Gravity

I can see it now.  Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma will deny there are gravity waves as he falls on his ass while making a snowball to prove there is no climate change on planet earth.  You will remember he brought a snowball to his Senate desk to disprove climate change.

The announcement that gravity waves have been detected will mean little to most folks, I'm thinking Trump and Cruz supporters.  But, it is pure science and exciting to see that Einstein's theories have been proven once again.

Another issue of gravity is the continued meltdown of New Mexico's economy.  I happily filled up my Infiniti QX-60 Hybrid yesterday for $1.39 a gallon.  At the same time I fully realized that the state budget was in big trouble since our legislature has always depended on fossil fuel revenues to run state government.  The anti government GOP spends a lot of time bitching about the good solid well paying federal jobs at our national labs, military bases and such.  They think it is too big a part of our economy.  but it doesn't disappear over night causing whole regions of the state to turn into our own version of Appalachia. 

Nasty

All of those Behavioral Health Firms that were run out of business or otherwise extorted by Governor Susana have now been cleared of any misdeeds by the Attorney General Hector Balderas.  It makes the governor look like the nasty prosecutorial person she is.  In this case a lot of people lost services who really needed them, all so the Governor could  try and make Bill Richardson look bad for funding these groups.  We probably haven't heard the last of this yet.  Courtrooms will be filled with lawsuits for some time to come.

The Hillary people are getting very nasty on Bernie Sanders, because he isn't a woman?  Former Secretary of State Madeliene Albright and Feminist Gloria Steinem are berating women voters for not supporting Hillary.  If you follow their logic many New Mexicans would be put down for not supporting Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio because they are Latino.  This is pathetic.

Awakening

As we sat around the Super Bowl last night wondering why they abandoned Roman Numerals for numbering the event, and went with the regular 50 numeral instead of L for 50, we kind of decided that most people wouldn't know what L meant.  Do they even teach Roman numerals anymore?  I learned them, but mostly forgot them, but I know what L stands for in the system.  It came slowly.

Just like what is now happening in New Mexico.  People, ever so slowly, are beginning to realize just what a incompetent Governor we have.  Every day another little factoid spits itself out to the media, and to its credit even the Journal has started, reluctantly I'm sure, to see the obvious.  The Queen on the 4th floor has no clothes.

In the ABQ Journal Business section this morning they listed the decline of home values in NM since 2007.  Sure, all home values declined just about everywhere.  But everywhere has seen a rise to higher levels while NM is still in the landfill of economic indicators.

Maybe the fact that this is happening would be our falling population and ranking as having the worse unemployment problem in the U.S.  And if one listens carefully, the business community is starting to realize that there isn't much leadership on getting things better.  And they should include themselves in that  equation.

Have you ever noticed how much  political leadership, bad or good, suffers in the last half of a second term?  Instead of having two four year terms, I think sometimes one six year term would be sufficient before the leaders suffer from voter fatigue.  Along with a constitutional amendment for a six year term would be a provision for recall of statewide elected officials.  Such a recall would need some effort to pull off, but if there was enough outrage it could be done.

MISC

A National rating group says 25% of New Mexico's highways are in bad shape and costing citizens almost $2 billion a  year in vehicle damage and lost time.  The solution to this would be a simple 12 cent gasoline tax during a time of plummeting gasoline prices. And don't forget a lot of this tax would be paid by tourists and interstate commerce.  But don't hold your breath while the current ideologues hang out in Santa Fe.  The lack of leadership is appalling.

The peculiar saga of Mayor Berry's developed trail plan for the Rio Grande Bosque continues.  He and his administration are still ignoring public outcry on his quest to unnecessarily screw up that special place.  It is a tribute to stubbornness  on something that doesn't deserve the angst.  I just don't get it.  Opposition is overwhelming to this plan, and yet he keeps on pushing it.

Millenials

So, what is a candidate to do?  Millennials are up for grabs, but only if someone with real solutions could inspire them.  This focus group study from Democracy Corp is a must read for anyone that even cares about our future.  Bernie Sanders could be proof because of his support by young folks.

I was thinking this morning about our Democratic Party in NM.  Where are they?  Admittedly, I stopped taking their emails because I just couldn't stand the sophomoric statements in those missives. They are certainly not composed by someone who has any idea at all of what young people are dealing with in their lives.  Student Loans, lack of jobs, and non existent leadership have resulted in them bailing out of politics. All we get is  same old mantra from the Democratic leadership.  Probably the best thing that could happen to the Party in NM is to get a Chair  that is under 35 years old.  That might change things from a party of old-timers to a party of futurists.  It can't come soon enough.

School 1, TEA PARTY 0.

I am eating crow.  I really thought those school board bond issues were in danger because of the obsessive negativity of the Albuquerque Journal.  But smart people went to the polls and voted for education and kids.  Woo Hoo!  I feel great about being wrong.

Misc.

Ted Cruz is one scary messenger for the Christian fundamentalist fringe.  The only good thing about him winning in Iowa I think, (it is only Iowa after all), might be that he made that world renowned comb over ass a loser.  But we should all fear Ted Cruz, think about that book "The Handmaiden's Tale."  That would be his kind of America.  And how about Clinton?  Bernie showed that young people in that midwestern state are looking for some support for a future.  I have sent money to Sanders, but I am not so sure he would be a great president on the world stage.  But, I sure like what he says.

Will some brave soul in the NM Legislature really become a champion of increasing the gas tax?  There are some halfway attempts to do so at 5 cents a gallon.  But I am thinking more like 12 cents.  With our new era of gasoline prices,  this would be a painless thing to do while providing good revenue to fix our crumbling transportation infrastructure.  Where are the leaders that can broker such legislation?

What are the odds on the passage of the school bonds in the APS elections today?  Iffy at best.  The Albuquerque Journal's Editor has set up that scenario with his relentless obsession with some of the problems there.  When will the publisher of the Journal, Bill Lang, understand that his editor is out of control?  Is he absentee, or is he really as right wing as his editor?  He needs some heat and sunshine on  him as well.

Stomp the Worker

City Councillor Pat Davis is calling for support to squash Mayor Richard Berry's support for a bill introduced by his GOP handlers in the Legislature that  would lower Albuquerque's Minimum Wage.

I have been mostly a critic of Berry for his inability to handle tricky issues like APD's shooting sprees and hiring weak leaders for the department.  I think he is somewhat lost on many issues that require a Mayor's touch.  But, I had never really suspected that he would do something that could harm those people who work hard for minimum wages.  How does he think this helps our city?  While most jurisdictions debate raising the minimum wage, our Mayor supports lowering it.

We pretty much know who pulls the Mayor's strings.  The business community, the right wing GOP, the editor of the Albuquerque Journal, and his own Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry.  One might think they have no consciences.

Quite frankly, if New Mexico doesn't start electing some smart and compassionate leaders it is doomed to the cellar in terms of decency and prosperity.

Another Fall

The Land of enchantment used to be higher rated as a place for retired people to live.  This latest Kiplinger report has us at 3rd worse place for retirees in the nation.  Another Susana Martinez failure.  She dropped taxes for corporations, but not the elderly.  Click on the graphic to make it larger.

Pants on Fire

Is the New Mexico State Police Chief a liar?  Chief Pete Kassetas lashed out at a critic of Mayor Berry's plan to rehire police officers who retired and let them keep their pensions during a legislative committee hearing.  He said his department was not fully staffed.  But this letter says otherwise just a few months ago, and he had graduated a new academy class since then.  Apparently someone is not truthful here and could it be a GOP mandated lie to help a republican Mayor Berry get his legislation passed?   And, is this all an effort to weaken the Public Employees Retirement Association permanent fund so that future legislators can try and gut public employee pensions?

Susana's Legacy

Of course all of this isn't Susana's fault.  She didn't cause the great recession.  But in the six years in office she hasn't done anything to show she is working to improve things.  (This graphic appeared in the Journal this morning.  Their graphics person is very good.)

Take for instance the Coca Cola plant in Portales, NM.  It has been there since I was a kid.  We used to look on the bottom of the bottles of coke to see if they were from Portales.  Coke would do that to show you where it came from.  Has Susana been over there to chat with her supportive base to ask what she can do to help those 60 laid off employees?  Has she called Coca Cola and asked for a reprieve?  

Rainy Day

Many lawmakers in Santa Fe have always called the State Permanent fund, valued somewhere north of $13 billion, a 'rainy day fund.'  That was always the reason they gave for never wanting to pull more money out of it to use on improving education.

The rainy day is here with the admission that new money this year in Susana Martinez's disastrous economic meltdown amount to only $30 million.  Huge shortfalls have occurred because of oil prices sinking to new lows and the Governor and Legislature giving tax breaks to the richest.  Her long time support of the fossil fuel boys has done nothing but help them on bad environmental decisions and continued kid glove treatment.  Her antigovernment stands have hurt government jobs, at all levels.  She continues to be silent on the continued job losses and falling population in the Land of Enchantment.  To be fair, the legislature deserves some of this criticism too.

Now, it is time to tap in to that Permanent fund to help education and job creation.  No time to waste. Will the Governor and Legislature deal with reality?  Or will they continue to dick around on unimportant issues like drivers licenses.  It is time to take names.

Heavenly Father

Bundy and his gang in Oregon were apparently caught with their special Mormon underwear down as they traveled to a meeting near their militia clown posse headquarters.  One of them who professed he would fight to the death got what he wanted.  The others were arrested.  This whole thing happened because the  Mormon Bundy family said that god wanted them to do this whole occupation thing.  Looks like 'Heavenly Father' changed his mind.

Apparently their deity decided that Teddy Roosevelt's dream of an America with abundant public lands was a mistake.  He even told them to take up assault rifles to threaten wild life biologists and scientists at the Wild Life Refuge they invaded.  Just another weird religious sect I suppose, but dangerous when mixed with weapons.

Sounds of Silence--Updated

So, we have incarcerated hundreds of children at Holloman, Air Force Base in Alamogordo.  These central American children, yes children, have travelled thousands of miles on their own to find a better life.  Think of your middle school kids doing that.  Talk about desperation and courage.  And yet, has the Governor or a group of legislators said, "Let's go down there and make sure these kids have what they need?  Surely someone in Santa Fe ought to take a look at the situation from merely a parental view.  But the Sounds of Silence rage.

Update....It appears that the Health and Human services people are handling this well.  This story was just posted on the web.  

Silence emanates from the 4th floor of the Capitol building in Santa Fe in the wake of Sprint's summary firing of 400 New Mexicans from their jobs in Rio Rancho.  Two weeks notice with a go screw yourself attitude.  But, lets face it, that is corporate America's approach to it's employees.  But, government leaders should say something and it is silence we are greeted with by Susana Martinez and the economic development team in Santa Fe.

The only noise being made is on drivers licenses for undocumented workers who fix your roofs, clean  your houses and mow the yard.

MISC.

Sprint put another finger in the eye of the region's economy by their late Friday afternoon announcement that 400 New Mexicans lost their jobs.  That late PM announcement is always done before a weekend in order to lessen the media attention over Saturday and Sunday.  It is corporate America at its worse and if I had a Sprint phone I would dump  them.  And of course, where was the Governor and her minions as this happened?  Were there any entreaties from them to reconsider?  Did the Governor hop in the jet to go to Sprint HQ and camp out in the lobby  to get them to give a reprieve? Hell no, she sold the Jet and she doesn't give a shit.  She is busy with divisive and unimportant issues like driver's licenses.

And when will Mayor Berry and the media start paying attention to the upcoming franchise renewal for Comcast to provide services to this city?  Will anyone pay attention to the way this Corporate monster treats the population on internet prices?  What kind of sweetheart deal has been done to keep this in stealth mode?  Will anyone ask?  Where is the Journal on this?  Maybe a business reporter could do some comparisons around the west to see how we are faring in this non competitive market.

Science

Quigley's front page column in the Journal this morning laments the lost of luster in the pursuit of pure science.  It is a thoughtful piece.  Meanwhile, his newspaper's editor banished the new science facts on global warming to the third page.  This new report from  world scientists is ominous, but true to the fossil fuel boys the Journal, unlike just about every other daily newspaper, thinks that it doesn't deserve above the fold front page position.

It is pretty evident that the powers at be at the Journal fall into the group of American corporate leaders that think science is only good when it supports profits.

The continuing saga of the lead poisoned water in Flynt, Michigan is a perfect example of corporate funded pols, like the Governor there, denying science in the favor of saving tax dollars.  And now, all Americans have to pick up the tab for this SOB's corporate thinking.   They should take money from him personally until he is digging ditches.

Magnificent Obsession

The Editor of the Albuquerque Journal is on a mission to destroy the Albuquerque Public Schools, the few remaining construction jobs in the area, and the chance for replacing crumbling school infrastructure in our school system.

The Journal did more front page yammering on the schools recently than they did on the Governor's misuse of power in dealing with law enforcement officials investigating her infamous peeeetza party. The Journal Editor has decided the half billion dollar bond issue aimed at giving kids a better learning environment needs to fail for some odd and unknown reason.  It is a magnificent obsession for sure.

And one can only wonder what those few construction workers and companies who remain in Mayor Berry's crumbling economy can think about this newspaper's attempted gutting of a stimulus of school reconstruction.  Will they weigh in?  Will our horrible Chamber of Commerce say something in a sustained and positive manner?  Do they even give a damn about our students?  The silence is deafening.

Reality

Here is the reality.  There is not much the Governor or Mayors can do to staunch the slide of oil and gas revenues into the state.  That includes the royalties which are a payment for  the actual oil or gas taken from public and trust lands.  Prices are totally out of their control and are set by world events.

But what can be done is some serious work on economic development other than new taprooms and donut chains.  And still, there is nothing being done in the way of investment in the basics by these leaders.  Mostly I am thinking about higher education and access to it.

Last night on Channel 13 most of the news was about Donald Trump and drivers licenses.  But there was one short meaningful story about a bill in the legislature that  would redirect funds from alcohol taxes away from student lottery scholarships.  This is the dumbest damn thing that  could happen.  It would force more kids out of universities.  This is incomprehensible from the standpoint of building a diversified economy.   Of course, a republican is behind this.  Rep. Jason Harper wants the money sent back to fighting DUI in NM.  But, lets face it.  The  payoff on keeping kids in school is much better that the typical GOP flag waving on fighting crime.  For them spreading fear trumps higher education every time.

Sunshine

Back in the sunshine after a cloudy five days in upstate New York with the grandkids.  The kids were great but gray skies are not good for us New Mexicans.

Secretary of State Diana Duran is out of jail and will pass into the care of probation officers.  One can argue her punishment was light, but I think since her career is pretty much down the crapper and she has to humiliate her self in giving speeches about her corruption then she is paying a debt.

But wait, I hear that former SOS Rebecca Vigil Giron is trying to run for that office again.  Her career was over too, wasn't it?  After millions went missing in a federal program under her control, she was lucky to have had an incompetent AG investigative team never get a case together on her.  The one thing that comes to mind is the definition of the word, 'delusional'.

And, our  Albuquerque Journal managed to compare environmentalists to the assault rifle armed militia at the wildlife refuge in Oregon.  The usually solid Wynn Quigley let a former BLM manager who now is the head of the NM Oil and Gas Association make that comparison, with no pushback.  Mission Accomplished from that former public employee who accepted this job seconds after retiring from the BLM.  He had been head of the BLM in the Farmington area, which includes all the oil and gas development in the San Juan Basin.

All Inside

I don't know how they do without sunshine on the East Coast. All soccer practice for our grandsons are inside giant structures. But it is very nice.

Misc.

President Obama's speech last night really took those tea party congressional reps to the wood shed.  They probably didn't even get it.  The only thing that will save us from those folks is true reapportionment at the next census.  And a Supreme Court that will decide that entities created on paper aren't really persons.

After 100 years of not saying anything about public labor unions being able to collect dues from non members, it looks like that Court will deal another blow to the working men and women of this country.  This is where corporate personhood has gotten us.  The dam will break soon.

We are sick of the cold.  So we are off to upstate New York to visit our son and his family, just as  their first snows of the winter hit after having balmy weather there while we froze.  So we decided to also go down to Puerto Vallarta in February and hope that some freak El Nino event doesn't make it cold there.

Cue Card

Governor Susana Martinez recently showed the reason for her reluctance in holding open news conferences.  I am told she performed poorly at the recent Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce luncheon.  As she prepared to speak she opened a file folder before her, and there was no speech in front of her.  She was lost and stumbled around for a full minute before asking her staff if anyone had a copy of that speech.  Someone came forward and gave her a copy which she then read verbatim and never got a round of applause during her oration.

Then, at the question and answer panel session, every time she was asked a question she would pause a moment to look through some three by five cards for the answer.  It was obvious all of the questions had to be submitted to her staff before the function to be vetted.  This process speaks volumes about her ability to think on her feet and show she is on top of things.  It is also embarrassing for the Chamber to have to submit for pre approval such questions.  Even worse is, they did so.

At the end of the day our Governor is a coward.  She is scared to death of showing to the citizens her lack of depth and ignorance on the most basic of issues other that immigrant drivers licenses.  She will become a legend, right up there with Sarah Palin.

Shortfall

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, who admittedly  has a difficult job, has decided to throw his lot in with the peeeetza lady, also know as Governor Susana.  Let me explain.

Susana pushed through legislation giving her corporate buddies a big tax break a few years ago.  It was paid for by screwing the cities and others out of revenues from the state that were to make up for lost income from taking the gross receipts tax off food and medicine.

And now, our cities are hurting with Albuquerque facing a $10,000,000 shortfall. And this will only get worse in the coming years.  And yet this Mayor has done absolutely noting in pushing back against the Governor on this rape of the cities.  He would rather be known as a guy who didn't upset the GOP apple cart.  Because of this he will leave the city in a couple of years in dire straights.  TSK TSK!  A Mayor should at least put up a fight for his city.

ODD

Let's see, there is a shortage of life saving vaccines for babies in New Mexico.  Certainly  there can be no excuse what so ever from state officials.  But of course there is no comment from the Governor of our state.  "Let them eat Peeeetza!"

And then there is a great shortage of public information emanating from the Albuquerque Police Department where it seems a favorite pastime is culling important facts from requests for information from the press and public.  "Let them eat Puff!."   Which the media is doing by not asking more questions from the Mayor on why this is happening.

On a serious note we had some interactions with the beat cops from APD recently after we found Dave Miller dead from heart problems lin his home.  These officers, a female and male, were so very professional and caring after what we had been through.  We thank them.

Bundy Welfare

This graphic says it all about the criminals in Oregon occupying the Wildlife Refuge.  I have never understood during my entire public land career why we put up with this.  Every President and Interior Secretary have failed us on this.

Silliness

Many of our legislators, mostly GOP types, are once again taking up the banner of harsher DUI laws. It is silly.  The problem is the laws we have on the books are falling victim to a broken criminal justice system that dismisses way too many DUI cases before they even go to trial.  The underfunding of the DA Offices, Police Departments,  and other involved agencies lead to the abysmal conviction rate of drunk drivers.  And it is the GOP and Governor who want to continue to kill agency funding while things just get worse.

As for more silliness during the New Year, the News Media has been in spitting distance of the Governor numerous times over the holidays and failed to take advantage of the situation by asking some really important questions relating to economic conditions, and her plans for stimulating job growth.  I have never, ever, seen such a worthless journalistic wasteland in New Mexico as we now have.  It is pathetic.  The media should be demanding weekly open mic news conferences with the Governor and her Cabinet Secretaries.  Has there ever been such a news conference?  No.

In some ways the Governor is like those yahoo cowboys who occupied government offices at a wildlife refuge in Oregon but had no real idea of what they hoped to accomplish.  She has done the same thing in the Capitol Building 4th floor in Santa Fe.

Bundied

The extreme right wing defenders of free stuff from the government for them, and them only, have banded and bundied together again to threaten public land employees by taking over citizen owned federal public land facilities in Oregon.  These militia wackos are truly dangerous and armed to the teeth.  They are tweeting they will kill this time and be killed.  They are a multiplied Clive Bundy, a cowboy who wants  your public land for himself.

The United States has shown its wisdom since the time of Teddy Roosevelt on the dream that some lands belong to all of  us.  These assholes in cowboy boots toting assault and sniper rifles want to steal the land from the rest of us.

The Feds have to surround them and contain them for the dangerous terrorists that they are.  As a former Director of the Bureau of Land Management in Washington I can tell  you these people are really dangerous.  They  are uneducated, mostly white, NRA extremists, and corporate welfare recipients who want  you to think they are really John Wayne.  They have come in different flavors over the years.  They called themselves "The Sagebrush Rebellion", "People for the West, "  the Wise Use Movement",  and now they are just plain violent people.  Did I say they are dangerous?

White Wash Payola

The City of Albuquerque is getting ready to start a process for renewing the franchise for Comcast's cable TV and Internet Services.  They want you to take a survey that can only be described as a sweetheart exercise for helping Comcast remain a monopoly in our City.  Click here for the survey.

They ask some good questions about quality of service and customer service.  If you are a cable television subscriber.  But there are no questions on the quality and pricing of high speed internet services which is really the only important thing we should be concerned about.

Where are the questions on the outrageous price hikes on internet and TV?  Where are the questions on whether we would like to see the franchise awarded to some other provider that has better pricing and service?  Where is the question on whether we want to keep Comcast providing  us service as the blood sucking corporate money machine that they are?  Where are the questions on whether our citizens want to open up competition against Comcast?

And finally, do you feel you get value for the money you pay?  How can this white washed survey be taken seriously?  Those questions need to be in the survey.

Demand of your city councillor and the Mayor that they pull this survey and rework it.  If they don't then you know they are pretty much in bed with Comcast in return for a few PSA's they allow each of the pols to do free of charge.  It is nothing more than paying them off with free advertising.

I am not a fan of Comcast in case you wondered.

Happy New Year

Have a wonderful New Year.  We will be off for a few more days as we mourn the loss of Dave Miller.  The family is gathering and we will eat Peeeeetza on New Years Eve.

Dave Miller

Some of you may have known my brother in law Dave Miller.  He died suddenly yesterday of natural causes.  Dave was a Navy Veteran and active in Veteran Affairs and the American Legion Post 72.  He had served as the Albuquerque Sunport Safety Officer for 15 years.  He was a life long bachelor who enjoyed good wine and a good party.  He was close to his sisters Bobbi and Caryl and his niece and nephews.  We are in mourning around here for a while.  Dave ate dinner with us a couple of times a week and came around for weekend coffee.  We will really miss him.

Reading

I am in the middle of a SCIFI trilogy titled "Nexus" by Ramez Naam.  It is a great read and essentially is about the next evolution of man brought on by science.  Essentially, it is about how some people always try to stop progress because it will take them out of power and wealth under the latest version of humans.  Think the GOP and fossil fuel boys here.  It makes an interesting point that while some people feel sorry for the Neandrathal Man being overtaken by Homo Sapiens, it was all for the best.

It is funny that as I was enjoying this book that this Robert Kennedy Quote hit the social media.  It is so true.

Now, in the New Yorker magazine this week is a great article about what  Miami Beach is facing as water levels rise.  And to think we still have US Senators, republicans of course, trying to eradicate spending on climate change research.  One really could argue that they are enemies of humanity.  Don't you think?

Of Course

The Albuquerque Journal did their editorial today about Governor Susana Martinez's atrocious behavior.  Of course there was a section dedicated to Governor Bill Richardson in the editorial.  WTF?  But, on second thought, I am told that anything that compares Big Bill with Party Girl Susana just drives her crazy.  So maybe it is okay.

And of course a Happy Holiday to everyone, friend and foe.  Have a good time with family and friends and a respite from political junkie status.  

Metaphor for Remaining Martinez Adminstration.

The Santa Fe Police Department belt buckle recording is truthy.

Earth

NASA released this profound photo of Earth rising over the moon.  It is beautiful, fragile, tiny and vulnerable.  So why put some one like Donald Trump or Ted Cruz in a influential position on our planet.  Yeah, I am politicizing a photograph of our home.  Just can't help myself.

So Much for Union

I just keep marveling at the TV commercials I see.  It really makes the United States look like it is fracturing into little tiny pieces like a dropped 1000 piece puzzle you have been working on.

Let's see.  There is Christian Mingle dating service which indicates most Christians looking for a partner could be limiting themselves to delusional fundamentalists.  And then there is FarmersOnly.com which has video of hot farmer girls there for the choosing at the honky tonk western bar with the kicker being, 'city folks just don't get it.'  And then there are Jewish dating sites.  White supremacists dating sites,  on and on and on.  And when these couples, who don't get divorced, start having kids they will be sure to raise their kids into the most narrow minded home schooled future citizens of our cracking Union.  Even if only half the kids stay brainwashed....that is a lot.

I bring all this up because I was happy to see that the League of Women Voters has decided that Charter Schools are hurting the overall quality of education by siphoning off funds from the regular schools.  They have called for a moratorium on any new such schools.  I have to agree and I often looked at these Charter schools as another way of not letting students mix because it might give them a different point of view.  Or as a way of separating the rich and poor, black and white, etc.

Hard Hats Recommended

No word yet if the Governor and her staff will be attending.

Off the Hook

Quietly under cover of the Governor's Xmas party our new Secretary of State, Brad Winter, will show  up in Santa Fe to start his one year stint at raising his retirement paycheck, er, I mean enforcing campaign election laws.  He is off the hook from any media heat as the Piiiiiizza party continues to resonate.

No matter that Winter was picked over much more qualified people who wanted the appointment.  One wonders why the Governor picked him.  Could it be her close friendship with Brad Winters's wife, Nan?  Maybe, but I am betting on the penchant for the Governor to be in complete control as we enter next year's election cycle.  After that she is a total lame duck and doesn't have to worry about who is watching GOP campaign shenanigans, because she will be in rehab.....oh, no wait, she will be trying to recover her reputation as a sober pol, so she might be able to make waves on the national scene.

Will our state's newspapers chime in with some editorials on the Governor's behavior?  They should start appearing on Tuesday.  I can't wait to see what the rightwing protector of the Governor, the editor of the Journal will do.  They fairly reported the story, but will they take a stand on her outrageous drunken behavior?  You just can't pretend that those audio tapes don't exist and that she doesn't deserve a little comeuppance.  Rumors are that some reporters had already been asking knowledgeable persons about her drinking habits.

For us political junkies,  last week was a really cool holiday gift!

Timely Quotes

"It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth." 
-George Burns

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." 
-Ernest Hemingway

"Alcohol is a very necessary article. It enables Parliament to do things at eleven at night that no sane person would do at eleven in the morning."
-George Bernard Shaw

An All Around Crappy Week

Feds seek records from Gov. Martinez's time as DA - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Local News

Xmas Chatter

Our friend's annual Holiday Party last night, an annual Frito Pie extravaganza, is a yearly fest of talk. Gee, what was one of the main conversations last night?  That isn't to hard is it?  Clue, it involves Piiiiizzzza.

If one has never witnessed the power of social media before then this Pizza/beer bottle/ snowball thing would let one see how powerful it really has become.  My favorite entry is above.  Just read the comments on our governor in the comments section of the New Mexican and Albuquerque Journal newspapers!

Pushed to the bottom of the news by this nuclear meltdown of Susana was the dismal unemployment ranking in New Mexico.  Yeah, it hit number one in the nation.

Velocity

What is the velocity of a beer bottle thrown off a Santa Fe Hotel Balcony attached to the Governor's Room?  Say 5th floor?  Can some physics major tell me what that would do to a skull of an innocent bystander?  And this was her bad news day along with NM being listed as having the highest unemployment rate in the United States.

Disgraced Secretary of State and Governor's buddy Diana Duran should thank fate that this happened as she will have been moved off the front page and lead TV News story as she is perp walked into the Santa Fe County jail.  Gee, it is almost like it was planned by McCleskey!    And, was it a New Mexican craft beer?

A Little Math--updated

Here is how the good ole boy system works for Brad Winter who was just appointed Secretary of State by our do nothing Governor.  Brad has been a city councillor for about 20 years.  He gets to pay into PERA as a city councillor.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But now his reward from the GOP can be calculated.  These are approximate numbers.  If he retired with just his city council retirement pay he would get about $18,000 a year from PERA.  He deserves that.  That would be for his average high three years salary as a councillor, which is about $30,000.  He gets 3% a year, hence 60% of $30,000.

Now he goes to a job for two years at $85,000 a year, plus his $30,000 a year because he won't resign from the city council. Now his final high three average will be two years of $115K a year plus one year of $30k.  Adds  up to $260k divided by 3 and that makes his final high three average about $86k a year.  Hence 60% of that equals $51,000 retirement annually.  This may or may not be combined with his other retirement as a retired educator from APS.

You can see why he is not wanting to abandon his city council seat.  It would cost him quite a bit.  This is milking the system for all it is worth thanks to the Governor.

If any of you retirement experts disagree, please send a comment.  Please see comments for a different take on whether he stays for one year or two.

Misc.

Lots of criticism on Diana Duran's 30 day jail sentence.  A longer one should have been handed out, mostly for her voter suppression policies for the rightwing Governor, her best buddy.

Hector Balderas will regret not recommending jail time.  The Attorney General will be badgered in his next election, mostly by republicans because he did not throw away the key on republican Duran.  The democrats will likely forgive him.

The first scifi book I ever read was Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End."  We watched the SCIFI channel's version of it last night.  I gave it a two stars, but the meat of the story was there.  I am surprised the religious right did not ask their followers to boycott the channel.  It pretty much did for religion what the book did.  That was cool.  And we watched the first episode of "The Expanse", which looks like a winner.

Other good cold weather TV is as follows.   "Fargo" was great.  Netflix's "Jessica Jones" is entertaining as is "Master of None".  "River", a UK cop show about a schizophrenic cop whose dead female  partner is always with him is great.  Amazon's "The Man in the High Castle" was well worth the time.  Upcoming for binging is Amazon's "Transparent" and "Mozart in the Jungle."

It is all better than watching republicans yell at each other.

Just Minutes to Learn Something Important.

Please read this.  It really is incredible.

Stop the Rip Off

Reader View: Update royalty rate charged for drilling federal public lands - The Santa Fe New Mexican: My View

Easy As Pie

If Susana Martinez ever sits in front of a Senate Confirmation Committee, think how easy it will be to dismantle her highly propped up resume.  Think of the charts one could put on an easel for the Senators to see.  You could start with one on comparing New Mexico's High School graduation rate with the rest of the country.  (That would be number 50.)  Or you could show New Mexico's ranking on job creation, poverty, population decline, corruption, and oh so many more things.

And if she decides to run for the US Senate, just think of the TV Commercials you could make.  You could just show those charts, pictures of her political advisor Mccluskey, and her good bud Diana Duran doing a perp walk into the local lockup.

The real question is, what happens in the next two years?

Reinvention

When I took office as Mayor in December of 1997, the Albuquerque Police Department was a centralized and somewhat fossilized bureaucracy.  There were lots of problems and I had run  on a platform of bringing some new ideas to the department.  Specifically I was interested in Community Policing.  Here is an article link about the Police Chief I hired to bring it about, Jerry Galvin.

Subsequent administrations dismantled the Community Policing we set up and the bunker mentality returned to the Command staff at APD.  And now the the current administration seems to think Community Policing as something proposed by our hapless Chief Gordon Eden is a great idea.  It is laughable that we have to start this all over again.

More of the Same

After my post on Congresswoman Michele Grisham Lujan's do nothing meeting on gun violence yesterday, she mailed this appeal out to her democratic supporters.  On the anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre of children, she can't even get specific in her plans to her supporters about what it is she is proposing.  Does she want a ban on gun show sales?  Does she want a ban on assault  rifles?  Does she want a registration program on all firearms owned by Americans? (We have to register our cars.)  Or does she just want to pretend.  And in fairness our other Democratic Congressman Ben Lujan Jr. needs to come out and tell us what he thinks.

Eye Strain

I got a major dose of eye strain this weekend by reading "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis.  I had been meaning to read it for some time, but with the movie coming out I thought it might fill out the characters a little better.  We will see the movie next week while everyone else is viewing "Star Wars".

The one thing I learned from this book, and it is frightening, is that seemingly intelligent people can wander into disaster by not fully understanding that  the actions they take guarantee the disaster.  And that got me to thinking about Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and the rest of those GOP Presidential candidates.  We could actually end up electing one of these very dangerous men whose only view of reality and the world is their own ego and fundamentalism.

Our regular group, known as the 'gang of eight' had dinner last night here in our home.  Three hours of political discussion and then we all gave up and wandered into a discussion of what makes a battery work and what is inside it.  That might be profound, but I don't know exactly how.

Bosque Snow

Doing Nothing

This post from Congresswoman Michelle Grisham Lujan is almost a stereotype of many democrats discussing gun violence.  Have a meeting.  Can't we all get along.  Let's trust each other.  Blah Blah Blah.  I mean, really read this and you can see the fear of the NRA.

Pasta

I demand, as a true Pastafarian, that our symbol be displayed next to all Christmas Trees on public property.  Sure, we will throw in some Teddy Bears for kids.  And we will waste just as much time as everyone else in debating whether a decorated tree is a religion.  

Another List!

Albuquerque's Mayor Richard Berry can feel good about our city being number one on another list.  Not.  It turns out we have the worse housing market in the United States.  Read it here.

If he was half as good at fixing up economic development here as he was arranging a parade for Holly Holm, then maybe we could get somewhere.  (I wonder how many tax dollars went into that parade?  Police and fire overtime? Street Management?)  An expensive photo op for the Mayor and Governor.

Fiddling

Governor Martinez is fiddling like Nero again.  She is diverting attention from our disastrous economic condition by insisting that we have courts monitored by citizens to make sure good sentences have been handed out and that crooks don't get out on bail.  She is asking for the umpteenth time to have a 'crackdown' on drunk drivers.  She is demonizing the folks who do  your landscaping and replace your roofs so they can't get drivers licenses.  And she is aided and abetted by our largest daily propaganda instrument called the Albuquerque Journal.  I have written this rant for the umpteenth time too.

There is more talk about using the State Permanent Fund for education.  Tapping into this 14 billion dollar savings account might finally be a good idea now that we are really in a rainy day scenario for which it was meant to be used.  But beware, because if we tap into that fund there must be some solid language that general fund and other monies going to education are not lessened.  Supplanted that is.  It would be a way for Governor Martinez and her rightwing mascots in the Legislature to give another tax break to their rich bankrollers.

Misc.

Every time Donald Trump says the words 'Muslim', 'them' or 'they', substitute the word Jew and see who it sounds like.

The Supreme Court has declined to review lower court ruling on local jurisdictions ban of assault weapons in their communities.  Of course that will mean absolutely nothing to the likes of our New Mexico leaders and elected officials.  It is an open door and none of them will have the courage to walk through it.  Probably because they will remember what happened to me when serving as Mayor.  I tried to stop concealed weapons being allowed in ABQ.  I held a news conference with UNM Emergency Room Doctors and the NRA sent heavily armed goons to the event.  It was against the law to have weapons on the Campus but they came anyway and surrounded the physicians.  

The Santa Fe New Mexican had an OpEd to day that is a primer for anyone who might have to run against Susana Martinez in the future.  It is a reference tome for constructing her record on TV Commercials  You can read it here.

Bliss

Ignorance is bliss for Governor Susana and Mayor Berry.  After receiving state funds for workforce training and tax relief, the bio tech firm NanoMR is pulling out of New Mexico for California.  You know, that place with higher taxes and more regulations.

The question  here is, did the Governor or Mayor even know this was happening?  Did they ever make one effort to go to the new owners, sit down with them and just make a case for staying in an economically devastated New Mexico.  (thanks to the lack of leadership of the Mayor and Governor.)

How much longer can this kind of ignorance is bliss attitude last in our state's leadership?  Probably a long time.

At the same time in today's Journal the paper reports that fossil fuel energy sector workers are having a tough time. Yes, they are and it  is sad.  But the Journal hasn't said much about their own workers being laid off and replaced by cheap labor in another state.  Couldn't they make a comment about those customer service employees being slammed?   Just asking.

Laughable

It is laughable really.  Our City Council is considering a bill to make street side panhandling illegal because it is a public safety matter.  And it is.  But the last time I checked the panhandlers had not engaged in mass killings with assault rifles.

But where are our gutless Mayors, Governors and City Councils on the issue of reasonable gun control.  Well, they are hiding in the bushes because they are frightened by the NRA and its resident and numerous gun nuts.  I would advise these elected cowards to read "Profiles in Courage" by JFK.  It heralds those brave public officials in history who opposed popular sentiment to  make our country great.

Thoughts and prayers

This is so true.

Fallback

Corrupt pols who get caught always seem to have a fallback position, or should I say fall down on to the knees position.  Disgraced republican Secretary of State Diana Duran said she fell down on her knees to ask god to relieve her of her gambling addiction.  I am pretty sure she did that to gain sympathy from our god fearing constituencies in NM.  She doesn't want any jail time after pleading guilty to violating campaign laws, the very ones she is supposed to enforce.  After all, how can she spend her pension money if she is in jail?

I am not sure it makes any sense to spend significant amounts of money on keeping her in prison for her crime.   But I think 90 days in the cooler is required just to show other pols that there is a price to pay for corruption.  I don't think justice is served by giving her only probation.  As I recall all of our democratic office holders who were found guilty of crimes were in prison for a lenghty time, as they should have been.

Earthlings Should Read This

Michael Shermer » Consilience and Consensus

Searching

My brother Tom and eleven of  his fellow Huey pilots are in Vietnam for a 10 day search for their youth.  They all managed to survive the madness and are being given a grand tour of the country by one of their former adversaries in that sad war.  This is my brother's third trip back to that country.  You can watch a documentary about Tom and his buddy Jack Swickard(in the green shirt) on a famous mission they flew.

Indictments

There can be no better indictment of the abysmal leadership of Governor Susana Martinez and Mayor Richard Berry than their total silence on the Climate Change meetings in Paris.  We live in one of the best situated landscapes in the world for producing solar and wind power, and yet they have sent no one to these talks to help move us towards a more healthy planet.  Many governors and mayors from around the country and world are in Paris.

Have the Governor or Mayor, or any other elected officials, done one thing in this state to drop our dependance on fossil fuels.  And don't think they cannot.  For example, State and City building codes could be modified to demand solar panels on every single new structure built in this Land of Enchantment. Has anyone in the legislature or city council even attempted to bring this up?  It will be cheaper in the long run to do this than picking up the pieces from an over heated Earth.

This speaks to the absolute cowardice in face of fossil fuel money funding campaigns in this state.  Somewhere there must be a pol willing to take them on.  But they sure are not residing in most of the Governor's or Mayor's offices around  New Mexico.

Misc.

We went to see the movie "Trumbo" yesterday.  For some reason all I could think about during the feature was today's GOP.  Mainly I was thinking about Trump, Cruz, and the rest of that clown posse.  They would  have been right at home on the House Un American Activities Committee.  They would have been champions there for the persecution of free speech, writing and dissent.  Damn, I really don't like these characters.  Do yourself a favor and go see this great entertainment.  You will be in a theater with mostly white haired people.

The Albuquerque Journal editorial on the importance of giving taxpayer money to businesses to stay here or locate here got me thinking how upside down things have become. I recognize this is a necessary thing to do, but what is occurring here is that is all the Journal and its GOP owners want to do.  They don't want taxpayer money funding safety nets, food assistance, and health insurance for our fellow Americans.  They just want subsidies for American Corporations.

Non Ignorant Candidates Needed

I read in Joe Monahan's blog that  a Mayoral hopeful says the state of NM movers
and shakers need to grow the economy here to offset falling spending by the federal government and defense complex. Actually, the potential candidate has it all wrong.  We should be moving to improve the private sector to offset a dying fossil fuel industry.  Yes I mean oil, gas and coal.

Government spending will always be a part  of NM.  It is in less danger of a meltdown  than anything.  But as the global meeting on climate change progresses in Paris, the hand writing is on the wall for the dirty energy sector.  Not tomorrow, or ten years, but certainly in our lifetimes that industry will mostly go the way of sailing ships, buggy whips, and VCRs.  And so why blame government spending for being the bogey man on our future economic outlook?  Because somebody  has really not thought things through.  And if they want the support of intelligent voters, they better start  thinking harder.

The Twins

Alex and Kate get a twofer bath. Well worth weathering a snow storm to spend time with them. Back on icy roads on Saturday.

Movies

Good movies we have seen recently concern Journalism.  "Spotlight" should be viewed by all current day journalists.  They should ask themselves, "Do I Measure UP?"   Well, they probably could if their corporate news editors/directors would let them.  Well, maybe not so much today's TV journalists.  It would be hard to wean themselves off of regurgitating the daily crime blotter, and then moving on to the sex story and lost puppy feature.  But they could try harder.

Misc.

Another enraging story of a criminal getting out of jail and being arrested for the second time in three days as he tries to feed his drug habit.  People are screaming for something to be done, including killing such people with a reinstated death penalty.  It would just be easier to legalize all drugs, but of course anyone in the criminal justice game would oppose legalization since that would cost them jobs and money.  And so we stay in this ridiculous vicious circle. And this war on drugs will never, ever work.  Especially when the police department  in Albuquerque is so understaffed that evidence can't be gathered to keep these guys off the street.

I got a fund raising letter from State Auditor Tim Keller.  It is his 38th birthday.  I would send him some money because I like him, but the fundraising letter doesn't say what the donation is required for.  Is he running for reelection?  Or another office?  When he tells me I will send money.

The Santa Fe New Mexican, a real newspaper, has a great piece on the State's shrinking population.  Another indictment of our GOP Queen for a Day Susana Martinez.  While she runs around the country, our best and brightest are leaving for states with better economies and opportunities.  Read it here. Meanwhile, the Albuquerque Journal, oh never mind.

A Happy Thanksgiving Holiday to all.  Entries to the blog will be done from the road while our house sitter shines up their new RPG.

Self Supporting

The Albuquerque Journal ran a poll this morning showing support for the Governor's loathing of  Syrian and other immigrants.  The Journal does this occasionally by not using their highly respected regular pollster, Brian Sanderoff, but by doing a so called flash poll of their readers.  These readers, which are pretty much devoid of young people, are mostly post 55 years old, white, neo confederates(a term I will use a lot from now on), and full of angst.

One of my commenters thinks I worry to much about this newspaper, and that they will be out of business in ten years.  That might be true, but in the meantime their control of the flow of right wing information to the demographic who actually votes is very dangerous.  The feed xenophobia and misinformation at an ever increasing rate.  You wonder how some of the good and caring people who still work for the Journal can even get out of bed in the morning.

Please Read

This analysis is awesome.  Only those with a longer than normal attention span should get into it.

Plethora

I took a couple of days off the blog because I have been so angry at the xenophobia and ignorance sweeping the country.  I wonder if America is permanently changing.

One thing that is not changing is the Albuquerque Journal.  It is almost funny, except it is so serious.  Take for example the ranting editorials and stories over the last few weeks on drivers licenses in New Mexico.  The Journal was printing that people wouldn't be able to fly because of our problems with drivers licenses for immigrants.  (The same people who mow the lawns at Journal Center.)  But then the Homeland Security Office wrote an oped in the Journal saying that was all wrong.  The Journal responded today by a front page story on the Post Office having passport seminars around the state so people know how to apply and get such documents.  It hid its correction in reporting on airport problems in the last paragraph.

Then, just as Governor Martinez abandons the state to head the republican governor's association, the Journal hid a story on the business page of our state now having the second highest unemployment rate in the United States.  We are only slightly better than West Virginia.  If these circumstances happened during a Democratic Governor's term in office, that  story would have been an above the fold front page story.

And then, as if to ignore the dismal statistic again, the Journal touts for our republican Mayor that Alaska Airlines is happy with its load factors on new round trip service between Seattle and ABQ.  They came in after Southwest Airlines dumped their flight.  In fact passenger traffic at the airport has fallen to levels not seen since the mid 90's.  Does that have something to do with our economic wasteland presided over by Susana and Berry?  Probably a lot.

And so think about Susana traveling around  the country while the meltdown continues.  Do you get upset ?

Moment

It was one of those "Mission Accomplished" moments. Mayor Berry said everything was fine in Albuquerque.  That we have nothing to worry about.  Since he said he wasn't running again that is true, except the next Mayor will have to pick up the pieces.

Who will the next Mayor be?  I hear Brian Colon will run, as well as Lawrence Rael.  There will be many others before it is over, but to be sure I am hopeful it will not end up in having one of our current city councillors elected.  That would be continuing the leaderless era of city government.

We need someone with ideas and the energy to pursue them.  If we can get such a person then a renaissance in Albuquerque could lift the whole state of New Mexico out of its owned last place in economic recovery.  We are the only state in the nation losing population.

Immoral

Susana Martinez is an immoral leader.  She is like the government officials around the world in pre war WWII Europe that refused boat loads of Jews who had to return to Europe's shores and ultimately to Hitler's ovens.  Men, women and children.

How did our multicultural state get to this point?  Corporate money, politics of hate, and bent individuals like Susana who were willing to prostitute themselves to accrue a little power.  She is nothing but a tool and the question is, can we survive a few more years of her leadership?  And what kind of mess will she leave the next Governor?

Back Scratching

Republican Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn will be a one term wonder.  His war on the Game and Fish department and New Mexican sportsmen will doom him.

Should the Land Office charge more for hunting on state trust lands?  Yes.  But fifty times more than is being paid now?  No.  But he is a mascot for the ranching industry and they want no hunters on state trust land.  That way they can figure out how to let out of state hunters onto that land they lease at big prices.  Really, that is what it is about.

So to make it right Mr. Commissioner, lets start by raising grazing fees.  That hasn't happened since I was Commissioner in the 80's. Can you do that?  Let's start by passing legislation to raise oil and gas royalties and working the feds to do the same.  That hasn't happened since I worked with the legislature in the 80's either.  Can you do that?  And raise the prices on all commercial leases.  Can you do that?

Dunn says he wants to maximize revenues for the School Permanent fund, but the only place he is doing it is on the backs of New Mexican sportsmen.  What a farce.

Pulitzer Worthy

We were at a party tonight that had a lot of politicos in attendance and all agreed that the New Mexican story on the Governor's bag man Jay McCleskey and his financial web of money laundering entities could bring down a lot of politicos, including Susana herself.  The story is magnificent and worthy of a Pulitzer.

The Journal's big story today was about one New Mexican woman practically beating to death another woman in a cage fight.

Bizzare

I agreed with two Albuquerque Journal Editorials today.  One on ethics in government and one on the Catholic church ducking its responsibilities to victims of pedophile priests.  How did we agree on two opinions on the same day?  Mondo Bizzaro.

I will be  viewed as being bizarre because although Holly Holm is a great athlete, she is part of the violent culture of this world where beating the shit out of an opponent who had to go to a hospital is something to be admired. We abhor the violence in Paris and celebrate it in the fighting cage.    Some people will say they are two different things, but are they?  Those cage fights teach children that violence is condoned and profitable.

Misc.

The Catholic Church is preparing its flock for the release of the Movie "Spotlight".  It is about the monumental coverup of pedophilia by priests in the Boston area.  The Church must fear this movie and they should.  Their solution is to pray for the victims and to seek forgiveness.  This is in the aftermath of the church moving much of its assets into Trusts that can't be used to settle lawsuits by the victims.  The movie is on the must see list for Bobbi and me.  As an aside, we went saw the movie "Sufragette" last night.  Every girl over the age of ten should be taken to the movie to see role models for their lives.

The State Supreme Court has said no to buying text books with taxpayer money for private and parochial schools.  I never knew that was happening.  The court overturned two lower court rulings.  That is a good decision.  I wonder if the fundamentalists schools just threw away science books when the arrived.....

Speaking of the Supreme Court, Republican Judge Judy Nakamura has been appointed to the court to fill a vacancy.  Governor Martinez could have done worse.  I am hopeful Nakamura won't fashion herself a Scalia type crazy person.  Don't drink that Kool Aid!  She will have a tough time in her election because it is hard enough for a GOP acolyte to get on that court and she would have to prove herself a moderate.  I think she is one, but that could endanger her with her own party.  

Half Vast

The Mayor's plan to convert a convention hall at the facility into a glorified high school basket ball court and call it a new arena is a half vast effort.  His idea of improving Civic Plaza is worthy of consideration.

The so called arena will be most likely ignored by most users who need multi purpose arenas for everything from rodeos to rock concerts and the Ice Shows.

The Governor and Mayor are happy about a for profit college locating its back office operations in Albuquerque.  300 jobs are in play.  But one has to be wary of these kinds of businesses locating here.  For profit colleges are really nothing but student loan mills that provide questionable educations.  Most students who attend these sub par schools never graduate and then are saddled with enormous student loans. Read about it here.

Every Single Day

The Governor was quoted by the Santa Fe New Mexican as saying she still talks with Jay McCleskey every single day.  It sort of confirms that she takes an inordinate amount of advice from this neo con political operative.  His job is purely to make her look good and her job is to follow his advice, policy work be damned.

As I suspected the Albuquerque Journal got on the story of McCleskey being investigated by the Justice Department today.  Somehow the Journal managed to inject the name of Sam Bregman into the story.  The former Democratic Party Chair's name was bandied about by the Journal as a way of trying to inoculate the Governor in some way.  You can be sure the Journal Editor ordered that done.

I think that this investigation could be a small detraction from the Governor's total failure on economic development and the state's downward spiral in just about every category of progress.  In some ways she might see this all working to her advantage in the long run.  Unless of course the buck stops with her, and by that I mean the campaign buck.  And finally,  when large checks are written out of Inaugural funds with no invoices, there could be some fruitful forensic accounting to be done. This is probably where there will be some eyeopeners.

Pooper Scooper

The Albuquerque Journal Monday edition had no news on the breaking story of the Governor's hatchet man, Jay McCleskey, being investigated for a possible indictment by the Feds.  In fairness, they haven't had much time to look into it since the Santa Fe New Mexican broke the story yesterday.

And it sort of begs the question,  were they scooped again on a major story?  Or they are planning to poop on the story in order to protect the Governor.  Actually, I think both things are happening.  I just don't see the Journal capable of breaking major stories anymore because of a partisan editor and a dwindling professional number of journalists working at the paper.   And I can see the editorial staff calling this all political hatchet job by the Department of Justice.

It will be very interesting to see where things go from here at that once credible publication.

The Plot Sickens

Silence is emanating from the Governor's office after this bombshell story in the Santa Fe New Mexican, which is a paper unlike the Albuquerque Journal and does not protect the Governor.  The question here is about the misuse of power by the State Tax and Rev department in ordering audits of the Governor's political enemies.  This will just get better.

And if you are wondering why our economy is so abysmal in New Mexico, the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce's tired  and hijacked executive leadership has spent more effort in protecting the Governor in an oped piece on education this morning. They need to get an effort going on attracting more companies to our State to provide jobs,  rather than be a cheering section for Susana Martinez.

Critical Thinking

The thing we need to do most in the schools is to teach critical thinking.  Knowing how to do that is really important in life.  For example, if a guy on the street offers to sell you a brand new car for $50, then you might be able to figure out that car might be stolen.

Here are some examples on non critical thinking.

Rebecca Vigil Giron thinking anyone in their right mind would appoint her Secretary of State in order to properly run that office.

Or, the Albuquerque Journal doing an editorial to make it look like Google pulling out a company from New Mexico is a good thing, because they paid back the money as they were required to do for getting taxpayer assistance in locating the company here in the first place. Well, they were protecting the Governor and in their mind that is critical.

Or, the Mormon Church slapping in the face their own members for wanting to live in today's society by accepting Gay people for what they are, just people.  By the way, I still wish someone would show me those golden tablets that the delusional founder of this sect based  this religion on.  All of his neighbors bought into it without ever seeing the tablets.  It doesn't get any better than this really.

Misc.

You really know the ABQ Journal is all in with the GOP leaders in New Mexico when they turn an economic development failure into a positive thing.  A headline today heralds the fact that Google gave a $1,000,000 clawback to the State after they pulled their newly acquired company out of Moriarty.  There was never any question that  this had to happen given the incentives that were given to the acquired company to locate in that small  town.  Did anyone see any questions of the Governor on how she might approach such failures in the future?  Did she travel or call Google and ask them to change their decision?  Did she just sit on her butt?  Yes, most likely she did. But we will never know, because if she did call them they dismissed her and she wouldn't want that known.  And if she didn't call them she just looks useless.

And the the Journal conjures up a headline that says, 'were stuck with Railrunner'.  It is public transportation and as one friend said the word public has doomed it in the corporate view of the Publisher and Editor.  This service was a leap into the future for our state and I certainly am glad we are stuck with it.

Leadership

Last night we watched our daughter Noelle's work as a whiz bang financial analyst during a Fort Collins, Colorado city council meeting.  It was really fun watching it and her work helped start the process of building a new training facility for Northern Colorado Law Enforcement.  What was also impressive was how well prepared that city council was in asking smart and probing questions with no rancor or back and forth bickering.

During the internet broadcast,  election results for that city were being scrolled on the screen.  One issue I been following in that progressive town was a citizens vote to bypass a state law on allowing municipalities to construct their own internet cable systems.  It was driven there by the Mayor and Council.  It passed with 83% of the vote.  And it should have,  given the abysmal corporate monopolies that are running roughshod over users.

Oh, that we could have that kind of leadership in New Mexico and Albuquerque.  Wouldn't it be a thrill to see Comcast have to compete?  

The Calm

After today's services for the slain APD Officer Dan Webster the calm will end and everyone will jockey for political advantage over the issue of crime and policing in Albuquerque.  The Mayor and Governor will blame the state legislature for the endless problems emanating out of city government, by saying repeat criminals get out of prison too easily.  

That is somewhat true, but in fact it is just abysmal leadership there in City Hall. We still know little about the incident that took Webster's life.  Were there backup officers available? How many officers were working that night?  Etc. Etc.  This is far from over.

The Police Union will take a strong position for higher salaries and more officers on the force.  They will attempt to run the department and who can blame them?

The GOP will continue to blame the Democrats for all of this and use their superior oil and gas funded PACs to carry that message forward.  Governor Martinez will get her picture in the Journal for the 10th time reading to children.  The Mayor will go out of town again to get away from the stress.  The Democrats will do or say nothing, as usual.

And the gun dealers in Albuquerque will see another surge in business.

Downer

I sent a $100 for winter protection for the Syrian refugees fleeing the madness and chaos.  I did it through a WorldPost Face Book page that popped up on my timeline.  In that page's comment section I asked others to do the same.  After I shared my support of help, the crazies came out.  They said even three year olds shouldn't be given any help because they were already being indoctrinated into killing all of us.

I know these kinds of people have always existed in  the past, even before the internet allowed them to come together and organize their hate. Their willingness to go public with this xenophobia is truly amazing.  It can get to you sometimes.