Christians to the state Capitol in support of the life of the unborn. It disturbs us, too, that some of our Catholic friends support liberal politicians who advocate abortion and are still at ease by going to Holy Communion and being very active in the church. To quote Jesus, "I will spew you out if you are not with me." The Lord wants us as apostles to be with him 100 percent and obey his commandments, including the fifth, "Thou shall not kill."
Archbishop Sheehan, you have a difficult task ahead of you.
ALONZO AND ANGELA LOPEZ
Santa Fe
Create an In-State Student Loan Fund
New Mexico has a student population whose dropout rate of college between their freshman year and senior year of about 40 to 60 percent. This is unacceptable. And the reason for the dropouts are various; however, recent reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that the majority are due to finances.
For one, we know that student loans are available via Wells Fargo, Bank of America and such institutions at 10.5 percent interest or even higher. What that means to the student is that by the time he graduates, he will have a hefty loan to repay, equivalent to a mortgage or greater. He makes an analysis and calculates that end payment of this education will not pay off, so why make the greedy bankers money?
The students of New Mexico deserve better. Therefore, I suggest a program that will transfer from the New Mexico permanent fund $1 billion to the State Land Office to manage a progressive student loan program. This would offer every New Mexico high school graduate an opportunity to borrow from the loan fund to get an education at a very low interest rate. I suggest something like 1 or 2 percent, just enough to cover administrative costs and losses, if any. This is a good edge for our students and further the educational factor will play an important role in tax collection and economic development in the near future.
Overall an investment on our population and students is priority No. 1 and I know that Gov. Susana Martinez and Land Commissioner Ray Powell feel the same way. Politically, politicians may ask, "Why spend a billion dollars at this time because we are in dire need for funds to balance our budget?" I say to the politicians that first, this billion dollars is not being spent with unscrupulous business entities or pay-to-play cabals. Second, this money isn't being spent; it is in fact being borrowed. This fund will last in perpetuity to assist New Mexico students attending New Mexican colleges. I suggest this to be the highest priority for Commissioner Powell and Gov. Martinez.
ARCHIE VELARDE
Ojo Sarco
Job Placement For Ex-Felons Crucial
In her April 9 column, "Put Prisoners Back to Work," Diane Dimond said we should return to full-scale prison labor in this country, one that supplies a real service to the community or that goes to support the prisoner's incarceration, making this a win-win situation.
As an ex-felon, I full-heartedly agree with Diane's idea. However, I feel she misses the point that is as crucial as training a felon, and that would be job placement.
She elaborates on the positive points she hopes her readers would agree on but she fails to mention that most prisons are for-profit (institutions) and unless practices are employed where the contractor running the prison is rewarded, this would take away from the profit margin — hence, it's impractical.
She also fails to point out that without follow-through for job placement this practice would turn our incarcerated brothers, sisters and friends into government slaves during incarceration, only to be jobless after release due to the stigma attached after paying their debts to society.
She continues that "these incarcerated people convicted of preying on innocent fellow citizens do not need labor rights while paying off their debt to society." This kind of thinking fuels the ex-felon stigma that remains on the individual upon release even if the felon's only vice is drug or alcohol addiction. This is where the problem continues. After release, an ex-felon faces obstacles for employment therefore becoming a recipient of the welfare system and/or becoming a hindrance to society.
My suggestion to make this a win-win situation between the state's taxpayers, the for-profit contractor running the prison and the ex-prisoner would be a systematic procedure during parole or after-incarceration probation: federally bond the newly skilled ex-felon and provide an employer tax exempt number to each released prisoner to include job placement. These services can be paid from the profits gained by the products produced through the federal prison industries government program, thus saving money for the taxpayer, providing profit for the prison, and keeping newly released ex-felons off the streets and working while also protecting the community. Now that is a win-win situation.
Andrew D. Lopez
Santa Fe
New Governor Lacks Real Leadership
How is it that New Mexicans can get so excited about the new governor signing a law allowing dogs on restaurant patios, but ignore the real issues of the day?
She has vowed to veto HB 59, allowing the state unemployment insurance fund to become insolvent. Or the tax money giveaway she orchestrated for Union Pacific, the world's largest railroad? They will now avoid about $2 million in fuel taxes every year, a tax break that guarantees no additional jobs for New Mexicans.
I suppose Gov. Susana Martinez has taken a page from the Romans, and is giving New Mexicans bread and circuses instead of real leadership.
But what could anyone expect from a governor who's only prior government experience is as a district attorney of a county about the size of Santa Fe and Rio Rancho combined?
STEVE SCHWARTZ
Santa Fe
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