“When Jesus said, ‘It is more difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle,’ he wasn’t talking about some village called Needle, nor was he trying to say it was even remotely possible. Can you imagine what Jesus would say to a rich man unwilling to pay his equal share of taxes?”

“I have a child in an out-of-state college who cannot afford to remain there. I am not alone. Because of the economy, many of our kids will be returning home (to a wonderful University of New Mexico education so we are lucky to have that). Today, my child found out that attending an out-of-state college for any length of time, voids your lottery scholarship eligibility in its entirety. Returning New Mexico students, who qualified for the lottery scholarship before they left will now bear the entire cost of a UNM education themselves. $4,900 a year plus books, room and board. Shocking. The lottery advertises that it benefits higher education in New Mexico. Why not suspend the scholarship funds while the student is out of state and then reinstate it when/if they return to school in New Mexico?”

“Congratulations on the hospital welfare approval by the voters. I hope that owners will be increasing rents to cover the additional taxes imposed.” “I am tired of hearing that we as Americans aren’t better off now than four or eight years ago (both numbers have been used by both candidates at various times). Eight years ago I was in debt, eating food purchased with food stamps and receiving state-sponsored medical assistance (which, according to Obama, we can’t get under this administration). In 2002, I acquired a job that paid about $45,000 per year and in 2005 was promoted to a position which paid about $60,000 a year and allowed me to move to this wonderful city and state. I have to state “yes, this American is doing much better.” Thank God this is over for another four years. I guess I’ll see how well I am doing then.”

“It’s good to see that the City of Rio Rancho and the New Mexico Environmental Dept. have come to an understanding in regards to the pond cleanup at Chamisa Hills Country Club. However, I have several questions about this settlement that needs some explanation. First, what were the litigation fees incurred by the taxpayers in this lawsuit by our City? Second, is the Rio Rancho Utilities Division eliminating homeowner water-saving rebate programs for low-flow toilets, high-efficiency front loader washing machines, and hot water recirculation pumps by January, 2009 an attempt to recoup these Chamisa Hills litigation costs? Third, is it true that there is an Australian investment group interested in buying Chamisa Hills Country Club and if so, how would this purchase affect pond cleanup? Perhaps our friends at The Observer can help us get some answers.”

“We should never believe what the Sandoval County treasurer tells the newspaper. For the second year in a row, she said property taxes are going down. Our new property taxes for 2008 are higher for the 10th consecutive year. How can our property taxes keep climbing up while we are in a recession? We have had houses and land for sell on our street for over three years now, with no buyers in sight and prices have dropped 50 percent on land, while the prices on homes have dropped over 30 percent. But our property taxes keep climbing. Even the price of oil has dropped over 50 percent and gas has dropped with it because of the sinking economy, credit problems and financial stresses. To top that off we are going through a 25-year high of unemployment. Am I the only one who thinks we are being taken for a ride?”

“Why would any company like Lion’s Gate build out in the middle of nowhere? Only benefit over Mesa del Sol is there’s no jets flying over every five minutes. Look around, what is there to support that type of business? Drive five miles to get a soda.”

“(Lion’s Gate is) another example of our local delegation’s incompetence. I like how The Observer tries to act as if the plan just didn’t happen, instead of reporting the lack of negotiation that was the foundation for the lack of interests. It’s OK, I’m sure all of your readers will continue to drink the Kool-Aid.”

“ What is it about all the Waste Management trucks dripping hydraulic fluid on the streets? I must have dozens of spots in front of my house. This week there were three new ones at least a couple inches across. This scene repeats itself in front of each house all the way down the block. Anyone at WM wonder why they are filling up the oil in the trucks so often?”

“I was sadden to see that the halloween party in Haynes Park has stopped. It was a nice, organized, safe event for children and my grandkids will be sad without it.”

“We hope the young men taking a shortcut through our yards at just before 11 p.m. last Tuesday evening are okay. It sounded as if one of the boys, Troy, was hurt by the way he was wailing and his two friends were trying to convince him to get up and move. We were awakened to the noise on our property. Being concerned for our own safety, not sure who or what they were doing, we did not go out into the unknown in the dark of the night to help.”

“Rio Rancho Public Schools is in a 4 million dollar budget shortfall, yet can create a position to make sure the district is ‘green.’ This is just another example of the fiscal irresponsibility that exists at RRPS. This is a total waste of resources, especially when my child has to go to school in the dark to save money. It would be great to see an investigative report on how the powers at RRPS mismanage our money.”

(In response to “Water for 100 years?, Nov. 2 Observer). “This is a perfect opportunity to be progressive and design a power plant that uses concentrated solar to heat water to create steam to drive a turbine that generates electricity. The ‘waste steam’ can be collected and condensed into potable water. EMCORE, an Albuquerque company, builds these concentrated solar systems. Why don’t smart people go into politics?”

“The Permian Basin in West Texas, which includes the cities of Midland and Odessa, has brackish water. The desalination process, which the cities have investigated, is so expensive that they have chosen to dilute the brackish water with ‘good’ water that is brought in from out of the area. It still has a bad taste. Before depending on this underground water, the process should be more thoroughly investigated. In reality, it may be prohibitively expensive.”

“How stupid are the citizens of Rio Rancho? That is what ‘they’ ask when ‘they’ sit around their publicy paid for tables and chairs when deciding on how to get what they want. A tax increase at this time is obsurd. Sell the Santa Ana Star Center. Lies and deception, 75,000 people with one high school and one being built, a tennis court (one)and what else? Oh, ya, a nice new city hall. This city is being flushed down the toilet by the city council.”

“Hundreds of homes are built in Rio Rancho each year and taxes are still going up at a rate like the east coast. What’s going on? The taxpayers now get stuck for the arena boondoggle and a hospital that is making outrageous profits. Time for Larry Barker to audit?”

“There are many reasons why RRPS is a mess financially. How come the public schools are in a hiring freeze but Dr. Cleveland hired Mrs. Von Ancken for $60.000 to drive around at night to see what schools left the lights on? How about we save the salary to pay for the electricity? Then, how about the school hiring Scott Affentranger three years before we ever have a building or students to be principal of the new high school? During the state fair he was there in the morning with his family and kids getting paid by our school district. Mr. Carver, your story (The Observer, Oct. 19) was very misleading and untruthful. We have not always had two freshman teams at RRHS. Just last year softball and baseball were forced to add a team just for Cleveland. Plus, a lot of other sports only recently had two teams. The coaches hired are an added expense. It’s time to come out clean, RRPS. I challenge The Observer and Rio Rancho Journal to investigate the truth in these areas.”