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Letters to the editor: Dec. 8

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Let PNM recoup its growing costs

Re: "See the light, PNM, about online billing," Tribune editorial, Dec. 4.

You are right: Flipping a switch for power is a modern marvel. And yes, I believe the power company is taken for granted.

Most people don't realize how much it costs to provide these services. PNM is a service industry but is also a regulated one. In order to recoup costs, it has to go through a tremendous amount of red tape while incurring these costs and has no guarantee that it will recoup these costs.

Waiting for a decision, in turn, costs the company potential revenue streams, because these funds are not being utilized for other products and services.

These decisions are not made quickly and often take months to happen. By the time one decision is made, two others are being decided. The expense in revenue and loss of potential gains is tremendous.

The government now wants clean and green power. Who do you think flips the bill for this? PNM has to spend money on new resources, people and technology in order to meet these new regulations. After it spends this money, it then has to go to the government and ask if it will be allowed to recoup the money it has spent. Then it waits. It is a vicious cycle.

I read the original article that was referenced in this editorial. There are multiple options for people to pay their bills outside of online payments that have a varied range of costs. We are a want-it-now society. If people want convenience, they should be willing to shoulder some of the cost to provide it.

PNM has thousands of customers in both New Mexico and Texas. At $2.65 or even $1 each, that is a tremendous expense to shoulder each month. PNM cannot raise rates and charge additional fees to handle these costs, like other companies do.

And companies that say they just eat the costs do not eat the costs. These companies that offer "free" services do find ways to recoup these expenses. It is done through service charges, late fees, rate hikes, equipment upgrade charges, etc. That is why you see prices and fees go up. They just spread the costs over a wider area.

Everyone has heard the saying, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." The costs are always passed on to the customer in one form or another. If they weren't, the company would not turn profits and would not be in business long.

PNM just laid off 150 people and will potentially be laying off up to 350 more in the near future to cut costs. Costs of doing business have gone up exponentially in the past few years, yet New Mexico has some of the lowest rates in the nation. PNM has not asked for a rate increase in years, while these costs have continued to increase. PNM has pumped millions of dollars into new technology to improve the products and services it offers its customers and will spend billions more in the next few years.

Why, again, are we quibbling about a $2.65 fee for an additional service?

Kevin Kohls

Albuquerque

• • •

Global warming classes are needed

Re: Global warming education in New Mexico public schools.

We are living at a momentous time in the history of civilization on our planet Earth. We need to pay attention, big-time, to the global warming that we are causing, how it is threatening our existence, and what we the public can do about it now.

Here is the story: On Nov. 20, the most authoritative body on earth concerning global warming issued its latest report. This body is the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 2,500 scientists. They told us we are facing a planetary crisis from global warming that we are causing.

Global warming results from the emission of greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide, from the burning of fuels such as coal, oil and gasoline, involved in the way we produce and use energy. To a lesser extent, deforestation caused by human clear-cutting as well as natural causes are also involved.

The panel predicts disastrous consequences if these emissions are not brought under control: further melting of ice at the poles; sea levels rising to submerge island nations and parts of many coastal cities; extinction of one-fourth or more of the world's species; severe famine in places like Africa; and more violent hurricanes.

This report also makes the very important prediction that to avoid the worst disasters, the world must stabilize the emissions of greenhouse gases by 2015, begin to reduce them thereafter, and largely free itself of the burning of these fuels that emit greenhouse gases by mid-century.

Our situation in the United States is that we are the world's greatest polluter of the air by greenhouse gases and that federal effort to help with this is lacking.

Except for public education about global warming, many state and city governments are helping within their limited responsibilities, with New Mexico and Albuquerque being among the leaders.

However, very little has been done by government to help us — the public — learn about the problem we face. We must ask our government to keep us informed.

Most important is that we start developing the well-informed, motivated public necessary to help with global warming problems at our local grassroots level.

Educating our students about global warming will be a good way to do this. Our students will learn what global warming is and what causes it, what problems result, what is being done about the problem and how they can help. They will be able to influence their parents and others to the good. They will also know how to vote on global warming matters and candidates when they are eligible to vote.

Our public education law must be changed to require such education. A simple and effective way to do this is to require that all students read Al Gore's 2007 book, "An Inconvenient Truth: Adapted for a New Generation." This book was written specifically to educate children ages 11 and up — and it is great for adults. It is already in use on a limited voluntary basis by the Albuquerque Public School System, as part of the Mayor Martin Chavez "Green Hour" program.

It is up to us — the public — to make sure our state public education law is changed to require good global warming education in our public schools as soon as possible.

Finally, I make the following two acknowledgments: My source for the panel's information is the Nov. 20 New York Times editorial, "The Scientists Speak." My daughter, Deborah R. Neuman, spent about a year researching all the information on global warming for me and helped me with this letter.

Elmer A. Neuman

Albuquerque

• • •

Joe Carraro for U.S. House

Kudos for the fine article by Editor Phill Casaus, "Carraro can bend ears, but can he break the mold?" in The Tribune on Dec. 1 on state Sen. Joe Carraro's run for U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson's District 1 seat.

Yes — Carraro can not only bend ears, but he can also break the mold.

This is a plain-speaking public servant, well-versed on all of the issues, who will make an excellent spokesman for all of the people of District 1.

The fact that he won his first race for the New Mexico Senate in a predominately Democratic district says it all — that most are not as much concerned about the candidate's political party as about the character of the candidate and what he or she stands for.

Carraro — who is not interested in pandering to special-interest groups in exchange for large campaign contributions, is the kind of public servant we need in Washington, D.C. He knows that the very large contributions come with strings attached.

He has the drive as well as the intellect to help get us out of the malaise that we now have in Congress. Respect of those in Congress by the people has fallen to an all-time low. We don't need more of the same — plastic, media-preoccupied candidates who are constantly checking the polls. And those groups that help finance them often own them. . . .

All of the candidates for the District 1 seat are good people, but we need more than just a good person in Washington, D.C., this time around. We need one ready to step up and represent us well and not perpetuate the special-interest-group-dominated pay-to-play way of doing business and associated unbridled spending that seems to have taken over both U.S. and state politics.

I urge your support of Carraro for Rep. Heather Wilson's seat. I know he will represent us very well — Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.

Silvio Dell'Angela

Albuquerque

• • •

No question: Impeach Cheney

The two opposing columns by Kenneth F. Bunting and Linda Boyd ("Is impeachment dead?" Insight & Opinion, Dec. 3) regarding the articles of impeachment introduced in the House of Representatives pose a stance of paranoid fear against a passionate defense of freedom.

There should be no question in the minds of truly patriotic Americans which choice is more congruent with the ideals that guided the founding of our nation.

I am currently reading Walter Isaacson's "Einstein: His Life and Universe," a new biography of that great thinker and one that is superbly well-written. The story of Einstein's years in Germany after World War I and his life as a refugee following the rise of the Nazi regime is an instructive lesson in history that we all should read and contemplate in these days when the drift toward a more repressive society in our own country is becoming steadily more ominous.

Congress needs to recognize the dangers inherent in the policies of our vice president and the urgency with which so many of us in the public feel the need to effectively guard against the administration's drift into excessive repression of our freedoms.

Impeachment of Cheney is no more than a vital first step in reaffirming our dedication to a free society — but one that is far more important than our timid politicians seem able to recognize on their own.

While our congressional delegation is home for the holidays, we need to let them know how we feel.

David M. Brugge

Albuquerque

• • •

Help Red Cross help community

Recently, one of our worst fears nearly came true. A small fire in the Manzanos, just south of Albuquerque, began to spread rapidly. A fire that was just about 40 acres grew to 1,000, then to more than 7,000, in just two days. When the order came to evacuate residents around the area, a call was made to the Red Cross and, as always, we responded.

Volunteers rallied in the early hours of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and opened a shelter at Mountainair High School. Wednesday and Thursday passed, and Red Cross volunteers from as far away as Espanola, Los Alamos and Las Vegas responded to help our friends and neighbors — first responders and evacuees alike. These volunteers worked selflessly and tirelessly, forgoing Thanksgiving plans with friends and family to help others in need.

While this wildfire garnered much media attention both locally and nationally, it serves as a reminder that it's not if a disaster will strike, but when. Moreover, disasters don't discriminate by age, race, creed or income — we are all vulnerable.

As we got back into the routine of a full work week and began to think about what lies in store for 2008, your Red Cross continues to meet new, emerging needs in our community. We continue to train and retrain our volunteers, to make sure they're ready for the next disaster. We continue to work with emergency government, planning our coordinated response. We continue working with other organizations to assure that disaster victims' needs are being met.

Our response to the wildfire showed once again that the American Red Cross is the pacesetter for excellence in disaster response. We provide high-quality, relevant services that help you prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

However, we cannot do it alone. Dedicated volunteers and donors make our work possible. I thank all of those who helped the Red Cross during the response to this fire, and I urge readers to become a part of your Red Cross. Volunteer, learn cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, make a donation — your support helps many in our community every day. Without your generosity, the Red Cross simply wouldn't exist.

Thank you and have a safe holiday and joyous New Year.

Lynn May

Chairwoman of the board

American Red Cross

Mid-Rio Grande Chapter

Albuquerque

Cindy Adams

Regional CEO

American Red Cross

Mid-Rio Grande Chapter

Albuquerque