It's time for the State Game Commission to revamp the way it hands out transferable licenses and to start the process of bringing New Mexico more in line with other Western states in the way we allocate hunting licenses to residents.

It's time for the Legislature to boost the percentage of licenses allocated to residents in the big game draw.

Make it a national park

When we think of America's national parks, words that come to mind are: timeless, incomparable, archetypal, primal, vast, spiritual, essential. They have shaped us in ways that are difficult to fully catalog. They represent landscape that has survived political impulse that inevitably subjugates and destroys.

How odd, then, to read Courtney White's June 13 My View, "A step back for Valles Caldera," in which he asserts that the 19th-century national park concept is not "well suited" to the modern era, and that somehow "global challenges" have negated their value.

To the contrary: As growth exacts more and deeper impact on open spaces, forests, grasslands and rivers, we need parks more than ever.

We should redouble our efforts to realize the full vision of John Muir and others, and to establish more of them, expand them, protect them better, experience them more intimately, make them a larger part of our collective understanding of what we ought not to lose.




Courtney White's June 13 My View, "A step back for Valles Caldera," objects to the legislation proposed by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall to transfer management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. Most egregiously, he says that "America's best idea," our magnificent system of national parks, is "obsolete." Few Americans would agree.

Although he cites no particular successes, he feels the trust management "experiment" should continue, and then he raises the possibility that hunting opportunities might be restricted.

However, the legislation directs that hunting "shall" be allowed, a strong guarantee of future opportunities.

More importantly, he ignores the many benefits of Park Service management in terms of public access, protection, and almost 100 years of experience managing a wide variety of landscapes, specializing in scientifically based land- and visitor-management services.

We should thank our senators for their recognition that the experiment has failed.

It is time to pass this legislation and move on.


No help from AG

My husband and I filed a complaint against a local towing and transmission company with the Attorney General's Office. The people from this shop took my van to install a gas filter. They had it for 10 days, off and on, and charged a tremendous amount for the work. They never fixed my vehicle, and in the long run, they ruined my van.

I submitted my paperwork on May 13 to the Attorney General's Office. About a week later, I called to see who was in charge of our case. A man by the name of David said computers were down. He told me to call every Friday at 9 a.m. to check on our status in the system.

On June 7, I spoke to David again. He stated that if it wasn't in the system yet, then it was lost!

Shops like this shop take advantage of seniors and people who are disabled, like we are. The AG's Office gave a slap on the face to disabled people asking for help. What I say to Gary King is, check to see what your employees are doing!


Worth the money

Regarding William Metcalf's June 12 letter, "Tax and more taxes": He forgets to mention that the Santa Fe Police Department is tax-dependent, as are the county fire departments, public education and road repair. Taxes built and now maintain our interstate highways, maintain and upgrade hydroelectric plants and pay for Homeland Security.

Taxes deliver the joys of America's greatest treasures, our national parks and geographical wonders of America, be it the Valle Vidal or the Grand Canyon.

Taxes pay my niece in the Wyoming National Guard to escort seriously wounded and dying soldiers from Iraq to their homes in this country.

Taxing the masses to pay for these things that serve the masses seems like fair representation; just pay attention to where the money goes.