With President Barack Obama in office, I am trying to look ahead and be optimistic, but these obstructionist Republicans are beginning to annoy me. Just let things run their course, they say; less government, they say, even as they spent a trillion
dollars on an unwarranted war and handed
$2 trillion to the top 1 percent through their trickle-down economics.

Keep our trade policies the way they are, they say, even though these policies make it impossible for labor in this country to compete with those countries whose workers earn next to nothing.

Republicans get off on it. It gives them gratification and a sense of power to watch as we fall through the cracks. They've kept our wages down, sent our jobs overseas, created an unjustified war, and with all of this, some of us had no choice but to go fight in Iraq. Republicans only want to "socialize" the losses of their rich friends, and to "privatize" the profits.




I pay my taxes, credit cards, and all outstanding debts on time. I personally sacrificed so that my children would have a good education and future. I saved my money. I give generously to charitable organizations of my choosing.

Recently, I bailed out several large banks and insurance firms. Within the last months I extended loans to the automotive industry. I pay higher taxes while increased government spending goes to pork projects under the "stimulus" plan. I have to pay higher taxes to help bail out banks and individuals who messed up on their mortgages.

I am sickened by the corruption, waste, perjury, tax evasion, and outright contempt of government officials. I watch more and more of the population look to government as their savior from their own failures, and for all their answers. Who am I? An American Taxpayer. I'm mad as hell, and I won't take it anymore.




The federal government has been insolvent (indebted, broke, broken, strapped, liable for more than the market value of its assets) for years; it just can't hide it anymore. My understanding is that the sort of political corruption revealed in the Wall Street heist of 2008, which includes bribery, extortion and cronyism, is against the law.

Too-big-to-fail banks just got bigger, creating more public dependency on Big Banks. Congress and President Obama must bring the banking cartel and its economic cronies to justice.

The Federal Reserve created a system of debt, and they criminally hijacked the Treasury Department. History has shown that they've created economic crises for self-interest before. They created the current crisis and are being rewarded for it, by taxpayer bailouts and massive interest to be paid on all the debt.




As we all struggle to learn and understand economic theory, it is wise to recall an old joke. Three scientists were marooned on a desert island with one can of beans. The biologist suggested placing it in the sun until it burst from the heat. The geologist said it would be easier to smash it open with a rock. Unnecessary, said the economist: Let's assume a can opener.



Good of you to note the passing of Old Trail Garage in a brief published on Feb. 19. I'm so sorry to see it go. The price of gas isn't the point for this small independent garage. What will be missed is the competent work done by Joe Martínez, Ranger Luján, and owner Mike Civelli. They understand mechanics very well but also have always provided service and friendliness. So sorry to lose them.



Well, well, well. New Mexico has one person arrested for DWI who is commuting to Washington, D.C.; another one working in the District Attorney's Office; and a (Sandoval) county official who believes it's his job to provide the press with his own blood-alcohol content level (isn't that the job of law enforcement officials?).

So let's see: One will get a pardon, one will miss a filing date, and one will have his BAC and arrest record lost.

Why put the poor guy with six, eight or 10 DWIs in the paper? He just doesn't have the money or political influence to get them off of them!



In his first international visit as president, Barack Obama pledged to work with Canada's government toward a clean-energy future. A vital part of this clean-energy future must be the protection of our shared wild places, including the Arctic region, a place suffering from the world's worst global-warming impacts.

Over the past 50 years, global temperatures have increased an average of more than 1 degree Fahrenheit, but temperatures in the Arctic have increased by an average of 4 degrees. After eight years of George W. Bush's administration, which pushed to develop this region with no regard to the impacts, both the United States and Canada must develop a comprehensive energy plan that includes protection for the land, waters, wildlife and people of the Arctic.

As part of this plan, certain places in the Arctic must be kept off limits, including the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, known as the "sacred place where life begins" to the people of the Gwich'in Nation, which is part of both the U.S. and Canada. Any industrial development in the Arctic region must not compound the damage already done.




Regarding your Feb. 22 editorial, "Warming isn't humans' fault? Tell it to da boids":

Why am I not surprised that The New Mexican bases its all-knowing opinion that there is global warming and that it's caused by mankind on the migratory habits of the pygmy nuthatch, as opposed to former astronaut and Ph.D., Jack Schmitt, not to mention thousands of other scientists that most of the media choose to ignore!?



The article by Tom Sharpe about Harrison "Jack" Schmitt on Feb. 15 was a refreshing relief from the constant hype of the man-made-global-warming hoax. Schmitt is a brave former astronaut, geologist, U.S. Senator, and leader for integrity in science.

Subsequent Letters by Eric Rowland and Alan Hamilton denigrate Schmitt's educated opinion. I find nothing in the article that is not accurate. The Heartland Institute, per its Web site: www.heartland.org, is a national nonprofit research and educational organization whose mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. They do not accept government funds, and do not conduct contract research for special-interest groups. Thousands of climate scientists are now making their voices heard on behalf of good science to correct the junk science surrounding the environmental-damage agenda.



Millard Fillmore was listed among the ten worst in the ranking of presidents — 37th in the field of 43. I read Mallard Fillmore, the political cartoon and Bush supporter that runs every day next to Doonesbury. George W. Bush ranked 36th in the poll. Boy, was that poll right!



Regarding the Feb. 19 article, "Geronimo's spirit never released": DNA from the skull of Geronimo, if there is one, can be retrieved and compared to descendants and Apaches. Either positive or negative identification will lead to resolution for Apaches and for anyone who believes grave robbing by our nation's privileged elite should not be condoned. Geronimo lived in a violent time, witnessing and struggling against the destruction of his way of life and the murder of his own children. In spite of his own violence, his remains are as deserving of respect as any other soldier's, as any other human being's.

Paul Persons

Santa Fe

Tax benefits all

Regarding "Competing principles," the Feb. 21 letter from Patrick Walker: I do not know where to begin in helping Mr. Walker with his blatant classism. So I'll merely correct his assumption that those of us who support the real-estate transfer tax suffer from "class envy."

What is true for me and many others is that we want a city in which hard-working people who work in Santa Fe also can afford to live here. Currently many workers must commute. That creates a burden for those workers and their families, for those of us who depend on their services, and for local businesses that thrive when workers can reside in Santa Fe and spend their paychecks here. Vote "yes" on March 10 for the tax to support affordable housing, and make Santa Fe a stronger community.



Hurray for "Fire up the imagination with books." Kendal Rautzhan's column has returned at last to your Education page! Thank you, too, for recognizing Maggie Romero, kids' librarian in Española. These were good contrasts to the disturbing report on kids text messaging fragments of sentences that ran in the same issue.



Is the repaving/construction of Cerrillos Road ever going to be completed? For quite a few months now, Cerrillos Road has been under construction and it does not seem that it will ever be complete! My daily commute feels like a roller coaster! The pavement that has been laid down is already falling apart! This is taxpayers money! We demand a better road! We have to pay for it! The people want to know!