Letters to the Editor

By AGNES FINN
White Rock

I am having a difficult time finding in my heart any sympathy for Rabbi Jack Shlachter and his congregants offense at the term “Free Palestine” (link).

On October 7th my heart broke with sorrow when I heard of the death of 1200 Israelis killed and 250 hostages taken at the hands of Hamas. And now more than 100 days later 25,000 Palestinians with more than half being women and  children have been killed at the hands of Israel.

Where is your offense at these killings, Rabbi Shlachter? It is shocking to think that the words “Free Palestine” written in a little tunnel on a hiking trail Read More

By TERRY GOLDMAN 
Los Alamos

Mr. Devolder suggests at the end of his piece that he may be “too old”.

On the contrary, he may not be old enough to need to depend on accessibility requirements for the less abled.

I won’t address his many points (some of which are well taken), but he does need to be reminded that the County is subject to many federal and state requirements for accessibility for all. Read More

By MATTHEW JEREMY
Formerly of Los Alamos

This is a response to Mr. Peter LaDelfe’s comments on alternative fuel vehicles (link). I would say I’m not strongly for or against alternative fuel vehicles. However, I do disagree that alternative fuel vehicles such as electric cars or hydrogen-powered vehicles will not be our “salvation.”

This isn’t in regards to the technology because I think it is intriguing. However, what Mr LaDelfe’s comments fail to account for is one thing: greed. Let’s take two case studies from history.

Case study 1

The first car Henry Ford designed was built to run ethanol. Read More

By ROBERT BOURQUE 
Los Alamos

Interesting comments about the North Mesa roundabout. People are not perfect; they usually don’t pay full attention to the task; and they are quite error prone. A major purpose of safety engineering is recognizing that and, by design, reducing the consequences of messing up. The recent addition of rumble strips along the centerline of the Main Hill Road is a fine example of that.

Having clear views of traffic at all times at roundabouts is another way. The other roundabout near DP Road does a fine job where all traffic is visible; they don’t suddenly appear from behind Read More

By RON MOSES
Fort Collins, Colo.

I am delighted to see Rick Nebel’s excellent contribution to the Los Alamos Daily Post (link) regarding school electrification.

As many of us out in the community “put our money where our mouths are” to help address climate issues while also saving some money, so should our public service systems. Rick is an outstanding expert on “all things energy” and is right when he says: “This needs to be verified with real numbers”.

It is great to have experts like Rick who are still willing to stick their heads above the parapets to address complex and controversial issues with Read More

Respectfully Submitted by
Elisa Enriquez
LAPS Parent

I sincerely appreciate the hard working staff, teachers, and administration at Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS).  With rare exceptions, my kids and I have had positive experiences with LAPS over the past 13 years. Between 2022 and January 2024 LAPS had three different Superintendents while COVID-19 pandemic protocols were still in effect. Our current Superintendent, Jennifer Guy, was a constant presence throughout this time and I appreciate her leadership. She is known as a trustworthy leader of integrity by many, myself included. Read More

By COLE PAFFETT, MD
Los Alamos 

In both Robert Bourque’s (link) and Sherril Couts’s (link) letters, they claim that the North Mesa roundabout is dangerous as currently designed and landscaped. They both appear to have a flawed understanding of safe driving practices and safe street design.

The roundabout design and landscaping is there to force drivers to slow down and pay attention while maintaining traffic flow. These accounts of accidents and near-misses at the roundabout suggest that many drivers need a refresher in defensive driving. 

Couts’s comments about “the idiocy of the Read More

By SCOTT BATSON, PE
Porland, Ore.

Robert Bourque is incorrect in his recent letter to the editor about the visibility across modern roundabouts.

If you’re looking at the other side of a modern roundabout when you’re entering, you’re driving unsafely. Drivers entering a modern roundabout should first look for pedestrians, then watch for other motorists approaching their entry, and then watch for pedestrians when exiting.

The motorist on the other side of the circle won’t get to you for 5 or 10 seconds (watch a clock/your phone’s stopwatch to see how long that is). Obscured views across the central Read More

DAVID HAMPTON
White Rock

Chair Derkacs and Councilors,

The desire to raise the minimum wage comes from the heart, out of concern for others, and should be honored. However, with very few county businesses offering less than the proposed minimum, and few employees receiving less, it will have little impact other than to drive some small businesses that operate on low margins to eventually close their doors. These businesses will not be able to raise their prices enough to cover an increased minimum wage and still have enough sales to be profitable.

So, instead of balancing the cost of a minimum Read More

By SHERRIL COUTS
Los Alamos

In regard to Robert Bourque’s letter (link), he is correct, but there’s more.

Crossing San Ildefonso on foot, east bound, at the crosswalk on the south side of the roundabout is suicide if one is not careful. Motorists drive too fast to stop. Trees block their view from any distance. It’s still the motorists’ faults, but the engineering mitigation would be to remove some trees, pretty as they are.

It’s already bad enough with motorists who don’t know the rules of the roundabout. Very recently I was driving through the roundabout and nearly got destroyed by an 18-wheel Read More