Ruidoso Downs Quality of Life tax sinks

From the Alamogordo Daily News - With a sparse turnout, a quality of life gross receipts tax was rejected by voters Tuesday in Ruidoso Downs. The uncertified results of the special election are, with a total 105 ballots cast, 66 opposed the tax with only 39 supporting it. The percentage breaks down to 63 percent against and 37 percent in favor. If the tax had been approved, the city's current GRT rate of 7.625 percent would have increased to 7.875 percent on Jan. 1, 2013.  According to state law, the revenues derived from a quality of life GRT would have to be directed at cultural programs and related activities provided by the city or outside entities. The municipally owned Hubbard Museum of the American West was expected to be included as a beneficiary. Other organizations previously mentioned by city officials were the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra Blanca and the Rox Boxing Club. In May, City Attorney H. John Underwood said the tax was an opportunity to maintain the museum and expand it into a cultural events center for residents of the city.  "Our primary revenue source in the city from gross receipts is Walmart," Underwood told the city council. "And I believe most of the studies have shown Walmart is at least a countywide, in some situations even beyond countywide into Otero County, as far as revenues they spend at Walmart and how it benefits the city of Ruidoso Downs. Together with our tourist industry, it is estimated that approximately 80 to 90 percent of the monies that are spent. Read more

Ruidoso Downs Quality of Life tax sinks

Officials declare Enrique Pena Nieto final winner in Mexico

Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto celebrating in July

From the El Paso Times - MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's highest electoral authority declared Friday that Enrique Pena Nieto was the legitimate winner of the country's July 1 presidential election, formally opening the transition to a new government despite continuing claims of fraud by the second-place candidate of the left. The Federal Electoral Tribunal said leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had failed to prove claims that vote-buying had affected the results of the vote returning Mexico's former autocratic ruling party to the country's highest office after a 12-year absence. Lopez Obrador told reporters Friday morning that he refused to recognize the results of the election and was calling for a peaceful protest that he described as "civil disobedience" on Sept. 9 in the Zocalo, the historic plaza in the heart of downtown Mexico City. He launched street demonstrations that paralyzed central Mexico City after he lost the 2006 vote, but widespread protests appear far less likely this time. Read more

Officials declare Enrique Pena Nieto final winner in Mexico

State Dept. Again Refuses to Name Capital of Israel!

State Department briefing by Patrick Ventrell

From the Weekly Standard - The State Department today again refused to name the capital of Israel, even after being questioned by the press and even after the Democratic party (President Obama's party) voted yesterday to add language to its platform stating that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.Here's the remarkable exchange from today's press briefing, with reporters and press secretary Patrick Ventrell:

QUESTION: On Israel?

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.

QUESTION: Which city does the U.S. Government recognize as the capital in the – Israel?

MR. VENTRELL: Well, as you know, longstanding Administration policy, both in this Administration and in previous administrations across both parties, is that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. So that’s longstanding Administration policy and continues to be so.

QUESTION: I mean, no city is recognized as a capital by the U.S. Government?

MR. VENTRELL: Again, I just stated our position, and it’s one we’ve said here many times before.

QUESTION: That means Jerusalem is not a part of Israel?

MR. VENTRELL: What it means is that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved in final status negotiations.

QUESTION: But you do have an Embassy in a city which is not Jerusalem.
MR. VENTRELL: Our Embassy is in Tel Aviv, and we have a Consulate General in Jerusalem.
QUESTION: Right. But I mean, if you have an Embassy, usually it’s in the capital; so therefore, it would appear that you believe that Tel Aviv is the capital.
MR. VENTRELL: What we believe is that the status of Jerusalem should be determined in final status negotiations between the two parties. And currently, our Embassy is in Tel Aviv.
QUESTION: Are there any other countries in the world where the U.S. doesn’t know what the capital is or won’t say what the capital of a country is?  What does the U.S. think the capital of Israel is? What do you --
MR. VENTRELL: As I’ve just said, we believe that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status --
QUESTION: I’m not asking you that question. I’m asking you what you think the capital is.
MR. VENTRELL: And my response is that Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations Look, this is something we’ve been through at this podium. Toria has been through it before. we’ve repeated it many times. You know that the position is. It hasn’t changed for decades.
QUESTION: Wait, I know that. And I don’t want to play the verbal game, I’m just very curious if you actually have a position about a capital of that country. And if you don’t, if – I just would like to hear you say you don’t.
MR. VENTRELL: Well, right now, Nicole --
QUESTION: Yes.
MR. VENTRELL: -- the situation is that we have an Embassy in Tel Aviv that represents our interests with the Government of Israel but that the issue of Jerusalem is one that has to be resolved between the two parties. That’s all I can say on this. Anything else? Thank you.

State Dept. Again Refuses to Name Capital of Israel!

Sunland Park worker from El Paso gets probation for false vote

A TV crew in Sunland Park to cover the election witnessed
police arrest Morales. (Courtesy photo)

From the El Paso Times - (AP) - A former Sunland Park city employee who voted there while living in Texas has been sentenced to 18 months of probation. Piscilla Morales, who was a secretary for the city's public works director, had been scheduled to go to trial Wednesday but entered a plea agreement last week. Police say Morales voted in March after registering with the address of former city councilor Angelica Marquez. Deputy District Attorney Steven Blankinship says he is satisfied with the sentence. The prosecutor says Morales became involved on the advice of Marquez. Marquez, who is awaiting trial on the same charges, is also accused of extortion for allegedly blackmailing a rival candidate.  Read more

Sunland Park worker from El Paso gets probation for false vote

Swickard: The truth and nothing but the political truth

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - The truth about this election is that truth is in short supply. The media appears completely incompetent or dare I say evil when it comes to truth, as usual. At best people are distracted, if not lied to in news reports. Let us talk about the truth and nothing but the political truth. We are a Representative Republic as our founding leaders intended. Much of what the office seekers say on the campaign trail is not within the office seekers ability to effect. However, in the election to Congress there is one primary question: which party boss are you supporting, Nancy Pelosi or John Boehner? It is going to be one of those two who puts people on committees and decides which legislation will or will not be considered. In New Mexico that same question is central: which senate or house leader will you support? One person in each chamber decides the fate of bills. This last term in the New Mexico Legislature was run entirely by two men, Senator Michael Sanchez and House Speaker Ben Lujan.  Read column

Swickard: The truth and nothing but the political truth

More Convention Humor

Jay Leno - It is day two of the Democratic convention, and apparently they had a huge lighting problem in the convention hall today. They worked all day on it. They still couldn't get President Obama out of Bill Clinton's shadow.

The stoner comedy duo Harold and Kumar are starring in a new promo for the Democratic convention alongside President Obama, which is pretty impressive. The only other person to go from smoking pot with buddies to the White House is President Obama.

President Obama's re-election campaign said that this year they'll knock on 150 percent more doors than they did in 2008. Well, of course they will. They have to. There's so many foreclosures it's tough to tell where people live.

They announced today that they are moving President Obama's speech tomorrow night indoors, from the 74,000-seat stadium to a smaller venue due to the possibility of severe weather. See, apparently the campaign is concerned about this well-known weather phenomenon known as empty seats.

More Convention Humor

courtesy of http://www.conservativedailynews.com/

http://www.janice2012.us/

DNC a Comedy of Radical Errors

Politico - Two platform planks sparked division at the Democratic National Convention here Wednesday. Things got so bad that President Barack Obama was forced to personally intervene, ordering language mentioning God and naming Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel be added.

While the campaign at first said Obama had seen the language prior to the convention, it later said he did not learn of the issue until Wednesday morning, when he became aware of seeing news coverage of the issue. Read full story here: News New Mexico

DNC a Comedy of Radical Errors

Clinton: Obama leading on 'Long Hard Road to recovery

Former President Bill Clinton

From NewsMax.com - President Barack Obama inherited a wreck of an economy, "put a floor under the crash" and laid the foundation for millions of good new jobs, former President Bill Clinton declared Wednesday night in a rousing Democratic National Convention appeal aimed at millions of hard-pressed Americans yet to decide how to vote.  Conceding that many struggling in a slow-recovery economy don't yet feel the change, Clinton said in a prime-time speech that circumstances are improving "and if you'll renew the president's contract you will feel it." To the cheers of thousands of Democrats packed into their convention hall, he said of Obama, "I want to nominate a man who is cool on the outside but who burns for America on the inside." Clinton spoke as Obama's high command worked to control the political fallout from an embarrassing retreat on the party platform, just two months from Election Day in a tight race with Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Under criticism from Romney, the Obama camp abruptly rewrote the day-old document to insert a reference to God and to declare that Jerusalem "is and will remain the capital of Israel." Some delegates objected loudly, but Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, presiding in the largely-empty hall, ruled them outvoted. White House aides said Obama had personally ordered the changes, but they did not disclose whether he had approved the earlier version. The convention hall rocked with delegates' applause and cheers as Clinton — unofficial Democratic ambassador-in-chief to anxious voters in a tough economy — strode onstage to sounds of "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," his 1992 campaign theme song. Read more

Clinton: Obama leading on 'Long Hard Road to recovery

Late Night Convention Humor

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
The Democratic Convention began tonight. What a difference four years makes. Last time the theme was “Hope and change.” This year the theme is “Hope you don’t make a change.”
The first two nights of the Democratic convention are at the Time Warner Cable Arena and the big speech by President Obama will be at the Bank of America Stadium. That’s good thinking, the two things Americans love most: cable companies and banks.
Conan O'Brien

If you're a donor to President Obama's campaign, you were promised exclusive access to Joe Biden — and for an extra $10,000 absolutely no access to Joe Biden.

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

The Democratic National Convention is under way. For three days in Charlotte, N.C., everything the Democrats do is good. And everything Republicans do is evil. It doesn't bother me. I live in Hollywood. It is like that here every day.

Former Democratic nominee John Kerry is going to give a speech about foreign policy. It will be like Clint Eastwood's speech except this time the empty chairs will be in the audience.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

On Saturday the White House released President Obama's personal recipe for a home-brewed beer. That's how bad the economy is. Not only is our president drinking, he's drinking beer he made in his bathtub.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
National Convention have bedbugs. When asked what it’s like to have to deal with thousands of ruthless bloodsuckers, the bedbugs were like, “Eh, it’s OK.”
Over the weekend, a chef in Minnesota created the world’s largest bacon cheeseburger, weighing in at over 2,000 pounds. And if you want to hear what it tasted like, you’ll just have to wait until I interview Chris Christie.

Late Night Convention Humor