Opinion

Schmidly a complete failure in improving UNM's standing

Editor, In the past couple months, we've seen articles in the Daily Lobo outlining reduced faculty numbers in chemistry and mathematics, the administration's reallocation of $50,000 from the Daily Lobo and, several months ago, the outlining of how much administrator salaries have increased in just the past few years, followed by how the budget was mishandled earlier this year, causing money allocated for certain academic department operating funds to be put elsewhere.

Student activism integral to checking cronyism, corruption

Editor, Events in recent weeks underscore how crucial student involvement and activism are in maintaining the integrity of our public University. First, $150,000 went missing from the coffers of student organizations. The money was returned only when administrators got caught with their pants down, and the Daily Lobo admirably reported on the situation.

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Palin capable of handling national security matters

Editor, Sen. John McCain is an experienced senator, a maverick who has crossed the aisle to get legislation through, a known opponent of pork-barrel spending, supports campaign finance reform and loves this country and will protect it from hostile forces. Terrorists know better than to test him.

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UNM's building rental contract should be available to public

Editor, I am not sure I completely understand moving Student Services off campus. I can understand that a corporation with an empty building or partially empty building would want to rent it to UNM. Since the campus does not yet know how well the relocation will work, I hope the University has not entered into a contract it cannot get out of, the kind of contract with terms stating the other party has a right to expecting many years of rent, and if the contract is broken, the University has to agree to go a Delaware courtroom and still pay the remaining years of rent.

Student Services move puts administration before students

Editor, I am reminded of the quote from the great coach Vince Lombardi in reference to the latest happenings on UNM: "What the hell is going on out there?" The scheme to move Student Services to South Campus is another example of placing the needs of students behind the needs of the administration.

Throwing around 'Muslim' reflects poorly on politicians

Editor, This is a great country. I have served it in uniform in Iraq and hope to serve it in public office someday. I am deeply concerned, however, with the level of discourse that we have seen during this campaign. To be frank, I am concerned with the number of times I have heard the word Muslim.

McCain's moderate stances make him better choice

Editor, For the first time since the big bang, all my immediate family are defecting from the Democratic Party to vote for John McCain and Republicans for Congress and Senate. Why? The Republicans had a wide variety of candidates to choose from, which included the far right to McCain, who was labeled as "too liberal" by the Republicans.

Obama breathes new life into the U.S. political system

Editor, George Will, Christopher Buckley, Colin Powell, Kathleen Parker, Michael Smerconish, Christopher Hitchens, C.C. Goldwater, David Brooks and even Mike Murphy (John McCain's chief strategist from his 2000 campaign) are saying it. Polls are reflecting it.

Schrader's self-induced poverty points to laziness, selfishness

Editor, This letter is in response to the Oct. 21 letter in the Daily Lobo from Don Schrader titled "Living modestly can solve America's greedy addictions." Schrader, before we use your lifestyle as the example of how America can solve its problems, let's take a closer, more critical look at it.

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College Republicans' record shows strong volunteerism

Editor, My letter on Sept. 13 urging the College Democrats to convince their candidates to debate their Republican opponents at UNM has brought forth a torrent: B. Lee Drake had a guest column on Sept. 23, and Juan Carlos Holmes wrote on Oct. 10. Once again, I e-mailed Drake four times but received a response only to the first query.

Online resources can help people with voting process

Editor, This election is too important for anyone to sit on the sidelines. We applaud the good work of the voting rights community that has led to increased energy and an increase in new voter registrations in this election year. Long before the term "third-party registration" was coined, the League of Women Voters, too, was working to ensure that every voter has fair access to registration.

Pearce has repeatedly voted against veterans' interests

Editor, I am proud to be a veteran of the U.S. Army and a current student at UNM. To me, the issue of veterans benefits is not simply an issue; it is something that I live through every day. I know how essential these benefits are to those who have served our country, which is why I have decided that it is imperative that I speak up about Rep.

Schrader's opinions, actions not key to how we should live

Editor, I am a student at CNM, and rarely do I look at an article in the Daily Lobo, but Tuesday morning a co-worker handed me the paper and showed me a letter, nearly the same letter printed a month or so ago in the CNM Chronicle. From the few articles I've read in the Lobo, I perceive the paper to be well-produced, but I must admit that I am disappointed to see the Daily Lobo contributing to the virulent manifestos of Don Schrader.

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Pearce's consistency in voting shows his critical thinking

Editor, I am writing in response to Hugo Arias-Pulido's letter about Rep. Steve Pearce's visit to UNM. Arias-Pulido used few facts in his letter, and I would like to offer a few of those as well as an interesting perspective. The main view that Arias-Pulido gave stated that Pearce was completely wrong in voting "no" on the financial bailout bill both times.

Democratic candidate's ability to lead nation still questionable

Editor, I truly have a desire to understand Barack Obama and the loyalty of his fans, so I am posting some questions that I would love to have an Obama supporter answer honestly and with intellect. How do you resolve, in your mind, what some believe to be disturbing relationships that Obama has had over his life? These include, among others, Tony Rezko, William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.

Obama's lies, ideas of change pose a threat to Constitution

Editor, Benjamin Sanchez lit a fire with his Barack Obama commentary. When voting for a candidate, there are three issues important to me. The candidate: One, has a profound belief that the Constitution is the supreme law of this nation, two, displays honesty that withstands scrutiny and three, accepts our American culture.