Walter Williams Discusses Profiling

Walter Williams

We live in a world of imperfect and costly information, and people seek to economize on information costs in a variety of ways. If we don't take that fact into account, we risk misidentifying and confusing one type of human behavior with another. Let's look at it. Pima Indians of Arizona have the world's highest diabetes rates. With knowledge that his patient is a Pima Indian, it would probably be a best practice for a physician to order more thorough blood glucose tests to screen for diabetes. Read more here:

Walter Williams Discusses Profiling

Nation Obesity Rate Balloons

No state in the nation met this year’s targets for reducing obesity, and the number of states reporting an obesity rate of 30 percent or more has tripled, to nine, since 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report today. About 75 million Americans now are considered obese, the Atlanta-based CDC said. Being fat is costing Americans as much as $150 billion a year from related health problems such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer, with obese people carrying yearly medical expenses almost $1,500 more than people of normal weight, the CDC said in the report. The Obama administration and public- health officials have expressed concern that people eat too much, don’t eat enough of the right foods, and get too little physical activity. Read more here:

Nation Obesity Rate Balloons

Fat Cats - Part III

What Would Have Been a “Fair Policy Response to the Financial Crisis?” Less than a decade after commercial banks argued for the destruction of the Glass-Steagall Act on the grounds of “fairness” they were back in Washington begging for a rescue. A truly “fair” policy response to the threat of a system-wide financial implosion would have been for the government to step in and appoint independent trustees to oversee a very deliberate and orderly dismantling of A.I.G. And all the reckless commercial and investment banks that were basically insolvent should have had trustees appointed as well. Relative order could have been maintained and the stock and bondholders that voted for the boards that allowed their management teams to gamble recklessly (while receiving astronomical compensation packages) would have taken every nickel of the losses.

    Fairness would have required President George W. Bush, and candidates Barack Obama and John McCain to demand an immediate reinstatement of Glass-Steagall. These were the “fair” things to do, but of course this was not what the policy response was. Washington isn’t fair it is a place where influence is acquired wholesale and sold retail. Instead of fair policies, armies of mercenary lawyers descended on Washington D.C. With access to both elected and appointed officials they argued for a slightly different version of “fairness.” Peddling a sense of “fear” the commercial and investment banks in New York swayed our “leaders.” Carefully crafted predictions of total financial catastrophe were offered to the Bush Administration officials, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid.

The scare tactics worked. No doubt investment and commercial bankers must have been sighing in relief as both the outgoing and incoming members of the executive and legislative branches of our government all found something they could agree to; this being a fresh round of taxpayer-financed government folly. Adding insult to taxpayer injury, our elected officials and their chief regulators also encouraged each gigantic Wall Street investment firm to quickly file for bank holding company status. By being designated as depository institutions, investment banks and the poorly managed financial service subsidiaries of industrial companies (like General Electric) were allowed to float hundreds of billions of dollars in FDIC guaranteed notes at minuscule interest rates. In the meantime, all responsibly behaving individuals and organizations were already required by tax laws to pick up these government dining tabs.

Sadly, there continues to be a seemingly perpetual obsession on the part of the financial industry executives living in the tri-state area around lower Manhattan, to extract absurd levels of compensation from our economic system without actually producing any net positives except predictable streams of campaign contributions. And as has also been the case for decades, elected officials in Washington, obsessed with perpetuating their personal political power machines, institute policies that allow them to maintain access to campaign contributions from the investment and banking industry.

On Saturday morning December 12th, President Obama deplored the latest round of compensation bonuses about to be paid to Wall Street “Fat Cats.” He suggested that Wall Street still doesn’t “get it?” News New Mexico disagrees. Wall Street does get it. And those that continuously engage in efforts to procure campaign contributions from Wall Street also “get it.” And though we live far away from New York and Washington D.C. we also get it. What we get is that there is an overwhelming congruency in the so-called “Fat Cat” enrichment process.
The Financial Media and Populism - Unfortunately, many members of the financial news media are remarkably biased towards what is good for their geographic neighbors. They also are also predictably protective of their personal sources of so-called financial news. Accordingly, the most of the blatant conflicts of interest and insidious liaisons between Washington D.C. and Wall Street are completely ignored or treated as minor afterthoughts by our financial press.

Nearly every day on networks such as CNBC (a General Electric subsidiary), show hosts accuse those that speak too loudly against bonuses paid to government subsidized Fat Cats as being closed minded anti-free market types. Some CNBC contributors made the assertion that most of the outcries against the corrupt links between Washington and New York are merely signs that emotion-based “populism” is finally getting out of control.

Eliminate All Opportunities for Fat Cats - In the end, President Obama is right about “Fat Cats.” Fat Cats devising ridiculous financial schemes that wind up getting backstopped by other campaign contribution collecting “Fat Cats” are weakening America. Unfortunately, the truth is considered discomforting by most elected officials. Under our current system, all incumbents have huge campaign fund raising advantages. And by definition, the very nature of these advantages creates unacceptable conflicts of interest that leave them unable to govern wisely.

The greatest deficit a woefully uninformed American electorate faces is a wisdom deficit. With all the partisanship, the distractions, and the conflicts of interest, anyone still hoping the majority of the electorate will some day summon the wisdom to demand that the financial advantages our system provides for all elected officials be eliminated is engaging in wishful thinking. Fat Cat accusations coming from incumbents are hollow. Until all elections are funded by taxpayers instead of Fat Cats, we should recognize that ALL elected officials are “Fat Cats” too.

Fat Cats - Part III

Democrats Bite Democrats II

Thomas Sowell

Rumors of Congressional Democrats privately expressing disapproval of the Obama administration's actions and policies have been given more credence by such things as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's public criticism of White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. But when two long-time Democratic pollsters, Patrick Caddell and Douglas Schoen, called President Obama "cynical" and "racially divisive," that was a dramatic statement. It was like saying that the emperor has no clothes. Read more here:

Democrats Bite Democrats II

Treasury Secretary Warns of Prolonged Joblessness

Timothy Geithner

U.S. treasury secretary Timothy Geithner said he expects the economy to heal gradually and “we want to do what we can to reinforce that process because it’s not coming back as quickly as we like.” Geithner said U.S. unemployment may rise again before it falls and the economy isn’t recovering rapidly enough. “It’s possible you’re going to have a couple months where it goes up,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” program. “People start to come back into the labor force, and that can cause the measured unemployment rate to go up temporarily.” Read more here:

Treasury Secretary Warns of Prolonged Joblessness

Governor Candidates Will Debate on August 19th

Democrat Diane Denish and Republican Susana Martinez have agreed to the first gubernatorial debate and it will tackle education. The debate will occur Aug. 19 at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, according to a news release sent out by the Denish campaign Monday afternoon. The event will be hosted by Albuquerque Public Schools. Read more here:

Governor Candidates Will Debate on August 19th

NewsNM - Weekly City Council Meeting Notes

City Hall Building - Las Cruces 

Presentations and Proclamations:· The Pet of the week was presented by the local animal shelter
· The Mayor presented Roberto Estrada the Mayor’s Community Service Award for his efforts with the Whole Enchilada festival.
· Both Mayor Miyagishima and the Mayor of Laredo, Mexico exchanged gifts in honor of our sister city agreements.
· Tuesday, August 3, 2010 was proclaimed National Night Out for Las Cruces.
· Andy Hume, MPO announced that Las Cruces has been selected for a grant from NMDOT for the Outfall Channel Trail. This will create a 6-mile multi-modal path from I-25 to the Rio Grande River. The grant will require the City to provide $252,000 in matching funds. This was #4 on the City’s unfunded project list and it now must be a funded project in the Budget. City staff will prepare a resolution to clearly identify where the matching money will come from.
· Andy Hume, MPO provided a “Bicycle Friendly Task Force” update. They are adding more than 3 miles of additional bicycle lanes which now total in excess of 40 miles. The City will reduce 4-lane traffic to 2 lanes with a center turn lane and 2 bicycle lanes on the following roads:
o Solano (Missouri to University)
o 3 Crosses Rd (Spitz to Dona Ana Rd)
o They are also working out the details to make similar changes to Spruce (Triviz to Calle Sosa)
o The will add bicycle lanes to Motel Blvd (Amador to Picacho)
o Councilor Silva wants Espina restriped as soon as possible to add similar bike lanes

· The Council met in closed session on August 2, 2010 to discuss pending litigation
Public Participation:
· Elmo Baca, Downtown Design Committee announced that the Chinese Elder tree adjacent to White’s Music Box must be removed as part of the Main Street Redevelopment. He said when the project is finished there will be 57 new trees in the development.
· Russ Warner complimented Dr. Sutter for his performance & professionalism as Director of Finance for the City and that the City’s loss will be El Paso’s gain.
· The Mayor announced that the work session scheduled for next Monday will be to honor of Dr Sutter
Resolutions and/or Ordinances for Consent Agenda
Items #2 & 4 were removed from the consent agenda and all others were approved by a vote of 7/0
Resolutions and Ordinances for discussions
1. Items #2 (Grant for $6,800 for Microfilming City Documents) & #4 (Police Department Victims Assistance grant for $30,450) were discussed for administrative clarification only and were passed by the council by a vote of 7/0
2. Item #10 to Authorize Condemnation of Moongate Water Company was discussed for more than 2 hours. It was passed by the Council by a vote of 6/0 (Councilor Silva recused himself). Seventeen people spoke and the main issues presented were:
o Those who live outside the City limits (Talaveras, Organ, Baylor Canyon and other ETZ areas) will not have any official representation (they can’t vote in City elections).
o Everyone who is serviced by Moongate Water is satisfied with the water quality and service. They expressed a concern about EPA findings that Las Cruces Water was in the 10 worst city categories.
o They were concerned about the water rate increases as a result of City acquisition. Dr Garcia tried, unconvincingly, to explain their rates would be lower.
o Councilor Sorg gave the residents his assurance that the level of service, including fire hydrants, would be the same as in the City.
o Others expressed extreme concern about the City using Eminent Domain to eliminate a competitive private business.
o Others stated they lived in the County by choice and did not trust City officials, did not want City services and feared it was only a ploy to annex and tax them.
o The Council insisted that their efforts to pursue eminent domain were solely to protect public safety and the environment (Jornada Bolsan) which they claim was being exploited and depleted by Moongate Water and its expansion plans. Their actions are an effort to reduce the costs of litigation as a result of the numerous lawsuits filed by Moongate. Eminent Domain action is only the beginning of the process to force Moongate into meaningful discussions with the City. Mayor Miyagishima commented that” the City cannot allow them (Moongate) to compete with us on the East Mesa”.
o It was pointed out that this action by the City would be in contradiction to their draft Vision 2040 plan which states the City will not provide any public utilities (sewer, water, gas, etc) to any property outside the limits of the City
3. Item # 11 authorized the City to apply for a $1 million HUD grant for low income housing. It will require the City to allocate $500,000 to the Land Bank. Passed by a vote of 7/0.
4. Item #12 concerned the City acquisition of properties at 1734 Seldon Avenue for low income housing renovation and renovation of a historical site at 342 N. Tornello which will also be sold as low income housing.. Passed 7/0.
5. Item #13 concerned extending the compliance date of the 2000 Lighting Ordinance from August 7, 2010 to August 7, 2012. Councilor Thomas felt 10 years was more than adequate for compliance with this ordinance.

NewsNM - Weekly City Council Meeting Notes

Feds Now the Enemy of Local Law Enforcement

Sheriff Paul Babeu

(CNSNews.com) – Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu is hopping mad at the federal government. Babeu told CNSNews.com that rather than help law enforcement in Arizona stop the hundreds of thousands of people who come into the United States illegally, the federal government is targeting the state and its law enforcement personnel. “What’s very troubling is the fact that at a time when we in law enforcement and our state need help from the federal government, instead of sending help they put up billboard-size signs warning our citizens to stay out of the desert in my county because of dangerous drug and human smuggling and weapons and bandits and all these other things and then, behind that, they drag us into court with the ACLU,” Babeu said. Read more here:

Feds Now the Enemy of Local Law Enforcement

Fewer NM Schools Meet Goals

State officials say New Mexico students have improved their performance in math, reading and science during the past six years, but about three-fourths of schools missed this year's goals for boosting student achievement. Public Education Secretary Susanna Murphy released the latest testing information on Monday that showed 644 schools — or 78 percent — didn't reach state-established improvement goals this year. That's up from 560 schools, or 68 percent, in 2009. Read more here:

Fewer NM Schools Meet Goals

Rains Delay Mesa Middle School Opening

Mesa Middle School

LAS CRUCES -The opening of the new Mesa Middle School will be delayed until at least early October, Superintendent Stan Rounds announced Monday. The delay is due to recent rain storms hindering construction, and the October opening remains contingent upon the weather. Until the classrooms are ready, students who will attend Mesa this school year will temporarily attend other schools. Sixth-graders will attend Monte Vista Elementary School, located near the middle school, and seventh-graders will attend Camino Real Middle School. In March, LCPS announced that Mesa eighth-grade students will attend their same school for the upcoming year. Herb Torres, associate superintendent for operations, said the media center, cafeteria and multipurpose facility and the gym will likely open at the start of the second semester. Read more here:

Rains Delay Mesa Middle School Opening