Get the facts straight

Editor:

According to the diatribe of misinformation in last week’s Letter to the Editor, “Waiver is Inexcusable” (Rio Rancho Observer, Oct. 25), the Rio Rancho Public Schools sky is falling and you’d better duck, lest you be knocked senseless. The only thing lacking sense, however, is the laundry list of inaccurate and baseless charges contained in that letter. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a recession going on and we’re all short of money — schools included. So, if RRPS did not have a waiver (as many districts have), putting what averages out to a few extra students in classes, they would have to cut teachers in art, music and PE, as well as cut nurses and librarians. Is that what we want?

Saying RRPS “failed to account for growth” handily ignores the fact that they have built 14 schools in 15 years. And the new high school that, according to that letter, will “bankrupt” the district, was paid for with bond money, approved by voters. By law, bond money cannot be spent on teachers’ salaries or operating expenses — only on buildings. No one is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

But the most egregious myth conjured up was that our hard-working superintendent, who can consistently be found working long past the time most of us have comfortably finished dinner with our families, named the new school for her “personal glory.” The simple truth is that, as usual, the community provided input and the school board chose the name — not Dr. Cleveland.

Let’s answer the last question in that letter, though — why do we support this school board? Because they have volunteered and sacrificed their time and energy to work to make our award-winning RRPS the envy of all other school districts in the state.

Let’s get our facts straight and focus on the issues — not character assassination and fabrications.

Hope M. Garcia

Rio Rancho

We the people need Alanon

Editor:

Alanon is a 12-step program for those who have been negatively affected by a friend or relation’s addiction.

How does the disease spread? The addicted, to cover their own demented behavior, tell the non-addicted that they don’t understand things correctly, that what you think you see is not really what’s happening, which causes one to doubt one’s own perceptions and “truths.”

This causes “insanity” in the non-addicted. It’s an emotional flim-flam.

The non-addicted try to control situations, worry about the actions of the addicted, and try to prevent any crisis from happening. They care deeply but they are robbed both financially and spiritually. They make threats, which they cannot carry out because they are powerless over the “disease” and the “diseased.” Warnings are not heeded because the addicted want to continue with their “drug of choice” and are unwilling or unable to stop. For the addicted to stop their behavior they would need humility and admission of wrongdoing, which are required for recovery in 12-step programs. Egomaniacs don’t do well.

We, the people have been deceived. We have allowed it out of our own ignorance of the “disease.” We need “treatment.” We admit that we are powerless over the government as it is today, and our lives are becoming unmanageable.

One way to stop the insanity of the corrupt, foolish politicians at all levels of government, is by intervention. That comes with the vote. But where do we find good, upright and moral, honest men and women, like the ones who founded this country?

They’re out there. What will it take to get them in office?

Georga Collins

Rio Rancho

Time’s a wasting

Editor:

With all due respect to the powers that be on the issues facing Rio Rancho regarding animal welfare that were addressed in Viewpoints recently (“Animal Welfare is task force’s top priority,” Rio Rancho Observer, Oct. 25), chaining, or to use the polite euphemism, “tethering” of an animal, is by far the most important issue the city is facing.

One of the foreseeable problems pointed out by the task force would be the abandonment of such animals, thus exchanging one problem for another. The owner of a chained animal would be doing both the animal and those most concerned for its welfare, a huge service by releasing it to Animal Control, an animal rescue group, an animal foster home or any of the various organizations who would find a good home for it.

To be “tethered” for life on the end of a chain, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year in and year out is a death sentence that includes endless suffering. Where’s the rationale for that one?

Abandonment, in this case, would seem a far more humane solution that might result in either euthanasia or the possibility of being adopted by someone who would truly care for it.

No matter how many agencies get involved, how many arguments pro and con, these “tethered” animals still remain imprisoned and suffering. They do not know the meaning of time or debating the pros and cons of city ordinances. They only know the hell they live in and “the devil is always in the details” of that one to paraphrase the article’s apology for not tackling this burning issue right now.

Claire Demers

Rio Rancho

The debate goes on

Editor:

My comment in an earlier letter (“Breeders’ choice,” Rio Rancho Observer, Oct. 18) did not, in any way, call members of the Rio Rancho Animal Task Force a terrorist group. This reference was to militant Animal Rights groups like the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), Animal Liberation Front(ALF) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) — which has been called PETA by day, ALF by night.

Additionally, with regard to the letter (“Go to the shelter,” Rio Rancho Observer, Oct. 25) stating the shelters used to be full of purebreds that now are part of the overpopulation problem, this simply is not true. For 15-plus years, comments like this have been spread and groups like American Kennel Club (AKC) have religiously sent people to shelters to count the percentages of purebreds, which are usually about three percent. Proponents of HEART (Albuquerque’s animal ordinance) also claimed 1/3 of the shelters were purebreds and opponents checked and also found the above statistic. Many mongrels are what my vet used to call “Heinz 57” — that is, made up of 57 (or more) varieties of dogs. They come from generation after generation of free-breeding mongrels.

Cynthia Sinclair

Rio Rancho

Thanks for the notice

Editor:

Thank you for publishing the announcement of our “Toastmasters Introduction” Open House. The evening was a success, and we especially enjoyed meeting with the delightful visitors.

Midday Rio Rancho Toastmasters is very grateful to the Rio Rancho Observer for not only publishing our special open house event, but also publishing our weekly meeting notices. We know that members of our Toastmasters club take speaking and leadership skills into the community, thus firmly enhancing and supporting an already strong and viable city.

Debbi Ruel

President, VP Membership

Midday Rio Rancho Toastmasters