OPINION: Talk of the Town
Rural hospital closures a matter of life, death
In his Opinion column in the July 3 Journal, Dr. William H. Brady makes many good points concerning the devastating effects of deep Medicaid cuts to New Mexico鈥檚 health care system, such as low income families鈥 loss of coverage and the cost inefficiency of increased emergency department usage. However, he barely touches upon an issue of much concern to me and countless others: possible closure of rural hospitals. My wife and I live in Socorro, and the future of Socorro General Hospital is at risk. Without SGH, our nearest hospital would be over an hour away. This is literally a matter of life and death. Legislators, dead people won鈥檛 vote for you.
Janet Goldstein
Socorro
Protect workers from extreme heat
As we enter another summer of soaring temperatures, one thing is resoundingly clear: Climate change is already disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable members of our communities. For decades, faith communities across the globe have named this threat, and today it is at our doorstep. As exposure to extreme heat is increasing for workers across New Mexico, we have a collective moral responsibility to do something about it for the common good of all.
In early June, a rulemaking process with the Environmental Improvement Board intended to strengthen protections for workers in New Mexico who are exposed to extreme heat was delayed. The hearings, initially scheduled for July 2025, will now be held in January 2026. Voices from industry continue to claim that adopting these rules would be too hard, too fast and too burdensome.
The core tenet of my faith is to love your neighbor as yourself, and in the 近距离内射合集 Methodist Christian tradition, the first rule is to do no harm. In that vein, asking employers to ensure sufficient protections for human health and safety should not be a burden; it should be a responsibility rooted in our shared humanity. Providing shade structures and water access for agricultural workers, providing working air-conditioning units for delivery drivers, and ensuring that all employees have adequate breaks at specific temperature thresholds are common sense and attainable, and we should all strive for them for one another.
As people of faith and conscience, let鈥檚 take collective action to protect the workers who are our neighbors and who are woven into the fabric of everything we cherish in New Mexico. Join me in doing no harm by raising your voice in support of strong heat standards. Please visit .
Andy Stoker
Albuquerque
Iran could pursue nuke program in secrecy
What鈥檚 next?
Israel suppressed Iran鈥檚 air defenses and killed crucial military personnel, clearing the way for U.S. cruise missiles and bunker buster bombs from stealth bombers. The strikes either severely damaged or destroyed the facilities Iran needed to complete a nuclear weapon. The results clearly established Iran鈥檚 inability to compete in a modern conventional war. Regrettably, current discussions generally focus on degrees of destruction, but regularly omit Iran鈥檚 remaining options.
Regardless of Western powers, the ayatollahs 鈥 or their successors 鈥 are surrounded with Middle East and European/Asian neighbors that would not hesitate to feast on a weakened Iran. Funding terrorist entities such as the Houthis, Hamas or Hezbollah does not appear to be any longer an effective strategy. Iran is left to choose a vulnerable second class role in the Middle East or continue to pursue an even more secretive nuclear weapon program.
Iranian and Persian history is millennia of armed conflict fueled by religions, cultures and national ambition. That Iran would or even could accede to U.S./Israeli dominance and transform into a subservient and vulnerable non-nuclear Middle East regime smacks of Putin鈥檚 delusion that Ukraine would cut and run before a few Russian tanks.
Craig Roepke
Albuquerque
Stansbury stepped up against kidney disease
Thank you for publishing the recent op-ed I wrote entitled, 鈥淏ill would save people with kidney failure鈥 on the End Kidney Deaths Act . We were thrilled to see Rep. Melanie Stansbury step up as a co-sponsor following its publication. Her support sends a powerful message to the thousands of New Mexicans impacted by kidney failure: Your lives matter, and change is possible.
Now we urge Sens. Ben Ray Luj谩n and Martin Heinrich to join her by cosponsoring, or better yet, co-leading, the Senate version of the bill. And we call on Reps. Teresa Leger Fern谩ndez and Gabe Vasquez to join Stansbury in making this life-saving, cost-cutting legislation a top priority.
The End Kidney Deaths Act is a smart, bipartisan solution. It would offer a refundable $10,000 annual tax credit for five years to living donors who give a kidney to a stranger, especially to those waiting the longest. Experts estimate it could save up to 100,000 lives and reduce taxpayer spending by $37 billion over the next decade.
We applaud Stansbury鈥檚 leadership. Now it鈥檚 time for the entire New Mexico delegation to follow her example and champion this historic opportunity to end needless kidney deaths.
Alex Fischer
Albuquerque
Bill funds ICE better than most militaries
The part of the 鈥淏ig Beautiful Bill鈥 that congressional Republicans have just passed that has gotten the least attention is perhaps politically the most consequential. It will make the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement larger than most of the world鈥檚 militaries. The bill spends over $150 billion 鈥 that鈥檚 billion with a B 鈥 over four years for immigration enforcement. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller refers to this as an opportunity to save Western Civilization. This will essentially give Donald Trump his own private army. Alligator Alcatraz in Florida will be the first of many new detention camps for immigrants. The irony is that ICE was created as part of the post-9/11 鈥渨ar on terrorism.鈥 It turns out the terrorists are domestic, not foreign. Wake up America.
Gary Anderson
Albuquerque