Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver them to 132 E. Marcy St., fax them to 988-5348 or e-mail them to the editor.
Sharing the Love
Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, Inc. would like to extend our sincerest thanks to The Santa Fe Reporter for selecting us as the beneficiary of your delightful Pre-Valentine's Day Party at The Lodge on Feb. 7. The lively soiree was both festive and meaningful. Kudos to Marissa Pilar Montez and her staff for a well-planned and well-executed event.
SFR has consistently supported Esperanza through a variety of fundraisers, awareness campaigns and community initiatives over the years. The fact that you have continued to do so during these slender economic times reflects your genuine, ongoing commit-ment to our Santa Fe community. These are precisely the times when Esperanza Shelter requires more support than ever, as domestic violence victims are more vulnerable to financial distress, joblessness, homelessness and other conditions that hinder their safely leaving abusive situations.
What is most fitting about SFR's choice of Esperanza as the party's beneficiary is your clear message that "love is respect" and that abuse has no place in any relationship, romantic or otherwise. With nearly 20 percent of New Mexico's homicides stemming from domestic violence in 2007 alone, and one out of three women and one out of seven men in our state in domestic violence situations over their lifetime, this is a crucial message to send to the Santa Fe community on Valentine's Day—a message that could literally save lives.
Jodi Rodgers
Outreach Coordinator
Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, Inc.
Spent in Santa Fe
In Francine Lindberg's letter she said Los Alamos contributes only to its own isolated community. This is a common misconception. Even former Santa Fe Mayor Debbie Jaramillo said as much. One friend here in Los Alamos keeps a written record of what they spend just in Santa Fe. It adds up!
First of all, we buy cars there. Los Alamos has no big-box stores and so Española, Taos and Santa Fe benefit from those. Many people live in the outer area of Los Alamos and commute to work here. So their salaries are spent in their hometowns, not here.
Lots of families and friends come here to visit and where do we take them for sightseeing? Taos and Santa Fe are usually No. 1, and also other scenic, historic and recreation areas close by.
Sue Y Conner
Los Alamos
Payout please
How amusing to read that falling lottery ticket sales are about loss of "novelty". The Lottery Authority should consider this: NO ONE plays the Lottery to fund higher education; they play dreaming of financial independence. Fourth- and third-place prizes are of no interest to regular lottery players; even second-place wins are rare. With all the people playing in those 20-plus Powerball states, only one to three tickets win second prize on each drawing.
The jackpot odds on the big Powerball game are 197 million-to-1 on a $1 bet. They used to be 176 million-to-1 but, in a fit of greed, the Authority recently raised the odds. "Longer runoffs and bigger winners!" its Web site says. Translation: The odds are now so bad that the Authority gets more money as players lose more. The recent $205 million Powerball jackpot won in New Mexico was the FIRST Powerball jackpot won here in how many years?
Lowered odds on, say, a jackpot of $10 million would bring players back ($200 million isn't necessary for financial freedom). That would require more frequent payouts, but it would bring back players.
It would also require the Authority to treat players as something besides pigeons who can't do the math.
Kaaren Boullosa
Santa Fe
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