Understanding

This link will help you understand trump.

Liquor Licenses and trump

I spent the hardest three years of my life trying to reform liquor license issuance and corruption back in the late 70's and early 80's.  The ABQ Journal's Jessica Dyer revisited the issue today on the business page in a well written piece.  Back then we were somewhat successful in getting beer and wine licenses and starting a process to do away with privately owned licenses that were worth up to $800K.  Much of that was undone by Bruce King and the legislature ten years later.  It was ironic that Bruce signed the bill because he was the Governor who let me do the reform efforts a decade before.  The liquor lobby got to him.

This whole situation is a metaphor for the incoming trump administration.  He is part of the corporate corruption that sways against the public good for personal greed.  It is a machine that never goes away. It is just like how the coal and oil boys will lobby and corrupt efforts to save the planet from climate disaster for a few extra bucks.  And trump's conflict of interests will be ignored.

Thinking

I can't stop thinking about what lies ahead under our national leadership.  trump tweets outrageously about illegal voters, of which there were none.  He treats a Secretary of State candidate like a whipping boy on his reality tv show.  Can you imagine how he will treat foreign leaders?

He must be resisted in this craziness.  In every way possible except for violence.

Traveling North

Turkey

Lots of Turkey stuff going on this week.  trump and his scary picks for Cabinet and White House appointments mostly.  But we head north for a few days with our grand daughters in Fort Collins, Co.  Bobbi and I wish you all a great Holiday with family.  If any of them voted for trump, give them special spiked appetizers that put them to sleep.  That way no arguments over all the fixins.

Susana's Labyrinth

Yes, its the NMMVD trying to make life miserable for citizen and non citizen alike.  Thank you to the administration of Susana Martinez, our rightwing and not very intelligent Governor.  She has decided the most visible thing she can do is just make life miserable for people trying to renew or get a drivers license.  This will be her legacy.

The Journal had a fine story this morning on just what a frustrating and stupid experience most New Mexicans are in for when they go to MVD offices.  All because of an immigrant baiting politician.

Maybe this is one more reason no new jobs are appearing in our state, no one wants to bring a company  here when you can't even get a drivers license in a reasonable and efficient manner.  How on earth do we survive another two years of this failed leader?

Dream

I had a dream last night that trump was appearing before the United Nations and gave one of his campaign speeches on how many plans he had.  Then he announced to the world that Susana Martinez would head up economic development efforts.

Whole Equation

Did you see the news that the Navy's new Zumwalt Destroyer artillery shells will cost $800k each?  The news makes the Navy look pretty stupid for trying to design such a piece of work, right?  But wait a minute, as usual there  is another side to this equation.  That would be the defense contractors who talked them into it and saw such a great profit to be made.  Yes, it is corporate America screwing the taxpayer again.

It is the same with healthcare in this country.  So many people are angry at the Affordable Care Act for costing so much.  That  cost is driven by an ever more greedy insurance and medical care industry.  They are pretty much to blame for this scenario.  They are the ones who set the costs.  So, stop blaming the Act that is providing coverage for 22 million Americans and their kids.

As it turns out Eisenhower's great fear of the Military/Industrial Complex was a model for the Insurance/Medical Care Complex.

It's official: the United States is a Third World country

From my friend Dennis Jett for Univision

http://uni.vi/YfFt100oQA0

 www.univision.com

Whose President?

This talk that many are saying that trump isn't their president is silly.  He is  your president.  What you should be saying is 'man the barricades' and protect yourselves and your planet.  Can he rise to the occasion and moderate?  It really wouldn't work even if he did.  After his spewed hatred towards minorities to get elected he will go down as our biggest American mistake.

Civil disobedience can be a good thing.  As I recall it worked in the Viet Nam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the LGBT movement, and it can work again.  It will take courage on the part of young people to make it work.  We white haired folks can't do it by ourselves.

Environment

The Journal Editorial is horribly wrong in one instance this morning As it lists things that must be fixed in the country, it never mentions climate change. That is the one thing that affects us all, right or left or center. But the Journal's long term love affair with the oil and gas and coal boys and their planet killing profits will never go away. Are they already warming up the keyboards in the editorial offices to support planet killing pipelines and fossil fuel subsidies? You bet they are!

The real action on environmental issues now must be on the legal side. I am hopeful the country's charitable foundations will give with abandon to the funding of legal actions against any attempts to roll back protections for our landscapes, oceans and atmosphere. That is where I will be putting my efforts.

I don't know where trump will come down on the environment issues. As far as I can tell he never said much about it, except for vowing to reopen coal mines to provide jobs. In fairness, Hillary didn't say much either. But there is real war coming on this front and you can look to that fight to define whether people have courage to act out.

Life in America

This will be reality for the next two to four years.  Hunker down and figure out a way forward in the Senate and House in two years.  It is our only hope for redemption.

Somewhere

Some where in the distance a dog barked.

Relax

No pol stuff today.  Just relaxing before the election day.

For me that includes taking our puppy Mercury to the Rio Grande.

This little guy is just over five months old and I think he is smarter than the whole GOP.  Oops.  There is that pol stuff.

Odds

No, I am not talking about trump and his supporters.  I am talking about who I think will win.  It is looking better for Clinton but still not in the bag.

The sad thing is this election isn't over on Tuesday.  I keep seeing a crazed guy in a giant four wheeler racing up and down Rio Grande Blvd with a huge American and Confederate flag flapping off the bed of his guzzler.  He is one scary dude and the election will never be over for racist psychopaths like him.  The take over of the GOP by non grown ups has enabled people like him.

It is their responsibility that they couldn't put up serious moderate candidates.  No, they pretty much put up candidates that  only the KKK, underachievers and such could support.  They could have waltzed into the White House over Hillary with a good candidate.  They  are incredibly stupid.

Land Office Gift

That fossil fuel mascot, republican State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is giving away school money to the oil and gas industry.  He is forgiving rent payments due to the Land Office because of low oil prices.  That takes money directly away from the schools.

Want to make a bet that  those same oil and gas companies are pouring money into right wing PACs right now to make sure that they elect candidates like Dunn who will do anything they ask of them?  Will our Attorney General step in and protect the School's interest?  This might just be unconstitutional.

Will the state's beleaguered journalists find time to investigate this sweetheart deal and do a little investigative work on who gets these breaks and how much money their executives and owners have cleared for political donations?

On another matter, I stumbled on this thoughtful series on Netflix from 2012.  Yes it is Richard Dawkins on religion, but if you stay watching it long enough you will see the current election in clear terms.  https://www.netflix.com/watch/80136610?trackId=14170286&tctx=0%2C0%2Cd9b41b20-0b44-483f-8905-5a129483de9e-64140382

Seriously

Seriously, there is no more powerful emotion from a sane person than their protective instincts when it comes to parenthood and taking care of grand kids.  So, I can only ask every grandparent out there who supports trump, would you leave your grand daughter alone with trump?  Because if you say you would trust him with her, then we know the reason why you are supporting him.  And that would be you are not very good at critical thinking.

Right now most people I know are aghast at the fact the the Louisiana Supreme Court has said it is okay for priests to not rat out pedophiles who have confessed.  In other words, if these folks have an imaginary friend who lives in the clouds, they get a pass on prosecution.  Think about that.  If  you were a parent in New Orleans, would you feel comfortable in living in a state where the floodgates have just been opened for pedophiles.  Is this situation a bridge to far for them?  I sure as hell hope so.

The Tax Break

The Journal did a confusing editorial this morning on the issue of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe disciplining a priest for telling his flock to essentially vote against Hillary because she is pro choice.  I think the Journal tried to say it was indicating a slight change in the hierarchy's stand on abortion.  But maybe not.

The real issue here  is whether the Santa Fe County Assessor will now charge property tax against this priest's church or if the IRS will declare them in violation of non profit status.  They should.  I have always felt the exemption to property tax for people with gods has been a little suspect.  Yes, the church does some good charitable deeds, but does that forgive them for paying taxes to maintain the infrastructure that  supports their institutions?  Nah.

Dream on if you think any pol would ever take this one on.  When I was Mayor I was upset with some mega churches for taking business away from the Convention Center.  It was a money maker for them.  I said so and was immediately accused of being the devil's spawn.

"There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, no human rights, no laws, and no justice outside the common imagination of human beings."

― from "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind"