SPEAKUP! !?!

THE OLD adage where many mothers admonished and advised: “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are” still applies. “But mommy, President Vladimir Putin, President Rodrigo Duterte, and President Kim Jong Un are only my pretend friends; they don’t like me, but they will, bigly.” CM THANK YOU, Journal, for the editorial “Fighting Words” April 30. Unbelievable that APD uses its official public Facebook and website to criticize and threaten members of city departments with whom it should work most closely. Is this how APD serves and protects? PK

SUNDAY

ALBUQUERQUE Journal headline proclaims “Union money helped elect six of seven to APS board.” I’ve never belonged to a union, but shouldn’t the Journal headline (be) the same when the mayoral and city council races are won by business-supported candidates? GB

FOR THE kids? APS board paid for and owned by the teacher’s union. Backed off from 7/6 (high school schedule) to 7/5, costing millions that could go to the kids. CB

MY NEW phone book just arrived. “LARGER PRINT!” it proclaimed. Yeah, that’s because only old folks use “phone books” anymore. And there’s no “Residential” listing, because who uses a phone that’s permanently attached to a residence? CK

THE POWWOW loses my business. I drove from Rio Rancho to the Expo, paid $10 cash-only for parking and walked a good distance to find out the $18 ticket was also cash-only. Unwilling to use their independent ATMs charging outrageous fees, I left probably never to return. It would have been nice to know ahead of time that they had changed to cash-only, given that most people don’t carry cash anymore. JHG

VERY INTERESTING. The pollsters say that the president’s approval rating is very low for the first 100 days in office. Aren’t these the same pollsters that said he had no chance of winning? PR

LAST SATURDAY’S editorial about the bad situation New Mexico is in regarding jobs and how we are having a harder — much harder — time than other states recovering from the Great Recession that started in December 2007 omitted one important fact: that fact is New Mexico in not a “right to work” state . ... JD

THE PHRASE “Your tax dollars at work!” quite often sends chills down my spine. But not always. Take a drive down Wisconsin or Virginia Street in Hoffmantown and have a look at the magnificent old trees in the impeccably kept park. It’ll be good for your soul. Attaboy, Parks and Recreation Department! JS

FURLOUGHS? THERE is only one state government employee who needs to be furloughed. Anyone care to guess who that may be? MG

THANK YOU APD for exposing the bias of our local news stations. You can hear the venom dripping off their tongues when they trash APD, the governor, the president or any other conservative/ Republican who dare(s) to have a different viewpoint than the lunatic left. JH

RECENTLY I fell in front of the Walgreens at Indian School and Tramway. Though I expressed my gratitude several times to the people who helped or offered to help, I feel that I need to say it again. I will remember your kindness every day and pay it forward as often as I can. Thank you all again and best wishes. RC UNM NEEDS many things but what should be at the top of the list is a competent athletic director. MB

SINCE THE Diocese of Santa Fe is such a strong supporter of the beverage tax, claiming TAXES improve education and health of New Mexicans, then the Diocese of Santa Fe should lead by example and relinquish (its) tax-exempt status and start paying TAXES to help poor New Mexicans! JQH