I am a "stater" as defined in your June 24 editorial, "Pension-deduction boosts better than going jobless." I just want to make it clear that the state employees have no voice in the public employees unions' decision to sue the state over the pension-deduction boosts.

I am a 21-year state employee nearing retirement. I was forced to join the union under threat of termination. To make it clear, as a state employee, I would rather have to put additional funds into my retirement for the next two years, than to be laid off or furloughed, but nobody cares what I think. The unions will do what they will, and I have no choice but to let them, because my rights were taken away when I was forced to join a union I don't support. Now I will likely pay both the union and in job loss or furlough.


No bonds for CSF

Finally the truth comes out regarding the mayor's plan to issue bonds to buy the College of Santa Fe. Before, Mayor David Coss claimed lease payments from Laureate Education would fund repayment on the bonds. But lease payments will be insufficient.

According to your June 23 article "Bond sale could help pay CSF debt," the city plans to pledge gross-receipts tax revenue to the bond investors. So we'll give up our golden goose to buy a defunct college that couldn't attract sufficient students to justify its existence.

Please urge the mayor and City Council to drop the plan to purchase CSF. Do not pledge our precious gross-receipts taxes to this ill-advised acquisition. The people of Santa Fe want a lower gross-receipts tax rate, not a defaulted college. CSF should be sold to developers for a mixed-use project.


Liquidate, move on

I read that the city has taken another step toward purchase of the College of Santa Fe campus. I find this a nearly insane idea. The city doesn't need another arts school. We already have many, very good art-education opportunities, including excellent programs through Santa Fe Community College.

The College of Santa Fe is a failed institution. The bondholders should move forward to foreclose on the property and liquidate the land and buildings in an orderly manner, taking their lumps along the way if needed.

The city needs to focus on quality-of-life issues in this community, including basic infrastructure expansion and renewal, and use its debt capacity and/or gross-receipts tax revenues to confront these challenges and others. The art-education community is healthy, as is.


Recruiting terrorists?

I was surprised and shocked to see the police recruitment posters on the backs of the city buses. The men in uniform look disturbingly like shock troops or special forces, wearing helmets and carrying assault rifles. They look ready to knock down the doors of suspected criminals. How many times are those sorts of get-ups actually called for in Santa Fe?

Do we really want to recruit people into our police force who are attracted by the promise of violence and big guns? There have been several reported cases of mistaken identity in other cities where innocent people, including small children, have been killed by shock forces entering their homes. They had the wrong address, but they were ready for action.

I hope that citizens who want a peaceful community will rise up in protest against this sort of blatant appeal to the lowest possible mentality in law enforcement.


Enforce DWUCP

So Española now bans cell phones while driving. The law has worked so well in Santa Fe that we are the "poster community" for compliance. Just yesterday, while waiting for a light to change, I saw two drivers on their phones within plain view of a SF police officer — who was also on his cell phone!

I understand cell phone-using drivers are stopped only if committing another crime. Like what? Robbing a bank? Since when are laws enforced on a multiple-choice basis? One from column A and two from column B gets you a ticket, but only if you are on your cell phone. A considerable amount of money could be added to the city's kitty if the law was enforced for one day only. And imagine how safe the streets would be? It would be frightening!


Late-night TV

On Wednesday night I was trying to watch our president discuss the issue of health-care reform on ABC's TV special. There were so many advertisements that the president was constantly interrupted. Finally, the show was interrupted by local news for an hour and continued for another half-hour at 11 p.m.

I want to ask what moneyed interests told ABC to sabotage the president's message? I support a public-option in our health-care reform. I could not help but notice that there was no discussion of public option until the audience was either exhausted or in bed. It is time to wake up and take action America — again!


Health vs. wealth

The very idea that health insurance should be a for-profit industry is inherently flawed. How can profit-oriented corporations be trusted to take care of us? When opponents of a government-sponsored health plan sow fears about government choosing doctors and making medical decisions for patients, don't forget that HMOs have been doing this for years, with the goal being to maximize profits.

Every other developed country on Earth has socialized medicine. America already has socialized education, roads, police, fire departments, and myriad other programs. Why not health care? If we're the richest country on Earth, we can afford the best social medical plan on Earth. Health care is a human right, not a privilege. Down with the private health insurance industry! Give us a universal, single-payer system now!


Fix Medicare first

So, "The Bama" now wants to spend $1.6 trillion on a new health-care program. The current unfunded obligations of Medicare and Medicaid are over $33 trillion. Anyone who thinks Medicare is working, does not know the facts or chooses to ignore them. Let's fix the entitlement programs we currently have, rather than start a new one. I urge everyone to contact their representative and senators and tell them "yes" on health-care reform and "no" on ObamaCare.