Before we get to another New Mexico week in review that is packed with strange happenings, let’s give kudos to Artesia’s Landry Jones, now the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. A major Heisman Trophy candidate, Jones leads his team into the season with the #1 A.P. pre-season ranking.
We began this week with California Congresswoman Maxine Waters telling the tea parties to, “Go straight to hell.” It would seem that all efforts at civility in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tucson earlier this year have officially ceased within the Waters organization.
Not to be outdone by the viciousness of Maxine Waters, Mexican drug cartels staged a pitched gun battle outside of a soccer stadium in the beleaguered country. Players on both teams were seen on video sprinting for the exits in the middle of the game while fans also took cover. It made Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s calls for tourists to come to a safe Mexico, ring just a bit hollow.
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| Sidonie Squier |
HHS Secretary Sidonie Squier announced that New Mexico’s Medicaid costs continue to skyrocket. Estimates are that this year the state’s additional burden will rise by $330-360 million. Is anyone paying attention? Those earning as much as 235% above the federal poverty level qualify for taxpayer financed handouts in our state.
The Albuquerque Police Department is coming under more intense criticism and scrutiny these days. Some family members of suspects shot by APD officials over the last two years say there are “rogue” elements in the department with quick trigger fingers. Probes are underway.
Regular guest columnist Jim Harbison exposed dubious anti-jobs policies passed recently by the Las Cruces City Council. In an era where construction jobs are particularly precious and city payrolls remain bloated from the recent construction boom (now turned bust), the Las Cruces City Council, in its infinite wisdom, decided to slap prohibitive impact fees on all new development and construction. One can only wonder how many jobs must be lost before the voters in the second largest city in New Mexico realize what is happening to them.
An earthquake struck the East Coast at midweek causing damage in Virginia. Eyebrows were raised up and down the east coast. A previously unpublicized “fault” was identified as the culprit. There was an immediate push to change the name of that fault. We have unconfirmed reports that White House Press Secretary Jay Carney wanted it to be re-named the “Bush Fault,” while Maxine Waters argued vehemently that it should be dubbed the “Tea Party Fault.”
An Albuquerque hero admitted he is in the country illegally last week. The admission came just a few days after a daring rescue thwarted the kidnapping of a six year old. Hero Antonio Diaz Chacon admitted that he found the paperwork process involved in gaining legal status too cumbersome. Chacon is married to an American citizen. Is there a message here?
Excel Energy called for reduced electricity consumption at mid-week thanks to a shortage of production capacity. One can only wonder how many blackouts lie ahead when President Obama’s clueless EPA shuts down coal fired plants in the Four Corners region (and other areas of the nation) to “save the planet.” Radical environmentalists defended the anti-coal anti-oil and gas policies suggesting they might not do much harm ………. if we never have summer or winter again.
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| Gary Johnson |
We had to laugh as we posted comments from former Governor Gary Johnson this week. Johnson was weighing in on “social” issues. He said social issues would be a losing hand for the GOP in the upcoming presidential contest. While we tend to agree with the governor on this point and many others, it seemed somewhat ironic that G.J. would be talking about a losing hand as part of a strategy to do something about his own…..losing hand.
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| Ben Lujan |
New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan sent a letter expressing his intent to look at impeachment proceedings against estranged PRC commissioner Jerome Block Jr. We don’t have enough space to talk about all the hot water Block is in, let alone publish a list of everyone from both sides of the aisle who have called for him to resign.
Rob Nikolewski of Capitol Report New Mexico published a report on his website this week documenting the fact that Senator Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich claim they are too busy working on job creation ideas to conduct town hall meetings. Apparently both Heinrich and Udall are not too busy to hold fundraising events in Washington D.C. for fat cats. Heinrich wants to grab the Senate seat being vacated by town hall averse Senator Jeff Bingaman. Udall is not up for re-election until 2014.
Rep. Lee Alcon took a big shot at Governor Susana Martinez late in the week, suggesting the governor would give you a kick in the kidneys if you were down. When offered a chance to soften his statements by Rob after his press conference Alcon took the opportunity to get harsher saying that the Governor “Has no heart.” It seems that Alcon is very upset that the Governor wants to heed the wishes of 75% of the voters and reform the driver’s license laws in the state. And then, with almost uncanny timing, multiple indictments were handed down by a grand jury in Albuquerque Thursday drawing attention to yet another crime ring that set up shop in New Mexico to take advantage of the state’s absurd driver’s license laws. Three leaders of a Chinese crime ring stand accused of using fraudulent documents to secure New Mexico driver’s licenses for over 60 illegal immigrants from out of state. They are now facing over 1,150 counts of felony charges.
It would seem that there is widespread heartlessness within that Albuquerque grand jury. Only the “heartless” would bother with prosecuting a little fraud, forgery, and conspiracy. People falsifying affidavits and engaging in perjury should not face a prosecutorial “kidney punch.” Anyone with some compassion should realize that all it takes is just a little “heart” to tolerate altered, forged, or fictitious driver’s licenses. Just ask Rep. Lee Alcon, he’ll tell you. And finally, in what has to be labeled a sign of the times, illegal immigrant advocates in Albuquerque are planning a “peaceful protest” in front of…… get this….. the Department of Motor Vehicles on September 1st. Organizers say they are upset that Governor Martinez is going after the wrong people. In an interview with KOB TV one advocate is quoted as saying, “It's difficult to tell if the person applying for the license is in New Mexico to work or to commit crimes.” It might be somewhat helpful to point out that it is illegal to “work” if you are in the U.S. illegally. Isn’t that the reason why our government fines employers who hire illegals?
The Week in Review
From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A judge issued a temporary restraining order for a program requiring foreign nationals to prove they live in New Mexico or lose their driver's license. The order means that the thousands of illegal immigrants and foreign nationals who were required to prove that they do in fact live in New Mexico don't have to show evidence for now. The judge's restraining order said the state is required to stop the license verification program until a court hearing. The decision was a result of a petition by a number of legislators and immigrants' rights groups who called the driver's license verification program unconstitutional. The protesters said that foreign nationals were being unfairly targeted because of their place of birth. Until the hearing, all of the license verification and in-person interviews with the people targeted by the investigation have to stop. There can also be no additional license cancellations connected to the investigation. Read more
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