Federal Aid Boosts N.M. Personal Income Growth Rate to Top Rank
NM Job Market Remains Stagnant
NM Gas Co. Seeks 8.5% Rate Hike
California ruling puts NM cap and trade program into a haze
From Capitol Report New Mexico - Will a judge’s ruling in California put cap and trade regulations in New Mexico on hold? That’s what supporters and critics of the New Mexico’s recently-adopted restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are wondering — and nobody is quite sure of an answer. Back on Monday (March 21) a judge in San Francisco ordered a delay in implementing California’s cap and trade system of pollution credits. Why does that matter to New Mexico? Because, due to its sheer size, California is a crucial piece of the cap and trade puzzle. Without California as a trading partner, New Mexico’s cap and trade policy — which is scheduled to begin in 2012 — could fall apart. In order for the cap and trade program to exist, there must be a minimum of 100,000 allowances. Without California, experts say, New Mexico wouldn’t have sufficient partnerships with other states and provinces to reach the 100,000 threshold, thus putting the New Mexico program on hold until California’s program is up and running. More News New Mexico
Time for a review of the Electoral College
From NM Politics.net - By Mary Helen Garcia - We live in the world’s greatest democracy, yet the U.S. Constitution does not provide for the popular vote of our president by all Americans. Bizarre as this may sound, it is true. The American people do not decide who their leader is – the Electoral College does. Article II of the constitution created the Electoral College and conferred to state legislatures the power to allocate their electoral votes. All but two states (Maine and Nebraska) have adopted the “winner-take-all” approach to allocating electoral votes. What this means is that all the electoral votes in a state (a number equal to the state’s representation in Congress, which in New Mexico totals five electoral votes: two for our two U.S. senators, and three for our three U.S. representatives) are allocated to the winner of the state presidential vote, regardless of the margin of victory. This creates a distorted election, which has on four occasions in U.S. history resulted in an individual being sworn into the office of president who did not win the national popular vote, but did manage to achieve a majority of votes in the Electoral College. The most recent occasion of this was in 2000. In four of 56 presidential elections, we have had a president in office who did not receive the most votes of the American people. This is an absurd result, particularly in this day and age. Our president should be elected on the basis of receiving more votes cast by the American people than any other candidate in the race. More News New Mexico
Disaster preparedness has disaster written all over it
From NM Politics.net - Commentary by Michael Swickard - At the coffee shop the other day one person smugly mentioned having lots of water and food stored for any disruption, even if it lasts several weeks. He was not prepared for my question: “So you and your family have heat, water and food which are set to last a month. Tell me, do you have enough stored to serve all of your neighbors? What do you do when your cold, thirsty, hungry neighbors demand your supplies because they did not prepare? Are you prepared to use deadly force to protect your supplies?” That is the rub. Some people will prepare, but others will not. Your dilemma is that if you share your supplies they may only last a day instead of a month. Then what? That does not save the other people and condemns your family. If you were going to do that, why store food and water in the first place? By preparing for a disaster you are hoarding food and water. Will you defend your hoard of water and food? Mercy! I think this disaster preparedness has disaster written all over it. Read column News New Mexico
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