Sound Off! (May 13)

I always chuckle when a Latinos says "my family have been in New Mexico over 200 years". Uhh, yeah, right.

Caller Said: "OK, so the RailRunner made it from Albuquerque down to El Paso. Which means the tracks, the engine, and the cars already exist. So why do we need a $750,000 feasibility study, and $150 million to implement it after it's done when it already exists? Can somebody explain that to me?"

For starters, because the railroad tracks are owned and maintained by a private company for the purpose of running their trains as private a business. Just because there are tracks doesn't mean the state can use them to run the Railrunner.

Secondly, just who the heck would be riding the Railrunner from Las Cruces to Albuquerque enough to actually make this service pay for its self? NOBODY! This would become another colossal waste of tax payer money. One the occasions I have driven to Albuquerque, you couldn't fill a single train with the traffic I've seen between Las Cruces and Belen.

If the government wants to do something about traffic, air pollution and the waste of energy, tax the trucking industry appropriately, instead of subsidizing it, in order to force the interstate freight back onto the railroads and off the nation’s highways.

"Mesilla Valley Apartments, 11:50, the air has not been turned on, 10:50, the building right next door, same company, the air has been turned on for three days. Men have not been out to work on it, yesterday, and it's 3 in the afternoon, the guy's already left of the day, it's Friday. It's ridiculous. It's 110 degrees in this building with the windows open and fans going. I called the companies, they told me nothing can be done about it. "

I'd call them and tell them you are not paying rent for the days it is off.

Local wrote:

Caller Said: "OK, so the RailRunner made it from Albuquerque down to El Paso. Which means the tracks, the engine, and the cars already exist. So why do we need a $750,000 feasibility study, and $150 million to implement it after it's done when it already exists? Can somebody explain that to me?"
For starters, because the railroad tracks are owned and maintained by a private company for the purpose of running their trains as private a business. Just because there are tracks doesn't mean the state can use them to run the Railrunner.
Secondly, just who the heck would be riding the Railrunner from Las Cruces to Albuquerque enough to actually make this service pay for its self? NOBODY! This would become another colossal waste of tax payer money. One the occasions I have driven to Albuquerque, you couldn't fill a single train with the traffic I've seen between Las Cruces and Belen.
If the government wants to do something about traffic, air pollution and the waste of energy, tax the trucking industry appropriately, instead of subsidizing it, in order to force the interstate freight back onto the railroads and off the nation’s highways.

No kidding!

Man, this thread is screwed up!

Did anyone see Claudette Ortiz' pathetic diatribe on depleted uranium? Journalism and research are dead, I guess. This 'article' is a real piece of shite. DU DOES NOT cause any of the problems she attributes to it. It does not create dust. And if it did, it WOULD be stopped by chemical gear, because the dust particles are much larger than any gas.

DU is almost not radioactive. It is called depleted uranium because all of the 'good stuff' has been removed already, leaving very, very little radioactivity. When the active uranium is removed to make reactor fuel or weapons-grade material, the remainder is a very dense metal, which emits alpha radiation. Alpha radiation is blocked by a sheet of paper or your skin. DU is a waste product of uranium processing. You could sleep on a bed of it your entire life with no adverse effects. DU is used as glazing on red Fiesta Ware, did you know that? You have eaten off plates colored with DU. Or shaken salt from a DU-coated shaker.

No, DU does not cause any problems Claudette mentioned. She has foolishly bought into the ridiculous pseudo-science of the stupid and ignorant. Want the truth? Do some research on the radioactive chain of decay and the isotopes of uranium, and it is quite obvious this is a farce.

"I wish President Obama would quit saying "we" have to make sacrifices. He and his family are financially set for life, so he doesn't know what real sacrifice means anymore."

Not that Toby ever did know anything about sacrifice.

Hear hear on the comment about the city's idiotic practice of flushing thousands of gallons of water into the streets, when it could very plausibly be used. Stupid stupid. And a suggestion for whoever edits SoundOff: it's called SpellCheck. Try it, you'll like it!

Rio Grande Republican wrote:

Hear hear on the comment about the city's idiotic practice of flushing thousands of gallons of water into the streets, when it could very plausibly be used. Stupid stupid. And a suggestion for whoever edits SoundOff: it's called SpellCheck. Try it, you'll like it!

Who cares what a republican thinks. Republicans lost the election which means their opinions no longer count. Only the democrat opinion matters anymore.

I hope the U.S. senators and congressmen from New Mexico and their staff read Sound Off! and can do something about a Consumer Bill of Rights for credit cards and banks. After all, we just bailed them out. My daughter who is very careful with money matters, overdrew her debit card account 2 cents, and got a letter stating that she owed the bank $35 in penalty fees.

Teach the kid how to add and take responsibililty friggin cry baby

Tired of Stupids wrote:

"I wish President Obama would quit saying "we" have to make sacrifices. He and his family are financially set for life, so he doesn't know what real sacrifice means anymore."
Not that Toby ever did know anything about sacrifice.

You racist really can't stand to see a successful black man can you!? Unlike many of the previous presidents this man was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth; so even though he's not struggling now, he knows what it feels like. We already know GWB knew nothing about hard times neither did he care about those who were experiencing them.

Rio Grande Democrat wrote:

<quoted text>
Who cares what a republican thinks. Republicans lost the election which means their opinions no longer count. Only the democrat opinion matters anymore.

And the voice of stupidity cries out in the night...

Tired of Stupids wrote:

<quoted text>And the voice of stupidity cries out in the night...

Talk about stupid. Everyone knows it is daytime outside. Geez... No wonder you republicans lost the election!

RESPECT wrote:

<quoted text>
You racist really can't stand to see a successful black man can you!? Unlike many of the previous presidents this man was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth; so even though he's not struggling now, he knows what it feels like. We already know GWB knew nothing about hard times neither did he care about those who were experiencing them.

You are right, GWB never knew hard times. He did, however, do what he thought was right for the country, not what the special interest groups demanded. Our current joker, however, is owned by the special interests, has no experience to lead, knows naught of economics and is generally weak except for his slick talking ability, which is all he has. Why do you consider all who dislike BO a racist? Let's see, successful black men. Morgan Freeman, Colin Powell, Jerry Rice, I can name lots of them who deserve respect. These men would all be a million times better and more qualified to be in the White House than the squatter there now.

Idiot! This is the USA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, not China or North Korea. WE are under Democratic rule right now and I sure hope the Democrats enjoy these next few months, watch the '10 elections for change you can believe in.

Rio Grande Democrat wrote:

<quoted text>
Who cares what a republican thinks. Republicans lost the election which means their opinions no longer count. Only the democrat opinion matters anymore.

Here's an idea, lets give southern New Mexico back to Mexico. We already have most of their problems and our income per capita is almost in line with Mexico's. We have a lot of their gang violence, illegals, welfare moochers... it would just seem like the economically smart thing to do for the rest of the US. Besides, lot's of residents here still think they live in Mexico and don't acknowledge its a US state.

Tired of Stupids wrote:

<quoted text>You are right, GWB never knew hard times. He did, however, do what he thought was right for the country, not what the special interest groups demanded. Our current joker, however, is owned by the special interests, has no experience to lead, knows naught of economics and is generally weak except for his slick talking ability, which is all he has. Why do you consider all who dislike BO a racist? Let's see, successful black men. Morgan Freeman, Colin Powell, Jerry Rice, I can name lots of them who deserve respect. These men would all be a million times better and more qualified to be in the White House than the squatter there now.

Colin Powell endorsed Obama and hassince been very supportive of the administration. So much so that the repubs all but disowned him on Fox Monday night. Jerry Rice in the White House? I'll take Georgie over Jerry Rice, which says a lot because I thought he was an ignorant uncaring jerk that all but disappeared as president the last two years of his run... I'm not really interested in having the racial debate, on either side, but this was incorrect. Just a thought

Rio Grande Democrat wrote:

<quoted text>
Talk about stupid. Everyone knows it is daytime outside. Geez... No wonder you republicans lost the election!

Please stop posting... you are making Democrats look ignorant.

The Fuller lady wrote letter to the editor and is wrong. Heres what I think.

Who says I am illegal. I come here to work and support my famly in Mexico. We all human so have the right to live anywhere. You americans should be proud to help us get what we deserve if we get sick and you have good doctors, why can't we use them. Some of us try to pay, but feeding my family is most important. I live here most of the time so I am not illegal just trying to live a good life. Americans have lots of money so helping the less fortuned should make you feel good. Thank you Obama for your support. You are a hero to all of us hard workers who deserve to be treated good and get the benifits we need to survive. The border is only a river. We are all the same humans.

RESPECT wrote:

<quoted text>
You racist really can't stand to see a successful black man can you!? Unlike many of the previous presidents this man was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth; so even though he's not struggling now, he knows what it feels like. We already know GWB knew nothing about hard times neither did he care about those who were experiencing them.

Although I agree with Obama not coming from a priveledged family... diagreeing with the man does not make someone a racist. Pulling the race card every time someone disagrees with him negates the accomplishment of what he has achieved. He does not do that, neither should those who support him