In his March 30 letter, "Conquest continuum," Douglas Preston appears to believe that wealthy whites have the right to stolen lands.

When England woke up from her nap, Spain had scattered over half of the New World. Before the American Revolution, territory west of the Mississippi, along with Louisiana and Florida, belonged to the Spanish crown.

The "whites" living in the 13 original colonists were not wealthy. When Great Britain declared war on her American colonies in 1775, the colonies were broke, their paper money had no gold or silver to back it. Our mother country, Spain, contributed money, medicine, supplies, etc. to aid the American colonists. Spanish ships and armies tied up the English operations in Europe and America, so that England couldn't use its full forces to smash the revolution.

Our Spanish soldiers, who are also "white," and the Indians of the pueblos and other tribes and blacks have died fighting for this country. Nobody booted the Spanish Colonists out of New Mexico. We are still here.

Corine Flores
Santa Fe

Out-of-network call
Gov. Bill Richardson should be praised, not criticized, for endorsing the presidential candidate he feels is best for the job and not just selecting an old friend. Picking a friend or relative to fill a job position seems to be the way it's done most of the time in government and business. This is one reason jobs are so often filled by people who are unsuited for the positions. The good-old-boy network, or nepotism, seems to run rampant in our current culture.

Good for the governor for having the courage to endorse Barack Obama. If Hillary Clinton were truly a good friend, she would understand.

Lou Finley
Santa Fe

Subsidies subvert
It appears the Eldorado commuter bus route costs taxpayers $55 for each $1 in fuel saved, which diverts money from police, fire and education. And now it's going to expand via the North Central Regional Transit District. Gasoline taxes are already a roadway toll. Subsidizing a commuter system is regressive to those who cannot use it.

The Thoreau Institute says, "Instead of helping solve local transit problems, subsidies actually encourage governments to squander tax dollars on extravagant and wasteful programs."

Most transit systems would fold overnight if hidden costs were not heavily subsidized. An inefficient business goes broke. But if government owns it, it just diverts tax dollars from police, fire or education for votes.

Private companies would provide the service if, first, elimination of prohibitive application costs and government regulation stifling entrepreneurship for such a service; and, second, sufficient demand is present.

Additional regulations and taxes for subsidies are the continuation of "two wrongs to make a right."

Kerry Boyd
Santa Fe

Ban OHVs for kids
I'm a school psychologist who provides therapeutic services primarily to high-school students. My concern in the current debate over the use off-highway vehicles on public lands is the terrible danger they pose. I have had students lose their lives and other students suffer traumatic brain injuries as a result of OHV accidents. While off-roading may be fun or even thrilling, the fact that young people are able to drive off into the hills, unsupervised, with no headgear, and at uncontrolled speeds is comparable to putting loaded guns into their hands.

An alternative is to ban the use of any motorized off-road vehicle and to provide young people with mountain bicycles instead — they're less expensive, less dangerous and provide better exercise. I can hear the students' groans of disappointment as I write this. As parents doing what is best for our children, however, we can rest assured that those groans are growing pains, not the tragic groans of accident victims.

Jane Dickinson, Ph.D.
Santa Fe

Not their business
Nat Josel, in his March 21 letter, "Medical pros misdiagnose insurance," said that patients should "feel confident that those who deal with health services and insurance every day will deliver accurate information," including providers. He did not, however, say that "medical providers should be among those responsible for knowing what services are provided by patients' health insurance plans," as another letter writer suggested.

In fact, the point of the rest of his letter was exactly the opposite: medical providers should not be advising patients what their policies cover, because they're often unfamiliar with the policy and give wrong information. I agree that patients are ultimately responsible for knowing what their insurance covers. But they shouldn't be asking their doctor for that information, any more than they would go to their insurance agent if they had a broken leg.

Paula Lozar
Santa Fe

Job hunt risky
Should applying for a job get you deported? Just this week a man who returned to a local big-box store for a second job interview was asked to wait after presenting his employment papers. The next thing he knew, Immigration Customs Enforcement arrived, questioned him, were ready to detain him, and he ran. Now, a family with two children in school feels the risk is too great to sleep in their home in Santa Fe.

Businesses are not allowed to hire people without the proper papers. Businesses are not required to call ICE to report a person for not having the proper papers. This incident flies directly in the face of Santa Fe's resolution barring discrimination against immigrants. It creates a climate of fear for immigrants and their families. Families can include both documented and undocumented people. What risks are you willing to take when you have to apply for your next job?

Wyn Lewis and Peggy Giltrow
Santa Fe

Words without love
I gathered from the newspaper articles that Jensen Brown was a remarkable young man. It is shameful that someone chose to deface his memory, as well as the wall, at the corner of Old Santa Fe Trail and Camino Corrales by spray painting in big ugly black letters stating "Jensen We Love You."

Barbara Hays
Santa Fe

Delayed reaction
A new survey reports that 65 percent of those polled want troops out of Iraq in one year. How would the respondents feel if they learned that we could have been out four years ago? That's what Kenneth R. Timmerman writes in his new book, Shadow Warriors: The Untold Story of Traitors, Saboteurs, and the Party of Surrender.

In it, Admad Chalabi of the Iraqi Leadership Council is quoted as saying, "There's no need to increase the deployment of U.S. Forces in Iraq to guarantee security. Building up the Free Iraqi Forces will allow the United States to begin withdrawing forces and cease being targets of terrorists. Why don't you let us fight these bastards?" Because Bush's appointed Czar, Jerry Bremer, and commander of U.S. Forces, Lt. Gen. John Abizaid, said "no."

Not a single Democrat in Congress — so eager today to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq — said a word.

K.C. Mosier II
Santa Fe

Applause from Pojoaque
I really, really appreciate The Santa Fe New Mexican's continued support for the Newspapers in Education program, which puts newspapers in classrooms. I use them, the kids use them, and they are such a great teaching asset.

J.D. Rathjen, Ph.D.
science teacher
Pojoaque Valley High School


Thank you so much for making the special edition of The New Mexican dedicated on March 19 to the Elks and Elkettes. I already enjoy reading The New Mexican, but this edition was really exciting and made me so proud of our basketball teams. It was the first time in our school's history that the boys took state and the second time for the girls. It was so nice of you to recognize this great accomplishment.

Deanna López
Pojoaque Valley High School


Thank you for sending the generous number of newspapers to our school. I'm very proud to live in New Mexico and to attend the "2008 2-AAA State Champs for Boys and Girls basketball" school. I really enjoyed all the colorful pictures and found the articles informational and enjoyable. This (special edition) copy of the newspaper will forever be cherished. This is a moment I will always remember.

Desiree Martínez
Pojoque Valley High School


Thank you for the great compliments. It is good for people to see the good side of our school. I read The New Mexican every day for 4th period. I read the news, comics, horoscopes, etc. I am thinking of becoming a journalist, so I am keeping in touch with the news. Again, I would like to thank you.

Candace Vargas
Pojoaque Valley High School


Thanks for giving us a thousand newspapers free. It was nice because it has a whole section on us the winning state championships. I love reading the sports section.

Megan López
Pojoaque Valley High School


I would like to thank you for your generosity in donating the thousand free newspapers to our school. You saved our school a total of $500. I really like how you care for us and our basketball players.

Isaiah Roybal
Pojoaque Valley High School