Letters to the editor April 9

'Neighborhood' ordinance is tyranny

| The New Mexican

4/9/2008 - 4/9/08

The City Council's threat to pass a Neighborhood Conservation District Ordinance could lower our property values and limit property rights. The proposal would allow a few residents to have an area designated as "a neighborhood," and then to dictate conformity that would become law. This holds the potential of tyranny of a few on the values of others.

Rules to protect special interests could have unintended consequences: What if they mandated that all new construction and remodels be faux Victorian gingerbread, modulars, pre-fabs, brown colored straw bale, or even new styles of modern design, including warehouse revivalism?

Santa Fe already has adequate zoning restrictions and special historic districts. Neither our neighbors nor the city government are allowed to downgrade our property rights. There are laws against "takings" without adequate compensation. The citizens of Santa Fe deserve the right to vote on something as critical and as potentially detrimental to property values as this proposed ordinance.

Mike Fischer
Adobe Designer
Santa Fe

Nature crossing
Regarding Bob Gattis' March 30 My View, "Off-roading gets youth outdoors": Declaring that closing public lands to motorized vehicles cheats our children our of experiencing and developing a love and respect for the outdoors is ludicrous. We have many friends with children who are actively engaged in their communities through rodeo, 4-H activities, theater, sports, etc. My parents raised their four daughters with a focus on camping, hiking and water skiing, which taught us a reverence for the outdoors that I cherish today. Being an equine enthusiast, and having spent a few summers exploring Rowe Mesa on horseback, I can attest to the ravages that off-roading is having on that area.

I suggest a healthier, more peaceful alternative to motorized travel for the youth — a quiet interlude without a motor wherein they might truly enjoy their outdoor surroundings at a leisurely pace, as opposed to zooming by it all on a machine. The ability to enjoy the outdoors is not limited to motorized vehicles.

Denice Pruett
Galisteo

Fund enforcement first

Richard Montoya, the rancher interviewed by Staci Matlock in "National Forests: Reining in off-roaders" (March 30) is right. There is no problem with off-roaders enjoying their ATVs, as long as they respect private property. It seriously bothers me that people do not feel safe on their land.

My biggest issue is enforcement. I, personally, don't feel safe approaching a stranger when I see one blatantly disregarding the law on public land. We need to give rangers sufficient funds to enforce the rules. If we don't care for the land, who will? I own an all-terrain vehicle and use it on my own land for jobs that are too big for me, but too small for the tractor. ATVs are powerful vehicles that require the same level of skill and thoughtfulness as a car or truck. When riding and exploring on public lands, we must recognize that this is not "just" land. These beautiful places are our homes and heritage. We must protect them.

Dawn Fischer
Stanley

Bless us all
Regarding "Ecumenical Error" (April 4): Donald Coleman correctly states that Monsignor Vittorio Formenti reported that Islam, at 19.2 percent of world population, surpassed the Roman Catholic Church, at 17.4 percent. Mr. Coleman then accused the church of arrogance and pride.

What Mr. Coleman omits is that in the same interview, Monsignor Formenti also pointed out that Christianity accounted for 33 percent of the world population. So who is being divisive? God bless the whole world. No exceptions.

Tom Martin
Santa Fe

Replace role models
Last Friday there was a fatal, one-car accident on Camino la Tierra near our house. I first became aware of it as a low-flying helicopter flew over our house and made an emergency landing on Camino la Tierra. That road had been secured by city police and county sheriff's deputies. Later that evening, a very subdued and polite police officer told us Camino la Tierra was still closed because of a fatal accident. If it were humanly possible, these people would have saved that young life.

It's truly unfortunate that a young woman with her life in front of her died that warm and pleasant afternoon. Why are emergency responders not given more media attention for the work they do? Do Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and the others really improve the quality of our community proportionate to their media coverage? We have real issues in front of us, and we need to acknowledge the problem solvers, so our young people have decent character models.

Joseph Sherman
Santa Fe