Swickard: Bet you don’t win the lottery

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. In our world it is a good bet that more education leads to more wealth. And, math education seems to bring wealth the best. Certainly the lack of math ability leads to less wealth. Being numerate, as the literacy of numbers is called, is lacking in our population.

     Many of our fellow citizens have no savings for the future, no investments; rather, their plan for old age is to win the lottery. While I agree with the adage, “No dreamer too small, no dream too big,” there are limits.
     Numerate people do not make the mistake of believing in the lottery any more than they believe that one day in Wal-Mart a movie producer will stop and point at them, “Him, I want him to star in my next movie.” This is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute with the intention of landing on something soft.
     The New Mexico Lottery, under the guise of raising money for education, preys on math challenged people. Their advertisements suggest riches will shower upon you if you buy a lottery ticket. Unlikely.
     Currently there is concern in New Mexico that not enough fools, er, dreamers are buying lottery tickets and there is not enough money for college students. This is entirely the fault of the institutions of higher learning in New Mexico who doubled and tripled their tuition so that the money from the lottery is not enough.
     But I have a solution. The proceeds from this tax on people who don’t understand math at this point goes to college general education, in fact, anything the student wants to study. Remember, the tobacco settlement funds anti-smoking campaigns. You want to know what I think? The New Mexico Lottery should go directly and entirely to math education in New Mexico.
     Every dollar should be channeled to making New Mexico students the envy of the nation when it comes to math. If people can buy lottery tickets with the expectation of winning, they are showing their lack of math education. We should take their obvious lack of numerate ability and use it constructively so future generations in New Mexico do not end up in the same condition. Read full column

Swickard: Bet you don’t win the lottery

55th racing season at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

From the El Paso Times - by Felix Chavez - The 55th season of horse racing begins at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino begins on Friday.
     The 76-day meet will have a total of $20 million in purses and a daily average of $250,000. The meet will be highlighted by the 12th running of the Grade III, Sunland Derby on March 23. The race serves as a prep for the Kentucky Derby.
     Other big races during the meet include the Mine that Bird Derby, the West Texas Futurity and the Sunland Park Handicap.
     Racing will take part mostly on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a few exceptions. Parking and admission are free.
     "We feel we well have a great season ahead of us," said Director of Racing Operations Dustin Dix said. "We expect strong fields for our races. We have a lot of the top trainers and jockeys back from last year."
     Among some of the top trainers at Sunland this year are Henry Dominguez and Justin Evans, while top jockeys include Ry Eikleberry and Enrique Portillo Gomez. More

55th racing season at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

NM ranked last in private sector job study

From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - New Mexico is at the bottom of yet another list, and this is one where you don't want to be anywhere near the bottom.
     Our state is dead last in the percentage of private sector jobs in the workforce – and number one in the percentage of government jobs and government contractor jobs in the workforce. Economists and political leaders agree – this is no way to grow your economy.
     Only about two thirds of our jobs in New Mexico are true private sector jobs. That may sound like a lot, but it's a much smaller share than most other states.
     Meanwhile, 31.9 percent of New Mexicans work in government or government contract jobs. The national average is 19.2 percent, according to a study from George Mason University. The lowest is Rhode Island at 14.3 percent. In New Mexico, many of those government and contractor jobs are at our two national laboratories or four military bases--where funding cuts are a constant threat.
      "We're going to continue to fight for our labs and our military bases," said Gov. Susana Martinez. "But we can't rely on that federal dollar because it's so unreliable right now. We've got to grow the private sector, that doesn't have to get a check from the federal government in order to survive."
     Even Democratic leaders agree with the Republican governor. Coming up with a plan is the task of the legislature's new Jobs Council, which says the state needs to grow 16,000 new jobs every year for the next ten years. That's 160,000 jobs. Read more

NM ranked last in private sector job study

Report says NM needs more job growth

A report to lawmakers says New Mexico needs to create about 16,000 jobs annually over the next decade to keep pace with population growth, reduce unemployment and offset future jobs losses if the state wants to return to 2007 pre-recession employment levels.

 The Legislature's Jobs Council was given the assessment Monday by a private consulting firm that outlined possible job creation proposals for lawmakers to consider, including increased spending on marketing by the Economic Development and Tourism departments and creating a "closing fund" for economic development projects. 

The consulting firm told lawmakers that New Mexico is capable of creating 160,000 jobs during the next decade, but not enough is being invested currently in job creation.

Report says NM needs more job growth

NM SUPCO gives leeway in warrant-less arrests

New Mexico's highest court is giving police more leeway to make arrests without a warrant in domestic violence cases.

 The state Supreme Court on Monday ruled that police can make a warrantless arrest when it's reasonably close to scene of the domestic violence. State law allows a warrantless arrest at the scene of a domestic disturbance, and the justices broadened that to include a location near the place where the incident happened. 

The ruling overturned a state Court of Appeals decision that found Daniel Almanzar had been improperly arrested in 2007 across the street from the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque where he alleged kicked his girlfriend during a quarrel. 

The justices said the arrest was lawful, allowing cocaine found during a search of Almanzar to be used as evidence.

NM SUPCO gives leeway in warrant-less arrests

Gov. wants more funds for telemedicine

Gov. Susana Martinez will ask the Legislature to provide $600,000 next year for telemedicine services to help provide access to medical specialists for patients and primary care providers in rural areas. 

The governor proposed Monday that the money be used for buying and installing equipment and computer technology, such as teleconferencing video systems.

 If the money is approved by lawmakers, Martinez said, health care provider organizations could apply for grants. 

The governor said telemedicine programs, such as Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, can provide medical care to patients in rural areas without the need to travel long distances to Albuquerque or other urban areas where most health care specialists are based.

Gov. wants more funds for telemedicine

High number of police shootings prompts reform

A rash of police shootings across New Mexico has prompted renewed calls for reform of law enforcement procedures. 

Albuquerque police on Sunday shot and critically injured a man after a domestic call — the fourth shooting involving police in the state's largest city in just over a month. Albuquerque police are already under federal investigation for shootings and excessive force claims. The shooting comes on the heels of four shootings in a similar time period by state police officers, including an officer firing at a minivan full of children. 

Jewel Hall, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center Board in Albuquerque, says the past four weeks have been like a Wild West movie. She blames training and police culture for the shootings.

High number of police shootings prompts reform

U.N. climate change talks: it’s really all about the money

Commentary by Marita Noon - “Rich countries are still not pledging enough money to begin financing a shift to a cleaner global economy,” reports the Financial Times (FT) in its coverage of the United Nations climate talks in Warsaw that ended with little more than a “vague road map on how to prepare for a global climate pact they’re supposed to adopt in two years.”
     Leading into what has now been called an “unsatisfactory summit,” predictions suggested the “talks could collapse because of a lack of financial support from rich nations.” Delegates from developing countries, such as Ecuador’s lead negotiator Daniel Ortega, believe “an effective 2015 emissions reduction agreement has to be based on a clear financial package.”
     Ortega stated: “I’m not personally expecting any commitment by Warsaw. What we need to have is a clear roadmap of how the discussions of financing will allow us to have a clear idea of commitments by 2015.”
     Even low expectations like Ortega’s were dashed when, on the opening day of the climate talks, November 11, Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government produced a document, outlining its position at the Warsaw conference, which boldly stated: “Federal cabinet has ruled that Australia will not sign up to any new contributions, taxes or charges at this week’s global summit on climate change.” The Australian points out: “This rules out Australia playing any role in a wealth transfer from rich countries to developing nations to pay them to decrease their carbon emissions.” But, perhaps, the most dramatic line in the government document is: Australia “will not support any measures which are socialism masquerading as environmentalism.”
     A few days later, November 15, Japan announced that “its emissions would increase slightly rather than fall 25 per cent as promised in 2009.” Japan was struggling to meet its previous emissions promises—which were the most aggressive of any big developed country—even before the Fukushima accident prompted the shutdown of its 50 still-operable nuclear reactors and its corresponding rise in the supplemental use of fossil fuels. Read full column

U.N. climate change talks: it’s really all about the money

Merry Christmas: Shoplifters busted on Black Friday

From KRQE-TV.com - By Gabrielle Burkhart - The Black Friday deals drew huge crowds at stores across the country, but some of those shoppers in Albuquerque weren't there for the sales. Police said some shoplifters got violent, while some even used their kids to help snag loads of stolen merchandise.
     Store employees have had an eye on the crowds, many claiming they've caught several people red-handed trying to sneak their own five-finger discount.  Case after case, a metro court judge saw multiple accused shoplifters for their first appearances on Saturday, all of them arrested on Black Friday.
     And, police said one suspect got violent with employees at Hobby Lobby on Juan Tabo, when workers approached him about stealing.  A judge instructed 20-year-old Max Teufel to not return to Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby employees told police Teufel threatened them with a knife after he admitted to shoplifting a pocket watch for $11.99.  Police said store workers held Teufel to the ground, prying a knife from his hand before police got there. 

     Most of the arrested shoplifters from Black Friday have criminal records. Read more

Merry Christmas: Shoplifters busted on Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving 1942 - Office of War Information Photograph Collection

Happy Thanksgiving