Taxpayers Paying to Advocate More Taxes

I've noted in the past that the problem with state created "Authority" entities is that they are nothing more than a license to tax without accountability:

Here comes the bad part. When elected government officials raise taxes, we at least have an opportunity to vote them out of office the next election cycle. The same is not true for government created Authorities. These folks are appointed, not elected, so the taxpayer has no recourse whatsoever.

It basically boils down to "Taxation without Representation." The last time that got out of control there was a revolution in this country.

The Rio Grande Foundation points out one more reason to fight against the creation of Authority entities:

Now, enclosed in your most recent water bill from the government-controlled Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority, “customers” of the authority are receiving the following notices alerting them to the 1/4 cent transportation tax on the ballot with language that clearly endorses the tax. Check out both sides of the insert below:

Nothing like making taxpayers pay to promote additional taxes on taxpayers. Angry and want to take it out on someone? Well, you can't take it out on the folks running the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority because the state conveniently set it up so that these people are appointed and not elected to this fee increasing non-accountable entity.

But, don't bottle up that anger. Redirect it toward something useful. Vote one of the biggest proponents of this tax increase out of office - Mayor Marty Chavez. You know, the guy who has been trying for years to force this tax increase on the public in order to build his trolley on Central.

In fact, Mayor Marty Chavez is on the Governing Board of the organization, which means he approved this misuse of funds. Make no mistake, a water authority spending your money to push a transportation tax to build a trolley is a misuse funds. Just another example of politics as usual from Mayor Marty.

Big Difference in Four Years

When I watched the televised mayoral debate four years ago, I couldn't help but notice how more polished in front of the camera Mayor Marty Chavez was than his opponents at the time. Back then, he knew that the audience that counted was made up of those watching the debate on small screens from the comfort of their homes. In other words, he talked to the camera; whereas, his opponents were talking to the moderators.

Surprisingly, this was not the case in last night's debate.

Both Richard Romero and RJ Berry gave more polished and comfortable performances last night than the incumbent mayor. And, let's face it, that's what we're talking about in televised debates - performances. Whereas Mayor Chavez spent most of the night avoiding looking directly at the camera and struggling to defend his record, Richard Romero and RJ Berry looked comfortable, prepared and forward looking.

Watch the video, and you'll see what I mean. The incumbent mayor spends way more time than his opponents speaking to the moderators. At times, he also seems to be thinly veiling his anger at being held accountable for his fiscally unsound management of the city over all of these years.



Bottom line, last night's debate didn't nothing to help the Mayor's campaign. For those of us who have had enough of politics as usual, it showed that there are more qualified candidates for the leadership position.

Bode Aviation Video

The surveillance video of Bode Aviation's negotiations with the City of Albuquerque [hat tip: Peter St. Cyr], and the role Mayor Martin Chavez plays "messing with" contracts is unnerving at the least. Watch the video, and then ask yourself, "How does this guy get elected term after term?"

Bode Surveillance- Short Version from Richard M. Romero on Vimeo.

Why isn't this more front and center in the campaign? Oh right, publicly funded campaigns don't allow the campaigns enough resources to get the truth out. Explain to me again how this has improved the process?

Pretty Much Says it All

A recent Albuquerque Journal article looks at the campaign claims of the three candidates running for mayor. What's most striking are the failures of incumbent Mayor Marty Chavez and the weak attempts at spinning his actual track record.

Mayor Chavez has increased spending at a budget busting rate during his tenure in office. An indisputable fact, that has been well documented over the years and is made equally clear in the Journal article:

Albuquerque's general-fund spending stood at roughly $325 million in the 2002 fiscal year, when Chávez returned to office. (He has won mayoral elections in 1993, 2001 and 2005.)

This year's general-fund budget totals about $475 million. That's a 46 percent increase from 2002.

Well, clear to anyone other than Mayor Chavez:

"Fiscally, I've been very conservative," the mayor said

Let's be real here. Mayor Chavez may be fiscally creative, but fiscally conservative he is not:

A sizeable chunk of Albuquerque's property-taxing authority has been switched from the capital program to the general-fund budget since 2003. The change provides about $48 million in annual revenue now, around 10 percent of the operating budget.

The result of this creativity?

The report, issued earlier this year by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials, said 36 percent of the Albuquerque area's roads are in poor condition, 18th worst among urban areas with a population exceeding 500,000. The analysis looked at cities and their surrounding suburbs, based on 2007 data.

Just another reason to say, "Enough already with politics as usual."

Doomed to Repeat History

Let's see if I've got this straight. Ten years ago a transportation tax increase was pushed by former Mayor Jim Baca. The idea was to raise money to improve the city's transportation infrastructure. It was a hard sell at the time, but one of the "selling points" was that it was a "temporary" tax increase with a ten year sunset provision.

At the time of the increase, an editorial took issue with the fact that a temporary tax would be pushed to fund what is usually considered one of the few justifiable roles of local government:

Keeping the city's streets and intersections in good repair isn't a special project for a special tax; it is one of the most basic of city services. If City Hall had been doing its job (for many years before Mayor Baca came into office), street maintenance would already be getting done from the existing revenue sources Bregman and Brasher propose to harness.

About six years after the tax increase was passed, an audit found that the money was being mismanaged by Mayor Martin Chavez's administration:

After nearly six years, a quarter-cent tax for transportation has not caused an increase in the passenger service provided by the city bus system, a new audit says.

The tax has provided $28 million for the Transit Department, and $21 million should have been used for enhancing bus service under a policy approved by the City Council, the audit says.

However, the Transit Department "is not currently complying with this expenditure requirement, because the amount of passenger service being provided is currently at approximately the same level as existed prior to Transit receiving these quarter-cent tax funds," says the report from the city Office of Internal Audit and Investigations.

Then, in 2006, Mayor Marty Chavez and some City Councilors try to sneak a tax extension in while folks were focused on the Election Day at hand:

November 6th, 2006... the day before the election where Democrats took over both the House and Senate, the Albuquerque City Council passed an extension to the Transportation Infrastructure Tax. The Council and the Almighty Alcalde used the cover of the election to rail road the public and shove a tax hike through for the primary purpose of building Marty's little train.

The move outraged the public and a huge political brouhaha ensued. Months later bowing to public pressure, the council pulled the extension and created a marketing, uh... "task force" to sell, uh... "study" the trolley. All of that took place almost exactly two years ago.

Well, very few people were buying what Mayor Marty was selling, namely the need to build a very expensive trolley system down Central. Oh sure, the Mayor tried everything he could think of to convince folks it was a good idea. He even paid consultants to sell the idea:

Now, there are a couple of points that really ought to jump out at you. First and most obvious is that the only way this can be funded is by extending a tax on everyone that was supposed to expire.

The next eyebrow raising fact requires a little basic math. Keep in mind that the Albuquerque Metro Area population is up to around 800,000, and is expected to reach a million before long. Yet, this Streetcar is only going to be used by about 5,000 people. Put another way... 99.5% of the people are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars (these things never come in on budget - think train), so 0.5% of the population can ride a streetcar instead of taking the bus.

Mind you, whether you call it a streetcar or a trolley, or a light rail system, the reality is that we already have an economical way for the public to travel, and it's called the bus. If the Mayor and City Council really wanted to improve public transportation they would just increase bus routes. It's cheaper and heck of lot more flexible to deal with changing population centers in a growing city.

Oh, I know. No one wants to ride a bus right? Wrong!

Even with gas prices plummeting from a July high of $4 per gallon to the current price of $1.84 per gallon — the lowest gas prices have been since 2004 — bus ridership in the Duke City is still up from this time last year.

So, where does this bring us? Well, the Mayor and the City Council want us to turn what was originally promised as a temporary 10 year tax increase into a permanent tax increase:

Albuquerque city councilors are scrambling to reassure voters that a proposed $37 million-a-year transportation tax won't last forever.

Council President Isaac Benton and Councilor Ken Sanchez held a news conference Thursday and said they plan to introduce a resolution at Monday's council meeting clarifying that the quarter-cent gross receipts tax, which will be on the Oct. 6 ballot, will expire after 10 years.

The tax was first approved in a special election in 1999 and is up for renewal this year because of a 10-year sunset clause in the original ballot question.

But the ballot question councilors approved for the extension this year does not include an expiration date, meaning the tax could continue indefinitely.

We're supposed to forget that the Mayor has been pushing this tax increase for three years to build a trolley and believe it is for trails and roads. We're also supposed to forget that they once promised to make it temporary. What is it they say about history repeating itself?

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it

.
Now, you may be tempted to argue that this isn't really an accurate example of history repeating itself. After all, the first time, voters were asked to approve a tax increase that had a sunset provision. This time the voters are being asked to extend the same tax increase without a sunset provision, and believe it will only last ten years. Even more ridiculous is that we're supposed to believe the sunset provision was left out "accidentally" by our elected officials.

Mayor Chavez is Right... Enough with Politics as Usual

With only a few weeks left until the Albuquerque City elections, the mayoral debates are coming with increasing speed. There looks to be an interesting mayoral debate coming up on Wednesday, September 16. Here is the info I received:

The Alibi is joining forces with KNME-5, the New Mexico Independent and KUNM 89.9 FM to bring you a free—totally free—mayoral debate on Wednesday, Sept. 16 (details below).

“The Line” host Gene Grant, KUNM’s News Director Jim Williams, New Mexico Independent Editor Gwyneth Doland and I will moderate. We'll pose your burning questions about your city to the candidates.

Audience members will be given notecards and can submit their queries at the start of the throwdown. Or, film a question, upload it to YouTube and send the link to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com. (Extra points if your backdrop relates to the subject of your question.)

R.J. Berry, Martin Chavez, Richard Romero
Submit video questions for candidates to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com
See what people are already asking at youtube.com/user/DebateHosts
Wednesday, Sept. 16
National Hispanic Cultural Center
1710 Fourth Street NW
Doors open at 6 p.m., debate at 7 p.m.
Seating is first-come, first-served. About 300 available.
Hear it live on KUNM 89.9 FM
Watch it and live-blog it at alibi.com and newmexicoindependent.com
See it Friday, Sept. 18, on KNME-5

After the mayoral debate, join Alibi and local politicos for discourse, libations and complimentary canapés. Municipal DJs play eclectic Americana and rare groove as citizens of Albuquerque snack and mingle.

Downtown at Blackbird Buvette (509 Central), Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 8:30 p.m. 21+

Now, it's not often that an after debate party complete with libations and complimentary canapés is advertised to draw in a crowd, but believe it or not, that's not what I think makes it potentially interesting. What makes it a potentially interesting debate is the timing.

The mayoral election is just now starting to get some attention. This is one of the effects of a taxpayer funded mayoral campaign. None of the candidates have really had the cash necessary to pound home the issues, or each other's shortcomings.

A lot of people might think that's a good thing, but the truth of the matter is, intended or not, this has worked to the advantage of the incumbent, Mayor Marty Chavez. If you're a fan of Mayor Marty, then it's great. If not, well, not so great.

Mayoral candidate and State Representative RJ Berry is starting to make some noise about the Mayor's "real record of accomplishment." Unfortunately, I'm not convinced the taxpayer funded campaign is going to provide enough resources for the message to get the penetration that is needed to be effective.

On the upside, the Mayor is spending his equally limited funds playing defense, which in a campaign is never a good thing. You can listen to the radio ad here [hat tip: New Mexico Independent]. In the ad, the Mayor denies ever turning Albuquerque into a Sanctuary City or pushing a trolley for Central, and implies that anyone who says otherwise is guilty of politics as usual.

Ok, first let me address the obvious. If anyone is to be equated with "politics as usual", it would have to be the Mayor who fought a legal battle to overturn term limits, so he could continue... Yup, "politics as usual." Geez, talk about opening mouth and inserting foot. Mayor Martin is practically the poster child for politics as usual.

Enough of that. Let's get to the meat of the matter. If there is one thing I hate, it is politicians who attempt to rewrite the history they helped create. Of course, I'm not the only one who has that pet peeve. I think you ought to take a listen to this segment from the Jim Villanucci show circa 2007 [hat tip: Eye on Albuquerque]


It's kind of hard to deny the facts two years later, when anyone can go back and find the truth.

Effective immediately, Albuquerque police officers who find illegal immigrants will no longer contact either federal immigration agents or the border patrol.

Sorry Mayor Chavez, that politics as usual tactic of denying your record just doesn't work in the modern age. [side rant: This originally came from a KOB-TV news story, which is no longer available. Is it really too much to ask for MSM news outlets to keep their articles up in perpetuity?]

Now what's even funnier than Mayor Marty Chavez denying in his campaign ad that he is being maligned on his record of turning Albuquerque into a sanctuary city? It would be the Mayor pretending he doesn't want to build a trolley on Central. First, in order for us to all be on the same page, let's look at the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of a trolley:

• Main Entry: ¹trol·ley
• Variant(s): also trol·ly \ˈträ-lē\
• Function: noun
• Inflected Form(s): plural trolleys also trollies
• Etymology: probably from ¹troll
• Date: 1823

1 dialect English : a cart of any of various kinds
2 a : a device that carries electric current from an overhead wire to an electrically driven vehicle b : a streetcar powered electrically through a trolley —called also trolley car
3 : a wheeled carriage running on an overhead rail or track
4 chiefly British : a cart or wheeled stand used for conveying something (as food or books)

I hope you noted the use of the word streetcar to define the word trolley. Also, pay special attention to definition 2a and compare it to this definition of a "modern streetcar" found on the City of Albuquerque website:

Streetcars feature a pole that touches an overhead wire, called catenary. Once the power reaches the streetcar through the trolley pole, it is fed to motors, which are called traction motors that are located on each wheelset.

Pretty dang close, wouldn't you say? Yet, the Mayor wants us to believe he doesn't want to reach into our pockets and pull out additional tax money to build a trolley. He can call it a modern streetcar. He can call it a light rail system. But, it doesn't change the fact that he's itching to build a trolley. Just another fine example of politics as usual.

What's that you say? You are still not convinced that Mayor Marty is a politics and usual kind of politician. Well, let's look at the other half of his claim. He only supports building a trolley system "if passed by the voters." REALLY?

Time for another trip down memory lane. Let's go back to November 3, 2006 to see what Mayor Chavez tried to do when he thought no one was looking:

[The transportation] tax was originally sold to the taxpayers as a means of modernizing the transit system and fixing streets, and it has done that. The tax has also "ballooned in dollars received." In other words, it brought in a lot more than expected. Yet, rather than let the temporary tax sunset, the Mayor and City Council want to make it a permanent tax while no one is looking.

It's the old bait and switch, and it is blatantly UNETHICAL.

So, the truth is that Mayor Marty only supported seeking taxpayer approval once he got caught with his fingers in the taxpayers' back pocket. C'mon everybody. It's time for the chorus... Just another fine example of politics as usual.

So, how about we close with the closing thought from Mayor Chavez's radio ad?

You mean a candidate would intentionally distort the truth just to get elected? Unfortunately true.

Haven't we all had enough of politics as usual?

Leadership. Vision. Results.

Our friends over at the Errors of Enchantment blog have picture perfectly captured the summation of Mayor Martin Chavez's leadership:

The signs which tout the Mayor’s “Leadership, Vision, and Results” are mostly located in open fields and other “public property” locations. But, as I was driving downtown the other day I noticed a sign in a rather unusual place, especially for an incumbent Mayor. I saw a sign in front of a boarded up hotel, the “Silver Moon Lodge” which is just west of downtown on Central.

Now, you have to appreciate the irony of Mayor Marty's campaign sign in front of a boarded up business in light of this claim from his campaign website:

While we're all aware of the nation-wide economic hardships so many people are facing, Albuquerque has been able to fair better than most urban area in the country.

But wait, it gets better. Mayor Marty actually has down as his number one claim to fame in his list of accomplishments: Public Safety. He even spells out how he has improved public safety.

Albuquerque is virtually graffiti and litter free due to Mayor Chavez' strict zero tolerance policies.

Wondering what zero tolerance for graffiti looks like with Mayor Martin Chavez leading the city?

Kinda brings the Mayor's other claims of accomplishment into question doesn't it?

State Representative and mayoral candidate Richard Berry has some additional observations, photos and videos on the success (or more appropriately lack thereof) of Mayor Chavez when it comes to public safety.

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.

Shifting Costs is not a Budget Solution

The Albuquerque City Council has a budget proposal from Mayor Chavez in front of them that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever in the current economic climate:

On the table now is the mayor's $475 million proposal for basic city operations. It would shift money out of the construction budget and into the operating fund to help offset dwindling revenue from the tight economy. The measure would also cut about 200 vacant jobs from the city payroll.

"There's not a lot of room to play around with," said Councilor Ken Sanchez, chairman of the council budget committee.

In hearings this month, councilors have already made changes to provide enough money for regular city employees to get 3 percent raises, starting July 1.

Shifting costs from one time construction expenditures to cover recurring expenses accomplishes one thing and one thing only... a postponement of the inevitable. It just means that you are putting off the layoffs of city employees and cutting of services until after the election. Of course, we are going to have the same problem next budget year. Actually, the problems next budget year were originally reported to be even worse.

Now, I realize there may be a handful of you, probably Mayor Chavez included, that believe that the worst is behind us, and that the picture for the future is brighter. Of course, this belief has no grounding in reality:

Loan servicers are overwhelmed by the flood of applications. Mortgage investors are angry about a congressional bill prohibiting them from suing servicers that modify loans. Foreclosures are rising as unemployment soars.

I don't live in the City of Albuquerque, but I would urge those of you that do to avoid voting for anyone not up to the task of making the hard decisions of truly balancing the City budget.

Mayor Chavez Buys Votes for $1.3 Million

I've long been an opponent of publicly funded campaigns, and it appears that the mayoral campaign currently underway is the perfect case study of why using our tax dollars to elect politicians is a lousy idea.

First, let's consider how Albuquerque's incumbent Mayor Marty Chavez was able to get on the ballot:

The confirmed city employees constitute 42 percent of the volunteer base used to collect the qualifying donations, making Fleisher correct in that respect. But those employees collected more than their share of the contributions. The review shows that 152 of the 295 books, or 52 percent, were used by city employees to qualify the mayor for public financing.

For example, the city’s employee relations manager, Lawrence Torres — who is the administration’s liaison with the city’s unionized workers — collected 10 books for the mayor, which was the largest group of books collected by one individual. Torres confirmed he collected the contributions, but declined to discuss how he did it, or why he participated in the drive.

Along with Torres, many of the city’s department directors — who are appointed by the mayor — collected contributions, as did many of their department managers plus the mayor’s own staff.

In other words, there is nothing grassroots about the whole taxpayer funded campaign program. The biggest beneficiaries are those already in office. Of course, getting your appointees to collect the signatures and money you need to get on the ballot and rake in the taxpayer money is only the beginning of the story.

Next comes the actual execution of the campaign. This is where you have to convince people to vote for you. Of course, once again, the incumbent in this case, Mayor Marty Chavez, has a great strategy. Try and buy the votes of a large voting block:

Mayor Martin Chávez says the city's blue-collar, clerical, security and transit employees won't have to wait an extra six months for their annual pay raises.

Chávez said his budget office had found about $1.3 million that isn't needed in a workman's compensation fund. That will allow the city to provide pay raises to more of its employees on July 1, the mayor said. The raises are expected to be about 3 percent.

That's amazing! Mayor Chavez found $1.3 million to pass out as raises. Somebody please explain to me how that happens. Last I checked the City of Albuquerque was looking at huge budget shortfalls:

Albuquerque faces a $20 million budget shortfall because of the worsening economy, and city officials are trying bridge the budget gap without laying off city workers.

In fact, the $20 million budget shortfall is just the beginning. It has been estimated that this amount will grow even larger next year. Yet, the Mayor is handing out raises. There is only one motivation to do this - buying votes!

$320K per Job - What a Deal!

Wish lists abound for the latest proposed once in a lifetime federal government giveaway package. First, Wall Street got $700 Billion from to keep banks from closing and pulling credit off the table. Granted, that didn't seem to have the desired effect, but as the saying goes, "Try, try again."

Now, the latest greatest big idea is to give state and municipal governments all across the country $500 - $700 Billion in economic stimulus money. And, these government entities are just full of great ideas on how to use the money. Look no further than Albuquerque's very own, Mayor Martin Chavez to see true economic genius at work (subscription):

Chávez unveiled a $1.6 billion wish list of projects Tuesday that includes $885 million for new renewable-energy power plants in and around Albuquerque and $90 million for a streetcar down Central.

The projects on Chávez's list include two West Side solar power plants with a $745 million price tag, $34.5 million for a solar array at Albuquerque's airport, and $72 million for energy-related retrofits to city buildings, along with tens of millions of dollars for city street projects.

Chávez said the $1.6 billion would be an unprecedented infusion of federal money, but it's unclear whether the city projects would be ready to go and therefore eligible for the money.

Speaking Saturday in his weekly video address to the nation, Obama said state and local officials would have to be ready to move quickly or else lose the money — how quickly has not been determined.

"We think they all qualify," Chávez said.

He estimates his wish list of projects would create 5,000 jobs of all kinds by 2010.

Wow, what a truly amazing accomplishment! For a mere $1.6 Billion, we could see 5,000 new jobs created. Let's see, I guess that would work out to a cost of about $320,000 per new job created. What a bargain! Of course, most important of all is that we would finally get that streetcar that the Mayor has been lusting after for quite some time. You know, the one that has been killed time and time again.

Like, I've said in the past, I've got a layman's understanding of the economic policy at best. I'm sure that the fact that we continue to lose millions of jobs after the bailout is just... well, just an unfortunate coincidence. I'm sure giving hundreds of billions of dollars to municipalities must somehow be a great idea - although exactly how escapes me.

Yeah, I'm probably just a little too slow to understand all of this. Giving folks like Mayor Chavez money to spend, so that they can create new jobs at $320K a pop probably makes perfect sense. Oh sure, I know some of you may point out that the private sector can do it for less:

ACCION New Mexico jumpstarted the local car and recreational vehicle detailing business Recapturing Vehicles with an $8,000 loan. The owner of Recapturing Vehicles, Jason Burns, had been turned down by five banks for a loan. Now, his company grosses $100,000 annually and Burns has two full-time employees.

But, you just don't understand the way government works. Why spend an average of $2,500 to create three new jobs when you can spend $960,000?

See the government knows what they're doing. Why just consider for a moment that in recent years the City of Albuquerque (same goes for the state and the nation) has had the largest budgets in their history to spend. Consider how many jobs they've been able to create during that time, and look at how strong our economy is doing because of it. It only makes sense that if we grow our government even more, we'll see an even greater impact on the economy.

What we're experiencing now is only the beginning - spend, spend, spend. Look where it got us today, and imagine where it can get us tomorrow.

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."

Beware the Task Force

Here it comes. The conception of countless new regulations and ordinances has occurred. And, in six months time we'll all witness the birth of new unneeded costly regulations and big government spending initiatives (subscription). Mark my word, they are coming. How do I know? Well...

City Hall launched an environmental task force on Thursday that will recommend ways for local governments and residents to address global warming.

Mayor Martin Chávez joined County Commission Chairman Alan Armijo and City Councilor Isaac Benton to announce the 35-member group, which includes representatives from Sandia National Laboratories, environmental organizations and government agencies.

Chávez said he hopes the task force will compile a “climate action plan” within six months.

The group’s plan should have value even to those who aren’t concerned about the environment, he said.

What's a climate action plan? Basically, it's a politician's sound bite that's guaranteed to cost us, the taxpayers, money and hassle.

The Beginning of an Unsettling Trend

Year after year, Mayor Martin Chavez has been spending with reckless abandonment. Last year, it became clear that his fiscal irresponsibility was finally catching up with him. This year the projected budget shortfall for Albuquerque is more than double what was predicted last year (subscription):

A recent budget forecast estimated the city would face a $50 million shortfall next year if no budget adjustments were made. And that was before the mayor announced 5 percent raises for firefighters and double-digit raises and other financial incentives for police to boost recruitment— expected to cost around $10 million altogether.

But Chávez says not to worry: The city can pay for it all by holding the line on other expenses.

"At the very first sign of (an economic) slowdown, we stopped filling positions," Chávez said.

The $50 million projected deficit is based on many assumptions, such as incremental increases in most expenses. Instead, city programs will see a "lack of growth," Chávez said.

Am I the only one who finds it hard to believe they've got it under control when deficits continue to increase?

Falsifying Success Becoming an Issue

In just a span of a couple of weeks, the City of Albuquerque has now twice been called to the carpet for fudging numbers. First, there was the expose on the City of Albuquerque's green claims (subscription):

It is a claim every Albuquerque resident who cares about global warming could be proud of: Since 1990, city residents have cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent.

It is also untrue.

The claim was contained in a report that was until recently featured prominently on the city's AlbuquerqueGreen Web site. As the nation's emissions of global warming-causing pollutants is on the rise, ours are going down, the report claimed.

But the report vastly overstated the city's greenhouse gas reductions. City officials acknowledged the problem and removed the report from a city Web site after the Journal requested supporting data.

It is not an isolated case. A Journal review shows the claims of greenhouse gas reductions and other "sustainability" successes made by the city are often exaggerated, misleading or wrong.

Not only is it not an isolated case, the Chavez Administration propensity to overstate success also appears not to be limited to green initiatives as one non-profit group discovered when checking on the City's claims (subscription):

Shortly after the city announced it had found homes for every "adoptable" shelter animal last month, a nonprofit group sent an employee over to check the claim.

The worker— from Alliance for Albuquerque Animals— walked through two city shelters and found 132 dogs and cats, seemingly ready for new homes.

The finding is evidence of a "culture of lying to the public about what's going on with shelter animals," said Debbra Colman, founder of the alliance.

Kind of makes you wonder what else the City may be lying about? Speaking of ethics in government, you can catch the video feeds from my most recent appearance on Eye on New Mexico here and here. The topic of the show was the ethics package being considered once again by the legislature.

Tom Udall for U.S. Senate

I spent this weekend attending my son's soccer tournament in Bernalillo. We stayed at Tamaya, rather than trekking back and forth from the East Mountains. We rationalized the expense of staying at the resort as our way of reducing our carbon footprint. I even used one of those little electric carts to check out the culturally and ecologically sensitive areas around Twin Warriors.

Now, I hadn't brought my computer, so I missed the announcement over the weekend that Congressman Tom Udall was getting into the U.S. Senate race (subscription):

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall will seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici in 2008, making him the third of New Mexico's three U.S. House members to seek the seat.

"He's definitely running," Udall's chief of staff Tom Nagle said Saturday.

However, learning of this news today explains the loud noise I heard coming from the direction of Albuquerque over the weekend. It was obviously the collective groan of Mayor Martin Chavez's campaign camp. Any chance they had of winning the Democratic nomination of the U.S. Senate seat vanished with Udall's announcement.

Udall's announcement is also a clear indication that Governor Richardson is serious about not getting into the Senate race. Udall's step-daughter, Amanda Cooper, is the deputy campaign manager of Richardson's presidential campaign.

This also mean that every Congressional seat except for one, Senator Jeff Bingaman's seat, is up for grabs. Combine that with the fact that every state legislative seat is up re-election, and we've got the makings of "all politics, all the time" in 2008.

Mayor Martin Chavez's Finance Committee Fiasco

The fact that two of three Democratic heavy hitters (the third is apparently just staying away from the phone) are contradicting Mayor Martin Chavez's assertion that they are serving on his finance committee is nothing short of extraordinary:

Since the names were published on Thursday, accusations have surfaced on the Internet and within Democratic circles that Chávez may have exaggerated or lied about their involvement in his campaign.

Not so, Chávez said today.

“They’re all on,” he said of Blanchard, Cope and Gonzales. “I talked to them yesterday. They’re all on.”

But Blanchard, when I reached him today by telephone, refused to talk about whether he’s a member of Chávez’s finance committee – a clear indicator that something unusual is afoot.

“At this point, I don’t want to comment on anything,” he said.

And Gonzales said today that he is not a member of Chávez’s committee.

What makes this so bizarre is that Mayor Martin Chavez is a seasoned politician. We're talking about a man who should know better than to assert publicly that someone is on his finance committee when they aren't.

My guess is that this is the first of many mistakes we are going to see from the Mayor in the coming months.

500 Bicycles for Needy Children

It's Rumble in Rio time again, and this event is now one more reminder of why we don't want Mayor Marty Chavez (subscription) to be elected to the United States Senate:

Firefighter Melvin Parker and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the city last year after city officials threatened to discipline— or fire— anyone who participated.

Parker won the lawsuit, allowing city police officers and firefighters to participate.

"To be honest with you, I didn't think we would ever be at this point," said Parker, who will face Albuquerque officer David Padilla. "What we did a year ago wasn't just about the Rumble in Rio. Our suit pretty much set precedent that the city cannot dictate what you do outside of the department."

Trouble started last year when Mayor Martin Chávez and then-Public Safety Director Nick Bakas said any city firefighter and police officer who participated in the event could face disciplinary action.

Oh, did I mention that "last year's Rumble in Rio raised $50,000 and bought 500 bicycles for needy children." Nice guy that Mayor Marty Chavez.

Mayor Chavez Changes Gear

Oh what a bummer! It looks like Mayor Chavez has decided to abandon his gubernatorial campaign website for 2010 (see the last listing):


Now, he has decided to change gears. My favorite line from his announcement speech:

I know that in my gut the national and state GOP will fight mean and dirty. Their war effort and power are at stake. But in my heart, I know they no longer represent the mainstream of their party or New Mexico.

Say What! Republican power is at stake? Um, exactly where are we talking about? The Democrats control both Houses of Congress. The Democrats control both bodies of the state legislature. Am I missing something?

And, what did our esteemed Mayor forget to mention in his announcement speech:

All together, the city collected $10,611,397 in revenue [through red light cameras] and handed over $2,844,920 to Redflex. This left the city with between $5.8 and $7.8 million in net profit. The precise figure is not known as officials charged as photo enforcement expenses a number of part and full-time police officer salaries as well as the entire administrative hearing office budget. The audit report sidestepped the question of whether the ticketing program has had any beneficial effect on traffic accidents. It mentioned that police could claim only two of the nineteen intersections with cameras might have seen a decrease in accidents.

Kinda makes you wonder if he is elected Senator, whether or not he would be pushing for a national red light program. After all, it has been just so dang profitable for the City of Albuquerque.

A Quick Reality Check

It's been said before, but it is worth repeating. Mayor Martin Chavez has virtually no chance of beating Lt. Governor Diane Denish in a race for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010. What is amusing in this week's Journal poll is not how low he polled, but Mayor Chavez's response to the poll (subscription):

The election is almost three years away and one of the candidates hasn't even committed to running, but just for fun let's ask the question:

What if Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez faced off in a Democratic primary for governor today?

The results of a Journal Poll of New Mexico Democrats indicate Denish would win. And maybe by a bunch.

Half of those surveyed— who said they're likely to vote in a 2010 primary— said they would vote for Denish. Chávez had the support of 30 percent. The rest said it was too early to say.

Chávez, who is raising political money but hasn't said yet whether he'll run for governor, on Saturday called his numbers "remarkable."

"She's been campaigning full time for almost a year and I'm not even a candidate, so I'm very pleased. Those are good numbers," Chávez said.

Did Mayor Chavez actually say that with a straight face? We're talking about a guy who has held as many as 57 news conferences in 69 days. Mayor Chavez gets a lot more statewide press than Lt. Governor Denish, yet it's just not working for him.

Leave No Constituent Happy

I'm trying to figure out Mayor Marty Chavez's plans for post-2009. There's been a lot of speculation that he was planning on challenging Diane Denish in a Democratic Primary for Governor. But lately, all he seems focused on doing is alienating just about everyone in the City of Albuquerque.

First, he installs the red light cameras to the dismay of nearly every citizen. Then, he makes Albuquerque the sanctuary of illegal immigrants with criminal tendencies. Mayor Chavez follows that brilliant plan with an announcement that he is seriously considering closing all golf courses in an attempt to balance a budget shortfall of $200,000:

Mayor Martin Chávez warned this week that he will shut down municipal golf courses if needed to balance their budget.

Chávez delivered the warning during a meeting Thursday with Albuquerque's golf advisory board.

The board, meanwhile, is discussing whether to ask the City Council for an increase in golf rates.

"I will close the doors," Chávez said he told the golf board. "I have to balance the books."

This coming from the guy whose administration went hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget on a couple of towers and tried to raise taxes to build an unneeded trolley down Central. Kinda makes you wonder what he's got planned next. I really can't figure out who he has left to alienate.

Sometimes You've Got to Spend a Little

I've been thinking about this trip to China that Mayor Martin Chavez took, and as much as I enjoy taking the Mayor to task for questionable spending practices, I can't begrudge him spending $8,500 to make the trip to China (subscription). I'm inclined to agree that from a business perspective, it's a smart move.

There is a lot of talk about how government can promote economic development, and targeted tax incentives that benefit one industry but not others are a pet peeve of mine. However, I do believe that government representatives can be in a position to begin a dialogue that can be beneficial to all involved. Now, had Mayor Chavez's trip been solely about bringing a panda to the Albuquerque Zoo, I would have had a very different take on it value.

There was one part of the Albuquerque Journal article that I did find troubling:

City Council President Debbie O'Malley, who has criticized the cost of trying to bring pandas to the Rio Grande Zoo, said she's not sure the trip to China was worth it.

"I really wonder if it's necessary— I do," O'Malley said Tuesday. "I wonder what the real benefits are of his going to China. We're a midsized city."

Those last two sentences demonstrate a real lack of vision on the part of City Council President Debbie O'Malley. No wonder Councilor O'Malley is such a proponent for government subsidized housing. She seems to believe that you can never become more than what you already are.

Spending Taxpayer Funds

Yesterday, the NM GOP put out a press release addressing the questionable ways some Democratic candidates have already begun to spend their taxpayer funded jackpots campaigns:

Recently filed campaign reports by candidates for the Albuquerque City Council paint a clear and convincing case against public financing for political campaigns. Joan Griffin, a candidate for City Council District 6, received $23,440 in taxpayer funds for her campaign, and in the past reporting period, doled out $400 to the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Paulette De’Pascal, a candidate for City Council District 4, received $31,692 in taxpayer funds for her campaign, and she also gave $400 to the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

“I wonder how many Albuquerque taxpayers know that they just handed over $800 to the Democrat Party,” remarked NM GOP Executive Director, Adam Feldman. “Ordinarily, such an expense wouldn’t even receive notice because, as it should be, when a candidate raises their own money, they are able to spend it on whatever campaign activities are necessary. But in this case, taxpayer dollars are being doled out to a political party, supposedly for a registered voters list that could have more easily been purchased at the city clerk’s office. What would prevent either candidate from dropping all of their money into the state Democrat Party?”

And in De'Pascal's case, taxpayer funded campaign dollars have also been wisely used at Starbucks. After all, there is no better way to ensure campaign success then to enjoy a publicly funded iced venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and a double shot of expresso. It provides that competitive advantage every candidate needs.

Now if these taxpayer exploiting candidates are successful at winning a council seat, they're sure to follow in the footsteps of their mentor and continue spending taxpayer money with reckless abandonment in the pursuit of a better political image:

But the question - when is a public service announcement a campaign ad - hasn't been answered.

It usually comes up during election season. It's back again sooner, in my mind at least, with the upcoming broadcast of a television special "Shaping the Future: Albuquerque's Economic Success." Mayor Martin Chavez provides voice-over and is featured prominently.

The city - you - spent $36,000 to produce the video. It will set us back another $20,000 to broadcast it five times on the four New Mexico TV stations before the end of July. (Considering the video is 30 minutes long, that's actually cheap compared to what it costs to air TV ads during election season.)

But before you judge, listen to the idea: The video is meant to reach out and let community members and business leaders know about economic development in the Duke City.

Hmm, that's an interesting spin... As a community member and burgeoning business leader, I've attended no less than three luncheons in the last six weeks that have educated me on the economic development in the Duke City - one by Albuquerque Economic Development, one by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and another by NAIOP.

I wonder what the Mayor is going to tell me in his taxpayer funded campaign commercial television special that I don't already know?

Putting You Money Where Your Mouth Is

Dr. Beth Everitt is going to "retire" from APS (read: look for another job) when her contract is over next June. And, surprise, surprise, Mayor Marty Chavez has inserted his two cents about the necessary qualifications of the next Superintendent (subscription):

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez weighed in with his opinion Monday.

"We have a school district that's in a crisis," he said. "It's going to require somebody who's not afraid to make enemies, including on the board."

The Mayor has been a big proponent of the City taking a controlling interest in the school district. Something I think is pointless. However, here's an idea... Why doesn't the Mayor apply for the job? You know, put his money where his mouth is.

Dr. Everitt is leaving in June 2008, The Mayor is termed out in October of 2009. Instead of trying to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor against Lt. Governor Diane Dennish, a race he is bound to lose, he could campaign hard to be hired as the next Superintendent. It would be a big pay raise, and he could prove that his ideas for running the district are the way to go.

What do you say, Marty?

If Safety Really Was Priority Number One

A lot of discussion has occurred on the web and elsewhere about Mayor Martin Chavez's money-making machine (AKA the red-light cameras). The Mayor's story is that it's all about safety, and he is sticking to it. But reports like this kind of make you wonder:

Red light cameras and speed cameras have failed to reduce offenses committed by the drivers of school buses in Albuquerque, New Mexico. City officials insisted when the devices were installed in 2005 that their only purpose was to reduce driving violations, but drivers working on behalf of the city continue to be photographed.

Last year, six bus drivers sued the city for automatically finding them guilty of red light camera violations without offering them an opportunity to challenge the evidence.

This year, KOB-TV documented at least fifty examples of red light and speed camera citations that were mailed to the sixteen private companies that operate school buses on behalf of Albuquerque. The highest speeds alleged were between nine and ten MPH over the limit and a number of the claimed red light violations involved turning right on red.

The city makes each school bus company responsible for paying the fine.

If the city's primary concern was safety, don't you think they would terminate contracts with these school bus companies instead of just making them pay the fine? I'm just wondering.

Very Troubling Indeed

I wrote about Mayor Martin Chavez's proposed tax cut a little more than a month ago. I caught some flack from my friends at Rio Grande Foundation for not being a Chavez cheerleader on this one. However, I thought I had made my support for the tax cut very clear:

We're not excited because it is just not enough. However, with that said, I'll take what I can get, so I do support the return of our money. I also would recommend that any Republican on the City Counsel considering not supporting the tax cut, immediately stop by the County Clerk's office and change their registration to Democrat because that's where they will need to look for support the next time they are up for re-election.

Well, last night the Albuquerque City Council voted (subscription), and here is the result:

City councilors late Monday night approved a tax cut proposed by Mayor Martin Chávez, but they delayed it for six months to help provide the county with $9 million for jail expenses.

The eighth-cent reduction in gross-receipts taxes will take effect on July 1, 2008. Chávez wanted to cut taxes Jan. 1.

Craig Loy, Sally Mayer, Ken Sanchez and Brad Winter voted against delaying the tax reduction. Voting to delay were Isaac Benton, Michael Cadigan, Don Harris, Martin Heinrich and Debbie O'Malley.

Houston, we have a problem. It seems one Republican thought it was okay to keep on spending money the City shouldn't have had in the first place. Worse, he tried to portray delaying a tax cut as an act of defiance:

[Don] Harris, the council's budget chairman, said the approved plan was "far superior" to the mayor's budget proposal.

"We are doing our job. Our job is not to rubber-stamp whatever the mayor wants to do," Harris said.

Note to Councilor Harris... Republicans ARE NOT going to look kindly on a city councilor who refused to give taxpayers back $9 million. You can't say I didn't warn you back in April. There are places to make a stand, but standing in the way of a tax cut is not one of them.

It's Like a Sale at Macy's

Paul Gessing over at Rio Grande Foundation had an interesting opinion piece recently published in the Albuquerque Journal (subscription) which began:

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez has proposed a one-eighth cent reduction in the gross-receipts tax rate. If the City Council goes along with the plan, the rate charged within the city would drop from 6.875 cents to 6.75 cents on each dollar spent, and $18 million that would have been budgeted by the city would be returned to taxpayers.

I've been asked by at least one individual in Mayor Martin Chavez's administration, why aren't we - the Republican blogosphere - all over this. We're talking about a tax cut that is worth in the neighborhood of $200 million when all is said and done. Shouldn't we be singing Mayor Marty's praises? Heralding the fact that he is a tax cutting Mayor. Applauding his sense of financial control. You know, the type of guy we could all get behind for Governor in 2010.

Well, to understand the reason for the lack of enthusiasm, you only need to read the rest of the opinion piece:

Gross-receipts tax rates in Albuquerque have jumped in recent years. The current 6.875 percent rate is 18 percent higher than it was as recently as 2000, when the rate was only 5.8125 percent.

That's right in the span of six or so years, we've seen a whopping 18% increase in the gross receipts tax. Today, it is a full 1.0625% higher than it was just six short years ago. Yet, Mayor Chavez can't understand why we're not heralding him as a conquering hero for offering to give back 0.125%. If that 0.125% give back is worth a couple of hundred million, just how much did that rapid tax increase steal from the back pockets of hardworking taxpayers?

We're not excited because it is just not enough. However, with that said, I'll take what I can get, so I do support the return of our money. I also would recommend that any Republican on the City Counsel considering not supporting the tax cut, immediately stop by the County Clerk's office and change their registration to Democrat because that's where they will need to look for support the next time they are up for re-election.

Mayor Marty "Open Mouth Insert Foot" Chavez

Never one to miss an opportunity to look foolish in public, Mayor Marty Chavez once again is trying to stick it to Congresswoman Heather Wilson.

Chávez was quoted today by Congressional Quarterly, which is read by members of Congress and politicos in the nation’s capital and beyond, on the impact the scandal will have on Wilson’s career.

“Heather Wilson will no longer be elected in New Mexico,” [Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez ] said, adding that her actions were “reprehensible.”

Let's start by stating the obvious. Martin Chavez is in ABSOLUTELY NO position to discuss what it means for a politician to act ethically. This is nothing more than a very weak attempt to wipe the egg off his face from the last election.

As I recall, the timeline went something like this:

1. Mayor Marty endorsed Patricia Madrid.
   
2. Mayor Marty LEANED on his appointed fire chief to make a fuss over something where there was no fuss to be made.
3. Mayor Marty attends a debate where Patricia Madrid has difficulty answering simple questions.
   
4. Patricia Madrid loses.

Plus, let's compare the VERY BRIEF phone calls made to David Iglesias to the Senator Schumer letter to a U.S. Attorney (this is a MUST read).

Yeah, nice try Mayor Chavez. Let's face it, you, and I do mean you personally, cannot beat Congresswoman Heather Wilson in a race, so quit acting the political jester with your predictions, and concentrate your political energies on races that might actually involve you.

It's MY Cash Cow, Get Your Own

It looks like the truth is finally out regarding the red light cameras. Many believe that the red light cameras are nothing more than a money printing machine for the City of Albuquerque. Yet, the Mayor has often defended them as important to public safety. That is until the state government decided they wanted a piece of the action (subscription):

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez said Tuesday that he'll pull the plug on the city's traffic camera enforcement program if legislators pass a law requiring the city to share some of its fees with the state.

Senate Bill 780, unanimously approved by the Senate last week, would require the city to give the state $74 for every citation issued by the traffic camera program.

"This bill is a program killer," Chávez said. "This is very unfortunate. The state's largest city comes up with an innovative program to improve public safety, and the legislators just see green."

You tell me. Who is seeing green? Mayor Chavez wants to be Governor. You've got to be kidding. Yet again, Mayor Marty demonstrates that his primary concern is increasing the city budget anyway that he can. Any argument that public safety is his number one concern just went speeding by.

Where to Spend All the Money?

The legislative session is more than half over, and it is always amusing to see where our legislators think our tax dollars should be spent:

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS TO ATTEND SEMIPROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL GAMES. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. APPROPRIATION.--One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the public education department for expenditure in fiscal year 2008 to purchase and distribute tickets to school students for semiprofessional basketball games. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

I like a good basketball game as much as the next guy, but isn't this a little silly? Exactly who asked for this legislation, Tingley Colosseum, Albuquerque ThunderbirdIs, or the schools. And Mayor Martin Chavez wants to build an arena where and for how much? I wonder how much we'll have to appropriate to send school children to that arena.

Nonsensical Rate Increases

I frequently travel out of state on business. I've always liked how easy it is to get in and out of the Sunport. And as a small business owner, I've also appreciated how inexpensive parking can be.

Leave it to Mayor Martin Chavez to mess with that (subscription):

The city Aviation Department is seeking authorization to increase rates for short-term and long-term parking. City councilors are considering the proposal.

For short-term parking, the rate for 24 hours would go from $7 to $9. After 72 hours, the daily rate would go from $10 to $12.

The long-term rate for 24 hours would rise from $6 to $8. After 72 hours, the daily rate would go from $8 to $11.

Airport officials say the rate increase would bring Albuquerque more into line with other cities. "We have been looking at what is done at other airports our size, and we are far below what they charge for parking," said spokesman Daniel Jiron.

Re-read that last paragraph. Mr. Jiron is not saying we need additional revenue to cover costs. Instead, he is saying that he just wants to bump up the costs because other municipalities charge more. Would somebody please explain to the goofballs what it means to have a competitive advantage?

This is at minimum a $1.7 million tax increase on anyone who flies. A completely unnecessary tax increase I might add. Worse yet, if the City raises the parking fees by the proposed 20-30%, then all of the private parking lots around the airport will raise their fees accordingly. This is a perfect example of government artificially driving up costs.

I hope our City councilors have more sense than the Mayor's aviation staff.

What's More Disturbing?

The City of Albuquerque had a 42 percent increase in auto theft (subscription) in the first seven months of the year. That's cause for alarm, and it reflects negatively on Mayor Martin Chavez. However, one of the proposed solutions is just beyond creepy:

Having the police department purchase computerized license plate readers. The devices can be placed at different places in town to read plates as cars pass by. A nearby officer is alerted if the device reads a plate from a car that has been reported stolen.

First, there were a few cameras at intersections to stop people from running red lights. Now, they want to put computerized license plate readers all around town to monitor every car as it goes past. At what point do we say enough is enough?