News New Mexico

Where Are They Now?

Columnist Ken Blackwell recalls the process that secured one of the "swing" votes that enabled a federal government takeover of healthcare. Here is his "Where are the now? Update.".........Last spring, President Obama managed to corral the votes of a half dozen formerly pro-life Democrats in the House of Representatives for his takeover of health care. Congressman Bart Stupak (photo right - D-Mich.) had been a staunch supporter of pro-life initiatives for nearly twenty years in Congress. Tragically for him, and even more tragically for the country, Stupak fell in line behind the White House. For months he had held out, bravely. Then, at the eleventh hour, he caved in. He and his cohorts switched from being pro-lifers to being “faux lifers.” Read more here:

Larry Elder has Jesse Jackson's Number

Is NBA star LeBron James a victim of racism? The Rev. Jesse Jackson thinks so. When James decided to leave his hometown team to play elsewhere, the owner of his former team accused James, among other things, of "cowardly betrayal." He felt jilted, and his team suddenly lost perhaps half its market value. Maybe before commenting the owner should have taken a cold shower. Read more here:

Fenton Rexford Makes the ANWR Case

Inupiat Eskimo Fenton Rexford, a native American who lives in the area know as the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) speaks for eight of every nine Inupiats in the area. In a video on the subject of recovering the energy reserves there his common sense resonates. Congress should be heeding his advice in the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill. Watch the video here:

Jon Barela Raised $244,000 in Q-2

According to the New Mexico Independent, NM Congressional candidate...........Jon Barela raised $244,000 in the second quarter, his best fundraising quarter so far. However, Barela’s opponent Martin Heinrich earlier announced that he had raised $375,000. Barela also trails in cash on hand through June 30. Barela had $536,000 cash on hand as of the end of June, while Heinrich had more than twice that; Heinrich has $1.3 million cash on hand. Read more here:

Chamber - Our Free Enterprise System at Risk

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce held a summit Wednesday to highlight its views on creating jobs and challenge Obama administration policies it believes have allowed the country's employment rate to stagnate.

"For the first time in my 40 years of observation, I truly think our free enterprise system is at risk," said Tom Bell, chairman of the Chamber's board of directors, opening the summit. "If you hear the conversations in Washington and read the popular press, everyone seems to see earning profit and creating wealth not as the heart and soul of our economy, but as a nefarious activity that works to the detriment of our society." Read more here:

Residents Still Support Oil Drilling Despite Spill

Despite the significant economic, environmental and emotional toll of the BP oil spill, residents of the Gulf Coast still overwhelmingly support off-shore drilling, according to a new poll. Perhaps it is because they drive cars, want to stay warm at night, and have food on their tables. Read more here:

Kathryn Lopez - What Women Don't Want

Columnist Kathryn Lopez offers her views on Sara Palin......"We don't like this fundamental transformation, and we're going to do something about it." With that line, in a savvy "Mama Grizzly" video recently posted on her Facebook page, Sarah Palin may have captured not only the political mood of much of the country, but also nailed why women seem prone to making tea and political hay this year. Read more here:

Thomas and Mayor Disagree on SAD

News New Mexico exchanged e-mails with City Councilor Sharon Thomas (below right) yesterday. It is clear there is enough of a difference in opinion between Thomas and Mayor Ken Miyagishima to keep the $10 million extension of North Sonoma Ranch Road Boulevard delayed indefinitely. Thus far, the Special Assessment District (SAD) project, which includes a major road LCPS desperately needs has not even come to a final vote.

It seems that the contention on this issue lies in Mayor Miyagishima's belief that the City’s bond counsel and the City’s financial advisor were satisfied with the land that was proposed to include in the SAD. These are experts that were hired by the City to facilitate the SAD process. Both had extensive experience with SAD proposals throughout the state. Though Councilor Thomas had her own ideas about which properties belonged in the SAD, neither the bond counsel or the financial advisor pointed out compliance problems at meetings. Instead they indicated the funding from the New Mexico Finance Authority was in place to build the $10 million thoroughfare.

On the News New Mexico radio program on Wednesday July 7th Mayor Miyagishima indicated he believed the project had not moved forward for approval because of "inexperience" on the part of some members of council. He also cited the spreading of misinformation by certain groups of people in the city that took advantage of this inexperience. Councilor Thomas gave no indication of a willingness to come on News New Mexico and provide facts to refute the Mayor's views and affirm her own. Thus far News New Mexico has not become convinced that the mayor has this story wrong.

Councilor Dolores Connor (above left) is the only councilor who has accepted an invitation to come on the show. She will appear on Tuesday morning at 7:30am. We are hopeful that somehow, in some way Councilor Connor can bring this $10 million privately funded road building project to a vote. To date, Councilors Silva, Pedroza, Small, and Sorg have remained silent as to what their positions are on the fully funded $10 million road project that will not go away.

Linda Chavez - Financial Disaster

Anytime Congress passes a 2,300-page law that creates more than 500 new regulations and sets up a new, complicated bureaucracy, we should be nervous. And the major financial overhaul that has cleared the final hurdles in the Senate proves the rule. The legislation -- the brainchild of Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. -- is the biggest overhaul of the nation's financial industry since the 1930s. Its Democratic supporters claim it was necessary to prevent another economic meltdown like the one we suffered in 2008. Read more here:

Mexican Police Officers Murdered

An explosive blasted Mexican federal police and rescuers when it detonated as they went to the aid of a wounded police officer in Juárez on Thursday night. Authorities said it had not been determined if the blast was caused by a grenade or a car bomb, but the attack appeared to follow the tactics of terrorists in the Middle East. Late Thursday night, federal police said a federal police officer, a municipal police officer and a rescue worker were killed. Read more here:

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