Heinrich Votes in Favor of Libyan Incursion

Martin Heinrich
Agreeing with the Obama administration, which has argued it does not need congressional authorization under the War Powers Act to bomb Libya, Representative and U.S. Senate candidate Martin Heinrich voted for a resolution in the U.S House of Represenatives to authorize the use of force there. The resolution failed 296-123 with both Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Lujan voting against the Obama adminstration's claims that the conflict does not amount to “hostilities.” In April Heinrich trumpeted the fact that he sent a letter to the president urging him to "bring the troops home."

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You Think You Are Conservative....or Liberal?

Jim Spence
 The labels “liberal” and “conservative” are the most over-utilized and misunderstood terms used in the political media today. Dr. Michael Swickard absolutely nailed it on our radio show today when he described what the terms liberal and conservative mean to him. “Anyone looking for ways to make government bigger is a liberal,” he said. “And anyone looking to make government smaller is a conservative,” he added. 
Patrick Michaels
This simple analogy brought me back to something Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute said earlier in the week when he appeared on News New Mexico. One of the best guests we have ever had, Michaels related how frustrating it is that so many people could see how generals and admirals do everything in their power to expand the corner of government they occupy (Pentagon), but were so blind they could NOT see how E.P.A. bureaucrats and academics receiving billions in climate change research grants from various governments each year, do the exact same thing.
We hear all the time from MSNBC and Fox News that we have both “conservatives” and “liberals” fighting it out for power in America. The facts suggest otherwise. What we actually have are various segments of our population that in some shape or form want our government to get bigger and someone else to pay for it. And for this reason the politicians we collectively send to Washington see no reason to have the guts to:
1. Ask EVERY American household to contribute some federal income tax to the cause.
2. Say “no” to military bureaucrats that want support for, but can’t define victory in, having ground troops in the Middle East.
3. Tell the truth to senior citizens about the financial realities of longer life expectancies.
4. Admit that man-made global warming and climate change is a research dollar-driven hoax.
Anyone with a thimble full of common sense can take a look at the four bullet points above and conclude the number of elected officials that truly want the limited form of government that actually made America great, can be counted on one hand. Everyone wants bigger government in some area. And with this level of national self-delusion a matter of routine, what is in our future? It is pretty simple. We are headed for bigger and bigger government and lower and lower living standards. Why can't we choose leaders who trust individuals more and government less?
There is a simple explanation for this too. When more than half the American households don't have to back a government they are willing to "trust" with so much as a dime of their own money, what should we expect? What we really want are more retiree benefits, more military excursions, more alternative energy subsidies, MORE, MORE, MORE.  After all, when we want these things we are "investing"....aren't we? And um....when you invest in something it is ok to borrow isn't it? Sure it is. Let's raise the debt ceiling and do some more investing.


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Denish: Serious Issues

Diane Denish
NMPolitics - It’s not been a particular stellar period of my life. In a span of just eight months I lost both an election for governor of New Mexico and my prized bicycle. Replacing the bike was easy. The new one is better, faster, and features an improved lock to foil the thieves who stole the first one. And when I pedal hard I can sometimes forget the need to decide what to do with the next four or more of my life when I had expected to be governing New Mexico. Susana Martinez has a huge challenge on her hands. It is a time of soaring costs, declining revenue, stifling unemployment. Add impending redistricting and its opportunistic politics to the mixture and you have enough to spoil a girl’s day. Do I think I could have done a better job handling these challenges? Of course I do. That’s why I ran for governor. It’s a moot point, however. Susana won the race, and it behooves me and every New Mexican to hope she does well. Read full column here: News New Mexico
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Indoctrination Fridays:Teaching Kindergartners to Unionize

From biggovernment.com -This is one part of a running series entitled “Indoctrination Fridays,” a weekly review of leftist propaganda incorporated into public school curriculum, much geared towards elementary students. For more of the series, please visit PublicSchoolSpending.com. In typical union and socialist propaganda, employers are depicted as cruel and uncaring business owners who never miss an opportunity to cheat and mistreat workers. Big Labor’s “us versus them” worldview is so entrenched that they can’t recognize the fact that most successful companies value their employees, and do whatever they can to retain their best workers. That reality, of course, undercuts the relevance of unions. So what’s a union to do? Like their fellow travelers in the “man-made” global warming community, the unions know they have to indoctrinate the young with their propaganda. But when you’re dealing with kindergartners, you have to insert the concept of unionizing subtly into lessons. You’ll get blank stares if you talk about the virtues of Jimmy Hoffa or the Service Employees International Union. More News New Mexico


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Pearce Townhall May Draw Protests

Steve Pearce Hosting a Recent Job Fair in Las Cruces
Congressman Steve Pearce will be in district this weekend for townhall meetings including a one hour appearance in Las Cruces Saturday morning at 10:00am at the Telshor Cineplex. News New Mexico contributors received several calls this week from observers who have reason to believe a vocal group opposed to spending cuts by the federal government is planning to challenge Pearce aggressively during the townhall discussions. Just yesterday, federal budget negotiations between Vice President Joe Biden and House Republicans broke down. Despite a continuous call for higher taxes to narrow the budget gap while in full control in Washington, Democrats were unable to pass a federal budget last year. And recently, President Obama's latest budget plan was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 97-0. Both NM Senators (Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall) voted against the president's budget. News New Mexico will be on hand at the Pearce townhall meeting to gauge sentiment in New Mexico regarding issues related to the federal debt ceiling, cutting spending, and raising taxes.


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U.S. Supreme Court: Let's Make Prosecuting DWI Cases More Costly Through Technicalities That Favor Drunks

KOB - TV - In a controversial ruling Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided in favor of a New Mexico man convicted of driving drunk. The ruling could have a big impact on how future DWI cases are prosecuted. Donald Bullcoming of Farmington challenged the testimony of a lab analyst who did not conduct the alcohol test on his blood. His lawyers said the analyst who actually did the test should be the one to testify. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Is the S.P.R. a Strategic "Political" Reserve?

Daily Caller - The White House announced today a large-scale release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The 60 million barrel release–30 million from the U.S. reserve–reduced oil prices by $5 a barrel to $90 on Thursday. It comes as international oil prices continue to slide down from their April high of $114 a barrel. Oil prices have fallen because the worldwide economic slowdown has reduced demand for oil. Administration officials declined to call the massive release an economic stimulus, but did say tapping the reserve is an effort to ensure “tightness” in the global oil supply will not further crimp the economy. “The president has been focused on this for some time now… [and] has been deeply concerned about the disruption of [Libyan] oil exports,” a White House official told reporters Thursday. Over the last few months, President Barack Obama and his appointees have repeatedly complained about high oil prices and their impact on consumers in Midwestern swing states. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Chavez: Supreme Court Gives Victory to Consumers

Linda Chavez
Townhall - The Supreme Court handed down a big win for American consumers this week, though the case had nothing to do with consumer protection. The court's decision involved the rules for determining what constitutes a proper class of plaintiffs, representing not just those individuals who have come forward to allege illegal behavior but others who have been similarly harmed. These so-called class-action lawsuits reward plaintiffs' lawyers handsomely if they succeed -- resulting in millions of dollars in attorneys' fees in some cases. What's more, the mere threat of a large class-action suit often forces a company into negotiating a generous settlement, even if it's undeserved, just to avoid the costs of having to defend itself in court. And we all end up paying for it in higher prices.Read full column here: News New Mexico
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