Federal Aid Boosts N.M. Personal Income Growth Rate to Top Rank

From istockanalyst.com -The state's rate of personal income growth was the highest in the nation last year, according to new information from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Although the growth rate of 4.2 percent is good news for one of the country's lowest-income states, it doesn't mean New Mexicans are rolling in cash. When the federal government tallies up income, it includes things like unemployment benefits, Social Security payments and help from Medicaid and Medicare. Those earnings, known as transfer payments, accounted for 2.19 percent of the 4.2 percent income growth -- a rate also the highest in the nation. "We are up there because of our huge transfer payments to New Mexico," said Lee Reynis, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at The University of New Mexico.  More News New Mexico
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NM Job Market Remains Stagnant

From newswest9.com -Federal labor statistics show most states have seen positive job growth over the past year, but New Mexico and several others remain on the negative side of the job market curve. Some New Mexico business leaders say small businesses - from plumbing contractors and car dealerships to real estate companies and architectural firms - have been forced to lay off handfuls of workers and those numbers are adding up.  More News New Mexico
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NM Gas Co. Seeks 8.5% Rate Hike

From NM Business Weekly -  The New Mexico Gas Co. is requesting an 8.5 percent rate increase to generate $34.5 million in additional annual revenue. The company filed its request Friday with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. If approved, the increase would take effect by February 2012.  The request comes as the PRC is investigating the gas company's response to the February outage that left more than 40,000 New Mexicans without natural gas for several days. Company President Annette Gardiner said the rate increase is necessary to recover rising costs, decreasing demand by consumers and $215 million in investment.  More News New Mexico
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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
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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
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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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