Misc.

The Commercial Real Estate Industry's political and arm twisting organization, the NAIOP, has now come out against Green Building standards as envisioned by the state.  The NAIOP never showed up at the table to help develop the standards and now they want to scrap them as being economically harmful.  They feel they are too onerous given the meltdown in construction.  The New Mexico Homebuilders agree and want to delay the standards until 2013.

It is a bad time for these regs to become active.  But these two groups think it is always a bad time for things that would affect their profits to kick in.  They usually fight tooth and nail any attempts at anti sprawl legislation.

It used to be that organizations like these were leaders in the community for change and progress.  Now they seem mostly there to protect themselves.

I stated the Albuquerque Journal's modus operandi is to go after people and bring them low.  They brought County Public Safety Chief John Dantis low and have forced his retirement.  Now they say he is 'walking' with a huge payout for his unused annual and sick leave.  They are now trying to make him look like a thief, which he isn't.  If he is really entitled to this payout then why a headline story?

I am surprised that GOP gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez has had such a tepid response to the 'racist' email controversy that spilled out of her DA's office.  This doesn't make her look good.  While the email is about killing off Mexicans and Arabs with a .45, we then find out that Martinez carries one at all times.  This is a candidate for the 'news of the weird' article that I read every month.

A former oil and gas executive that worked for one of GOP Chairman Harvey Yates oil companies will now manage Martinez's campaign.  These are the same folks who think there is too much regulation of the oil and gas industry in New Mexico.