Letters to the Editor (June 12, 2025)

Lifelines are in danger

Editor:

As a senior citizen living in Valencia County, I am deeply concerned about the impacts the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” could have on older adults in our community — especially senior citizens who rely on Medicaid, food assistance and/or Medicare.

The bill currently under consideration in the Senate proposes sweeping cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These programs are not luxuries — they are lifelines.

Medicaid helps cover long-term care and medical costs that Medicare does not. SNAP ensures that many older adults in our area don’t have to choose between food and medicine.

Even more troubling is the potential for automatic cuts to Medicare funding. These changes would put added strain on fixed incomes and could make accessing health care even more difficult, particularly in rural areas like ours.

I urge our elected officials — both in New Mexico and in Washington — to protect the essential services that seniors count on. We’ve paid into these programs our entire working lives. Now, more than ever, we need them preserved, not gutted.

Steven Sanchez

Belen

The country is faltering

Editor:

Here comes the budget bill that is being peddled as “beautiful” but is really bleak.

Republicans who even dare to have a town hall are being hammered by their constituents for supporting it, as they continue to downplay the horrendous effects it will have. Joni Ernst sniffed that “we are all going to die anyway” at her town hall, when it was pointed out that taking 14 million people off of Medicaid would actually kill people. Evidently, Ernst doesn’t know those people anyway.

Mike Flood, from Nebraska, claimed he didn’t know anything about a provision in the bill allowing Trump to basically shut the courts down. His constituents read it, why didn’t he? Their nonchalance and willful ignorance is alarming! Must we say it out loud? We aren’t willing to die for rich people’s tax breaks.

It’s bad enough that Musk and DOGE over-promised, under performed, and charged us, the taxpayers an exorbitant amount to cavalierly damage countless people around the world, and now we have to worry about gutting all our social safety nets, all of which were paid for ahead of time!

Harsh cuts to Medicaid and yes, Medicare, will absolutely lead to the needless suffering and eventual demise of millions, yes millions of Americans. Kicking 10 million of us off of the only healthcare available to us is particularly cruel; why are Republicans supporting this?

The gains in leveling the playing field made by the Obama and Biden administrations are being burned to the ground and nobody is coming to save us. Why do wealthy people deserve even more tax breaks while we work hard and die penniless? Why?

Other countries have elected competent leaders who demonstrate democratic principles. Canada’s Mark Carney is focusing on creating jobs and cutting taxes for the middle class.

Romania just elected a 55-year old mathematician, Nicasor Dan. President Dan is building and supporting NATO alliances, preserving democracy, and being honest with his allies, just like we used to do before we let rich people take us over.

Now, our government services and funding are cut and we are divorcing ourselves from all our allies so that Trump can give a massive tax cut to his donors. Our country is faltering and we are on a precipice, led by someone who continues to do harm to our country, while working hard at cheating us all out of our very lives.

Michelle Tafoya

Los Lunas