Expect More Emboldened Voter Fraud Schemes
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| Eric Holder |
Mitchell said Holder’s policies emboldens vote scheming, which, she points out, is a felony. “I think they get more and more brazen and because they know that Eric Holder, the Attorney General, rather than trying to enforce federal laws that would protect us from voter crimes, Eric Holder and his Justice Department have done just the opposite,” she said.
“They have tried to block states and local governments from enforcing the law that we have operated on for decades. I mean it’s illegal. It’s a felony under federal law for someone to register to vote or to vote if you’re not a citizen. But instead of enforcing that law, the Justice Department under Eric Holder is suing the state of Florida to keep them from enforcing it. So that’s why I think that that emboldens those who would concoct schemes to have illegal votes cast.”
Consumer Confidence Falls to Ten Month Low
The Conference Board’s index decreased to 60.6 from a revised 65.4 in July, figures from the New York-based private research group showed today. The 4.8-point decrease was the biggest since October. The reading was less than the most- pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg survey in which the median projection was 66.
Rising gasoline prices, a jobless rate that’s been above 8 percent since the start of 2009 and limited income gains are keeping consumers glum. Persistent pessimism raises the risk of a pullback in household purchases that account for about 70 percent of the world’s biggest economy. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Solyndra: There's More
Units of Argonaut Ventures and Madrone Partners could end up with "significantly more" than $500 million in tax benefits as part of Solyndra's bankruptcy, the Department of Energy and the Internal Revenue Service said in a bankruptcy court filing on Friday.
Under the bankruptcy plan, the U.S. government is unlikely to recoup much of its $528 million loan to Solyndra.
The government agencies asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, to reject Solyndra's "disclosure statement," which describes its plan to repay creditors, unless the company provides more details on the tax benefits.
Under the proposed plan, tax benefits such as "net operating losses" would be preserved for Argonaut, which is controlled by a foundation linked to billionaire George Kaiser, and Madrone. Under a 2011 restructuring, the two firms committed to investing $75 million to keep Solyndra afloat with the condition they would be repaid before the U.S. government.Debra Grassgreen, an attorney with Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, which represents Solyndra, declined to comment beyond saying that the company would file a reply with the court.
NMSU Tries to Close Barn Door at DABCC Nursing Program With "Free" Scholarships
The horse left the barn at Dona Ana Community College. Several years after deficiencies were identified in the nursing program that raised the spectre of lost accreditation the hammer finally came down on the management team at DABCC and NMSU. Earlier this month the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission denied accreditation for the Dona Ana Community College nursing program.
New Mexico State University and DABCC finally made a much too late effort to close the door to barn yesterday when it issued this statement: "NMSU will provide scholarships to cover tuition and fees for DACC nursing students who transfer into the BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program and the scholarship can be renewed through the duration of the program if the student maintains a 3.O (grade point average).” No mention was made of tuition refunds to current students.In effect the university is encouraging existing and future students to gamble that NMSU and DABCC will regain its credibility and obtain accreditation at some point in the future. The "free tuition" offered in the wake of the breech will only have real value to students if accreditation is regained.
Land Office Takes in $7.4 Million on Oil and Gas Leases
A total of 26 tracts of land covering more than 8,000 acres were sold. Revenues from the oil and gas industry represent 97% of all income brought in by the Land Office. The revenues are used to support public schools, universities and hospitals.
The highest sealed bid of $466,140 was made by Ronald Miles of Roswell for about 163 acres in Eddy County who also placed the highest oral bid - $2 million for about 640 acres in Lea County.
Experts wonder how much more money might have come to the State Land Office if it had not tried to retroactively change the formula for how royalties are calculated on productive leases.
State Land Office Loses Bid to Retroactively Change Oil and Gas Royalty Rules to Increase Revenues
The court’s unanimous ruling last week was a setback for the State Land Office, which contended that producers have shortchanged New Mexico in what they pay for producing gas and oil on land owned by the state. The decision could affect several other pending royalty lawsuits potentially involving tens of millions of dollars.
Wally Drangmeister, a spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said Monday the court’s ruling “reaffirms the common sense interpretation and application of lease provisions that the industry has employed for decades.”
One of the central issues is whether companies should be allowed to continue to deduct certain expenses for making natural gas marketable after it’s produced at well sites. Those so-called post-production costs include removing water and other impurities from the gas, and then transporting the gas to plants for additional processing before it’s shipped in pipelines for commercial distribution.
Royalties are paid on “net proceeds” and the Land Office sought to limit costs that can be deducted by producers. Some gas is produced from oil wells and the ruling also involves royalties paid on that. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Live Morning Coverage of GOP Convention Begins
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| Tampa Convention Center |
News New Mexico begins its morning coverage each day of the Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida tomorrow. We have three NewsNM contributors: Aaron Henry Diaz, Marita Noon, and Jamie Estrada scheduled to provide updates on what is going on behind the scenes. We will also be speaking with prominent GOP elected officials from New Mexico as well as spokespersons from the Romney organization.
Yes, Romney Can; No, Obama Can't
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| Marita Noon |
As the news coverage reminds us, “Every US president since Richard Nixon has set an objective of reducing the country’s reliance on foreign oil, and most of them have failed.”
President Obama’s approach has been to “end the age of oil.” To that end, he has poured billions of dollars into green energy projects—many of which were risky investments that have now failed or are headed for failure. His approach has done nothing to reduce our reliance on foreign oil—though we are importing less due to the bad economy and high prices, and the new oil boom presently centered on North Dakota. To companies looking to invest in any kind of extractive endeavor, his policies have screamed “You can’t!” Read full story here: News New Mexico
In House Critic Calls New York Times Out for Bias
Politico - The executive editor of the New York Times is disputing an accusation of liberal bias made by her very own public editor, Arthur Brisbane.
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