Letters to the Editor (April 17, 2025)

They are lying to us

Editor:

First, the Trumpers got rid of the words, because getting rid of words makes it much easier to get rid of the person or the regulation that the word represents.

For instance, U.S. Department of Agriculture documents no longer can use phrases like “safe drinking water.” Bans extend to “climate,” “methane emissions,” and “sustainable construction.” Along with hundreds of others, including “diesel,” “affordable housing,” “water pollution,” and even poor, plain little “clean water.”

But it’s not just agriculture. The U.S. military scrubbed all mention of personnel who were not straight, male and Anglo. They wiped out the service records of the Navajo Code Talkers, the heroic Japanese American 442nd regiment, and Jackie Robinson, as well as Bea Arthur’s impressive military record — that’s Maude! for crying out loud.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth even deleted all mention of the “Enola Gay”— the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima — just to make it clear he wasn’t having any mention of LGBTQ military. Public outcry was so deafening that they restored these particular records, but thousands of less famous troops were not so lucky.

And now they’re starting on the numbers. Elon Musk bragged that his DOGE nerd herd had saved $80 billion by firing thousands of civil service workers. Then others checked his numbers and he had to revise them down to $8 billion. Meanwhile, the federal government has shoveled out $38 billion to Musk’s various companies.

Then DOGE fired 1,000 probationary National Park workers, even if their records were exemplary. Musk claimed that saved $4.8 billion, but in effect he’s made it impossible for the parks to bring in their annual profit of around $40 billion.

And Trump insists he’s slapping his stupid tariffs on every other country except Russia and North Korea in retaliation for the way they’ve ripped off the U.S. No, not even close. Some economic toady pulled a formula out of the air — take a nation’s trade deficit, divide it by the dollar amount of imports from them, then divide by two — that’s their tariff, even if they’re just an island inhabited only by penguins. People who know a lot more about economics than I do say this process is idiotic.

Laura Sanchez

Los Lunas

Libraries are important

Editor:

Libraries are part of the beating heart of communities. I have been a constant patron for more than 75 years.

As a child, I would sit on the floor in a corner and leaf through picture books, taking some home to enjoy. As an adult, I have not been able to travel, yet books have taken me all over the world.

I literally started to cry last week when I read the news about the agency that oversees libraries and museums. That’s part of the playbook, take away books, art, music and keep anything beautiful away from “We The People.”

This can’t happen.

Karen Simmons

Albuquerque

Thank you for coverage

Editor:

The Belen Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Commission would once again like to thank the Valencia County News-Bulletin for the coverage of our recent candlelight vigil and awards presentations.

The continued exposure of Dr. King’s teachings and humanity can only serve to strengthen our youth and society at large and, with the News Bulletin’s continued support, we will continue on a path recognizing diversity as an asset for our diverse communities and nation.

David Williams

Rio Communities

Scared of the future

Editor:

I don’t know where we’re headed and it scares me what has been happening in our federal government.

President Trump seems to think he knows everything and knows what’s best for our country. Unfortunately, the majority of voters thought he would do what is best, but he’s not, and his voters know it.

It’s sad and scary.

Charles Garcia

Los Chavez