Swickard: When budget cutting must be done

© 2016 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  There is a huge push in our country to talk about the office of the United State President without any data. Example: there is a notion that the protests about the election of Donald Trump are unprecedented. When Lincoln was declared the winner in 1860, nine states seceded from the Union. Our nation fought the Civil War.

            So far, our nation has not had any states quit but there is still time before Trump takes office. California is one state with citizens wanting to secede. They can’t because they have spent themselves into the poor house and only federal money can keep them going.

            California has overspent its budget 127 billion dollars. In round numbers that’s $3,500 per every person, dog, cat and hamster in the state. So, California is not going anywhere other than the poor house.

            New Mexico is over spending this year’s budget by about 500 million dollars. That’s about $250 for every person, dog, cat and coyote. Our representatives in Santa Fe need to stop spending everything in the coffers they can find and a little more each year. Restraint is needed.

            There is good news (hooray) and bad news (shuckins) as to the New Mexico budget. First the good news. It isn’t hopeless like what is happening in California. It can be fixed and New Mexico can live within its means with effective management from the representatives in Santa Fe.

            The bad news is that the solution will hurt. Some people will lose their jobs through no fault of their own. This cannot be helped. What has put New Mexico in dire straits (not the band) was the election of Bill Richardson in 2002. Previously Governor Gary Johnson had New Mexico as one of only five states with a rosy financial picture.

            But Bill Richardson came to New Mexico and the governorship with only one goal: to become the President of the United States. Every moment, action and tax dollar available was used to get Bill Richardson on the world’s stage as a top-tier presidential contender. This push to get Richardson the presidential nomination didn’t come cheap.

            Richardson worked to be declared the “Education Governor” of the United States. He won that moniker which came with a propensity to hire lots of people into the Public Schools. This was supposed to make New Mexico number one in education nationally. Sadly, spending lots of New Mexico tax dollars didn’t make Richardson president nor did it lift New Mexico education.

            Worse, once people are hired they expect to keep their jobs. With the downturn of oil and gas revenue the state of New Mexico has less money available and must do something. Most of the quick cures have already been done so this time it must be drastic. There are only two places to get this money.

            The first is to raise the gross receipts taxes substantially. In many places the gross receipts tax is above seven percent. Taking it to ten percent or more would cripple the economy. Don’t look to Corporate Taxes since they are only about ninety million dollars a year.

            The only place left to really make a cut is education. To balance the budget New Mexico needs to cut about ten percent from education. This is despite the education mantra that it doesn’t have enough money even now and need lots and lots more money.

            Most of the education budget is spent on people. That is why what must be cut are some of those people who were hired during the Richardson orgy of spending. There is one rule. NEVER fire or change the pay for teachers. The cuts must be with administration and everything else such as the legions of consultants in schools.

            Shrink the administrative overhead to balance the budget. It can be done without harm to the students. The representatives will need to cut other things but the main thing is to cut education. Politically that is almost impossible but the next election is as far away as possible so maybe it can be done.

            Finally, quit spending everything the state has and a little more than the state has each year. Don’t turn our state into a California.

 Email: drswickard@comcast.net - Swickard’s new novel, Hideaway Hills, is available at Amazon.com

Swickard: When budget cutting must be done

Swickard Column: Thankful for Thanksgiving

© 2016 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  A caller to my radio talk show a few years ago said, “If you had not come to North America, the Native Americans would still be living free in a glorious land all by themselves. Shame on you for ruining it for them.”

            My first thought was: I’m old, but I am not that old. I replied, “If Europeans had not come, Russia or another organized culture would have conquered these tribes.”

            Those North America populations lacked a cohesive organization. Any time within a couple decades of Europeans landing the native populations could have suddenly and thoroughly wiped out all Europeans if they coordinated their efforts.

            That way of life was doomed by the tribes not being organized. But what was done is done. All we today can do four hundred years later is treat those indigenous descendants fairly and with cultural sensitivity.

            Our country has been uniformly unreliable in dealing with the indigenous populations. Most 19th Century agreements were broken. Americans did not care. However, many of us do care now but it is impossible to right those wrongs. I think of this each year especially on Thanksgiving.

            One thing totally American is the Thanksgiving holiday which developed long after the Pilgrims. Most of the heavy lifting to make this the holiday that it is goes to Abraham Lincoln. The final placement was tied to Franklin Roosevelt in World War Two.

            It’s a holiday I’ve celebrated all my life. I am thankful that my ancestors did come to these lands. Two branches of my family came about the same time and were in the Revolutionary War. They were on opposite sides. But during my lifetime the two branches enjoyed Thanksgiving… my mother and father.

            Our simplistic discussion of the “First Thanksgiving” has some aspects of truth but not a general truth. Regardless, that was then and this is now. Many of us, myself especially, have so much to be thankful for that a holiday focused on being thankful is perfect.

            We in the 21st Century are not the people of the past. In the last two hundred years, this nation has dealt with most of the human rights issues that were a blight upon our nation. As such we have a president with an African heritage and we almost elected a woman president. We are a nation trying to be a better people.

            We have stumbled a bit with the election since it seems to have brought out the worst in some people on both sides. I for one am very happy that it is over. Hopefully we can do some work before we must stop and have another election.

            This is the American way. In my life thankfulness is a way of life. Much of what we have with prosperity and freedom was paid for by other Americans. Often we never know their names but we see the effect of them in our better lives.

            One major task remains. In the coming years, we must heal the final American wound, that of the indigenous people. While none of those people treated so badly are still alive, the Native Americans, as a whole, continue to not enjoy a prosperity equal to other minorities in our nation.

            How to do so is something that I do not know. There is a need to have justice with the Native Americans in our country. We are troubled by the word sovereignty. Are they or not? I don’t know. We are wrong to think they should be thankful that our ancestors came and conquered their ancestors.

            But should Native Americans celebrate thankfulness at this holiday named Thanksgiving. Absolutely, if they so desire to focus on the individual act of thankfulness. They can ignore the “First Thanksgiving” that is mostly made up. And those moments that destroyed their ancestor’s world. But we are alive now.

            We all should celebrate thankfulness, not for history or politics but for the human emotion of hope and individual thankfulness.

            I’m personally thankful for my loving family and friends. Also for the many years I have been allowed to write a weekly newspaper column. To all of you reading this I am grateful and wish you peace and happiness.

 Email: drswickard@comcast.net - Swickard’s new novel, Hideaway Hills, is available at Amazon.com 

Swickard Column: Thankful for Thanksgiving

Swickard: New Mexico can’t afford politician promises

© 2016 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  “The politicians say ‘we’ can’t afford a tax cut. Maybe we can’t afford the politicians.” Steve Forbes

             The election is over so we must stop talking election politics and have these who were elected start making the tough decisions. I don’t care who is running in 2018 or 2020, we must fix serious problems now.

            Running for office has little to do with fixing New Mexico’s financial problems. In fact, it may make our problems worse since running for office often entails making elaborate promises to spend more money. We don’t have more money, we have less. The problem is two-fold.

            First, in the last New Mexico Legislative session in January New Mexico legislators put in the budget a far rosier revenue projection than what has actually been collected this year. No amount of posturing by politicians can change this shortfall. Hard choices must be made since New Mexico is spending more money than available.

            New Mexico’s budget is unlike the federal government since New Mexico cannot spend more money than it has. The New Mexico Constitution is clear that New Mexico cannot deficit spend.

            The New Mexico 2016 budget is running in the red and it is likely the same problem will be for the 2017 budget when the Legislature meets next January. Some people running for office have not worried about this problem since they put their entire attention on winning their election. Now the price for victory will be paid.

            One of two things must be done. New Mexico must spend less or collect more. Perhaps they could do both. Raising taxes is problematic since it is dynamic. The higher the tax rate goes up, more New Mexicans will take legal actions to avoid those taxes. I didn’t say evade which is illegal, rather, they will avoid them.

            One dramatic way is to move to a state with no state income tax such as Texas. While a pain in the keister to move, it does happen and the New Mexico budget suffers. The legislators could retroactively tax which would make it hard to avoid paying the tax but that would also drive taxpayers out of the state.

            New Mexico has a great climate and yummy green chile but there are states near that have good climates and no state income tax. Yes, you would have to change the spelling to chili which doesn’t impress me. The state could tax businesses more but again it causes some businesses to leave and therefore less rather than more money to be collected.

            The sensible thing would be to cut the budget down significantly but the big spending party ran the political table in much of the recent election so I do not expect this to happen. Promises of more money for many things were made and were rewarded with election victories.

            What I am hearing is that these are extraordinary times so extraordinary actions are needed. New Mexico has lots and lots of money in Permanent Funds which are not supposed to be touched. But this is extraordinary.

            Some people wish to spend money from NM’s Permanent Funds. It won’t be easy but it can be done. Should it be done is a better question. In a word: no. Alaska is in a big political whirl because the residents are used to getting lots of money for being a resident and the decline of oil revenue is making this impossible.

            New Mexico’s troubles likewise go to oil and gas revenue which is not providing as much support as the legislators want to spend. The budget over just a few years has gone up fifty percent but going down ten percent for some legislators is out of the question.

            This January New Mexico has the best chance to solve their financial woes without an election immediately on the horizon. Regardless, some wish to confiscate NM’s Permeant Funds and go on a spree of spending the likes of which this state has never seen.

            One day the Permanent Funds will be gone. These politicians will sneak out of public service with their retirement. It will be our children’s problem. I refuse to betray them this way. I hope you will refuse also.

Email: drswickard@comcast.net - Swickard’s new novel, Hideaway Hills, is availableat Amazon.com

Swickard: New Mexico can’t afford politician promises

Swickard column: The always watching society

© 2016 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  “Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” Thomas Jefferson

            Thomas Jefferson was more right today in his quote from two hundred years ago than when he was alive. Back then only if people were watching could they see what happened. Yes, someone could tell them what happened but to see it for themselves they had to be there when it happened.

            With amazing changes in our technology, we are now a society that is always watching and recording whatever happens anywhere. When anything happens, out comes the cellphones and the product goes on the Internet almost instantly so that lots of people know within moments.

            When I was younger and would come upon a traffic accident people would pile out of their cars to see if they could help those involved. Today people pile out of their cars and most jerk out their cellphones to record and instantly post what is happening rather than provide any help either for those injured or to direct traffic so no one else gets hurt. They just stand being of no use in a crisis.

            This would predict a respectful and lawful society since whatever you do will probably be recorded in security tapes, personal cellphones or other recording devices. But it seems we have a society that knows it is being recorded and acts badly despite the fact there always is a record of their actions.

            Often when confronted with the evidence they have done something wrong their response is: are you going to believe me or believe your own eyes? And we seem to believe the liars because we have a need for what they are lying about and so will be hopeful rather than truthful.

            With an always watching and recording society it is prudent to assume anything you do outside of your own home is being recorded. Not necessarily watched every moment, there are not enough people on our planet to watch everything as it is being recorded. But anything you do can be seen if there is a reason to look.

            I am so surprised when I see people doing things in stores which uniformly have security cameras. There is little chance that someone can do something without it being available for people to see and judge. This is especially so at athletic events, even local sports events.

            Example: recently it appears to me that at a New Mexico high school football game the referees cheated one New Mexico high school out of a victory in the last minute of the game. Frankly, this has happened before but what is different is that the theft is being watched by thousands of people on the Internet.

            The people who were broadcasting the game selected the last minute of the game where the game officials cheated and posted it on the Internet which is where I saw it. To those interested, it was a New Mexico high school football game between Artesia and Goddard high schools.

            Artesia won the game several times but the referees cheated which is shown on the recording. Least you think I am an Artesia supporter, no, I went to Goddard High School in the Fall of 1966. I have no dog in this controversy other than it is obviously a theft that was recorded.

            If you want to see this use the search term, “The final 37 seconds of this high school football game took asurreal 17 minutes.” I have watched it a couple times and those seventeen minutes are beyond belief. Each time I watch this I cannot believe that there was no action taken by the controlling authorities.

            Previously when these kinds of things happen you had to be at the game to see it or perhaps you could get a look at what each school had recorded. And even with the evidence so easily seen, the authorities are ignoring the theft and the given game stands. Sad.

            What has left the always watching society is truth. We cannot get the truth back into our society because so much of our always watching society loves to cheat and lie. I’m so very sad and that’s the truth.

Email: drswickard@comcast.net - Swickard’s new novel, Hideaway Hills, is availableat Amazon.com

Swickard column: The always watching society