Swickard: The urgent need for urgency

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. While I am painting with a broad brush, there does not seem to be much urgency in our nation and especially in our young people for anything. Americans are lollygagging along going trillions of dollars further in debt and only being concerned about which politician promises the best plunder for their vote.

     Americans show no urgency about our national debt which if you combine the on-book and off-books debt, it is more than half a million dollars for every man, woman and child in America. This means that every American must stop taking from the government chest and they must repay all of that money or that debt will be passed on to the next several generations.

     Being that far in debt should make every American kick the wall. But most citizens want even more debt so they can continue doing what they have being doing for years, ignoring the debt entirely. Their plan is to take the bounty from government now and leave the pain of repayment to their children.
Speaking of their children, the young people also show no urgency about this debt being laid on them. I would have to assume the lack of urgency on the debt is either out of ignorance or they, themselves, plan to leave the debt to their children. 

     These citizens think if we do not look at the national debt, it does not exist. And politicians smilingly say, “You are right, vote for me and I’ll give you more stuff from the public funds than my opponent.”

     I was talking to a college president recently. He mentioned that college students today routinely take a four year degree and turn it into six years or more of lollygagging around the campus while acquiring thousands of dollars of student loans. His concern was their lack of urgency about getting done with college and getting out into the workforce to start repaying the loans.

     I like the word urgency. It is only used in some aspects such as sports but not much in legislatures and Congress. For our legislators and leaders there is always tomorrow. Further, no matter the crisis we must wait until after the next election to fix any problems. But then there is an election after that election so no movement. Read full column

Swickard: The urgent need for urgency

Taos Ski Valley to be sold

Blake family, left,  Peter Blake, Ernie Blake, Rhoda
Blake, Mickey Blake and Wendy Blake Stagg

From the Taos News - Robin Martin - Taos Ski Valley will be sold to a billionaire conservationist. “Our net revenues are not sufficient to fund the improvements needed,” said TSV Chief Executive Officer Mickey Blake. He said construction of a new lift up Kachina Peak would have “eaten up all our cash reserves.”
     Blake said that buyer Louis Bacon has the capital to purchase new lifts, rebuild the base area and construct a hotel, all necessary improvements. “They're definitely going to do higher-end stuff,”

      Blake said.No employees will lose their jobs, he said, “it will be seamless.” Blake will step down as CEO to be replaced by Gordon Briner, now chief operations officer. Bacon said Blake will retain his seat on the company's board of directors.
     During the holidays, the ski area will be at peak employment levels, with 415 full- and 200 part-timers. Blake said 120 employees have more than 20 years of service. Bacon is founder and CEO of the hedge fund company Moore Capital Management and a resident of New York State.
     The decision to sell TSV was not sudden. “We had long discussions early in the summer that what's needed to be invested is beyond what we can come up with,” Blake said. He approached Bacon and negotiated with the investor himself.
     Included in the purchase is the Forest Service use permit for about 1,200 acres, the base area of about 100 deeded acres, 20 acres uphill at the Phoenix Restaurant, lifts, snowmaking and grooming equipment, subdivision lots at the Pioneers Glade, “and our fancy parking lot shuttles,” Blake said.
     He said the parties have signed a strict confidentiality agreement and will not disclose the price.More

Taos Ski Valley to be sold

2013 Sun Bowl: UCLA, Va. Tech fans ready to travel

From the El Paso Times - By Aaron Bracamontes  - The buzz for the 80th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl is off to a good start. This year's representative from the ACC, Virginia Tech, has a winning record and its fans are known for traveling with the team. Last year Georgia Tech came in with a 6-7 record.
     The Pac-12 representative, UCLA, is ranked in the top 25 and, unlike USC last year, the Bruins appear to be looking forward to the game. And while fans of both schools admit that it was their goal to see their teams play in a Bowl Championship Series game, they do not want to take the Sun Bowl, or their opponents, for granted.
     Roger McKee, vice-president of the UCLA Alumni-Arizona Network, wants his team to win the Sun Bowl and build on it. "We're disappointed we're not going to the Rose Bowl, but we are getting over it," he said. "Now we are looking forward to being in the Sun Bowl."
     UCLA's Den, student cheering section, has plenty of songs and traditions during games including the 8 Clap and dislike for red shirts. They even made a YouTube video to encourage students to participate. "There is a lot of talk of UCLA making a run to win the National Championship next year."
     And if Metallica's "Enter Sandman" is played before the game, Virginia Tech fans will begin to make the entire stadium jump up and down, Rippey said. "They have to play it," she said. "I've never been to a game at home or away where they didn't play it. So it is a must-play."
     Of course there is the game itself. More

2013 Sun Bowl: UCLA, Va. Tech fans ready to travel

Harry Reid's Personal Green Goldmine

Commentary by Marita Noon - We are weeks away from being fully immersed in the 2014 election cycle. Predictions abound, likening the 2014 cycle to 2010—when the House flipped from Democratic to Republican. Only this time, it is the Senate that has the potential to change. Twenty of the 33 seats up in 2014 are currently held by Democrats—more than half of whom are in trouble.
     In 2010, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was up for reelection—for his fifth term—and he was facing “a ferocious challenge.” He was “in trouble.” Remember, 2010 was the year of Tea Party victory. In light of the mounting government debt, pork barrel spending was no longer vogue. But Senator Harry Reid, apparently, didn’t get the memo. “The 71-year-old one-time boxer touted his ability to bring federal money to his home state—no one could do more,” said the HuffPost coverage of his “surprise” win.
    A May 2010 internal email addressing the need to expedite Department of Energy (DOE) green-energy loan approvals for projects in Reid’s district says: “Reid is constantly hit at home for not bringing in the federal dollars.” In the email, reported Obama bundler and former Clinton Administration staffer, Jonathan Silver, who was, at the time, the executive director of the Loan Programs Office, was to assure Reid that he anticipated “a good number of projects to be approved in the coming months.”
     Reid saw the potential in green-energy dollars before anyone else. He laid the foundation to allow him to bring home the “federal dollars.” The White House and DOE insiders helped Reid secure green-energy stimulus funds for his home state of Nevada—which he touted in his 2010 campaign. He is tied to more than $3 billion of taxpayer money—currency that created just over 200 permanent jobs. Read full column

Harry Reid's Personal Green Goldmine

People march in support of fired NMSP officer

From KOB-TV.com - By: Jeffery Gordon, KOB.com - A fired New Mexico State Police officer is getting support from some people in Taos.
     Elias Montoya was fired for shooting at a minivan that was occupied by a mother and her children during a traffic stop. Montoya’s supporters marched from Taos Plaza to the State Police Office in Taos on Sunday.
     On Saturday, Governor Susana Martinez backed up the State Police chief’s decision to fire Montoya. Martinez says the three shots Montoya fired at the minivan were too risky.
     However, not everyone agrees that the fired officer should have lost his job. A Facebook page is calling for Montoya to get his job back and a support rally has been planned for next Thursday in Taos. More

People march in support of fired NMSP officer

Swickard: Bet you don’t win the lottery

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. In our world it is a good bet that more education leads to more wealth. And, math education seems to bring wealth the best. Certainly the lack of math ability leads to less wealth. Being numerate, as the literacy of numbers is called, is lacking in our population.

     Many of our fellow citizens have no savings for the future, no investments; rather, their plan for old age is to win the lottery. While I agree with the adage, “No dreamer too small, no dream too big,” there are limits.
     Numerate people do not make the mistake of believing in the lottery any more than they believe that one day in Wal-Mart a movie producer will stop and point at them, “Him, I want him to star in my next movie.” This is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute with the intention of landing on something soft.
     The New Mexico Lottery, under the guise of raising money for education, preys on math challenged people. Their advertisements suggest riches will shower upon you if you buy a lottery ticket. Unlikely.
     Currently there is concern in New Mexico that not enough fools, er, dreamers are buying lottery tickets and there is not enough money for college students. This is entirely the fault of the institutions of higher learning in New Mexico who doubled and tripled their tuition so that the money from the lottery is not enough.
     But I have a solution. The proceeds from this tax on people who don’t understand math at this point goes to college general education, in fact, anything the student wants to study. Remember, the tobacco settlement funds anti-smoking campaigns. You want to know what I think? The New Mexico Lottery should go directly and entirely to math education in New Mexico.
     Every dollar should be channeled to making New Mexico students the envy of the nation when it comes to math. If people can buy lottery tickets with the expectation of winning, they are showing their lack of math education. We should take their obvious lack of numerate ability and use it constructively so future generations in New Mexico do not end up in the same condition. Read full column

Swickard: Bet you don’t win the lottery

55th racing season at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

From the El Paso Times - by Felix Chavez - The 55th season of horse racing begins at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino begins on Friday.
     The 76-day meet will have a total of $20 million in purses and a daily average of $250,000. The meet will be highlighted by the 12th running of the Grade III, Sunland Derby on March 23. The race serves as a prep for the Kentucky Derby.
     Other big races during the meet include the Mine that Bird Derby, the West Texas Futurity and the Sunland Park Handicap.
     Racing will take part mostly on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a few exceptions. Parking and admission are free.
     "We feel we well have a great season ahead of us," said Director of Racing Operations Dustin Dix said. "We expect strong fields for our races. We have a lot of the top trainers and jockeys back from last year."
     Among some of the top trainers at Sunland this year are Henry Dominguez and Justin Evans, while top jockeys include Ry Eikleberry and Enrique Portillo Gomez. More

55th racing season at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

NM ranked last in private sector job study

From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - New Mexico is at the bottom of yet another list, and this is one where you don't want to be anywhere near the bottom.
     Our state is dead last in the percentage of private sector jobs in the workforce – and number one in the percentage of government jobs and government contractor jobs in the workforce. Economists and political leaders agree – this is no way to grow your economy.
     Only about two thirds of our jobs in New Mexico are true private sector jobs. That may sound like a lot, but it's a much smaller share than most other states.
     Meanwhile, 31.9 percent of New Mexicans work in government or government contract jobs. The national average is 19.2 percent, according to a study from George Mason University. The lowest is Rhode Island at 14.3 percent. In New Mexico, many of those government and contractor jobs are at our two national laboratories or four military bases--where funding cuts are a constant threat.
      "We're going to continue to fight for our labs and our military bases," said Gov. Susana Martinez. "But we can't rely on that federal dollar because it's so unreliable right now. We've got to grow the private sector, that doesn't have to get a check from the federal government in order to survive."
     Even Democratic leaders agree with the Republican governor. Coming up with a plan is the task of the legislature's new Jobs Council, which says the state needs to grow 16,000 new jobs every year for the next ten years. That's 160,000 jobs. Read more

NM ranked last in private sector job study

Report says NM needs more job growth

A report to lawmakers says New Mexico needs to create about 16,000 jobs annually over the next decade to keep pace with population growth, reduce unemployment and offset future jobs losses if the state wants to return to 2007 pre-recession employment levels.

 The Legislature's Jobs Council was given the assessment Monday by a private consulting firm that outlined possible job creation proposals for lawmakers to consider, including increased spending on marketing by the Economic Development and Tourism departments and creating a "closing fund" for economic development projects. 

The consulting firm told lawmakers that New Mexico is capable of creating 160,000 jobs during the next decade, but not enough is being invested currently in job creation.

Report says NM needs more job growth

NM SUPCO gives leeway in warrant-less arrests

New Mexico's highest court is giving police more leeway to make arrests without a warrant in domestic violence cases.

 The state Supreme Court on Monday ruled that police can make a warrantless arrest when it's reasonably close to scene of the domestic violence. State law allows a warrantless arrest at the scene of a domestic disturbance, and the justices broadened that to include a location near the place where the incident happened. 

The ruling overturned a state Court of Appeals decision that found Daniel Almanzar had been improperly arrested in 2007 across the street from the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque where he alleged kicked his girlfriend during a quarrel. 

The justices said the arrest was lawful, allowing cocaine found during a search of Almanzar to be used as evidence.

NM SUPCO gives leeway in warrant-less arrests