Daylight saving time won’t work in winter
In the stampede to change to daylight saving time year-round, people are forgetting the effect this has during the winter months. By moving the daylight hours to the afternoon and early evening, we are also moving sunrise and the morning light further into the day. The major consequence, especially during the winter, which no one has addressed, is all the schoolchildren standing at bus stops and walking to school in the dark.
If people can’t take the small inconvenience of moving their clocks twice a year, then maybe we should stay on standard time year-round rather than switching to daylight saving time at all.
Myron G. Rightman
Santa Fe
Hunt is on
Keep river access
As an active member of Santa Fe Search and Rescue and a trainer of search and resucue personnel in river search techniques, I am greatly concerned that the passage of House Bill 235 could negatively impact our abilities to quickly and safely search for people swept away in any of our state’s rivers. The bill, (HB 235, tinyurl.com/ pgjgmvl) in Part C, states that no person “shall walk or wade onto private property through non-navigable public water or access public water via private property” without the property owner’s consent in writing. While at worst this could lead to the construction of barriers down to and across rivers and/or confrontations with hostile property owners, at the very least it would significantly slow down our response time and quite literally mean the difference between life and death.
Scott Lowry
Santa Fe
Rights-of-way wrongs
I want to thank the New Mexico House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee for passing House Bill 330 (about rural cooperatives and service on tribal lands) and to comment on the state- ments made by several local pueblo officials during the hearing regarding the services the various pueblo governments provide our community. The bill has passed the House. These services are definitely appreciated and used by many of our community members. However, these services should not be financed by charging excessive rights-of-way fees to Jemez Mountain Electric Cooperative.
Many people in our communities do not use some of the services our local pueblos provide (e.g., senior centers, recreational facilities, police protection) and therefore, should not be required to finance/pay for these services through increases in their electric bills. Utility rights-of-way easements are to compensate a landowner for allowing use of this right of way and not for financing community services by a government that does not represent all of the members of our community.
Dave Neal Santa Fe
Identifying origins
Joe Schell, in his letter (“Deny citizenship,” March 3) brings to mind an interesting point. Since we are choosing to designate people by ethnic origin, as in African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, etc., shouldn’t we be referring to American Indians as “American-Americans?”
Barbara A. Smith Santa Fe
Glorious sound
An extraordinary weekend with ProMusica, Midori, Beethoven and Schumann! Midori’s virtuosity is unparalleled, even with Schumann’s violin concerto, but to me the most amazing moment was seeing the Lensic Performing Arts Center full of children, at least 800 for a special schools concert, listening to a brief lecture on Beethoven and his Eighth Symphony, and then ProMusica performing this masterpiece. What a unforgettable introduction to the higher realms of music for all of these children. My accolades to Thomas O’Connor (music director and conductor), Carol Redman (education and associate artistic director) and all of the orchestra for ProMusica for such gifts to Santa Fe since 1980.
Stephen Fox Santa Fe
Ski local
Thank you so much to the Santa Fe ski basin for the Local Appreciation Day on March 5. Running into old friends and enjoying the discount tickets, food and free music was great. The generosity of the Santa Fe ski basin bringing together local folks to enjoy the mountain will not be forgotten. What a great way to build community, by valuing your local customers. It was a wonderful community event. Think snow!
Andy Winnegar Santa Fe
Credit to Texas
Just to set the record straight: a) regional TV commercials showing how to make a Frito pie ran on Texas screens throughout the early 1950s; b) the recipe for Frito pie was printed in San Antonio, Texas, on Fritos packages during the same period. I’m sorry, but New Mexico has as much claim to Frito pie as it does to the Alamo. Case closed. (“‘Frito Pie Queen’ added spice to life on S.F. Plaza,” March 6).
Foster Hurley Santa Fe
Unprincipled GOP
Re: Milan Simonich, (“Senate GOP’s push on ‘right-to-work’ fails,” March 6). Republicans want to turn New Mexico into a “rightto-work” state. If you look at their actions, rather than their words, Republicans generally champion four principles: crucify the weak and the poor; decimate the middle classes and unions; worship the wealthy; and get rid of democracy by substituting the rule of money for the rule of the people.
These objectives require scuttling labor unions, which protect workers’ wages and are a bulwark of democracy. Despite productivity growth of 143 percent in the last 40 years, workers’ wages have been stagnant. One reason: reduced union representation to 11.1 percent of workers today from one-third then. The top 0.1 percent of families have increased their percentage of household wealth from 7 percent to 22 percent. Top CEOs earn 296 times what typical workers earn — compared to only 20 times in 1973. New Mexican Republicans’ attack on labor unions sadly exemplify these four principles.
Roger Carasso Santa Fe
Due to overbreeding, I would like to propose a bill that would allow cougars to hunt and trap legislators.
Steve Lentz Santa Fe