OPINION: Talk of the Town

Leaders must address violence at UNM

I was horrified to hear about the shootings that occurred on campus in a student dorm July 25.

This occurred in a student dorm by a nonstudent with a gun. Just three weeks ago I had a conversation with my step-granddaughter during her visit about her concerns for her safety attending University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I assured her that she should be safe on campus and certainly in her dorm. As a graduate of two state schools, Rutgers University and University of California, Los Angeles, I believed that her university would protect her on campus. UNM failed to do that with this occurrence.

The university is getting the best and brightest in the state. They have a responsibility to the students and the parents of every student to provide a safe living environment. The student dorm is the substitute home for these students away from their families for the first time in their lives. Immediately, President Garnett Stokes must address these safety concerns. She should be working 24 hours every day to address these issues before many first-year students start their year at UNM. There should be limits to who has access to student dorms. What type of surveillance is provided by the preceptors in the dorms? No one noticed this large group of young men, including a 14 year old, hanging out in a student’s dorm room late at night.

And Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham needs to immediately become involved in addressing the safety issues to students at the lead educational institution in New Mexico. These are her students, too. Of course, the issue of violence and gun control need to be addressed, but first students should be provided with a safe space to live and learn.

Terry Kiely

Newtown, Pennsylvania

Spotlight on health care issues in NM

Great job by the Sunday Journal July 27 Opinion section in underscoring the significant and very real medical provider problem in today’s New Mexico.

It has been building for years and, absent an expedited major fix, it will surge to a life-threatening issue if already not. The lead article from the Journal Editorial Board was vividly reinforced by the personal saga being endured by Journal Executive Editor Jay Newton-Small. Her case typifies what’s drastically wrong with medical care/lack thereof in our state. It’s a sad commentary on the self-inflicted wound by an inept Legislature that repeatedly fails to effectively address the issue. There are numerous fixes that need to be tried, several of which were stated in the companion article by primary care provider Alex Deradke in his column.

At recent New Mexico Legislature sessions, doctors and other medical professionals pleaded with legislators to reform medical malpractice laws to no avail. The trial lawyers in the Legislature and their deep-pocket lobbyists want no part of that.

These issues are compounded by the sky-high number of New Mexicans on Medicaid. The state has enabled many Medicaid recipients to receive and remain on Medicaid when a fair number are able bodied and capable of working and attaining employer-provided health coverage.

Given these doomsday scenarios, it is no wonder that prospective new businesses, retirees and doctors are hesitant to come to the state.

Good to see that University of New Mexico Hospital is planning a large expansion of its medical school. That will help in the long run but, as emphasized by the Editorial Board, immediate measures are required. Don’t ask, demand that your legislator take action.

Sincere best wishes that all goes well with Newton-Small’s care and new addition to the family.

David Coulie

Albuquerque

Immigration policies are creating fear

Do you know how many kids are afraid to leave their house this summer? Do you know how many moms are afraid to go grocery shopping? Do you know how many local companies are short of laborers?

Citizens’ safety is not guaranteed anymore, but are people in government listening? Have any of them recently sat and had a conversation with someone who would be considered an immigrant?

Republicans in Congress, how do you justify slashing funds for colleges and education — investments in our future — while pouring astronomical sums into Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Shouldn’t our priority be building opportunities, not expanding enforcement budgets? How do you justify taking opportunities away from our kids to instead fund more enforcement? Don’t our children deserve that investment in their future?

The DOGE claims to have saved an estimated $1,200 per citizen per year in taxes, but more than 80% of those savings have been reallocated towards a large budget increase toward ICE. Is it worth it to lose our health care, our social security (that we paid into), so that a masked, unidentified agent can walk onto your property with no consequences?

if someone commits a crime, what difference does it make to the victim or his/her family whether the perpetrator is an (undocumented) immigrant?

Nicholas Harrison

Albuquerque

Homelessness, drug addiction solutions

We would all like to think otherwise but giving money to nonprofits and 30-day stints in rehab are a total waste. People always want to throw around the word compassion. How compassionate is it to let most of these people die horribly on the street? And what about the rest of us who are forced to live in the middle of all this crime and sorrow?

Use California as an example: $24 billion dollars in the last five years and it continues to get worse and worse.

The best chance to end this ever increasing disaster is an enormous facility to deal with all of these problems under one roof. A virtual self contained city incorporating:

• Secure facilities for low-level offenders.
• Mental health services.
• Substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation.
• Transitional living which would include working within the facility and out with nightly return, helping people become functioning in society once again.

Yes, this is a massive undertaking but it really would end homelessness, addiction and the associated crime that goes with it. This all needs to be under one roof because most of these people need multiple services.

It would be extremely expensive but when you add up all the time and money that is wasted on all the current options it starts to make sense.

Ellie Aucoin

Albuquerque

Stewart’s comments not harassment

I am a retired Albuquerque Public Schools teacher and an admirer of Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque. Stewart acknowledges she made intemperate remarks to a staffer. However, she apologized soon after she learned of the staffer’s reaction. That was the right thing to do and that should have been the end of the matter. However, the effort to call this incident “harassment” threatens to set an unfortunate precedent.

The Legislature is populated by people with strong personalities, with conflicting opinions, and they are working under high pressure. These days a toxic level of partisanship undermines collaboration and inspires members of each party to treat the other side as “the enemy.” This environment often leads to unfortunate remarks and rude behavior. If any employee of the Legislature can claim that such language is “harassment,” the Legislature will be bogged down with such claims, making it even more difficult to conduct the people’s business. I urge the Legislature to avoid taking that path.

Lenore Pardee

Albuquerque