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Today's Opinions

  • 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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  • Know landscape before requesting small business loan

    Many Americans long to see where their talents as inventors or craftsmen or cooks can take them.
    But businesses often struggle in their early years, and this makes some lenders wary of financing enterprises that don’t have an established track record.
    After repeated rejections from potential funders, many entrepreneurs simply give up.
    Organizations like Accion are one option for the aspiring entrepreneur who can’t secure a loan through a more traditional financial institution, such as a bank or credit union.
    But getting a loan requires some groundwork, no matter where she looks.
    The Five Cs
    Traditional lenders evaluate loan requests on the basis of the client’s character, capital, collateral, capacity and conditions – the 5 C’s of credit.
    The lender measures character by observing the client’s punctuality, organization and understanding of the size and purpose of the loan. They listen to what references say and what his credit history demonstrates about his commitment to pay off debts. They review the business plan to see how well it reflects the client’s experience, strategy and commitment.
    Existing capital is a plus for an aspiring entrepreneur and a way for the lender to assess the borrower’s personal investment in the business.

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  • Immigration laws have failed

    Some might find me annoyingly literal about obeying certain laws. Take traffic.
    In residential areas I drive the 25 mph speed limit. If an arterial has a 30 mph limit, that is my speed. I stop, completely, at stop signs and before turning right on a red light.
    At higher posted speeds, morality gets situational. I fudge above 35 mph. During the time of Jimmy Carter’s idiotic 55 mph interstate speed limit, my protest was to go 95 along the six-mile divided stretch of I-25 north of exit 115.
    Thus I was disappointed to see an argument against red-light cameras saying it was bad that the cameras caught people doing the “California stop.” Too bad, I figure. It’s “the law.”
    I was appalled recently to hear a lawyer argue that no such thing as “the Law” exists. Everything about the law was technical, he claimed: the rules, the manipulation, the arguments. There was no higher moral framework.
    A retired police officer friend soothed my slightly conscience-stricken speed limit behavior by saying the broader issue is public safety, and taking the posted speed limit literally is good in congested areas. Public safety fits with the bigger ideas holding society together.

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  • Maximize your disabled child's government aid

    Parents of special needs children have enough on their plates just tending to the health, educational and emotional needs of their kids — not to mention often having to cope with drastically lowered income because of reduced work hours or having to pay someone else for childcare.
    So it’s not surprising that many of these parents haven’t had time to hatch a long-term financial plan in case their kids need care after they’re not around.
    Fortunately, many government programs and community resources are available to help relieve the financial burden of parenting special needs children.
    But eligibility criteria are complicated and the application process time-consuming. Plus, if you’re not careful, you or well-meaning relatives could inadvertently disqualify your kids for future benefits by not structuring their inheritances correctly.
    Here’s a brief overview of key government assistance programs
    The Social Security Administration provides two types of disability coverage: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). Rules and eligibility requirements differ between the two programs — and benefits differ for children and adults.

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  • He said, she said

     Lawmakers have earned some rest after a surprisingly productive legislative session. I will save analysis for another day and give you instead some of the flavor of the last 60 days of verbal jousting in my second annual Quotes of the Session.

    House Speaker Ken Martinez, D-Grants: “A lot of times we approach a problem from two sides and try to work it out. 

    If we define the problem together and define solutions together, there’s no need to reach across the aisle.”

    Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, during a discussion of the health insurance exchange: “This is the session where cats and dogs are dancing in the street, and everybody’s compromising.”

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