OPINION: SPEAKUP!

The president says there is plenty of room around the White House to stage a UFC FIGHT for over 20,000 spectators. Perhaps we taxpayers could cut loose with more hard-earned money to build a Big Beautiful Rome-type colosseum and throw in a pyramid. DD

Great idea by Trump to have MMA FIGHTS at White House. Follow with wet T-shirt contest on South Lawn, alligator rasslin’ in the Rose Garden and tobacco spitting competitions in West Wing. This guy has no respect for anything. RT

Shame on the network news programs and cable news channels for devoting so much time to the COMBS TRIAL when much more important news goes unreported. So give a brief update if they must but then move on. This topic is more appropriate for something like Entertainment Tonight. DJO

Jeffrey EPSTEIN and his lady friend were bad people. They went to prison. There are scads of photos of Donald Trump in their company. A short while ago, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she had Epstein’s client list. Or not. It’s gone now. EJG

Now that the Democrats in NYC have chosen ZOHRAN MAMDANI, a naturalized citizen who has been in this country since he was 7, as their mayoral candidate, President Trump is attacking him and threatening to deport him. I imagine if his name were Patrick O’Brien things would be different. JH

We attended a beautiful NATURALIZATION ceremony on July 4. This is the kind of thing our country is built on. It’s really sad that many of our leaders have chosen to ignore many of the country-founding principles that these newly minted citizens just signed up for. GS

If we remove the able-bodied people on MEDICARE who are only on the roll because they’re lazy, it’d free up so much extra money to provide for those who honestly need the help. Democrats, use some nuance — stop protecting the lazy, protect those in need. AN

Incredibly, 48% of Americans are unfamiliar with the contents of the Republican passed NATIONAL BUDGET. It is the same level of ignorance that got Trump elected last year. Democracy dies in darkness . BH

Democrats complain about Republican debt spending, but were okay with annual $2 trillion debt spending. NM is so tied to FEDERAL DEBT spending, little wonder the crying hits new heights when debt cuts are exercised. It has been too easy to latch on to the federal gravy train. GT

Listening to NM Democrats whine about the GOP BUDGET, I cannot help thinking when you build a welfare state designed to be funded with other people’s money, it eventually catches up to you. Quoting Margaret Thatcher, “The problem with socialism is you eventually run out of other people’s money.” LRS

Forget the backpedaling and the convoluted explanations. Call it what it is. A BIG BAD BILL of forgotten promises. JS

In an age when more and more nations, both large and small, are offering UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE for their citizens, the United States, thanks to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” is going in the opposite direction; abdicating our historic position as the innovative leader of the free world by cutting Medicaid. RS

I constantly read complaints about the homeless population in the Journal. Just curious, how is taking health care away from millions of people, cutting food benefits and increasing our national debt going to affect HOMELESSNESS? But hey, maybe they can all live in the new $40 million dollar Garden of Heroes. CT

I tell people, come to New Mexico. Unless you have children. The education system is a failure. But at least kids don’t die there, like in CYFD’s foster care program. Shame on us. DZ

Is changing the FAIRGROUNDS from a yearly 10-day traffic issue into a 365-day traffic problem and an instant slum in which a few Realtors and developers make whopping commissions and will solve nothing a good idea? No! It is a bad idea. KKW

I was afraid of this. With former Mayor Martin Chavez involved in the STATE FAIR PROJECT, here comes the sports stadium obsession again. The last thing the area needs is noise, traffic jams and off-street parking problems. That’s why the fair needs to go. JP

311 recommends using the Transit App to track ABQ RIDE BUSES but that only works if they adequately use it, and when they don’t it creates a guessing game if a bus with no real-time data is running without GPS or not running but not officially cancelled on the app. BV

One solution to poor SCHOOL ATTENDANCE is to compensate parents for their child’s attendance. The parents receive an annual payment based on the number of days their child or children attend school. The amount of compensation is determined by the school system, based on a reasonable incentive within the budget. ME

How many of you think the July 4 celebrations with ILLEGAL FIREWORKS have gotten out of control? I’m writing this on Monday. Illegal fireworks have been launched every night past 10 p.m. for a week. Illegal fireworks should be banned statewide. It’s insane! Who’s enforcing the laws? HK