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Letters

  • Sequestration troubles

    It is amazing to me that the U.S. Congress seems incapable of altering the course, of its ill-conceived mandatory budgetary reduction (sequester), which began on March 1, 2013. The sequester grinds on even though it has been estimated by the Congressional Budget Office that it will lead to the loss of 750,000 jobs and a cut in the rate of economic growth by one third.
     At a minimum, the $80 billion across-the-board cut for FY 2013 should be reallocated so as to reduce its impact on critical social welfare programs. For example, in New Mexico, these are programs affecting health, safety, and education; i.e., our state being among the worst performers in these three areas. Also, important to local citizens are programs administered by the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, both slated to be cut. It seems unconscionable that Congress is attempting to manage the deficit by shifting its budgetary burden onto the backs of the least fortunate Americans. Of more concern to Los Alamos, NNSA will lose ~8 percent of its funding, which may result significant recissions at LANL.

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  • On school safety

    I read Gene Schmidt’s recent letter with some concern. On the one hand, of course we should keep our children safe in school. But on the other hand, we must continually ask of our policies: At what cost?
    And what is the real goal? (It is: help children build themselves into independent, successful adults.) Over-intervention instills a culture of fear in children and can disrupt development and destroy futures.
    I myself had two issues at LAHS that today would, it seems, be made into Very Big Deals, but at the time (late 90’s) appropriately were not. The first never left the classroom; I brought a flail to class as part of a presentation on the middle ages, and the teacher simply asked me to not bring it back. The second (about which I won’t go into detail in the newspaper) was dealt with internally by the high school in a firm but nurturing way and resolved.
    My point is, kids need room to make stupid mistakes that don’t follow them for the rest of their lives. I am now beginning a successful career at the lab. If my two issues had been aggressively disciplined with the involvement of external authorities, as appears to be the style now, that outcome could very well have been prevented.

    Reid Priedhorsky
    Los Alamos
     

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  • More LA branding

    What’s the chance that the “Branding of Los Alamos” will be some version of  “Virginia is for Lovers?”
    I like “How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Los Alamos”.
    We could use a Los Alamos/Rio Grande landscape in the background with one of our local councilors or “celebrities” (updated every year or so) astride.
    ‘Get to know “Los Alamos, where discoveries are made!”’ is touted by BuffaloToursLA. The latter portion (in bold) is already splashed around on the web (on tourist sites like travelguidenewmexico.com) and on the sandstone structure into town. I would have thought that this was to give LA a “handle” (brand!). So, what is the council looking for now at the cost of another $50,000?

    Joel Williams
    Los Alamo 

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  • Branding LA?

    Our town made it this morning as the focus of USA TODAY’s Fifty States in the New Mexico column! Our image may now be changed to the town that is spending $50,000 for an “image change.” Los Fools, New Mexico!
    Most folks are not proud of the destruction caused by the first bombs that the U.S. dropped over Japan. But we are proud that our spot on this mountain was chosen to be the birthplace of the Atomic Age and that the scientists assembled here were able, in such a short time, to create a device that ended World War II and probably saved more lives than the number of lives lost in that destruction.
    City banners along Central proclaim “ Where Discoveries are made” I think most people who live here do think of our town in that way, along with “The Town That Energizes the Economy of Northern New Mexico.” We are also proud of our beautiful mountain setting, the hiking trails and the people who work for environmental preservation and awareness.
    We may gripe about having no bookstore, no Hallmark , no J.C. Penney, but we’re proud of our library, our schools, smartest kids in the country, and even our Blue Whale (which is no longer blue) with its Olympic size pool, (the only one at this altitude) where even Japanese swim teams come to train.

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  • Student safety is non-negotiable

    In the past two weeks, three middle school students were disciplined for bringing knives to school. These incidents were reported in the local media as “deadly weapons.”
     The Los Alamos School Board has established very strict policies regarding weapons on campus to ensure student safety at all times.
    By school policy definition, any item or device which may be used as a weapon, including pocket knives (regardless of size) are considered weapons.
    By school policy definition, any weapon which is capable of producing death or great bodily harm is considered a “deadly weapon.”
    Investigation by school administrators showed that students were not intending to use the knives but were found in possession of them on school grounds.
    A knife regardless of size is considered a weapon so the police participated in the investigations.
    As such, these students were disciplined for weapons violation based on school policy.
    It is important for the community to know that student safety is non-negotiable and that students who bring weapons to school will be disciplined. Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about the importance of following rules written in school handbooks.
    Sharing this information with the public is not intended to cause alarm.

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  • A shopping solution

    The purpose of this letter is to provide a suggestion in response to the recent article concerning the unsanitary condition of many tote bags. For standard size cloth reusable bags, keep a paper grocery bag in each one. It will be obvious when the occasional leakage requires that the paper bag be replaced.
    The combination cloth/paper bag will fold normally and has the added advantage of remaining upright and open for easy loading and unloading of groceries. And, speaking of shopping, there is a safe alternative to hauling around a heavy purse over your shoulder. Place the purse beneath the child seat in the shopping cart and secure by clicking the child safety strap around the handle of the purse. Happy shopping!

    Ruth Williamson
    Los Alamos 

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  • Stickfaddens: Monitor an important part of life in LA

    Back about 1964, teenager Gerry Strickfaden was delivering the then weekly Los Alamos Monitor in the Sandia part of Western Area.  Down in the Denver Steels/Orange St. Area, Georgia Ann Wilder was delivering newspapers, utilizing her sister’s Vespa motor scooter.  Gerry and Georgia didn’t know each other then, but met later on as students at Eastern New Mexico University.  
    They tease each other with memories of seeing each other picking up their newspapers when the Monitor office was in the Community Center (now Central Park Square), Gerry especially remembering this girl teetering away with a huge load of papers balanced on the Vespa, and Georgia seeing a guy whose mother was helping him.
     Much later, after getting started in their professional careers, Gerry as an engineer at the Zia Company and Georgia teaching school in Colorado and Arizona, they married and made Los Alamos their home in 1973.  Gerry went on to work at Los Alamos Scientific (later National) Laboratory.
    They have subscribed to the Los Alamos Monitor forever, finding it an important source of what’s going on in Los Alamos, especially in community and county government affairs.  How can 50 years have passed so quickly?

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  • Garcia Richard: Monitor offers a place for community to stay in touch

    Los Alamos is a special place, unique to New Mexico and the world. As towns go, Los Alamos is young and we are fortunate that our town has grown up along with the Monitor.
    A community is nothing without its living memory. A town needs a venue for neighbors to hear from each other and stay in touch with what is happening.
    Congratulations to the Los Alamos Monitor for 50 great years and for serving Los Alamos as our voice and memory.

    Stephanie Garcia Richard
    State Rep. District 43 (Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Sandoval and Rio Arriba)
     

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  • Holsapple: Monitor is important community resource

    Congratulations!
    I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Los Alamos Monitor for 50 years of service to our community and wish the organization all the best in continuing as an important resource here.  I have been fortunate to work with many different staff of the Monitor over the years and there have been a whole range of people in every department that I know can be very proud of their work.  
    A lot of things have changed in the newspaper business over the past 50 years and I know it is not the easiest business to be in.  In talking to colleagues around the State and country, many have lost their local papers and the benefits of those papers to their community.   Thank you Monitor and your staff for the good things we at the Chamber of Commerce have been able to collaborate with you on for our past fifty years in the community together.  I thank you, my family thanks you, my puppy thanks you!

    Kevin Holsapple
    Executive Director
    Los Alamos Commerce and
    Development Corporation
     

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  • Korkos: Monitor, Chamber both celebrating milestones

    On behalf of the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and its more than 300 members, I’d like to congratulate you on your 50th Anniversary. We are also celebrating our 50th Anniversary this year- the first Chamber of Commerce officers were elected on December 10, 1963. The first board of directors included George Cowan, Roger Corbett, William Strickfaden, Reed Chittim, Darrel Burns, D.C. Winburn, and J.C. Dotson, MD. All of them went on to make a lasting mark on the business community, through their foresight and energy.
    Throughout the relatively short history of Los Alamos as a town, the Chamber of Commerce and the local newspapers have been equally central to the town’s development. Let’s work together for our continued success!

    Katy Korkos
    Member services coordinator,
    Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce
     

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