Common Sense Prevails - Barely

The failure of the $700 billion bailout plan ... um, rescue plan... um, economic stabilization plan... oh heck, let's just call it what it was - a bailout plan. Well, it failed to pass the House, which means common sense prevailed:

"Doing nothing is not an option," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said after seeing the $700 billion emergency package for the nation's financial systems fail 228-205 on Monday.

Actually, commons sense probably took a back seat to self-preservation. I believe some people voted their conscience, but I believe the majority of Congress voted based on self-preservation (i.e. pass this bill and you're not getting re-elected in November, and you're going to personally have to face the economic downturn like the rest of us).

Now, the question remains: Will Congress continue to do what's right and let the market correct itself? Unfortunately, I'm not very optimistic. The Dow Jones Industrial average tumbled over 777 points yesterday to close at 10,365.45.

Oh no, the sky is falling! Wait a second. That's still higher than it was 5 years ago at this time. And, you know what? That was less than a 1% 7% loss. [Oops, that's what I get for rushing this morning. Of course, the 2.44% increase this morning means my original point still holds.] Sure that's a lot in one day, but that doesn't quite seem like an "everybody get out your soup bowls" type of loss, does it? For the record, I did have soup for lunch yesterday, and felt well nourished until dinner. But, I digress.

In fact, there are a good number of economists that don't believe we are going to see one out of four people unemployed as we did during the Great Depression (subscription):

Hearing some of the dire predictions for an economy struggling to avert a financial collapse, it's easy to recall 1930s photos of people huddled in soup lines or traveling the country for work, and wonder what a depression would look like in the modern world.

Experts say that won't happen. Yes, banks are failing and the stock market plunged Monday. And, yes, there is genuine concern that, regardless of the government's $700 billion bailout proposal, the United States could still land in a severe recession.

But despite the alarms, including dire warnings from President Bush, economists insist there is no risk of a second Great Depression because, for some time now, the U.S. economy has been in the midst of a very different, less-threatening phenomenon: "the Great Moderation."

The Great Moderation. Folks looks around you. We need moderation. We're a society living in excess. Our houses are bigger than we can afford or need. We eat too much and have the health problems to show for it, and we've become a society of spenders instead of savers. Moderation might not be such a bad thing.

So, what's the worse part of this credit crunch? We won't have access to cheap credit for which we don't qualify. We may actually have to start living on a cash basis instead of in a credit accrual spending reality. And, let's not lose sight of the root cause of this credit crunch. No, not greed. It's this taken from John Mauldin's Weekly E-Letter (he argued for the bailout):

Because of a new accounting rule (called FASB 157), banks had to mark their illiquid investments to the most recent market price of a similar security that actually had a trade. Over $500 billion has been written off so far, with credible estimates that there might be another $500 billion to go. That means these large banks have to get more capital, and it also means they have less to lend.

I'm not a 100% sure, but I believe that new accounting rule emerged as part of Sarbanes-Oxley - the government's last great idea in response to the Enron fraud financial crisis. So, does the government need to print $700 billion in new money to avert this "economic crisis." No, all they have to do is kill Sarbanes-Oxley and let failing businesses fail.

There is an upside to all of this. People suddenly became aware again that investments have risk, and spending money you don't have may not be the smartest move. Eventually, the piper has to get paid.

A final note: Congress, if you want to get your approval rating up, don't be wishy washy here. Let the market work.

Who Would Vote for Jerome Block Jr?

Looks like Attorney General Gary King is going to move forward with an investigation into Jerome Block Jr's dishonest use of public financing funds (subscription):

Attorney General Gary King said investigating a Public Regulation Commission candidate who has acknowledged lying about an expenditure he made with public funds is a "front-burner" issue for his office.

But King said he's not sure when a decision will be made about whether to pursue charges against Jerome Block Jr., the Democratic nominee for a PRC seat in northern New Mexico's District 3.

Block in a campaign finance report said he paid $2,500 to a band — whose members include the San Miguel County clerk — for a performance at a May campaign rally.

When news organizations questioned the expenditure, Block repeatedly insisted the performance had occurred. He admitted this week that he had lied, saying he had wanted to avoid further publicity and was unsure how to reflect a refund.

I had wondered late last month when heads would begin to roll this election cycle for the "questionable" (read: illegal) campaign activities. My only concern is here is that the Attorney General is making this a "front burner" issue. I'm not sure how "front burner" compares to "top priority," but if they're equal Jerome Block, Jr, may well have collected $180,000 in salary before the investigation is complete.

How do I figure that? Simple. Investigating the Housing Authority fraud was a top priority for this Attorney General, and that investigation started 24 months ago without anyone being indicted to date.

Now, of course, there is one way to make sure that Mr. Block, Jr. doesn't get to collect that cushy salary - don't elect him. Obviously, I'm not in his district, so I don't really have a vote here, but considering the facts to date. I can't imagine how anyone in their right mind would vote to elect this guy. It looks like his troubled legal history is not even close to behind him.

As a closing note, please remember this guy is running on our dime. This is a publicly financed campaign. Those who argue for public financing of campaigns love to say that one of the reasons for having them is to encourage those who might not otherwise be able to run be given a chance. With candidates like Jeorme Block, Jr., I'm inclined to think we might all be better off if certain types of candidates couldn't run.

If proponents of publicly funded campaigns are going to keep ramming this thing down our throat. Could they at least change the law, so that anyone with a criminal record is prohibited from getting publicly funded. Is that too much to ask?

Why Not Just Provide a Complete Correction?

More and more people everyday get their news from blogs. The argument has been made that blogs don't do as good of a job of presenting the news as the mainstream media. Now, in a lot of cases, I would agree with that. For example, I've never pretended to be a reporter. In fact, I go out of my way to make it clear that everything written here is my opinion, albeit based on the facts as I see them.

With all that said, there is one place where a great many blogs clearly outperform the mainstream media - correcting mistakes. Let me give you one example. Yesterday, I wrote about an article published a little over a year ago in the Albuquerque Journal in which they incorrectly reported that Republican candidate for the 1st Congressional District, Darren White, attended a Department of Justice meeting during the 2006 election cycle regarding the inaction by then U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in prosecuting voter fraud cases.

I also pointed out that if either his opponent, Democrat Martin Heinrich or, his alter ego, the DCCC, tried to use that information in an ad, they would be continuing Heinrich's track record of misrepresenting the facts. I was confident in making this statement because I had looked up the article in question [subscription] and noted that a correction had been added to the article on the Journal's website:

FOR THE RECORD: This story has been corrected to reflect that Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White met with Kyle Sampson, chief of staff for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in Washington in 2005 — not in 2006.

I thought that was that until I got an email from Darren White's campaign with a little more information. They sent me a copy of an email they received from Journal editor Ken Walz [Note: I edited the email to remove ">" that were appearing before each line and so the paragraph formatting may be a little off, but other than that it remains unedited]:

------ Original Message --------
Subject:
[Fwd: Re: white]
Date:
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:01:00 -0600
From:
Kent Walz
To: dwhite@bernco.gov, Mike Gallagher

Sheriff White:

I have reviewed our David Iglesias stories with investigative reporter Mike Gallagher. It appears that in a story published April 15, 2007, we incorrectly placed you in a convesation with Kyle Sampson of DOJ during a meeting in the spring of 2006. We reported that you complained to Sampson about Iglesias and that Sampson produced statistics showing Iglesias was doing a good job.

In fact, based on other reporting, it appears to us the participants in that conversation with Sampson were Pat Rogers and Mickey Barnett and that you were not present.

Your met with Sampson in 2005 on a different topic, although Iglesi as came up during casual discussion. We have no information that you registered complaints about Iglesias during that meeting.

We did interview you for the story published in April of 2007, and you commented on other matters involving direct dealings between Iglesias and youir office. We no longer have notes from this period, so we cannot cite to additional specifics.

Kent Walz

cc: Mike Gallagher

And, herein lays the problem. This emails verifies that the content of the story is dramatically changed. It's more than just the incorrect usage of dates. So, in the interest of setting the record straight, shouldn't the Journal have prefaced the online archived version of the article with the entire letter above? There is nothing wrong with making a mistake. It happens to everyone, but not fully correcting the mistake, that's just wrong.

The Albuquerque Journal needs to take a page here from bloggers and keep in mind that in online postings, there is no cost per inch factor. So, there is no reason not to provide a full and complete correction. It keeps everyone honest. The good news is that it's not too late. All they need to do is go back to the article and put it up now.

Waiting for the Iglesias's Ad

Joel Gay put up an article today in which he acknowledges the fireworks have begun in the 1st Congressional District race between Darren White and Martin Heinrich. And, by fireworks he means the negative ads.

If you think the race for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District seems quieter than anticipated, you’re not alone. What was widely expected to be a barn-burner has largely been a snoozer. The candidates have kept relatively low profiles and the airwaves have been largely devoid of their names and faces.

That’s started to change, with Republican Darren White and Democrat Martin Heinrich trading blows over debate schedules, resumes and flip-flops on various policies. And just this week, White came out with the first negative ad.

Hmm, Joel, you might want to go back and review the ad releases dates. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Heinrich beat Darren in the "first negative ad" category. There was that embarrassingly cheesy hit piece that Mr. Heinrich put out a couple of weeks ago, and there was at least on other one before that. Although, on second thought that first ad I'm recalling may have been paid for by the DCCC, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the Heinrich campaign - just like Martin Heinrich didn't really need to register as a lobbyist when he was lobbying.

But, I will agree with your assessment that the negative ads are going to start to fly now from both camps. In fact, I couldn't help but notice that David Iglesias was back in the news:

"Looking back on all of this, in hindsight, I wish the department had not gone down this road," he said. He said he would not have included on the dismissal list U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico, who has said he was pressured over a corruption investigation.

Of course, we all know that the "pressure" that David Iglesias received was not over a corruption investigation (he would have been required to report that - kind of the requirement to report you're a lobbyist], but the pressure was about his unwillingness to prosecute ACORN's fraudulent voter registration election cycle after election cycle.

You probably have noticed the result of Mr. Iglesias ongoing failure to prosecute has embolden the organization. ACORN is now acting in such a fraudulently criminal manner that even the Democratic Bernalillo County Clerk has had to call in to question their practices - something Mr. Iglesias never had the stomach for.

Such is the situation for Bernalillo County, which reported, the day before Obama’s Española rally, that it had received 1,100 fraudulent voter-registration cards. While there is no information, yet, on where those cards came from, Matthew Henderson, ACORN’s New Mexico head organizer, acknowledges some could have come from his group. ACORN, he says, has registered 75,000 New Mexicans during this election cycle. While the group separates suspect forms into a separate stack, he says, it’s ultimately up to county clerks to decide which are valid.

In the case of Bernalillo, County Clerk Maggie Toulouse-Oliver notified the district attorney, Attorney General and US Attorney Offices about the bogus voter-registration cards. “If they want to conduct an investigation,” she says, “that’s their prerogative.”

Now, I've got a prediction. I'm willing to bet that Heinrich's campaign (or it's alter ego, the DCCC) will put out an ad trying to link Darren White to David Iglesias as Election Day gets closer. Heck, they'll probably even use an article the Albuquerque Journal published on April 15, 2007, which places Darren White at a meeting with the Department of Justice during the 2006 election cycle. Of course, there would be one problem with that tactic...

FOR THE RECORD: This story has been corrected to reflect that Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White met with Kyle Sampson, chief of staff for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in Washington in 2005 — not in 2006.

Now, if I know the record has been corrected, we know that Martin Heinrich and his alter ego the DCCC know that it's been corrected. The question is will they let the truth get in their way? You know, like the truth about needing to register as a lobbyist when you're lobbying.

Because I Still Care

Last night, I spent over an hour watching a YouTube video. Now mind you, I'm part of the MTV generation, so spending more than three minutes watching a video is normally a challenge for me, but this time it wasn't, and if you can find the time (regardless of your political persuasion), I would strongly urge you to set aside an hour to watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - Achieving Your Childhood Dreams:



I've always chased my dreams (and have caught quite a few of them), so his lecture resonated with me. It spoke to how I've always tried and continue to try to live my life. But more importantly, a lot of what he had to say seemed relevant to the political challenges we are facing today - on a national, state and lately, on the county level. To that last point, consider this excerpt about his youth football experience from approximately ten minutes into the lecture:

When it was all over one of the other assistant coaches came over and said, "Yeah, Coach Graham rode you pretty hard didn't he?"

And I said, "Yeah."

He said, "That's a good thing. When you're screwing up and no one is saying anything to you anymore that means they gave up."

"That's a lesson that stuck with me the whole life. When you see yourself doing something badly and no one is telling you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones that tell you they still love you and care."

With this in mind, I have a message to the dozen plus Executive Committee members of the Bernalillo County Republican Party that met yesterday and voted unanimously to give Chairman Fernando C'deBaca a vote of full faith and confidence...

"You screwed up."

And, you did it because you're not looking at the bigger picture. Mr. C'deBaca said something racist and offensive to the majority of New Mexicans, and it reflects poorly on the Republican Party. There are plenty of reasons not to vote for Barack Obama for President, but the color of his skin in not one of those reasons. Mr. C'deBaca knows it and has apologized. Unfortunately, for us, actions speak louder than words. If he was truly apologetic, he would have stepped down instead of putting on this sideshow.

This nonsense that we have an election to win and that is the reason for remaining Chairman is just that - nonsense. You don't need a title to volunteer your time. The same people, all of those in the room yesterday, could work just as hard to win the election whether Mr. C'deBaca had the title of Chairman or not.

And, as long as I'm criticizing my own party, I may as well go all out here...

With this bailout we're proposing, we're screwing up nationally as well. Again, we're failing to look at the big picture. The 2008 election is important, but winning the election by selling out our values is just too high of a price to pay. There are at least 10 reasons we shouldn't be doing this bailout, not the least of which is:

Fundamentally alters the nation’s free-market system in that it broadly socializes firm’s money-losing mortgage assets and places the U.S. on a slippery slope whereby profits will also be nationalized. Even if one accepts the idea that such a proposal could work, valid questions about whether such a cost is an acceptable trade-off for the market turmoil we are hoping to avoid must be raised.

We're screwing up, and if I just went along to get along, I'd be making the same mistake the Bernalillo County executive committee made yesterday. But, you know what? I care too much to just remain silent.

Criminals Now Have Safe Haven in New Mexico

If you're in the country illegally, you are breaking the law. If you're breaking the law you are acting criminally. If you're acting criminally, you should expect the police to come knocking (subscription) at your door.

Until now.

The chief federal judge in New Mexico has ordered the Otero County Sheriff's Department to halt communitywide raids in poor Chaparral neighborhoods conducted solely to find illegal immigrants.

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit said the raids illegally targeted low-income Latino residents and were carried out using Operation Stonegarden funds earmarked for anti-terrorism activities.

The preliminary injunction ordered by Chief Judge Martha Vázquez is virtually unprecedented nationally, at least at this stage of proceedings, attorneys familiar with immigration cases say.

Vázquez entered the order Friday in favor of the Border Network for Human Rights, which filed suit on behalf of more than a dozen alleged victims of the raids, including three children.

Albuquerque lawyer William Slease, who represents Otero County, said he does not comment on pending litigation, but defendants in court documents deny they are acting illegally.

Plaintiffs' attorney Briana Stone, director of the Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project, said the order marks a milestone. "The judge's decision confirms that within our borders, everyone has the constitutional rights to be safe in our homes and free from discrimination elsewhere," she said. "Hopefully this ruling will ease some of the fears that residents of Chaparral have had since Operation Stonegarden began."

The only residents in Chaparral who should have been fearful are the illegal residents of Chaparral. Someone please explain to me how rounding up law breakers is discrimination? Judges should not be creating new rules of law, but that is exactly what Chief Judge Martha Vázquez has just done.

A Ten Year Old's Perspective

My oldest son is ten years old. Early last week, he told me he really wanted to do something to make sure that John McCain was elected our next President. Apparently, they have been talking a lot about politics in one of his classes, and he has, unsurprisingly, been taking the Republican side of the discussion.

I asked him why he was supporting John McCain? His initial answer basically boiled down to two points. First, he doesn't think we should abandon the war in Iraq. As to the first point, Pulitzer winner Dexter Filkin has some interesting observations in a recent article for the New York Times:

Two years ago, when I last stayed in Baghdad, Karada Mariam was like the whole of the city: shuttered, shattered, broken and dead.

Abu Nawas Park — I didn’t recognize that, either. By the time I had left the country in August 2006, the two-mile stretch of riverside park was a grim, spooky, deserted place, a symbol for the dying city that Baghdad had become.

These days, the same park is filled with people: families with children, women in jeans, women walking alone. Even the nighttime, when Iraqis used to cower inside their homes, no longer scares them. I can hear their laughter wafting from the park. At sundown the other day, I had to weave my way through perhaps 2,000 people. It was an astonishing, beautiful scene — impossible, incomprehensible, only months ago.

Second, he thinks that if Senator Obama is elected, we'll have "free health care," but our taxes will go up. He doesn't think paying more in taxes is a good idea. On that second point, I should point out that in second grade he did have Junior Achievement that's when he learned that we all pay taxes to support government services, and how that's not a bad thing. I should also note that his younger brother, also seems to agree on that latter point. Last night at dinner, he announced that if Obama wins we'll pay more in taxes and gas prices will rise. According to him this is a bad thing because there will be less money for toys.

Now, before you think I'm brainwashing my kids, I should point out that they don't read this blog, and we really don't sit around the dinner table every night talking politics. However, they've been known to watch Discovery channel in the morning before school, and they are apparently being exposed to a lot of campaign commercials. To that end, I should also point out that they seem confused as to why the candidates are approving messages that spend the entire time talking about the other guy. But, I digress.

Well, I reached out to the John McCain camp and asked if there was any way that my ten year old could help out. They said, he'd be welcome to get on the phone and make survey calls, and that's exactly what he did. In fact, he went through a 125 telephone numbers before I told him, we really needed to get going.

Now, let me take a moment and be non-partisan. He was calling Albuquerque area Democrats and Independents to I.D. voters. I didn't make any calls, I just sat there and monitored -- prepared to jump in if it got nasty. It didn't, and for that I'd like the to thank anyone in Albuquerque who took the time this weekend to allow a 10 year old to get involved in the political process by answering a couple of simple survey questions. You made his day, and made his father very proud, not only of his son, but of the the people who make up this community.

I've got to run, but I want to share a final thought on the comments that have been reportedly made by Bernalillo County GOP Chairman Fernando C'deBaca. I should preface it by saying that I am hesitant to write anything about it because I challenged Mr. C'deBaca last year for the Chairmanship and lost. So, this is all I have to say.

I read (without attributing them) Mr. C'deBaca's comments to my son on the way to the McCain offices, and asked him for his opinion. His immediate response was "Dad, that's silly." After a moment more of reflection, he added, "And, by silly I mean ridiculous, not funny." It was the first of two times that I was to be proud of him that day.

The Arguments For and Against School Choice

The Rio Grande Foundation recently released a study of New Mexico schools. The analysis includes public school performance estimates of how children would have performed on the Nation's Report card at the local school and district level.

As we know from healthcare discussions, many (especially on the Democratic side of the aisle) are enamored with European approaches to social solutions. As such, I thought this video to be quite relative to the topic at hand:



Hat tip: Stephen Kruiser

Democratic Ass Whisperer

Well, I've got good news for the Martin Heinrich campaign. It looks like Mr. Heinrich is off the hook. No, I'm not talking about that whole "I got principally paid to lobby, but broke the law because I didn't register" deal. That is still a BIG problem.

However, he is no longer the winner of the cheesiest campaign commercial of the 2008 election season. That award now belongs to Democratic Ass Whisperer and candidate for State Representative Scott Hudson from Michigan:



If I were Mr. Hudson's opponent, I would stop producing my own commercials and just pay to air Mr. Hudson's ass whisper spot again and again.

A Heartbeat Away from the Presidency

Since Senator McCain picked Governor Palin to be his running mate, we've heard an awful lot of attacks coming from the Democrats and the mainstream media (Mr. Charles Gibson) about Sarah Palin being "only one heartbeat away from the presidency." Of course, this isn't the first time this strategy has been used by Democrats.



As I recall, that candidate ended up with only 10 of the 50 states in the Electoral College. You'd think they'd learn. If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might want to go watch some more presidential commercials at the Museum of the Moving Image.

Getting Tripped Up by Your Own Story

I've read this over and over and over again. I've read it to myself, and out loud. Those of you have called me an idiot and moron in past comments, might be right. Because, for the life of me, I can't understand what Martin Heinrich is saying here (subscription):

Heinrich, a former Albuquerque city councilor, said he was paid principally by the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness to lobby for the creation of the Ojito Wilderness northwest of Albuquerque. The federal legislation passed in 2005.

Federal law requires registration if a lobbyist receives more than $5,000 in a six month period from an organization, and spends more than 20 percent of his or her time on lobbying activities of the organization.

“There was never a time when I was paid that much to lobby anyone,” said Heinrich. “Now, I did other things that I was compensated for, but I never made that much money lobbying any entity, either state or federal.”

How can you say that you were "principally" paid to lobby, and also say that your compensation was for other things? You can't, right? I mean, you can, but it doesn't make any sense. This is just like that Patricia Madrid's eight seconds of silence. All she had to do was answer the question honestly, and she would have in all likelihood been a member of Congress. I wouldn't have liked it, but I'm just being honest here.

Likewise, all Martin Heinrich had to do was to admit that he screwed up and pay the $50,000 fine, and this would have been water under the bridge. We already know from his failure to get a business license that following government regulations forced on everyone else is not one of his strong suits.

Of course, there is an ironic twist to all of this. During the Democratic Primary, Martin Heinrich made a point of calling for a federal investigation (subscription) of one of his opponents for failure to follow the letter of the law:

Martin Heinrich, running in a four-way Democratic primary race for the 1st Congressional District seat, will ask for a federal investigation into opponent Robert Pidcock's campaign financing because Pidcock did not report loans to his campaign in the time frame required by law.

But, this is the kicker...

Jon Blair, who is managing Heinrich's campaign, said Heinrich would file a complaint that could result in fines to Pidcock's campaign if he is found to have violated the law.

"He's not abiding by the law that every candidate in the country manages to abide by," Blair said.

I guess it takes one to know one.

How Many Emails Accounts Do You Have?

I have about half a dozen email addresses. Some are business related. Some are personal. I try to keep them separate. I would venture to guess that a growing number, if not the vast majority of working Americans, have at least two email accounts. A work email account, and a personal email account - just like Governor Sarah Palin.

Unfortunately, someone has taken it upon themselves to hack into the Governor's personal email account, an account with personal family photos and private communications, and to post them online. The McCain camp has released the following statement:

"This is a shocking invasion of the Governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these emails will destroy them. We will have no further comment."

Personally, I think this stunt is going to backfire on the perpetrators. The problem the Democrats are having with Sarah Palin from a political strategy standpoint is that she is someone with whom the vast majority of Americans can relate.

This is only going to further cement the bond that Sarah Palin is developing with the American people. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of Americans cherish their privacy and would be appalled if someone hacked their personal email and put the contents out there for all to see. This invasion of privacy on the heels of the attack against Sarah Palin because her 17 year old daughter is pregnant is without a doubt a new low. And, I'm willing to bet that it will hurt Democrats in the polls come November.

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

September 17, 2008


Sheriff Darren White
7208 Jefferson St. NE Suite
Albuquerque, NM 87109


Dear Sheriff White,

Thank you for agreeing to our debate for the First Congressional District. Unfortunately, your opponent Councilor Martin Heinrich has declined our invitation. As a result, we will not be able to move forward at this time and must cancel the debate we had hoped to tape on Oct. 17th.

AARP has been proud to have hosted debates in the First Congressional District, with all candidates attending, every two years since 1998 and we regret that AARP will not be able to continue that tradition for the 2008 election.

We look forward to working with you in your future endeavors whether they be here in New Mexico or certain events lead you to Washington, D.C.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to have your staff contact Beth Velasquez, AARP New Mexico associate state director at 505-946-3605.


Sincerely,



Stan Cooper,
AARP New Mexico State Director

AARP – 535 Cerrillos Road, Ste A, Santa Fe, NM 87501
phone 505-946-3605 fax 505-820-2889
www.aarp.org/states/nm

KRQE -- 13 Broadcast Plaza SW Albuquerque, NM 87104
phone 505.243.2285 fax 505.248.1464
krqe.com

Sarah Palin has a Sense of Humor

I didn't catch the SNL skit parodying Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Hilary Clinton until a few minutes ago.



But, Governor Palin's response just gives one more reason to love her:

Palin, on the other hand, found the sketch amusing, according to her spokesperson. The governor and the press corps watched the sketch in the back of her plane, laughing at Tina and Amy’s satirical take on the two politicians.

“She thought it was quite funny, particularly because she once dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween,” Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt told CBS.

On top of everything else she has going for her, Governor Palin proves she has a sense of humor. The more you get to know her, the more likable she becomes. How many politicians can you say that about?

Joe Biden's First Choice

It looks like Senator Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for Vice President, had a first choice as a running mate, and it wasn't his colleague Senator Barack Obama (if you're crunched for time skip ahead to 2:36 into the clip):



That's right, given half a chance, Senator Joe Biden would have run on the presidential ticket with none other than the Republican candidate for President, Senator John McCain. Heck, he went so far as to urge McCain to run on a John Kerry ticket in 2004. Kind of makes you wonder how all of the Democrats can claim that electing John McCain as President is the same as a Bush third term.

Failure to Register as a Lobbyist

Anyone who has been reading this blog for awhile knows that I don't hold lobbyists in contempt. I believe that lobbyists, like other paid professionals, fill a necessary role in our society. With that said, I do find Martin Heinrich's failure to register as a lobbyist disturbing:

The Heinrich campaign does not dispute that the candidate was paid by the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness, Zia Pueblo and Sierra Club to advocate for the federal designation of the Ojito Wilderness, for example, but does maintain that he was not legally required to register as a lobbyist.

Explain to me, how that is possible? How is it possible that Martin Heinrich was paid to lobby, but not required to register as a lobbyist? Why is he exempt from following the same laws as everyone else?

First Cheesy Commercial Award Goes to Heinrich

Democratic Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich pulls way ahead of all other federal candidates in the state in the race to put out the cheesiest campaign commercial.




Martin Heinrich looks surprisingly awkward and ill at ease on camera, and the production value is so weak, that I half expected him to finish by saying, "I'm Martin Heinrich and I'll paint any car for $99." Unfortunately, for Mr. Heinrich it's not just the quality of the spot that fails. The content misses the mark by a long shot.

George Bush and Darren White’s energy policies are a drag on America’s economy. Tax breaks for big oil, and record gas prices are holding America back.

Does Mr. Heinrich even know who he is running against? Darren White, is the two-term Bernalillo County sheriff. The idea that Darren White has anything to do with energy policy in Washington is, well, ludicrous. According to the National Sheriffs' Association, there are 3,084 sheriff's offices in the U.S. as of September 1, 2007.

I find it hard to believe that Mr. Heinrich actually expect the voting public to believe that the President of the United States (or anyone else for that matter) asks those 3,ooo plus sheriffs to weigh in on national energy policies before making a decision. Homeland security, crime, jails... those would make sense, but national energy policy? That's kind of reaching, don't you think?

Go ahead and watch the commercial Mr. Heinrich is running again. Then watch the commercial Sheriff Darren White has on the air.



Who would you rather have representing you in Washington?




[Full disclosure: I'm a financial contributor to Darren White's campaign. And, comparing how the two candidates are representing themselves, just confirms that I've made the correct decision. In fact, if I had donated money to the Heinrich campaign, I might be calling them right now at 505-244-0022, to ask that my money be used for something other than the cheesy commercials.]

What's Wrong with District Attorney Kari Brandenburg?

It looks like Eye on Albuquerque has done a heck of job answering the question: What's wrong with re-electing Kari Brandenburg as District Attorney?

Hello Albuquerque, Are You Paying Attention?

Almost exactly two years ago, I was pointing out that Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez had Arena Envy in a big way:

And yes, we did talk about Mayor Martin Chavez' desire to put $125 million of taxpayer money on the line to fix his Arena Envy problem. It seems the Mayor really wants to get a big one, no matter whose property rights he has to trample.

You would think that the reported financial problems of Rio Rancho's Santa Ana Star arena would have cured Mayor Chavez of pursuing his own arena dreams, but it seems, like many of the bad ideas proposed by this administration, it is put back on the table every two years:

The Star Center has been a costly undertaking for the city. Rio Rancho sold $36 million worth of bonds to build the $47 million, 6,500-seat center, and pledged gross receipts tax revenues to back the bonds.

At the time, Albuquerque was considering building a Downtown arena, but Rio Rancho beat its larger neighbor to the punch. Soon after Rio Rancho announced its arena plan, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez said he was "pulling the plug" on its arena, saying taxpayers would likely have to back debt for the project.

Albuquerque is now reconsidering building its own 12,000-seat arena and 450-room hotel near the convention center downtown. The project is expected to cost $398 million.

Albuquerque city officials are expected to make a decision in six or seven months, after a feasibility study is completed.

So, explain something to me. If twenty four months ago, it made sense to pull the plug because taxpayers would have had to foot the bill, what would have changed now? After all, we have now learned from Rio Rancho not only will taxpayers have to back the debt (i.e. bonds), but in all likelihood, taxpayers will have to pay ongoing costs when the ill-conceived project under delivers the performance outlined in the feasibility project.

We've already seen new taxes being pushed to support the government's last greatest economic development ideas - spaceport and train. Do we really now want to pay more in taxes to pay for an arena as well? I'm thinking enough is enough. Until the government can pay for their last great idea without coming back to the "taxpayer bank," I don't think they should get to move ahead with any new "great ideas."

Like Only Joe Can

You've got to hand it to Joe Monahan. I've read a lot of crazy things on his blog, but I do believe this takes the cake:

"Steve did not get a chance to speak to the rally, while (GOP US Rep.) Heather Wilson and (ABQ GOP congressional candidate) Darren White both spoke at length. Steve was only on stage briefly to deliver an opening prayer. His people see it as a major slight by the McCain campaign, Marta Kramer, director of the NM McCain office and Republican National Committee operative Jay McCleskey. As the US senate nominee, Steve is the head of the Republican Party, yet they acted like he barely existed," informed our insider.

If there was ever any doubt that Joe Monahan was clueless when it came to the inner workings of Republican politics in New Mexico, this should put all doubt to rest. I challenge you to find any active member of the Republican Party who would find being asked to lead a gathering in prayer to be a political slight.

I can almost guarantee you that Congressman Steve Pearce, a man well-respected for his character and deep faith, would never be offended because he was asked to lead others in prayer. Heck, even the Congressman's campaign website makes a point of citing that he is an active member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

In one fail swoop Mr. Monahan attempts to belittle the faith that Congressman Pearce and a great many Republicans hold dear, and cause a division in the Republican Party where none exists. Next thing you know, good old Joe will be trying to convince people to believe that being asked to lead a gathering of Republicans in the Pledge of Allegiance is a political slight.

Geez... and, we're supposed to believe this guy is non-partisan?

Who Am I?

I am under 45 years old,
I love the outdoors,
I hunt,
I am a Republican reformer,
I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,
I have many children,
I have a spot on the national ticket as vice
president with less than two years in the governor's office.
Did you guess?

Don't Believe Me, Trust the Democrats

Those of you reading this blog for awhile probably haven't failed to notice the troll infestation. My guess is that the number of trolls and their personal attacks against me will only continue to escalate as we get closer to Election Day. In case you're not up on all of your internet slang, Wikipedia defines an internet troll as follows:

An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response^[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.^[2]

Now, I don't mind trolls. I see them as simply a predictable part of the blogosphere. Like the big mosquitoes in Alaska, they can't really do more than annoy you if you know what to expect. Speaking of Alaska and trolls, I couldn't help but notice that one of the more ornery trolls occupying this blog of late is awfully quick to try and portray me as only giving half the story when it comes to Governor Sarah Palin. Take this recent comment for example:

Here's a few things you neglected to mention...

Sarah Palin was enthusiastically in favor of the $400 million bridge to nowhere until it because a national laughing stock, then flip-flopped to pretend to be against it. Regardless, she took that $400 million for Alaska and authorized the building of the now supposedly unneeded road leading to the construction site of the bridge to nowhere. She also supports the other pork barrel bridge to nowhere that the vastly corrupt Republican Senator Ted Stevens secured for Alaska.

The problem is that the troll is wrong. But hey, don't believe me. Let's take a look at what the Alaska Democratic Party has to say about Governor Palin's record on the issue:

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski’s administration set aside about $113 million of the appropriation for the Ketchikan bridge. However, Gov. Sarah Palin said the $398 million bridge was $329 million short of full funding, and only $36 million in federal funds were set aside for it. She said it was clear Congress had little interest in spending any more money for it and that the state had higher priorities.

Those aren't Republican talking points. They're coming straight from the Democrats Party in great state of Alaska. Kind of makes anything else that particular troll has to say somewhat suspect, don't you think?

National Health System Falling Apart

"Universal health care for all" is a frequent rallying cry for Democrats from the Roundhouse to the White House. Take for example Barack Obama's health care plan for America:

My plan begins by covering every American. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is the amount of money you will spend on premiums. That will be less. If you are one of the 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance, you will have it after this plan becomes law. No one will be turned away because of a preexisting condition or illness.”

Keep in mind that any time a politician tells you that they can provide you more, and you'll be paying less, they are, well to put politely, full of... it. It just doesn't work that way. And, take a look at that last promise, "no one will be turned away because of a preexisting condition or illness." Is the issue really about people with preexisting conditions unable to get health insurance, or is it about them unable to get health care? It's the latter not the former.

Of course, that leads to the next argument supporting a government run health care program. We need to join the other industrialized nations, Canada and Great Britain always being held out as shining examples, in providing nationalized health care. But, here is the ugly truth about these national health care programs (subscription) that very rarely sees the light:

In Britain right now, the national health system is falling apart, for the same reason our system is struggling. It costs too much. The British ration care by withholding services and making people wait. Americans ration care by allowing 47 million people to have no insurance.

Polling shows that the British will accept the waits and the lack of services as long as everybody has the same wait and the same lack of services. Egalitarianism is a value system, and the health system reflects it.

See, you can't eliminate the costs of a program by changing who is paying for it. And, despite what Winthrop Quigley would have us believe, Americans do not "ration care by allowing 47 million people to have no insurance." People without insurance walk into emergency rooms everyday and receive treatment. Guess what, it's being paid for by you and me. We pay for it with our premiums, and we pay for it with our taxes.

Of course, waiting hours upon hours in an emergency room to receive care is no one's idea of an ideal health care system. Yet, if the nationalized health care advocates get their way, we'll all be waiting months upon months for rationed care in what will undoubtedly be an increasingly expensive system.

Palin Confirms Her Status as the Perfect Pick

I was on the road last night, so I didn't get to watch Sarah Palin's speech at GOP Convention. However, I just watched it this morning, and all I can say is that there is no more perfect candidate for Vice President of the United States.



There were several times during her speech where Governor Palin seemed to be speaking straight to New Mexicans:

A writer observed: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.

I grew up with those people.

They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.

They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

Before Governor Palin was selected, I had a conversation with a producer from a PBS show, and I told him that one of Senator Obama's biggest challenges in winning New Mexico would be the urban versus rural divide. As an urbanite, who time and time again shows he is out of touch with rural values, Senator Obama has some serious challenges in appealing to the two thirds of the state population that lives in rural New Mexican towns. It was this population that turned out and delivered New Mexico for President Bush in 2004.

Every time the Obama camp and the mainstream media question Governor Palin's readiness because she comes from a small town in a sparsely populated state, they strengthen the resolve of proud rural New Mexicans to once again have their voices heard in the White House.

Ethics reform is another hot topic in New Mexico. Over the last several years we have been plagued by scandal after scandal with no end in sight. Politicians like Governor Richardson talk a good game publicly, while privately continuing their lucrative practice of pay-to-play politics. Governor Richardson, a beltway insider and key player in the Obama campaign, came to office and immediately purchased a jet to complement his lavish lifestyle. When his driver races his back to the Governor's mansion, he has a staff of personal chefs waiting to pamper his every need.

Compare Governor Richardson's approach to leadership to that of Governor Palin:

I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law.

While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for.

That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.

I also drive myself to work.

And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef - although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending - by request if possible and by veto if necessary.

The Governor with five kids at home doesn't need jets, drivers and personal chefs, but the Governor in a two-person household does? Where's the logic in that? Supposedly, the Democrats are the party of the masses, but you tell me which Governor lives more like you and me?

Of course, I realize that Governor Richardson is not running for President. So, let's bring it back to a Presidential ticket comparison. McCain/Palin versus Obama/Biden. When it comes to proven leadership at the top of the ticket, McCain/Palin win hands down. When it comes to a track record of change and bucking the political establishment, McCain/Palin win hands down. When it comes to dealing with energy or experience in world affairs, McCain/Palin win hands down.

On every measurement and in every category McCain/Palin is the more impressive ticket. And every time, someone tries to make the case that Governor Palin is not ready to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, we'll think of this:

When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.

Governor Palin's proven track record of meeting family and community responsiblities combined with Senator McCain's proud history of fighting for this country means much more than Senator Obama's and Senator Biden's "experience" of winning elections.

Martin Heinrich's Friends in Congress

According to Democracy for New Mexico, Martin Heinrich, the Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District, is holding a press conference today with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer:

From the Martin Heinrich for Congress campaign: Martin Heinrich will host a press conference and tour of Sandia National Laboratories with Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, this Wednesday, September 3rd, at 3:15 PM.

I must admit that I'm surprised that Martin Heinrich has no problem in sharing the stage with a Congressman who has a shown a well documented disdain for members of the Hispanic caucus:

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a moderate from Maryland, was beside himself. Congressional Quarterly reports that he jabbed his finger on the House floor at Joe Baca, the California Democrat who chairs the Hispanic Caucus, and yelled, "How dare you destroy this party? This will be the worst loss in 10 years.

Mr. Baca was having none of it. "You see this on the [voting] board?," he yelled back. "This is against me. This is against me personally." Luckily for Democrats, C-Span's microphones did not pick up the exchange. But it was audible to reporters in the press gallery.

Well, I guess New Mexicans might want to call Heinrich's campaign office and ask him
to explain how he can embrace a man who believes that Hispanic leaders are trying to destroy the Democratic Party?

No If Ands or Buts

How do you know the left is out of touch with the American public? Could it be because their Presidential nominee believes that during tough economic times people are worried about the price of arugala?

“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” [Senator Barack Obama] said. “I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”

The state of Iowa, for all of its vast food production, does not have a Whole Foods, a leading natural and organic foods market. The closest? Omaha, Minneapolis or Kansas City.

Or, maybe it is because Barack Obama is on record as stating that the only reason to have faith or support the second ammendment is because you're a bitter American:

[Senator Barack Obama] said: “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And it’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Or maybe, it is because they think in these times it is okay to enthusiastically run a man for Senate that believes women do NOT deserve to earn the same as men:



No, I'm not being fair. Each of those examples show why top of the ticket Democratic candidates are out of touch with the American public, but not why the activists on the left don't understand the values of the majority of Americans. For that, we just need to consider that they think that the fact that a 17 year old girl getting pregnant is a scandal.

It's not a scandal. It's just something that happens. And, it just reinforces the fact that Sarah Palin is exactly what this country needs. A real person, who is struggling with the same real struggles we all face. No if ands or buts, Sarah Palin becomes more likable everyday.

I'm Sure There is Nothing to it

In catching up on the news, I came across this little gem in an AP article by Barry Massey (subscription):

A California firm that contributed to Gov. Bill Richardson's political activities is under scrutiny by the FBI over a lucrative contract it won four years ago for the financing of a $1.6 billion state transportation program.

The FBI has requested documents from the New Mexico Finance Authority and interviewed former and current authority officials about the contract with the Beverly Hills-based firm, CDR Financial Products.

"They came in and asked me some questions, basically about procedures — how were the vendors chosen," William Fulginiti, a member of the authority's board, said Friday.

CDR was part of a team of banking, investment and financial advisers selected by the authority to put together a complex bond financing deal for a highway and transportation construction program that Richardson won legislative approval of in 2003.

Of course, I'm sure that the FBI isn't going to find anything wrong. Usually these things are just a matter of doing due diligence. Oh sure, there was that Guy Riordan problem, but that was just a fluke. Then, of course, there was that weird exception regarding the $130,000 in contributions that was tied to "family business [being] granted direct access to a city thoroughfare for a shopping-center project."

I could go on, but it is a holiday.