Talk of the Town: Roswell law firm reaching high with a little help from its friends

Salaried lawmakers might waste less time

I was reading the Feb. 18 Sunday Journal editorial and I came across a passage that struck me a bit odd: “With less than a day left and numerous substantive bills awaiting final approval, lawmakers turned their attention at the end to the great Smokey Bear specialty license plate debate. The license plate bill passed the House by a 62-0 vote on Wednesday, and was rushed through the Senate Thursday morning, where it passed by a 41-0 vote.

“The time spent on such an inconsequential matter hardly bolsters the argument for salaried lawmakers.”

It seems to me that this focus on inane triviality by our unsalaried Legislature is exactly why we need to get ourselves a salaried one — you get what you pay for.

Today’s unpaid legislators consist of two types; the independently wealthy individuals who don’t feel the real problems of our state, and the venal scum who seek to pad their pockets with bribes.

They all have the same thing in common — they’re out of touch with ordinary New Mexicans.

A salaried Legislature would make it possible for ordinary, honest New Mexicans to run for a seat — people who intimately understand the issues that face us. Granted, this wouldn’t ensure that all of our representatives would be ordinary and honest, but it would be a good start.

CHRIS SCOTT

Rio Rancho

Part-time Legislature limits taxpayer damage

Just read in the Feb. 16 Journal that in the closing days of the 2024 session, at least 10 task forces or study groups were formed.

These are paid programs that are not accountable to anyone. They may do their jobs, or not. They may make recommendations from their findings, but the departments they are supposedly studying are not required to follow the groups’ recommendations.

This is the government’s way of looking like they’re doing something, but usually the only thing that gets accomplished is spending taxpayers’ money. Maybe their friends and family are employed by these groups.

This is why I support New Mexico’s part-time Legislature, because it only gives them a month to pass laws which generally negatively affect the law-abiding. Imagine the damage they would wreak if they had a whole 12 months to pass laws that reduce freedoms, waste money or line their pockets.

RON SMITH

Albuquerque

Roswell law firm a little too well-connected

Well, well, well. I find it very interesting that the Chaves County commissioners appointed another member of the Hinkle Law Firm to our state Legislature.

One of the Chaves County commissioners, an employee of the Hinkle Law Firm, nominated and then voted for this nominee. With this new appointment, the Hinkle Law firm is now represented by four individuals in our state and local government.

Now there is no one representing the citizens of Chaves County. So what is wrong with this?

They are all very nice people, but they are all compromised by being connected to the Hinkle Law Firm, albeit one, although not a member of the Hinkle firm, is married to a Hinkle employee.

Our New Mexico Constitution, Article IV, Section 28, “No member of the legislature shall, during the term for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office in the state...nor shall any member of the legislature during the term for which he was elected nor within one year thereafter, be interested directly or indirectly in any contract with the state.”

So why am I referencing our Constitution you may ask, because currently for the year of 2024, the Hinkle Law Firm has not one but two contracts with the state. For the year 2023, they were under contract with the state and were paid millions of dollars to represent both the state and the governor.

Two cases were the Floyd School Board and the redistricting — gerrymandering — hearings in 2023.

Now that the Hinkle Law Firm is well-represented in our state government, what about we the people who these legislators and commissioners are supposed to be representing? In the law business, I believe this would be called a conflict of interest, but since it is in the N.M. Constitution, is it not called illegal?

Voters beware. When you go vote in your primary and then in the general election in November, please think about who has your best interests at heart and who is fighting for you.

It took a person who is not a lawyer to give us our voice through the Referendum Project and let us know we did not have to accept the radical laws being passed and handed down in our state taking away our parental rights

I ask you, why didn’t one of the many lawyers already in our Legislature come up with this? Is it because they are compromised by being under contract with the state?

CATHY CROSSLEY

Roswell

ABQ’s obstinance costing us all money

The Journal’s Feb. 20 report on settlements made by the city missed an important point. Ten of the 27 settlements, one third, involved payments for the city’s willful failure to respond as the law requires to public records requests.

By my count, the amount paid was $429,008, although in one a violation of the public records act was part of a personal injury settlement.

This is a lot of money for a city that says it operates on the concept of transparency. While the Inspection of Public Records Act provides a number of exceptions to the production of information requested by the public, the number of claims and the settlement amounts indicate the city is apparently quick to hide information behind the exceptions.

If exceptions were properly invoked, settlements of $90,000 would not have to be paid — and shouldn’t have been paid. But since it is taxpayers who foot the bill for continued bad government, the city’s leadership doesn’t care. And this is just the first quarter of the year.

JOHN BANNERMAN

Albuquerque

NDI New Mexico has kids jumping for joy

Currently, in my first year of teaching students (at Sweeney Elementary School) who are able to engage in arts education through NDI New Mexico, I have been able to see an incredible shift in my students.

NDI New Mexico offers dance classes to our fourth grade students, allowing them to be part of a team, to work hard to learn new skills, and to creatively express themselves while they prepare for an end of year performance.

Not only does this process instill routine and commitment into these students, but it also helps them to flourish in all areas. NDI New Mexico works hard to ensure that students are connecting to their creativity, while also building up each student.

I have seen a powerful shift toward improved self-image and self-confidence in several of my students — including those who were initially incredibly shy. Now, empowered by their time with NDI New Mexico, these students are willing to engage in class, raise their hands and speak their minds.

Knowing that they can do something huge — like learning a routine and performing — instills a solid belief that they can do what they set their minds to.

This beautiful program allows our students to hone their abilities for music and dancing and honor the artist part of themselves. It also creates a routine and a commitment to excellence that carries over into all aspects of their lives, including the classroom.

I’m honored to have the chance to expose my students to this type of education, and I encourage all in the community to see how they can get involved with NDI New Mexico, either in the classroom, as part of their after-school programs, as a volunteer or as a donor.

Perhaps we could even see programs expand to additional grade levels through increased support and involvement, something that would be a win-win for all involved, as arts education through NDI New Mexico is changing the lives of New Mexico students for the better.

CRISTINA CARDENAS

Santa Fe

It’s long past time to fully legalize pot

The pot question and answer is descheduling, not rescheduling.

The Feb. 17 Journal article, “What’s in store up with pot?” missed the point. Cannabis needs to be completely descheduled, not rescheduled.

Cannabis must be removed from the (federal) Controlled Substances Act entirely, permitting state governments to continue to regulate cannabis without violating federal law.

As U.S. senators stated in their Jan. 29 letter to AG Merrick Garland and U.S. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, “While rescheduling to Schedule III would mark a significant step forward, it would not resolve the worst harms of the current system. Thus, the DEA should deschedule marijuana altogether. Marijuana’s placement in the CSA has had a devastating impact on our communities and is increasingly out of step with state law and public opinion.”

The American public favors the legalization of cannabis. Cannabis is legal for adult use in 24 states or 53% of the United States. And medical cannabis is legal in 38 states.

Eighty-eight percent of Americans support the legalization of cannabis in some form. As Paul Armentano of NORML said: “Tobacco and alcohol are not in the Controlled Substances Act. Those substances are well recognized to pose far greater hazards to health than cannabis. We should treat marijuana equally.”

Cannabis must be descheduled to rectify the widening chasm between state legal cannabis laws and federal law. All the states with cannabis use laws would remain in conflict with federal law if cannabis were simply rescheduled.

The U.S. has ample first-hand experience regulating cannabis use at the state level. These successful real-world experiments with legalization belie the myth that cannabis is highly dangerous and worthy of being prohibited under federal law.

Cannabis must be descheduled to maintain the controls that states have enacted to ensure safe business practice and public safety.

The argument for removing cannabis from the CSA is overwhelming. There is clear scientific, medical and public health rationale for descheduling cannabis now.

PATRICIA MONAGHAN

Rio Rancho

Renovations come at a high price for renters

I’m taking a break. I just finished packing my 130th box. Don’t judge. Yes, I should have done a better job of sifting through all this stuff, but it was just too depressing. It’s bad enough that I have to get boxes, tape, bubble wrap and packing paper again. And you ask why? Because we have to move, again.

I liken this process to going through the five stages of grief: First (Denial): “Maybe we don’t really have to move.” Second (Anger): “What the hell? We always pay our rent early, we’re great tenants, we fix things, we love the property like it’s our own.” Third (Bargaining): “What if we offer to pay more rent or ask for a few more months to find another place?” Fourth (Depression): “If I just eat one more croissant from Clafoutis, I’ll feel much better.” And, finally, fifth (Acceptance): “I guess I better sign up with Zillow.”

Maybe I should have used my inheritance to buy that condo back when my dad passed away in the late 1980s. The thing is, if I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone back to graduate school or taken my mom on that fancy five-country tour of the Middle East. At the time, one could still safely visit the Egyptian pyramids, take a donkey ride into Petra, walk the Parthenon in Athens, shop the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and visit the Wailing Wall in Israel. Nor would I have moved to northern New Mexico or New York City or San Francisco. I’d still be stuck in the San Fernando Valley.

But something feels different this time. I saw a news clip of several people protesting outside of the Roundhouse a few weeks ago because rents have increased over 70% since 2017 and people are having to spend 30% or more of their income on housing, without seeing a rise in salaries to help offset these costs.

Yes, this move feels very different from any in the past. And its small comfort that we are not alone in this; in fact, it just makes me feel worse.

Santa Fe has unfortunately caught up with the rest of the country with this problem. Of course, we have always had a shortage of affordable housing here, both for sale and for rent. But now it feels a bit more mean-spirited and predatory.

In my experience as a renter, in the past when an owner wanted to take back possession of their house or apartment, it was usually because one of their kids needed a place to live, or they were going to sell, or move back in. But this time, we were informed our landlord wants to renovate. I’m guessing they will raise the rent to “market” value. And I’m sure it will be for several hundred dollars more a month.

But remember, you can’t take it with you. And what will they say to the big guy when they get to the pearly gates?

But hey, I don’t want to end this rant on a negative note. So, if you know of a place for rent, let me know. We need a few bedrooms and bathrooms and a garage. Oh, and a nice backyard. We’ll have a barbecue and invite you over. Hamburger and guacamole?

MARLENE SIMON

Santa Fe

Editor’s note: Marlene Simon is a native of Los Angeles and has lived and worked in northern New Mexico for 13 years.