Look

This chart pretty much sums up why Bernie Sanders has done so well.

ART

I received an insight today as to why the Albuquerque Rapid Transit plan by Mayor Berry and the City Council won't work.  And that reason would be the City Council.

The main idea around ART is that it will lead to high density housing along the Route 66 corridor that  the system will follow  But, will that  really happen when the neighborhood associations start looking at such development?   Here is what will happen.  The densification will be fought tooth and nail by  those associations and the parochial city council members along the ART route will cave in to demands that dense housing not be allowed.  Even after they have used denser housing as the reason for supporting the system.

Traditionally, city council members are cowards and so far as I can see it hasn't changed much, except in rare cases.  

New Maps

They New York Times had a great piece Sunday on the suggestion that America should draw a new map of itself to reflect its reality.  We have really morphed into a country that depends less on state borders to define itself.  It really is now a region based nation, from the deep south, the east and west coasts, the Rockies(including the Colorado Plateau), and the great and growing urban centers.  It has been my opinion that the rural America that people love to emote over is really a thing of the past.

Some 20 years ago during my short reign as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management I often bridled at the stupidity of the Agency's organizational chart.  Every public land state in the west had its own BLM fiefdom that existed mainly for the sitting politicians in Congress and the Governor's office.  They could apply political pressure for their funders, the coal, oil and livestock boys who Charles Wilkinson referred to as the "Lords of Yesterday."  I have always recommended that every pol and lover of the outdoors read his book, "Crossing the Next Meridian."

I have always thought the BLM should be organized much like the Park Service and Forest Service.  Those bureaucracies base their management on regional concerns.  It would make sense for the BLM to do likewise.  For example, the Colorado Plateau encompasses an area that covers four states.  NM, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.  Yet there are four separate offices trying to deal with the management of a connected landscape.  Ridiculous!

Maybe now that the fossil fuel boys are rapidly approaching their fall from kingmakers to bankruptcy status, we might see some movement to reorganize that BLM white elephant.

PC

Some native Americans are upset with the seal of the University of New Mexico because it shows two guys who are a part of history and fought with indigenous people. Yes atrocities happened on both sides.  

Maybe some effort could be better spent on economic inequality that keeps kids from getting educated at all. This is a waste of time and energy and is really another attempt at rewriting history. This is so typical of base level politics....get people to hate each other for something that happened hundreds of years ago and was caused by people you never knew, or would want to know. Kind of like the Middle East isn't it?

Effort Welcome

Intel is most likely laying off thousands of workers next week.  I drove by their Rio Rancho plant this week and was shocked by the empty parking lot.  There are still 2300 people working there, but what will happen to poor New Mexico's manufacturing job base after next week?

Probably the last person to know right now is Governor Susana Martinez.  She is out and about hoodwinking the media in New York and Florida.  There is not a lot wrong with working for your political party, but maybe she could call back home and ask the Lt. Governor or some business people if they might travel to Intel HQ to see if there is anything that might be done to save jobs in one of the poorest states in the nation.  That ranking is her responsibility after all.

History will take care of Susana Martinez's horrible record as Governor in New Mexico, just like it is taking care of Donald Trump and the rest of the wacko GOP presidential candidates that she will work at getting elected.  But in the meantime, very bad things are happening.

At the shooting range

22-250 100 yards, call me an eagle eye.  Five shots...all in the paint.  And for all you right-wingers this proves you can enjoy shooting sports without being an NRA lackey!

Misc.

How can reporters who works at the ABQ Journal feel when they see the front page of his news paper  every morning?  Like today for instance in which the Journal Editor Kent Walz puts a picture of our failed Governor at the top of the fold and says the GOP world has put a spot light on her.  But then, this is the party of Trump and Cruz and in someways befriending her to those scary folks might be appropriate.   Maybe the GOP should put a spotlight on her state's economic plight and job situation.

Meanwhile,  at the bottom of the fold the reporter Lauren Villagran has an emotional story on the death of a mother and her children.  It is almost a metaphor for schizophrenia in a newspaper.

Misc.

Mayor Berry's budget is proposing a cut to the groups who serve as oversight watchdogs at the Albuquerque Police Department.   The Mayor says they can ask for money later if they  need it.  But this action really shows the disdain on the 7th floor at City Hall for putting together a fully functional police department.  You really wonder if anyone thinks very hard there.

Congressman Steve Pearce cancelled a secret round the world flight attempt in a single engine aircraft because of bad weather.  He said he kept it secret because terrorists or kidnappers might come after him if it were public.  Paranoia runs deep.  Pearce would not have been missed in Congress over the recess period.  All he does when they are in session is vote no on every single bill.  He is the Mitch McConnell of New Mexico.

It is almost hilarious to see the republican legislator bad  boy Nate Gentry raking in the dollars from the marijuana industry.  A few years ago he and his ilk would happily throw young people in jail for ten years for smoking a joint.  It really shows how money is the only motive for moving legislation in Santa Fe by the GOP.  I wonder if Gentry will ask the Governor to release all prisoners who are in jail for using or  trafficking the weed.  Oh, but that would cut off donations from the private prison sector!

Speech

I am troubled by the UNM Medical School forcing a student to recant some stupid remarks he made on Facebook.  They were really stupid remarks actually, but he has a right to make them.  In fact, those remarks about ProChoice people being worse than Nazis should follow him throughout his career, should he ever become a Doctor.

Many left of center pols in this country, of which I am a member, has gotten into an uncomfortable habit of stifling free speech.  They cause cancellation of campus speeches and try to stop anyone from being heard if they disagree with them.  They seem to think that everyone can't figure out for themselves whether to believe some idiot who is spewing nonsense.  Sure, some people are intellectual zombies and will be suckered, but they  have always been around as a percentage of the population.  Think Tea Party Trumpers here.

I let most people who comment on my little blog post regularly, but some I don't and that  is because they seem to add nothing that forwards a discussion.  They seem to thrive on hatred and profanity.   

Muddy

The Mayor's new trails in the Bosque are anything but helpful.  The pathway was supposedly to be made of crusher fine gravel so it would drain.  But, what ever it is that the City applied there is nothing more than a slippery concoction of dirt and clay.  We went for our walk this morning after the rain and had to stay off the trail because it was too slick to walk upon.  The older non 'improved' trails were in much better shape.  

Misty Bosque ABQ

Humidity

That Pope

When I was a grade schooler we were told we would burn in hell for eating meat on Fridays.  Our Dominican nuns loved telling us about hell.  One summer day when we were all swimming at the iconic Coronado club on Sandia Base I ordered a hot dog for lunch.  My sister reminded me it was Friday and walked off.  I ate the hotdog with mustard and relish and did so with a clear conscience, because god would not want me to throw a way a perfectly good tube steak while there were kids starving in China.  It seem logical.  And then the Church, succumbing to the National Beef Council I assume, said it was okay to eat meat on Fridays.  And the Friday night fish filet selection at the old Sigeler's cafeteria became a thing of the past.  They were only good for the delivery of Tartar sauce anyway.  And all of the people who went to hell for eating meat on Friday?  I don't really know what happened to them.

Then years after leaving the church and belief in the white bearded guy who lived in the clouds, I learned that all those babies who died without getting baptized didn't really have to spend their whole eternity in Limbo.  I guess there was some kind of mistake and the Pope heard that they had all really gone to heaven.  Innocents, except for original sin.

Now the Catholic Church is flipping off the more rightwing believers in Opus Dei by saying maybe it  is okay for divorced people to take communion.  And also for Catholics not to be judgmental about gays.  Which is a good thing since as I remember things, half of the priests were gay.

Don't get me wrong.  As a non believer I still like many things about the Catholicism I grew up with, except for that whole guilt thing.  The basic message of kindness and charity was always a winner.  But this other stuff was just politics gone wild.  This new Pope is a likable guy.

TV

During the 1970's Television News departments used to cover politics pretty well.  City Council meetings and the Legislature were always in play with great reporters like Rodger Beimer, Bob Barth and Ernie Mills.  They understood how the systems worked and were there for the long haul.  Their stories hinged a lot on policy debates and legislative process, unlike today where the only news done is a 'he said, she said' kind of story.  This happens mostly because today's TV reporters are rarely trained journalists.  Rather they are Communications Majors, whatever that means.  They understand little about the intricacies of government.

Of course there are some bright spots on local news some times.  Generally, the coverage of APD and its problems have been fair, although the Mayor and Chief are continually insulated by corporate republican oriented news directors.

I have come to the conclusion that the abysmal state of Journalism won't change on local TV.  In fact the National News Networks are moving toward the local model.  Think the making of Donald Trump.  The only thing left to us are independent news sites on the Internet.  Like the Free ABQ Press, NM Political Report and NM in Depth.  But they only last as long as their last grant of money from a foundation or sugar daddy.  They are journalists sustained by charity, not ad revenue.  I send them some money every once in a while.  But they are like ships passing in the night, soon to be seen no more.

Brainless in Santa Fe

The financial giant Pay Pal just announced that they would not locate a new large facility in North Carolina because that state has passed legislation making it legal to discriminate against Gay folks.

So a disaster for those fundamentalist pigs in NC, but an opportunity in NM maybe?  Of course you would need someone with brains and moxie in the governor's office to get on the phone and say, "Hey, we pride out selves on being multi cultural in this Land of Enchantment.  We would welcome your facility in to our state because we don't discriminate against Gays.  What can we do to make this happen?"

But, don't hold you breath that anyone has that sharp a mind in Santa Fe, including high ranking legislators.  They are all asleep, while other smart leaders in other states jump into action.

TV News in Hell

NM Political Report has a good story on KRQE gagging their own reporters.  It is worth a read.  As an old time TV newsman this shows just how awful things have gotten. During my career in the 60s and 70s we might have been encouraged to do a short story on the opening of a new store, but if the store was ripping people off later on there was never any attempt by management to put pressure on the news room to kill the story. Most of the News Directors in TV now are just corporate clowns that know little about journalism or even care. You actually can see the only time they get on their high horse is when there is a government scandal. But since business and corporations are off limits we mostly see lapel camera video and lost dog stories with an occasional Larry Barker story on a government employee abusing per diem.

And as you know, TV is a visual medium that used to value photo(Film) journalism. Now it is all fuzzy Skype interviews or over the phone audio, unless there are cute puppies or kittens rescued then it is full on 4k HiDef video.

Misc.

The media continues to make a big deal out of many District Court Judges in Santa Fe recusing themselves from the Senator Phil Griego corruption case.  They seem to be trying to intimate that the recusals are somehow corrupt themselves.  But in fact the recusals really show the Judges are ethical and honest in dealing with the case.  The fact is they are recusing because there may be an appearance of a conflict of interest.  Yes, in the political arena of Santa Fe they all know the Senator or have some past communications with him.  And for  that very reason they are acting as they should.

Mayor Berry is in the ABQ Journal today with a kid to promote 'Lemonade Day' as an entrepreneurial event.  And that is the big economic development news in ABQ this week.

This all occurs as response times worsen for 911 calls to the ABQ Police Department. One wonders if APD can ever be fixed.  The current elected office holders from the Mayor to the City Council seem to be totally ineffectual in dealing with the situation.  And frankly, the Police Union is overplaying their ranting on more and more pay raises.  That is just a part of the solution.

The whole mess can be symbolized  in the recent letter of congratulations from Chief Eden to the Police Lieutenant who shot up a fellow officer during a drug bust.  The congratulations was for the Lieutenant's marksmanship trophy from the firing range.  The letter went out after the shooting.

Davey

We had services for Dave Miller, Bobbi's Brother, at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe yesterday. Davey had a nice honor guard and ceremony. Dave was a Navy man and served on the USS America during the Viet Nam War. Dave's loved ones were there. Justin and his family, Noelle and her family, Bobbi's sister and husband. Adam Valentiner and his girls. My brother Tom, sister Carlota and Bobbi and me.

Math

Do the math.  A $60 drug sting operation turns into a $6.5 million dollar settlement from the city after the police shot up their own officer during the operation.  Bernie Madoff would be proud.  And now by some estimates the APD, under the leadership of Mayor Berry and so called Chief Gordon Eden, has now paid out some $40 million in wrongful conduct settlements due to poor leadership at the highest levels at City Hall.  At least the Keystone cops were funny!

It won't be long until we are looking at city government having budget problems because of this inability to fix things.

It is actually worse than the situation at Bernalillo County Government which is facing a $19 million shortfall, even as Commissioner Art de la Cruz  takes a $20k trip to France on tax payer money.  My bet is that this will be fixed faster than the cataclysmic hemorrhaging of dollars at the City.

Busy

The rest of the week will be busy around here.  All of our kids and grandkids are coming in for a week.  We will be interring Bobbi's brother's ashes at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe.  Dave Miller died unexpectedly just after last Christmas of a heart attack.

There will be ten of us in our home.  Our son Justin, Karly his wife and their boys Simon and Finn.  Our daughter Noelle, Luke her husband and their twin daughters Alex and Kate.  This is a rare event as we are scattered all over the country.

We emailed Justin  this morning to prepare his family to greet a New Mexico dust storm shortly after they arrive today.  They have never experienced one.

I will be back next week.

Sleepless in ABQ

I had a lot of trouble sleeping the last few nights.  But it wasn't the Hilary email story that was causing my restlessness.  It was some native pollen of some sort.  Kind of like I was sleeping with a cinder block on my chest.

I have to say that there is probably not a single person I know that is concerned about Hilary's emails.  It just doesn't mean anything.  It never comes up in any of the numerous political discussions I have every day.  Yeah, maybe it was a little sloppy, but when you consider the recent stories that the NSA would not give a secure phone to the Secretary of State because it was overly expensive, you have to wonder if emails even matter.  What would such a phone cost the government?  The cost of a Hellfire missile which we use up by the hundreds?

I might start losing sleep over one other issue, and that is the fact that our former google eyed Governor Gary Johnson is rising in the polls as he seeks the Presidency as a Libertarian.  That little factoid might stick down in my brain's sleep center for a while.  Generally, Johnson was a harmless and ineffectual Governor.  I agreed with him on his belief that the war on drugs was a farce.  But that is about all.

Currently though, my biggest worry is the lack of leadership on economic issues in the state.  Our Governor held another news conference on DUI, but to my recollection I don't think I have ever seen her hold a news conference on starting a plan to reinvigorate our job market.  Even Johnson might have seen some value in that.

Misc.

Governor Martinez doesn't use email.  She is either a Luddite or a pol who wants no one to know what she is doing.  It smells of an assault on government transparency.  It begs the question, does she want to keep the public in the dark?  Obviously she sees an advantage to it.

The first inklings of GOP voter suppression in over a dozen states became evident in Arizona this week when voters there had to stand in line for hours to cast their ballots.  Watch for this to occur in every state where the GOP has passed laws aimed at keeping people votes from counting..  An it would be nice if someone in the media would get some assurances from our newly appointed Secretary of State Brad Winter that this will not happen in New Mexico.  Will there be enough polling places?  Could Brad just volunteer  this information on his own?  Could the County Clerks ask him for his philosophy on voter participation?

And is it any surprise that the Albuquerque Police Department  is teaming  up with a non profit made up of its own officers to study crisis intervention techniques.  The city is supporting a $250,000 grant for the group.  Does this stink?  How can Mayor Berry approve of this given the lack of confidence in the leadership of APD?

Only in New Mexico?

Misc.

The big news in NM is the story out of Roswell that a cheesy rendition of a flying saucer that was stored behind the UFO museum was stolen.  My advice is not to spend any public funds on getting it back,  What is needed is a new improved faux flying saucer.  Since the oil patch is in bad shape the only claim to fame down that way is the museum and a little investment there would be fitting.

Just like a little investment in a real economic development strategy could be used in Santa Fe.  Do you think the Governor or her minions have thought much about that recently?  Hopefully, they have stumbled on the fact that fossil fuels are on the way out and that renewables are the future.  Do they have a strategy on that?  Has she appointed any public/private partnerships to start thinking how to take advantage of this trend?

The Albuquerque Journal did a long editorial on the lack of progress and finger pointing over tasks mandated to make the Albuquerque Police Department function properly.  Not once did I see the name of the Mayor in the opinion.  No, the Journal is blaming the Department of Justice's monitor.  They are killing the messenger.

Fair Warning

One can only wonder if our Governor or Legislative leaders are paying attention to coming trends.  For example, the fact that major American investment banks and money men are refusing to finance any new coal fired power plants in America.  The New York  Times had a story on this today.  I would advise our hapless executive leaders in Santa Fe including the Public Regulation Commission to start thinking about the ramifications for New Mexico.  And yet the subsidies continue for this dying fossil fuel industry while solar energy tax credits are non existent in arguably the sunniest state in the nation.

Perhaps our leaders might take a hint from this new graphic from the Solar Energy Industry Association.  Does this ring some alarms on putting investment towards renewables rather than fossil fuels?

Fire Eden

Mayor Richard Berry and the hapless City Council should start the process of firing the Police Chief Gordon Eden.  It is pretty obvious that he just doesn't have the gravitas to order the old guard in the PD to get  on with reforms ordered by the Justice Department.  The Mayor really bears the responsibility for doing this, but because he has become invisible on all matters APD,  maybe the Council needs to send a clear message that there needs to be a change.  And it needs to happen soon.

The New Yorker magazine has a new weekly show on Amazon.  Front and center this week was the APD shooting spree.  It made Albuquerque look like a shooting gallery.  It was a  terrible thing to watch, especially when one knows it is true.

The level of political leadership in this city is heartbreaking.  

Premature Deaths

The Albuquerque Journal did a good story today on New Mexico's problem with premature deaths.  Of course the rampant drug problem in the Land of Enchantment is a major contributor to young people's deaths.  Coincidentally, last night we were conversing over corned beef and cabbage dinner last night about a friend who suffered a home invasion and burglary a couple of weeks ago.  His briefcase was stolen as he slept.  Five days later the case was found in a stolen car  that had crashed into a ditch in Bernalillo.  The car was full of used syringes.

It just got me to wondering again how much money is spent on an annual basis in New Mexico in the drug war.  Adding up costs of prison, police, court costs, parole officers and insurance payoffs for stolen goods is staggering, when compared to rehab services.  What is the ratio?  What good does the drug war do?

It does nothing and is a complete failure.  I remember as a young reporter in the late 60's and early 70's doing stories on fighting the heroin epidemic in Albuquerque.  It is like forty years later and the stories I did back then are just being rewritten for the 1000th time in 2016.

Why can't we change such a failed policy?  Because there is big money in it for the criminal justice system and private prison industries?  Probably.  But mostly it comes from a fossilized law making system in the nation that can't use logic and common sense.

Caste System

Sometimes I think we have a caste system in our country.  You might have seen an article in the media about the death of two New Mexico Department of Transportation workers who were struck and killed by a 92 year old motorist as they worked to make our highways safe.  But, it was a very small story tucked away in a back section of the newspapers  Two public servants dead and little said about it.

But if they had been police officers you would be seeing headlines telling us two heroes had died while performing their duties.  The story would have gone on for weeks and a funeral procession miles long would be in the future.  And yet both highway workers and cops serve us in the same way.  They try to keep us safe.

The media needs to get out of its prejudicial way of reporting, or not reporting, the news when it comes to the great work public servants carry out for us.  Just because one group wears a gun doesn't mean they are more important that a group that uses shovels. 

UNM in Shambles

I can't believe the UNM Board of Regents actually voted to do a power grab from the Health Sciences institution.  This is the result of the Governor's Office wanting supreme power through its puppet Regents at UNM.  Everyone else be damned.  This is akin to sabotage on a grand scale just so our Governor can feel the rush.

This isn't over.  The next Regents meeting will resemble a Trump Rally.

Meanwhile,  New Mexico media has tried to make things look a little rosier on the economic front by extolling the virtue of being slightly better in unemployment rates than Alaska and Mississippi.  Another great victory for our GOP Governor.

Fumble Stumble

Governor Martinez and her mascot appointees to the UNM Board of Regents have stumbled and then fumbled the ball on an attempted coup to take over the Health Sciences operations at the University.  What the perpetrators thought could be a stealth power grab lasted but a few hours until the Journal did a fine story on the issue.  They deserve credit for that.  They even sucker punched the Governor and rogue Regents today in an editorial that made sense.

Another fumble is the revelation that  legislators are refusing to use email as a way of communicating.  That sort of begs the question that they have something to hide.  It shows transparency is dead, dead, dead, in the halls of the Round House in Santa Fe.

Test

This incredibly good story on Governor Martinez's shady consultant in the Santa Fe New Mexican this morning will test the Albuquerque Journal to no end.  Will they followup?  If not, then you know all is lost at that once adequate newspaper.  

We are not Alone!

When I say we are not alone, I mean in the political clown circus we call New Mexico.

I just got back from a two day meeting of the board of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.  If you think there are crazy pols here, you haven't been to Utah.  I could blather on endlessly about their members of Congress, but that is known on the national scene pretty well.

But, their legislature has to be the biggest bunch of fundamentalist wackos in the country.  They just voted to fund a non profit in southern Utah in the name of some worthy cause.  Actually it is highly  suspected that the money will be used to pay defense costs of a County Commissioner who was found guilty of leading a highly illegal off road vehicle caravan into a wilderness study area.  He lost in court and is now heavily in debt from his defense costs, so his right wing buddies in the Legislature cooked up this scheme to help him with tax payer dollars. Apparently, his attorney is running the new non profit entity.

Those same law makers just voted to give $55 million dollars to the developers of a new port facility in California which will ship Utah Coal overseas.  They are upset that the folks in California don't want to approve the port because of fossil fuels impacting the climate.  The Utah boys fell their  rights are being infringed on.  You know, their rights to help destroy human life on the planet.

Right now, NM looks okay.

Misc.

We watched some Primary election coverage last night on CNN, MSNBC and Fox.  Talking heads and pundits.  Yes, I am a talking head too, on a blog.  But what was fascinating about the evening was the performance of Donald Trump.  I had never really watched one of his 'speeches' before last night. I am completely dumbfounded by his meandering, senseless and seemingly never ending blathering.  Here is Trump, with more victories, with a chance to seem like a real serious man  and he never really rose to the occasion to talk about any thing that was serious.  And as for his supporters I am still trying to fathom what they get from him.  This whole candidacy is one for the ages.

And I have figured out what it is that bothers me about Bernie Sanders.  I actually like what  he says and what he stands for.  I sent him a donation.  But I have finally come to the conclusion that this man doesn't know how to use humor, or display it.  That bothers me greatly.  I am certain that any President must have a sense of humor or fail at their jobs.  Yeah, I was kind of a dour politician to the public, but I do have a gallows sense of humor that I deploy often.  I think if there is one thing missing in this 2016 election cycle, it is humor.

Even if we are headed to the gallows.

New Pols

I have had a couple of calls in the last week from some young under 40 years of age aspiring politicians.  They wanted to have coffee and talk about some issues.  One of them didn't show up on Saturday morning and never called to reschedule.  Bad staff there.  The other one, a  young lady named Ane Romero is running for the Legislature in an incredibly diverse district that covers parts of the North East Heights, North Valley and West Side.

She was a breath of fresh air and full of strong feelings on how to make things work better in Santa Fe.  But the reason I bring this up is that most of us old pols, in office or out of office, aren't going to be relevant much longer.  There is a new crop coming up and they will be running things within the next few years.  I am hopeful they will be more willing to work across the aisle, but that will take both sides of that aisle willing to do so.

In my experience there are three kinds of people who run for office.  Those who just want power, those who want power and to pursue an agenda, and those who just have an agenda to work on.  That first group is pretty much self centered.  The other two groups can be good or bad officials, but they do have others in mind when carrying out their duties.  I am hopeful most of these younger folks are mostly from that third group.

P-ZEDs

I have been trying to figure out the people that support Trump and Cruz.  And then a new SciFi novel I just down loaded from a favorite author has explained it for me.  The novel is "Quantam Night", by Robert Sawyer.

The book deals mostly with psychology in a SciFi way.  He postulates that the human race is made up of three types of humans.  One group is named P-Zeds, short for Philosophical Zombies.  They are people who don't think, but just follow and regurgitate anything given to them.  The second group are classified as psychopaths.  In varying degrees they could be violent, but most are just greedy and controlling.  They think of no one but themselves.  The third group is called Q-3s.  They are thinking people who consider other humans in every decision they make.  They think about thinking and are highly functioning.  P-Zeds out number the other two groups which are evenly split.

I haven't finished the novel yet  but it is aimed towards some sort of breakthrough in making every one a thinker.  One could only wonder if this would be good, but I have to think it would be.  It might  lessen the ability of people like Trump and Cruz from gathering so many P-Zeds around their candidacies.   If only it were real.

We Are Next

This WaPo Article shows what New Mexico will face when Susana Martinez leaves office.  The Louisiana former Governor gets all the heat while the American Corporate forces that pushed for the tax breaks get away with murder.

Missed Train

The fossilized leadership of New Mexico in the Governor's Office and Legislature has missed the train again.  While they are still allowing subsidies for the oil, gas and coal boys, they did not act on Solar Tax Credits for that clean and growing industry.  And we are arguably the sunniest state in the nation.

Read this report, in which my son is heavily quoted, to see how New Mexico is left at the station.

Comeuppance

The rise of the GOP wrecking Donald Trump is so funny.  The GOP created him through their non stop hatred of a Black American President and an extreme right wing agenda targeted at women and Latinos.  And now this bizarre individual will destroy the Party of Lincoln.  And Donald Trump, who never really wanted  to get this far, will  probably surprise us once again by pulling out of the race on some trumped up illness or emergency.  Or some crazy person with a gun, thanks to the NRA and GOP, will assassinate him.  It could happen to any of the candidates really.

If there was any doubt to the power of social internet media it should be dispelled by now.  All of those racists can meet and organize under cover of zeros and ones.  A digital shroud, so to speak.  And they can speak with one voice.  The voice of Trump.

Misc

Did the GOP Legislators insistence that NM not have an early Primary election pay off for them?  Bill Richardson had one back when he made his run for President in 2008, but then it reverted to June in NM once again.  After all the real decisions had been made in places like Alabama.  Would a good showing by a non Trump candidate in NM in February have made some sort of difference?  Maybe.  But, I have to say,  the shorter the campaigns the better.   I think in a short campaign people like our newly minted racist GOP banner carrier might not have picked up steam around the country.  This whole thing is a historical happening in America and will be watched closely by the world, and if the reaction of former Mexican Presidents is any indication, we may be in for an end to any global moral leadership.

If you didn't read the Dana Milbank oped in the Journal this morning, do your self a favor and enjoy it here.

State Attorney General Hector Balderas scores a good government gold star for charging former State Senator Phil Griego with nine felony counts arising from his profiting from the sale of a building that he manipulated the state into selling.

ART

I haven't said much on Mayor Berry's plan for a rapid transit bus system down Albuquerque's Central Avenue.  It has been painful to watch his administration's lack of work in getting support  for this project.  It is like his efforts at putting a trail in the Bosque along the Rio Grande.  The attitude is full steam ahead and damn the opposition.  I disagree with him on his Bosque project.  I don't disagree with him on his ART project.

The demeanor of the mob who came to a recent meeting to crucify the effort probably hurt their cause more than helped.  I am not privy to the true costs of the ambitious attempt at making Albuquerque a modern city ready for the next generation.  I suspect it will balloon with other related infrastructure costs.  It almost always does in such projects.

But, the system is worth doing.  My advice to the Mayor is to get a steering committee together made up of a diverse group.  Put them into subcommittees that deal with specific issues and get them to hammer out some compromises.  Meet often as a large group to get reports from the smaller committees.  This system can work.  This is how we got the downtown theaters and downtown rehabilitation started, as we did too with the new Isotopes Stadium, and as we helped steer the city through the construction of the new Big I interchange.  All of this happened during my administration in the late 90's.  It can work if the Mayor gets some organizing efforts underway.

It has been amazing to see our weak City Council sit on the sidelines.  What a bunch of sissies.  And the same goes for much of the business community.  

Insanity

We are sitting here in PV listening to CNN's so called debate amongst the biggest pack of xenophobes in recent AMERICAN history as they talk about Mexican people as if they were Jews in 1930's Germany.  It is hard to hear and would even be harder to explain to Mexicans you meet on the street.  I think there is a social breakdown in our democracy, brought on by 8 years of pure republican led hatred of a black American President.  It is not gong to end well.

Sunset

Our Last night in PV.

The Gang

Busaria

Sunset at El Brujo seafood

Mr. Trump

Bobbi and I have been hanging out for a few days with a lot of Mexicans.  They are just all over Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco. And the funny thing is we have not met any rapists, drug dealers or thieves.  Every one we have seen is working at a job.  Making it on their own unlike you, who inherited dad's fortune and has seen it grow less than a good savings account.

We have apologized for America concerning your statements and declaration of war on brown people who live on the other side of a political line on the map.  When we do so there is a rolling of eyes and a chuckle and then they get back to work.  Really, the brown people you need to worry about Mr. Trump live north of that line on a map.  

Puerto Vallarta

We got knocked over by one wave, so far.

Misc.

Greg Fouratt has been appointed a Federal Magistrate in the southern Federal Judicial District.  He had the support of a majority of Judges in that area.  I would assume all GOP appointed Judges voted for him.   Fouratt was the Public Safety Chief for our right wing Governor.  He pretty much followed her line on most things he did while working for the state.  Now we have him in this important position where he will need to be a mediator and facilitator.  Can he do it?  Time will tell.  One thing is certain, our Congressional delegation didn't know about this until they read a news release from, The Governor's Office!  Or so I am told.  Not even a courtesy call.

Some in the media say the concluded legislative session got some work done.  They did.  A new plan for deck chairs on the Titanic.  The really big issues were totally ignored.  Economic development being one glaring example.

Credit should go to KRQE News.  They did a pretty good job of covering important issues in the session.  Alex Goldsmith did a great story on the silly and corrupt way we dole out Bond money.  It was as good a story I have ever seen on a complex issue.  Of course, after this a silly story on a stolen lawn ornament got just as much time.  Bipolar News Direction?

We are headed for a Mexican Beach for a few days.  Given El Nino's forecast for a harsh winter we thought February was good timing.  Now we have shirt sleeve golfing weather here.  We got a notice from our whale watching tour operator in Mexico that our tour was cancelled due to a lack of whales in the warm water from El Nino.  So, just one more Pacifica Cerveza please.

Zombies in Santa Fe

They just keep coming back.  They bump into walls and stagger around looking for brains.....brains......and then they go home because there is no one in charge to tell them what to do.  For example the legislature has failed to act on securing tax credits for the Solar industry.  But, at last check there are still plenty of subsidies for the oil and gas boys.  How does that make sense?  Only Zombies could do such a mindless thing, right?

And where is the head Zombie on the 4th floor of the Capitol Building?  Is she in rehab, or preparing for rehab from holiday pizza parties, because she has been invisible during this wasted and sad 30 days in Santa Fe.  We are in an emergency life support existence and she is no where to be found.

I have watched the workings in Santa Fe for over four decades.  Honestly, I have never seen  any Governor or Legislative body fail the citizens as much as this current group.  Sure, individually there are some good decent lawmakers, but there is no compelling leader trying to muster up some bipartisan effort at giving some CPR to our economy in the Land of Enchantment.  What happens next? 

Polling

The GOP must be doing some polling on their attempts to stonewall Obama on the replacement for the Supreme Court.  There are cracks appearing in the solidarity of trying to deny a sitting President's Constitutional responsibility to make such an appointment.

While one could decry the GOP Senators for blinking, I have to say they are being pragmatic about the damage it could do their brand in November.  And that is probably what the polls are showing.

So why can't our New Mexico Legislature be as pragmatic?  The GOP legislators crime all the time approach to the current session isn't leaving a good impression amongst the voters.  Neither is the Democratic leadership in the Senate stopping all GOP bills, such as Ethics Reform, in the labyrinth of their committees.  Both sides should commission a poll or two to see just how the public in general is perceiving their performance.  I am sure Brian Sanderoff could squeeze such a  question into any upcoming state wide surveys he is conducting.  And a question or  two on Governor Susana's performance in the wake of the pizza party would be in order too.

Misc

Solar Tax Credits on the state level are in danger of once again being scrapped.  This is one growth industry that  needs increased  velocity.  Given the horrible condition of the state's budget it will be a real fight to get these credits in place.  But if they are not enacted, then at the same time every dime in subsidies to the fossil fuel boys has to be eradicated.  If not, you can get a really good picture of who runs our legislature and Governor's office.

Our son and his family had wanted to visit us over Easter weekend.  Our corporate airline system wanted to charge them more for tickets to Albuquerque than they would have charged for tickets to Hawaii or Europe.  They live near Syracuse, New York.  Maybe our US Senators and Congressional delegations could hold some hearings on why this bizarre fare system exists and why the screws are being put to Albuquerque.

The fact that the catholic church is still forbidding contraception in South America in the face of the Zika virus shows just how out of touch that crumbling institution has become.  All of the good that this current Pope is doing is just negated by this silly and imbecilic policy.

Shame

The Democrats who voted down a bill that would create a planning group on how our huge capital funding bills are spent should bow their heads in shame.  They are acting like two bit little pols in taking care of  their pet projects instead of looking out for the well being of their entire district and the State as a whole.   It is like their own little slush fund.  This is corruption, Shame on you.

At the same time the GOP in Santa Fe is a gutless group in not recognizing the need for raising revenues in this horrible economic environment brought on by our Governor.  Taxes must be raised. A gas tax and increase in property tax would do.  Put a sunset on the increases some three to five  years in the future, and then revisit  the issue.

Our legislature has turned into a sophomoric drinking party.  No real work is being done and we sink ever lower in rankings of the other 49 states.

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?