Steve Pearce Stands Alone

Each week we read news and press releases from Washington. We must reluctantly conclude from our state’s standpoint, that Congressman Steve Pearce is all alone. Though also financially literate, for reasons known only to them, Pearce’s New Mexico colleagues in the House and Senate are supportive of the status quo. We refer to Senator’s Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman as well as Representative’s Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan. Each of these men somehow finds comfort in remaining completely loyal to the budgetary leadership of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. And Reid and Pelosi both continue to have the audacity to characterize the wholly inadequate efforts of House GOP leaders to pare back federal spending, as draconian.
Steve Pearce
Here is the stark and dark reality of the numbers. America is borrowing $4.1 billion dollars each day. This includes weekdays, weekends, and holidays. We borrow this amount each day come rain or shine. How can this be? And what does New Mexico’s delegation in Washington have to say about this practice? Not much. Bingaman, Udall, Lujan, and Heinrich don’t seem to even bother with paying a little “lip service” to the dangers of this reckless borrowing pace. Instead, each of these politicians trumpets support for a policy that would reduce America’s $4 billion in daily borrowing by get this…….. only $16 million dollars per day. This Democratic proposal would reduce overall U.S. borrowing from $4.1 billion to $4.09 billion per day (I am rounding). The GOP leadership in the U.S. House is also pathetic. Republicans only claim to fame is to be “not quite as pathetic” as their Democratic counterparts.
The Boehner-led GOP House budget proposes spending cuts that will reduce daily borrowing by $160 million per day. This might sound significant, because it is ten times as much as is proposed by the Democrats. But when you net this out, Republicans are only willing to reduce daily U.S. borrowing to $3.95 billion per day.
Let’s forget for the moment the fact that Senator's Udall, Bingaman and Representative's Heinrich, and Lujan are screaming bloody murder over the House GOP budget proposal, because they think these minuscule cuts are “too deep.” Just for fun (or nausea) let us say that somehow a Washington miracle occurs, the GOP House Budget Bill actually gets passed, and President Obama signs it. Under this scenario, in 2011 we can expect the federal government to borrow $12,969 for every taxpaying citizen in New Mexico. What has just been described as a miracle actually represents the LOWEST amount of daily/annual borrowing being proposed by either party leadership team in Washington. This sorry outcome is a "best case scenario."
These are the numbers. And with this information, we are forced to reluctantly conclude that scarcely two months after the GOP took over the U.S. House of Representatives, the reality of widespread cowardice is once again sinking in on those of us who can operate a budget calculator. There are two very reckless and irresponsible political parties in Washington. And only a political revolution against the budgetary irresponsibilities of BOTH parties will cause change. Why do we think Congressman Steve Pearce is all alone in the New Mexico delegation? At least Pearce voted against the ongoing nonsense known as a “Continuing Budget Resolution.” Like his colleagues he knows piling another $12,969 in debt on each New Mexico taxpayer this year alone is an atrocious thing to do. Yet unlike Pearce, all of his colleagues in the New Mexico delegation in Washington vote regularly for budgetary atrocities. This means Pearce is all alone in trying to do something.
What will New Mexicans do about this? The majority of state voters seem to be content to remain on snooze control. Anyone with a lick of sense needs to come out of their denial coma and ask two simple questions…….How could our state have possibly designated the likes of Jeff Bingaman, Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich, or Ben Ray Lujan as our leaders? And how long will it take the Republicans and Democrats who are still in control in Washington to bankrupt this nation? Only time will tell. The leaders in both parties in Washington are continuing accept failure in such a way that it will only accelerate the process of self-destruction for this nation.

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Latinos Key to New Mexico Population Growth

From pr-usa.net -Latinos were pivotal to the population growth in New Mexico in the last decade,  increasing by 25% since 2000, according to a National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund analysis of newly released Census 2010 data. Between 2000 and 2010, while the state's overall population grew 13% from 1.8 million to 2.1 million, the Latino population grew from 765,386 to 953,403, and accounted for 78% of the state's population growth since 2000.  Latinos now represent 46% of New Mexico's residents and are the largest population group.  New Mexico is the only state in the nation where Latinos are a plurality of the residents.  The Census 2010 data also reveal that 58% of all New Mexicans under 18 are Latino, and that the New Mexico Latino population is significantly younger than the non-Latino population. "Young Latinos are part of our state's future economic well-being," said NALEO Board Member State Senator John Sapien, Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee. "We must make sure our state's policies advance the economic and civic progress of Latinos in order to ensure the future prosperity and well-being of everyone in our state."  More News New Mexico
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Ruling Implies Special Prosecutor Coming for Vigil-Giron

Rebecca Vigil-Giron
NMPolitics - A district judge ruled Wednesday that Attorney General Gary King’s office can’t prosecute a corruption case against former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and others because of perceptions of a conflict. King’s options now are to appeal the ruling or hand the case over to a special prosecutor – perhaps one of the state’s district attorneys. Lawyers for the defendants had alleged a conflict because the AG’s office provided counsel to the secretary of state on contracts related to the indictment, and also because of potential personal conflicts between one of the defendants and King, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Attorney General Violating Public Records Law?

Gary King
Santa Fe New Mexican - The state Attorney General's Office, which is charged with helping enforce New Mexico's open-government laws, has been found guilty of violating the Inspection of Public Records Act. State District Judge Beatrice Brickhouse on March 15 ordered Attorney General Gary King to comply with a records request from a lawyer who is suing his office in a pay-discrimination case. The judge has yet to decide what fee to impose on King's office for violating the statute. At issue is a request for salary information from attorney Dan Faber, who represents three female attorneys employed by the AG's Office. Faber in 2010 filed a federal lawsuit claiming the women aren't paid as much as male lawyers with similar jobs and experience. That federal lawsuit is separate from Faber's claim under the state records law, which he filed under his own name. The AG's Office denied Faber's Aug. 23 request for salary information on attorneys general. The agency didn't cite an exemption under the records act that would allow it to withhold such records but noted that an order, or stay, was in place that put all discovery in the federal case on hold. Read full story here: News New Mexico. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Bill Requiring Webcasting of Cabinet Meetings Lingers

Susana Martinez
NMPolitics - A bill that would require Gov. Susana Martinez to webcast meetings of her cabinet has been on the Senate floor calendar for at least a couple of weeks without getting a hearing. Whether the legislation is something that will be voted on before the end of the session or is meant as a threat/joke isn’t entirely clear – but if senators intend for it to become law, they’re running out of time to send it to the House for consideration.
Senate Bill 456, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, would essentially require the webcasting of all public meetings in New Mexico – and it would effectively add the governor’s cabinet meetings to the list of those that are public.
Tim Jennings
Cabinet meetings aren’t currently open to the public. Though it applies to other meetings as well, the bill is aimed at the governor, carrying the title “Webcasting of cabinet and other meetings.” Many senators have been angry this session at Martinez’s webcasting of their committee meetings. In response they passed a resolution giving themselves authority to shut down her webcasting if they choose. The N.M. Foundation for Open Government and others say that resolution is unconstitutional. Read full story: News New Mexico

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Grubesic: Constituent Letters From Santa Fe

John Grubesic
Capitol Report New Mexico - By the time this hits, there will be less than 24 hours and little time left to get anything accomplished in this legislative session. The budget might be shored up, just like Lindsay Lohan is sober. Give it another couple of weeks and let’s see what our next financial crisis looks like. The usual amount of time was wasted fighting the monsters under the bed, but thankfully we were spared the matrimonial circus. If you are gay and illegal, be afraid . . . be very afraid. Some stuff will squeak by in the final hours, favors get tossed out and leadership has to make sure that the right soldiers get rewarded . . . more importantly, re-elected. Legislative offices will be scoured for contraband (that bottle of Wild Turkey behind the fire extinguisher on the third floor belongs to a friend of mine, please call me immediately if found) goodbyes will be said and gifts will be handed out to the staff. Staff who have spent days stuffing thousands of envelopes in time to have them postmarked and sent out (at taxpayer expense) to taxpayers telling them how wonderful their particular legislator is and how hard they worked protecting your interests. Read full column: News New Mexico
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