NM We The People Rally
Farmer says dairy regulations bad for industry
From the Clovis News-Journal - New dairy regulations recently put on hold by Gov. Susana Martinez were bad for the industry, according to local dairy owner Alva Carter Jr. In the 2009, state lawmakers adopted a bill requiring strict regulations on groundwater pollution prevention for New Mexico dairies. After a lengthy process, the state Water Quality Control Commission passed the regulations. But before the regulations could take effect, Martinez issued an executive order sending the regulations to a Small Business Task Force, effectively putting everything on hold. The task force will determine if the regulations inhibit job creation and business growth in the state, said Scott Darnell, communications director for the governor. There is a 90-day freeze on a number of regulations including the dairy rules while the task force reviews them, he said. Carter, who owns dairies near Portales and Muleshoe, said the dairy industry sought regulations because New Mexico Environment Department rules weren’t working and were inconsistent between dairies and regions. “It was more of a negotiation process,” he said of what procedures dairies had to follow. Carter said some parts of the new rules could damage the dairy industry and didn’t have science behind them. “What we need in New Mexico is we need to know we can protect groundwater at the least expensive cost,” he said. Read more
Martinez targets department fleets, other perks
From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - When Jon Barela walked into his new job as the secretary-designate of the Economic Development Department earlier this month, he was offered the keys to a state-owned Chevy Impala. He turned down the offer, even though the car was a much nicer ride than the 1995 GMC pickup he's getting around in now. "I didn't think it was the right thing to do under these circumstances," Barela said. The Impala is now parked in a state-owned lot with other vehicles bought with tax revenues. As the state tries to whittle its budget deficit, Gov. Susana Martinez is asking each department to investigate how many cars it has and what it uses them for. And to further curb state spending, she already has announced a moratorium on the purchase of new state vehicles, with the exception of law-enforcement vehicles. "The governor has made it very clear she wants every Cabinet secretary to review policy on government vehicles and provide justification for why any employee would need a take-home car," spokesman Scott Darnell said. The state's fleet includes thousands of vehicles and is managed by a variety of agencies. The General Services Department, for example, has said there are about 2,200 vehicles in its fleet, which is about a third of the state's total cars. A 2009 report on commuter vehicles, commonly referred to as take-home cars, said 236 commuter vehicles were leased through the General Services Department. It did not list who was driving them. Other agencies manage their own fleets of vehicles and appear to have varying rules about the vehicles' use. At the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, which has 423 vehicles, no one uses them to commute, for example, but vehicles are allowed to be driven home if an employee has work in the field the next day and the drive to the work site is closer than driving back to Santa Fe to pick up a car. The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, has 6,500 heavy- and light-duty vehicles statewide. Of those, 295 are passenger cars. It wasn't immediately clear how many are used by employees to commute to and from work. Regular access to a state car is just one perk that could go away under the new administration. A taxpayer-funded cell phone is another. Some 4,643 state employees had cell phones as of Dec. 31, and they cost the state $2.6 million a year, a spokeswoman for the General Services Department said Wednesday. Of those, 1,401 are smartphones, which are more expensive than regular cell phones. Martinez is looking at the cost of those phones, Darnell said. Read more
Going Broke by Going "Green"
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| Harry Jackson Jr. |
Townhall - President Obama’s healthcare program came under intense scrutiny in 2010. As we enter 2011, we need to open our eyes to what is really going on behind his green energy propaganda, as well. To some, it may not seem as desperate an issue as healthcare, but it will grow to become just as devastating to those citizens among us who are poor, because access to affordable energy affects everything we do.
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| Niger Innis |
The administration’s green policies are being thrust into a precarious American economy. Every “green scenario” shows raised energy costs across the board. Not only will the average person pay more for energy; many will lose their jobs as the forced transition to alternative power sources rocks the stability of current energy-producing and energy-using companies. Read full column here:
Spaceport Review Process Underway
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| Governor Martinez |
SANTA FE - As Governor Susana Martinez’s administration continues to review all aspects of the state’s budget in order to ensure the best and most prudent use of taxpayer money, the Governor’s Spaceport Transition Team has begun its review of operations at Spaceport America. The transition team will review and advise Governor Martinez and Economic Development Secretary-designate Jon Barela on the project’s operations, financing, and contracts.
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| Jon Barela |
Transition team members are: Chairman Sherman McCorkle, President and CEO, SS&TP Development Corporation; Christine Anderson, Director of Requirements at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Governor Garrey Carruthers, former Governor of New Mexico; Sid Gutierrez, former NASA astronaut, former Air Force Pilot, former Manager of Strategic Initiatives Department at Sandia National Laboratories; Tom Hutchinson, retired Navy Captain and former Naval aviator, owner of La Posta Restaurant in Mesilla, NM; Dan Keeling, CPA, Vice President of Internal Audit at Sun Healthcare Group, former accountant at KPMG.
Dupnik Took a Break From Fact-Gathering
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| Larry Elder |
The Economic Significance of Military Retirees
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| Jim Harbison |
By Jim Harbison - Every year approximately 60,000 highly skilled men and women retire from the military. They are in their early 40's, proficient in management, medical, educational, engineering, information technology, security, scientific or technical career fields. They are seeking a place to settle down, buy a home, and many want to start their own small businesses. With their combination of retirement pay, savings, and health care coverage they will not be a burden on New Mexico welfare or Medicaid programs.
Where are these military retirees choosing to settle? Surveys show that many prefer an area where they have previously served, are close to a military base, has a good climate and a favorable quality of life. New Mexico, scores high on these criteria. Ability to find a decent job or a state that encourages small business development is also a key consideration. Close to the top of the list of all considerations is the key issue of retirement pay taxation. Why do so many states provide tax incentives to military retirees? The financial driver is recognition that these retirees provide an economic windfall to the state. Currently 62% of military retirees live in 13 states. Eight of these states offer 100% income tax exemptions, four others offer significant exemptions.
In the past nine years NM has averaged only 115 new military retirees a year out of the approximate 60,000 retiring each year. We are nowhere near getting our possible piece of the “pie”. Our neighboring states, AZ, TX, UT & CO which all offer full, or significant, tax exemptions to these retirees, have drawn thousands more than NM.
As of 2009 New Mexico had 22,899 military retirees who received $1,642,940,000 in income. Their average household income is $86,161. Add a very conservative 2.0 economic multiplier to this sum and the $1.6B expands to well over $3 Billion. Economists estimate that every million dollars of new federal funds coming in to the state creates 10-12 new jobs. Bringing 30 new military retirees to the state creates 12 new jobs in addition to the numerous other impacts of the federal funds multiplier. If the state’s military retiree population creates such a significant contribution to the state’s economy, why isn’t the State aggressively pursuing incentives to draw more military retirees? 
Additionally, the new “GI Bill” brings increasing revenues to colleges and universities. The “Post 9/11 GI Bill offers qualified veterans up to 36 months of paid tuition, housing allowances and book stipends. The value of this program is estimated at 50-60 thousand dollars per retiree and it extends for a period of 15 years after they leave military service. It can be used by a dependent if not used by the veteran during that period. This GI Bill and in-state tuition rates are strong attractions for military retirees nationwide to come to New Mexico schools to get a undergraduate or graduate degrees. They will appreciate the benefit of in-state tuition rates but they will balk at the taxation of their retirement pay.The comprehensive study by Arrowhead Center at NM State University determined that “The Economic Impact of Exempting Retired Military Service Payments from New Mexico Personal Income Tax” would in fact be good policy for the state.
Putting New Mexico on a level playing field with competing states vis-a-vis tax exemption for military retiree pensions could prove a boon to the state. New Mexico offers proximity to military bases, VA hospitals and many other things attractive to the military retiree. It’s time to pass legislation to change the tax code and ensure we draw many more from across the country.
Why a Voracious Appetite for Blame?
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| Armstrong Williams |
Townhall - by Armstrong Williams - There are times when even the capture of the culprit fails to quench people’s thirst for justice. This usually happens in the wake of horrific, mind-bending crimes, like the shooting in Arizona last week that killed six people and injured scores of others. The gunman’s intended target, a congresswoman, has barely escaped with her life. But in the heated aftermath – sparked by comments by the Tucson Sherriff who was a close friend of two of the victims – there seems to be a wider indictment being brought by some in the media. He suggested that a general political climate of intolerance caused these events. These comments seem to be inspired more by grief over losing a couple of close friends than any actual evidence that publicly disclose about the motivation for these crimes. Following suit, pundits and commentators began to blame everyone - from Sarah Palin to Rush Limbaugh to Arizona’s gun law and even the gunman’s poor parents- for what happened. Almost everyone is being blamed except, of course, for the gunman himself. Read full column here:
What if You Threw a Nuclear Tour Party and No One Came?
Half of the States Now Suing to Stop Obamacare
Soros-Funded Media Matters Tool Tells Tingles: “Glenn Beck Has Been Responsible For 3 Thwarted Assassination Attempts”…
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| Chris Matthews |
Map Symbols
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| Neil Boortz |
CutWasteTips@state.nm.us
From day one, my administration has been committed to listening to the people we serve. Today, I am asking for their help as we work to cut wasteful spending, reduce the size of government, and put our state back on track.” Since taking office, Governor Martinez has ordered cuts across the executive branch of state government, including eliminating two chef positions and cutting salaries by 55 percent at the governor’s mansion, as well as trimming cabinet salaries by at least ten percent. On Monday, the Governor introduced a balanced budget proposal that trims government and eliminates inefficiencies, but protects classroom spending and health care for those most in need – all without raising taxes on a single New Mexican.
Brisbane Under Water
Illinois: Neighboring States Jobs Creation Gets Easier
"Escape to Wisconsin."—Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, celebrating the Illinois General Assembly's votes to raise the personal and business income tax rates by 67 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The nation's laughing at us again. The nation's laughing and our neighbors are having fun at our expense, and who can blame them? Walker and Daniels are aggressively courting employers, and Illinois has made their jobs that much easier by passing a huge tax increase that will send businesses racing across the state line. Read full story here:
Lebananon on the Verge of Chaos, Again
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