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| Mona Charen |
Teachers as Rent Seekers
Williams: "Civility" Has a Short Shelf Life
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| Armstrong Williams |
I also see that the union protesters are carrying signs comparing Walker and the Republicans to Mubarack and Nazis, as well as several with Walker in target crosshairs. Well, I guess it was a nice, “civil” 3 weeks. Civility is not the main concern that the protests reveal, but I do find it both amusing and disappointing at the same time. The most glaring issue that these protests demonstrate is a classic case of “good enough for thee but not for me.” Union members and their leaders don’t care if folks in the private sector are suffering from the bad economy. Read full column here: News New Mexico
Smash-Mouth Defense of Taxpayers
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| Chris Christie |
Don't Leave N.M. Out in the Cold
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| Steve Pearce |
We pay for natural gas so that we can cook and heat our homes, and we rely on those services. Consumers cannot just switch providers as with other products—public service companies have a responsibility to deliver in any circumstances. While there are reasonable explanations, there is no acceptable justification for the failure to deliver natural gas service to the people of New Mexico during the recent winter weather. First and foremost, New Mexicans must be made whole. I commend those few companies that have taken the leadership to establish compensation funds. However, others have yet to publicly show that they understand the impact that losing natural gas service had on so many New Mexicans. I hope they will rethink their position. 
It is time for answers. We have already begun to understand what happened—what some have called “a perfect storm.” In Texas, the adverse weather conditions disrupted dozens of power generating units, causing rolling blackouts. Gas processing plants were left without power, wellheads and lines froze, and demand skyrocketed. As a result, even though we had gas in volume, we did not have the pressure needed to get it into homes.
But even once we answer the questions of “why,” the more pressing question is “how”—how can we avoid this sort of crisis in the future? Were rolling blackouts the best approach, or should power have been maintained in the areas that run our gas lines? Are we too reliant on energy from outside New Mexico? If our electricity came from other sources, could this have been avoided? I am pleased to see my colleagues in the New Mexico congressional delegation seeking answers at the U.S. Senate field hearing in Albuquerque on Monday. We will inevitably face another storm of these proportions, and when we do, we must be prepared. New Mexicans don’t ask for much; we just don’t want to be left out in the cold.
Witnesses to New Mexico Energy Policy
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| Kim Sorvig |
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| Don Bratton |
The committee’s new chairman, Rep. Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe), invited two speakers – including Sorvig, a research associate professor at the UNM School of Architecture and Planning — to appear as what Egolf described as non-partisan experts. After the walkout, Rep. Don Bratton (R-Hobbs) said Sorvig’s lecture amounted to “propoganda.” After the hearing, a quick Google search by Capitol Report New Mexico produced a number of opinion pieces and letters to the editor that Sorvig had written in the New Mexican in which he said inaugural crowds in 2009 singing songs in reference to outgoing President George W. Bush “could justifiably have picked “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” and, in another piece, urged New Mexico voters to reject Susana Martinez, calling her “Tejana Susana,” a reference to the most controversial commercial of the Martinez-Diane Denish gubernatorial race last November. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Dems Shoot Down Driver's License Amendments
Capitol Report New Mexico - The New Mexico State Senate turned back three attempts Monday (Feb. 21) to attach amendments to rescind the state’s current policy allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses onto a piece of legislation sponsored by a Senate Democrat — but Republicans were able to force a couple floor votes, thus getting Democrats on record regarding an issue that riles a large number of voters across the state. Senate Republicans tried to add amendments to Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe), that concerned license requirements for drivers under the age of 18, triggering a vigorous floor debate that took up most of the afternoon. Sen. Bill Sharer (R-Farmington), Sen. Clint Harden (R-Clovis) and Sen. John Ryan (R-Albuquerque) each tried to add floor amendments that attempted to tack on provisions that would keep illegal immigrants from acquiring New Mexico drivers licenses.
But Democrats prevailed 25-15 in a floor vote that the Sharer amendment was not germane to SB9 — which prompted Sen. Rod Adair (R-Roswell) to say from the floor that “if this amendment is not germane then virtually no amendment is germane.” Later, Harden’s amendment was brought up — then shot down — and then, Ryan’s amendment met the same fate. “We know why all these amendments are coming down,” Senate Majority Floor Leader Michael Sanchez (D-Belen) said. “This is about politics and getting people on the record for a vote.” Read full story here: News New Mexico
Energy: America and NM Less Prepared Than Ever
Bloomberg - Oil jumped to the highest in more than two years in New York as intensifying violence in Libya stoked concern that supplies from the holder of Africa’s largest crude reserves may be disrupted. Futures for April delivery in New York rose as much as 9.8 percent from the Feb. 18 settlement and London-traded Brent surged to the highest since September 2008, as soldiers deserted Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s government and diplomats resigned. Brent may trade between $105 and $110 a barrel in coming weeks if uncertainty continues, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
“Libya is quite an important oil exporter, especially to Europe,” said Hannes Loacker, an analyst with Raiffeisen Bank International AG in Vienna. “Now fear and uncertainty is increasing over whether countries in the Gulf may be affected.” Crude for April delivery rose as much as $8.77 to $98.48 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $98.07 at 8:55 a.m. London time. On Feb. 18, the contract settled at $89.71. Floor trading was closed yesterday for the U.S. Presidents Day holiday and electronic trades will be booked with today’s for settlement purposes. Read full story here: News New Mexico
If it says New Mexico chile, it better be
From KOB-TV.com - Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4; Taryn Bianchin, KOB.com - A bill making its rounds through the Legislature protects the authenticity of New Mexican grown chiles. House Bill 485, the “New Mexico Chile Advertising Act,” would make it illegal for anyone selling chile to claim the peppers were grown in-state if they were actually imported from outside New Mexico. Violators would be charged with deceptive trade practices. The House Agriculture Committee recently approved the measure and now the bill moves to the Judiciary Committee. From there, it will move to the House for a vote. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Andy Nunez, is from Hatch Read more News New Mexico
Kober: Good Relationships - Bad Governments
From Philly.com - By Stanley Kober - The revolutionary movement sweeping the Middle East has raised the question of whether the United States has favored stability over democracy. It's an easy accusation in light of past U.S. support of presidents who stay in power for decades and kings who rule in perpetuity. But it's a little too easy. The United States recognizes other countries not as an act of approbation, but simply to maintain contact with their governments. To be sure, some governments are so odious that the United States doesn't maintain diplomatic relations with them - Iran and North Korea, for example. But that policy has its drawbacks. The absence of a U.S. embassy in those countries means we give up the insights that could be provided by diplomats who report on political, economic, and other events. Many of America's allies maintain diplomatic relations with Iran and North Korea for that reason. These allies are looking at diplomatic recognition not as a reward for those regimes, but simply an acknowledgment that they are in power. If a certain group of people controls a territory, then they are the people you have to deal with, even if you find them reprehensible. Read more News New Mexico
Two Revolutions
And in the Muslim world, citizens who are actually aware of what it means to form a Democratic Republic represent a tiny sliver of the population. Still, events are now rapidly propelling the Muslim world to a moment of truth. On one side of the spectrum is a small sliver of educated Muslim moderates who simply want to prosper and live in peace. On the other side of the spectrum are opportunist Muslim radicals who care little about peace. These types are anxious because they realize their opportunity to form Islamic Republics all over the Muslim world is finally at hand. In country after country in the Middle East these two separate and distinct factions are poised to face off against each other. Assuming dictatorships continue to fall from power in Muslim countries, one of these two factions will eventually gain the upper hand in the fight to fill the power vacuum. Stay tuned.
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