Opinion
Letter: Free community college worth every penny
February 9Editor, Obama said he wants to make community college free.
Opinion
Opinion
Letter: MLK's prophetic legacy condemned, forgotten
February 9Prophet Martin Luther King Jr. damned the Vietnam War in his most controversial speech on April 4, 1967 — exactly one year before he was assassinated. King damned the U.S. mass-murder of Vietnamese people. King said, “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.”
Opinion
Column: Income inequality, crime are behind New Mex-odus
Jason Darensburg | February 6People are leaving New Mexico in droves. The evidence is irrefutable. The latest proof comes from a recent study released by moving company United Van Lines: the Land of Disenchantment ranked ninth on the annual list of “most moved from” states. New Mexico was the only Southwestern state to show a high departure rate; Texas and Colorado were among the top 10 “moved to” states. Oregon won the prize for “most moved to” state, according to the study. South Carolina, Florida and Vermont were also popular places to move to. Earlier this year Albuquerque Business First published “Gone for Good,” a series of articles featuring interviews with New Mexicans who had just left the state or were planning to leave. The most common complaints focused on high corporate taxes and the increasing crime rate in Albuquerque. But that’s only part of it.
Opinion
Column: Ridesharing services need better regulations
Monica Youngblood | February 5If you live in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, you have probably heard of Lyft or Uber. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are ridesharing services that connect passengers to drivers via a smartphone app. It’s a convenient and safe way to get a ride, and it is a proven job creator. But currently, there are no regulations for ridesharing companies, and therefore their future in New Mexico is uncertain. That needs to change.
Opinion
Dr. Peg's Prescription: Tips and resources for dealing with sexual assault
Dr. Peggy Spencer | February 4Sexual assault has been in the news around here lately. UNM got a big visit and analysis by a law firm, which raised a number of questions. How much does this happen here? Who are the perpetrators? Do we have too many policies? Are the policies clear? Does the campus have enough lighting? Do people get attacked on campus or off?
Opinion
WIlderness Act helps New Mexico
Michael Neville | February 3On Sept. 3, 1964, just more than 50 years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act into law. This landmark legislation established the National Wilderness Preservation System which initially designated 9.1 million acres as protected wilderness. The bill resulted in more than 100 million acres of designated wilderness areas, an expansion that has greatly benefited the American people.
Opinion
SUB food overpriced, owned by corporations
February 3Editor, Past: Public universities directly hired work study students to work in eateries in Student Union buildings. Food was mainly real and cooked and inexpensive. Being essentially government jobs, there was job security.
Opinion
Schrader hypocritical, as he does work for UNM himself
January 30Editor, I found Don Schrader’s letter criticizing college graduates for attending college in hopes of being able to generate an income after graduation a bit puzzling, if not hypocritical.
Opinion
Letter: Congress and Netanyahu collaborating against peace
January 29Journalist Thomas Friedman caused controversy a few years back when he said that the U.S. Congress was, “bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.” On the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, House Speaker John Boehner has invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come to Washington and address Congress. The fact that an Israeli leader will be able to openly challenge President Obama’s peace overtures to Iran seems to validate Friedman’s analysis that Congress acts like a cheap prostitute in regards to Israel.
Opinion
Letter: While educating your minds, don't neglect your hearts
January 29Do most college graduates live more wisely than minimum wage workers who never went to high school? Do most college graduates travel less, pollute less, cause less global climate chaos? Do most college graduates pay less federal income tax for war? Do most college graduates consume less and live more simply and fairly in our world family of more than seven billion people? Do most college graduates take strong public stands against US greed and wars? Do most college graduates choose jobs that help more than harm?
Opinion
Obama's protections for Arctic are vital
Will Brewer | January 27This past week President Obama proposed sweeping new protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Occupying Alaska’s North Slope, the refuge contains polar bears, wolves, dall sheep, muskoxen and one of the world’s largest caribou herds. Initially protected in 1960 and then again in 1980 in recognition of its bountiful wildlife, the refuge has been under pressure from oil and gas development in recent years. By designating the majority of the refuge as a Wilderness Area, Obama’s proposal would afford the highest protection possible under Federal Law.
Opinion
Column: Deflate-gate is over-inflated media scandal
J.R. Oppenheim | January 26Tired of hearing about Deflate-gate yet? Don’t worry. I’m not throwing in my two cents about whether New England quarterback Tom Brady told his equipment manager to purposefully reduce the PSI in 11 of 12 footballs during last week’s AFC title game. If head coach Bill Belichick gave the order, I don’t care. This won’t affect the Super Bowl in seven days. I am sick of this media oversaturation over Deflate-gate, as I am sure you are. We reached the point of absurdity days ago, and there unfortunately seems to be no end in sight until next week’s title showdown. The national sports media should be ashamed of themselves.
Opinion
Letter: There's no 'justice for all' while racism stills exists
January 26If the Ferguson white cop Darren Wilson had killed an 18-year-old unarmed white youth, would the grand jury have indicted the cop? If the cop had been black and if he had killed an unarmed white youth, would the grand jury have indicted the black cop? If the 18-year-old unarmed had been the Ferguson mayor’s son or from the richest family in town, would the grand jury have indicted the cop who killed him?
Opinion
Letter: Saudi king's death changes nothing for war-torn Mid East
January 26The news has come to us from Arabia that the Saudi King Abdullah has passed away at the age of 90. Back in June 2008, King Abdullah hosted the Mekka interfaith meeting in which he publicly met with Shia clerics and claimed to support the establishment of a more pluralistic and tolerant interpretation of Islam.
Opinion
Letter: Walkers, drivers alike should take care on the road
January 26The reason I wanted to write this article in the Daily Lobo is to wake both drivers and pedestrians up. Let’s all be on high alert when crossing busy roads instead of in our prevalent auto-pilot mode. The life you save may be your own. Pedestrians — do not be lulled by the “safety” of crosswalks. Remember, you can die in the right of way.
Opinion
Column: Today's youth are bombarded with bad music
Jason Darensburg | January 23Kanye West’s latest hit song has created an uproar in the music world, and not because of the lyrics or subject matter. “Only One” is controversial because West teamed up with one of pop music’s old guard to create the track: none other than former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney. “Only One” features McCartney playing a minimal keyboard riff over a programmed beat while West sings through Auto-Tune. The song is not by any means a creative breakthrough for either artist. “Only One” is mediocre at best; unchallenging pop music processed and homogenized to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I never would have guessed McCartney was even on the track if it hadn’t been so hyped. His contribution is not immediately apparent. Whatever their personal artistic motives may have been, the unlikely collaboration between Yeezy and Macca provoked an outpouring of scathing, often hilarious feedback from fans and critics. While some of the online remarks were clearly meant to be sarcastic, others appeared to be sincere in their ignorance regarding Kanye’s latest musical foil.
Opinion
Dr. Peg's Prescription: 'Eat more vegetables' should be everyone's New Year's resolution
Dr. Peggy Spencer | January 21January is named after the god Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, who is also known as a guardian of doorways. Janus has two faces, one looking back and the other looking forward. Ancient Romans believed that when you passed through the doorway from one year to the next Janus would help you shed old baggage and bless you for a better year ahead.
Opinion
Cheap gas threatens the state's economy
Stephanie Mladinich | January 20Although cheaper gas prices carry less of a burden on our wallets, the recent drop in prices represent a significant change for the economy and environment of New Mexico. U.S. Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, and Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, introduced legislation to congress known as the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act that strives to increase and expedite U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas.
Opinion
Wahhabis, not Sunnis, should take the blame for violence
January 16Editor, Although I personally follow the Jafari Shia school of Islamic thought, I cannot idly sit by while the corporate-owned, mainstream media continues its libel my Sunni Muslim brothers and sisters.
Opinion
China's lack of religion puts the country ahead of others
January 16Editor, While religions of this or that stripe slaughter each other over the rest of the world, China is laughing all the way to the bank.
