Military has final say on its bases

AFTER READING the (Sept. 10) Albuquerque Journal editorial opposing the elimination of (a) BRAC (commission) and limiting input from communities regarding the closure of bases in their communities, I felt compelled to write.

Communities should have NO input regarding BRAC closures. The Pentagon has the most knowledge of which military facilities are essential to the Department of Defense mission and which ones are not. Just as retailers make the choice to stay in a community or leave, that decision is their’s alone, and it should be the same with the Pentagon based on actual military needs and not from local input. Contrary to the tone of your editorial, the mission of military bases is to ensure our national security and NOT to make sure that communities don’t suffer a financial loss.

Albuquerque and New Mexico might actually be better off without some bases since it might actually force New Mexico to diversify its economy. Military bases also have the effect of lowering property values around and near them, not because the members of the military are criminals, but because bases tend to lower property values, which attracts a criminal element and gangs. Need an example? Look at how depressed and dangerous the SE side of Albuquerque is, chasing the unsavory elements out of that area of town and reclaiming our community is far better than having a base there. We’d take a financial hit, but in the long run we’d be better off.

GARY QUINTANA Albuquerque