For unity, first admit who won

Until all local, state and national Republicans verbally acknowledge the 2020 presidential election was fairly won by a Democrat, I will support House Speaker Brian Egolf ’s opinion (“Speaker draws bipartisan ire for stance on redistricting,” Feb. 27). Bipartisan participation in New Mexico’s politics is a lovely thought, but have we already forgotten the actions of Cowboys for Trump, GOP state Chairman Steve Pearce, U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell and angry protesters in front of our state Capitol? To this day, 75 percent of Republicans believe in “Stop the Steal.” When did modern Democrats ever design a campaign like this one? So I say to Egolf, “Stand your ground.” Save bipartisan participation for the day when Republicans willingly and happily want to participate without conspiracy theories.

Marcia Wolf Santa Fe

Partisan chatter

House Speaker Brian Egolf ’s comments regarding redistricting are purely partisan, inflammatory, shocking and divisive. Sad, sad, sad.

Vick Thomas Santa Fe

Bad news

Breaking news: Texas is now open for business — especially the morticians.

James Mokres Santa Fe

Follow the rules

Governor, please, continue your practice of putting our health and welfare above all else. Issue an executive order forbidding New Mexico hotels and inns from accepting bookings from Texas, Mississippi and other states that ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Is it legal? I don’t know, but that is what the courts are for. This is a point that you and other enlightened governors should be making. If Texans and Mississippians want to go it alone, they should stay home.

Richard Lees Santa Fe

Texas shoutout

I read this language: “Many Texans don’t like New Mexico’s rules, that often means servers and hospitality workers have to engage with rude customers who endanger their health” in an editorial this week (“Texas’ recklessness bad for New Mexico,” Our View, March 3). I live in New Mexico now, but I am a native Texan. This is offensive. I have never observed the behavior described, and I eat out a lot (when the governor allows). And letter writers picked up on this sentiment this week, with two writers wanting to ban Texans. While The New Mexican and the letter writers are “worrying they will make us sick” (words in the editorial), you might consider that Texas has been, throughout the pandemic, far more open than New Mexico, and yet has fewer total cases per capita (about 20 percent) and fewer total deaths per capita (about 25 percent) than New Mexico (data from states’ websites). New Mexico does have one of the highest state unemployment rates, though.

Sam Haas Santa Fe

Sure to spread

Good or bad, what happens in Texas doesn’t stay in Texas.

Donna Reeves Santa Fe

Development moves

Why don’t we look at exchanging land in the midtown campus with the investors of the Zia station corridor development, and let them develop the campus land with no height restrictions and leave the St. Francis Drive corridor the way it was meant to be. That way, it’s a win-win situation. We could start selling parcels of the campus instead of waiting for someone to buy the whole thing. It can turn into something like Uptown in Albuquerque and revitalize St. Michael’s Drive.

Elaine Anton Santa Fe

Which arms?

Statistics can often be used to present just one side of a story. Cherry-picking favorable data is the all-purpose WD-40 of the public relations professional. There is no question New Mexico has been successful at putting vaccines into arms. But in whose arms? Are they in the correct age category? In my opinion, they are not. Indiana is doing poorly when measured by percent of population inoculated. The same is true for Colorado. However, both states will have progressed to begin vaccinating people age 60 by Friday, March 5. New Mexico is behind other states in vaccinating by age category.

New Mexico has a great plan on paper, but it appears to me officials are not following their own guidelines. The only reasonable conclusion is that New Mexico’s vaccines are going in the wrong arms, as defined by phase. New Mexico’s failure to advance to lower age categories is indicative of a scattershot and undisciplined process, which is preventing sequential access and progress for everyone in the lower age groups. Follow the plan. Everyone in the lower age groups are depending on it.

Tom Donat Santa Fe