Dysfunctional board
Editor:
Tuesday, Jan. 3, the Los Lunas Board of Education reorganized the board officers. I have been to a few board meetings, but cannot attend all of them.
Later in the evening as things were winding down, I started watching the previously-recorded board meeting. As I was watching the meeting, I would say a line. Then right after I said the line, the board president (Tina Garcia) would say exactly what I had just said.
My son asked me if I had already seen the video (as I) was quoting the video. I laughed and told him that it was my first time to watch the video. My son asked how I knew what was going to be said. My response is that the board officer reorganization was so predictable that I was able to guess what was going to be said.
How sad that the current board is that predictable. How sad that the board barely recognizes or includes two of its members.
What is even more sad is Mr. (Eloy) Giron asked the board president about the purpose of the finance committee and audit committee. The board president seemed to tap dance around an answer, without giving a good, direct answer.
If the president knew the policies of the board, as found on the district’s website, the president could have easily quoted policies 2.4.1 and 2.4.2, which state the purposes of the respective committees.
It’s not hard to find the answers to policy questions. One does not have to have the policies memorized, just know where they are and how to use them.
The board is dysfunctional, at best. When will the president recognize and involve all members of the board? It’s no wonder that education in New Mexico is so far behind!
Justin Talley, Los Lunas
GOP flight to nowhere
Editor:
After four years of Trump disasters, how refreshing it was to have two years of Biden achieving goals that help the American people, often with bipartisan support.
Two years that produced the Inflation Reduction Act, help for our crumbling infrastructure, a boost for plentiful renewable energy, the Respect for Marriage bill, the CHIPS and Science Act, boosting our technological competitiveness, increased jobs and payrolls, and lower unemployment.
Nice while it lasted, but now a GOP House airplane is taking off.
GOP Plane’s primary itinerary lists increasing fossil fuel production, although there’s not much they can do. An industry newsletter says, “The biggest reason oil production isn’t increasing is that American energy companies and Wall Street investors are not sure that prices will stay high long enough for them to make a profit from drilling lots of new wells.”
They also plan to rein in illegal immigration but offer no indication of how. (According to the Washington Post, as of March 2, 2022, the tiny stretch of Trump’s wall actually built has been breached 3,272 times by drug smugglers.)
GOP Plane promises to somehow reduce crime. Pew Research shows that while the murder rate increased from six people to 7.8 people per 100,000 during pandemic disruptions, overall violent crime went down. Well, good luck to the GOPpers, and let’s hope they pick the right targets. (Pop quiz: In the past decade, how many U.S. children were killed by gunfire compared to children killed by watching drag shows?)
GOP Plane also plans to spend vast amounts of time investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci, Hunter Biden’s laptop, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, China re Covid, and probably Hillary Clinton again, along with ongoing efforts to impeach Joe Biden. Taxpayer will be charged for these sideshows whether or not they plan to attend.
GOP Plane will fly barrel rolls and loop-de-loops to distract the public while they bomb reproductive rights, the debt ceiling, Social Security, Medicare, 87,000 IRS workers, renewable energy, and transgender bathrooms. Hope they bring the barf bags.
On the other hand, GOP Plane sat on the runway for four days while the far right and the tantrum-throwing far right brawled in the aisles over who got to be pilot. So this very expensive flight may go nowhere.
Laura F. Sanchez, Los Lunas
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April 19, 2024
