BY MIKE DEMPSEY
White Rock

I praise Mr. Gaffney for his open discussion of alcoholism, all of what he says is true and heart breaking.   I thank the Lord that the gene or predisposition for alcoholism has by-passed me and my sister.  My mother and brother were not spared and by rough count neither were 15 other blood relatives in three generations.   I also do not believe that higher taxes will stop alcohol abuse.  I have lived in New Mexico for 45 years now, 16 years of that outside warm, fuzzy and safe Los Alamos County.  

I believe that Sunday liquor sales have saved probably hundreds if not thousands of lives in New Mexico, because when I lived in Cibola and McKinley Counties (1978-1990), there were no Sunday liquor sales and the alcoholics drank a mixture of Aqua Net hair spray and water on Sunday.  This led to many poisonings, overdoses and deaths.  This is the extent to which alcohol ravages our state.  As Mr. Gaffney states, the key to fighting this disease is education. Education from your parents about your possible predisposition, education from the Schools about the effects of alcohol on young minds and bodies.  

I do agree with Ms. Sayre on a couple of topics.  I do not think raising the taxes won’t have much of an effect, and I do agree that someone should start up an Uber or Lyft service in town.  Who will step up for that?  Is it permitted in Los Alamos County?

I have to disagree with Ms. Sayre on a couple of items.  I do not believe that there is such a thing as “accidentally drinking too much”, I believe that is called “not making a plan” which can lead to all types of misfortune. 

I strongly disagree that the “police should be used as a public service and let them pickup and drop off people that drank too much”.  The technical term for this is “enabling”.  

“This also becomes a regressive tax. The people who can afford it will not slow their drinking, while the poor are kept away from enjoying it, essentially punishing them more.”  This made me laugh!  

The poor don’t drink at the “Tub” (Bathtub Row Brewery).  I looked up the prices.  The people “who don’t make a plan” are drinking in their car from a six pack or a bottle while they are driving around our town.  Plus there are four(?) weed dispensaries in Los Alamos County now.  That is certainly a factor in all this discussion which has been omitted.