Drivers License Fight to Be Renewed

From the Wall Street Journal -Gov. Susana Martinez is renewing her battle to make New Mexico the 49th state to prohibit illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses, setting the stage for a heated fight during a special legislative session later this year.  Ms. Martinez, a Republican, said in an interview she would try again, contending that illegal immigrants are flocking to her state to obtain a driver's license. "New Mexico is becoming a magnet for those who want to receive a valid United States ID and travel freely around the country," she said.  More News New Mexico

Drivers License Fight to Be Renewed

Supreme Court Shoots Down Martinez Veto

Susana Martinez

From publicbroadcasting.net -The state Supreme Court has invalidated a veto by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez that reduced money for a housing agency.  The court said Wednesday it will issue a decision later in a challenge by lawmakers to a second veto that rejected a $128 million tax increase on businesses to pay for unemployment benefits. The court said the governor exceeded her powers by lowering an appropriation in a budget bill from $150,000 to $50,000. She did that by striking the "1'' from the $150,000. The money is for oversight of a housing program.  A lawyer for legislators argued that a governor can only veto an entire allocation of money accepting all or nothing. A governor can't selectively change the amount as Martinez did, the court was told. 

Supreme Court Shoots Down Martinez Veto

Stossel: Who is Gary Johnson

John Stossel

Townhall - Someone was missing from last week's Republican presidential debate, and that's too bad. He's an announced candidate who was a two-term governor of New Mexico, and he makes a case for strongly limited government. Who is he? Gary Johnson. He was left off the platform because the sponsors say he didn't meet their criteria: an average 2 percent showing in at least three opinion polls. But I grilled him because I think people might want to hear from him. When he was governor, he vetoed 750 bills and shed a thousand state jobs. That made Republican and Democratic politicians mad, but in a state with a two-to-one Democratic advantage, this Republican was re-elected. "I got re-elected ... by saying no to the government," he told me.

Gary Johnson

"I was a penny- pincher." His political philosophy comes down to this: "The government has a role to protect me against individuals that would do me harm -- whether that be property damage or physical harm. The federal government has an obligation to protect us against foreign governments that would raise arms again us. But beyond that, government does way too much." What about education? "The number one thing that the federal government could do to improve education in this country would be to eliminate the Department of Education (and) give education back to the states -- 50 laboratories of innovation ... ."

Read full story here: News New Mexico

Stossel: Who is Gary Johnson

Pulitzer Suprise Winning Journalist "Comes Out" As An Undocumented Worker

Jose Antonio Vargas

From newmexicoindependent.com -Jose Antonio Vargas, who wrote for the Washington Post and shared a Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings, came out as an undocumented immigrant in a New York Times Magazine story that went live this morning. He came to the United States from the Philippines when he was 12, and was raised in Mountain View, Calif., with his grandparents. Vargas did not know he was an undocumented immigrant until he was 16 and rode his bike to the D.M.V. to try to get his learner’s permit and his green card was rejected.  More News New Mexico

Pulitzer Suprise Winning Journalist "Comes Out" As An Undocumented Worker

Governor Urges Fireworks Refrain

Susana Martinez

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, Governor Susana Martinez joined Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, State Forester Tony Delfin and central New Mexico fire chiefs in urging New Mexicans to refrain from using fireworks this summer due to the extremely dry weather conditions and serious fire season facing the state. A statewide ban on the use of all fireworks, as well as on smoking, the use of campfires, open burning, and open fires was enacted on April 16th by the State Forester for all state and private wildlands in New Mexico. In accordance with state law, cities and counties throughout the state have taken steps to ban certain classifications of fireworks within their jurisdictions, while imposing restrictions on all other types of fireworks, requiring them to be used on pavement or similar surfaces, near a water source. “With the 4th of July holiday approaching, we are urging New Mexicans to exercise caution and restraint when it comes to using fireworks,” said Governor Martinez. “Across New Mexico, we have seen just how quickly fires can burn through our landscape and impact our communities. I am asking New Mexicans to follow all state and local fireworks bans and restrictions and pull together to ensure a safe and celebratory Independence Day weekend.” Fire officials also encouraged New Mexicans to attend controlled fireworks displays in their communities in lieu of using their own fireworks. During FY 11, 791 fires have burned 640,751 acres on state and private land, burning more than 100 structures, including approximately 40 homes. The cost to the state associated with fighting these forest fires has exceeded $15 million.

Governor Urges Fireworks Refrain

Another Government Handout for New Mexicans

From businessweek.com -Federal housing officials say more than $10 million is available to help homeowners in New Mexico who are at risk of foreclosure. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and NeighborWorks America is teaming up to offer the emergency homeowners' loan program. Congress has provided a total of $1 billion to the federal agency to implement the program, which awards interest-free, forgivable loans to eligible homeowners so they can pay past-due mortgage payments.  More News New Mexico

Another Government Handout for New Mexicans

Martinez Holds First Facebook Townhall

Susana Martinez

KOB TV - Governor Susana Martinez held her first ever, live Facebook town hall Tuesday night. The Governor did the town hall from an office building in Albuquerque, where the internet service was more reliable than at the Roundhouse. The questions Martinez answered were given to her in advance, posted by people on her Facebook page in recent days. The first topic she covered was education. She was asked what needs to be done to get more Hispanics to graduate high school and why low-paid teachers are losing their jobs because of budget cuts instead of administrators. "And that's a great question Christina," Governor Martinez responded. "What the instruction has been is to make sure that the cuts are taking place are in the bloated administration and not in the classroom where it's most important." Read full story here: News New Mexico

Martinez Holds First Facebook Townhall

Durbin: Get Recovery Right BEFORE You Cut Deficit

"Dick" Durbin

Reuters - WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - Democratic leaders called on Wednesday for new spending and tax cuts to boost the sluggish U.S. economy, setting up a fresh hurdle for bipartisan efforts to head off a government debt default this summer. At the same time, a new report warned that the country could face a European-style debt crisis unless Washington cuts spending or raises taxes.

"Get the recovery right before you get in this deficit-cutting mode," Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin told reporters. "Get people back to work." Read full story here: News New Mexico

Durbin: Get Recovery Right BEFORE You Cut Deficit