Aggie Volleyball Swept By No. 5 Hawai'i

bleedCrimson.net Report
The Aggie volleyball team was swept by No. 5 Hawai'i on Sunday night in Honolulu as the Wahine took the match by winning the first set 25-18, the second set 25-10 and then holding off the Aggies 25-23 in the third set. The Wahine hit .384 on the match while the Aggie offense struggled hitting just .140. Kayleigh Giddens was the only Aggie in double-digit kills with a match-high 12 as she hit .194 for the match. Kanani Danielson was the only Wahine is double-digit kills with 11 and hit .240 for the match but also added three service aces, a solo block and two block assists.

Kelsey Brennan finished the match with five kills but also had four attack errors hitting .059. She added two digs and a block assist. No other Aggie had more than three kills and Desiree Scott, Amanda Tonga, Whitney Woods and Michelle Kuester each recorded three kills. Kelsi Phillips led the Aggies with seven digs.

After torching the Aggies for 11 kills on 12 swings in their first meeting, Brittany Hewitt once again punished the Aggies finishing with eight kills on 11 swings hitting .727 on the match. Emily Hartong and Michelle Waber each finished with seven kills and hit .400 and .500 respectively.

After failing to record a block in the first meeting, the Aggies finished with four total blocks but were outblocked by the Wahine who finished with seven total blocks.

The Aggies fall to 15-10 on the season and 9-2 in WAC play while Hawai'i improves to 21-1 and 11-0 in conference play. Click here to read more.

Share/Bookmark

Difficulties With the "Base"

Democratic Party difficulties with getting out the “base,” deserves some exploration. For starters, committed progressives are angry. Indicative of this fact is the strange absence on the laundry list of elections issues of how to fight the War on Terror. No doubt if McCain had won the presidency the wisdom of an escalation of U.S. troop involvement in Afghanistan would be a front and center issue. Almost since President Obama took the oath of office, progressives have been shocked, puzzled, or downright irate over the remarkable similarity of the Obama and Bush policies in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would seem that the new president’s reading of a steady flow of daily intelligence briefings have led him to reach much of the same national security conclusions of George W. Bush. Another troubled plank of the Democrats’ base is the youth vote. Unfortunately for the president and his party, the energy of the youth vote is gone. Perhaps the energy has been diverted towards an exhaustive and mostly fruitless job search. There have been two graduating classes since the magic of the 2008 “hope and change” campaign.
The youth group now includes millions of young voters that may well be wondering if President Obama knows enough about economics to ever create an environment chock full of employment opportunities. Reality is replacing the platitudes and naïve job rhetoric of the aging campaign songs.

Yet another plank of the Democratic base includes millions of racial and ethnic minority voters. In this sphere, not only have job opportunities been virtually non-existent, there has been no sign of the start of the “post racial” era in America. In fact, the topic of “race” keeps surfacing, and it keeps being brought to the surface by the president’s proponents, not by the so-called diversity antagonists. It is becoming increasingly apparent to all minorities that the constant conjuring up of the specter of race is more often a thinly disguised attempt to manipulate perceptions for political gain rather than for promoting real justice and equality……the most recent evidence being the Juan Williams firing by NPR. The efforts to suppress Williams’ free speech rights were met with nothing but silence from the ACLU, and other alleged freedom fighting organizations in the so-called “base.” The lack of outrage was remarkable.
Finally, we turn to the female plank of the so-called Democratic Party base. Here too the actions of those holding the majorities have not mimicked their drumbeat of pro-female rhetoric. Shrill calls for “tolerance” of those that embrace subjugation and intolerance of the rights of women have been ringing hollow for two years and counting. This inconsistency has also not gone unnoticed by female voters in the U.S. It has thus far been a gross miscalculation for the Obama administration, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid to extend remarkable new levels of sympathy and tolerance for governments, societies, and cultures that treat women like second class human beings. It also does not go unnoticed that embracers of the concept of Sharia Law are being treated far more politely by partisan Democrats than the mainstream American GOP women that happen to be running for office.
With a just few hours left before the vote counting begins on the mid-terms, the partisans in the Democratic Party are scratching their heads while trying to explain why they are having to scramble so furiously to “get out their base.” The explanations run the gamut of excuse making. “Irrational voter anger,” a new era of “knownothingness,” and the “party of no” simply managing to win the fickle P.R. battles more cleverly are but a few excuses floated about. There is a more simple explanation. These four planks of the “base” are paying very close attention to inconsistencies in so-called philosophy along with the massive wasteful spending under their watch. Too few traditional Democratic Party base members like what they see or hear from those in control.

Share/Bookmark

Get Out the Laugh: Stewart Draws Huge Crowd in D.C.

From The Hill.com - Tens of thousands of people poured onto the National Mall on Saturday to hear comedian Jon Stewart plead for tolerance and temperance in politics and the media, and for a greater culture of cooperation in Washington. Along with fellow Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert, Stewart led a lively but restrained rally that was part variety show, part music festival, and, in the spirit of the season, part Halloween parade. There was plenty of liberal irreverence at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, but pop culture often trumped politics. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Rage Against the Machine - Washington D.C. is THRIVING

From Townhall.com by Salena Zito - WASHINGTON – A friend once told me, after completing a cross-country drive, that he always thought you should feel somehow different as you crossed a state line. No doubt it was a feeling left over from grade-school geography classes, in which U.S. maps showed each state in different, vibrant colors. Instead, the difference is unnoticeable. Changes in terrain can be the most dramatic but usually are gradual; so are changes in dialect. Whether they live on Elm Street in North Platte, Neb., or Mulberry Street in Springfield, Mass., Americans remain the same at their very core. Read more:
Share/Bookmark

Borrowing Goes Non-Stop

News New Mexico did a quick check of the national debt clock to determine the latest total borrowed on behalf of every income tax paying citizen in the nation. Almost fittingly, on Halloween the total stands at $123,983. Tomorrow morning when NewsNM hosts take the air at 6:00am they will begin their fifth month. During the first four months (since July 1st 2010) the federal government, in addition to spending every nickel of tax revenue it has received from the private sector, has borrowed $5,241 dollars for every taxpayer in America. This comes to $1,060.25 for each of the four months we have been on the air. Taxpayers will head to the polls on Tuesday. In part the elections will be about whether citizens feel they are getting good resource management from elected officials.

Share/Bookmark

The Meteorologist Approach to Investment

Jim Spence
Note - This week's column was written by Sheila Walton, Director of Research at Spence Asset Management
Operating an investment advisory business often involves wearing many hats. In addition to the roles of money manager, business manager, and researchers, firms also sometimes find themselves stepping into other roles such as counselor, mediator, cheerleader, taxi driver, punching bag, and hand holder. In the bigger and ever more powerful government era the meteorologist role can help create success in investing. Knowing which way the government winds are blowing can be critical. Living in southern New Mexico and enduring countless wind filled springs can help one gain an understanding of the nature of wind. Brown outs, finding sand in your ears and discovering your patio furniture in your neighbors’ yard is all part of the fun of Las Cruces in the spring. Usually, the wind blows from the west but sometimes it seems to be swirling all around the Mesilla Valley in every direction.
The recent global financial crisis was a swirling wind at hurricane force that did more than move some furniture. Many institutions are still “cleaning their ears” and for many investment portfolios, a “brown out” would be putting it mildly. It may be years before the domestic economy has its financial “hair” back in place.
Today, the wind continues to blow. Political winds have shifted and are perhaps shifting again as we all head to the polls. Predicting the shift of political winds is difficult, dangerous and frustrating for most. However, the professional investor must hone in on which companies have the winds at their backs and which are facing stiff headwinds given the current political environment.
The financial services industry and especially the banking industry are currently facing the stiffest of headwinds. FDIC costs have soared; heightened regulation and weak loan demand are all weighing heavily on the profitability of domestic banks. Given the large loan defaults of the last few years, persistent high unemployment and new laws regarding fees on electronic transactions, most banks won’t see calm winds for many years.
Real estate is another industry and aspect of our economy struggling to hold its ground despite unrelenting squalls. Residential real estate has a large oversupply of homes that need to be worked through while commercial real estate has to survive the downsizing of companies across the country. Capital for real estate investment is more difficult to obtain for those who do want to borrow but for most investors, deleveraging continues while the return expectations of property owners have had to downsize.
Speaking of downsizing and deleveraging, the average consumer’s mission has become a reduction in discretionary spending. The retail industry, as well as the travel and leisure industries, in general are staring straight into the gale of such reductions. Although such impairment to the consumer is not "permanent," recovery to previous discretionary spending levels is likely to be years away.
Moving from a more discretionary industry to one that is at the heart of the political headwinds is the health insurance industry. Current legislation seeking to expand coverage to all Americans requires insurance companies to offer more benefits all the while restricting the price of those benefits. Health insurance companies will find it difficult to maintain margins AND navigate the new legislative environment. Also within the health care industry and facing headwinds are the pharmaceutical companies; generic competition, the Food and Drug Administration, and pharmacy benefit managers have squeezed margins for many pharmaceutical companies so tightly it is leaving them little incentive to continue to develop new drugs.
Conversely, the political winds are blowing in favor of some industries. Infrastructure, in general, is one such industry receiving funding from various government stimulus programs. Companies that have the scale, the experience and the technologies to win these contracts are experiencing the growth and the margin expansion that helps produce investment returns.
Technology is another industry with a strong tailwind. Companies are being forced to be more productive with less, to automate and to improve their current offerings. Smart phones, digital media and healthcare technology are all strong pockets within the industry as we all work to increase efficiency whether we are at the doctor’s office or on the road.
Speaking of being on the road, the Energy industry is another that is experiencing tailwinds. Higher prices stemming from increased global demand is helping energy companies to grow and prosper. Within the energy industry, clean energy is enjoying the strongest of the favorable breezes with political and environmental pressure building to find energy saving alternatives. Coupled with higher energy prices, the clean energy sector is likely to continue to experience prevailing winds for some time. A headwind, a tailwind or a predictable wind from the west, the direction and speed of the wind will continue to grow in importance for investors and for domestic corporations. Anticipating this influence means wearing the investing meteorology hat.


Share/Bookmark

Aggie Football Stuns San Jose State 29-27 For Homecoming Victory

bleedCrimson.net Report
The Aggie football team jumped out to a 14-point lead at halftime but then fell behind 27-23 before rallying for a dramatic 29-27 victory as time expired. Matt Christian found Taveon Rogers from eight yards out for the game-winning touchdown. It was the second touchdown connection between Christian and Rogers on the day.

The Aggies and Spartans combined for 980 yards of total offense as New Mexico State had a balanced attack rushing for 180 yards and passing for 259. Matt Christian finished the day 23-of-44 with two touchdowns and no interceptions, however, it was a fumble by Christian late that nearly cost the Aggies the football game.

With the Aggies down 27-23 and under four minutes to play the Aggies had a 2nd and 20 at their own 34 yard line. Christian kept the ball and rushed ahead for five yards but fumbled as he was tackled by SJSU's Vincent Abbott. Travis Johnson recovered the ball at the Aggies' 40 yard line and it looked like the Aggies' Homecoming hopes would be dashed. However, the Aggie defense rose to the occasion as they forced a field goal attempt by SJSU kicker Harrison Waid after the Spartans had driven down to the Aggies' 21 yard line. Waid, who had missed on two earlier field goals, missed his third field goal of the day.

Christian and the Aggies took over at their own 21 yard line with just 52 seconds left to play. On first and 10 Christian delivered a 34-yard strike to Marcus Allen to the Spartan 45 yard line. On the very next play Christian would hook up with tight end Kyle Nelson for a 19 yard gain down to the Spartans' 26. After an incompletion, Christian would again find Allen for 18 yards down to the Spartans' eight yard line. After three consecutive incompletions, the Aggies were faced with a fourth down, do-or-die situation with less than four seconds left to play. Christian took the snap, rolled to his right and fired a pass on the run from the right hashmark as he found Taveon Rogers rolling across the right side of the endzone. Rogers would haul in the pass with a Spartan defender draped over him and was immediately mobbed by his teammates on the ground.

The Aggies would take a knee on the extra point attempt to end the game and cap the victory. Click here to read more.

Share/Bookmark

Martinez: Denish Financed by Entitlement Crowd

Albuquerque – Susana Martinez for Governor Campaign Manager Ryan Cangiolosi today released the following statement with regard to the news that Big Labor bosses are funding the majority of Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish’s campaign in the final reporting period: “In taking $215,000 from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish shows quite clearly that she intends to continue the failed leadership of the Richardson/Denish Administration. The SEIU has demonstrated throughout the country that when they spend big, they expect to receive access and political payback. Allowing special interests such as the SEIU to put their needs above those of New Mexicans is the same kind of political favoritism and patronage that bankrupted our state under the Richardson/Denish Administration.”


Share/Bookmark

Obama Weighing New "Us versus Them" Tactics

From Bloomberg - The Obama administration is considering a plan that would preserve tax breaks for both the wealthy and the middle class as it faces likely Democratic losses in the Nov. 2 midterm elections, the Washington Post reported. Administration officials are discussing “decoupling” the Bush-era tax cuts to allow permanent extension for families making less than $250,000 a year and temporary extension of cuts for those making more, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with talks at the White House and among senior congressional Democrats. The Republicans would then be under pressure to defend extending the cuts for the wealthy as they expired in a year or two. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Consumer Confidence Index Down

From Bloomberg - Confidence among U.S. consumers fell in October to the lowest level in almost a year, which may temper the biggest part of the economy. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment decreased to 67.7 from 68.2 in September. Economists had forecast a reading of 68, almost matching the preliminary figure of 67.9, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

$420 Million for Corporation for Public Broadcasting?

Bill  O'Reilly
From Townhall.com - One of the big reasons the Democrats may get hammered next Tuesday is that under that party's congressional leadership, the nation has run up an astounding $5 trillion in new debt over the past three years. And what do we have to show for all that deficit spending? Nancy Pelosi flying home to San Francisco in a private jet? As part of the federal gravy train, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is set to receive $420 million this year alone. No wonder Elmo is smiling. This is free money for a group of people who should be competing in the private marketplace. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Kerry: "Period of Knownothingism"

John Kerry
From Boston.com - BOSTON—Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry unleashed a broadside Thursday against Republican "obstructionism," saying the GOP and its talk-show allies have created a "period of know-nothingism" in the country. With his party braced for defeats in the midterm elections, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce that a Republican machine -- fueled by talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck -- has undermined progress and misled the public into believing Democrats created the country's current economic problems. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Neck and Neck in Fundraising Derby

From the New Mexico Independent - This time around Democrat Diane Denish claimed the eye-popping contributions and raised the most out-of-state money. But two six-figure contributions and nearly $600,000 in out-of-state money wasn’t enough to power Denish past Republican Susana Martinez in dollars raised during the waning days of the 2010 New Mexico governor’s race, campaign finance reports filed Thursday show. In the three weeks from Oct. 5 through Tuesday the Dona Ana County district attorney raised nearly $1.1 million, to Denish’s $961,000. Martinez’s fundraising edge appears to be yet another signal of the Republican’s strength as Election Day nears. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Chandler: Career Prosecutor or Career Politician

Matt Chandler
From NMPolitics.net - I am a prosecutor by choice. I’m not in this job for a pat on the back; my gratitude comes only from knowing that I am taking on a tide the size of a tsunami, filled with crime and corruption, which, if left unchecked will rob New Mexico of it’s true potential. This tide has stripped us all of the ability to trust public officials in our state. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Juárez maquiladora operators unsure whether shooting will have effect on industry

From the El Paso Times - Operators of factories in Juárez said said it was too early to know if Thursday's deadly attack on three buses carrying workers will force changes in the maquiladora, or manufacturing, industry. People tied to the industry said the bus attacks, which killed four people and left 15 injured, would likely hurt efforts to recruit new companies to Juárez. "Information is the key. What provoked this attack? Why would someone do this?" asked K. Alan Russell, president of The Tecma Group, an El Paso company that operates maquilas for 33 companies in 18 plants in Juárez. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Feedback to NewsNM from Sara Laughlin-Medina

This is from our comment section of the website:

From Sara Laughlin-Medina: I have contemplated writing for a few weeks now, and finally have decided that if I continue to procrastinate any longer it will be too late, since voting day is just around the corner.Several times, a few weeks ago, you play audio about Cap and Trade from a Harry Teague Town Hall meeting in Silver City from last year. I would like to share with you, and hopefully your listeners, my group's experience with Harry Teague and the Cap and Trade issue, as I feel it is more significant than what was said in Silver City. Last year, Las Cruces was the very first stop after the vote on Cap and Trade for Mr. Teague's town hall meeting. I had never been to one of his meetings, but as the then chairman of the Las Cruces TEA Party, I posed questions from our group to him about his vote for what we consider a disastrous bill. For those that don't know, Mr. Teague's format had been to take questions one-on-one, so that no one else in the room could hear the discussion – I didn't know that at the time, but being that I was representing a large group, when it came my turn to talk with my representative, I indicated that I would like to state the questions so that everyone could hear and that I would appreciate it if he would respond in a manner that my group could hear his response, or that I would repeat his response. (I do like breaking rules and this stirred up quite a reaction and a lively debate - I don't think those that were in support of the bill appreciated it!) Here is the recollection of that discussion: (this was written right after the event with some editing done to suite this format)I first asked Rep. Teague if he reads the bills that he votes on. He said that he does, but he was overheard later admitting to someone else that he hasn't personally read them - he "has staff that reads them." I asked how his voting "yea" on the energy bill/Cap and Trade benefits all New Mexicans. The one reason that he said he voted for it was that "HIS AMENDMENT" to the bill would benefit the small oil business in New Mexico - (were you aware that he even had an amendment in this bill? I haven't heard it talked about anywhere else). In other words, he added a protection for his very own business! This seems to stink of personal pork to me and very short sighted for someone that is supposed to think of all New Mexicans. When it was pointed out that Dona Ana county does not have a great deal of income from oil/gas and that our energy bills would necessarily go up, all he could add was that his vote "didn't matter because the bill had already passed". We then asked why he didn't vote against it on principle (remember there was only one reason he voted for it – he was “against” it otherwise) he had no explanation, he only repeated what he had already said about his amendment being the reason he voted for it. SO, I have always questioned whether he means that it's okay to sell out your constituency because everyone else has...btw, all three Representatives from NM voted for the bill. That's just poor logic - in other words - a smoke screen for his own personal gain and interest. (PORK) It DOES matter how he votes regardless of whether a bill has already met the number to pass of not. IT MATTERS TO EACH NEW MEXICAN! He just happened to get lucky and didn't have to vote first.Gentlemen, I hope that I have composed this well enough so that it conveys the selfishness, lack of foresight and just down right unpreparedness to deal with the consequences of his actions we heard that day from Mr. Teague. Sincerely and with enjoyment of your show.Sara Laughlin-Medina

Share/Bookmark

Clinton Sticks His Finger in Florida Senate Race

Bill Clinton
From Politico.com - Bill Clinton sought to persuade Rep. Kendrick Meek to drop out of the race for Senate during a trip to Florida last week — and nearly succeeded. Meek agreed — twice — to drop out and endorse Gov. Charlie Crist’s independent bid in a last-ditch effort to stop Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee who stands on the cusp of national stardom. Meek, a staunch Clinton ally from Miami, has failed to broaden his appeal around the state and is mired in third place in most public polls, with a survey today showing him with just 15 percent of the vote. His withdrawal, polls suggest, would throw core Democratic voters to the moderate governor, rocking a complicated three-way contest and likely throwing the election to Crist. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Swickard: Take a Poll on What is Really Believable

Michael and Conrad
Sometimes in media accounts of what is happening in our little slice of heaven the truth is easy to see. While that is not often, I really do enjoy those times that the truth stands by itself. At other times the truth is only what you make of it. And some people can take what might turn out to be true and turn it into something else for political reasons. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Sowell: Crossroads Election

Thomas Sowell
Most elections are about particular policies, particular scandals or particular personalities. But these issues don't mean as much this year-- not because they are not important, but because this election is a crossroads election, one that can decide what path this country will take for many years to come. Runaway "stimulus" spending, high unemployment and ObamaCare are all legitimate and important issues. It is just that freedom and survival are more important. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Chavez: Pans Early Voting

Linda Chavez
From Townhall.com - Nearly one in four voters will have cast their ballot before Election Day, but I won't be one of them. Nothing but grave illness could keep me from the polls on Nov. 2. I've never missed voting in a general election since 1968. And in all those years, I voted absentee only once, when my job took me out of town on Election Day. If I sound a bit self-righteous on the subject, it's because I am. I don't believe that the trend toward early voting -- embraced by both Republicans and Democrats -- is a good thing. It eliminates an important public exercise of civic duty, one that helps build a sense of community and responsibility. Read more here:

Share/Bookmark

WAC Reaches Agreement with Fresno State and Nevada

The Western Athletic Conference, Fresno State and Nevada have reached an agreement resolving their disputes regarding the departure of Nevada and Fresno State from the WAC.  Fresno State and Nevada will remain members of the WAC in all sports through June 30, 2012.
Fresno State and Nevada will each pay $900,000 to resolve all claims of the WAC regarding their departure.  Read more here.
Share/Bookmark

Rich: Clear and Present Threat

Howard Rich
From Townhall.com - by Howard Rich - A new Gallup poll shows that forty-six percent of Americans believe the federal government “poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.” The other fifty-four percent? Obviously they aren’t paying attention to what’s happening in their country. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Democrats’ Estate Tax Plan Trips Next Secretariat:

Amity Schlaes
From Bloomberg - The estate tax is one topic getting lost in the dust of the midterm races. That’s a pity. This tax, now quiescent, is set to roar back like a stallion in 2011 if lawmakers don’t rein it in with new legislation. The destruction caused by the estate tax can be hard to capture. This is partly because the family business dynamic, so affected by the tax, is also hard to describe. Nonetheless, if left unchecked, this levy can trip up not only the workings of a family enterprise but also the general economy. An entertaining reminder of this fact is a film in theaters this midterm autumn. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Einstein's Insanity Alive and Well at the Fed

Albert Einstein
From Bloomberg - by Mark Gilbert - Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different outcomes. The crazy gang at the Federal Reserve should heed those words when debating how much more market manipulation to inflict on the world of fixed income. The worrisome thing about so-called quantitative easing -- a concept still novel enough to mean whatever the Humpty-Dumptys in central banking want it to -- is that its consequences remain unquantifiable, and the perceived need for more central-bank purchases of securities should make investors uneasy. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

President and Jon Stewart Yuk It Up

From Bloomberg - President Barack Obama sat down yesterday for an interview long on politics and policy, and short on laughs, as he sought to reach out to younger voters by appearing on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” less than a week before congressional elections. In a discussion that stuck closely to his campaign themes of voter “frustration” with the slow economic recovery, Obama and Stewart talked health-care policy and Senate procedure as the president told the supportive crowd that change “is not going to happen overnight.” Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Thatcher Prophecies Have Arrived in France

Margaret Thatcher
"The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - Margaret Thatcher
From Bloomberg - Train services were disrupted and flights canceled after French unions called for a fifth, and some said final, strike today against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension bill, passed by parliament. Unions are divided about the course of action after the lower house of parliament yesterday cast its final vote, approving the bill that will raise the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60. The bill must now be vetted by the Constitutional Court before it is promulgated into law by Sarkozy. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Larry Elder: Don't Cry for Juan Williams

Larry Elder
From Townhall.com - NPR and PBS are supposedly nonprofit. But shows like "A Prairie Home Companion," through a complex weave of private holding companies and licensing deals, made a phenomenally rich man out of Garrison Keillor. NPR and PBS executives and on-air talent enjoy salaries and benefits higher than the private sector pays comparable positions. That NPR and PBS receive public money -- in a world of hundreds of competitive television and radio stations -- is outrageous. More galling, they push a leftist worldview while taking tax dollars from non-liberals for the privilege. Pull the plug on NPR and PBS. No, don't cry for Juan Williams. Cry for America. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Not Paying Attention? - You Wish

John Kerry
From Townhall.com by David Harsanyi - Who's going to argue with Sen. John Kerry's recent claim that the American electorate "doesn't always pay that much attention to what's going on, so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what's happening"? Hey, that's why John Kerry keeps his job. That's why a simple three-word slogan and a bunch of saccharine speeches can propel a fresh political face into a spectacularly failed presidency. And that's why the Party of Intellect, Decency and Selflessness has a hallowed duty to point out the hard facts and truths about its opponents, those Aqua Buddha-worshipping, witchcraft-loving, Talibanish, rape-approving, women-hating, foreign-influence-peddling brutes. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

More Than One Thousand Rounds Fired at Police

From the NY Daily News - The entire police force in a small Mexican town abruptly resigned Tuesday after its new headquarters was viciously attacked by suspected drug cartel gunmen. All 14 police officers in Los Ramones, a rural town in northern Mexico, fled the force in terror after gunmen fired more than 1,000 bullets and flung six grenades at their headquarters on Monday night. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Off Duty Officers Murdered on Americas Bridge

From the El Paso Times - Mexican federal police officials confirmed Wednesday that the three men killed near the Bridge of the Americas were off-duty federal police. They were reportedly waiting for someone to arrive from El Paso. The men killed Tuesday at the foot of the bridge in Juárez were Inocencio Golpe Acusca, Marco Antonio Beli Mendez, and Gustavo Hidalgo San Juan. "It is part of the reactions we have seen from criminal groups because of arrests," said federal police spokesman José Ramon Salinas. "It is a way to counteract and intimidate our federal police corps." The three men were riding in a black 2000 Ford Taurus near the Mexican customs building. The shooting prompted U.S. and Mexican authorities to stop cross-border traffic on the bridge for 20 minutes. At least 115 police officers or investigators have been killed in Juárez this year -- including 32 federal police -- according to The Associated Press. Read here:
Share/Bookmark

Secretary of State's Servers in Disarray

From the New Mexico Independent - New Mexico county clerks said Wednesday it was taking them hours to print out voter sign-in rosters because of slow computers at the Secretary of State’s office. The Secretary of State’s office says the problem is being resolved, but nervous clerks are working out a Plan B. “How ridiculous is this? I can’t believe this is happening now. …The only response I got [from the SOS office] is ‘something happened to the servers’ and they don’t know what is happening or how soon they will be up,” San Miguel County Clerk Melanie Rivera told The Independent. Other clerks said it was taking them hours to print simple voter statistic reports. In fact, several clerks told the New Mexico Independent that if the problem isn’t fixed quickly it could become “a nightmare” for them this weekend when they need to print two copies of the sign-in rosters. Read here:

Share/Bookmark

Harbison: 100 Years of Democrat Leadership

Jim Harbison
The elections are only days away and the public has the opportunity to change 100 years of Democrat Party rule that has kept New Mexico at the bottom of nearly every measurable category. About the only category they could not depress is the number of sunny days per year. Their policies have inhibited the economic, social and educational development of this State and have prevented New Mexicans from experiencing many of the socio-economic opportunities that residents of other States enjoy. Their policies have impoverished our citizens and made them dependent upon the State and local governments for their basic needs. Residents have been relegated to a status similar to serfs of the State of New Mexico and the Federal government.
The Democrat Party which controls the State government continues to develop more social programs that have the unintended (or intended) consequence of discouraging efforts of hard working New Mexicans to break out of this cycle of poverty and inhibits their opportunities for economic advancement. Democrats have been ineffective in creating job opportunities and their restrictive and self-serving policies have either discouraged business development or driven existing businesses from the State.
For the last eight years we have had a governor who was more concerned about his own higher political ambitions than the needs of the people of New Mexico. His role appeared to be an absentee landowner and as long as the “rent was paid” he had no real concerns about the issues that permeated the State. Corruption in New Mexico government is legendary as evidenced by the number of former State officials convicted of corruption. Ethical reform has been consistently defeated by Democrat Party leadership.
Our society has become so polarized that our elected officials, because of party affiliation, refuse to work together. They have forgotten the art of negotiation and how to work together and compromise to reach a solution that, while it may not be perfect, produces the best possible outcome for the CITIZENS rather than the party operatives. Bi-partisanship is not “I won the election so do it my way” but rather open discussion of differing opinions to reach an acceptable solution. The loser in our current political environment is not the opposing political party but the citizens of New Mexico. As citizens we all lose while they struggle to keep and maintain their control over the opposition party, enhance their bloated egos, and by default or design fail to acknowledge their role of representing the needs of the people. The old saying that “when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging” is appropriate for our current political situation. Whatever the Democrats have been doing for more than 100 years is NOT working and is NOT helping New Mexico and New Mexicans achieve their social, economic and educational potentials. Single party rule has not worked and voting more of the same will not change the results.
Perhaps it’s time to look to an alternative option and provide a different strategy to lead New Mexico out of its lowly national rankings. The Republican Party has been given little opportunity to change the policies of this State government. Obviously, the Republicans don’t have all the answers and electing them to office won’t immediately fix the many issues and problems that confront this State. However, the policies of the past 100 years of Democrat leadership have not either.
Let’s use this election to create new opportunities for this and future generations of New Mexicans. Let’s try something different and vote Republican to bring new ideas and options to achieve a more balanced approach to improving our State and improving the opportunities for our citizens.


Share/Bookmark