Opinion letter writers should get facts, reasoning straight

Editor,

In response to the Feb. 12 Opinion section of the Daily Lobo:

Phillip Howell, you offer nothing as an alternative to the stimulus package. The only evidence of waste you write about is money to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is not a not-for-profit, much like any church; it is not called "Planned Abortion." And about Africa, you write, "How many diapers, baby blankets and bottles will not be manufactured because the babies are aborted?" I would be interested to know your news source if you think most babies in Africa have these things.

Daniel Martinez, only companies that received public money are affected. The private, freewill sector money is gone. You write, "Taxpayers don't have recourse" about the "luxurious lifestyle of the president" and that "the president gets whatever he wants." The plane, house, cars and protection are not features of the Barack Obama administration. Every president has gotten the perks of the job. We are talking about the president. If you want your president to not have protection, fly coach, live in a smaller house and drive himself, you do have recourse: vote, write a letter, start a movement or take a class to understand how our government works.

Gerrit DeVolk, you think we should keep building and researching nuclear weapons just so some people can keep their jobs? I am not saying we shouldn't, but think about your reasoning. Think about all the positive things that could be done with that funding. We can already blow up the world many times over. After that, isn't it just bragging rights? But that is not your real concern. You are worried only about the jobs. You wrote, "Obama is planning on pulling more than $2 billion of funding from Sandia and Los Alamos national labs and sending the nuclear research divisions to Washington, D.C." So those jobs won't be lost. Good for you. Why don't you just do what your father and grandfather did: move.

And Dennis Walter Smith Sr., you're a little out there, but keep it up.

Keith Andreys

UNM student