courtesy of http://www.conservativedailynews.com/
Attention PBS Donors: KNME GM Makes $165K Per Year
NM Watchdog - For a non-profit organization dedicated to public service, KNME-TV pays its general manager more than its faithful supporters might imagine. Polly Anderson, the general manager of PBS New Mexico, receives $165,000 a year, plus benefits. Her non-profit salary is right up there with what for-profit corporations pay managers at far larger television stations. Though her staff is tiny in comparison, she makes significantly more than the people who manage the huge workforces of the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
“I’m offended,” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Wayne Johnson when he heard of Anderson’s salary. “What does she do? KNME has become basically a satellite repeater. They don’t do the level of original production they used to do. The station once was all about education and what was happening locally. That’s not what they’re doing now.”
Johnson knows the station’s history. His mother worked at KNME for fifteen years offering an educational program for children called “Kaleidoscope.”
Johnson compared Anderson’s salary and less demanding responsibilities to the duties of Thomas Zdunek, the Bernalillo County Manager. At $148,000, he receives the highest salary New Mexico Watchdog has found so far in its survey of the payrolls of local governments. Albuquerque’s City Manager makes $144,773 for overseeing an even larger City Hall workforce responsible for public health and safety, as well streets, roads, parks, vast real estate holdings and huge capital projects.
“The Bernalillo County manager oversees 2500 employees,” Johnson said. KNME employs 49 other than Anderson, according to data obtained from the University of New Mexico’s Sunshine Portal.
“I’m offended,” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Wayne Johnson when he heard of Anderson’s salary. “What does she do? KNME has become basically a satellite repeater. They don’t do the level of original production they used to do. The station once was all about education and what was happening locally. That’s not what they’re doing now.”Johnson knows the station’s history. His mother worked at KNME for fifteen years offering an educational program for children called “Kaleidoscope.”
Johnson compared Anderson’s salary and less demanding responsibilities to the duties of Thomas Zdunek, the Bernalillo County Manager. At $148,000, he receives the highest salary New Mexico Watchdog has found so far in its survey of the payrolls of local governments. Albuquerque’s City Manager makes $144,773 for overseeing an even larger City Hall workforce responsible for public health and safety, as well streets, roads, parks, vast real estate holdings and huge capital projects.
“The Bernalillo County manager oversees 2500 employees,” Johnson said. KNME employs 49 other than Anderson, according to data obtained from the University of New Mexico’s Sunshine Portal.
Aggies win opener 49 - 19
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Aug. 30)-The New Mexico State football team opened its season with a 49-19 victory over Sacramento State inside Aggie Memorial Stadium. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Manley and sophomore wide receiver Austin Franklin led the Aggie offense with career-high performances. Manley finished with a career-high 367 passing yards and three touchdowns on a 14-of-22 showing through the air. Franklin recorded a career-high 236 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, junior linebacker Trashaun Nixon led the team with 15 tackles, his first career double-digit tackle performance. Junior linebacker Bryan Bonilla and senior safety Davis Cazares also finished with double-digit tackles. Bonilla finished with 11 tackles, his second career double-digit tackle performance, while Davis finished with 10, his first career double-figures performance.
New Mexicans upset networks snubbed governor's speech
Sowell: Entitlement Reforms
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| Thomas Sowel |
Let's stop and think, if only for the novelty of it.
If you make any change in anything, you are ending it "as we know it." Does that mean that everything in the status quo should be considered to be set in concrete forever? If there were not a single Republican, or none who got elected to any office, arithmetic would still end "Medicare as we know it," for the simple reason that the money in the till is not enough to keep paying for it. The same is true of Social Security. The same has been true of welfare state programs in European countries that are currently struggling with both financial crises and riots in the streets from people who feel betrayed by their governments. They have in fact been betrayed by their politicians, who have promised them things that there was not enough money to pay for. That is the basic problem in the United States as well. We are not yet Greece, but we are not exempt from the same rules of arithmetic that eventually caught up with Greece. We just have a little more time. The only question is whether we will use that time to make politically difficult changes or whether we will just kick the can down the road, and keep pretending that "Medicare as we know it" would continue on indefinitely, if it were not for people who just want to be mean to the elderly. Read more
Udall visits Mescalero Schools to talk language preservation
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| U.S. Senator Tom Udall speaks with Jennie Pea's fourth-grade Apache classroom. (photo by Duane Barbati, Daily News) |
Susana makes her star turn at GOP convention
*with Mitt Romney needing to appeal to Hispanic voters, one of the first things Martinez said in her speech was “En America, todo es posible.”
*recalling her time working for her parents’ security business, she fired off her first big applause line by saying, “I carried a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum.”
*although it’s a familiar story for New Mexico political followers, she recounted how she long considered herself a Democrat. But after a lunch date she and her husband Chuck had with GOP officials, she declared, “I’ll be damned, we’re Republicans.”
*took a shot at President Obama’s “you didn’t build that” comment by saying, “If he can take credit for government building small businesses, then he can accept responsibility for breaking his promise and adding 5 trillion dollars to the national debt. Because he did build that.”
Within minutes of the speech, #SusanaMartinez was trending on Twitter and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza wrote, “This is very good stuff from Susana Martinez. I am a little surprised how good she is tonight given she’s never done this before.” As you’d expect, conservatives on the blogosphere raved about her performance. On Powerline, Paul Mirengoff wrote: I confess to wondering about the decision to give the New Mexico governor a plum speaking time on a big convention night, just in front of Paul Ryan. But then I had never really seen Susana Martinez in action. Now that I have, I wonder no more. The sky could be the limit for this rising star. But even liberals gave her good reviews. The convention live blogger for the über-lefty Daily Kos wrote: Susana Martinez is giving a terrific speech, I think. Which I assume means Republicans will hate it. Here’s more from Cillizza who placed Martinez under the heading of the night’s “winners”: * Susana Martinez: Before tonight most people — including most Republicans — didn’t know much (if anything) about the New Mexico governor. Martinez changed that — in a good way — with a down-to-earth delivery and ease in the moment that many politicians with much more experience on the national stage would rightly be jealous of. Read more
Isaac Hits New Orleans, Police and Guard on Patrol
Hurricane Isaac's floodwaters spilled over a levee just outside of New Orleans today. The gigantic slow moving system weakened to a tropical storm this afternoon. New multibillion-dollar barriers paid for with the nation's taxpayer dollars, which were constructed to protect the city after Hurricane Katrina, seemed to be holding.
Reuters quoted New Orleans Mayor Mitchell Landrieu as saying, "The federal levee system ... is fine," when he was asked about the city that was built below sea level today.
"There are no risks. It is holding exactly as we expected it to and is performing exactly as it should," he added.
Police and National Guard units, patrolled the downtown area of the city to protect businesses and homes from looters who use crippling storms as an opportunity to steal.
Despite widespread flood damage, a few injuries, and devastating power outages that are fairly typical of any hurricane, the mainstream media was relieved that unlike the damages and threats to life caused during Katrina, the damages and destruction caused by Issac were not a result of racism. Only hurricanes that occured between 2001 and the end of 2008 that hit cities constructed below sea level, that have large minority populations that ignore advance storm warnings, are storms that cause death and damages due to racism.
Reuters quoted New Orleans Mayor Mitchell Landrieu as saying, "The federal levee system ... is fine," when he was asked about the city that was built below sea level today."There are no risks. It is holding exactly as we expected it to and is performing exactly as it should," he added.
Police and National Guard units, patrolled the downtown area of the city to protect businesses and homes from looters who use crippling storms as an opportunity to steal.
Despite widespread flood damage, a few injuries, and devastating power outages that are fairly typical of any hurricane, the mainstream media was relieved that unlike the damages and threats to life caused during Katrina, the damages and destruction caused by Issac were not a result of racism. Only hurricanes that occured between 2001 and the end of 2008 that hit cities constructed below sea level, that have large minority populations that ignore advance storm warnings, are storms that cause death and damages due to racism.
Erhard pledges to focus on ‘the plight of the people’
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| Evelyn Madrid Erhard, Candidate for Congress |
PolitiFiction
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| Pants On Fire |
From National Review Online - he website PolitiFact is going to be truth-squadding the Republican convention speakers this week, delivering verdicts on which claims are “mostly true” and which deserve a “pants on fire” rating. Our advice: Pay no attention to those ratings. PolitiFact can’t be trusted to get the story right. Its recent rulings on Medicare have demonstrated the point thrice over. PolitiFact said that Romney’s comment that Obama had “robbed” Medicare of $716 billion to pay for Obamacare was “mostly false.” Among its reasons: “The money was not robbed in any literal sense of the word.” So if Romney led anyone to believe that Obama had held Medicare at gunpoint and ordered it to hand over its wallet, they can now rest easy, because PolitiFact is on the case. PolitiFact’s other arguments are that Medicare spending will continue to rise and that Obama’s spending reductions are “mainly aimed at insurers and hospitals, not beneficiaries.” Leave aside the economic naïveté of that argument, and focus instead on the irrelevance. Romney said that Obama had taken money that was going to be spent on Medicare and instead spend it on Obamacare, and suggested that this was a bad thing. In other words: an absolutely true claim, and an opinion based on it. If PolitiFact disagrees with that opinion, let it publish its views under a different name. Read more
Obama Team Rejects Catholic Request to Participate, But Will Host 2 Hour Muslim Prayer Event at Convention
The event is being promoted on the official Charlottein2012.com page. You can watch the promotional video, via the Bureau of Muslim Affairs, which is partnering with the DNC for the event.
The first two minutes are rather dry, but around 2:04 a muezzin sings the call to prayer with an American flag background, and the video “picks up” considerably:
Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend the Friday prayers and Jibril Hough, a spokesman for the Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs (BIMA), said the purpose of the event is to hold political parties accountable for the issues faced by Muslim-Americans. |
| Imam Siraj Wahhaj |
And while Muslim-Americans undeniably face distinct challenges, those who are well-informed on the dangers of radical Islam are expressing their doubts about the event. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim and the Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, wrote: “The leaders of this event – Jibril Hough and Imam Siraj Wahhaj are not moderates. They are radicals. These individuals embrace Islamist supremacy and have demonstrated support for radical ideologies.
Expect More Emboldened Voter Fraud Schemes
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| Eric Holder |
Mitchell said Holder’s policies emboldens vote scheming, which, she points out, is a felony. “I think they get more and more brazen and because they know that Eric Holder, the Attorney General, rather than trying to enforce federal laws that would protect us from voter crimes, Eric Holder and his Justice Department have done just the opposite,” she said.
“They have tried to block states and local governments from enforcing the law that we have operated on for decades. I mean it’s illegal. It’s a felony under federal law for someone to register to vote or to vote if you’re not a citizen. But instead of enforcing that law, the Justice Department under Eric Holder is suing the state of Florida to keep them from enforcing it. So that’s why I think that that emboldens those who would concoct schemes to have illegal votes cast.”
Consumer Confidence Falls to Ten Month Low
The Conference Board’s index decreased to 60.6 from a revised 65.4 in July, figures from the New York-based private research group showed today. The 4.8-point decrease was the biggest since October. The reading was less than the most- pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg survey in which the median projection was 66.
Rising gasoline prices, a jobless rate that’s been above 8 percent since the start of 2009 and limited income gains are keeping consumers glum. Persistent pessimism raises the risk of a pullback in household purchases that account for about 70 percent of the world’s biggest economy. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Solyndra: There's More
Units of Argonaut Ventures and Madrone Partners could end up with "significantly more" than $500 million in tax benefits as part of Solyndra's bankruptcy, the Department of Energy and the Internal Revenue Service said in a bankruptcy court filing on Friday.
Under the bankruptcy plan, the U.S. government is unlikely to recoup much of its $528 million loan to Solyndra.
The government agencies asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, to reject Solyndra's "disclosure statement," which describes its plan to repay creditors, unless the company provides more details on the tax benefits.
Under the proposed plan, tax benefits such as "net operating losses" would be preserved for Argonaut, which is controlled by a foundation linked to billionaire George Kaiser, and Madrone. Under a 2011 restructuring, the two firms committed to investing $75 million to keep Solyndra afloat with the condition they would be repaid before the U.S. government.Debra Grassgreen, an attorney with Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, which represents Solyndra, declined to comment beyond saying that the company would file a reply with the court.
NMSU Tries to Close Barn Door at DABCC Nursing Program With "Free" Scholarships
The horse left the barn at Dona Ana Community College. Several years after deficiencies were identified in the nursing program that raised the spectre of lost accreditation the hammer finally came down on the management team at DABCC and NMSU. Earlier this month the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission denied accreditation for the Dona Ana Community College nursing program.
New Mexico State University and DABCC finally made a much too late effort to close the door to barn yesterday when it issued this statement: "NMSU will provide scholarships to cover tuition and fees for DACC nursing students who transfer into the BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program and the scholarship can be renewed through the duration of the program if the student maintains a 3.O (grade point average).” No mention was made of tuition refunds to current students.In effect the university is encouraging existing and future students to gamble that NMSU and DABCC will regain its credibility and obtain accreditation at some point in the future. The "free tuition" offered in the wake of the breech will only have real value to students if accreditation is regained.
Land Office Takes in $7.4 Million on Oil and Gas Leases
A total of 26 tracts of land covering more than 8,000 acres were sold. Revenues from the oil and gas industry represent 97% of all income brought in by the Land Office. The revenues are used to support public schools, universities and hospitals.
The highest sealed bid of $466,140 was made by Ronald Miles of Roswell for about 163 acres in Eddy County who also placed the highest oral bid - $2 million for about 640 acres in Lea County.
Experts wonder how much more money might have come to the State Land Office if it had not tried to retroactively change the formula for how royalties are calculated on productive leases.
State Land Office Loses Bid to Retroactively Change Oil and Gas Royalty Rules to Increase Revenues
The court’s unanimous ruling last week was a setback for the State Land Office, which contended that producers have shortchanged New Mexico in what they pay for producing gas and oil on land owned by the state. The decision could affect several other pending royalty lawsuits potentially involving tens of millions of dollars.
Wally Drangmeister, a spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said Monday the court’s ruling “reaffirms the common sense interpretation and application of lease provisions that the industry has employed for decades.”
One of the central issues is whether companies should be allowed to continue to deduct certain expenses for making natural gas marketable after it’s produced at well sites. Those so-called post-production costs include removing water and other impurities from the gas, and then transporting the gas to plants for additional processing before it’s shipped in pipelines for commercial distribution.
Royalties are paid on “net proceeds” and the Land Office sought to limit costs that can be deducted by producers. Some gas is produced from oil wells and the ruling also involves royalties paid on that. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Live Morning Coverage of GOP Convention Begins
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| Tampa Convention Center |
News New Mexico begins its morning coverage each day of the Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida tomorrow. We have three NewsNM contributors: Aaron Henry Diaz, Marita Noon, and Jamie Estrada scheduled to provide updates on what is going on behind the scenes. We will also be speaking with prominent GOP elected officials from New Mexico as well as spokespersons from the Romney organization.
Yes, Romney Can; No, Obama Can't
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| Marita Noon |
As the news coverage reminds us, “Every US president since Richard Nixon has set an objective of reducing the country’s reliance on foreign oil, and most of them have failed.”
President Obama’s approach has been to “end the age of oil.” To that end, he has poured billions of dollars into green energy projects—many of which were risky investments that have now failed or are headed for failure. His approach has done nothing to reduce our reliance on foreign oil—though we are importing less due to the bad economy and high prices, and the new oil boom presently centered on North Dakota. To companies looking to invest in any kind of extractive endeavor, his policies have screamed “You can’t!” Read full story here: News New Mexico
In House Critic Calls New York Times Out for Bias
Politico - The executive editor of the New York Times is disputing an accusation of liberal bias made by her very own public editor, Arthur Brisbane.
NMSU Rolls in Opening Tourney at NIU
The New Mexico State volleyball team earned its third consecutive victory defeating Northern Illinois 3-1 (14-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-10) to win the NUI Invitational on Victor E. Court, Saturday, Aug. 25. NM State returns home with a 3-0 record as the Aggies look forward to hosting a tournament in the Pan American Center next weekend.
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| NMSU Volleyball Coach Mike Jordan |
NM State played tough team defense in the final three sets of the match to bring home the hardware. Sophomore Meredith Hays, who was named tournament MVP, ended her evening with 18 kills. Junior Preslie Alexander put up eight kills, two service aces and a block assist, while being named to the all-tournament team along with junior Desiree Scott. Scott finished the tournament with 18 kills and 16 total blocks in the tournament to help the Aggies to three wins.
The Aggies struggled in set one falling 25-14 to NIU. NM State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead but couldn't hold on as the Huskies tied the set at nine. NM State bounced back and took set two 25-19. Had four total team blocks through two sets with three coming in the second. The Aggies held NIU to a .026 hitting percentage in the second set before heading to set three where they jumped out to a 10-point lead at 19-9 and rounded out the tournament winning the final set in dominant fashion, 25-10.The NM State defense showed up against the Huskies as it posted 19 total team blocks and held it's opponent to a -.014 hitting percentage in the match.
Re-Shuffle Puts Martinez in Primetime on Wednesday
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| Susana Martinez |
Gov. Martinez originally was going to be the second-to-last speaker on Tuesday night in prime time but with Isaac expected to hit landfall early Monday, GOP officials decided to cancel Monday’s scheduled opening of the convention and plan to start on Tuesday (Aug. 28).
Under the revised schedule, Martinez will still receive a plumb assignment — being the penultimate speaker on Wednesday night, following former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and coming right before Vice Presidential candidate Ryan concludes the day’s events — guaranteeing her a national audience.
Officials lumped Rice, Martinez and Ryan together in a listing slated to start at 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Read full story here: News New Mexico
More Deficit Spending, Bingaman Brags About Pork
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| Jeff Bingaman |
The borrowed money will be given to the New Mexico groups to help support the fostering of citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts.
Bingaman offered no comments on the fact that the federal government has not passed a budget for more than three years.
Former Senate Finance Chair Aubrey Dunn Dead at 84
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| Aubrey Dunn |
A native of Alamogordo, Dunn served in the Senate for 15 years before retiring in 1980. At one time, he was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Dunn was also a rancher and co-owner of the Daily News. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Railrunner is Killing Taxpayers, But Not This Guy
Rail Runner spokesperson Augusta Meyers told KOB Eyewitness News 4 the man was drunk when he decided to lie down in the space between the tracks. The train passed over the man without hitting him. Read full story here: News New Mexico
2016: Obama's America....Not Enough Theaters
The documentary is based on a book by immigrant Dinesh D'Souza provides factual information on President Obama that was never presented to the American people in 2008 and suggests what the country will be like in four years if President Barack Obama is re-elected. The only problem the film had in its release was there still are not enough theaters showing it. The $6.3 million taken in by the No. 7 movie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's action tale "Premium Rush," came as a resut of it playing in more than twice as many theaters as the Obama documentary.
Environmental groups target New Mexico Senate race
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| Nope, this is not Heather Wilson no matter what they say about her in the PAC ads |
Typical: “Republican” Woman in Obama Campaign Ad is Actually a Registered Democrat
The Bankrupt Leading the Bankrupt
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| Artist drawing of California High Speed Rail stop |
Officers at Alamogordo Department of Public Safety allege superiors asked them to change accident report information
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| Emergency personnel respond to a single-vehicle accident that resulted in a man's death Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 in Alamogordo. Officers at ADPS allege that their superiors told them to change information on the accident report from this crash. (ADNphoto) |
2016: Obama's America as Smash at Box Offices
The Race Card: Congressman Charles Rangel: "You Have to Play This Filthy Obsene Game"
Was Vice President Joe Biden resorting to the dirtiest political trick known to politics by playing the race card earlier this month when he was speaking to a mostly African-American audience in However, Charles Rangel, one of the longest standing veterans in Congress, a Democrat who has represented Harlem for decades said, "You bet your ass he was."
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| Charles Rangel |
In an interview that can be seen here Rangel said using race-based fears in negative ads is necessary to win. Speaking candidly in an interview with Roberto Perez Rangel had plenty to say about the words Joe Biden used to manipulate a mostly black Virginia audience. In an African-American vernacular Biden said, "They going to put y’all back in chains.” Rangel said, “Was he talking about slavery? You bet your ass he was. Was he using the vernacular? Yes, he was. Did he think it was cute? Yes, he did. Was it something stupid to say? You bet your life it was stupid."
Rangel went on to say, "If you want to win you have to play this filthy obsene game of negative ads."
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