sa国际传媒官网网页入口

ABQ Ride should go back to charging fees

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 June 18 article on the need for security 鈥渞ealignments鈥� on ABQ Ride is another testimony to the terrible performance of sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 municipal government which is driven by the usual failed liberal policies which cater to everyone but the working tax payer.

During two periods of unemployment during 2013 and 2016, I used ABQ Ride to get from the West Side to Central New Mexico Community College. At that time, every fare was $1 and CNM students received a pass for free rides. During those two years I never saw a policeman on the bus and never had a problem with violence or vagrancy. But for various reasons, the mayor and city council have decided that the bus should be free for anyone. And, of course, that means any transient person who wants to spend part of their day on an air-conditioned bus and, perhaps, get a thrill by harassing other passengers (or by losing control of themselves as their medication wears off). And here we are with a system that has gone from 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥減oor and dangerous.鈥�

It鈥檚 time to return to a paid system (this type of infrastructure doesn鈥檛 grow on trees) with a regular fare of $1 and an ART fare of $2 to reflect the faster express service. If one wants to argue about a loss of ridership due to going back to a paid system, tell me how many people will not ride the bus now since it鈥檚 become a moving flophouse. And let鈥檚 not forget how the bus system is a meager shell of what it was before COVID-19. sa国际传媒官网网页入口 needs to figure out how to get ABQ Ride back to a reasonably functioning transit system that serves the public well without the fear of crime.

Tony Porzio

sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Leaders need to curb methane production

As a resident of Carlsbad, I have experienced firsthand the dangerous public health impacts of living near oil and gas development sites.

Methane pollution is a huge problem with oil and gas operations, releasing 16 million metric tons in 2023. Inevitably, these wasteful methane emissions come with a host of other air pollutants that cause serious respiratory problems and other illnesses for people who are forced to live and work nearby. As someone with asthma, the number of times I have to use my rescue inhaler in a year has increased every year alongside the increase in oil and gas production.

That鈥檚 why I am so frustrated to see industry-funded leaders in Washington attacking methane safeguards in favor of big oil and gas polluters who profit at the expense of people like me. Members of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency have the power to ensure that common-sense standards are in place to protect our families from harmful, wasteful emissions released by the largest companies 鈥� they need to act on it.

Cutting methane pollution is not controversial 鈥� people on both sides of the aisle want our leaders and the EPA to stand up for our health and wellbeing, and protect the right for all Americans to breathe clean air.

It鈥檚 time for our leaders to listen to the voices of local communities who oppose the harmful rollback of strong methane standards, in favor of protections that put our health and wellbeing first.

Haley Jones

Carlsbad

Parade honored those who served

Kudos to Jeff Tucker, Journal columnist, on a great editorial piece in the about the U.S. Army鈥檚 鈥淕rand Military Parade鈥� in the June 21 sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

Jeff discussed the parade from the proud perspective of the U.S. Marine he is and always will be. (There鈥檚 no such thing as a 鈥渇ormer Marine.鈥� Once a Marine always a Marine.) In so doing he expressed the sentiment of most all veterans who would have been proud to be part of that parade and were glad to see it finally happen.

Criticize President Trump all you want but the fact is he made it happen and provided a well-deserved lasting memory for all who participated. Yes, it was also his birthday, but so what, absent Trump, no parade.

I, too, noted how the major networks avoided covering the parade like a hot potato but that comes as no surprise. They march in lock step against anything Trump and ignore the fact that the U.S. Army 250 years ago was instrumental in providing the freedom of the press and assembly enjoyed by the media, as well as the 鈥淜ing鈥檚 Day鈥� protesters who objected to the parade and everything Trump..

During Trump鈥檚 first term he sat next to President Macron of France for the annual Bastille Day (July 14) parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris. The French do good parades and after that parade Trump was impressed and vowed to one day have a similar parade in Washington. He was good to his word.

Thanks Jeff for citing the positives of the U.S. Army celebration parade. This old United States Air Force veteran shares your pride and extends congrats to the Army volunteer force. Less than 1% of our population serves in the military and those young men and women deserve our thanks and praise.

Semper Fi.

Dave Coulie

sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Op-ed misrepresented 鈥楴o Kings鈥� protesters

The recent commentary by Jeff Tucker defending the U.S. Army鈥檚 250th anniversary parade deserves scrutiny for its selective presentation of facts, misleading characterizations and unfounded claims. While Mr. Tucker is entitled to his perspective, several assertions merit correction and contextualization.

Veterans deserve respect for their service, yet their military experience doesn鈥檛 immunize their political commentary from scrutiny. The piece unfortunately uses military service as a shield for partisan arguments while making factual claims that don鈥檛 withstand examination.

Tucker fails to acknowledge the legitimate questions about fiscal responsibility during a time when the administration has emphasized cutting government waste.

The claim that major networks ignored the parade is misleading. Multiple outlets provided extensive coverage, including CNN, Fox News and NPR. Tucker鈥檚 characterization of media coverage as deliberately obstructionist overlooks the legitimate journalistic role of examining government expenditures and the unusual coincidence of timing.

Tucker鈥檚 characterization of the 鈥淣o Kings鈥� protests contains problematic elements. The claim that protesters caused ambulance delays resulting in deaths is presented without evidence. No credible reports have emerged documenting deaths caused by delayed ambulances due to protest-related traffic disruptions. This appears to be a hypothetical scenario presented as fact 鈥� a serious journalistic error. Protests, which drew millions of participants across hundreds of cities nationwide, were overwhelmingly peaceful.

Tucker鈥檚 speculation about why certain Democratic officials didn鈥檛 attend protests reveals more about his political biases. An internet search would have enlightened Tucker that New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury attended and spoke at the 鈥淣o Kings鈥� protest in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

What鈥檚 missing from this commentary is acknowledgment of why millions of Americans felt compelled to protest. Rather than dismissing these concerns as the work of 鈥淎merica-haters,鈥� a more constructive approach would recognize that patriotism can include holding government accountable and that peaceful protest is itself a patriotic tradition.

Robert Arnett

sa国际传媒官网网页入口