Opinion

Gessing: Kids Count Report Highlights Government Failure

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By PAUL J. GESSING
President
Rio Grande Foundation

The latest edition of Kids Count provides more devastating news about New Mexico and the condition of our children. The report, created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (a center/left non-profit that works nationwide) analyzes and ranks all 50 states based on 16 variables relating to childhood outcomes.

Surprising absolutely no one, New Mexico again was at the very bottom once again at 50th. I analyzed the report and counted 7 variables that improved, 7 that got worse, and 2 that stayed the same relative to last year’s report. Based on this it Read More

Bartlett: More Access To Lower Bayo And Pueblo Canyons

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By MELISSA BARTLETT
Los Alamos

The current Los Alamos County Parks and Recreation policy for access to the lower part of Bayo and Pueblo canyons is too restrictive and discriminates against those of us who have limited abilities.

Currently, parking is allowed only in the small dirt lot near the gate on the road that leads to the waste water treatment plant. Private vehicles that park anywhere past the gate are subject to ticketing.

This means that to access the many lovely trails of lower Pueblo and Bayo Canyons, the only option is a hike on the paved road and risk the trucks or on a small hot dusty trail Read More

Blair: The Strength Of Our Center

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By DONALD BLAIR
Political Commentator

The 4th of July has an All-American reputation as a communal day of cookouts, parades and fireworks. We view the holiday with a touch of nostalgia for a time when we could all celebrate together with a sense of national unity and shared pride in our country. But its origins may have more in common with our modern fractured time than we think.

The Declaration of Independence was actually controversial within Colonial America. John Adams himself reckoned that only one-third of the population supported independence. Historian Thomas Slaughter from the University Read More

Powell: Let’s Honor Our Ranch School History

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By IRENE POWELL
Concerned Citizens for the Segler Painting
Los Alamos

Several concerned community members attended the Art in Public Places Advisory Board (APPAB) meeting Thursday night to support the County’s acquisition of The Boys of the Pajarito Plateau, a painting by renowned artist Jeff Segler depicting three young men on horseback during the Los Alamos Ranch School (LARSO) era.

Mr. Segler, formerly of Los Alamos, was also in attendance. Six of us spoke during public comment urging the APPAB to vote to advise the County Council to purchase the painting.

After a great deal of discussion, Read More

DeVolder: I Remember

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By Mark DeVolder
Los Alamos

I was saddened by the Presidential Debate.

Per Ken Burns’ Jazz series of videos, Duke Ellington was given a great deal of encouragement by his mother Daisy. Ellington was once asked how he felt about his treatment as a black American. Ellington responded, “I used the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.”

Therefore, I wrote some words:

After World War II, America was not war-torn like Europe and America was strong. However, America incurred a huge national debt for the war which was never repaid. America melted down aluminum aircraft, made aluminum pots and Read More

Op-Ed: School, Drugs, And The Long Shadow Of The Law … A Plea For Parental Protection

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By PERRY KLARE Esq.
Los Alamos High School, 1998

As a criminal defense attorney practicing in our community and State for many years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of drug use on our teenagers. The allure of experimentation, the desire to fit in, and the crushing weight of academic pressure can lead even the most promising young people down a dangerous path. However, I’ve also seen how a single misstep, fueled by youthful indiscretion and amplified by harsh legal consequences, can derail a life before it’s truly begun.

The war on drugs has not been kind to our children. While Read More

Op-Ed: Protect Freedom And Fight Anti-Semitism

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By MILES LESSEN
Los Alamos

There is a well-documented statistical increase in hate crimes against people who are Jewish, including vandalism, graffiti, assault, intimidation, and abuse, both within and outside the United States. However, my family has felt safe and secure in the oasis of Los Alamos, a community in which we believed diversity was celebrated and embraced. Since moving here, we have met people from at least 11 different countries spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, and other regions of the world, many states throughout the USA, and several Native American tribes. We regularly see Read More

Benson: You, Too, Can Vote Tuesday, June 4

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By JODY BENSON
Los Alamos

People ignore the Primaries because they believe that there aren’t candidates with any opposition so why bother. Or maybe they didn’t get around to registering. Or they registered Declined to State and in NM, because we have “closed primaries” you must be a registered Republican or Democrat to be able to vote. Or hey (and this seems pretty popular)—who cares.

Let’s start with the first excuse. If you are registered Democrat or Republican it’s true that, except the Democrat District attorney, all candidates in the major parties are uncontested locally; however, nationally, Read More

Robinson: Tax Foundation Calls New Mexico Tax Ranking Respectable

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

Let’s start with the good news: New Mexico is number one on an important ranking. We have the nation’s lowest property taxes, and they’ve been the lowest for a long time.

The reason goes back in history to the 1800s, when New Mexicans lost land to tax sales because they didn’t understand American taxation imposed on them, and the territory was infested with unscrupulous lawyers. Today property tax rates reflect the reality that in New Mexico many people are land rich and cash poor.

Other components in the Tax Foundation’s 2024 State Read More

Conrad: Rebuttal To Robinson Op-Ed On Produced Water

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By STEVE CONRAD
Algodones

The recent op-ed by Sherry Robinson entitled “Step into the future with Produced Water” (link) exhorts us to “trust technology and step into the future.” The problem with her premise is that the oil and gas wastewater treatment technology she suggests that we trust is unproven to be even remotely economically viable. In addition, no specified standards of what constitutes “clean” have been set. The treated water will necessarily have some solutes remaining after treatment. Will the water be safe enough for its intended use? We need unambiguous quantitative cleanup Read More