Slowing of the Deepening Recession

A slowing of the deepening recession is not the same as coming out of the recession. It's important to remember that simple fact. I'm kind of harping on this in recent posts, because it appears that the media and administration are at times trying to spin us into believing that everything is getting better. It's not. It is just not getting worse as fast as it was before:

U.S. home prices continued their multiyear tumble in April, according to the S&P Case-Shiller home-price indexes, which showed their third-straight month of slightly smaller declines.

Meanwhile, U.S. consumer confidence retreated in June, especially regarding expectations for the economy six months from now, a report released Tuesday said.

Remember that when consumers are not feeling confident, they don't go out and buy. We have only two months left until the holiday buying season starts (back to school followed by holiday shopping). With consumer confidence continuing to fall, we can expect more people to sit on their money.

I wouldn't be surprised if, on top of everything else, this leads to more declines in gross receipts taxes at the state and local level in New Mexico. If that happens, we can expect a special session where tax increases are pushed. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that polling is already being conducted to determine the type of tax increases New Mexicans might support.

Let me just say now, if anyone calls you, the answer should be, "No, tax increase."

Just Checked - The Recession is Not Over

So, I went outside and looked around. As near as I can tell, the recession is not over. People are still losing jobs and fighting for their homes. Now, what is the absolute worse thing the government could do right now? That's simple. Pass tax raising regulation that drives more jobs overseas:

Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steven Ballmer said the world’s largest software company would move some employees offshore if Congress enacts President Barack Obama’s plans to impose higher taxes on U.S. companies’ foreign profits.

“It makes U.S. jobs more expensive,” Ballmer said in an interview. “We’re better off taking lots of people and moving them out of the U.S. as opposed to keeping them inside the U.S.”

Obama on May 4 proposed outlawing or restricting about $190 billion in tax breaks for offshore companies over the next decade. Such business groups as the National Foreign Trade Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have denounced the proposed overhaul.

There is a coalition out there fighting hard against this latest hairbrain scheme. And, less you think this won't affect New Mexico, because after all we don't have any large corporations headquartered in our own backyard, think again. Just look what former New Mexico Governor Jerry Apodaca, a strong President Obama support, warns:

The new U.S. tax proposal would eliminate the policies that were put in place to protect our global companies from these differences in tax burden and make us less competitive. The U.S. would stand alone with one of the highest burdens in the world.

The end of these traditional tax policies would essentially amount to a $200 billion new tax on U.S. companies operating overseas. This new expenditure would mean less money to invest in expansion, less money for research and development, and less money for new jobs.

Is now really the time to pass policies that eliminate jobs? Yeah, I don't think so either.

Doing the Bare Minimum

Scandal after scandal is rocking the state. You would think that as a result public officials would go out of their way to make sure that government is operating as transparently as humanly possible. But, when it comes to the Albuquerque Public Schools, that doesn't seem to be the case:

School board president Marty Esquivel said APS is in compliance with open records laws, which do not require postings on the Internet.

"This is probably a case where open government laws have not caught up with the technology of today," said Esquivel, an attorney who works with the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

The auditor said APS was violating the state Open Meetings Act by failing to post updated board and committee meeting minutes on the Web site.

Esquivel said state law requires only that minutes be made available upon request.

State law may only require that minutes be made available upon request, but the current level of corruption investigations mandates that if a public organization wants to appear on the up and up, then they should go out of their way to provide open government. And, to be perfectly honest, posting minutes on a website wouldn't take someone more than 15 minutes.

Reading Bills is Overrated

So, you ever wonder how so many crummy laws get introduced and passed? You've probably thought to yourself, "Who in their right mind would read this bill and vote for it?" See, there was your first mistake. Reading bills is so turn of the last century.

We live in the thought at the speed of light age. Lawmakers don't actually need to read bills before voting on them. Need the proof:

There is currently some wacky legislative maneuvering going on with H.R. 2454, the cap and trade energy bill, that puts a serious spotlight on the failure of Congress to make bills properly available. According to the New York Times:

House Democratic leaders late last night released a revamped, 1,201-page energy and global warming bill (pdf), clearing the way for floor debate Friday even though it remains uncertain if they will have the votes to pass it.

The House bill posted on the Rules Committee Web site has grown from the 946-page version adopted last month in the Energy and Commerce Committee. Sources on and off Capitol Hill said the bulk of the changes largely reflect requests from the eight other committees that also had jurisdiction over the bill, including the Ways and Means Committee and Science and Technology Committee.

The bill is only available online at the House Rules Committee and is reported as “text of the bill to be introduced.” Despite having a bill, H.R. 2454, that has been reported out of the Energy & Commerce Committee and discharged by eight other committees, there is now, suddenly, a new bill that is almost 300-pages longer — but it’s still being considered as H.R. 2454. Stay with me here.

Want to get really annoyed? Go check out the bill's timeline.

Stricter Laws Don't Bother Criminals

By it's very definition, a criminal is someone who breaks laws. In fact, you'd be safe to say that "lawful" is an antonym of criminal. So, please explain that rationale behind this:

The absence of required background checks for private firearm sales, like those made at gun shows, have helped fuel the steady flow of U.S. firearms to Mexico, where thousands of trafficked weapons are ending up in the hands of violent drug cartels, U.S. government investigators revealed last week.

The news has renewed the call among gun-control advocates and some Democratic lawmakers to tighten the nation’s firearms laws to make it more difficult for criminals to buy and smuggle weapons.

Give me a break. You can't make it more difficult for criminals to buy guns by passing more stringent firearm laws. They're criminals. They will break the laws to get access to the guns. Why? Because, that's what criminals do.

So, if you pass these new more stringent laws, who are you impacting? Oh, that's easy. You're making it harder for law abiding citizens to arm and protect themselves and their loved ones against... well, criminals. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Creating a Solar Eclipse

How's this for short term memory? The dust has barely settled from the state government losses of taxpayer money into Eclipse Aviation:

In its November bankruptcy filing, Eclipse said it had more than $1 billion in liabilities and 5,000-plus creditors, but only between $100 million and $500 million in assets.

Among the creditors is the " New Mexico State Investment Council, which has an outstanding $19 million investment in the company, only $5 million of which in secure debt.

And, they're all set to throw taxpayer money at another startup venture:

Bernalillo County will have to spend $4.5 million to acquire land for a proposed solar manufacturing site on the far West Side because developer SunCal Cos. couldn't meet deadlines for the project.

SunCal was supposed to acquire and donate the property for the proposed Solar Array Ventures Inc. operation in exchange for the county taking over the developer's obligation to build a water line to the project.

Bernalillo County Manager Thaddeus Lucero said SunCal could not meet a Solar Array Ventures, or SAVe, timeline to acquire the land, forcing the county to take on both the land acquisition and water-line construction responsibilities at a cost of about $8.5 million.

"We can't wait. No one wants to wait," Lucero said.

The county now will fund the project with bond proceeds, but will be paid back through $8.5 million in state money promised by Gov. Bill Richardson's administration. The state money will be doled out to the county over about two years, county economic development coordinator Daniel Gutierrez said. The county will still have to pay some interest on its bonds, he said.

The land donation is part of a nearly $200 million incentive package for the solar manufacturer, which expects to employ about 200 workers by 2010 and eventually more than 1,000.

Now, I don't know anything about Solar Array Ventures, so I've no desire to disparage the company. I'm just saying that it should not be the government's role to take taxpayer money and utilize it for speculative investments.

If the government wants to encourage economic growth, then how about just removing or seriously reducing taxes on ALL businesses as opposed to handing out cash packages to individual businesses in particular industries.

Building Upon Flawed Policy

As the universal healthcare debate continues, it is important to remember that the healthcare system, which we "enjoy" today is essentially the result of poor government policy:

We have become so accustomed to employer-provided medical care that we regard it as part of the natural order. Yet it is thoroughly illogical. Why single out medical care? Food is more essential to life than medical care. Why not exempt the cost of food from taxes if provided by the employer? Why not return to the much-reviled company store when workers were in effect paid in kind rather than in cash?

The revival of the company store for medicine has less to do with logic than pure chance. It is a wonderful example of how one bad government policy leads to another. During World War II, the government financed much wartime spending by printing money while, at the same time, imposing wage and price controls. The resulting repressed inflation produced shortages of many goods and services, including labor. Firms competing to acquire labor at government-controlled wages started to offer medical care as a fringe benefit. That benefit proved particularly attractive to workers and spread rapidly.

Initially, employers did not report the value of the fringe benefit to the Internal Revenue Service as part of their workers’ wages. It took some time before the IRS realized what was going on. When it did, it issued regulations requiring employers to include the value of medical care as part of reported employees’ wages. By this time, workers had become accustomed to the tax exemption of that particular fringe benefit and made a big fuss. Congress responded by legislating that medical care provided by employers should be tax-exempt.

I'd recommend reading the article in it's entirety.

The Makings of a Perfect Storm

During last year's election cycle, the perfect storm was created, and Democrats from the Roundhouse to the White House prevailed. Come the day after the election, there were some lost seats that astounded everyone:

Nobody thought Karen Giannini was going to win.

Not local political junkies (like us at NMI) watching tight races on election night; not her new Democratic colleagues in the state House of Representatives; and certainly not her incumbent opponent, Rep. Justine Fox-Young, who was sitting in what everyone considered a safe Republican seat.

But somehow this Air Force veteran and divorced mother of three defied all odds and expectations by beating her well-financed incumbent opponent.

And she did it without spending a dime.

Of course, next year's election is shaping up to be a little different. There are no indications on Main Street USA that the economy is improving. Quite the contrary, with even the Administration having to admit that the massive bailouts have been a failure. Instead of creating 3.5 million new jobs as promised, the bailouts, at best, have saved or created 600,000 jobs:

Just 10 days before taking office, Obama's top economic advisers released a report predicting unemployment would remain at 8 percent or below through this year if an economic stimulus plan won congressional approval.

Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment in May rose to 9.4 percent.

Biden said the White House is keenly aware of the gap between the rhetoric used to sell fast passage of the legislation and the reality that has 14.5 million people unemployed. The administration had predicted that the stimulus bill would create or save as many as 3.5 million jobs.

14.5 million people in America are now unemployed, and what lays ahead in the future? Well, for the answer we go straight to the top:

President Barack Obama offered stern words for Wall Street and a prediction of 10 percent U.S. unemployment even as he said the “engines” of an economic recovery have begun to turn.

Now, I know that some of you will consider leaving comments that unemployment is a lagging indicator, and that the economy is turning around. Personally, I don't think so, but honestly, it's nothing more than an academic discussion. What's important is the political reality come Election Day 2010.

All of these people are not going to suddenly be employed by that point, and the people's concerns quelled. Hungry, unemployed people really don't care about lagging indicators. They care about providing for their families. In fact, if the public opinion trends continue, we have the makings of a Jimmy Carter situation:

Nearly seven in 10 survey respondents said they had concerns about federal interventions into the economy, including Mr. Obama's decision to take an ownership stake in General Motors Corp., limits on executive compensation and the prospect of more government involvement in health care. The negative feeling toward the GM rescue was reflected elsewhere in the survey as well.

A solid majority -- 58% -- said that the president and Congress should focus on keeping the budget deficit down, even if takes longer for the economy to recover.

Yet, Congress is going to keep on spending because that is what Congress does - at least of late. We've got bigger and bigger and vastly more expensive programs coming down the pike. Now, you couple these federal problems with the never ever ending list of political scandals plaguing the Land of Enchantment, and you have the makings of a new perfect storm.

A storm where those that were swept in the last election cycle with little to no effort, could very easily find themselves just as quickly swept out. With this being the case, it's probably no surprise that new candidates for the Roundhouse are starting to emerge at what may seem to many a very early date. Take for example Nate Gentry, a former aide to Senator Domenici, who has already launched his website to take on the accidental incumbent noted at the beginning of this post in House District 30.

Let the games begin.

Government Shakedown of the Homeless

Every once in awhile you come across a perfect example of what's wrong with government's natural tendency to regulate:

Larry Moore was a homeless man who got it together and started a shoeshine business. From his profit, he saved enough money to rent an apartment and get off the street. And then, the city of San Francisco slapped with him a bill for sidewalk vendor permit. The shakedown cost Larry hundreds of dollars, because in San Francisco, as is most places, offering a product or service that people are will to pay for and pulling your self up by your bootstraps requires someone’s permission.

Another perfect example of American entrepreneurship being regulated out of existence. Now tell me again, who is keeping the poor, poor?

Governor's Transparency Policy

Wow! Everyone's on record of late claiming complete ignorance regarding fees paid to third-party marketers. Then, this comes to light.

The bottom line is this: In the wake of a corruption scandal at the state Treasurer's Office in 2005, a policy was drafted that called for public disclosure of fees paid to so-called third-party marketers on government investment deals.

A document that became known as the "Governor's Transparency Policy" — put together for Gov. Bill Richardson — recommended disclosure of all the fees.

That didn't happen. The policy was never adopted, not even by the State Investment Council, which Richardson chairs and controls.

I believe that's what they call a smoking gun.

What's Another Trillion?

We've already accumulated $1.5 trillion in taxpayer debt, now here comes the trillion dollar healthcare proposals:

A leading health care bill under consideration in Congress would cost the government an estimated $1 trillion over the next decade and reduce the ranks of the uninsured by about one-third, or 16 million individuals, congressional budget officials said Monday in a preliminary estimate.

I want to make sure you read that passage carefully. A trillion dollars will reduce uninsured by one-third. Therefore, it is not to far off to assume that it would take $3 trillion to insure everyone. And, make no mistake, there is not such thing as bills that "cost the government" money. It costs the taxpayers money. The only money the government has comes from you or me.

The three advocate a mix of tax increases, spending cuts and new mandates guaranteed to annoy nearly every major player in the health-care debate, including a mandate on businesses to contribute to health insurance costs and a tax on some benefits provided through the workplace.

Funny how they like to call it "tax increases" and "new mandates" as if they are two different things. A tax increase takes money out of your pocket and gives it to the government to spend as it sees fit. A mandate, as described above, takes money away from businesses and forces them to spend it on government programs. If you ask me, that's the exact same thing.

Look No Further Than Education

As the federal government "invests" trillions of our children's taxes (that is after all what federal debt is) in order to improve the economy, I want you to consider the results of the "investment" of billions of dollars during the Richardson Administration in education:

Fewer than six in 10 students graduated from New Mexico's high schools in 2006, giving the state a rank of 48th in the nation for high-school graduation rates, according to a report released Tuesday.

Education Week's "Diplomas Count" report found New Mexico's graduation rate was 56 percent for the class of 2006. The study also showed an average of 73 students dropped out each school day.

The state ranked ahead of Georgia (55.9 percent), the District of Columbia (48.8 percent) and Nevada (47.3 percent). The national graduation rate was 69.2 percent.

The state Public Education Department said the report showed a slight improvement over the class of 2005, when New Mexico ranked 50th nationwide at 54.1 percent.

The state Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia said in a release that the progress was "good" but pointed out that the low rate meant "far too many of our children take too long or fail to graduate from high school."

Wow, talk about trying to put on a positive spin. The Secretary of Education called moving from the worst in the nation to third worse in the nation "good" progress?

I have two kids in public school in New Mexico. If they brought home a test score of 54.1% on one test and then 56% on their next test, I don't think we would be using the word "good" anywhere in the discussion.

Just Another Typical Day of Enchantment

Well, it looks like just another typical news day in the Land of Enchantment. Let's see, we've got a report that one former State Senator has entered prison for his part robbing New Mexicans of $4.2 million:

Former state Senate President Pro Tem Manny Aragon has begun serving his 67-month prison term in Colorado.

Then, we've got an indictment that has been two years in the making of the former executive director of Region III Housing Authority with ties to current House Speaker Ben Lujan:

In 2003 and 2004, State Investment Council bought $5 million in bonds issued by the authority to finance its mission to buy and renovate homes that are sold to low-income buyers.

Money from home sales was used by the housing authority to pay operational expenses including $875,000 that went to Gallegos as salary, retirement benefits and a loan.

The bonds defaulted, and the State Investment Council estimated losses to taxpayers at around $4 million.

Public investigations found, among other things:

• In sales of 40 properties, the money received from buyers wasn't used to pay off the bonds.
• The authority withdrew bond money to purchase five properties it already owned.
• The authority withdrew $880,000 to purchase 16 properties but paid only $280,000 for them.

A series of reports by the Journal's Thomas J. Cole also found that the housing authority allowed a state judge and an aide to House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, to live rent free in authority homes.

And, to round out the headlines, it looks like the results of the investigation into Governor Richardson and his inner circle has arrived on the desk of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

The New Mexico Finance Authority has been part of the federal investigation after awarding a hefty contract — with questionable procedures that included adding points and changing the initial rankings — to California-based CDR Financial Inc.

CDR, which also was awarded a sole-source, no-bid escrow contract, contributed about $100,000 to Richardson's political committees around the time of the contract awards.

The contract award in 2004 was for CDR to advise the Finance Authority on the state $1.6 billion GRIP transportation bond program.

Among the former Finance Authority officials interviewed by the FBI is former NMFA Executive Director David Harris.

After CDR won the New Mexico business in 2004, CDR officials paid for dinner and Lakers basketball tickets in Los Angeles for Harris and former Richardson chief of staff Dave Contarino.

Richardson has said no one from his administration acted improperly.

Of course, the Governor would say no one has acted improperly. This is New Mexico. As it has been noted, it's just "the way we do business." Although, I, for one, am hoping the voters have just about had enough.

The Great American Clunker Scam

Yesterday the House passed a bill that dumps another $4 billion into the auto industry. When is enough, enough?

The move by the House would deepen the federal government's involvement in the auto industry, only a week after federal officials announced spending another $30 billion in addition to the $19.4 billion already given to GM to cover its losses and operations.

Let's be real here. The government keeps dumping money into the auto industry, but it is doing nothing to protect jobs:

The number of initial claims in the week ending May 9 rose 32,000 to 637,000. It's the highest level since mid-April. Economists had been expecting claims to rise. They estimated that about 27,000 Chrysler employees are eligible to file claims in the wake of the company's bankruptcy filing.

Worse, we have a credit crisis in America because the country and it's citizens have borrowed themselves into a hole. So, what brilliant plan passes the House? A plan to encourage individuals to try and take on more debt to buy new cars. I fail to see the logic here.

Oh, and for those of you who believe this is all about a creating a greener environment:

While the original cash-for-clunkers proposal had its roots in an environmental initiative, this bill aims to jump-start sales of new cars and trucks, including some that don't quite meet the average fuel efficiency standards.

So much for that theory. At best, this is a finger in the dike, while the walls come tumbling down.

Oops, Did We Say Shovel-Ready?

How foolish of you? When you heard that the government was planning on spending billions upon billions of dollars on "shovel-ready" projects, you assumed that meant construction projects. You couldn't have been more wrong.

The "public face" of the stimulus effort has been a worker in a hard hat, employed on a federally backed infrastructure project, The Associated Press reported nationally. But reviews of spending in New Mexico and around the country show that the phrase "shovel-ready" to describe the focus of stimulus projects probably has been overused.

In fact, in New Mexico and around the country, social spending, not construction, is in line to be the biggest winner in the ambitious federal effort to spark a sluggish economy.

Less than 10 percent of New Mexico's estimated $3 billion in stimulus money is slated to be used for highway construction. Only 12 percent will be spent repairing dams, building water treatment systems and undertaking other capital projects.

Nearly half of New Mexico's stimulus dollars — about 46 percent — will be spent on Medicaid and education.

Turns out that shovel-ready has nothing to do with reinvesting in America's ailing infrastructure. Instead, the term shovel-ready refers to the main instrument American taxpayers will need to dig themselves out from under the pile of, shall we call it manure, being relabeled as a stimulus package.

If this is what the Obama Administration calls stimulus....

Obama has claimed as many as 150,000 jobs saved or created by his stimulus plan so far, even as government reports have shown the economy has lost more than 1.6 million jobs since Congress approved funding for the program in February.

I wonder what a total economic collapse would like? This is worth repeating "150,000 jobs saved or created while losing 1.6 million jobs from the economy." I hope you're paying attention to that careful talking point coming out of the administration. You know, the one that uses the phrase "jobs saved or created." It is a careful spin that is being repeated by state level administrators of the biggest economic scam ever played on the American people:

Anaya defended the effectiveness of appropriating stimulus dollars to education, Medicaid and other social programs, saying the influx of federal dollars is already saving jobs statewide.

Jobless rate climbs ever higher and everyone in government is pretending they are saving jobs. Well, they may be saving government jobs and programs, but the private sector, despite numerous bailouts and so-called stimulus packages is going to hell in a handbasket.

Education is a means to an end. However, as it stands today, no matter how well we educate out children, something we've been failing at for years, they're not going to be able to find jobs upon graduation. Don't believe me? Go ask a recent graduate about how their job hunt is coming along. To make matters worse, they are going to be saddle with paying off this debt with higher taxes for years to come.

Since last year, I've predicted that the worse is yet to come. I predicted a 10% unemployment rate, and at 9.4% we're almost there. And, I stand by my prediction that the fourth quarter of this year and first quarter of 2010 will be the worse yet. Consider the absurdity of this job creation plan:

President Barack Obama promised Monday to deliver more than 600,000 jobs through his $787 billion stimulus plan this summer, with federal agencies pumping billions into public works projects, schools and summer youth programs.

Summer youth programs...hmm. Summer youth programs will not feed hungry unemployed families going into the cold, harsh winter months. Summer youth programs will not open the capital markets for the small mom and pop businesses on main street that are shuttering their doors everyday at an alarming rate. Summer youth programs will accomplish very little beyond this summer.

The situation is getting worse by the minute.

Lines are Becoming Blurred

State government in the Land of Enchantment is mired in corruption with one investigation being launched after another. The lack of indictments and swift action is beginning to take a toll. Now, every incident is being viewed as a pay to play scenario:

"Hi Commish! I know you're getting pressure from our friend to resolve Mr. Atencio's issue. I know it is taking a while but it by no means (is) being ignored. It is being redesigned completely to address his concerns."

That e-mail from a top New Mexico Department of Transportation official has helped reignite an inquiry into whether an Española businessman whose property is needed for a $68 million road project received special treatment from the state.

DOT officials redesigned a portion of the planned reconstruction of U.S. 84-285 last fall after receiving complaints from restaurant owner Luis Atencio. Atencio is one of more than 40 property owners whose northern New Mexico land is needed for project right of way. So far, he has refused to sell.

State Transportation Secretary Gary Girón asked for the internal investigation on May 26 after e-mails surfaced showing that DOT second-in-command Rebecca Montoya and Jim Franken, vice chairman of the state Transportation Commission, got involved in Atencio's right-of-way fight earlier this year. The "Hi Commish" e-mail was sent from Montoya to Franken on Jan. 5.

This is the second time in six months the DOT's office of inspector general has looked into the allegation of special treatment.

It is noted in the article that Mr. Atencio made significant contributions to both the Governor's presidential campaign and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan's campaign. But, here is the thing. Pay to play, works this way. An individual makes a contribution, and then receives a special favor in return. That would be criminal.

However, if the same individual seeks and receives constituent service, and then turns around and makes a political contribution, that would not be an illegal activity. The problem we have is that since so much pay to play corruption in New Mexico is occurring without prosecution that the lines are now becoming blurred.

One of the unintended consequences of not prosectuing criminals in government is that before long, elected officials and government employees are going to have an excuse to insulate themseleves from everyday citizens for fear of appearing to act in improperly.

Celebrating a Culture of Corruption

I didn't think it was possible, but I think we've hit a new low in New Mexico politics. Maybe it's just the fact that there have been so many corruption scandals in recent years that people have started thinking, "What's the big deal? Forget feeling shame, let's start celebrating our corruption."

Consider the startling fact that a former State Supreme Court Chief Justice and numerous other current and past elected officials think nothing of showing up for a going to jail party for one of their own. Let me repeat that: "A GOING TO JAIL PARTY!"

This is like something out of a Scorsese film. Can you imagine any other state in the nation where elected officials running for office would think nothing of showing up for a going to jail party?

Also attending the Manny farewell, according to our Senior Gators, was former Bernalillo County Commissioner Steve Gallegos, current Bernalillo County Commissioner and ABQ City Council candidate Alan Armijo; former state Senator Shannon Robinson; former Grants State Rep. Toby Michael; veteran political player Guy Riordan and another big name--former Ambassador to Spain and longtime NM politico Ed Romero.

This is beyond troubling. This is downright scary. Tomorrow, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will be in Albuquerque to unveil President Obama's 2009 National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. That's all fine and dandy, but the biggest threat to our state and homeland security right now is from within.

When the lives of corrupt politicians are being celebrated by the political establishment, our society is seriously threatened. When subpoenas after subpoenas are being issued and no one is being indicted, law and order is endangered. And, this is not simply a local problem. When political appointees think nothing of shutting down the efforts of career prosecutors fighting to protect our freedoms, we are headed down a dangerous path.

Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day, according to documents and interviews.

Where does this leave us? The answer is that it leaves us in a very scary place. Someone needs to stand up and start questioning those in charge. If the political appointees were willing to shut down the prosecution of such an obvious case of intimidation, what will they do in New Mexico when the sitting Governor and those in his inner circle are facing indictments?

Will U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder overrule the career prosecutors who have been trying to stem the growing tide of corruption in New Mexico, or will he push to protect our homeland security by encouraging the aggressive prosecution of the elected and appointed thieves in our state government? If I was a reporter at tomorrow's press conference, I'd be asking this question. President Obama promised Change. The administration can start by rooting out corruption. That's a non-partisan issue.

Mayor Chavez and APS and New Media

If you haven't read Mark Bralley's account of his most recent encounter with Mayor Chavez's security detail, I strongly urge you to do so. Here's a little snippet to get you going:

“You have to leave. You aren’t the press. You don’t have credentials,” APS Police Officer Paul Schaefer said in rapid succession as he took the contact role. “I was told you’re not part of the press club.”

“You’re wrong,” I said.

I looked at a pocket in my photo vest that has a clear plastic front. It’s designed to keep credentials visible yet out of the way. Print journalists often wear credentials on a lanyard around their neck. However, still photographers prefer not to wear lanyards as they interfere neck straps; so the pocket is convenient. I had the pass issued by the Secret Service last week for the Presidential visit to Rio Rancho visible.

“White House Press Pool,” I asked Schaefer, showing him the pass?

“Never heard of it,” Schaefer said.

“Ever heard of the President of the United States?”

Vaguely,” Schaefer said.

“How about the First Amendment,” I asked?

I’ve heard of the First Amendment,” Schaefer said.

“As a matter of fact, when I…” I said, as I dug deeper for my own credentials, which list former and current clients and my own sites; there was also an old State Senate Press pass.

"but I’ve been told this isn’t a public event,” Schaefer said.

“Well it is a public event when you have the Mayor of the City of Albuquerque present,” I said.

Ok, let's deal with the obvious first. Why does the Mayor of Albuquerque need a security detail on the campus of a local school? Especially, a security detail that acts like the Gestapo. Apparently when Richard Romero was on 770 KKOB with Bob Clark, he raised the same question. I didn't hear that interview, but I did catch Clark poking fun at the Mayor on another morning.

Clark pointed out that former Congresswoman Heather Wilson did not find the need to travel with a security detail when she moved through Albuquerque. Although, in all fairness, Clark did mention that Wilson was often accompanied by her former communications guy, Enrique Knell, who is known to pack and shoot a camera. Something that leaves at least one Albuquerque Mayor fearful for his... um, actually, I'm not sure how to finish that sentence.

There is of course irony here. I know for a fact that Mayor Chavez considers bloggers part of the new media establishment when it is in his best interest. Consider this email I received from Brent Blackaby on October 29, 2007:

Hi all—

We’d like to invite you to join us tomorrow, Tuesday, October 30th at 5:30pm MDT for a New Mexico blogger conference call with Marty Chavez, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

We’re anticipating that the call will last about 30 minutes – 10-15 minutes for some introductory comments from Marty, and 15-20 minutes of Q&A from you.

Let me know if you’re interested in participating, and I’ll send along a dial-in number on Tuesday. Also, please feel free to forward this invite around to other progressive New Mexico bloggers that you know.

Thanks – and we look forward to chatting with you on Tuesday!

Best regards,

Brent Blackaby
Chavez for Senate

Of course, it's not just the Mayor who acted inappropriately here. Read Bralley's post and you'll find that APS was also less than tolerant of new media members. I can't tell you how wrong I find that to be on so many different levels.

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit I know Mark Bralley. I've even found myself on more than one occasion caught in the crosshairs of his camera.


I don't remember feeling afraid, but maybe, just to be safe, I ought to look into hiring some private security.

Here's a Thought - Go Electronic

It seems that Bernalillo County has a money problem:

Bernalillo County borrowed about $42 million last year to buy its dream home — the swanky 500 Marquette office building in Downtown Albuquerque.

The problem? It never bought the place.

That leaves the county government in an unusual situation this summer: making arrangements to pay off the debt for a building it didn't buy.

Now, what was the reason for needing that building? Oh, that's right:

County offices are spread across several buildings in the Downtown area, making it inconvenient for people who have business with several county departments that deal with the same topic. The county clerk, assessor and planning department, for example, all house property records — in separate buildings.

Well, if you really want to make it more convenient for the citizens, how about thinking of a way to eliminate my need to come down to the county offices. Let me give you an example. If you hold a Bernalillo County business license, wouldn't it be nice to just be able to register online, pay the fee with a credit card and print out the certificate?

That's just one example. I'm sure there are many more departments that could be digitized to eliminate the need for office space. Plus, think of the reduction of carbon footprint.