Empty Chair.....

Should we shame Governor Susana Martinez for her lack of leadership skills?  Yes, we should. Did she ever try to hammer out some compromises amongst the partisans in the Legislature, which ended with no capital outlay bills?

This is on her as much as the leadership in the houses. She reigns over chaos. Watch your highways, bridges and infrastructure fall apart. No wonder we are now number 2 in poverty rates. When even government fails to provide jobs, then there is something wrong with the leadership.  I suspect the guys who run the cleaning crews in the Capitol are showing more leadership that her by just making sure there is toilet paper available.

Did the Governor ever visit the chambers and gather together the Dems and GOP and say, “Lets try and meet each other half way on getting some bills passed?  No, from what I hear she didn’t.  Probably because she and her rightwing handlers never feel they need to meet someone halfway either.  Maybe they will go for 15%, but halfway…nah. 

Damn, how did the Land of Enchantment turn into the Land of the Hopeless.  We really don't deserve this.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Weep

Wages of Humanity

Download this little gem of a short novella by Cixin Liu, an incredible Chinese SCIFI author.  It will give you one spin on the evils of the division of wealth we are suffering.  Think evolution.

Left Early

Our friend Maragete Bagshaw, daughter of Helen Hardin and Cradoc Bashaw died today a the age of 50.  The well known painter lived eight years longer that her acclaimed mother Helen, who died of breast cancer at 42.  They were so talented it is hard to describe.

Helen's paintings adorn our walls. She was a high school classmate whose mother Pablita Velarde is world famous for her art.

This talent runs in the family for sure.  You can read Kate Nelson's remembrance of Magarete here.

End of Days

As the End of Days approaches for the NM State Legislative session, things always get silly and ridiculous but usually work themselves out as the grownups take over.  For instance, Democrat Senator Munoz of Gallup who asked a UNM Regent candidate to fire the UNM President and CFO in return for his confirmation vote will now wonder if using his phone to text this message to the candidate during the hearing was a wise thing.  And the candidate who made all of this public  showed his naivety by going public to that GOP reporter at Channel 4.  This story would not have been done if it were a republican senator that did the deed.  It is all silly but typical.  Meanwhile, most folks in the media ignore the real issues because it would take actual work to report on them.

And the hundred of bills that are awaiting action with just two days left in the session will be winnowed down to a few that might squeak through.  Mostly they will be ones that have the best lobbyists behind them.  Most of the bills will die, and that is usually a good thing.  This is the way it all works.

At least our lawmakers aren't allowing concealed weapons to be carried on college campuses like they are doing in Texas.  You really have to wonder if there is some serious natural selection occurring on our neighbor to the east in which the leadership pass laws that are dangerous and deadly to themselves and their constituents.  Those legislators in Austin are just batshit crazy.

Misc.

Albuquerque Mayor Berry has come up with $2 million dollars to throw at six nonprofit organizations to help deal with homeless problems.  The NGOs are there with their hands out and will probably put the money to good but scatter shot use.  But the fact of the matter is that this is only a kind gesture that will have little or no impact on homelessness.  This problem will not be solved until the division of wealth in this country is fixed through fair taxation of the very rich.  This $2 million dollars could leak away from a one percenter and they probably wouldn't even notice.

The Albuquerque Journal is certainly going the way of local TV News.  Two major doggie stories today.  One is a syrupy front pager and another is a nice photo of dog cuddling at UNM covering a major space on the Metro page.  Pretty soon the paper will devote as much to lost doggie stories as Facebook does to cat videos.  Arghhhhhh!

Can you imagine a presidential candidate in the USA warning voters that they better get to the polls because there are a lot of black people voting?  That is what essentially happened for Israel when that racist warmonger Netanyahu urged right-wingers to the polls yesterday because there were to many Arabs voting.  How can this country support that nation any longer?  His reelection may spell a real dissolution for Israel.

One wonders if the folks at  UNM are celebrating the loss of former UNM Regent Jaime Koch.  I am betting there are a few toasts being offered behind closed doors.  But what happens now, with two vacancies on that board?

Gasp

Damn the Juniper Pollen!

A friend said he once shot a wild turkey that had been eating Juniper berries.  When they cooked it they couldn't eat it because it tasted like rancid Gin.  When they offered some to the dog, it sniffed it and walked away.  This is not to say I hate all things Juniper.  Tanqueray is fine stuff with lime and tonic after a round of golf!  But the pollen, the damn pollen.

That UNM Regent Thing

What are the qualifications for a prospective University Regent in New Mexico?  So far as I can tell the only qualification is that you are a money funnel for the current sitting governor's campaigns.  And I mean any sitting governor, and not just Susana Martinez.

The current chaos around Matt Chandler, who's confirmation was denied by the New Mexico Senate, and the subsequent resignation of that go either way political fund raising Regent Jaime Koch is intriguing.  Why exactly did Koch feel he should resign?  Was there some deal that he would garner support for the governor's good buddy and rightwing fundraiser Chandler?  And when he failed he was told to resign?  Well, we will never know.  What a silly mess on everyone's part! And, what a peculiar system.

But the fact of the matter is that some serious thought and debate should be put into writing up qualifications for prospective Regents of all our higher ed institutions.  Like maybe a few of them could have some experience dealing with faculties, students, research, and such?  Not all regents, but at least half, maybe? Since the legislature has sent only one bill to the Governor since convening 53 days ago, the chance for any reform is about zero.  Oh, the bill that was sent was to fund the work of the legislature.

ABQ Journal vs. Solar

The Saturday edition of the Albuquerque Journal has once again enabled the fossil fuel funded whack jobs to say that Solar renewable energy is a bad thing.  Quotes from the Rio Grande Foundation and an Oped from the so called 'Citizens Alliance for Responsible Energy' have cast doubt on the idea of solar rooftop installations and strong renewable requirements aimed at Utilities.  The Alliance is run by Marita Noon, poster girl for the "Merchants of Doubt."

They are fighting a losing battle at this point.  Yesterday I played golf at Santa Ana Golf Club.  I hadn't been there since the first of the year.  I arrived to find the large parking lot covered with 269 Kilowatts of Solar panels placed atop new shade structures, similar to this photo.  The construction guys  there said it would totally cover needs of the facility which includes two restaurants.

It is interesting to watch the old coal, oil and generating model unraveling.  It can't happen soon enough.

Misc.

Apparently the stupidity  of right wing male political leaders isn't just confined to the good ole USA.  The Canadian Prime Minister is now suffering from a backlash from women in Canada for saying face veils are not liked by Canadians.  Read about it here.  It is funny.  And this is right up there with our own Senate Republicans lousing up a bill to strengthen laws against human trafficking by adding anti choice measures for women.  I am beginning to think that the human species is self selecting for extinction by continually electing male  morons to lead us.

Which leads me to Hillary Clinton.  Why are so many pundits saying she is the only one Democrats are thinking about as a Presidential candidate?  I certainly would pick her over anyone from the bush family, but frankly I am just tired of the Clinton/bush oligarchy.  Let's find some new blood and fast.  I say look to Senator Kirstin Gillibrand for a female candidate, or some young male Senator like a Martin Heinrich.  Let's go for someone at least 25 years younger that that war loving John McCain.  And I say this as a guy who is almost seventy.

Speaking of which, looks like I might make it to 80 after completing my prostate cancer radiation treatments today.  I got 45 sessions with a sophisticated machine.  I have been somewhat trapped for the last nine weeks as I went through this regime.  I put almost 900 miles on my car going back and forth every morning.  It was like going to work before I retired.  But now I can go back to a decent diet and I can do my early morning walks with no fatigue.  Thanks to the science, Doctors and radiation therapists at the New Mexico Cancer Center for being so professional and efficient.

Misc.

One wonders who controls the New Mexico State Legislature.  My opinion is that the one percenters and the religious fundamentalists get to decide how much time is frittered away in committees and on the floors of the State Senate and House.  Going right along with that is the media who thinks these issues are what is important.  I am talking about so called 'right to work' and anti abortion bills.  Every year these waste time and every year they go down to defeat.  But these greedy and holy folks just don't seem to care that other more important issues, like job creation and infrastructure rebuilding, just get shoved aside in order to engage in culture wars.  This will never end.

Those High School Seniors have backed down on having a theme of "Prom...unism" for their Prom after the right wing was aroused by Channel 13's new bid to become the National Enquirer of New Mexico.  One can only wonder if the Station manager, news director, producers and reporters are all on the payrolls of those two groups I mentioned above.  Everything they do is aimed at reporting more geared to the 1950's rather than a new millennium.  So far as I know, Larry Barker might be the only journalist left there and he is marginalized towards mostly attacking government in his reports.

ISMs

I can't begin to fathom the paranoia that a High School Senior Class has caused by naming the theme for their prom.....Prom..unism.  The right wing thinks they have turned into a bunch of commies and the fringe are reacting like McCarthyites.

That 'ism' is scary to them.  How about Catholicism, Presbyterianism, republicanism, egoism and several hundred other isms in this list?

And if it does represent communism I am overjoyed because I had been under the impression that most high school seniors would not know what it is.  I remember our Sophmore year at St Pius X HS in Albuquerque when Father Alan Cushing taught a civics class.  The first semester he indoctrinated us into being commies.  We would wear armbands with the hammer and sickle.  Then in the second semester he would demolish that form of government as American Catholic priests were required to do.  I can't imagine this course could ever be presented today because of our current right wing tea party crazies marching on the school boards.

And of course the media loves a story about this kind of thing.  They should get as upset with the term racism.  Which is exactly what the President of Oklahoma University has done by throwing off of campus the SAE fraternity for singing a song in which they stated a 'nigger' would never be a member of the SAE. Read the statement here.

You have to see the SAE  video of it to believe it.   Those guys would all qualify as members of Mitch McConnell's Senate Majority who are willing to destroy our nation by obstructing at every turn a black President's effort to govern.

Misc.

The new State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is making a lot of amateurish blunders as he tries to grease the skids for friends and family.  He gave a lucrative contract to a Otero County Commissioner, Ronnie Rardin, who in turn attempted to give Aubrey Dunn's son more work representing Otero County by trying to fire the County Attorney.  This Commissioner Rardin, a Christian Pastor and sagebrush rebellion rancher wing nut has an interesting past.  Just google him.  Like the time he tried to walk into the courthouse with a fully loaded semiautomatic pistol.

Commissioner Dunn's son doesn't like me much after I criticized their campaign for putting up blatant lies on TV in order to oust incumbent Commissioner Ray Powell, who just sat there and did nothing to counter it and thus lost the race.  Here is what this good Christian man had to say about me last November.

And Otero County wants him representing them?  Well, I guess not because the other Commissioners
said no.

State Auditor Tim Keller put out a release on his investigation into unused funds sitting around the state treasury.  Most of them are restricted in that they must be used for certain purposes.  But it might be time to look at freeing up some of the other funds to put together a pot of money for economic development.  Or maybe the cities and counties could get some relief on their infrastructure needs.  One wonders if there can be any sort of imaginative thinking in the Governor's office or Legislature to make this kind of thing happen!

Southwest

There were six peanuts in the bag! Smaller seat space, so smaller snacks.

Sent from my iPhone

Misc.

Score another loss for the Governor and Mayor as the Arabian Horse Show leaves New Mexico and heads for Oklahoma.  That  is the state that Senator Inhofe represents and embarrasses.  He recently took a snowball onto the Senate floor to prove climate change is a hoax.  But since they have invested in their facilities and infrastructure they won the lucrative horse show.  Something we just ignore in this era of GOP leadership in the Land of Enchantment.  Life is too short!

I plan on watching the new TV series "Dig" which was produced in Albuquerque.  One reason I am interested in it is that it is supposedly a 10 part miniseries.  It has a beginning and an end, hopefully.  Some of these other shows seem to go on forever with no end in sight.  Kind of like Downton Abbey which has celebrated the shallow lives of the Crawley family for so many years.  But, damn, I watch them all.

I am off to see our grand daughters in Fort Collins and then drive Bobbi home.  She has been camping out there helping to take care of the twins since October.  Noelle and her husband have found really  good in home daycare for Kate and Alex so Bobbi gets liberated!  She went up there the day after she retired from the US Forest Service.

Cowardice

This is the statement released on Congresswoman Michelle Grisham Lujan's facebook page tonight after she attended Netanyahu's speech in which he pretty much said we should trust him and not our own elected President.

"Today, I attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress. The Prime Minister has been consistent on his approach to Iran and today he brought his case directly to Congress and the American people. It is clear there is agreement on the threat that a nuclear Iran would pose to Israel and the world. However, while he was clear about the threat, the Prime Minister did not articulate an alternative path that prevents a nuclear Iran. His pessimism toward any negotiated deal with Iran is understandable. Even so, all options should remain on the negotiating table as we pursue our shared goal of keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran’s leaders."

This is without a doubt the biggest bullshit statement I have ever....ever seen come out of a Congressional member who pretends to be a democrat but shows no inclination to act like one.  Never will I support her again.  Lujan is pandering for donations from pro Israeli PACs, the defense industry, and anti peace operatives.  It is nauseating.  

Channel 13 Gets Suckered

Have the religious fundamentalists got an in with the KRQE NEWS dept?  One might think so after the story on a cancellation of a Charles Darwin historical series at the NM Museum of Natural History.  Except there wasn't any thing scheduled.  I asked for some illumination on this issue from a person in the know, and this is what he sent to me.  A couple of 'Intelligent Design' engineers who believe in the power of fairy dust conned the station into running this item.

This whole thing was driven by News 13 being conned into running the "story" by the local "Intelligent Design" (ID) crowd. Briefly, the museum had a Darwin Day event in 2014 (OVER A YEAR AGO). There was a brief error of attribution of an New Mexico Science and Reason event as co-sponsored by the museum in a flyer, but this was corrected LAST YEAR, BEFORE the event even took place. The museum tried to explain things to the ID folk (this is the Feb. 7, 2014 letter shown on News 13), but by that time the ID people were committed to pushing the false claim that "the museum is sponsoring anti-religion talks, so it should sponsor ID talks too." They made a huge stink about it last year, but then, the local news people knew better than to run a non-story. Cut to this year, the museum has a new director, and there wasn't any effort to do another big Darwin Day like the one of 2014. The group didn't even do Darwin Day this year.

Here's what the ID people really want: to have the museum sponsor their pseudoscience. That's why they are saying the museum "cancelled" Darwin Day. But it's not an annual event. We did have a few Darwin Days before, during, and after 2009 (bicentennial of Origin of Species), but our Feb 2010 NMSR meeting was about patent law. Why didn't News 13 run a story on why we "cancelled" Darwin Day in 2010? Our Feb. 2011 meeting was on early American anthropology. Where was the outrage then? Our Feb. 2012 meeting was on science for the public (w/ Sandra Blakeslee of the NYT). Where were the protests that year? In 2013 we did Lake Monsters. Again, no ID protests, no News 13 "Story."

If you want to complain, please don't bother the museum. Tell that News 13 sorry excuse for a reporter, Tina Jensen, and the anchor Dean Staley, that they were CONNED into running a non-story that makes it look like the ID folks are being "discriminated against." THAT is the story here.(IMHO)

And in fairness, the Governor's Office was apparently not responsible for their being no Darwin Day. But they do believe fairy dust will ultimately fix New Mexico's economy.

Tripping

The Journal did a good recap of Governor Martinez's political fund raising travel.  She has been out of state for an astounding 272 days since she was elected Governor.  It is a lot more than I would have suspected.  And once again I ask the question, how many days was she out of state on economic development trips?  If she did take some of those trips she isn't saying so because it would probably show her as being highly ineffective at attracting desperately need jobs.  I actually don't  get real upset about her fund raising absences, but I go get pretty worked up about her total cluelessness on the state of our economy.  What the hell does she do all day?

This story was was the result of legal actions by the Santa Fe Reporter, a solid weekly newspaper in the Capitol.  They Governor's spokesman Enrique Knell could only respond that the Reporter was, " a left wing weekly tabloid."  It is one thing for a blogger to say such things, but a state paid employee of our highest elected official will have that quote follow him for the rest of his career.  It is typical for this republican administration where they always attack the messenger instead of responding to the issue.

On another item, I am very proud of Senator Martin Heinrich's decision to not attend Netanyahu's address to congress.  This severe disruption of diplomacy by Speaker Boehner is very damaging.  Now, one can only wonder why Senator Udall, Congresswoman Michelle Grisham Lujan, and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan are attending.  Gee, do  you think it has something to do with pro Israeli PACs?  Shame on them.

Say It Isn't So!

We New Mexicans are so screwed(Click here).

And did the governor's office ask that this be done?  This could turn into a very interesting story.  I hope it gets legs.

Catching Hell

I have caught all sorts of hell from County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins for my criticism of the Commission's passage of a super regressive tax to fund mental health services and general county operations.  But his has been done and it will stick, for a while anyway.

Now we all need to keep a sharp eye on how this money will be spent.  Which nonprofit organizations will be lining up the get the mental health money to provide services?  Because I can only assume that is where that money will go.  Since there was no plan formulated on how this money was to be spent, it will be a free for all as the money gets doled out.  At the very least this Commission needs to come up with some measurable outcomes for the use of this money.  How do we know it will be used effectively?

Maggie pretty much said in some emails to me she didn't care about her political career, that this was the right thing to do.  I never argued that providing services was bad.  It was the funding mechanism and lack of planning I was criticizing.  And on top of it the Commission raised taxes to cover up their total mismanagement of the overall budget for operations.  And they raised it many times the amount needed to correct the problem.

Meanwhile, the heavy load of these taxes is put on the poor and middle class.

Goes Around Comes Around

When I ran for my first elective office back in 1981 I won a primary election that was said to be un-winnable for me.  That culminated in my first term as State Land Commissioner.  I won the primary for a lot of reasons, but possibly the one that put me over the top was the Oil Pump Jack that had been placed in front of the Land Office by then Commissioner Alex Armijo.  He managed to estrange every voter in Santa Fe by this callous placement on one of the main entryways into the historical Plaza.  I was running against Armijo's picked successor, Oscar Jordan in the Democratic Primary.  He had the support of all of the extractive industry folks that normally plundered the Land Office due to low royalty rates and subsidized grazing fees.  But when the votes came in from Santa Fe and environs in the north that Primary election night, I beat the machine.  That pump jack that had sat in front of the Land Office won it for me.

Cicero said, "We learn nothing from history except we learn nothing from history."   Current right-winger Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn just decided he would remove the beautiful public art from the front of the land office and replace it with a pump jack.  A symbolic and yet real step backwards from a more enlightened era for the Land Office.

Two Inches

I sent this around to my son in upstate New York to prove that his home town is toughing it out.  He  probably wasn't to impressed as the snow in his front and back  yard has accumulated to about five feet in depth.

Yesterday I commented on the military style training DOE is providing to APD saying, "Who knew?"  I guess I did because this was supposedly going on during my term as Mayor.  I remember visiting the Police Academy many times, but I really don't remember visiting DOE's facility.  It  is quite possible I didn't know, but that was almost 20 years ago and can't be sure.  It is still a bad idea.

What?

Channel 13 just did a story on a lost chicken.  It really happened. This means that things in Dick Knipfing's old newsroom aren't to the point of throwing blows like at Channel 4.  It just means......  I don't know what it means.

APD/DOE

Albuquerque Police Officers are undergoing training at hard military tactics provided by the Department of Energy?  Who knew?  What good does it do to clean up APD's training program so that it will turn out public servant/officers when the DOE is giving them a 'kill em all' type of training?

Well, thank you Congresswoman Michele Grisham Lujan for asking DOE to cease such training for APD and local law enforcement.  As she points out, 28 fatal police shootings since 2010, might be indicative of too much macho regimens.

Definition Required

I have not commented much on the KOBTV anchorman/reporter to-do  in the newsroom.  This stuff happens often and I have said on facebook, jokingly, they were probably fighting over which lost dog story with smart phone video should be the lead story.  But only if there wasn't a sex related story to do first.

But a quote by the news director on the incident is very curious.  She said that 25 year veteran anchor man Tom Joles was having trouble getting used to a 'modern day newsroom'.   What the hell does that mean?  That is the real story here and it actually might redeem Joles in my view in the long run.  Of course it is really hard to tell what it was all about, but the news director should give us a definition of her idea of a modern day newsroom.

We all know local TV news is about as informative as a Guantanamo prisoner.  We get 90% junk with an occasional piece of journalism.  Such as Larry Barker's story on Hospital billing ripoffs on KRQE the other night.

And in the end it is kind funny to know that this all KOB stuff was made public by a newsroom employee sending off information to media gossip sites.  They have their own whistle blower!  Hah!

Misc.

The new cowboy promoter,  State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, has reportedly hired Jim Lane who mysteriously was shown the door  at the Game and Fish Department 15 months ago.  Lane who came from Kentucky to run the department was a great proponent of Coyote killing contests, trapping,  and other cowboy favoring issues.  But no one has been able to ferret out why he left Game and Fish after such a short tenure.  Were there some inappropriate behaviors involved?  Did Dunn check him out to see if they were serious problems?  And what will Lane's responsibility be at the Land Office?  Will he encourage Coyote killing contests on state trust land?  Or will he let leg traps, which as Commissioner in the 90's I forbade, be reinstated?  Dunn should state his positions on these issues to make them clear.

The legitimate hunting sportsmen with conservation values better watch this closely.  Here is a story by the Santa Fe Reporter about him. 

A reasonable compromise on a motorcycle helmet law would be that if a rider sustains a head injury in an accident then his insurance could deny payment for his care and no public funds could be expended in hospitals on the injured's behalf.   That sounds cruel, but I am not sure that riding without a helmet should victimize taxpayers or insurance policy rates.

Lauren Villigran

The Journal's southern NM correspondent wrote an excellent Up Front Column today on the immigration and border security issues.  It is a dose of reality for all of those xenophobic Americans who think brown people from the south will kill us all.  Just look at some of the facebook comments on her column.  Gee, they don't think that way about Canadians.  I wonder why?

Essentially, Lauren says the current hysteria is a tempest in a teapot.  Read the article and you will find out we are spending triple the money while the illegal border crossing has fallen by 86% since the year 2000.  And it isn't because of enforcement.

And then think of the time wasted on the drivers license issue in Santa Fe over the last five  years.  Instead of working on this kind of nonsense, why not work on economic development?  Mexicans have stop coming across the border in the New Mexico sector because Governor Susana Martinez is incompetent in bringing jobs to our state.

Once again, how many trips has she taken with her economic development team outside the state?  We know she is constantly outside the state raising money for other right wing candidates.  Could she squeeze out a little time to show she cares about our economic malaise?   In this lifetime?

Misc.

When Walmart starts raising the wages they pay their food stamp collecting employees you know that for the most part the economy is steaming up and the competition for workers is increasing.  Except in New Mexico where our GOP legislators can't even stomach a 50 cent raise in the minimum wage for our own workers.  I can't understand what goes through the minds of these people.  Most scientists say such rightwing behaviors are caused by certain structures in the brain.  (Likewise for us lefties.)  But when it gets down to 50 cents an hour you know they have some pretty strange brains.

Former Governor Richardson had an oped in the Journal this morning saying Governor Martinez needs to stop blaming him for everything that is wrong in New Mexico.  He would like her to start working to fix our dismal and depressing economic problem.  That got me to thinking, what does she do all day?  Everyone has their own opinions about Richardson, but he worked very hard.  I have no idea what Susana does in the course of a week.  How many out of state trips has she taken in the last five years with her economic development team?  Does anyone know?  Does anyone care?  Doubtful.  All she needs to do is appear at a school and read to kids and the voters think she is fine thank you.  She has done little to make a future for those kids and she will be long gone before it shows.

And one just has to stand in awe of Governor Scott Walker who is so afraid of losing the really brain impaired tea party types that he has to give up on issues like family planning and toe the line of the extremist fundamentalists.  He used to support a woman and her medical provider making decisions on pregnancy, but now he has reversed himself.  This is what the republican party has become because of the people who show up to vote in their primary elections.  Only the dogma driven crazies cast their ballots.  

Skeptic

I attended Michael Shermer's lecture yesterday and truly enjoyed it.  He is the publisher of Skeptic Magazine.  Some comments on my posts say he is nothing more than a libertarian, but if he is, it didn't really come through in his talk yesterday. He summarized his book, "The Moral Arc."  Essentially he says things are better now in almost every category on earth as far as freedom and democracy are concerned.  Things are better mostly because of the application of science and reason.  Even rank and file republicans believe that and are now concerned about climate change.  They are coming around.

Pols and bloggers, of which I have done both, are usually in the business of saying how bad things are, but if one really does look back at history of the human race, its obvious things are better than they used to be.  His examples included the phenomenon of the acceptance of gay marriage.  Ten years ago everyone was aghast at the notion.  Now it just elicits a shoulder shrug in most nations.  Live and let live grows.

Now, back to reality.  Things could be better in New Mexico if the legislature and Governor could just go ahead and raise the gas tax.  Senator John Arthur Smith said in a Journal oped this morning that is the only way to plan a highway rehab effort.  And I agree.  Now is the time to do it.  The Governor's plan to borrow money through a bond issue is not sensible and is a one time shot.  It would have New Mexicans pay all the bills while truckers and tourists don't pay their fair share for using the roads.

Kate on the Rebound

Cheeky Kate Currell, one of our twin granddaughters is on a great rebound.  She is going home a different baby in a few days.  Two holes patched in her heart and she is much stronger.  Noelle and her husband Luke have been exemplary through this ordeal.  When her little twin sister Alex was in the room with her last night and let out a cry, Kate opened her eyes as to say, "where have you been?"

Science and Surgeons

This is our grand daughter Katy Currell.  She and her twin sister were born to our daughter Noelle and husband Luke last October 25th, 11 weeks premature.  Katy had a hole in heart that was life threatening and today at the age of 3 1/2 months she underwent open heart surgery. She is doing well and has some hurdles to cross, but the surgeons said things went perfectly.

 Researchers. scientists and surgeons saved her.  I am happy that so many people have rooted for her, whether religious or not.  We appreciate both prayers and hopes.  But I especially want to thank the Federal Government and non profit research sector for being so good at funding life saving science.  Katy has a real chance at a great life.

Misc.

It was no surprise that the rightwing editorial page of the Journal would endorse a longer general election campaign by moving the primary election to an earlier date.  Of course this would give the likes of Koch brothers more time to spend more money in our state's elections.  This editorial appeared in the same issue as Winthrop Quigley's thoughtful Upfront column on the front page that shows data that business special interest groups donate 15 times as much money to campaigns as do public interest groups.  The upshot is that the so called Right to Work legislation in Santa Fe means to widen that gap even more.  His column is really worth a read.

SciFi author and futurist David Brin has a good blog today on how pessimists actually stop change that they want.  He may be talking about the rest of us bloggers.  Despite all of my grousing I do understand  that most things today are better than ever.  I will be attending a lecture at the Unitarian Church on Carlisle NE.  Skeptic magazine publisher Michael Shermer will speak on his new book,
"The Moral Arc: How Science Leads Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom."  It should be fun.

Blinked

The Bernalillo County Commission, thanks to Art de la Cruz, has blinked in its full steam ahead effort to raise the regressive gross receipts tax.  This is a good thing.  Of course, everyone wants some effective means of funding mental health services, but  the efforts being made did not seem planned out on how the money should be spent.  There was a lot of mixing up of addiction and mental illness. Many times they go hand in hand for sure.

An obvious way to me to fund all of this is to just legalize drugs and then use all the money that is currently being pounded down rat holes for the so called 'War on Drugs' on mental health care.  But  that is a pipe dream as long as the Justice system and the law enforcement industrial complex fights it.  Survival of the fittest!

Meanwhile, lets hope the County Commissioners can pare down these tax hikes after some exhaustive needs assessments.

Taxing in Many Ways

I don't know what is more taxing, the Bernalillo County Commission getting ready to raise regressive gross receipts taxes on the poor, or the Albuquerque Journal blaming public servant employees for the situation.

First, I am dead set against these taxes with out a vote of the public.  When I served as Mayor we went to the public for a quarter cent increase in gross receipt taxes for our transportation efforts at building a bus system that worked and repairing our city streets.  The public voted for it.  As they did for a bond issue for the new Isotopes baseball stadium which turns a great profit for the city.  At that time , 1999, it lifted the tax to 5.25%.  Manageable.  But north of 7% is another matter.  I have a feeling that this might be voted down on the Commission if they regain their senses.

Second, The Albuquerque Journal editorialized against the move, like I just did, but blamed county employees for the mess instead of the elected officials.  The Journal's continued, well hatred, for public servants is bizarre.  They might be amongst the few jobs left in this city that provide a reasonable living for our citizens.  I would guess that a good proportion of the newspaper's subscribers are pubic employees and retirees.  If you look at the paper's edition this morning and see that there are barely three pages of classified ads and fewer display ads then you know that paper is in trouble too.  Talk about biting the hand that feeds  you!

Prediction time.....The Journal will be undergoing some really drastic changes.  It must if it is going to survive in any form.  I am guessing it will be down to three or four issues a week before long.  Or just turn into a web version of its former self.

Reckless

A couple of things happened over the last week that turned out to be a reckless execution of best intentions.  Both involved to some extent the inept Mayor Berry administration and one was aided by a poorly thought out charitable act.

I can't get my arms around Mayor Berry's ham fisted invasion of the Rio Grande Bosque.  His incursion with earth movers to put in trails was a slap in the face of all of the groups that have been trying to work out a way of getting more visitors into the Bosque with as little damage to the natural setting as possible.

This is damage.  

We took a walk in the area this morning and I can't really say this has been well done and thought out.  My hiking companion said walking on the newly cleared trails made him feel he wasn't in the midst of the Bosque as before, but merely looking at it.  I think he  is right.

This photo shows the old vs. new trail.

And then there was the coalition in the Barelas neighborhood who unilaterally invited a homeless tent city onto a vacant lot near an old neighborhood.  It was done with out talking to the neighbors or to the owner of the land.  How inept was that?

I snapped this photo this morning at the site.  If I were one of the nearby homes I would be pretty much upset too.  Good intentions, and badly handled.  What did the coalition think would happen?

The Lunacy

The lunacy continues in Santa Fe at the Capitol.  State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn and his little boy are all behind the notion that they can take over the federal public lands in New Mexico because, well they just think so.  They still haven't read the State Enabling Act and Constitution and are still proving themselves nothing more that tools for the fossil fuel and agricultural interests in the Land of Enchantment.  The bill letting this proceed just slithered through its first committee on a 9-1 vote in the newly GOP controlled House of Representatives.

They will spend millions on putting together a large board to study the issue while school children share text books in some of our schools.  And  they will make fools of themselves once again as we fight this 50th rendition of the so called 'Sagebrush Rebellion.'  It is almost too much to endure.  I mean really, think about it.  These guys in charge of our National Parks, Monuments and Wildlife Refuges?

But it will not happen.  This is all about creating divisions in our society. Aubrey Dunn and his ilk are behind it.

That photo above of White Sands National Monument is missing something isn't it?  Like drilling rigs.  That is what this issue is about.  Getting access for the extractive industries and the cowboys to unfettered exploitation.

This photo of my daughter Noelle was taken at White Sands in 1989.  She loved our numerous visits there.  I am hopeful she will be able to take her new twin girls there as they grow up.  It is a magical place.

Misc.

The idea that New Mexico should move its primary elections date to an even earlier time is being pushed by the GOP at the legislature.  Why?  Well because that way the Koch brothers and their 1% brethren can have more time to spend even more money on general elections.  The idea that it would give New Mexico more national attention is just bullshit.  (APD has fulfilled that job) It is meant to use American corporate power even more ruthlessly against our democracy.  This bill is right up there with attempts by the fossil fuel boys and ranchers who insist that federal public lands are really state lands and should be turned over to them.  Of course this will never happen but it does camouflage the real issues in Santa Fe.

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District has a new General Manager.  This is one of the most  ignored taxing authorities in the state and it is one of the most powerful.  It manages to get urban dwellers to pay for 90% of the costs of irrigation systems for farmers.  It controls vast amounts of water with little or no interference from anyone.  It is run by a board that has never been able to break away from petty politics and bad management.  Maybe the new guy can make some headway, but I doubt it.  I wish him good luck.

Misc.

While I was up in Colorado being a grandparent for a few days I followed legislative happenings in Santa Fe.  I tried to put it all in a perspective of how it would affect my new twin grand daughters if they were to ever move back to the New Mexico.

First, on a very refreshing note is a bill introduced by a republican, Representative Terry McMillan of Las Cruces, that would protect pregnant women workers in our state.  Having watched the travails of our daughter since October, we really should do better about being more flexible in work schedules and leave times for pregnant women.

However, most other legislators on both sides of the aisle are spending their time on issues that bear little weight in preparing New Mexico to be a welcoming and prosperous place for Alex and Katy.  Culture war issues, like abortion, so called right to work laws, and gun issues, are really taking unnecessary time.  But it is a way to keep the sap public from realizing they are being had on better wages and a progressive tax system.

I wish everyone could travel to other states and just take in their participation in the recovering economy.  It might open some real debate in Santa Fe and finding a way to get New Mexico caught up.

Three

Noelle and Bobbi
Alex and Katy. I am homeward bound.

Quality Time

Babies and Me.

I am off to see our granddaughters Katy and Alex in Fort Collins. They have been home two weeks now after spending 10 weeks in the NICU. They are doing well and both now over 8 pounds. I went into the laundry room and came out to be halted in my packing by Ajax the cat. He never misses a chance for a snooze in the luggage.

I have reached the halfway point in my radiation treatments for prostate cancer. I have climbed on to this machine 23 times and have another 22 sessions to go. It is all pretty easy and the side effects are not too bad. Just a little fatigue and getting up a few times in the night. This thing is essentially a linear accelerator that shoots photons.

Pot Holes

That GOP run House of Representatives in the New Mexico state legislature might be a metaphor for a pothole.  At the same time they are guaranteeing that we will all be victims of potholes on our state roads and highways.  Even the ABQ Journal seems to think it might be a good idea with plummeted gasoline prices that the time is right to increase the per gallon tax.  But, republican Jason Harper of Rio Rancho, says  that any additional monies brought in would would cause too much pain for New Mexico taxpayers.  Highly stupid comment.  Think of the pain to your wallet of having to fix your car's alignment every week or so.  His fellow GOP wing nuts agreed with him.  This may be the most intellectually unarmed gaggle ever to serve in the legislature.  Better call Saul when your accident is caused by a lack of road maintenance.  And then send these idiots the bill.

I am willing to bet these same guys liked the tabling of that payday loan interest curtailment bill.  

MISC.

The legislature, with the help of the media,  is really good at camouflaging their work in Santa Fe.  They have a lot of experience in manipulating young reporters into covering issues that are really peripheral to what needs  attention.  Coyote killing contests are getting the most ink right now.  Dog fighting will be next once again after a front page story in the Journal this morning.

The media is spending time keel hauling legislators who let lobbyists hang out in their offices and use their coat racks.  This has been going on for a century but all of a sudden republicans are calling democrats on to the carpet for the practice.  Lots of ink and airtime on this nothing burger of a story.

In the meantime the lawmakers have tabled a bill capping payday loan rates to 36% interest per annum.  Currently these blood sucking bastards charge people most in need up to 346% in interest.  When the revolution comes (dream on) these will be the first people hunted down.

Minimum wage hikes have been killed so far, but emotionally charged sex laws move quickly.

New Mexico's continuing downward economic spiral gets little notice even while our high learning institutions continue to suffer and cut class offerings.  CNM has cut 500 classes due to lower enrollment because a lot of kids just can't afford to go to school while working minimum wage jobs that the legislature think pays just fine.

APD Shell Game

Retired APD Sergeant Dan Klein sent this to me today.  It is certainly worth using in its entirety.

"KOAT reports that APD Academy has 21 cadets, down from 26.  This is probably accurate.

KOAT goes on to report that APD has 935 sworn officers.  APD Tanner Tixier stated that APD lost around 40 officers at the end of 2014.

Why does the media just accept APD numbers without asking for proof?

Attorney Tom Grover said that at the APOA vs PERA court hearing on December 23, 2014 APD stated that they had far less than 900 officers.  On January 16 2015 on 770 KKOB Richard Berry stated that APD had 903 officers.  Now on February 2, 2015, two weeks later, we are told by APD that they have 935 officers.  APD's numbers don't make any sense, they contradict themselves over the last 45 days.  Add to this APD Tanner Tixier stating that APD lost almost 40 officers at the end of 2014 and the current academy class is still in session.  These numbers APD is providing don't make any sense.  Just look at Berry's numbers compared with Tanner Tixier numbers today.  APD would have grown by 32 officers in just 2 weeks.  I don't think so, do you?

Why can't we get a straight answer from APD and Berry.  In just over a month APD cries wolf that they are going to lose all sorts of cops, Yet they go to the media and say they are very close to max staffing (1,000 officers).  Why hasn't the media picked up all of these different numbers and point out how they don't make sense and demand, on air, an accurate accounting of all APD officers?  And where, exactly are they assigned?

I have lost faith in what Berry and APD say.  Notice how I say APD, we never see Eden or any command staff member making these announcements.  They dump it on Tanner and Simon. And poor Tanner he has to go on TV and say that APD has 935 officers, that over half are answering calls for service and that "APD is real busy" so citizens will just have to wait for Priority 2 and 3 calls but not for Priority 1.  This is exactly the opposite from what the media and city council have reported.  Yet Tanner doesn't get confronted with the actual facts and the citizens don't get the real story.

I believe the real story is APD has a lot of closet positions for police officers who don't want to do uniform patrol.  That APD has lots of calls, including priority 1, holding at any given time and that APD has very few officers working Field Services with a primary function as call takers (SWAT, K9, Horse Mounted don't take calls for service, they don't make arrests and they don't write reports).  The only officers who actually count in uniform patrol are the officers working out of each area command taking dispatch calls.  The retired rehires who work duplicating APS Police duties in schools do not count.   The Street Cop needs the real story to come out, they are the blue knights who are stretched thin with no support.

Can someone get a straight answer from Berry and APD on exactly how many full time sworn police officers we currently have and where are they assigned.  Are they counting cadets?  Are they counting part timers.  APD / Berry need to prove their numbers, because their statements over the last 45 days just don't make any sense.  They need to be put on the spot and asked to explain why the different numbers and for them to prove the real numbers on the date they are asked.

It's not that hard.  Chief Polisar, Chief Galvin and Chief Schultz knew exactly how many officers they had, and where they were working, everyday.  I am sure the same is true for Chief Eden, but for some reason he doesn't want to tell the public / media.  Why?  What are they hiding?  These are our tax dollars, we deserve to know the truth and not spin.

APD also needs to prove their statement that Priority 1 calls are not holding.  And just how long are Priority 2 and 3 calls holding?  I don't trust this administration, their own statements contradict themselves and they never provide proof.  Do you trust their numbers?  If you don't, then you shouldn't report them without proof."

Misc.

The Mayor was quick on the spot to travel to Mexico to get press ops next to the successful Two Eagles balloonists.  There is nothing wrong with that at all, except I wish he had been quick on the APD and economic disaster in our city as well.

The new republican State Land Commissioner told the legislature he could take over the federal public lands in the state and manage them.  This is simply trash talk from a cowboy who apparently thinks that the federal government stole those lands from New Mexico.  I would suggest that Aubrey Dunn read his state's own enabling act and constitution to figure out how all of this works.  So far, he is not studying very hard.

If the Governor Susana Martinez vetoes a minimum wage hike for the 1 percenters again, she will really go down in history as a corrupt and immoral Governor.

My Blog Too

Good stuff here.  Even when you read my blog you should remember this.  Yes, I am a leftie...but I don't set out to give bad facts or even lies.

An Alternate Reality

An Alternate Reality exists on the 7th floor of Albuquerque's City Hall.  In response to a couple of devastating articles in Rolling Stone and the New Yorker Magazine, Mayor Berry's reactive quote in the Journal today was,

“No one likes or wants bad press for their communities, yet all cities receive it from time to time,” Mayor Richard Berry said. “Our goal in Albuquerque should be to write our own story instead of letting others write it for us … We live in a wonderful city with a rich history and a bright future, and we need to build our city up rather than letting outsiders and those in our very own community tear it down.”

"OUTSIDERS?"  I don't think outsiders were the ones giving quotes and information to the magazines.

I am not sure at this point if Berry and his aides and advisors fully understand the legacy they are leaving in their wake.  It is just denial on their part. On the good side of all of this is Senator Jerry Ortiz Y Pino really stated clearly that the leaders and even general public in our city are hardly engaged in the seriousness of this problem.

They Mayor might want to write a history here that he likes better than reality.  But to the economic development teams and CEO's who must decide where to place their next site, that will hardly matter.

Here is a quote from a former high school classmate yesterday.  It is very upsetting to me that anyone would think this way, but they do.  "Albuquerque is too big, too dangerous and too polluted to consider moving back there but it's ok to visit for the great New Mexican cuisine and especially to see family and old friends."  

Gathers No Moss

Now Rolling Stone Magazine is out with its investigative piece into the Albuquerque Police Department.  Mayor Berry and his minions have run out of eyes to blacken.  Does anyone care?  Apparently not enough.  But more and more former Mayor Marty Chavez is also getting some scrutiny in this disaster as well as Darren White, that GOP operative who ran public safety for Mayor Berry.

State Land Commissioner

Newly elected State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is proving himself not only an enemy of renewable energy, but also an enemy of the future.  He is delaying, after five years of negotiations between all parties, the SUNZIA renewable energy transmission line across New Mexico.  The Federal government in cooperation with the Defense Department approved the line last week, as did former State Land Commissioner Ray Powell. Dunn's rightwing stalling of a project that will benefit our state's economy is the result of his closeness to the fossil fuel industry and livestock operators.  Would he have stalled an oil pipeline across the same right of way?  Doubtful.  The line will invest Billions in the state's economy through construction and additional jobs for maintenance and further renewable development.

If Dunn is serious about using state lands as something more than subsidy providers for the extractive industries, then he better get this approval back on track, and quickly.  I am hopeful that some brave career whistle blower at the Land Office will let us know exactly what is happening here.

Fox and the Journal?

Well, maybe not the ABQ Journal just yet.  But surely Fox.  And maybe MSNBC.

Just Asking

The infantile temper tantrum disguised as an editorial in the Journal this morning condemning the Bureau of Land Management's decision to allow a renewable energy transmission line near White Sands Missile range was really over the top.

In fact I kind of wonder who really wrote that hit piece on the BLM and Senator Martin Heinrich.  I am guessing it was ghosted either by the right wing Rio Grande Foundation or the oil and gas industry PR squad.  What do you think?

Don't forget that just earlier this week the Journal wrote an article on how renewable energy was the big economic star in New Mexico's otherwise dismal jobs performance.  It is like the newspaper's general hatred of good paying federal jobs.  Kill the sectors that keep us just above disaster!

The Last Publisher

Bill Lang is taking over the title of Publisher of the Albuquerque Journal from his ailing and eccentric brother Tom Lang.  One wonders if Bill will be the last ever Publisher at that diminishing institution. I am thinking he will be unless there is some sort of dramatic changes made, starting with the Editor.

I just love reading an ink on paper publication everyday.  Both the New  York Times and Journal go a long way at taking up an hour or two in the day along with two good cappuccinos from my cool machine.  But as people like me get older the newspaper game is a goner.  When was the last time you saw anyone under 30 reading something besides a smart phone or tablet to get their news fix?  While the Journal arguably has the highest website visits in New Mexico, that certainly is not going to pay the bills of supporting anything like a good roster of serious journalists.

Someone needs to do some serious recruiting to replace the leadership at this newspaper.  New ideas and less partisanship are needed if it is to last another 5 years.  Times are changing for sure, but the Journal folks are sitting on their hands.

P.S.  I noticed that the Journal had nothing to say about that New Yorker Magazine article on our city's APD and Mayor.  At least not  yet.

Kill Zone

Once again I will link this article on APD.  It is an incredibly strong indictment of APD and local leadership by the New Yorker Magazine.