From KRQE-TV.com - (AP) - The arrest of Albuquerque's chief criminal judge on charges he raped a prostitute is just the latest example of a seemingly Wild West-no-rules-attitude permeating numerous levels of authority in New Mexico. Just this year, the mayor, police chief and a trustee of the small border town of Columbus were accused of helping smuggle hundreds of guns into the Mexico. A judge in Las Cruces was charged in a bribery scandal with alleged ties to former Gov. Bill Richardson. The Albuquerque police department has been under increased scrutiny for an escalation in questionable police shootings of unarmed civilians. One of its officers is facing charges that he killed his wife to hide his involvement in a car theft ring. And the city's public safety director just quit amidst a probe of his handling of a car accident involving his wife. Additionally, one of the state's most distinguished professors was recently accused of helping run a sophisticated online prostitution ring. The former Santa Fe sheriff last week pleaded guilty to embezzlement. And several pay-to-play investigations continue into dealings of former Richardson administration officials and others close to the Democrat who ran the state for eight years. This just to cite several recent, prominent examples. Read more
New Mexico: Wide-open state of no rules
Posted by
Michael Swickard
on Monday, July 25, 2011
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New Mexico News
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NM Fire Chief Under Attack
Posted by
Rachel Pulaski
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New Mexico News
0
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FC James Breen |
NM Fire Chief Under Attack
ERB Continues to Shoot Itself in Proverbial "Foot"
Posted by
Jim Spence
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New Mexico News
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Jan Goodwin |
Target 7 has uncovered that the ERB terminated a contract last July with Rothschild, a New York-based asset management company, 19 days into the quarter and nine weeks before the contract would expire. The ERB said Rothschild wasn’t making enough money compared to other asset managers. The agency estimated the termination would cost $88,000, but it actually cost $724,000. If the ERB let the contract run out, it would have cost hundreds of thousands less. In an email obtained by Target 7, the ERB’s chief financial officer said, “We got an invoice for over $700,000 when we estimated 88” and we “should have known,”… “had we read our own contract.” Later in message he asked what the board is doing to “ensure we do not make errors of this magnitude in the future.” Goodwin was one of four people who made the recommendation to cut the contract early. “We thought it was a greater risk to keep them on rather than lose more money,” Goodwin said. Goodwin said she believes the fund would have lost $7 million over the remaining nine weeks if the ERB stayed with Rothschild. Up until the point when the ERB severed ties, Rothschild had made the fund millions in profit. Read full story here: News New Mexico
ERB Continues to Shoot Itself in Proverbial "Foot"
Bok: Illustrating the President's Negotiating Position
Posted by
Jim Spence
Labels:
U.S. Politics
4
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Cartoonist Chip Bok illustrates the president's negotiating position. It has not changed since last week. - more of his here
Bok: Illustrating the President's Negotiating Position
Tom Udall and Social Security
Posted by
Jim Spence
Labels:
New Mexico News
1 comments
Tom Udall |
Tom Udall and Social Security
Bingaman Lumps Social Security in With Everything
Posted by
Jim Spence
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New Mexico News
2
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Jeff Bingaman |
"President Obama is working very hard to make sure the debt ceiling is raised so that Social Security checks are disbursed on time. The president recently said that, without raising the debt ceiling, he could not guarantee that Social Security checks would go out on August 3. Without an agreement in place by August 3 to raise the debt ceiling, the nation's financial obligations would outstrip the nation's incoming revenue, and we would not be able to meet our financial obligations. In August alone, we would face a $134 billion shortfall.
The president would have to choose which financial obligations to pay, deciding between paying the interest on U.S. Treasury bonds or benefits for our seniors, paying troops or providing veterans benefits, disbursing student loans or providing loans to small businesses to make payroll, and many other difficult choices between obligations. Not paying all of our bills could hurt the United States' credit rating, just like what would happen to a person's credit rating if he paid his mortgage but not his car payment. Not paying all of our bills could be equivalent to defaulting on our debts. Picking and choosing which bills to pay is not a realistic option." Go to Bingaman website here: News New Mexico
Bingaman Lumps Social Security in With Everything
Rasmussen Poll: Voters More Worried About Higher Taxes Than Spending Cuts
Posted by
Jim Spence
Labels:
U.S. Politics
1 comments
While Washington wrangles over how to avoid defaulting on the government’s massive debt load, voters are worried the final deal will raise taxes too much but won't cut spending enough. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters are worried more that Congress and President Obama will raise taxes too much rather than too little in any deal to end the debt ceiling debate. Just 26% fear they’ll raise taxes too little. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Rasmussen Poll: Voters More Worried About Higher Taxes Than Spending Cuts