Skandera confirmation hearing still not done — and why all this may not matter much

From Capitol Report New Mexico - After a couple of hours on Friday and five more on Saturday, the confirmation hearing for Hanna Skandera still hasn’t wrapped up. In fact, the members of the Senate Rules Committee haven’t even begun to ask questions of the Public Education Department Secretary-designate who has been on the job for two years and waiting for an up or down vote.
On Saturday (March 2), committee chairwoman and Skandera critic Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, allowed one and all to come before the committee to voice their support or opposition to the 39-year-old who has been the face of the public education reforms that Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has pushed since coming into office.
The crowd was so large that the committee moved its hearing to the full Senate chamber and the testimony ran so long that Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez cancelled all legislation to be debated on the Senate floor. By the end of the exhausting day, Sen. Lopez gaveled meeting to a close and told reporters the hearing may resume on Monday and could be delayed until later next week.
Ironically, it’s become evident all the debate over Skandera may not amount to much in a practical sense. Here’s why: First, if the Senate Rules Committee — made up of six Democrats and four Republicans — ends in a 5-5 tie to recommend Skandera, the confirmation will not go to the full Senate because in the event of a tie, no committee recommendation can be sent to the Senate. That would mean that Skandera will remain as Secretary-designate.
Second, if the full Senate does conduct a confirmation hearing and even if it rejects Skandera’s nomination, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Gov. Martinez would have to name a new PED secretary. In theory, Martinez could simply name Skandera deputy secretary, not name a replacement and simply assign Skandera all the duties and responsibilities of the job. As John Robertson of the Albuquerque Journal has pointed out, that’s exactly what other governors such as Garrey Carruthers did in similar circumstances. Read more

Skandera confirmation hearing still not done — and why all this may not matter much

Skandera has something in common with US Sec of Ed

Hanna Skandera

From Capitol Report New Mexico - On the eve of a crucial confirmation hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, opponents of Hanna Skandera have based some of their criticism of the would-be secretary of the Public Education Department on the grounds that she has never been employed as a classroom teacher. But neither has current U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

     In fact, a review by New Mexico Watchdog shows that only two former heads of the country’s education department have K-12 teaching experience and only one served as a faculty member on the university level. Skandera’s confirmation hearing has gripped the Roundhouse as a political showdown shapes up between Skandera, who has served for two years as the secretary-designate and close advisor to Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, and Democrats who have clashed with education reform measures Skandera and the governor have been pushing.

According to the New Mexico Constitution, the leader of the PED must be a “qualified, experienced educator.”

But Skandera has never worked as a teacher or administrator at a K-12 public school. “I don’t think we should close our eyes to that issue,” Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, has said on a number of occasions. Read more

Skandera has something in common with US Sec of Ed

Rich is ever so much better than poor

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. It’s better to be rich. - Gertrude Stein

     Picture all of the rich folks in Congress looking into news cameras and talking loudly about the evils of rich people in society. Does anyone else think it strange for them to have so much reach and power because of their own wealth yet they trash being rich. Are they that stupid? I think they know that being rich is better.
     In everyday life it is an interesting moment when people smack the rich for being rich and do so with a lottery ticket in their pocket. They malign the rich but have dreams of riches when they look at their lottery ticket. Is it more honorable to be made rich by chance? Is it different than if we are made wealthy by the sweat of our brow? Need I say that for every rich person made by the lottery there are thousands upon thousands of rich people made rich by their own efforts?
     How do people become rich? Most, but not all are made rich by a liberal application of preparation, inspiration and perspiration. Most people in our society who become rich spend decades becoming an overnight success. Most are lucky to get good instruction as children. Know this: most are wealthy because they do the right things, not the wrong.
     Seems some people think that rich is a four letter word. Well, it is, but most people aspire to be rich. Most rich people become so by trading things of value for money. Most cannot cheat their way into riches. A few do, but the majority of the cheaters are exposed and at times incarcerated. Trading fairly is a better way of becoming wealthy than trying to find suckers. Of course, the wealthy get envied for their wealth.
     In discussing the rich we need to find a functional description of being rich. For some there is never enough money. They may look rich but to me they are not. The people who do not worry about money are quite rich. When I was five years old I was given a five dollar bill for my birthday and could not spend all of it in the local mercantile. I bought all I wanted and had money left over. It was the richest I have ever been. Read column

Rich is ever so much better than poor

The top trending things people are stealing

From KOB-TV.com - By: Chris Ramirez, KOB Eyewitness News 4  - NBC News found some bizarre items that police are seeing as trending hot items to steal.

9. Truck tailgates. Many people have reported the tailgate to their truck stolen only to find it being sold on Craigslist.

8. Cloth napkins. Some restaurant owners report their patrons steal their cloth napkins. One restaurant chain owner reported that he replaces thousands of cloth napkins across his locations each year.

7. Maple Syrup. As the cost of 100 percent pure maple syrup rises, more people are stealing the pricey product. In New Mexico 12 ounces of maple syrup will cost about $9.

6. Paving Stones. Anyone who has bought paving stones for a driveway or patio knows the pricey cost of bricks. Some neighborhoods in England have reported a mass theft of pavers leaving many in a neighborhood without a driveway.
5. Hay. Droughts have forced the cost of hay to skyrocket. Because of an increased number of hay thefts, farmers and ranchers have begun securing their piles of hay in barns of secure areas.
4. Gold teeth. As unusual as it sounds, police across the country have reported instances where funeral home workers have extracted teeth out of corpses and tried selling the gold at pawn shops or gold buyers.
3. Human hair. A beauty supply store in Chicago lost $230 worth of hair extensions. Police believe thieves resell the hair to other salons or on the street.
2. Chicken wings. With the rising cost of poultry in the U.S, grocery stores report a rise in shoplifting of chicken, particularly chicken wings.
1. Tide detergent. Police call it “liquid gold.” The high price of laundry detergent has many shoplifting the product then reselling it on the black market. Read more

The top trending things people are stealing

State Senator Lee Cotter Op-Ed

Commentary by State Senator Lee Cotter, District 36 - Not a Prediction, a Guarantee: State Loses Greatly if SB 547 Ruins New Mexico’s Oil and Gas Industry

     This will do it. SB 547 will ruin New Mexico’s oil and gas industry. It is more than a prediction, it is a guarantee. SB 547 prohibits the oil and gas industry from being able to produce the tax revenue our state so heavily depends on. The industry provides upwards of 30% of the revenue our state relies on to fund schools, roads, public safety and healthcare.

     SB 547 prohibits hydraulic fracturing in horizontally drilled wells. Currently, a vast majority of the oil and gas comes from hydraulic fracturing. If this technology is banned in horizontal wells by SB 547, the bill kills the economic future of New Mexico. SB 547 will eliminate nearly all of the drilling in New Mexico and any future drilling. New production will not take place. Companies with high paying jobs will close down, companies with even higher paying won’t consider relocating here. There will be reduced future production to tax to pay for schools, roads, public safety and healthcare.

     The bill, sponsored by Senator William Soules of Las Cruces, is being presented by a Senator with little knowledge of the oil patch areas of New Mexico. I appeal to those New Mexicans who understand that New Mexico cannot afford to lose these revenues. Our state has barely begun a recovery from the recent hard times and we cannot afford to lose any revenues now or in the future. Consider the number of private industry high-paying and middle income jobs that will be lost if this industry is shut down. That takes personal income tax right out of the state's coffers as well.

     This bill is on the calendar for Senate Conservation. If it passes, kiss goodbye the 30,000 high paying jobs directly attributed to oil and gas activity in the state. Kiss goodbye funding for schools, roads, public safety and healthcare in the state. Kiss goodbye our economic future.
Senator Lee S. Cotter - Room 416C State Capitol Building

State Senator Lee Cotter Op-Ed

State spends $100k on Governor's mansion kitchen

Governor's Mansion

The state spent more than $100,000 last summer to renovate the public kitchen at the governor’s mansion in Santa Fe, according to officials and purchase orders. 

While the upgrades included new countertops, floors and appliances, the project also included a $2,700 built-in, state-of-the-art coffeemaker the governor’s office later decided will be paid for with private donations rather than with taxpayer funds. 

The governor’s residence was built in the 1950s and features a public wing and private wing. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and her husband live in the smaller, cozier private wing that has its own kitchen, living room and bedrooms.

 The public side of the mansion plays host to state dinners honoring visiting leaders and dignitaries, as well as private events put on by non-profit organizations.

 Caterers mainly use the kitchen. 

State spends $100k on Governor's mansion kitchen

Lawmakers approve 17 year old voters

Some 17-year-old New Mexicans could vote in primary elections under a proposal approved by the House. 

The measure will allow 17-year-olds to vote in a primary election — or a political party's caucus or other contest for selecting a presidential nominee — if they will be 18 by the time of the November general election. 

Democratic Rep. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces said 19 other states have similar provisions. The state's June primary election decides party nominees for elective offices. 

The bill passed the House on a 44-24 vote on Monday, and goes to the Senate.

Lawmakers approve 17 year old voters

House approves more funding for horse drug testing

New Mexico lawmakers have approved a proposal to finance more testing of race horses to detect illegal drug use. 

The House unanimously approved a measure on Monday to pay for stricter testing with revenue from a tax on pari-mutuel wagering at horse racing tracks.

The proposal, which goes to the Senate, will provide about $700,000 a year for testing by the State Racing Commission. The measure will tap revenue that's helped finance improvements at the state fairgrounds, which is the site of a race track. 

The fairgrounds money ends in 2014 under current law and the legislation shifts it to drug testing in 2015. The push for more testing came after a New York Times story described New Mexico as having the nation's worst horse safety record.

House approves more funding for horse drug testing

Wall Street Walks on the White House

Commentary by Marita Noon - The nomination of Jack Lew for Treasury Secretary has uncovered a lot of dirt about the man, but it also has a lot of dust swirling, regarding the incestuous relationship between the Obama administration and Wall Street that the White House would probably prefer to have kept buried. The story surely tarnishes the President’s image as “a man of the people, standing up to Wall Street.” In Lew we find much of what President Obama publicly derides—but, as Forbes reports, is “prepared to accept from his closest associates.”
In 2009, Obama said it was the “height of irresponsibility” and “shameful” for “executives at major financial firms who turned to the American people, hat in hand, when they were in trouble, even as they paid themselves their customary lavish bonuses.” And added: “For top executives to award themselves these kinds of compensation packages in the midst of this economic crisis isn’t just bad taste—it’s bad strategy—and I will not tolerate it as President.” Yet, Lew, during a short stint at Citi received an “obscene” bonus of $950,000—after we, the taxpayers, bailed out Citi to the tune of $476.2 billion. In 2012, the Obama campaign vilified Mitt Romney for investments in Cayman accounts. Yet, Lew was invested in a Citigroup venture capital fund registered in the Cayman Islands.
In his second term, Obama has pledged to make climate change a priority. Since 2007, Citi has been committed to “climate change activities.” In fact, they brag about being “a leader in alternative energy transactions across sectors, geographies and products.” In its 2011 Global Citizenship Report, Citi crows about having the “largest market share” of US Department of Energy financings for alternative energy.
If you’ve followed the work Lakatos and I have done exposing Obama’s green-energy crony-corruption scandal, you know Citi’s claims mean that they are making big bucks from the green energy sector of the 2009 stimulus-spending spree. Lakatos has found that that 58 percent of Citi’s “clients,” listed in the documents from the “Renewable Energy Seminar” Michael Eckhart held in March 2012, have received government subsidies, the majority from the 2009 Stimulus bill, totaling approximately $16 billion of taxpayer money—and there could well be more.
This may be the one time I agree with Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who, said the following when Obama nominated Lew: “I remain extremely concerned that virtually all of his key economic advisers have come from Wall Street. In my view, we need a Treasury Secretary who is prepared to stand up to corporate America and their powerful lobbyists and fight for policies that protect the working families in our country. I do not believe Mr. Lew is that person.” Obviously Obama will “tolerate” Wall Street walking all over the White House. Read full column

Wall Street Walks on the White House

Newsbreak New Mexico 8 a.m. Webcast 2/25/13

Newsbreak New Mexico 8 a.m. Newscast with Vanessa Dabovich

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Concern over internet service to rural areas
Teenage parent leave bill clears House 
ABQ malt shop manager threatens over min. wage

Newsbreak New Mexico 8 a.m. Webcast 2/25/13