Letters to the Editor

News, Jan. 7: “After-Work Plans”

Angry & Double-taxed

In New Mexico, taxing Social Security benefits undermines the purpose of the Social Security Act, which was designed to lift seniors out of poverty—not to fund state government. Social Security should always be exempt from state taxes. As always, other sources of income should be taxed for government programs. Yet you have New Mexico Voices for Children and Retake Our Democracy mistakenly supporting double taxation of Social Security for dubious reasons using skewed statistics. I have supported these organizations in the past. However, on this issue they are 100% dead wrong. The state Legislature and the governor should end this unfair tax now on New Mexicans and join the 37 states that don't tax Social Security. I am angered by the inaction of the New Mexico Legislature.

Greg Lennes
Las Cruces

A&C, Jan. 7: “Mural Politics”

Save the mural, ASB!

It was heartbreaking, yet also oddly wonderful, to see your Anson Stevens-Bollen photograph of Gilberto Guzman holding a representation of his Railyard mural. I'm reminded of the excellent artist reproductions you have included in past issues of the Reporter. Perhaps copies of Mr. Guzman's mural art could be distributed to our community in this way. Fingers crossed?

Susan Wider
Santa Fe

Web, Feb. 14: “Lawmakers Won’t Give Up on Cannabis Law”

Some issues

That bill currently has two very grave faults.

1. It allows police to use a swab to test people to see if they have marijuana in their system. It takes a five-second Google search to see that those tests are absolutely unreliable when testing for marijuana. My fear is that if New Mexico passes marijuana legalization, the entire police and sheriff apparatus in the state would absolutely freak out and institute a police state on our highway, pulling people over and swabbing them just because their eyes are red or just for no reason. A cop can cite anything.

2. Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino stuck a rider in there that 40% of marijuana production had to be done in the hands of unions! Well how the hell are we going to manage that? I'm a big supporter of unions but what is that noise?

If I was in the Legislature, I would have voted against this bill.

I guarantee you, if New Mexico legalizes marijuana it will be a total clusterfuck of idiocy because that's how things end up in this state.

It would be an absolute freak-out in law enforcement pulling people over left and right swabbing their tongues.

I vote we just keep decriminalization and happy road trips to Colorado.

Michael Clay Mills
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