Voters smoke themselves a deal in two states

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - Be it a Chinese curse or not, we certainly do live in interesting times. Our times were made even more interesting by voters in Colorado and Washington who passed a ballot measure allowing the legal use of marijuana. It is not a blank check, but citizens of these states can do some things the federal government does not allow.

So the recreational use of marijuana is on the plates of citizens of those two states. There are already a number of states that allow the use of medical marijuana where the federal government says that the use of marijuana for any reason violates federal law. The states allowing medical marijuana to be used and perhaps misused include New Mexico where the use of medical marijuana falls in a never-never land of conflicting laws. I have written previously that this should never happen in a nation of laws: no citizen should be both legal and illegal at the same time. It just does not look right. Rough men and women with guns stand ready to either indulge New Mexicans or arrest them and we cannot find out who speaks for New Mexico. Can our governor, who does not like marijuana the same as me, decide to protect those medical marijuana users?
The test of States’ Rights is easy and possibly will not hurt too many people. The leaders of the great states of Washington and Colorado need to get together for a smoke-in to test the powers of the federal police. Surrounded by their own state police the heads of each state needs to consume in one form or another some of the federally illegal but state legal substance of marijuana to test their own authority as a state.
Picture if you will the governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez holding some medical marijuana with her husband Chuck Franco and the security detail backing her up. If a federal agent tries to assert federal power over New Mexico, Susana can say, “I want you to go call your mother and tell her you love her because this is not going to end well for you.” Neat threat and it would test the resolve of the federal government to control the citizens of New Mexico.
Only if the leaders of the states actually put the law to the test can the citizens decide that it is legal to use the substances. Yes, I know that their opponents in the next election may use those images to good effect but the leaders owe the citizens the cover. Nice to get the applause and the honors but now the leaders of each state would have to do something for their citizens that would take guts and gumption. Read full column

Voters smoke themselves a deal in two states

Hanson: Oh, We Forgot to Tell You ...

Commentary by Victor Davis Hanson - The second-term curse goes like this: A president (e.g., Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, etc.) wins re-election, but then his presidency implodes over the next four years -- mired in scandals or disasters such as Watergate, Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinsky, the Iraqi insurgency and Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, like tragic Greek heroes, administrations grow arrogant after their re-election wins. They believe that they are invincible and that heir public approval is permanent rather than fickle.

Coincidentally, right after the election we heard that Iran had attacked a U.S. drone in international waters.
Coincidentally, we just learned that new food stamp numbers were "delayed" and that millions more became new recipients in the months before the election.
Coincidentally, we now gather that the federal relief effort following Hurricane Sandy was not so smooth, even as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Barack Obama high-fived it. Instead, in Katrina-like fashion, tens of thousands are still without power or shelter two weeks after the storm.
Coincidentally, we now learn that Obama's plan of letting tax rates increase for the "fat cat" 2 percent who make over $250,000 a year would not even add enough new revenue to cover 10 percent of the annual deficit. How he would get the other 90 percent in cuts, we are never told.
Coincidentally, we now learn that the vaunted Dream Act would at most cover only about 10 percent to 20 percent of illegal immigrants. As part of the bargain, does Obama have a post-election Un-Dream Act to deport the other 80 percent who do not qualify since either they just recently arrived in America, are not working, are not in school or the military, are on public assistance, or have a criminal record?
Coincidentally, now that the election is over, the scandal over the killings of Americans in Libya seems warranted due to the abject failure to heed pleas for more security before the attack and assistance during it. And the scandal is about more than just the cover-up of fabricating an absurd myth of protestors mad over a 2-month-old video -- just happening to show up on the anniversary of 9/11 with machine guns and rockets. Read column

Hanson: Oh, We Forgot to Tell You ...

Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Webcast 11/15/12

Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Newscast with Vanessa Dabovich

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USPS hiring workers in NM
PNM comes back from helping Sandy victims
JetBlue comes to ABQ Sunport
Study says NM income gap largest in nation 

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Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Webcast 11/15/12

NM company stats tobacco waste recycling project

A New Mexico cigarette maker is funding a national recycling program to reward people for cleaning up tobacco waste. 

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes, is teaming up with TerraCycle Inc. for the program. The waste will be turned into pellets used to make items such as plastic shipping pallets, railroad ties and park benches. 

Through the Cigarette Waste Brigade program, organizations as well as people over the age of 21 can collect cigarette waste and send them to TerraCycle through a prepaid shipping label. Once received, participants will get credits that will be donated to the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful. 

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. is a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc.

NM company stats tobacco waste recycling project

USPS hiring across NM

Postal officials say dozens of long-time employees are expected to retire so they're accepting applications for various positions at mail facilities around New Mexico. 

The jobs are described as transitional and postal support positions. None of the jobs offer benefits, but some come with the potential of permanent employment with the agency. The pay ranges from $12.38 to $16 per hour. 

The Postal Service, an independent agency of government, does not receive tax dollars for its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control. 

The agency has been struggling in recent years to cut costs. Some options include shorter hours at low-revenue post offices in rural areas and closure of some mail processing centers.

USPS hiring across NM

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JetBlue comes to ABQ Sunport
Bernalillo employee information public
Lowe's to hire 300 in NM
Dona Ana County gets funds for emergency supplies 

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Newsbreak New Mexico 12pm Webcast 11/15/12

Study says NM income gap largest in the nation

 A new study says the gap between wealthy households and low-income families in New Mexico continues to grow, and it is now the widest in the nation. 

The report was released Wednesday by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute. It says that from 2008 to 2010, the richest 5 percent of New Mexico households had average incomes nearly 17 times higher than the bottom 20 percent of households. That's a jump from two years earlier, when the gap was around 14 times higher. 

The report also says that in New Mexico, household income for the richest 20 percent of households was 9.9 times greater than for the poorest 20 percent. Arizona had the second highest gap, with the top 20 percent's income 9.8 times the bottom 20 percent. California was next, with a ratio of 9.5-to-1.

Study says NM income gap largest in the nation

Artesia gets new animal shelter

Artesia will soon be home to a brand new animal shelter, replacing the old Paws & Claw building, which has served the area for more than ten years. 

Officials say there was nothing wrong with the old shelter building, but the new one will offer much more space for animals. Currently, animals that can’t fit in the shelter are transported to foster homes in other cities or in Colorado, then advertised online so people can adopt them. 

The system will continue after the new shelter is built, but officials say it will be nice to be able to keep more animals in Artesia after they’re picked up. The new building will also have a large lobby and waiting room, which the old one lacked.

Artesia gets new animal shelter

JetBlue coming to ABQ Sunport

ABQ Mayor Richard Berry announced that the popular airline JetBlue will soon be providing service to Albuquerque residents. 

Berry made the announcement at his annual State of the City address. 

Starting April 22, 2013, there will be a JetBlue nonstop flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to the Sunport. There are 27 other cities in the JetBlue network.

 Currently, the Albuquerque International Sunport offers service from Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, United, U.S. Airways, New Mexico Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines.

JetBlue coming to ABQ Sunport

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Gov. OK's health exchange
ABQ school spending raises questions
Dona Ana County gets funds for emergency supplies 
Lowe's to hire 300 in NM 

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Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Webcast 11/15/12

Dona Ana County gets funds for emergency supplies

As many as 400 Doña Ana County residents can be given temporary shelter in the event of an emergency, thanks to a grant that recently purchased two mobile units ready to deliver necessary supplies anywhere they are needed in the county. 

The Office of Emergency Managementis a joint preparedness support organization of Doña Ana County and the City of Las Cruces. 

They  used the $48,000 grant to purchase 400 cots, lanterns, first aid kits, blankets, inflatable pillows, personal hygiene kits, lamps and weather radios that can all be packed tightly into two 16-foot trailers.

Dona Ana County gets funds for emergency supplies

ABQ school spending raises questions

Questions are being raised over how taxpayers money is being spent to build a new set of classrooms at Sandia High School.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, the school board chose the highest bidder which was more than a million dollars more than the lowest bid. But Albuquerque Public School officials say their process of awarding bids takes more than just process into account. 

They say they take the companies past performance and its safety plan for the job site into account and that saves money in the long run and it actually results in a higher quality product. 

A spokesperson for the district said he understands it may not look good at first, but it’s not an uncommon practice because it results in a higher quality product.

ABQ school spending raises questions