Public comment at Roundhouse vital

The arguments pro and con regarding “remote debate” at the state Legislature that appeared in the Jan. 17 Albuquerque Journal seemed counterproductive to me.

Requiring live attendance forces many to drive long distances to get to the Roundhouse and to also pay for at least one overnight stay in Santa Fe, which limits participation by members of both rural and urban communities, from the need to take time off from work and the cost perspective. Online participation mitigates this problem, but the lack of adequate internet service in many areas of the state obviously limits such participation.

Racial slurs and other forms of abuse of the speaking privilege that was mentioned as a reason to restrict online participation can of course be a problem, but that can be controlled by simply cutting off the ability of that speaker to be heard and seen. Although perhaps less likely, abuse of the speaking privilege can also occur in the live format, and I assume that both the House and Senate have methods in place to control such speaker behavior.

In view of the fact that there are issues with both live and remote debate formats, and that different members of the public may be served by the different formats, why not permit both approaches in order to maximize participation by the citizens of New Mexico?

ED BIRNBAUM LOS ALAMOS