Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - Often I am tempted to give the younger generation, er, generations, the benefit of mistakes I made as a youth. But it is stupid to talk to youth today knowing I would not have listened when I was their age. I did some things right and some things wrong.
As a youngster I refilled my father’s Zippo lighter with fluid and replaced the flints. I emptied ash trays and absorbed eighteen years of second-hand smoke. Was I ever tempted to smoke? No, the women of my family did not approve of smoking. Specifically, there was my grandmother who shaped me in thought and religion. She made sure I understood her position against smoking.
My grandfather did not smoke but she could not stop her daughters from marrying smoking men. Did I know cigarettes were harmful? Yes, everyone knew smoking was harmful, but the harm was an abstract concept lacking long-term understanding.
As a young person I could not imagine the painful deaths of my father and Uncle Ralph tied to decades of smoking. With the benefit of age I see smoking for its entire effect, I get the whole picture and am sad when young people take up smoking.
Likewise I see the effect of politics in ways I could not decades ago. This presidential election reminds me of the Ford/Carter race of 1976. I was young and believed the hype of Jimmy Carter. I even had a Carter bumper sticker on my car. One of my relatives tried to tell me the harm that Carter was going to do to the economy but I would not listen. He was old, therefore, could not know anything.
Four years later I could not wait to throw Carter out of office for the damage he did to the economy, the military and our role in the world. I voted for Carter only once which is why I have trouble warning young people today of the harm that Obama poses for them.
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Swickard: Delayed advice on the presidential election
From KOB-TV.com - By: Steve Mieczkowski - The New Mexico Tourism Department is pulling more of it's funding from the New Mexico Bowl. The nationally televised game takes place each year at University Stadium in Albuquerque during the Bowl season at the end of College football. The New Mexico Bowl is played around the third week in December.
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The popularity of Flamin' Hot Cheetos has fired up a health
teacher at 
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The New Mexico Board of Finance voted to table
the approval of UNM’s proposed new, $146 million hospital after several hours
of deliberation at the Roundhouse on Tuesday. 
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A city-commissioned study says the
Alamogordo Department of Public Safety is plagued by infighting and
factionalism and the leadership inspires little confidence among subordinates. .jpg)
Two Albuquerque Republican city councilors are urging
voters to vote against a proposed minimum wage hike on the November ballot. 
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