County Property Taxes

As usual the Bernalillo  County folks have continued their practice over the last decade of upping the assessments on your home as high as the law allows.  That is now about 30% in ten years.  And don't forget how the value of your home plummeted.

This is why the Bernalillo County Commission needs to be changed into a Mayor/Council form of government.  Right now there is no one to take the heat on this outrageous hike in assessed values every year.  If you call your Commissioners they just shrug their shoulders and say "I am only one of five of us, what can I do?"  If there were a chief elected official in the county he couldn't use that excuse.  And don't tell me the assessor is the one to complain too, she just ups the assessment to match what the commission says they will increase the budget by.

Or better yet consolidate the city and county.  It really doesn't matter who feels like they win in that scenario, as long as all of the duplication and waste gets fixed.

I'll Be Sorry

I just don't get the P.R. juggernaut against the slaughter of horses in the United States.  Every day 100,000 cattle, 23,000,000 chickens, and over 300,000 pigs are killed in America for food.  And no one does front page stories on that.  But, even mentioning killing a horse turns one into some sort of ogre.  Because they are prettier  than other livestock?  It is a classic double standard.

I remember back in grade school at Our Lady of Fatima's Heights Catholic School that I made a bad lunch trade one day.  Roland Ghiardetti, who was Canadian I believe, offered to trade me his hamburger for a PBJ sandwich.  Thats a great deal I thought.  Half way through the burger he asked me if I liked the horse meat.  I did up until that point.  All I could think of was our crazed pet Arabian horse at my grandfather's in Pena Blanca.  I haven't had any since.

But I have munched on lamb, veal, and other species and never thought twice about it.  Now, I don't eat much meat anymore.  I am not a vegetarian but I just don't seem to like it much.  Although I will always eat some Bison.  Very lean.

The fact of the matter is that so many people have abandoned horses in the last  five years that they are suffering terribly.  That is certainly less humane than most other alternatives.

I'll be sorry I wrote about this.

MIsc.

Pete Dinelli pretty much torpedoed his own candidacy in the non partisan Mayor's race.  He called democrats who vote for republicans, "pendejos".   I wonder if republicans who thought about voting for him are also classified as such?   He certainly needed all the votes he could get and he just alienated anyone who wanted to shed partisanship in this race.  I know I have voted for a republican back in the day of a sane GOP.

Now, I have to admit I made the same blunder one time in a partisan race for Land Commissioner when I called some of the oil and gas funded republican candidates jerks.  I was roundly criticized.  I deserved it.  Mayor Berry and his minions are all having a good laugh this morning as they see an easier path to victory in October.  It isn't over yet, but the odds for Berry look better by far.

Political leaders in Clovis (Peanut Capitol of the World) are asking every one to 'pray for rain.'  Maybe they should ask everyone to 'pray for political leadership that will fight climate change.'  Most leaders in those areas don't seem to understand the science on this, or believe in it.  Some folks don't believe that wishing(praying) for something will get it for them.  They are right.  The old saying is, 'God helps those who help themselves."

It is hard to believe that anyone would see anything positive for the United States getting involved in the Syrian Civil War.  Unless of course you are the CEO or Board member of a defense industry corporation.  Those who are calling for intervention with air power are trying to tip public opinion into stepping into another Middle East quagmire.  I don't think the American public is going to buy into this one.

New Democratic Party Chair

Good!  Sam Bregman won the state party chairmanship for the Democratic Party.  As a guy who was more often than not at odds with Sam when in a Mayor's race or such, I am very happy he won this race.  He is brash and outspoken and won't be afraid to attack the Martinez administration.  And he will most likely do it in an effective way and that is what is needed to show the Governor she just can't keep listening to her neocon handlers.  His abilities showed through in his two to one victory at the party convention.  He has matured and seems a little more thoughtful than in the past.  Let's see what he can do.

Trend Setting

My heart goes out to Mayor Berry and challenger Pete Dinelli.  The trend is now set by the media for the upcoming election coverage.  It won't be about big ideas, future thinking, keeping the parks green, or fighting for the Duke City at the legislature.  It will be about fringe groups filing ethics charges against everyone.  It will be about yard signs being torn down.  It will be about what kind of dogs the candidates have and how they are treated.

That is modern journalism today.  There are few reporters and news directors that know the meaning of that word.  Well, maybe they do.  The just substitute the word 'ratings' for the word journalism.  Pretty soon in the print media, if the Koch brothers have their way, it will mean neo conservative world view.

Speaking of which, I watched a documentary on former draft dodger and VP dick cheney.  I think it is important that medical science get a hold of his brain to study it so some sort of gene therapy might be devised to prevent such a brain from ever existing again.

Leaving for Jobs

Former bush presidency backer Heather Wilson has to leave New Mexico to find a job.  She has been named as President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.  Seriously, congratulations to her.  It is a respectable achievement.  I am sure she will feel at home in South Dakota.  And being president of a school of mining will fit right in with her record as never seeing a landscape or watershed that couldn't be ravaged.

Pretty soon the GOP Bernalillo County Chair will need to leave NM for a job too.  His name is Steve Kush.  Where do they get these guys?  After his Facebook running commentary on supporters of a minimum wage hike for the county  which was sexist and a sophomoric performance, I don't see how the party can ever hire him back.  As one of my commenters said, "Whenever Republicans say any thing they believe they have to apologize."  How true.  Let's hope he can get a job that at least pays at the rate of the minimum wage he so hated.

No Need Here

There is no need for the ultra right wing Koch brothers to include the Albuquerque Journal in their newspaper buying plans.  Since the paper is already editorially so right wing the evil brothers can just move on to other markets.  The publishers and editors of the local rag have already fallen into place with the ultra rich.  And this is in one of the poorest states in the nation.

I have also decided there is no need in the Governor's office for original ideas because Susanna had decided that the movie industry and spaceport are what needs her attention.  Of course those projects were started by Bill Richardson.  At first she condemned them but then found the only thing she could do was to embrace them after seeing that made sense politically and economically.  Pretty soon she will even like the Rail Runner.

The one thing I will support the Governor on is her opposition to social promotion in the schools.  She is right on that one and the legislature should come around.  That and fund a highly effective early childhood reading effort.  I have always believed if kids can read well in the third grade then they an make it in life and career.

I would urge folks to read the comments in yesterday's posting.  They are very telling.

Don't Look for the Big Ideas

The upcoming Mayor's race will certainly lack one thing.  The "Big Idea".  "The Vision Thing."  "A Futurists View."  The Mayor has demonstrated he is incapable of even one large idea that will positively affect the City of Albuquerque.  He can't even keep our existing parks from drying up and blowing away.

Pete Dinelli's candidacy announcement didn't revolve on future projects that would make this a better city.  He was just concerned about the settling of lawsuits.

I wonder if New Mexico will no longer produce politicians that are capable of the whole vision thing.  Bill Richardson could do it with the Rail Runner and Space Port.  Yeah they were expensive but they will pay many dividends in the future.  Just like the Isotopes Stadium and a refurbished and now politically abandoned city core thanks to Marty Chavez and Mayor Berry.

Governor Martinez has not shown one iota of originality in making this state's future look brighter.  Where are her grand ideas?  There are none.

So, in the upcoming Mayoral and Governor's race let's start demanding a few grand projects from the candidates.  If they need some ideas because they can't think of any then I and any number of people could help.  It isn't that hard and it is a lot more fun than raising money for Super Pacs.

Here is a quickie for Pete Dinelli.  Let's get serious about an all purpose arena for downtown.

Here is one for the Governor's candidates.  How about an economic development project that makes New Mexico the center of renewable energy component manufacturing in the United States.  If the Governor of Alabama can travel to see Airbus and successfully get them to locate in his poor state, then why not have our Governor make some overt efforts too?

Oil Boys Get Payback--and Update

The Albuquerque Journal's investigative story on  the State's failure to conduct electrical inspections on oil and gas installations and drilling operations in the southeast part of New Mexico shouldn't really be surprising.  Those fossil fuel boys are just getting some payback from supporting Governor Martinez and her right wing causes.  And of course the government and regulation hating Governor and her ilk would never deign to hire more inspectors and grow government.

No matter that the public health, safety and welfare are directed into the waste bin.  Think about the fertilizer plant that went up in Texas this week.  They had not had an inspection since 1985 and more than a dozen people died because of it.  And a whole town was blown to smithereens. But, the industry says to Martinez,  "Trust Us", and then they write more checks for her favorite Super Pacs.

500 out of compliance oil well installations may be in existence right now down in the Permian Basin.  Well, maybe or maybe not.  We just don't know do we?  But one thing is for sure.  Every time an oil field worker goes near one they are risking their lives.

The big question now is whether the Journal editor, an oil and gas and Governor supporter, will switch his hat to journalism and followup on this story.  He could direct the able Coleen Heild to cross reference the oil companies getting off with compliance to the list of the Governor's and GOP's contributors.  If this had been Bill Richardson then that would be automatic.

Connections?

New Mexico's population growth has fallen.  Net migration into the state has ceased and people are leaving because of the state bucking the national trend of adding jobs and opportunity.  We have always had a problem with our young people leaving for greener pastures, but this trend is downright alarming.  And Governor Susanna Martinez and Mayor Berry just hide in their cubby holes so they won't take any criticism.

Instead they have the GOP Chairman John Billingsley send a letter to the respected Crime Stoppers Board criticising them for allowing a liberal to be Chairman of the Board.  That would be Pat Davis, a former police officer and now activist on progressive issues.  The Crime Stoppers Board immediately told him to stick it and unanimously reaffirmed Davis to head the board.

So, if I were a young entrepreneur who stopped in Albuquerque to scout it out for a new business and read these two stories in the Journal today, here is what I might think.  "What a bunch of ineffectual rubes the leadership and GOP in this state must be.  If they ignore the real problems in the economy in favor of this drivel, why would I locate here?"

Anxiety

I am anxious.  The other day tucked down in the corner of the newspaper was a little story about how an American drone in Afghanistan had killed a couple of dozen innocent civilians, fourteen of which were children.  Maybe the national media spent ten seconds on it.

Now we are getting 24 hour reruns of the horrific explosions in Boston.  Closer to home.  I stopped watching the news after seeing the explosion about 100 times.  Feeding the anxiety of Americans.

Yesterday at lunch with my golf buddies I decided that Americans like to be scared because it pulls them together.  At first I was greeted with guffaws, but then slowly the others thought maybe it was true.

I am not anxious because I am scared.  I am anxious because we ignore the death of 14 children in Afghanistan with no apologies for blood on our hands.  At the same time we show great empathy and caring for our own victims who most likely died at the hands of a crazy person, ala Tim McViegh.  It seems wrong.

Dem Governor's Primary

The New Mexico Governor's Democratic Primary is thankfully getting some more potential  candidates now that Senator Linda Lopez and Senator Tim Keller are considering entering the contest.  This is a good thing because Attorney General Gary King certainly needs some one to poke him in the eye to see if he reacts.

Linda Lopez's claim to fame will be the refusal of her Senate Committee to give the Governor's Education Secretary an up or down vote after two  years of endless and unnecessary delay and pontification.  Ms. Skandera has been treated unfairly by Lopez and the committee.  But is that enough for anyone to notice Lopez in a positive way?  Hardly.

Senator Time Keller is a charismatic and youthful leader who sits left of center.  He is hard working and not so full of dogma that he can't compromise once in a while.  He might make a pretty good candidate if he can raise some money.  I hope he can.

At the very least this will all liven the primary and will get the juices flowing.  That is positive all the way around.  At least some of these candidates act like grownups!

Missile Range or Renewables?

The Defense Department doesn't like the alignment of the SunZia power line that will carry renewable power.  They say it will harm the White Sands Missile Range even though it is well north of the active range.  The planning process has been exhaustive and now there are threats from self appointed defense guru Sherman McCorkle that the range will leave NM if Defense doesn't get its way.  What a crock?  Where would they go?  What other state has the space or stamina for going through NEPA qualifications etc. to get the range?

What is really more frustrating is the comments of Senator Tom Udall, the sometimes master of fence sitting on issues.  Here is what the Journal quoted him as saying,

Saying WSMR has a “diverse and important mission,” Udall said he has urged the cooperating agencies to work together for a “timely and fair resolution concerning WSMR and SunZia we can all benefit from.” 

What the hell does that mean?  Does he have a position?  Come on Tom!  Man  up a little.  You are on the appropriations committee.  Defense will most likely do what you want and deep down you know the power line is more important to the future than some missile shots.

Senator Heinrich was more forthcoming.  

"Heinrich said the siting process has been “deliberate, transparent and comprehensive. I am excited that this proposal is on the verge of moving from the planning phase to actual construction.” 

That sounds like support for the hard right of way decision for the power line.  He takes a position.  And it is the right one.

Still Moving Around

My big sister Carlota just returned from a month long sojourn to Peru.  She visited the desert, the Amazon, Cuzco and Machu Picchu.  She did a lot of hiking around on the new hip she got last year.  I hope I am getting around that well at 70.  

Blame

Why does everyone blame the Government for our unemployment problems?  I tend to do it sometimes too, especially when government makes absolutely no effort to make things better.(Think Governor Martinez here.)

But really, it is our much over rated American corporations that are responsible.  Right now  they are sitting on mountains of cash.  They have abandoned research and development in the favor of the bottom line.  They have cut employees and forced those remaining to work harder for less. And they sit there and say they can't do anything until they get some certainty in the economy which many of them helped wreck in the first place.  They hate government regulation and interference but they sit around and blame government for not fixing things.

The big missing item here is, of course, the media which feeds this self sustaining loop.  They constantly attack government but never attack their advertisers.  For the most part journalism is dead in this country.  It was the one thing we had watching our backs for a long time.  But nor more.

Memo to NM Dem Leaders

It is all there waiting for you.  First there is the really bad news on the declining work force in New Mexico.  Thousands are just giving up looking for decent jobs and either moving out of state or becoming couch potatoes.  And what jobs there are pay a pittance minimum wage that the Chamber of Commerce and Governor Susana Martinez guaranteed with her veto of a raise in that wage.  This state is consuming itself in poverty while the Governor gets ready to have a $10,000 a person fund raiser at a trendy spa in Taos for her corporate supporters to hand over the cash.

This is what prospective Democratic party chairman should be talking about.  Constantly!  But, Martinez continues to get a break on criticism.  Here is an idea.  One of the TV News Stations should demand a one hour interview in prime time with her hosted by an economist, a reporter, and an unemployed person so they can try and elicit some answers from her on the current state of affairs.  I think then people would realize just how much she is in over her head.  And the TV station should do a ten second story every night on how the Governor has refused to go in front of a large TV audience to explain what she intends to do.  Every night.

Dinelli

Pete Dinelli called me yesterday to state that he had very little support from the Labor Unions in getting his signatures and $5 contributions for public financing in his Mayor's race.  He said they were worried about getting backlash from the NM Legislature as the attempted to fix the Public Employees Retirement system.  He said he hired a professional organizer to over see the successful effort.  He said the city sent him his $360K finance funds immediately

 The big question is the amount of outside independent PAC money will be injected into the race.  It could be huge.

Salt Lake

I am off to Salt Lake City for a meeting of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Board.  I have to say that being on a Wilderness advocacy board in Utah is like being an atheist at a Christian fundamentalist church gathering.  It is pretty much a hard road to travel given the inclinations of the Utah Legislature who have just appropriated $3 million dollars to sue the United States to get all public land turned over to the state.  These guys are incredibly stupid.  And they keep getting worse.  I have been on this board for over 20 years and the political scene in Utah just gets weirder and weirder.

The magnificent landscapes of Utah are under real threats due to the legislature and counties attempting to claim rights of way for non existent roads through every park, wilderness study area and monument. Thousands of roads.  All at the behest of the oil, gas and mining industries.   Groups like the Alliance fight back and use the courts and public opinion to fight the craziness.  It is great to be part of this fight. I have been doing it for twenty years now.  It is a fight that is seemingly endless.

Albuquerque Mayor's Race

I was surprised that Pete Dinelli collected all those $5 contributions to get him public financing.  It showed some organization and cohesiveness to do it.  I am not sure who helped, but my guess is the Union folks did.  There is nothing wrong with that since the corporate boys and right wing Chamber of Commerce will be with Mayor Berry.  It was also a cheap way for the Union guys to help a candidate.  Now they wont need to pony up any money now that Pete has his pubic financing.

He will most assuredly be greatly outspent.  That could spell disaster for the ability to get in the public's face.  All Berry will have to do is outspend the former Marty Chavez ally by having independent pacs and others do a job on Pete.

Still, there is a way to victory for Dinelli, but it might be pretty much out of his hands on designing such a path to a happy election night.  Events that can't be foreseen, such as in Councillor Michael Cooks case, can alter the political process quickly and with finality.  It could just be something that Mayor Berry and his managers can not foresee.  But right now, I think the odds are 4-1 for Berry.  But that could change overnight.  And, my odds making really don't work well.  I didn't think Pete could get the  required thousands of  $5 contributions.  He deserves some respect on that accomplishment.

Misc.

Governor Martinez, probably at the behest of her oil and gas supporters, vetoed a Photo Voltaic array for the Capitol Building parking structure in Santa Fe.  The legislature voted for it.  It would have been the right thing to do, but she would rather support fossil fuel consumption and their corporate tax breaks.  This is the kind of leadership that will literally cook New Mexico. It is shortsighted and stupid.

The Albuquerque Journal did what they always do in their edition today.  Instead of putting a picture of former GOP Governor Gary Johnson on the front page story detailing the ripping off of the state on his much vaunted financial deal  on construction of the 550 highway to Farmington with the Koch brothers, they inexplicably put a picture of Governor Richardson on the front page.  Richardson had absolutely nothing to do with that project between  the extreme right wing Koch boys and the highway department.  Richardson did refinance the bonds later on, but that is standard practice.  This is a perfect example of why you can not trust the Journal to report fairly and accurately their stories.  I will bet you a million that the editor forced the picture of Richardson on to the front page.  Well, it wont matter in another ten years.  This newspaper wont be around anymore if circulation continues to drop as young people turn to other avenues for news in ever growing numbers.

Democracy at Work

A friend of mine had an interesting idea on how to deal with the NRA and other right wing groups.  Just get a campaign together to have millions of people who don't think we need assault rifles to join the NRA and then get a vote called to oust the current boards and CEOs.  Then pursue the reasonable firearm policies that most sensible countries have.  Or at least the eradication of assault rifles and implementation of universal background checks.

I think some organization out there could pull this off over a couple of years.  The NRA has only 4.5 million members.  If another five million moderate members are added then the days of Wayne la Pierre and his ilk are numbered in those groups.

Misc.

So, UNM will run after Steve Alford and spend money and time in their legal department.  They want $1 million from him.   Ultimately, will we get in a fight with UCLA's legal department?  That is a great use of time for institutions of higher learning, isn't it?  This is a fight hardly worth having.  It is really looking to me as a form of punishment meted out by an incompetent Athletics department.  It takes the heat off of them.

The oil and gas industry is funding another right wing conservative educational group in New Mexico whose name is GOAL.  Their goal is to fight endangered species listing that get in the way of the fossil fuel boys hunger for profits.  This group will spend money on the media blaming certain of Nature's creatures with destroying human jobs and values.  Watch for their weekly opeds in the oil and gas controlled Albuquerque Journal.

I have to say the Journal has been doing a pretty good job of straight news coverage lately.  Not wide ranging, but certainly focused.  I have also noticed lots of full page ads in the paper recently.  Many of them from that giant new liquor warehouse on the west side.  Their ad might accidentally end up in the section with pictures of drunk drivers someday.  That would be funny.  Especially since the Journal is somewhat focused on DUI issues.  When our kids and spouses were home last week I only saw one of them pick up a newspaper once.  It was the New York Times.  They get most of their content from the internet and NPR.

Different Standards

Manny Aragon got what he deserved when he was sent to prison for corruption.  His multi million dollar kickbacks from the construction of the metro court in Albuquerque was extreme.  But somehow, as we discussed at coffee the other day, it seems less serious than former Senator Pete Domenici abandoning a child he fathered, keeping it a secret from the public, his children and his wife for decades.  A child who grew up with out a father because of political protection for a republican known as St. Pete who the GOP needed to keep in place.

The rush to eradicate the name of Manny Aragon from the Hispanic Cultural Center was quick and decisive.  Any thought of doing the same to the Domenici name who threw away a child hasn't even been brought up.  His name graces the US Federal Court House.  A supposed place of Justice.  Except when it comes to his name.  Why the different treatment?  Most probably it is because of race.  That is all I can come up with.

 I started thinking about this again today when I saw that formerly disgraced republican Governor Sanford of South Carolina won his primary for congress.   The fact that those GOP voters wanted him back shows a different standard from the one they espouse on family values.  Maybe when all the women vote in the general election he will get handed his Appalachian hiking hat.

Teflon

She is coated with it.  Teflon.  Here is what the Governor has done in the last few days.

Lowered taxes for corporations.
Raised taxes on poor and working people by causing cities to raise taxes on them.
Told gay people they aren't worthy of marriage.(Along with New Mexico's Catholic Bishops.)
Vetoed the minimum wage increase for the Chamber of Commerce.

Susanah Martinez gets away this kind of behavior because people just don't pay attention.   Corporate moneybags keep her and her right wing mascots in good standing.  Along with the media mostly doing inane positive stories on her.  Such as her hiring 40 fire fighters for the upcoming conflagrations.  Well, that just might be the culmination of her job creation efforts.

Misc.

I have been getting some real wacko comments lately on the Mary Han case as well as some constructive ones.  It all points to one thing for me.  The Department of Justice must step in and investigate Mary Han's untimely death.  So far the bizarre actions of the Albuquerque Police Department at the scene would make one very concerned that a proper investigation was not done.  The City Attorney should definitely ask for an independent review of the case from top to bottom.  Already, the national media is showing interest in this story and it could be that our city will end up with another black eye.  But really, at the end of the day we must all know that the Justice system and its backups are working.  So far as Mary's death, they don't seem to be.

Where were the Mayor's lobbyists during the Legislative session?  I can only assume that they didn't know about the screw job done to Albuquerque in the tax reform bill that cut taxes for corporations and raised them on the poor and working folks.  Or, they were ordered by the Mayor and City Council to ignore it.  Or, as happens many times, Albuquerque's own legislators did not stand up for the well being of their home districts.  No matter what happened, they all failed us.

There is something else that has been bothering me.  The legislature has enacted law that will do away with the automatic 3% cost of living raise for public employee retirees.  I understand it was necessary for a while.  But at the same time they ignore the actions of the County Commissions and Assessors in automatically raising property taxes 3% a year.  Shouldn't they be put on a diet too?  Just asking, that is all.

Finally, we had a great week with our kids and grandson Simon.  Justin, Karly and Simon flew away from the Juniper pollen yesterday.  Daughter Noelle and Luke flew back to Colorado Juniper pollen in Fort Collins.  We went to Costco to buy a bale of Kleenex to get us through the next few weeks.

Generations

My uncle Deacon Jaime Baca had a good time with the youngest Baca on Saturday.  We had our Easter Feast a day early since all the kids are leaving on Sunday.

Jaime is 90 years old.  Grandson Simon is 29 months old. There is a lot of time between their births.  But only in some ways.  As my wife Bobbi was mentioning last night, this country will be celebrating its 240th anniversary soon.  When you stop and think that my uncle has been alive for almost 40% of the time that the United States has existed then we don't seem to be such a long time world power.  Even at my age of almost 68 I have been around for over one quarter of the USA's history.

So, one should not feel that this country is necessarily a long term success yet.  If we don't curb the power of corporate America it is doubtful the Union can stand.  But there is time to remedy that.

Ettu Steve

I read a story one time by Arthur C. Clarke titled "The 9 Billion Names of God."  The premise was once the human race knew all of those 9 billion names that the universe would cease to exist.

I don't think those 9 billion names will approach the names Steve Alford of the Lobos will be called.  Now that he has bolted to UCLA one day before his new contract starts.  If this doesn't show college basketball athletics for what they are, then nothing will.  It is just a cut throat money business where the big names get everything.  

It's All Happening at the Zoo

At 10AM this morning folks were pouring into the Albuquerque Biological Park.  

Us Included.

Grandma Bobbi and Grampa Jim got to spend time with Grandson Simon.

Simon's parents Justin and Karly were there.

Simon has a double crown and a cowlick for life.

Meanwhile our daughter Noelle and her husband Luke enjoyed the little guy.

Stretch

A beautiful morning.  On the first tee.  Little warm up swings at Santa Ana because the range was closed.  Hit a 240 yard draw down the middle of the fairway.  And felt like some one stabbed me in the lower back.  Totally pulled a muscle of some sort and then played four more holes before the knife twisted.  Now, several days recuperation with ice, heat, and some pretty good pain killers!

Note to self.  If you cant warm up on the range then stretch for 10 minutes you imbecile.

Write a Letter Mayor Berry

Mayor Berry should show some backbone and write a letter to Governor Martinez asking her to veto the tax bill that was passed in the last moments of the session which will absolutely screw his city and the people who live in it.  If he doesn't make this effort he may well open himself to a weakened reelection effort.

Here is a commercial I would script for TV.

While the Corporate lobbyists pushed through another state tax break for their clients at the expense of working people in our city and counties, Mayor Richard Berry sided with the CEO's of the nations biggest corporations.  The tax break will be paid for by the city's residents.  He has betrayed his duty to his city and the citizens who live in it by siding with the corporations and the right wing chamber of commerce.  All so the bottom lines result in even bigger bonuses for corporate executives.  Why did he remain silent?

The video for such an ad would show working people at their jobs and then at home trying to make ends meet.

Letter from the Amazon

My sister Carlota from Santa Fe has been in Peru and the Amazon for the last couple of weeks.  We had not heard from her for a week and I sent her an email asking if she had been eaten by an Anaconda.  Here is the reply I received when she flew into Cuzco for a trip to Machu Picchu.  I thought it was timely after reading John Fleck's article on John Wesley Powell in the Journal this morning.

Well, I am alive, but I did see a giant anaconda! A guy had just caught it

in a village on the Amazon where we stopped to visit with the native

people. SCARY!!

Spent the whole past week on a barge on the Amazon and on

smaller boats in the tributaries.  The boat was great, but the trips up 

the smaller rivers and some hikes in the jungle were so (expletive deleted) difficult

that I almost gave up.  But I would do it all again!!  The Amazon portion

of my travel was the hardest trip of my life, but I now realize how

everything is connected.  Climate change will really screw up the ¨major

two Pacific Ocean currents, which will have an effect on the rainforest

(the lungs of the planet), which will be diminished, and that will affect

the whole world.  Brazil is tearing down its amazonian jungles like crazy,

but Peru has made the entire Amazon basin a protected region and it's

huge! I have learned so much!

The Amazon Rainforest, which was very difficult to live in, has so many

flora and fauna....just magnificent and the River itself is almost

unbelievable!  The volume of water and the heavy current towards the

Atlantic simply cannot be described!

I flew from Iquitos in the jungle to Lima yesterday and from Lima to Cuzco

this morning.  Cuzco is sublime. There was a big procession here as this

is la Semana Santa-- Holy Week.  Today it was the procession to honor

Nuestro Senor (Our Lord of the earthquakes). Tomorrow we go to some remarkable Inca ruins and then we are traveling to Machu Picchu where we will stay for a couple of days.

This week is my 70th birthday and it will be in Machu Picchu during the

full moon.  It is all so thrilling!!  I just can't believe I'm here.  One

of my best adventures ever.

Love,

Lota

Simon

Our grandson Simon arrived on Sunday and immediately went down the street to play in the sunshine.  They haven't had so much snow in upstate New York where he is from, but they do lack those Vitamin D inducing sun rays.  He is two and a half years old and is typical in converting every bit of intake into copious amounts of energy.

You Are Screwed

As a former Mayor I now have to say that I have no faith in Mayor Berry at all.  For him to sit and take such a screw job from the Governor and Legislature on the last  minute tax package shows he cares more about party line than the people in his city.

The legislature and Governor dropped taxes on corporations and the rich.  Don't you doubt it.  And to make up for it they are taking away dollars from the cities and counties in New Mexico by phasing out revenues that made up for the removal of gross receipts taxes on food some years ago.  (A victory there for Governor Richardson.)

Now the chicken democrats and right wing Governor and republican legislators have done something that raises taxes, (you guessed it!) on the poor and working people of New Mexico.  And our Mayor says he is hopeful that the lower taxes on business and the rich will translate into a revenue neutral situation.  What a load of crap!  What a huge load of crap!  The cities and counties will be forced to raise their gross receipts taxes to make up for the difference.  In Albuquerque it is already 7%!  It was just 5.5% when I was Mayor.  It is without a doubt the most regressive kind of tax.

And what does the Governor say?  She said it was something didn't want to do but it was done in a spirit of compromise.  That is her way of having her cake and eating it too. How much longer will people continue to let themselves be screwed?

Hanging

Ajax and Casper are waiting out of the commotion as we get the house ready for our son and daughter and families to get here for an Easter week visit.  We have cleaned their old rooms.  Got in a little cot for our grandson to sleep on.  Bought another humidifier so our daughter in law won't be uncomfortable.  This dry air and high altitude gets to those upstate New York Girls.  This will be the first time we are all together in 20 months.  It should be fun!  They are lucky too. They will miss today's  terrific winds.

A Monument

The pending designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is a wonderful addition to our Land of Enchantment's protected landscapes.  The 240,000 acre designation is the result of the hard work of many organizations and funders in New Mexico.  Thanks to former Senator Jeff Bingaman.  Martin Heinrich did some hard work on this too prior to being elected to the Senate.  Governor Bill Richardson heavily supported it from the beginning.  The Wilderness Society, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and many other groups worked diligently on this and in a very smart and political way.

This is a magnificent area north and west of Taos.  It includes the Rio Grande Gorge.  Its preservation is a gift to future generations.

Priorities

I am sort of speechless and more than normally stupefied by the news in the Journal this morning.  They didn't do anything wrong.  They just reported priorities these days.

The big headline story is the new 10 year contract that pays our UNM basketball coach over $100,000 a month with the possibility of a lot more if certain things happen.  I know most of this money comes from ticket sales and boosters and side deals.

Another story below the fold is about pending furloughs of thousands of military civilian employees at Kirtland Air Force Base just a few miles from the Pit.  Their pay checks will be getting smaller as they are forced to take time off every week without pay.  All due to the lack of job performance on the part of Congress to manage the budget.  That will hurt the already battered local economy and I can't imagine what those workers are thinking of the Coach's pay raise.

And then on the Metro page is an article about how funding cuts for higher education in New Mexico has exceeded the US average.  Spending per student has fallen 36% while tuition for those students has risen 22%.  That really stings!  Why are these kids not occupying the state capitol?

Roman Emperors used to use the games at the Colosseum as a way of distracting the public from a slowly failing empire.   Things haven't changed.

The Cop Out

An apt title for this entry.  The Chief cop is out(in a few months) and the new Chief cop is out too.  Until after the Albuquerque City Mayoral election.  And so, until at least the end of the year there will be no new leadership at APD.  Poor timing due to politics all the way around.  The Mayor and Council dithered on the severe problems at APD for at least 18 months.  And then a decision is made to replace the Chief in an election  year, but it doesn't make sense to do so because the new Chief might have such a short tenure if the Mayor is not reelected.  And of course this is all welcome by the Mayor because he wont have to make a tough decision before the October election and perhaps a December runoff election.

And the inertia of a disjointed police department will continue.  This is poor management all the way around.

Lunch

Yesterday I went with a friend on their "Meals on Wheels' route into the South Valley.  I give a monthly donation to the program which sends lunches out to the poor, elderly and shut ins.  It was a gratifying two hours as we delivered 11 meals to some of these folks.

One comes to the realization that for many of these folks the knock on the door by the meal delivery volunteer might be the only interaction for them during their day.  You can tell that this little communication means a lot to some of them.

One also comes to the realization that many of these recipients of a meal are poverty stricken in a permanent way.  Some of the better off ones do pay for their lunches, but others would not be able to eat a decent meal daily  if it weren't for donations coming in.  $15 bucks a month would feed one of these folks for a week or so.  You can donate here.

There is also a program that delivers dog food for these people's pets.  Pretty cool thing to do.

Yawn

The insiders at the Legislature may or may not be happy with the outcome of the session.  Mostly, I am just glad it is over.  I followed it more than most.  The average citizen doesn't follow it at all.  They may form some kind of overall impression of the yearly congregation as a result of news coverage.  This year it might be an impression that everyone compromised at the end.  These days that looks good for all part time observers but the legislators and Governor probably don't like it.

The biggest failure is to approve background checks for firearms purchases at gun shows.  The lines for buyers remain safe for paranoid schizophrenics to buy the assault rifle of their choice.

The corporate tax cut over a period of years is questionable.  But it is hardly a sell out by the Democrats who got their own tax cuts of sort in the film incentive program.  I am sure there are some other special interest laws that were passed that we don't know about, but that is the way it all works.

The overall winners here are the Governor, Speaker of the House Ken Martinez, and special interest lobbyists who got tax breaks for their clients.

Of course, all of this is eclipsed by the Lobo mania and the Governor being invited by Obama to represent the US at the Pope's inaugural.  One would have to say that was a bipartisan move.

GOP and Gays

A lot of people I know think it is a huge step in the right direction that Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman has come out in support of Gay marriage since his son came out last summer.  It is a good thing.  At the same time it really shows me that the GOP care about only themselves and their mostly archaic beliefs.  Until those beliefs affect them negatively on a personal level.

While it is admirable that the Senator is supporting his son it is also very telling that he hated the idea of Gay marriage until his own family was involved.  If his own son had not come out then he would still be objecting to anyone else's son or daughter being allowed to participate in a Gay marriage?  A selfish and backward view would have prevailed.

Slowly but surely the GOP is being forced to come into this century.  They are being forced to do so by their own kids and other relatives who no longer are willing to stay quiet.  At the end of the day this is the only important thing.

They Got Their Man

The Albuquerque Journal did it.  They got their man.  Their dogged pursuit of Police Chief Ray Schultz finally hit pay dirt.  Day in and day out for the last couple of years they have had the ink barrels pouring into the problems at the Police Department.  And finally there was too much for the Mayor to wash away.  The Journal did what they did best and forced the issue.  (And this time it wasn't even a Hispanic democrat.)

Well, they did the right thing in this case.  And that is a good thing.  Now will they have an even and non right wing editorial about the importance of finding a new chief from the outside so that no particular entrenched faction at APD steps in?  Stay tuned.

GOP and the Pope

My friend Dennis Jett wrote this for the McClatchy newspapers yesterday.  I was going to do the same thing today, but really, he is a much better writer than me.  Think of Susannah Martinez going to see the Pope as you read this.

Commentary: Six ways the Catholic Church is just like the Republican Party

One might think that a political party and a religious organization would not have that much in common. But the Republican Party, in the wake of its failure to retake the White House, and the Catholic Church, in the aftermath of a series of scandals, actually have a lot in common. Here are at least six similarities:

1. They both select the oldest white guy in the room as their standard bearer.

2. They have a fundamental policy of denying certain rights to gays and women. 

3. They are convinced they have a monopoly on morality. 

4. They believe putting a Latino face on their product will increase sales to that important demographic. 

5. They cater to their base and could care less about public opinion or interest writ large. 

6. They think to prevail in today’s world all they have to do is change the messaging without making any change in the meaning of their message.

Go National

Dear Mayor Berry,

Now that the inevitable has occurred and Albuquerque Police Chief Schultz has stepped down, you must not make the mistake of promoting a new Chief from within the department.  Start a national search for a highly qualified crime fighter and administrator to run this incestuous department.  Bring in a guy or gal who will make meaningful changes in training of officers.  Bring in a someone who can stick to a budget so the cop shop doesn't drain away resources from all other city departments.  Set up a search committee immediately to make a bipartisan effort to get this done efficiently and ask them to suggest at least three finalists.  Don't be afraid to spend a little extra money for a really qualified candidate.   It will pay off in the future.

I would also like to thank Chief Schultz for his service to out city.

Sincerely,

Jim Baca
Former Mayor

The Governor's Race

I opined a little on the Governor's race recently.  I am hoping for some real talent to step forward and take on Martinez.  I have decided that another Martinez might be the answer.  That would be Speaker of the House Ken Martinez.  Most people feel he is the smartest guy in the capitol building and that he  is capable of non partisan cooperation to advance policy agendas.

Republican Susannah Martinez, a child of the right wing wackos, got a lot of votes in the traditionally northern part of the state.  From Democrat Hispanics.  Could she hold those votes against a well respected and centric democrat like Ken Martinez?   I don't think so.

I know that the Speaker would have a lot to lose politically by running for Governor.  But sometimes a good politico has to sacrifice a bit and do what is right for working people and working poor.  They are more important than that Speaker job.

Everyone I know thinks Martinez is a brilliant and fair minded man.  Now they have to convince him to run for Governor.  Some say he isn't well enough known.   Well, who was Susannah Martinez before she became Governor.  No one had ever heard of her.  Just like Gary Johnson when he ran.

Wait a Minute

I have to admit I was kind of mesmerized as they waited to announce the new Pope.  As a person raised in the Catholic faith and schools you never really get away from the dogma.  Especially the guilt, but I digress.  Although no longer a church member I love to watch the drama involved in the operations of the 1 billion member religion.  The Pope thing has always interested me quite a bit because of the seeming democratic process for appointing a new one.  That is about all of a democratic process  you will see though in this organization.  It is pretty much top down management.

The new Pope is the first Jesuit, the first South American, and the first non European in the modern era to be elected.  But wait a minute, isn't Bergoglio an Italian name?

He looked to be a pretty down to earth guy with some vigor in him.  He looks like a Pope.  His job will be the toughest in centuries as the church tries to grapple with modern day life.  If he can't find a way of liberalizing then this church will be on its way out.  Since he is on top, then maybe this is one time when the church can change.  If he wishes it.

I bet it would be fun to be in Buenos Aires tonight.

Candidates

I am beginning to get worried about the number of Democrats that are willing to become candidates in the Mayoral and Governor's elections.  So far we have Pete Dinelli in the Mayor's race and Gary King in the Governor's race.  Probably, Dinelli will be the only one to consider in the local race.  Most of the people I speak with think he is a good guy with little chance of winning if he sticks to the public financing effort he is putting forth.  If he doesn't gather that 3500 donations of $5 each then he will be set adrift into a sea of special interest financing aimed at keeping Mayor Berry in office.  If he does make the threshold, then he limits himself to that amount of money and will be further inundated with opposition from special interest corporate Pacs, thanks to the Supreme Court.  He is in a very difficult spot.  Most other possible candidates probably have come to the conclusion that it is a no win situation.  So they opted out.

Gary King called me yesterday while I was kind of busy.  He is looking for early support and money. I like Gary and have known him for years.  I worked for his dad, Bruce King.  I think he may be the only person that will run against the Governor in the upcoming cycle.  If he does I will send him money and support him, but I am waiting out the entry into the Democratic Primary of other candidates who I think could stand a better chance of winning.  I am probably not alone in that predicament.  Most of my friends feel the same way.  They are torn between their like of Gary, but feel a stronger campaigner is needed.  One friend says that Gary feels he is entitled to run because of his dad.  I wonder if that is true.

I think the Democratic Party needs to come up with some new strong leadership and candidate recruiters.  Sam Bregman says he will be that person.  Right now, he looks pretty good to me.

Lawn

This morning I dropped by Lowe's to buy some spring fertilizer for the back yard.  My mission was to find fertilizer with out any pesticides or herbicides in it.  It took a while but I found a bag.  Fully 95 % of their stuff were full of chemicals that kill things.

When I got home I received a note about this Forum that will take place here in Albuquerque in April.  It is being sponsored by a group called "Beyond Pesticides." I hope the media will throw a little attention towards it.  I know this stuff can sometimes help farmers and I can deal with it.  But we don't need to throw it on our yards and own gardens.  In our little garden we regularly hunt down the squash bugs and tomato worms and assassinate them with a stick.  It works well.

The Winner

The real winner in the tally of the Albuquerque City Mail in Election will be future Mayors who will be able to claim, unlike me, that they won with a majority of votes now that winning 50% is required under the city charter.  Yes, that means a run off election most of the time.  But so what.

The real losers on this are the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board(The Editor and Publisher in other words.)  They are the surrogates of the GOP in this town.  The didn't want this to happen because working people would have to much say in the outcome.  Yes, people in unions.  Another loser is the Berry administration's ham fisted running of the election in which the mail in ballot was a piece of confusing junk.  This should be an embarrassment to him, the city clerk and city attorney.  Where is the professionalism?

Strangely though, I think it is quite possible for Berry to win with out a run off since there are so few people willing to run against him.  People perceive Berry to be a decent guy who has not done anything dishonest and treats people with respect.  That is true and I feel that way too.  But, he seems to be weak in some areas, especially his handling of his police department.  But the general voting public will give him a 'bye' on that one.  Mostly that is because the media has given him a break on this and not badgered him as a responsible party.  That has been heaped on Chief Schutlz who Berry should have put out to pasture a long time ago.   

Send Some Stories

I am hoping some of you will send your favorite political stories to another blog I set up called NM Political Lore.  So far I have only one submission.  I know you all have a story tucked away in your head.

Bobbi and I have started to watch "House of Cards" on Netflix.  It is engrossing and a little over the top.  But stories it tells about political maneuvering have some basis in fact.  I know any reader who reads political blogs will have stories of their own.  Send one along.

I gotta think some legislators who will be finished up in a couple of weeks would like to send along some stories from years past.  Just send the stories to nmpoliticallore@gmail.com

I will post them.

It is Coming

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.

Holocaust Hospitals

The only word I can think of after reading the Time Magazine article on Hospital charges is Holocaust. Even if the hospital is a so called 'non profit'.  The people who run all of these groups are the most unethical people alive.  Their greed is monumental.  You really need to understand they they are the new modern day equivalent of a slave holder in their disdain for human beings.  I am serious.  Read it.

How can a non profit hospital and insurance companies possibly defend themselves against this pricing for healthcare?  Take Presbyterian hospital for example.  They send these bills to the insurance company to be paid.  The insurance company is owned by Presbyterian and it just folds all of that into their rate structure.  It is the old shell game.  Same with the profit making Lovelace hospital system.  They send their bills to their own insurance company.  The only time charges are negotiated is when the hospital and insurance company are not related.  Or when Medicare is involved.  But, if you are underinsured or uninsured then you enter slavery.  You pay many times what Medicare would pay.

No wonder health care is devouring so much of our national wealth.  I don't blame the Docs, nurses, and other employees for this.  I blame the CEO's and Boards for having only profit in mind.  

Silly

Why are the democrats in the New Mexico Senate acting like the republican in the US Senate?  Because they are all living in their own little worlds where they get some sort of orgasmic high out of not confirming the executive's cabinet appointments.  It is silly, time consuming and accomplishes nothing except wasting time.

The Federal Senators need to approve some Federal Judges.  The State Senators need to approve Skandera as Education Secretary.  Get over it.

The Journal

Albuquerque's daily Journal today gave more space to a story about an injured puppy than to a group of democrats assailing the Mayor and City Clerk for a botched mail in election.

It is happening.  They are turning in to a TV Newscast.  Well, maybe not yet.  Their saving grace is a doggedness about going after the problems at the Albuquerque Police Department.  That is showing some semblance of real journalism.

I do have a suggestion for the Journal though.  They keep putting a sticker ad on the front page of the paper right over the masthead and teasers for stories.  Would it be possible to put that sticker over the editorial on the Opinion Page.  Most people aren't reading that craziness any more anyway.

Frustration

Sometimes folks don't understand why I get frustrated with Obama on some of the issues involving public Lands.  This chart pretty much sums it up.  What protected acreage he is given credit for in this graph was actually put together during the bush administration.  His performance in this arena of protecting watersheds and ecosystems is very strange.  Maybe his new Interior Secretary can help after she is confirmed.  It is said that he will let his appointees run with policy initiatives in this term of office.  Let's hope that pubic land protection is one of them.  

Embarrassing

It used to be when I was in appointed or elected office and consumed with some policy or initiative that I would be driving down the street and look at the person in the car next to me and realize the last thing on their mind was the public policy I was wrestling with.

For example,  no one drives around and thinks about the legislature debating permanent fund payout rates.  Or who is running the Motor Vehicle Dept. Or about whether they should worry about  the upcoming city election on runoff elections.  They just want the people who should be running things to do their jobs.

One can only wonder if anyone in the city clerk's office, Mayor's Office, or City Council in Albuquerque were doing any oversight on the upcoming mail in city election.  Did anyone of them even look at the ballots that were to be sent out to the public through the mail to see if they were understandable and user friendly?  I am betting not one of them did so.  Now, the election is suspect because so many votes will not be counted, even after voters were asked to come in and sign their ballots if they had overlooked that little important task.

 The signature requirement and signature line on the ballot envelope were not well done.  If they were then this would not be happening.  Unless, someone wanted to sow a little confusion.  Like that would ever happen.

This is what it should have looked like.

This is an embarrassment for the Mayor's Office, City Attorney's Office and City Clerks Office.  But, no one driving down the road is probably thinking about that.

Must See

This is a video that one should watch about the distribution of wealth in the USA.  It doesn't condemn anyone.  It just shows what people's view of reality is compared to the real economic situation.



Thanks to Bubba for finding this.

Water

We drove back down from Fort Collins on Sunday.  I was simply amazed at the condition of the grasslands in Northern New Mexico from Las Vegas to Raton.  Although there had been a little snow, the land is beginning to resemble a desert.  Especially where grazing is not being curtailed.  If there are not spring rains up there then ranching as a business will cease to exist.

Here in our neighborhood of Albuquerque I continue to be impressed with the amount of xeriscaping being done at everyone's homes.  More than anyone it seems that city dwellers understand that there is only so much water to be had and that everyone has to pitch in to help.

In the meantime, some of the irrigators in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District continue to say they shouldn't make any sacrifices. Do they they deserve some sort of special consideration even in this era of extreme drought?  I am not sure.   Everyone has to do their part.  I know the MRGCD has made some strides in efficiency, but flood irrigation in the current era may no longer be wise. The picture above is an irrigation gate that leads into our property in Pena Blanca.

However, I will say that in one area Albuquerque needs to wake up.  Our neighborhood park is getting as bald as I am.  There has not been an ounce of water applied to it in months and it looks worse than it ever has.  Normally, there is enough winter rain or snow to get the parks through, but not this year.  The response to this has been non existent by the city and it will show soon.  Parks should be green for visitors.  The neighborhood is giving up sodded lawns to save water but green spaces are still very much needed.  

Luke and Noelle

We are visiting our daughter Noelle and son in law Luke in Fort Collins, Co.  They are doing great here and are well employed and super active as athletes too.  They like to sit on their front porch swing and soak in the winter sun.

They made a great decision in moving here from Phoenix.  The summers are mild and the winters are for skiing!  The restaurants are incredible in Fort Collins' Old Town.

Meet Your Constituent

I can't wait to see what happens the next time republican congressmen conduct a town hall.  It may be that a whole new group of folks show up, with tar and feathers, to discuss the loss of their jobs due to the meat cleaver job cuts that will occur in the next few weeks due to the 'sequester.'

I wonder if any of these guys would really hold a town hall.  It would be both a foolish and courageous thing to do.  I hope they do it.

Will we hear from Governor Martinez and Mayor Berry on what they will do to help New Mexico through this?  It will affect us more than most.  Could a public works job program be funded while the legislature is still in session?  Over and above the normal capital improvements spending which will take a long time to generate jobs.  But that would take some real effort and leadership and political skill.  Do they have it in them?  Things can happen quickly when needed.

We are still up here in Fort Collins, Co.  I watched TV news up here and it was actually pretty good.  Informative.  No sex story of the day.  Or rescued puppies.  Or dash cam video.  At least in the show that I watched.  They even got the Governor on camera for an interview that wasn't limited to specific topics.  Like we will ever see that in NM with our feeble journalistic efforts in TV these days.