OPINION: Talk of the Town

Fairgrounds is the right home for New Mexico United

I support building the New Mexico United stadium at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. I am a NMU season ticket holder since the team’s inception. It is a better location than the proposed location at Balloon Fiesta Park. Contrary to Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Balboa’s concerns, it will rejuvenate the International District. I could see the old Walmart property becoming a multiuse facility. It will complement the renovation of the two high-rise buildings at San Mateo and Central. The fairgrounds can be used for before- and after-game entertainment. Unlike Balloon Fiesta Park, the fairground is adjacent to public transit. It is 5 miles from Downtown.

The neglected International District needs to rebuild. It needs something big and consequential that will promote hope and improved lives. New Mexico United’s mission is to be “an agent of positive change in New Mexico, bringing people together in ways they’ve never come together before.” A new stadium is a step in that direction. Somos Unidos!

Jeffrey Gittelman

Albuquerque

Why stop at abortions, track vasectomies, too

In response to the letter to the editor, “State should keep track of abortions” (March 15 Sunday Journal): The letter writer is against them, of course. He wants to keep himself enraged at the private decisions of others. Should we track vasectomies? Appendectomies? Liposuction?

Women have endured and died from unwanted pregnancies. Modern medicine has given us a safe and private way to avoid this. Heart transplants? Check. Valve replacements? Check. But this man prefers to have women ruled by anatomy and history. And he would probably like a label for them to wear. Red preferably.

Most men do not understand women's bodies. They are likely not hearing about the scars left after even some of the best deliveries. Or, more likely, they don't care. Not their problem. Women have been trained to quietly endure and not to complain. Truth telling is seen as unwelcome from women. But that is changing.

I would like to see how many children are without homes this week. Or how many went without food. How many families are living in cars? How many did not get needed care? Let's post how many men refused to support their children. Let's post how many men got a woman pregnant while his wife was delivering his child. Your religious dogma and belief regarding abortion should not interfere with anyone getting the care they need and want. Men's religions have controlled women's bodies and women are now taking back control. It is about time.

Sandra Penn

Albuquerque

City deserves credit: Streets are getting safer

Last summer, I wrote urging Mayor Tim Keller to take stronger action to create safer streets after Kayla Vanlandingham, a 19-year-old city employee, was killed while biking at the Hahn Arroyo Trail's crossing with Carlisle Boulevard. I'm pleased to report that Keller and city leaders have answered the call in meaningful ways.

In November, at the urging of Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn, the City Council unanimously passed a landmark overhaul of Albuquerque's ancient traffic code. The new laws require drivers to fully stop for vulnerable road users at crosswalks, dedicate automated speed enforcement revenue to Vision Zero, and establish clear rules for HAWK signals. The city has also launched a public education campaign at cabq.gov/stop to remind drivers of their responsibility to watch for and yield to people walking, biking and rolling.

Our streets are changing, too. New HAWK signals have been installed at key crossings, including at the Carlisle and Hahn Arroyo site where Kayla was killed. Protected bike lane trials are underway, and arroyo multiuse paths are receiving improved maintenance. These are real wins, and they deserve recognition.

But a promising start is not a finished job. Traffic safety research is unambiguous: Physical street design determines whether crashes happen and whether people survive them. The City Council must now commit more funding for infrastructure changes that prevent dangerous driving and protect vulnerable road users, such as separated bike lanes, speed cushions and raised crosswalks.

Relying on driver compliance and goodwill is not enough.

The progress made over the past several months is genuinely encouraging, and Keller and the City Council deserve credit for it. But Albuquerque's streets have decades of neglect to overcome. The work ahead is larger than the work behind, and the people walking, biking and rolling on our streets every day are counting on the city to see it through.

Ben Garland

Albuquerque

Delegates, not power brokers, chose Haaland

Want to know a little about Democratic Party candidate for governor, Sam Bregman? Read his response to his resounding defeat in Saturday’s Democratic pre-primary convention: “The insiders wanted a coronation. That’s how the political establishment likes to do things,” he said in a statement. “But this election isn’t going to work that way. The people of New Mexico, not a room full of party power brokers, will decide who leads this state.”

As a delegate to the convention, I certainly don't consider myself a party power broker. Deb Haaland's big win wasn't about a crown, it was about a choice. A choice that 74% of the delegates (teachers, retirees, police officers, salesmen, authors and health care workers) made for the candidate that they felt would bring experience, dedication, wisdom and commitment to the Governor's Office. Bregman's response was beneath him; or was it?

Jeffrey Paul

Albuquerque

New Mexicans deserve a real debate

The "debate" on PBS with Deb Haaland is not a debate. It is a forum, no quick exchange of opinions, no electricity, nothing to exhibit what one would do in a crisis.

I remember the debate between Haaland and Janice Arnold Jones when they were running for Congress in 2018. Arnold Jones was quick, knew her facts and could retort Haaland with alacrity. Haaland did so poorly she refused to do the second debate. (By the way, I am an independent.) It has stuck with me that she is not fast on her feet. She is unable to manage a complex state as its executive. You say she ran the Interior Department. Phooey! She had zero background in all the areas associated with the Interior Department. She had to rely on long-time institutional employees to guide her through her tenure.

Sam Bregman may have a lot of bluster, but that goes with competence and experience. He was a very successful defense attorney. He could run his company, understand profit-and-loss statements, make on-the-spot decisions and simultaneously win in court. Now, we are lucky to have him as Bernalillo County district attorney fighting for more laws to protect us, understanding some teens must be imprisoned. I truly believe Haaland would be the type of governor to recommend release for those teens because "being nice" to them will turn them around. No. Bregman knows the laws, knows the courts and knows the clientele who are enmeshed in our court system. Haaland graduated law school but she never passed the bar. New Mexico needs a leader who understands and can advocate for strong and effective laws to make our state more attractive for visitors and businesses.

Claudia Lyon

Albuquerque

A war without a plan will help Putin

I asked Google how many Americans have been killed, directly and indirectly, by Iran since the regime came to power in 1979. This is the answer I received.

"Based on reports and assessments from the U.S. Department of Defense and various analysts, Iran has been linked to the deaths of well over 1,000 Americans, primarily through direct actions, proxy militant groups, and support for insurgent activities over the past four decades."

So, in 40 years, Iran is responsible for far fewer American deaths than happen in a single year due to homicides, suicides and drunk driving. For that, Trump launched a war without a plan that is costing billions of dollars, disrupting fuel and food prices, collapsing stability in the Middle East, killing thousands of Iranians and mounting numbers of civilians in neighboring countries. Because of the sharply rising energy prices, Trump is considering removing sanctions on Russia in order to obtain Russian oil. The proceeds Russia will get from oil sales will be used to fund its war on Ukraine.

Brian Hill

Albuquerque