Campaign Money

Our supposed Democratic and Justice loving Congressional folks, Michelle Grisham Lujan and Ben Ray Lujan, voted to condemn the UN Resolution that criticizes Israel's settlement policies.  The injustices against the Palestinian people just keep rolling along and it is encouraged by our Representatives.  (Pearce too.)

So, why would Michelle and Ben do this?  Simple. Campaign donations from the pro Israeli lobby.  They have lots of money and are willing to spread it around.  Money trumps justice again.

No, I am not anti semetic and I support Israels existence.  I just don't support their xenophobia against the Palestinians any more than  I support the Islamic crazies that want to eradicate that Jewish state.

Michelle and Ben joined one of the tribes.

Profane Truth

Worth a read.   

Poli Sci 101

Again the Legislature will fight over tapping the state's 15 billion dollar permanent fund.  It is that high because I raised the oil and gas royalty rates in the 80's when I was Land Commissioner.  It hasn't been raised or altered since.

But, I digress.  This money is seen by the rightwing anti taxers as a way of not having to pay their fair share in funding education.  Don't forget that the Permanent Fund is made up of money paid for extracting publicly owned oil and gas on state lands.  It is payment for a resource.  It is not a tax.  But the longer the Permanent Fund remains fat, then taxes don't have to be raised in the future to pay  the cost of educating our kids.  So, now the rightwing GOP legislators and some cowardly Democrats who take money from the oil and gas boys don't want any extra money taken out to help with our 'rainy day' budget.  That was caused in great part by the tax cuts of Bill Richardson and Susana Martinez.  But during big Bill's reign there was effort made at improving our economic condition, unlike Susana's total failure to do anything.

I think there is nothing wrong with taking some extra money out of the fund.  Put a sunset clause of 5 years and revisit the situation then.  

Mob

The mob hasn't formed yet.  But it will.  52 US Senators just voted to do away with health insurance for almost 20 million Americans, while those same Senators kept their policies paid for by appropriations that they vote on.  Do they really think there wont be a backlash?   I am hoping for it, and at the age of 71 I will join in and do whatever is necessary.  But this will have to happen in the home states of those Senators who voted to screw over the people who need this insurance.

And now trump will ask congress to fund a wall between us and Mexico, since, surprise, they don't want to pay for it.  Billions could be spent that might otherwise fix our infrastructure.  We have entered a new irrational era in  America brought on by poorly educated and non critical thinkers.  But we have a chance to fix it before it is too late in the next congressional elections.

Adios

Say adios to short waits at an ER.  If the GOP actually pulls 17 million people off of medical insurance rolls, the only place for them to go for medical care are the emergency rooms.  They are already over burdened by the folks who couldn't even afford policies under Obama's plan.  And of course Obama gets all the blame when in fact it is the medical industrial complex and its profiteers who are causing these rampaging costs.

Case in point.  I went to my dermatologist yesterday for a check up and prescription for some of that face cream that would remove sun damage from my face.  Turns out I didn't need any, which is good.  It used to be that stuff cost anywhere from $9 to  $40 a tube.  Now it is up to $300.   That is big pharma at work.  If the revolution comes those CEOs should spend the rest of their lives emptying bed pans in Veterans hospitals.  (If the GOP doesn't close them too.)

Of course ABQ is one of the locales that Macy's will close one of their stores.  It is not a city that retailer sees a future in.  If there were good economic fortunes in store for the state and region, they would stay and make money.  But at this point Albuquerque and New Mexico look like a poor bet for any relief on the jobs and disposable income front.  Total lack of political leadership is the reason.

Recycling

The only thing our Governor can get in front of the media for is to say she wants tougher laws on DUI.  That is her overused fallback issue because she has no other policies that would deal with our State's dire financial and economic situation.

Soon, seven years will have passed in her rightwing administration.   Nothing, and I mean nothing has been accomplished by her or her minions in the Cabinets or the Legislature.  What a disastrous era for the Land of Enchantment.

We were sitting around after a round of golf the other day wondering if she would get the call as a token Latina to join the trump administration.  What position could she occupy that would live  up to her reputation?  I look forward to your comments.  My suggestion would be National Pizza Inspector.  Or she could be put in charge of making it easier to get a drivers license.

Misc.

There is a lot of talk on the budget crisis in Santa Fe as we suffer from the corporate tax cuts handed out to the 1 percenters.  The solidly Democratic House and Senate will probably try and do something about it, but our morally corrupt Governor will have the veto pen waiting.  However one easy thing to do would be to cancel the further corporate tax cuts scheduled for the next two years.  Does she have the clarity to see this small part of the solution?  Probably not.

We all sit worrying about trump.  But the real danger right now is the gerrymandered power of the rightwing in Congress.  They will greatly harm this country as they ride high on the cash largesse from corporate America.  This is where much effort should be expended and where civil disobedience in the home districts would do a lot of good.  Making life miserable for these rightwing Senators and Reps every time they come home would be a starting point.

And this is worth a read.

Table Manners

Gee, they always hang out at my end of the table. I wonder why? HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In Danger

It is almost comical and tragic at the same time.  There was a story in the Journal this morning about the impact of broken elevators at Carlsbad Caverns in southern NM.  The problem is costing the region a lot of money because people are passing on a visit because they can't ride down.  It is adversely affecting a big economic engine for the region.  It shows the value of public land assets other than oil and gas.  It is something that will be there long after the oil boys go the way of steam ships.  Even Congressman Steve Pearce, a man who would sell public lands to the highest bidder seems upset.

Ironically,  the Antiquities Act will now be in great danger from people like Pearce.  President Obama used it yesterday to protect large swaths of public land in Utah and Nevada.  Read about it here.  This article was written by former Washington Post staffer Tom Kenworthy who sits on the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Board with me and other rabble rousers.

The designations of these new National Monuments will bring out the worst in the Clive Bundy crowd and their GOP western Congressional delegations.  They will try do undo these designations and then go after the Antiquities Act which has been used by almost every administration since Teddy Roosevelt to protect great American Landscapes and special places.  This roll back will be done in the name of profit for the fossil fuel boys.

This is one worth manning the barricades for!  Some bad behavior will be needed in the home towns of every Congressional member who thinks this repeal is needed.

Pay the Tax

Twenty Years ago I suggested to the Legislature while serving as Mayor that big internet retailers needed to collect the gross receipts tax on their sales and send them to the cities and state.  Of course I was highly criticized for worrying that the fall in revenues would be a disaster for the cities.  Now, an effort is underway to finally craft such a bill, as Utah has done.  The facts are that our local small business men and women are required to collect taxes, but corporate monsters get away with not doing it, and that puts them at a great economic advantage.  Meanwhile the mom and pop stores fade away.

A lot of people don't want to see this of course because they think a magic dragon poops out money for the governments to fix streets, hire police and firemen, and mow the grass in the parks.

Grandsons with Old People

Grandma at work

Repetition

I have been writing missives on my blog for 13 years.  One of those early adopters of this medium.  I went back to 2005 and started reading some of the 4000 posts I have made to Only in New Mexico.  It is all very repetitious. Things don't really change, except in a glacial way.

I  have been struggling with posting lately, because everything sounds used up.  And shrill.  I have thought about retiring from my ever shorter blogs because I think I have said it all before.  Between now and the New Years I will decide, not that anyone cares.  It is something to do everyday.  My readership is still fairly good.  What to do?

But trump and susana are still here and provide grist for the mill.  And the next round of elections will be fun to comment on.  Tune in for further notices.

Acres

Many people are saying the electoral college just works because the large cities and coasts shouldn't determine who is elected. So, the trump folks now think that acreage is the way to elect the president, instead of one man, one vote.

Cabinet Portrait

Rick Perry, fundamentalist wacko and former Texas Governor is shown pictured on the right holding a cudgel for destroying the Department of Energy which trump has placed him in charge of running.  Don't forget that includes the nuclear stockpile.  This serious photo of him and other cabinet members was taken early this morning.

The Crazy

I missed my chance a few years ago to make America great.  We were on a great cruise through Spain, France and Portugal.  We had stopped for an excursion into Seville to tour the great city.  On board our ship was a contingent of extreme right wingers that  were holding symposiums on board.  One of the star attractions was  that crazy  man know as John Bolton, bush and cheney's man at the UN.  A true nightmare of a human being.

We were waiting to cross a busy boulevard as traffic raced by.  I looked at the guy next to me and it was Bolton.  I saw a bus barreling down the  right lane of traffic.  I thought, "Should I?", "Should I?"

Well obviously I didn't, but maybe I missed a great opportunity to strike a blow for truth and justice.  Now Bolton is back claiming that  Obama is really behind the Russian hacking for Trump.  A 'false flag' as he calls it.

Chaos theory at work.  

Resign

Governor Susana Martinez should resign. For the second year in a row New Mexico has been cited has having the worst run government in the nation.  Also, as President Frank at UNM fights back against the Regents I suspect that one of the Governors Regent appointees has leaked information to make the President look bad.  If that is true then you will know her dislike for UNM is stronger than her concern for our state.  We had a trump all along here on the fourth floor of the capitol.

Beautiful

What a beautiful pile of dog crap President Obama has handed to trump.  The decision on the pipeline will force trump into a two front war on fossil fuel pipelines if you take into consideration the especially dirty Keystone project.  Double trouble for trump, in more ways than one.

What this proved is that activism and in your face attitudes of unpopular projects that add to climate problems just won't be tolerated.  The will is there for people to rise up against this kind of immoral corporate profit over good mentality.

Of course, this old time civil disobedience will work on many other issues as well, and I fully expect to see a lot of it in the next few years.

Despicable

Recently I learned that NM congressional influence was helpful in getting a new contract for Corrections Corporation of America to imprison undocumented immigrants in the Cibola County Correctional Center that CCA owns.  Apparently the news of the closing of that for profit incarceration company human warehouse in that  depressed city was to much for some folks.  Sure, it is a large employer in the area, but at what cost to human morality?  The facility housed women for many  years, but was deemed unneeded.

I cant think of anything more repugnant than private prisons.  And yet we have locally elected democrats representing us in DC that see this as a vote getting mechanism.  Not to mention the amount of possible donations they may get from CCA.  And now we learn that CCA doesn't want pot legalized because they will lose business.

Buggy Whips

State Land Commissioner Dunn is bringing on retired Senator Domenici as an advisor at the Land Office.  Dunn is also pitching enhanced drilling for fossil fuels to fund early childhood education.

These guys just don't get it.  Domenici never saw an oil well or coal mine he didn't love.  And Dunn is not any better on pushing of fossil fuels over anything else.  They are like buggy whip manufacturers expanding their plants as Model T's roll off the assembly lines.

They just don't see the future.