I was disappointed to read, "Forgot to Tip?" on Feb. 8, which contained inaccurate information about the fight at a local Canyon Road nightspot. I was the waitress working that night and can say that none of what was written was true.

The man in question was not old, and he was drunk and belligerent when he entered the bar. He had pushed a woman and the bartender in question was trying to keep other customers from getting out of hand after what they saw. The man had to be thrown out.

We would never fight anyone for a tip, as the headline implies. Please. I received threatening phone calls all night from this man, as did the investigating officers. It's too bad you can't print what he called me because the table would turn. I can tell you that at the end of the night we were shaking our heads in disbelief.


Cerrillos volunteers

The village of Cerrillos is a stable, safe and environmentally sensitive community. This is due to people, mostly volunteers, who go out of their way to make it so.

Mickey Perea has been a firefighter with the Turquoise Trail Volunteer Fire Department for 38 years. Allen Fowler has served on the volunteer El Vadito de los Cerrillos Water Association board of directors for five terms. Ross Lockridge and Ann Murray are longtime community activists. Luann Wosick is medical director of the Ortiz Mountain Health Center. She started some 17 years ago in the San José church hall side room. On behalf of all the people who have benefited from their selfless devotion, thank you!


Change of ownership

Depositors have recently been informed that the "new" Charter Bank will not be honoring interest rates on certificates of deposit. So, the college savings that was earning 3.46 percent has been slashed to 0.08 percent. Funny, that stack of papers I signed when I handed over all my money a couple of years ago sure looked like legally binding documents.

What passes for "business as usual" in Plano, Texas, used to be called plain old "horse trading" in other parts of the West.

Contrary to your Jan. 26 front-page article, "Getting back to business," they do need those security guards in the entryway.


Make caldera a national park

The Valles Caldera National Preserve should be transferred to the National Park Service for management. The trust in charge of these federal lands has sharply limited public access to this area. The Park Service has shown their capable visitor management skills in the adjoining Bandelier National Monument. They have demonstrated an excellent balance in handling large numbers of visitors efficiently while preserving the natural values of the area.

The Valles Caldera is one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world and is an outstanding scenic area worthy of national park status. The preserve should be combined with the Bandelier National Monument to create the Valles Caldera National Park. Envision a grand national park with hiking trails to the rim of the caldera with grand vistas of mountain meadows. Opportunities to view the elk herd would be plentiful. A great national park would be a legacy to our state.


Health reform critical

Please consider who benefits from pushing the silly claims that Obama's health care reform is a government takeover and that government regulation generally is socialism. Unregulated banks nearly destroyed the economy of this country. Big banks, and corporate interests generally, now wish to avoid having to change their ways. Their strategy to avoid this is to deflect anger onto government.

Because government is the only institution that can rein in corporate interests, corporate interests will naturally spend money to try to make people more afraid of government than of them. This strategy is both destructive and short-sighted. We learned in the Great Depression that the way out of economic disaster is temporary stimulus spending, the regulation of risk-taking in banks and a social safety net. Those approaches gave us 70 years of prosperity. Corporate interests will, foolishly, oppose these things, but they are what lifts all boats.




Real health care reform is a must for this nation. We should be ashamed of what we've allowed to happen, and now we don't have the nerve to stand up to the insurance giants to demand the right to treat our ailments at a fair price when we've come so far. Instead, we bicker and fight and grow further and further apart.

Every day we grow older, and none of us is going to get out of this alive, so let's come together and stand up for our rights and tell our representatives to stop the political positioning with our lives, our health and our futures. Democrats and Republicans must get it together and do something positive for this country. Enough is enough.




The reasons for needing reforms — of health care and its insurance, of financial systems, of campaign financing and of tort claims — are clear. Unfortunately, the branch of government responsible for such reforms is dysfunctional. Therefore, what must be reformed first is the way the legislative bodies function. Unfortunately, those responsible for reforming their own operating procedures are the members of the House and the Senate. Good luck with that.




I read that a California insurance company is planning to raise its health insurance premiums by 39 percent for some of its customers — news that's infuriating many in Washington. However, they are not alone in implementing premium hikes.

Six months ago, I retired from the New Mexico state government using the existing premium cost for the New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority for budgeting purposes. Before the end of the year, I received a notice from RHCA that they had reorganized the plan levels and were going to raise my premium by 45 percent in January. I immediately objected. The RHCA responded by saying my only choice was to pay the higher premium or take a lesser plan with the deductible doubled to $800. There was no other recourse, if I wanted to stay covered. We need federal protection.


Election bids

In her Feb. 15 My View, "Coss pays only lip service to disability community," Maria Jobe criticizes Mayor David Coss for not being in touch with the needs of the community of people with disabilities. While I cannot judge the accuracy of her criticism, I offer my impressions of Mayor Coss.

I was born with mild cerebral palsy and a slight speech impediment. My sensitivity to those who are indifferent or cruel to those with disabilities is highly developed. Last year, as a College of Santa Fe student, I worked closely with Mayor Coss as a governor-appointed member of a task force set up to explore ways to save the college. I found the mayor to be receptive to my suggestions and feedback. He supported my strong view that the college become Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. When I spoke to him, he listened attentively and respectfully. I will vote again for Mayor Coss on March 2.




Young and old are dying on our streets and roads because of drunken drivers. We have had one too many deaths, yet despite all these tragedies, Mayor David Coss allowed more than $10,000 to be spent on liquor at a city-sponsored event. Did he attend this conference? Did he have a drink or two there and then drive home?

Allowing such spending is gross, negligent and insensitive to the families of the victims of our community killed and injured by drunken drivers. How can he let such a thing happen? How can we continue to allow him to be our mayor? I am supporting Asenath Kepler for mayor, and I would urge others to do so, too!


Need remains

The United Church of Santa Fe thanks the Santa Fe community for the generous outpouring of financial support and supplies for disaster relief in Haiti. We've received more than $14,000 for Church World Service's work to help the Haitian people rebuild their country and their lives. Our youth have also assembled over 300 hygiene kits. We also thank The New Mexican for its coverage. Haiti's need for support will continue for a long time. For more information on how you can help, please contact churchworldservice.com or unitedchurchofsantafe.org, 988-3295.