News New Mexico: 09/08/10

Republican Runs Street People on Green Ticket

NewsNM says, "For shame, a slimeball Republican thing."

From the New York Times - TEMPE, Ariz. — Benjamin Pearcy, (photo, white shirt) a candidate for statewide office in Arizona, lists his campaign office as a Starbucks. The small business he refers to in his campaign statement is him strumming his guitar on the street. The internal debate he is having in advance of his coming televised debate is whether he ought to gel his hair into his trademark faux Mohawk. Mr. Pearcy and other drifters and homeless people were recruited onto the Green Party ballot by a Republican political operative who freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats. Arizona’s Democratic Party has filed a formal complaint with local, state and federal prosecutors in an effort to have the candidates removed from the ballot, and the Green Party has urged its supporters to steer clear of the rogue candidates. Read more

Richardson and Biden meet

From the Politico.com - Vice President Joe Biden planned to met with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson Wednesday morning, the White House said in guidance to reporters. The two were scheduled to discuss "stimulus funding" for New Mexico, according to Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for Richardson. NewsNM wonders how that meeting went? More money for New Mexico? Or, more pictures of Bill Richardson?

Al Gore says climate battle lost by 'failure' of government

From World Net Daily.com - Ex–Vice President Al Gore, who has invested heavily in schemes that would give him profits from climate-related energy credits and carbon-emissions trading, is lamenting bitterly the "failure" of the government to pass comprehensive legislation taxing energy use and emissions. And he's blaming "right-wing" media, whose reports documented "Climategate," the revelations that global-warming scientists were manipulating results and shutting out critics. In a recording obtained by Steve Milloy, who writes among other places on the Green Hell Blog, Gore states, "There is a sad but undeniable truth that those who wanted to try sowing confusion used an echo chamber from blogs and talk-show hosts and biased right-wing media to promulgate the distortions of the paid skeptics and paid professional deniers who tried to undermine the evidence." Gore continued, "There have been, of course, multiple formal inquiries, all of which have dispelled the falsehoods that go under the title of 'Climategate.' The three separate inquires conducted not only cleared the scientists and organizations involved but strongly reaffirmed the basic assertions that they have been making." Read more

Eye Witness to Kidnappings and Murders

José Navarrete was 15 when he killed for the first time and it felt, all things considered, pretty good. "I shot him in the back and he fell. Then I went over and put one in his face. In that moment I felt the best." The dead boy was also 15 and belonged to a group that had gatecrashed a birthday party organised by Navarrete's street gang. Shouting turned to shoving and Navarette decided to use the 9mm he kept in his waistband to frighten shop owners. "All my friends congratulated me. They said it showed I really belonged in the gang. I felt a part of the neighbourhood." All these years later he can still feel the tingle. It was the start of a long, dark journey into the business of kidnapping, mutilating and murdering fellow inhabitants of Ciudad Juárez, centre of Mexico's drug war and by some measure the world's murder capital. The scale and sadism of the violence bewilders outsiders. We see the corpses, the ambulances and the police but what of the killers? Who are they? Why do they do it? Read more here:

Race to the Bottom?

Gary Johnson

Governor Gary Johnson pushed to change the independently elected State Board of Education to a Secretary of Education structure. Under this organization, the governor would appoint the Cabinet Secretary, and voters would have accountability. The partisan legislature never allowed the Johnson Administration to move in this direction. Governor Richardson promised educational reforms and results; all he needed was the tools to be successful. The partisan legislature agreed to send this change to the voters for their consideration. Richardson also pressed the voters to change our State Constitution to take more money from our Severance Tax Permanent Fund to plow into education. The electorate, sensitive to the importance of a quality education, granted both of these initiatives.

Bill Richardson

Now comes the end of Governor Richardson’s second term. New Mexico’s 40+% dropout rate has worsened during his term of office, and there seem to be plenty of new excuses for the failure of our students. The US Department of Education’s Race to the Top under President Obama provides some unbiased perspective. The Education Department recently awarded $3.4 billion to nine states and the District of Columbia in this competition.

Winners received at least 440 points out of 500. New Mexico scored 305 points. Notable highlights*of NM’s application included:

· Zero out of 28 points on “using evaluations to inform key decisions”
· Zero out of 15 in “ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals in high poverty schools”
· Zero out of 14 in “improving the effectiveness of teacher and principal preparation programs”; and
· 40 points out of 40 for ensuring successful high-performing charter schools.

* Information compiled by the Legislative Finance Committee.

City Council Meeting Summary

News New Mexico - City Council Review
Presentations and Proclamations:
· The “Pet of the Week” was presented.
· A proclamation was read that declared Sep 9th as International Literacy Day and September as International Literacy Awareness Month. 25% of Dona Ana County residents cannot read at a level to earn a living wage and 50% are at the 4th grade level or less
· A proclamation was read that declared September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness month. 39.8% of children nationally are classified as overweight or obese
· A proclamation was read that declared September 15th as Lesbian/Gay/Bi-sexual/Transgender Awareness Day. Las Cruces was also recognized for having the first Lesbian/Gay/Bi-sexual/ Transgender community center in the State of New Mexico. It is located at 1210 N.Main Street.
· A proclamation was read that declared September 15th as Village at Northrise Recovery Day in recognition for 12 years of service, job training and patient care. They were recently recognized as the Best Management Team in New Mexico. They will be hosting an open house for the public on September 15th from 4-6 pm and encouraged the public to visit their facility
· G.Sandoval Construction Co. was presented a certificate from HUD recognizing them as the first Section 3 certified firm in the City. This was based on the requirement that 1/3 of their workforce be low income and ¼ of their work goes to low income businesses
· The Mayor recognized his 2010 Top Team, approximately 40 High School students, for their academic achievement
· Comcast presented a check to East Picacho Elementary School for $16,600 from their recent Comcast Care Day where more than 600 people showed up to clean up, paint or repair the school
· Isaac Chavez, Executive Director and Sharon DeBraal, President of the Las Cruces Board of Realtors presented the City with 24 digital cameras to use for the El Paseo redevelopment project.
Public Participation:
Leroy Rosier commented on the proposed curbside recycling program. He wanted to know where all the money will come from to purchase the new equipment to make it work. He stated that the increased costs will be a hardship on many retired residents. He wanted the option for smaller less expensive recycle containers and felt it was a bad time, financially, to implement this. The Mayor informed him the decision to implement will be considered at the December 20, 2010 Council meeting.
Resolutions and/or Ordinances for Consent Agenda
Items #6, 11, 12, & 13 were removed from the consent agenda and all others were approved by a vote of 7/0

Resolutions and Ordinances for discussions
1. Items #6 concerning Reimbursement for LCPD overtime not to exceed $15,000 for joint operations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement was approved by a vote of 7/0.
2. Item #11 concerning a contract to Molzen-Corbin Associates for engineering & design and drainage study for the Sandhill Arroyo Project in the amount of $249,816 was approved by a vote of 7/0.
3. Item #12 concerning a contract to Meyners & Company to provide tax recovery of erroneously paid Gross Receipts Taxes was approved by a vote of 7/0.
4. Item #13 was to authorize the application and acceptance of various grants totaling $83,910 for Las Cruces Airport improvement projects was approved 7/0.
5. Item # 18 concerned the routine budget adjustments (no budget enhancements) was approved 7/0
6. Item #19 was for the approve of use of septic systems in the development known as Overlook. This resulted in an hour and half discussion. The property was annexed in 2006 and all the surrounding developments are on septic systems. Dr Garcia, Director of Utilities, said the City master plan did not call for City sewer to be extended to this area for the next 15-20 years. Councilors Silva, Pedroza, Small, Sorg, Thomas and Mayor Miyagishima all wanted additional studies to be conducted on environmental effects and for the City to amend its code to address the issue. The Mayor admitted that the City did not do a good job in analyzing the property when it was originally annexed. They have had nearly 4 years to address it. Councilor Connor wanted a clear up or down vote. Councilor Silva opposed septic systems and feels City approval would “bail out” another developer. The Council chose to table it until October 18th.by a vote of 5/2
7. Item #20 was another routine budget adjustment (no budget enhancements) resolution. It was passed by a vote of 6/0. Councilor Pedroza was absent
8. Item #21 concerned the renaming to two sections of the old Del Rey Blvd due to its realignment. This passed 7/0
9. Item #22 concerned amending the City Municipal Code to require cost or price analysis on all Federally funded procurements as required by Federal regulations. This passed 6/0 (Councilor Small was not present)
10. Item #23 concerned the purchase of property in the Industrial Park for a business expansion. It was passed by a vote of 6/0 (The Mayor recused himself due to possible conflict of interest issues)
Board Appointments or review of any proposed ordinances
The Mayor appointed two members to the Transportation Board and one to the Downtown Revitalization Project
Status/Updates on Current Project List
There was no discussion on any items on the project list
General Discussions:
Councilor Thomas, District 6:
· Announced that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will visit the city in October.
· She also announced there will be a transportation summit on Sep 9th at City Hall. It is open to the public but registration is required
· There is no representative to the Veteran’s Advisory Board and she recommended that former Mayor-Pro-Tem Archueletta be appointed. The City Clerk advised the Council that this would require a change to the City ordinance. Terrence Moore said that staff will be assigned to represent the City at the VAB.
Councilor Sorg, District 5:
· Said that Las Cruces is a wonderful place to live and is less expensive than most other areas and that the residents should be willing to pay for recycling and other “quality of Life” issues to live here.
Councilor Small, District 4:
· Wants more City emphasis on developing the Picacho corridor
Councilor Pedroza, District 3:
· Thanked the City staff for educating her on City functions

Advocacy group reports: Mexican crime, American guns

From ABC news.com - photo by Rueters - A shocking new report obtained by ABC News says that as many as three out of four guns used in crimes in Mexico can be traced to gun stores just across the border in the U.S. The numbers bolster complaints by Mexican officials that the country's unprecedented bloodshed – 28,000 people have died in drug-cartel violence since 2006 – is being fueled both by the U.S. appetite for drugs, and by American weapons. The study, based on Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) data and prepared by the advocacy group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, shows that three out of four guns used in crimes in Mexico and submitted for tracing were sold in the four U.S. states that border Mexico. According to the report, from 2006 through 2009, 19,000 guns used in crimes in Mexico were traced to an original sale at a US gun dealer, and the bulk of the guns came from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Read more

The Language of Fools - "We Cannot Afford?"

White House Press Sec. Robert Gibbs

The White House waved off suggestions that President Obama will draw a line in the sand refusing to extend tax cuts for the wealthy during his speech Wednesday. Though the administration has said several times that it wants to let the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire, White House officials told Fox News that a New York Times article saying that the president will announce a final decision is overwritten. The Times reported that during his speech in Cleveland Obama will affirm that he is against any type of deal extending the high income tax cuts beyond this year. The president’s speech is intended to introduce a trio of proposals made to spur economic growth through tax cuts and investment. But the administration refuses to call the measures a second stimulus package. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had defended the president’s position on the tax cuts Tuesday. “The president's viewpoint is that we cannot afford to extend the tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year,” Gibbs said. “Most of the spending for extending those tax cuts comes from … incomes that surpass $1 million. Roughly, for a millionaire, that's $100,000 tax cut. I don't think the president believes that we are a $100,000 tax cut from a millionaire away from an economy that works for families that are making $40,000 a year.” Read more here:

Thomas Sowell - "Do Something?"

Thomas Sowell

When people learn that you are an economist, they often want you to predict which way the economy is going. There seem to be more than the usual number of calls for such predictions lately. But an economist should be more aware than others are of how hazardous such predictions can be. One reason is that what happens in the economy is affected by what politicians do in Washington-- and who can predict what politicians will do? However, let me go out on a limb, and try to predict what politicians will not do. What would probably get the economy recovering fastest and most completely would be for the President of the United States and Congressional leaders to shut up and stop meddling with the economy. But it is virtually impossible that they will do that. Read more here:

Stossel: Four Assault Cases on Entrepreneurs

John Stossel

Every day, federal, state and local governments stifle small businesses to privilege well-connected incumbent companies. It's a system of protectionism for influential insiders who don't want competition. Every locality has its share of business moguls who are cozy with politicians. Together, they use the power of government to keep competition down and prices high. The Institute for Justice, a libertarian public-interest law firm, works to free entrepreneurs from such opportunity-killing regulations. Here are four cases from IJ's files. Read more here:

Human Smuggling - Deadly Lure of U.S.

Boston, on the east coast of the United States, was the destination when Hermínio Cardoso dos Santos and his friend, Juliard Aires Fernandes, left their sleepy rural town in south-east Brazil on 3 August. The two young men had relatives there: they dreamed of earning a good wage in a vibrant city that boasts a sizeable Brazilian community. Warning signs litter the road they took out of their home town, Sardoá, which cuts through the mountains towards Governador Valadares, the nearest city. "Dangerous curve ahead," the rusty green signs advise. "Attention! Wild animals." But when 24-year-old Hermínio and 19-year-old Juliard boarded the bus, they could have had little real idea of the mortal danger that lay ahead.

"Hermínio left the house and said: 'Dad, God willing I'll go and work there and get some money together, and then God willing I'll come back,'" Antonio Ramos dos Santos, Hermínio's 64-year-old father, told the Observer at the family's small ranch. "I said: 'God be with you. Be happy'." Hermínio's sister, Marlene, fought back tears. "They both had the same dream: to go to the United States. And then this happened." read more here:

Secretary of State Mary Herrera Fires Whistleblowers

Mary Herrera

From NMPolitics.net - The Secretary of State’s Office has fired two whistleblowers who took allegations of potential criminal activity in the office to the FBI. Deputy Secretary of State Francisco Trujillo II confirmed to NMPolitics.net only that Manny Vildasol and James Flores “are no longer employed” by the office. In an e-mail, the secretary of state’s office administrator, Paula Templeton, said this: “Yes, we are able to confirm that in separate circumstances Manuel Vildasol and James Flores are no longer employed by the N.M. Secretary of State’s Office. For the protection of the employee and the state any confidential personnel matters will not be discussed. However, the Secretary of State is certain the separation of each employee is in the best interest of the agency and the state.” Read more here:

Duran Has a Shot at Secretary of State

Dianna Duran

From the New Mexico Independent - The last time a Republican won election as New Mexico Secretary of State Herbert Hoover was president and the Great Depression had just begun. Today E. A. Perrault’s role as New Mexico’s last Republican Secretary of State is a historical footnote, a two-year term ending 80 years ago, in 1930. But some political observers are wondering if 2010 might be the year of the GOP. First-term Democratic Secretary of State Mary Herrera is viewed as vulnerable, after several employees have gone to the FBI to allege corruption in her administration. Herrera, for her part, has dismissed the accusations as politically motivated. But a GOP victory isn’t a gimme, even if Herrera’s opponent is an experienced politician herself, said a prominent pollster. Herrera’s opponent, GOP state Sen. Dianna Duran, is a former Otero County Clerk with a working knowledge of the state election code, a major responsibility of the secretary of state. Read more here:

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