Former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil Giron, Armando Gutierrez and others will probably all do some time before this is over. It is sad to see Rebecca, who I first met in the 1980's, go down this road. The evidence doesn't look good for her. Power corrupts for sure. Her feeble claims that this is all a conspiracy to get her is laughable. I guess she thinks she was such a powerhouse politico that people would care enough to do that. I don't think so Rebecca. People used to refer to her as "Bruce King in high heels." Not anymore.
This Armando Guiterrez character lived next door to my brother Tom. One night about 18 months ago they up and moved out at 3 am in the morning and disappeared. They abandoned their home and left it a mess. A few days later my brother got a visit from investigators from the Attorney General's Office asking if he knew where they went. My brother didn't know. They eventually tracked him down in Texas.
If this latest debacle isn't a sign post for the need for serious Ethics legislation, then I don't know what the legislature exists for. Time for them to get to work on this issue.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
P.R.
I blogged a couple of days ago about the business community luncheon that I attended. They are working on renewable energy resources as a way of powering their businesses while fighting climate change. At the event I ran into John Fleck of the Journal. We were wondering why there was no sense of urgency on this issue in congress or the administration, and John made a pretty good observation. He said that he and some scientists had decided that the scientific community just didn't know how to do public relations programs to advance their findings. I think that is true. Maybe Science needs a radio talk show. Sooner rather than later!
I also made a mistake in saying that some protestors at the luncheon were there to work against the climate change bill. That group does exist and is being funded by the oil and gas industry, but they weren't there that day.
I also made a mistake in saying that some protestors at the luncheon were there to work against the climate change bill. That group does exist and is being funded by the oil and gas industry, but they weren't there that day.
My Day
I think I am starting this process today.
Update. Everything is seems fine. I gotta check back in six weeks.
Update. Everything is seems fine. I gotta check back in six weeks.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Head in the Sand
Yesterday I attended a luncheon on the corporate and business sector's responsibility in assuring climate change doesn't kill us all. This group is working towards revenwable energy to power their enterprises. The keynote was given by Senator Bingaman and then a panel made up of business economists and owners responded. One of the panel members however was a scientist from Los Alamos National Labs. He scared me silly. He says that essentially climate change events are cascading much faster than anyone thought possible and the results are frightening.
So, what is going besides the meeting that 230 people attended? Why a front group funded by the oil and gas industry, who runs the republican party in New Mexico, are planning protests of the passage of a climate bill by the US House of Representatives. They said the bill would cost money and jobs. They didn't say anything about the lives it will save in the future.
It is just hard for me to fathom how the oil and gas industry can be run by people whose heads are buried in the sand. Define sand as future profits I guess. How can they go home at night and face loved ones? Are they so ignorant that they think they know better than several hundred thousand scientists who pretty much accept climate change as happening?
I guess it all comes down to spin meisters these days. And radio talk show hosts and Fox news.
So, what is going besides the meeting that 230 people attended? Why a front group funded by the oil and gas industry, who runs the republican party in New Mexico, are planning protests of the passage of a climate bill by the US House of Representatives. They said the bill would cost money and jobs. They didn't say anything about the lives it will save in the future.
It is just hard for me to fathom how the oil and gas industry can be run by people whose heads are buried in the sand. Define sand as future profits I guess. How can they go home at night and face loved ones? Are they so ignorant that they think they know better than several hundred thousand scientists who pretty much accept climate change as happening?
I guess it all comes down to spin meisters these days. And radio talk show hosts and Fox news.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Dennis Jett Strikes Again
This is another of my friend Dennis Jett's columns. He is a retired diplomat and former Ambassador to Peru and Mozambique.
He added in a note to me when he sent this along, "The editors insist on writing the headlines even on op ed pieces. I would have entitled this one: "Why the Opponents of Health Care Reform Are Baby Killers."
Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:41 AM
U.S. healthcare reform faces the status quo
By Dennis Jett | Special to McClatchy Newspapers
Many opponents of abortion consider those with opposing points of view as guilty of supporting the murder of thousands of unborn children. Some of them even condoned the recent assassination of a doctor in Kansas who provided late term abortions.
Taking that approach to public policy yields the conclusion that there are others with the blood on their hands. Given that way of thinking, the opponents of health care reform can also be considered responsible for the deaths of thousands of children.
Those uninterested in some basic facts would of course vehemently reject such an assertion. That would undoubted include all those who attempted to win the Republican nomination for president in the last election. One of the more memorable lines from the debates they held was the mantra that America has the best health care in the world. That is true only if you are wealthy, white and well insured like they all are.
One of the most basic indicators of the overall health of a nation's population is infant mortality. According to the CIA Fact Book, 44 of the 244 countries they list have a lower infant mortality rate than the United States. For every 1000 live births in this country, 6.26 infants do not live to see there first birthday.
If reform of the health care system resulted in dropping the infant mortality rate to that of say France, where it is 3.33, the lives of some 13,000 children would be saved each year. If the United States was able to emulate socialist Sweden, the rate would fall even further to 2.75 and the lives of 15,000 babies would be saved.
Some would be quick to counter that the governments of those countries are more involved in health care and therefore must spend much more than the United States does. Once again the facts intrude. France devotes 11.0 percent of its economic output to health care and Sweden a mere 9.1 percent. This country, on the other hand, spends 16.0 percent, which is nearly twice the average for other industrialized democracies.
The fact that the United States devotes a higher portion of its economy to health care than any other country in the world is the main reason the resistance to reform is so great. The status quo always exists not simply because of the absence of a bright idea about how to do things better. It exists because there are always powerful interests who profit from the way things are and they invariably see change as a threat.
That is why in the current health care debate every interest group says it supports reform, but only if it means their slice of the health care pie is made bigger or at least not diminished in any way. That can't happen of course without increasing the percentage of our economy consumed by health care to an even higher level.
Americans pride themselves on having a country with a market economy. But for a market to function, the buyers and the sellers have to have information. When you last entered a doctor's office, did you know how much it was going to cost? Did you discuss the cost of alternative treatments? And after the office call was over did you know what the total bill was? Health care is perhaps the only thing people buy without any idea of what the price is and with almost no capacity to negotiate what the ultimate cost will be. So the idea that the market should just be left to decide is another way of saying the 47 million Americans without insurance can just eat cake.
One more thing about our market based economy makes the prospects for real reform dim. The more money involved, the more powerful the protectors of the status quo will be and the harder they will work to protect the system that has enriched them even if it has failed to serve others. And where there is money, there are pliable politicians because legislation is just one more commodity that is traded in the Washington marketplace. So if you can't afford a lobbyist you can forget your voice being heard.
Voices that will be heard, however, and make a rational debate even less likely are those of the media stars and Astroturf activists who are willing to profit themselves by inflaming and exploiting the fears and uncertainties about change.
So if anything comes out of the current health care debate, the amount of reform is likely to be truly small. But even a little bit of change could help. If reform resulted in lowering the U.S. infant mortality rate to only that of Cuba, it would save the lives of 1900 infants every year.
He added in a note to me when he sent this along, "The editors insist on writing the headlines even on op ed pieces. I would have entitled this one: "Why the Opponents of Health Care Reform Are Baby Killers."
Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:41 AM
U.S. healthcare reform faces the status quo
By Dennis Jett | Special to McClatchy Newspapers
Many opponents of abortion consider those with opposing points of view as guilty of supporting the murder of thousands of unborn children. Some of them even condoned the recent assassination of a doctor in Kansas who provided late term abortions.
Taking that approach to public policy yields the conclusion that there are others with the blood on their hands. Given that way of thinking, the opponents of health care reform can also be considered responsible for the deaths of thousands of children.
Those uninterested in some basic facts would of course vehemently reject such an assertion. That would undoubted include all those who attempted to win the Republican nomination for president in the last election. One of the more memorable lines from the debates they held was the mantra that America has the best health care in the world. That is true only if you are wealthy, white and well insured like they all are.
One of the most basic indicators of the overall health of a nation's population is infant mortality. According to the CIA Fact Book, 44 of the 244 countries they list have a lower infant mortality rate than the United States. For every 1000 live births in this country, 6.26 infants do not live to see there first birthday.
If reform of the health care system resulted in dropping the infant mortality rate to that of say France, where it is 3.33, the lives of some 13,000 children would be saved each year. If the United States was able to emulate socialist Sweden, the rate would fall even further to 2.75 and the lives of 15,000 babies would be saved.
Some would be quick to counter that the governments of those countries are more involved in health care and therefore must spend much more than the United States does. Once again the facts intrude. France devotes 11.0 percent of its economic output to health care and Sweden a mere 9.1 percent. This country, on the other hand, spends 16.0 percent, which is nearly twice the average for other industrialized democracies.
The fact that the United States devotes a higher portion of its economy to health care than any other country in the world is the main reason the resistance to reform is so great. The status quo always exists not simply because of the absence of a bright idea about how to do things better. It exists because there are always powerful interests who profit from the way things are and they invariably see change as a threat.
That is why in the current health care debate every interest group says it supports reform, but only if it means their slice of the health care pie is made bigger or at least not diminished in any way. That can't happen of course without increasing the percentage of our economy consumed by health care to an even higher level.
Americans pride themselves on having a country with a market economy. But for a market to function, the buyers and the sellers have to have information. When you last entered a doctor's office, did you know how much it was going to cost? Did you discuss the cost of alternative treatments? And after the office call was over did you know what the total bill was? Health care is perhaps the only thing people buy without any idea of what the price is and with almost no capacity to negotiate what the ultimate cost will be. So the idea that the market should just be left to decide is another way of saying the 47 million Americans without insurance can just eat cake.
One more thing about our market based economy makes the prospects for real reform dim. The more money involved, the more powerful the protectors of the status quo will be and the harder they will work to protect the system that has enriched them even if it has failed to serve others. And where there is money, there are pliable politicians because legislation is just one more commodity that is traded in the Washington marketplace. So if you can't afford a lobbyist you can forget your voice being heard.
Voices that will be heard, however, and make a rational debate even less likely are those of the media stars and Astroturf activists who are willing to profit themselves by inflaming and exploiting the fears and uncertainties about change.
So if anything comes out of the current health care debate, the amount of reform is likely to be truly small. But even a little bit of change could help. If reform resulted in lowering the U.S. infant mortality rate to only that of Cuba, it would save the lives of 1900 infants every year.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hiding Out
I noticed that Mayor Marty is hiding from voters. Last night he flipped off the people who showed up at the North Valley candidate forum by saying he had an endorsement interview with the Fraternal Order of Police. As a former candidate and Mayor I can tell you that those interviews can be done just about anytime. But stop and think about this, Marty opted for a special interest group over voters.
Who can blame him? Some one might ask a question about the city budget. We keep seeing headlines in the Journal about a state special session of the legislature to deal with serious financial problems. Many of those problems are brought on by a precipitous fall in sales tax revenues. Don't forget that tax is also the city's life blood and main source of revenue. But do we see anything being said about this in the Albuquerque Journal? Very little.
Marty will keep dodging these forums as long as he can. But, if he is elected then he will have to deal with the naked truth on the city budget. And he will suffer the fruits of his own overspending(with city council help).
In the meantime, I was disappointed to see Richard Berry, the republican candidate for Mayor, fall back on the mantra of running government like a business. Earth to Berry.....government is not a business. It should not be run like one. It should be run to provide services for it's citizens. I did like Berry coming after the Mayor for taking capital funds to pay for operating expenses. That is topical and serious.
P.S. I am hard on the Journal, but they are suffering from the economy too and have cutback their staff, mostly from attrition. I think though there are two stories they should give better coverage too. One is the Mayor's race and one is the role of state republicans in the firing of the U.S. Attorney. Those stories require a lot of followup!
Who can blame him? Some one might ask a question about the city budget. We keep seeing headlines in the Journal about a state special session of the legislature to deal with serious financial problems. Many of those problems are brought on by a precipitous fall in sales tax revenues. Don't forget that tax is also the city's life blood and main source of revenue. But do we see anything being said about this in the Albuquerque Journal? Very little.
Marty will keep dodging these forums as long as he can. But, if he is elected then he will have to deal with the naked truth on the city budget. And he will suffer the fruits of his own overspending(with city council help).
In the meantime, I was disappointed to see Richard Berry, the republican candidate for Mayor, fall back on the mantra of running government like a business. Earth to Berry.....government is not a business. It should not be run like one. It should be run to provide services for it's citizens. I did like Berry coming after the Mayor for taking capital funds to pay for operating expenses. That is topical and serious.
P.S. I am hard on the Journal, but they are suffering from the economy too and have cutback their staff, mostly from attrition. I think though there are two stories they should give better coverage too. One is the Mayor's race and one is the role of state republicans in the firing of the U.S. Attorney. Those stories require a lot of followup!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Reassurance
I have for the last couple of days been wondering how so many American citizens have been so ignorant about things. Has it always been this way? Maybe. How can they fall for the Limbaughs and Becks of the world? How can they work against their own self interests in such a potentially catastrophic way? Why are they this ignorant? My friend Rodger says that it is because of the instant media reaction that occurs everyday on a 24 hour basis. Couple that with the internet and blogs (count me as a blog) and you have people who don't think very hard. They just react.
But then Bobbi and I went to see the movie "Julie and Julia" on Wednesday evening and I felt a little more assured that just maybe many of the misled(and lazy) people might figure out the truth. I say this because in this cute movie about Julia Child and a modern day blogger who cooks all her recipes there was some mention of the effects of the McCarthy era in the 1950s. That guy did a lot of damage and hurt a lot of American people. Probably aided and abetted by a timid and lazy media. But, in the end he was discredited by Edward R. Murrow and CBS news, and a few other courageous journalists who managed to push the truth out through all the garbage. I hope some like them will pop out soon. Real soon.
In the meantime I marvel at the mostly white middle class folks who are turning out at these health insurance town halls. Why are they so angry? They are just mostly ignorant and the Congress and Obama trying to rush through a health insurance program in just a few months didn't help.
But then Bobbi and I went to see the movie "Julie and Julia" on Wednesday evening and I felt a little more assured that just maybe many of the misled(and lazy) people might figure out the truth. I say this because in this cute movie about Julia Child and a modern day blogger who cooks all her recipes there was some mention of the effects of the McCarthy era in the 1950s. That guy did a lot of damage and hurt a lot of American people. Probably aided and abetted by a timid and lazy media. But, in the end he was discredited by Edward R. Murrow and CBS news, and a few other courageous journalists who managed to push the truth out through all the garbage. I hope some like them will pop out soon. Real soon.
In the meantime I marvel at the mostly white middle class folks who are turning out at these health insurance town halls. Why are they so angry? They are just mostly ignorant and the Congress and Obama trying to rush through a health insurance program in just a few months didn't help.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Weapons at Town Hall
Legislators have mostly protected themselves from having to worry about wingnuts with concealed weapons coming into the Capitol building in DC or in New Mexico for that matter. But, they are finding themselves vulnerable at these town halls they are holding around the country. I am wondering if concealed weapons, or even unconcealed weapons are allowable in the locales where these town halls are being held. Probably, if they are in non governmental settings they would be allowed. Right? Maybe even in some government facilities like senior centers or community centers.
This is all pretty crazy and if anyone gets hurt as a result of this insane concealed weapons law then we need to rethink where these weapons can be carried. At least now our NRA frightened legislators might think a little harder about the need for better legislation.
I wonder if Rush Limbaugh allows concealed weapons in his radio studio.
This is all pretty crazy and if anyone gets hurt as a result of this insane concealed weapons law then we need to rethink where these weapons can be carried. At least now our NRA frightened legislators might think a little harder about the need for better legislation.
I wonder if Rush Limbaugh allows concealed weapons in his radio studio.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bombs Away
This is a bombshell story out of the Washington Post. I wonder how many games of connect the dots that people will make out of this. I think the Republicans, the US Attorney's Office, Senator Domenici and Heather Wilson all need to take a deep breath. And maybe the Governor can take a sign of relief. Politics and prosecutors make for damaged reputations.
Comcast
I recently switched my phone service to Comcast from Vonage. Vonage was having a lot of problems....for me anyway and I got a pretty good deal from Comcast. The cable guy showed up on time and did a great job. That is the good news.
Now I want to dump on Comcast for taking 160 jobs out of Albuquerque while still raking in huge profits from their franchised monopoly in our city. Their company profits for the last quarter rose 6%, even in this severe recession. So, why at this difficult time would they axe 160 much needed jobs here? That is definitely a question that the Mayor and City Council should ask the next time Comcast comes sniffing around for franchise improvements.
On another issue, you have a chance to vote on keeping New Mexico's distinctive red and yellow license plate on the road. I have always liked the plate because you can spot them from afar no matter where you might be. There is a plan to change the plate to some not so distinctive colors that just don't scream New Mexico like the current one does. Go here to vote!
Now I want to dump on Comcast for taking 160 jobs out of Albuquerque while still raking in huge profits from their franchised monopoly in our city. Their company profits for the last quarter rose 6%, even in this severe recession. So, why at this difficult time would they axe 160 much needed jobs here? That is definitely a question that the Mayor and City Council should ask the next time Comcast comes sniffing around for franchise improvements.
On another issue, you have a chance to vote on keeping New Mexico's distinctive red and yellow license plate on the road. I have always liked the plate because you can spot them from afar no matter where you might be. There is a plan to change the plate to some not so distinctive colors that just don't scream New Mexico like the current one does. Go here to vote!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Misc
Are all the political candidates out to lunch? Why has no one said anything about trying to save the GE Plant in Albuquerque from closing and subsequently trashing 400 good union paid jobs? None of the Mayor candidates, Governor candidates, Lt. Governor candidates have said much at all about this. It is very strange.
The Albuquerque Journal did a puff piece on State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons not increasing his budget. (They did not ardently pursue his pay for play scheme with developers in Las Cruces either.) Think about this budget thing....we are in the midst of climate change, we see species dying off, our ground water supplies are threatened by the oil and gas industry, and Pat Lyons has done nothing to hire biologists, scientists, geologists, and other specialists to make sure our state land isn't being wasted. Of course his republican bosses, the oil and gas industry, would not want to see those folks out on the 13 million acres of state trust land. They just view public servants as pests.
As I was exercising on my elliptical early this a.m. I was watching the History Channel. Mostly commercials as you can imagine.These ads are about snoring, rip off cheap mortgages, insurance, reverse mortgages and diet aids. I have a theory now that the more you see of those kinds of commercials, the more you can be assured those companies are run by con men.
The Albuquerque Journal did a puff piece on State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons not increasing his budget. (They did not ardently pursue his pay for play scheme with developers in Las Cruces either.) Think about this budget thing....we are in the midst of climate change, we see species dying off, our ground water supplies are threatened by the oil and gas industry, and Pat Lyons has done nothing to hire biologists, scientists, geologists, and other specialists to make sure our state land isn't being wasted. Of course his republican bosses, the oil and gas industry, would not want to see those folks out on the 13 million acres of state trust land. They just view public servants as pests.
As I was exercising on my elliptical early this a.m. I was watching the History Channel. Mostly commercials as you can imagine.These ads are about snoring, rip off cheap mortgages, insurance, reverse mortgages and diet aids. I have a theory now that the more you see of those kinds of commercials, the more you can be assured those companies are run by con men.
Friday, August 07, 2009
I Wish I Had Written This
So, we get our dose of reality every evening from Jon Stewart. On Friday evenings we get Bill Maher on HBO. His column today pretty much hits things on the nose......
Bobbi is Always Right (mostly)
Bobbi has been fretting over the posts that support our back porch. She kept warning me that they were rotting from14 years of sitting on concrete moistened by lawn sprinklers.
"Oh, it is probably not all that bad" I said. She has won this argument.
This is how I am spending my Friday off. Watching how right she was about this. When the house was built in 1994 there was apparently no code that required these things to be above water level. Now there is. So Steven Spensley and his crew are bringing us up to code and hopefully preventing our deaths in a structural collapse while reading the Journal in the cool summer mornings. (What a way to die....reading the morning Journal!)
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Dear Republican Party
A letter that might get written.
Dear Republican Party,
I am a republican candidate for Governor. I need some advice. I am sure many of my moderate republican Congressional and Senate hopefuls will be contacting you too.
Here is my question. How do I get elected after thirty one of your wing nut southern white guys (and one female) Senators voted against our new Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor? Were you all thinking clearly? Could one call this mindless strategic decision a gift from God for the Democrats?
Are you on heroin, or crack?
Will you go further and raise money against the GOP Senators who did vote for the new judge?
It might not go unnoticed by the growing and ever more powerful Latino vote that you just gave their members the finger. How might we overcome this? Any ideas? I don't think having more tea parties will help. Do you?
Just asking. That's all.
Sincerely yours,
(republican candidate sign name here)
Dear Republican Party,
I am a republican candidate for Governor. I need some advice. I am sure many of my moderate republican Congressional and Senate hopefuls will be contacting you too.
Here is my question. How do I get elected after thirty one of your wing nut southern white guys (and one female) Senators voted against our new Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor? Were you all thinking clearly? Could one call this mindless strategic decision a gift from God for the Democrats?
Are you on heroin, or crack?
Will you go further and raise money against the GOP Senators who did vote for the new judge?
It might not go unnoticed by the growing and ever more powerful Latino vote that you just gave their members the finger. How might we overcome this? Any ideas? I don't think having more tea parties will help. Do you?
Just asking. That's all.
Sincerely yours,
(republican candidate sign name here)
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Truck Load
John Bolton, the bush/cheney Ambassador to the United Nations is criticizing Bill Clinton's successful mission to North Korea to free two American journalists. I was at a meeting a couple of weeks ago when we were wondering where all the bush/cheney people were now. One of our funnier guys said about Bolton, "if you ordered a whole truck load of assholes and only Bolton showed up, you would feel you got your money's worth." That is funny!
Great News for Forests
This is a great decision out of a court today that is a slap in the face to the bush administrations public lands policy.
Conservancy District Playing Favorites
The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy district has been caught with their pants down. They have been playing favorites in granting leases from their water bank to people who have sold their water rights for irrigating. Their pants are down because they have been doing it for some people and not for others.
Now they have been exposed and they are doing the right thing by saying anyone who sells pre-1907 water rights can no longer irrigate. They did it because of possible civil rights law suits where some were able to do this leasing if they were in the good graces of the powers that be. If you were not in good graces then you were not afforded the ability to lease.
Add to that the District is blaming the State Engineer for this situation. They say the engineer didn't tell them when someone sold their water rights. That is a bogus charge and really shows the district didn't want to vet possible lessees who came in for the water.
The fact is, if you sell your water rights then you should not be able to irrigate. The MRGCD has been forced to act accordingly because bad policy and corruption were exposed. So what else is new?
Now they have been exposed and they are doing the right thing by saying anyone who sells pre-1907 water rights can no longer irrigate. They did it because of possible civil rights law suits where some were able to do this leasing if they were in the good graces of the powers that be. If you were not in good graces then you were not afforded the ability to lease.
Add to that the District is blaming the State Engineer for this situation. They say the engineer didn't tell them when someone sold their water rights. That is a bogus charge and really shows the district didn't want to vet possible lessees who came in for the water.
The fact is, if you sell your water rights then you should not be able to irrigate. The MRGCD has been forced to act accordingly because bad policy and corruption were exposed. So what else is new?
Monday, August 03, 2009
Paranoia Runs Deep
Now, if I were a paranoid person I would suspect that the Republican Party, which is sponsored by Yates Petroleum and the oil and gas boys, decided to start funding rightwing non profits to attack democrats because they knew all along that the State of New Mexico's stand against such progressive non profits would fail on constitutional grounds. Well that suit did fail today when Federal Judge Judith Herrera sided with the nonprofits and against the State Attorney General Gary King and Secretary of State Mary Herrera. They had insisted that nonprofits make their donors known under campaign contribution laws. The nonprofits merely presented voting records of legislators. Yeah, sometimes they were pretty strong and left the impression that those legislators were agents of Satan. And yeah they went after some entrenched democrats.A paranoid person would suspect that the GOP/Oil Axis just loved the law suit because it gave them breathing room until they could get their merde together to do the same thing the progressive groups did. At least the progressives were non partisan about it. I am sure the wing nuts on the right will be too as they try to guillotine any moderate republican. In someway the wing nuts won here because while the suit probably had a chilling effect on donors to the progressives, the oil and gas guys just turned on the money spigot for their groups.
Having said all this I now go on record as saying it probably would not hurt to know where some of this money comes from. What is wrong with a little sunshine?
Sunday, August 02, 2009
PNM Retro
I tipped off the Albuquerque Journal about PNM trying to gut their program that lets homeowners put solar voltaic panels on their homes and sell power to PNM's grid. They did a great story on it today. They had interviewed me about it but I hit the editors scissors and they quoted Marty Chavez instead. Wouldn't you know?
Anyway, it was a solid story and I hope it brings pressure onto the Public Regulatory Commission to deny PNM's request. At least the part about homeowners like me selling power to them. I don't object to their proposed program of leasing peoples rooftops to place solar arrays to produce power. That could work too if homeowners can't afford the upfront costs themselves. Anything to get renewables on board. But, lets don't let PNM monopolize renewables too.
I saw Jeff Sterba, CEO of PNM at the Animal Humane Fundraiser on Saturday night. He has gone solar too. He has a shaved head and a goatee! So his head is soaking up the solar rays. Most people didn't recognize him, but I managed to figure out who he was. Why are so many people shaving their heads? I guess you save energy on blow dryers. Right Jeff?
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