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Nominate the guv for president

Finally, the start of caucus and primary voting for a presidential candidate is beginning. It's time to decide our preference.

Do we go along with who is leading in the polls, or who is the best debater, or with the one who has raised the most funds, or is most photogenic?

Instead, shouldn't we look at the governing experience, diplomatic ability, attitude toward peaceful-over-military solutions, care for global health as well as health care for all, regard for democracy in the voting system, and respect for the Constitution and for the human rights of all?

If the country feels that the war in Iraq needs to end, what is keeping us there? Is it that we agree with the legislators who obstruct the people's call for withdrawal? Or is it to control the oil resources of Iraq?

That should be the Iraqis' decision. Our military's purpose should not be to protect oil conglomerates or any corporations which take advantage of any country's workers or resources while causing environmental havoc.

Our New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson, does have the determination to use diplomatic rather than military power in bringing peace and reconciliation to Iraq. He's right in saying all troops out.

Because the polls show most Americans are for ending the Iraq quagmire, then Bill should be the choice. His ability to converse fluently with our neighbors in the Americas as well as understand their negative opinion of our present over-reaching, dominating policy-makers should make him a hands-down favorite. And he is not afraid to tell us that we're going to have to take some painful steps to undo the serious effects of foolish policies and poor accountability by our government.

Don't let the media spin which feeds on the advertising dollars pouring in from special interests fool you. Just vote for one who really fits the bill for wise leadership of our country.

Donald Baltz, Rio Rancho

• • •

Michael Astorga isn't convicted yet

Re: "Court nasty to us, kin say," Tribune, Dec. 20.

In the article describing the grievances of Michael Paul Astorga's family about their treatment in court, there is a statement by sheriff Lt. Scott Baird that I find disturbing.

He said, "This family . . . has openly supported their son, who committed the homicide of a peace officer."

Because the pre-trial hearing was held on Wednesday, Dec. 19, my guess is that no jury has yet returned a verdict. Last I checked, no one else, not even an officer of the law, can declare a defendant guilty before a trial has even been held.

Many people may believe Michael Paul Astorga is guilty as charged. However, as St. Thomas More is famously quoted as saying, "The world must construe according to its wits. This court must construe according to the law."

More was sentenced to death on perjured evidence.

Daniel Erdman, Albuquerque

• • •

Feds are not New Mexico's problem

Re: "Feds shouldn't cut road funds," letter to the Tribune, Dec. 15, by Janet Kavinoky, executive director of the Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition.)

Kavinoky's letter is yet one more attempt to pass the buck for something our foolish governor, most state legislators - under pressure - and the Mid-Region Council of Governments did to create the half-billion-dollar deficit New Mexico now has in our road and highway construction funds.

It's not unlike N.M. Department of Transportation Director Rhonda Faught's similar pass-the-buck statement made at the October National Association of Industrial & Office Properties-N.M. luncheon. . . . She said that the much-needed Paseo del Norte/I-25 interchange that currently handles over 100,000 vehicles a day will likely never be built for a very long time, unless the feds bail us out or we agree to more taxes. . . .

Our governor's N.M. Rail Runner Express created well over $400 million of the current huge GRIP (Gov. Richardson's Investment Partnership) shortfall. . . . Now it's the feds whom Kavinoky, Faught and others claim we should blame for our highway woes.

Making the Council of Governments the manager of Rail Runner, rather than having a separate transit agency, contributed to and aggravated the problem. They . . . provided or blessed very questionable data for their latest fiasco - the $270 million-and-growing rail extension to Santa Fe - . . . foisting Rail Runner extension burden on all taxpayers. . . . Even though the population of Santa Fe is actually declining, . . . they proclaimed large projected increases in Santa Fe's population by 2025. They demanded that we just had to buy the extension now rather than wait for 10-15 years to see if it was really needed.

The feds didn't give the Council of Governments the $75 million of federal funds for the extension to Santa Fe, because it could never be justified on ridership in the near or far term. . . .

With one junior U.S. senator and three junior House members going to Washington, D.C. next year, our chances of more road money appears to be non-existent. . . .

The rail cars that the state is buying to service Santa Fe will ride almost empty for most of the time in the foreseeable future, while we will have to pay a huge operations and maintenance burden of $30 million a year just to keep all of the Rail Runner trains running from there to Belen. . . .

There should be some accountability for this mismanagement, if not malfeasance. We first need to get the Council of Governments out of the railroad business, then get some fiscally responsible and managerial competency in the state Department of Transportation and, finally, stop blaming the federal government for our legislators' own fiscal irresponsibility. . . .

Silvio Dell'Angela, Albuquerque