Swickard: Our missing incentives for success

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. A friend likes to say, “If you do not get what you want, check the incentives you are using.” That is great advice. Everything in life is tied to incentives and we must use correct incentives to be successful. 

     B. F. Skinner contended we humans are conditioned to do more of what we like and less of what we dislike. If what we like leads us to success, then we are successful. Since this is not rocket science, all humans should be happy. However, for the most part many Americans are not happy.
      One explainer is that humans are noted for their contradictions. Doing wrong things and expecting successful outcomes is a contradiction. Worse, people continue doing wrong things even though they never get success. Buying Lottery tickets and expecting to win comes to mind.
     Does that mean the incentive factors do not work? No, they work all too well. Our missing incentives for success condemn most of us to not achieving the success we want. But it can change in an instant when we realize that we must use the right incentives.
     Most of us wish to live in a society where our children and grandchildren live better lives than us. It was the wish of my grandparents and my parents that I live a better life. The rub is that this generation has spent the last forty years spending our money and our children’s money and our grandchildren’s money.
     The national debt is around Seventy Trillion dollars which works out to about a quarter million dollars of debt for every man, woman and child in our nation. And it is getting worse. More Americans are riding in the cart and fewer are pulling the financial cart. Will my children and grandchildren live a better life than me? Not if my generation leaves nothing but debts.
     Of course it could all change if our energy policy was such that America was energy independent and our private sector was going strong. This assumes politicians not spend that extra bounty. With the extra revenue America could reign in the runaway spending and leave a fine world for our children.
     This leads me to wonder: what incentives have we Americans put in place for our economy to zoom and dispense with this overwhelming debt? None, we are still printing money. We have turned off the engine of prosperity for political reasons. Politicians passed a healthcare law that takes the private sector to its knees. Read full column

Swickard: Our missing incentives for success

KOB investigates private plane funded by the public

Garcia's plane is similar to this plane

From KOB-TV.com - By: Chris Ramirez, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - 4 On Your Side has learned public dollars have been spent on the use of a private plane. In the simmering controversy over New Mexico non-profits and alleged Medicaid fraud, Governor Susana Martinez has singled out Roque Garcia, the CEO of Southwest Counseling in Las Cruces.
     An audit conducted by the State’s Human Services Department redflagged Garcia. It showed Garcia is paid $107,000 annually, but he gets an additional $16,500 each year to put toward use of his plane. “That is a lot of money for being a non-profit organization," Gov. Martinez told 4OYS during an interview.
     Southwest Counseling is one of 15 behavioral health companies in New Mexico accused of defrauding the state out of $35 million in Medicaid reimbursements by double-billing, overbilling, and giving their CEO’s excessive pay and benefits. In Garcia’s case, 90 percent of his company’s funding comes from Medicaid.
     Flight records pulled by 4OYS show the plane in question has flown to the Jersey Shore; Mexico; Las Vegas, Nev.; and all around New Mexico recently. Garcia doesn’t apologize for using his single engine 4-seater.
     Garcia said he believed it would cost less to fly his own plane to business meetings and return the same day. The cost saved time and saved on hotel stays, Garcia said. But the governor said there’s no real way to know if flying was a cost saving measure because Garcia never kept track of his travel, business or pleasure.
     "That's the problem when you give lump sums and you give no accountability back to the board,” Gov. Martinez said. “You don't have an itemized travel expenditure sheet that says I went, I traveled, and I spent this much for this one trip and this trip was related to my work associated with Southwest Counseling Center."  More

KOB investigates private plane funded by the public

Santa Fe inn #4 on top 'pet-friendly' hotels list

NewsNM:Swickard - What a win-win situation when I can take my dog with me when I travel. Yes, cost a bit more but is worth it to me. I have several Comfort Inns in New Mexico who take Conrad in and make him and me feel at home. From KOB-TV.com - By: Elizabeth Reed, KOB.com - Animal lovers who bring their furry friends on vacation voted a Santa Fe inn to the list of best "pet-friendly" hotels in America.
     The Inn of Five Graces was picked number four on the top ten list by Trip Advisor. Survey respondents said the inn perfectly accommodated their four-legged companions while also providing an exotic atmosphere for the human guests.
     "Waiting in the suite were treats and stuffed animals for the animals," one respondent noted about the Inn of Five Graces. There is a $75 per night fee for pets 50 pounds or less.
     Beachside Village Resort in Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida, was named the top pet-friendly property in America. Olea Hotel and Bardessono, both located in California, followed in the number two and three spots. More

Santa Fe inn #4 on top 'pet-friendly' hotels list

Pre-K students not allowed on Santa Fe school bus

From KOB-TV.com - By: Joseph Lynch, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - It was a big day, the first day of school for some pre-K kids in Santa Fe. One little girl was ready to go, standing at the bus stop, but her father called KOB Eyewitness News 4 because of what happened next.
     Today was four-year-old Laney Roberts' first day at Turquoise Trail Charter School in Santa Fe. That first day didn't start out the way she or her father were expecting. Albert Roberts is a single dad, raising Laney and her six-year-old sister on his own. He was really counting on being able to send Laney to pre-K on the bus this morning. But she wasn't able to get on.
     Santa Fe District Transportation Officials told Roberts it's state law. Students have to be at least 5 years old to ride a school bus. That means pre-K kids like Laney have to find their own way to school. KOB asked Laney if she wanted to ride. "Mmm hmm, because my sister rides on the bus."
     Albert said it's not just a seat on the bus. This could be a road block for his daughter's education. "It forces me in the position of either not being able to work or me pulling my child out of school until she's old enough to ride the bus," Albert said. "A seat on the bus. Not asking for a special bus, I'm not asking for a special route, I'm not asking for a special stop. All I want is a seat on the bus for my youngest."
     The State's Public Education Department told KOB district superintendents have the final say on the issue. They say if there's an open seat, the Santa Fe Superintendent can give the okay for Laney to ride with her sister. A Santa Fe Public Schools spokeperson told KOB the district doesn't receive funding for kids under the age of five. They'll have to look into the issue. More

Pre-K students not allowed on Santa Fe school bus

County considers home based food processing

NewsNM:Swickard - Do I not have a right to buy from my neighbors what they produce, even if there is some risk to me? I think it is my right to trade with my neighbors without a government nanny. If they want to warn me of risk, do so, but allow me to decide who I wish to buy from and for how much. From KOB-TV.com - By: Jeffery Gordon - Local farmers wanting to sell homemade jellies and candy at farmers markets and craft fairs can speak up on Monday.

     Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley is considering bringing forward legislation that would change the county’s home-based food processing ordinance. Farmers are currently not allowed to sell homemade foods at the farmers markets and fairs.
     It is because of restrictions related to health concerns. There is a meeting scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the South Valley Economic Development Center. More

County considers home based food processing

Swickard: All we get from our goldmine is the shaft

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Most people in New Mexico care about a lot of things. They have the requisite concern about the endangered species along with a clean and fertile Mother Earth. They signed on to Earth Day when Global Cooling was the concern, and then signed on to the Global Warming alarmists.
     What we know for sure is that the solution to everything from Global Cooling to Global Warming is to put the government in charge and stop doing as much capitalism. America hears loud and clear when the voices of environmentalism shout, “Whatever you do, stop making money to save the planet.”

     Most Americans are unaware that the millions upon millions of dollars wasted in environmental causes come in one form or another from their pockets. Each wolf, owl, lizard and New Mexico jumping mouse takes money from each American, regardless of if we agree to the theft.
     Know this: our nation is a lesser nation because it cannot be energy independent and still comply with all the political agendas. We need not import another drop of oil or gas if we so desire. Take New Mexico for example: it is rich in potential for oil and gas. However, while some of the oil and gas is being harvested, much of that potential is not being used. This is thanks to lots of political action which seeks to shut down oil and gas rather than expand it.
     More so, it is not obvious that if the oil and gas production along with other extractives was to increase significantly New Mexico could match Alaska with a dividend paid to citizens instead of New Mexicans paying state income taxes. We could get a check rather than send a check. Read full column

Swickard: All we get from our goldmine is the shaft

APS discusses transgender guidelines

Wednesday evening, The Albuquerque Public Schools school board discussed a rough draft of possible guidelines for managing issues involving transgender students enrolled in the district. 

APS says right now, there are 12 transgender students in the district of nearly 90,000. 

APS Policy Analyst Carrie Menapace proposed initial guidelines. Those guidelines were based off insight from the district’s Transgender Task Force, as well as research on decisions made in other associations. 

The guidelines include requiring a court order to change a student’s name in school records, and a birth certificate to change the student’s gender in school records. 

They also suggest providing an alternative, gender-neutral bathroom and locker room for students. 

APS says the guidelines are a work in progress. 

APS discusses transgender guidelines

Navajo Nation gets wireless internet

The Navajo Nation has opened an $8 million data center that will make wireless Internet available to 70 percent of the reservation's population. 

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority has partnered with a wholesale wireless provider to upgrade telecommunications services on the Navajo Nation. The tribe has majority ownership of the venture, NTUA Wireless LLC., while Commnet Wireless owns the rest. 

The Farmington Daily Times reports that the data center in Shiprock opened on Tuesday, with officials opening up a laptop and quickly connecting to the Internet. 

NTUA spokeswoman Deenise Becenti says the broadband project is in the final testing phases and Internet service should be available to residents later this year.

Navajo Nation gets wireless internet

NM chile industry stabilized after years of decline

From the Carlsbad Current-Argus - By Diana Alba Soular - In the early '90s, chile was king in New Mexico. The state's favorite crop, in its many varieties, hit an all-time high in 1992 of 34,500 acres harvested. But that was before a landmark international free trade agreement, NAFTA, took effect, gradually slashing tariffs on products moving between the United States and its closest neighbors.
     New Mexico chile farmers and experts recall that the state's once-robust jalepeño industry took a sharp nosedive in the late '90s, as farming of the crop shifted to Mexico. Some of the fresh green-chile farming, too, followed, though the decline hasn't been as severe, experts said.
     About a decade ago, chile's future in New Mexico seemed especially bleak, said Stephanie Walker, Cooperative Extension specialist at New Mexico State University. "We had chile flooding the market from all parts of the world," she said. "Those were probably the darkest days." Other competitors, such as China, ramped up farming of red chile, which has a much longer shelf life and hence can be shipped farther than green chile with no problems, experts said.
     The declining acreage in New Mexico continued throughout the 2000s. Last year, acreage harvested totaled about 9,600 -- about a 70 percent drop from the record high.But some experts and farmers say the industry appears to have stabilized in recent years and may even be on the uptick. But some farmers of the crop said they still face a spectrum of hurdles, such as a shrinking pool of field laborers and continued pressure from foreign competitors, that create uncertainty about the future. More

NM chile industry stabilized after years of decline

USS New Mexico submarine returns from deployment

From KOB-TV.com - GROTON, Conn. -- A Navy submarine named for New Mexico returned from deployment Monday after conducting national security operations abroad.
     Under the command of Commander George Perez, USS New Mexico transited more than 34,000 miles over the course of six months while conducting national security operations in the European region.
     "New Mexico's performance on her inaugural deployment was exemplary," Perez said. "I could not be more proud of the way the crew, families, friends and supporters of New Mexico came together over this last year to make this first deployment a success."
     This was the first deployment for more 70 than percent of the boat's crew members.
     New Mexico was commissioned March 27, 2010 and is the second Navy vessel to be named for the 47th state. More

USS New Mexico submarine returns from deployment