Swickard: Happy cows and citizens

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Our country is basically a happy country. What is the source of our happiness? Capitalism is the core of our happiness. Consider this: New Mexico has the happiest cows in our country. I do not make that claim lightly. I have it on good authority that when you see New Mexico milk cows they are happier than the milk cows in New York. The test of happiness in cows in general concerns the amount of milk they give. Milk producers are experts on cow happiness because they get more milk per cow if that cow is happy. No fooling, this is true.

     Likewise, Americans are happier than citizens of other countries and like our cows there is an external measure of happiness. It is the general freedom of Americans in the market. Disregard all of the political speech about how our country is very much in poverty. We Americans do not know poverty like people in Africa. Our poorest Americans are richer than the middle class in many countries.
     But that is not what makes Americans so happy. Rather, each and every American is free to trade their own things of value for any other American’s things of value. We get to trade for what we want in a relatively free manner. We are a country where what you want, within reason, if within reach.
      In our capitalistic system, when two Americans trade things of value, both with equal knowledge, they both come away from the trade better off than before. Hence, they are both happy. That is why the capitalistic system generates happiness since both sides of a trade get what they want or they are free to not trade. Read column

Swickard: Happy cows and citizens

Alford to stay with Lobos for 10 more years

From KRQE-TV.com - ALBUQUREQUE (KRQE) - The University of New Mexico has confirmed that Head Basketball Coach Steve Alford has signed a new 10 year contract with the Lobos. The news of Coach Steve Alford’s new contract came one day before the Lobos kicked off their NCAA Tournament run in Salt Lake City. The Lobos were on the court Wednesday taking part in their last practice before they take on the Harvard crimson Thursday.
     Coach Alford’s deal is reassuring the UNM faithful that whatever happens in the tournament, the same general will be leading the charge. “I’m just excited about,” Alford said. “I’ve had a lot of fun through six years…it's something that I think we've really started to put our imprint on the program.”
     Athletics Director Paul Krebs says UNM wanted to continue what he calls a "great era in l\Lobo basketball". In Alford’s time at New Mexico, the Lobos have won three times as many game as they've lost and have made the tournament three times.  Alford is hoping his new deal isn't a distraction for his players as they look to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.  One of those players, , his son Kory Alford, was possibly a big part in coach's decision to sign a long term deal.
     Bailing out early would cost Alford a lot of money. He would have to pay UNM $1 million if he leaves before April of 2015, $500,000 between 2015 and 2017 and $300,000 after that.  Read more

Alford to stay with Lobos for 10 more years

Lawmakers approve legislation to ease traffic citation confusion

Speeders and other traffic violators who now face a roadside dilemma about whether to pay a ticket or fight it in court would get a breather under a bill passed by the Legislature.  

Lawmakers were unanimous during the recent session in approving legislation that changes the sometimes-confusing traffic citation process in New Mexico.  Senate Bill 131 has gone to Gov. Susana Martinez. 

Under the proposed change, all citations would be sent to courts, rather than the current practice of having some sent to the Motor Vehicle Division.  Now, a motorist who’s stopped for speeding must decide on the spot whether to plead guilty and be issued a ticket payable to the MVD, or go to magistrate court or Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court to fight it. 

Lawmakers approve legislation to ease traffic citation confusion

Santa Fe officials say same-sex marriage legal in NM

Santa Fe Mayor David Coss and a City Council member say New Mexico county clerks should issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and Santa Fe's city attorney says it'd be legal to do so. 

Coss and Councilor Patti Bushee plan to introduce a City Council resolution on March 27 "recognizing" that same-sex marriage is legal in New Mexico. They have a legal memo in which City Attorney Geno Zamara says same-sex marriage is permitted in New Mexico. 

Zamora says that's partly so because New Mexico law defining marriage is gender-neutral and lacks any prohibition on same-sex marriage.

Santa Fe officials say same-sex marriage legal in NM

Gov. in Rome for papal inauguration

Gov. Martinez

Gov. Susana Martinez is hoping Pope Francis will reinvigorate Catholics worldwide and fix any problems that are lingering from recent scandals. 

Martinez was in Rome on Tuesday with a U.S. delegation led by Vice President Joseph Biden to greet the new pope and attend his inauguration and first mass. 

She told Fox News Latino that the papal inauguration fell on the anniversary of the 2006 death of her mother Paula, who died of cancer. Martinez wants Pope Francis to bless a photo she has of her mother during her first communion.

Gov. in Rome for papal inauguration

Senator defends 11th-hour tax deal

From the Santa Fe New Mexican - By Bruce Krasnow - The chief architect of the last-minute tax deal that passed the New Mexico Legislature said he was unsure it had complete support from Gov. Susana Martinez until after she held her post-session news conference. State Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said his last meeting with the governor was Friday morning, March 15, and she indicated her opposition to a provision that might force local governments to raise taxes in order to compensate for lost state revenue.
     “Friday morning she said there was no deal,” Smith told The New Mexican. “At 10:30 a.m., she turned it off and said there was no deal, but I went ahead and had it drafted.”
     The “it” Smith refers to was a comprehensive tax bill that passed the Legislature in the session’s final minute Saturday. It includes one of the governor’s priorities — a lower corporate tax rate as well as a single-sales provision to reduce taxable business income. It also includes two measures valued by Democrats — an increase in film and television production credits and a combined reporting formula for taxation so big-box retailers will have to pay taxes to New Mexico for out-of-state activities. Smith’s bill has been criticized for the way it came together — it was approved by the House in the final seconds before the constitutionally required noon Saturday adjournment — and some say the final vote was past noon.
     Rep. Stephen Easley, a freshman Democrat from Santa Fe who voted against the bill, said the last 60 minutes soured what had been a collegial and respectful 60-day session. “It was a good session, everyone was treated fairly by the speaker until the last 30 seconds, when the fix was in,” he said. “There was no debate, no discussion on this bill. That was unfortunate.”
     But Smith said that is the nature of the Legislature: “I don’t know of any other way to do it when we’re running out of time.” Read more

Senator defends 11th-hour tax deal

Next big oil boom could be in northwestern NM

Executives from some of the nation's biggest oil and gas companies say the next big oil boom could take place in northwestern New Mexico.

 The executives are in Farmington for a conference to discuss the potential for a previously untapped section of the San Juan Basin known as the Mancos shale.

 Former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici says about 1.8 billion barrels of oil could be recovered from New Mexico reservoirs in the Mancos shale, which also extends into Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. 

The Albuquerque Journal  says the successful extraction of oil and wet natural gas in the basin would bring relief to San Juan County.

Next big oil boom could be in northwestern NM

Udall says thousands of New Mexicans owed tax refunds

U.S. Senator Tom Udall says more than 7,000 New Mexicans are owed more than $6 million by the Internal Revenue Service in unclaimed tax refunds from 2009.

 The New Mexico Democrat is reminding residents that they only have until April 15 to claim their Monday. Udall says 7,100 New Mexicans are owed a total of $6.45 million from 2009, with a median refund of $567. And any that goes unclaimed will be kept by the Treasury. 

Udall's offices says many refunds go unclaimed because filers are unaware they are eligible for a return.

Udall says thousands of New Mexicans owed tax refunds

State unemployment rate unchanged

New Mexico's unemployment rate in January is unchanged from December's revised rate.  

Labor officials say New Mexico's unemployment rate of 6.6 percent is an improvement over January 2012 when the rate was 7.0 percent.

 The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions says the rate of over-the-year job growth was 0.4 percent for January. That represents a gain of 3,500. 

The largest employment gains were reported by the leisure and hospitality industry, which added 2,000 jobs since last year. The financial activities industry added 1,500 jobs.

State unemployment rate unchanged

Lottery scholarship program may be in danger

From KOB-TV.com - by Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - It was a must-do job for the state legislature – and it didn’t get done. Now thousands of New Mexico college students on lottery scholarships are wondering if they’ll be able to stay in school.

     Analysts say the scholarship fund will be $5 million in the red by July, with more and more students becoming eligible and tuition costs going higher and higher. At the same time, lottery ticket sales are on a downward slide. Less money coming in – more money going out. You don’t have to be a math major to figure out it’s going belly-up.
     The lottery scholarships are good for full tuition at New Mexico’s public universities and community colleges and other public higher education institutions. Students must graduate from a New Mexico high school or get a GED here, and maintain a grade point average of 2.5. In the 60 day legislative session that ended Saturday, lawmakers considered a proposal to raise that grade point average to 2.75, which would reduce the number of eligible students. That bill died in committee. Other proposals included limits on family income for scholarship recipients, and diverting money from the state’s tobacco settlement income. Nothing passed.
     For now, the state Higher Education Department seems to be willing to let the scholarships stagger on, awash in red ink – hoping that next year lawmakers can forge some kind of agreement. Read more

Lottery scholarship program may be in danger