As the sequester on federal funding falls into place everyone in New Mexico should take a giant cleansing breath and prepare for some shocks. Especially if one is employed by a military base in our state. As the New York Times and others are reporting this situation will give the Obama administration some real leeway in reducing our military spending. There might be little in the way of protecting ourselves from it. And in the long range it may not be all bad, but in the short range it will hurt mightily.
So, what needs to happen is a concerted effort by the Martinez administration to start some real stimulus spending to take up the slack. An obvious place to start is our transportation network. If we do indeed take big cuts from the Feds, then the Governor along with out DC delegation needs to get some sort of recognition that our relatively poor state will deserve some recognition from Obama that we will need a little extra help. The state may have to be ready to do its share.
Lets wait and see if Martinez and her minions can get a program together. Or will she simply sit by the sidelines and let the largely democratic DC delegation take all the blame? That is probably what her mascot McClesky will advise. Let's hope she ignores him.
So, what needs to happen is a concerted effort by the Martinez administration to start some real stimulus spending to take up the slack. An obvious place to start is our transportation network. If we do indeed take big cuts from the Feds, then the Governor along with out DC delegation needs to get some sort of recognition that our relatively poor state will deserve some recognition from Obama that we will need a little extra help. The state may have to be ready to do its share.
Lets wait and see if Martinez and her minions can get a program together. Or will she simply sit by the sidelines and let the largely democratic DC delegation take all the blame? That is probably what her mascot McClesky will advise. Let's hope she ignores him.
1 comment:
Transportation is one of a couple of sectors in the NM economy in which employment has declined over the past year. Information technology is another.
http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nm.htm
But as you say that's about to change. Where's the Journal on this? And the unions?
They could create some jobs if they finished paving the highways. It might seem like a little thing but when they resurface roads here they've taken to only extending the final, or top, layer of blacktop to just outside the white line. In other words, they put one layer of blacktop from shoulder to shoulder then another one that just extends the width of the travel lanes.
If you stray over the white line you go over a drop-off. In a semi, at least, the edge of the blacktop catches your tires and jerks you toward the ditch. When you steer back to get back up on the higher pavement it jerks you even harder and makes you want to fishtail. If the roads are icy that's especially treacherous.
I was coming over the divide a few weeks ago on I-40 and the roadway was covered with snow and you couldn't see where the white line was. I got over that ledge and had a time of it keeping it going straight. I grew up in Michigan, but a lot of drivers have hardly ever experienced situations like that and those are the ones you see jack-knifed and turned over in the median.
If you drive 10 or 12 hours you're going to drift over the white line a couple of times. Steering, especially in cars, is usually set to pull a little to the right to prevent head-ons when you're not paying attention.
I suppose this has saved the state millions of dollars but it's created a dangerous situation. I took a picture the other day and I'm going to put it on my web log.
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