The Week in Review

John Edwards (left) and his mistress Rielle Hunter (right)

 Former Democratic V.P. candidate John Edwards was indicted late in the week on multiple felony counts. It should be an interesting to hear what prosecutors learned by following the money and what Mr. Edwards has to say about the evidence against him. Speaking of indictments, a spokesman for Bill Richardson was quoted as saying the former governor does not comment on “political witch hunts.” This came after questions were asked about the possibility of Richardson receiving a subpoena to testify in the Judge Michael Murphy’s bribery trial. Some might say the mere use of the phrase, “political witch hunts” is a comment on the case.

Apparently the only thing Rep. Martin Heinrich does faster than gathering union endorsements is provide observers with curious contradictions of his own stated positions. Heinrich made a big to-do about wanting to bring our troops home in an April letter he wrote to President Obama. This week Heinrich voted to support the president’s military incursion in Libya when he could have cast a vote to “bring the troops home.”

The 300 miles off-reservation Jemez Pueblo casino scheme was back in the news in Southern New Mexico this week. We posted a column listing seven stubborn facts regarding the horrible economic precedents that would be set by allowing an off-reservation casino. Facts have always been very stubborn things. Credit should be given to the slick marketing campaign behind this wealth transferring tax avoidance scheme. Amidst all the publicity pomp to drum up local support for the scheme, all discussion of the most relevant facts, have been cleverly sidestepped.
President Obama was at an auto factory late this week extolling the virtues of the United Autoworkers bailout. Unfortunately, unlike presidential claims that the government is paid in full, Chrysler will never repay all the money that taxpayers plowed into the company.
The Labor Dept. announced on Friday that the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 9.1% in May. With the president’s own E.P.A. restricting energy supplies and driving up fuel prices, he was able to keep a straight face while blaming higher gas prices for the alarming jump in unemployment.

Greg Sowards

On News New Mexico Thursday U.S. Senate candidate Greg Sowards stood alone in openly supporting Paul Ryan’s spending reform-based budget plan. Both Hector Balderas and Martin Heinrich have openly opposed spending reforms and none of the other GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate are on the record yet as either being for or against the only budget reform proposal before Congress.

Radical environmentalists suffered a mild setback at the hands of the Martinez Environmental Improvement Board this week.

Four Corners Power Plant

After hearing testimony, the EIB quickly opted for a plan that calls for $77 million of pollution control equipment to be installed at the Four Corners Power Plant. The EIB rejected a radical proposal that would have effectively shuttered a coal fired generator, cost the state millions in precious tax revenues, reduced the supply of reliable electricity, and put hundreds of people out of work in San Juan County.

Anthony Weiner

And finally, Christmas came early in the week just passed for late night television talk show comics. It is no secret that “Weinergate” has become the mother lode of raw material from which bawdy one-liners are made. Forgive us for punishing you with a few of our own Weinergate quips on the show this week, but there’s golden humor in “them thar hills.” Until we can find something better to make fun of, in the days ahead we suspect we might not be able to resist the occasional temptation to point out some of the more notorious boners the New York Congressman has pulled.

The Week in Review