Letters to the Editor

Cover, Nov. 12: “Dog Days”

Already Too Powerful

I see a "cozy-up-with-law-enforcement" article that makes dog owners out to be crazy and dangerous, while portraying animal control as if they do no wrong. Instead of having a balanced report, SFR puts the ugliest picture on the cover and takes sides with the officers who already have too much power with little accountability to the public.

Kelita Smith
SFReporter.com

In Defense

In your article, did you focus on extreme cases like the ugly quotes of a defendant in dog litigations who blames her neighbors and miss the real issue?

Are Animal Services, who are good people, in a catch-22? They're very understaffed and often by the time they can get to a location, the situation on the ground has changed. Yet only their personal sightings can count legally: Photos, films and reports don't. Sometimes people can't get out, or into, their homes because of unaccompanied barking dogs. What if there's a medical emergency or a fire? With the low fines, the behaviors repeat and there are more repeat calls. It's not Animal Services' fault. We need the city's government to look into this.

Howard Fisher
Santa Fe

News, Nov. 12: “Laugh and/or Cry”

Gag-Worthy

One might gag at the efforts of Ryan Flynn to pose as a green advocate. What is pathetic is that he is behind the Public Service Company of New Mexico in their plan to put millions of dollars into a nuclear plant in Arizona. Then he supports PNM buying coal-fired generation from cities in California. Again, millions of our dollars going out of state for assets that will continue to pollute our state.

He could have had a bit of sense if he really had been in on the negotiations on the San Juan plants. He could have called for converting the four units to natural gas at far less cost than PNM asks. Then, PNM could have used wind energy costing $32 per megawatt hours instead of the nuclear it proposes at $64 per mwh.

Your reporter would do well to look at what is being proposed, as it is little better than what we have but costs $2.4 billion more on power bills. No wonder the city is looking into power options. The rate hike is four times the value of the local utility system.

Shane Woolbright
Santa Fe

Email letters to editor@sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.

Santa Fe Reporter