It's great to know the local GOP doesn't care if our house burns down or we need emergency medical care. Residents in Santa Fe County were asked to continue a small tax to pay for fire stations and emergency medical services outside incorporated areas.

The Republicans, driven by their anti-tax ideological agenda, turned this life-and-death service into a partisan issue and mounted a last-minute telephone campaign against it. They are opposed to working together to solve a problem we cannot solve on our own — which is what taxes enable us to do.



It was very nice of Applebee's to honor veterans on Nov. 11 and to provide every veteran with a free meal. There were veterans from World War II, from Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many veterans took their wives and girlfriends and treated them to a meal and beverages. Applebee's had a full house all day; business was good, the food excellent.



In "Natural competition," a Nov. 16 letter from Mogi Hogle, she quoted a CalderaAction board member who said, "You can't manage the elk herds (in the Valles Caldera) without hunters."

I agree with her answer that, yes, it can be done without hunters, and is already being done successfully around the U.S. and Canada. The wolf and cougar cull herds of elk, claiming the sick and weak, ultimately making the herd stronger. The wolf has been the only part of the ecosystem missing in the lower United States. We had exterminated this essential animal over the last 150 years, yet it's being reintroduced in critical areas around the U.S.

I've spent the last two summers in Yellowstone. The wolves are back, and finally the natural balance is becoming a reality. We need a more enlightened and progressive team for Valles Caldera.



Gov. Bill Richardson's plan to force state employees to take five days off without pay is unfair and will hurt families. People making entry-level salaries will suffer most, as they are already struggling with the current economic situation.

I question the governor's intent and priorities. Are his appointees and double dippers also taking cuts?

Maybe Gov. Richardson first should consider cutting his unnecessary spending, such as his many cooks for his many different social gatherings and his inflated exempt staff hired out of favoritism.

State employees, specifically the lower-paid "worker bees," are not the culprits depleting the budget. They work for their pay to feed their families. However, needless spending created by those trusted with taxpayer monies are the responsible parties, and they can better afford the cuts or furloughs.



I very much support Paul White for the position of Santa Fe County commissioner in District 1, quite simply because he wants to help our community. No hidden agendas, no ax to grind, but a willingness to serve his neighbors. He has demonstrated his desire to give, and we should take advantage of and support someone who has proven himself with his past responsibilities. We should back Paul in his efforts to become county commissioner.



I've been told a federal law prevents our city councilors from hindering development of telecommunications and electromagnetic fields.

But they want to make it worse by letting these companies keep the information secret as to what they install and what radiation these antennas and cell towers emit. These are not "trade secrets," but rather, public information. Why grant this secrecy when so much is at stake and the corporations have such free rein already?

I, as a psychotherapist and trauma specialist, am part of the draw for Santa Fe tourism. My clients come to Santa Fe for healing, inspiration, and beauty. These days,
out-of-town clients ask if they'll be able to tolerate the electromagnetic field in Santa Fe without becoming ill.

Every increase in EMF decreases the number of tourists who can come here. This is hurting my business, the local economy and tourism. Ask city councilors to end the unnecessary secrecy regarding electromagnetic emissions.