Letters to the Editor

News, March 20: “Banking on the Public”

Socialist Schemes

Like so many socialist schemes, a public bank sounds great in theory. In practice, however, it would only become a moral hazard, enlarging our local culture of corrupt political patronage. Our new mayor nailed his colors to the mast when he stubbornly resisted investigating the management pay raise scandal he inherited. Webber immediately made it clear his top priority is to ingratiate himself with the local political establishment. …

Santa Fe already has a 70 percent bigger staff than cities of comparable size. Webber is paid more than the mayor of Albuquerque, a city seven times our size. …

Fiscally prudent North Dakota does not compare with a liberal-socialist leaning New Mexico, reflected in Lujan-Grisham's attempted 25 percent overnight increase in the state budget. The current arrangement with Wells Fargo offers two major advantages: A) financial strength and safety, B) independence from local political influence.

Barry Hatfield
Santa Fe

Food, March 20: “Use it or Lose it”

Customer Input

Thanks for the foodie article! My friend is from NYC and I'm from the Left Coast. As recent transplants we are amazed at the cavalier, almost foolish, hours posted (or not) by restaurants. We have a fave—good food, but closed after 3 pm and on weekends. We say their motto is "if you're hungry, we don't care." I've also been disappointed by young, untrained servers who snicker their way through their ineptitude. Baristas, bartenders and cashiers have failed to recognize the correlation between gracious good manners and service and money in their pockets. Just duh! I regularly spend money I shouldn't on a pricey meal, and when it's a good value it's memorable. (La Boca when Lone Piñon is playing.) When it's not, it's infuriating, and part of why some old traditions in New Mexico should go away (like brutish bad service). Thanks for being smart!

Jacqueline Lovell
Santa Fe

Don’t Bother

I no longer even bother looking at restaurant websites as they are invariably full of misinformation.

Went up to Sugar Nymphs in Peñasco last fall because their website said they were open. Got there only to be told they were closed. Winter hours!

No apology. Rude girl said tough luck. Will never go back.

PS: My "favorite" peeve are the restaurants that say they serve till 9 pm. Show up at 8:30 to be told "we're closed." Finished serving. If you do get in and you're the only one there, the vibe is, "When are you going to leave?"

Richard Barrett
Santa Fe

Correction

Clara Natonabah is in fact not the first performing arts teacher at the Santa Fe Indian School; wrong information was included in "Taking to the Stage" (Music, March 13).