Denish's Silence to be Her Undoing

It's everywhere. Governor Bill Richardson got the boot from the cabinet secretary position because the FBI is not able to give Richardson a “clean political bill of health.” Do I think this is the first step to re-uniting Bill Richardson and Manny Aragon? No. However, I do think this is a devastating blow for Lt. Governor Diane Denish.

Lt. Governor Denish was poised to become the first female governor of New Mexico, but in one fail swoop that has all changed. My guess is that Governor Richardson will now finish out his term and attempt to save what is left of his legacy. That means switching all of those reporters he has gathered over the years into overdrive efforts to redirect the focus away from the indictments and on to more flattering topics.

Of course, the Lt. Governor could save her political future by coming out on the attack and blow the whistle on Richardson's antics, but that's just not her style. Sure, there was that whole pinching episode...

The lieutenant governor of New Mexico, Diane Denish was quoted in the Albuquerque Journal saying she avoids standing or sitting near Richardson because of his physical manner, which she said was not improper but was "annoying." The governor, she said, "pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg."

On repeated occasions, Richardson has been pressed by reporters or Democratic activists on whether his personal conduct can withstand public scrutiny.

But, even then, the Lt. Governor had been careful not to call anything Governor Richardson did "improper." She preferred to think of it as simply "annoying." As this scandal plays out, most likely the final major scandal of the Richardson administration, expect the Lt. Governor to remain silent on the impropriety of pinching donors.

After all, it's no secret that Lt. Governor Denish has been rather aggressive in her own rights in securing a rather impressive war chest over these last few years. But, as one of the Lt. Governor's esteemed colleagues pointed out, taking large sums of money is only about charging for access.

Make That 21

A couple of days ago, Kate Nash noted that 15-20 people are interested in the Lt. Governor job, once Diane Denish vacates to take over as Governor - a position she has filled for a very large part of these past two years while our current Governor has been out exploring various job opportunities:

However, Denish gave no hints as to whether she had a favorite, saying simply in an interview that she is "going to appoint that person when there's a vacancy in that office."

You've probably heard the same names I have: Lawrence Rael, Hector Balderas, Lucky Varela, John Garcia, Joe Maestas, Dan Lopez. A new one I heard the other day is Pojoaque Gov. George Rivera, and then came Stuwart Paisano's name as another possibility.

But it seems there are others, according to Denish's numbers. Any women contenders? Anyone we never heard of? Send me your nominations now. . .

Ok, I don't know about any female contenders, but a quick review of this list makes it clear to me that it is in desperate need of a Republican. Now, I've got quite a few other pans in the fire right now. However, I am willing to put them on hold and accept the nod as Lt. Governor.

Now, I know it's a tough job that will require all of my attention. After all, the day to day responsibilities include.... um, consist of.... uh, well, let's just call it a tough job and leave it at that.

I'm up to the task and am willing to serve. Now, I haven't I had a chance to talk to Lt. Governor Denish about me filling the position, but I'm sure once she reads this post, she will quickly see that I am the only qualified Republican on the final list of contenders. As such, if our soon to Governor opts not select me, then we'll all know that it partisan politics as usual at play.

Happy New Year!

The Most Pressing Issue of the Day

New Mexico is entering full economic crisis mode. We're facing a half a billion dollar budget shortfall that in all likelihood will continue to worsen through 2011. Jobs are disappearing in our capital city at an ever increasing rate (subscription):

"Overall, the Santa Fe job market has stagnated in recent months, with only five of the area's 12 (industry categories) adding jobs," said the report, released last week.

Santa Fe lost 300 jobs at area hotels and restaurants in November, the report states.

Occupancy rates for Santa Fe hotels have been crashing over the past three months.

Hotel operators have acknowledged there have been layoffs in recent weeks. In November, only about 44 percent of hotel rooms were filled, down from 53 percent for the same month in 2007. It was the first time the average occupancy rate had dropped below 50 percent in 10 months.

And, the job picture for the state as a whole is not much better:

According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in New Mexico rose by more than one third — from 31,000 to 41,700 persons — between November 2007 and November 2008.

The state’s unemployment rate rose from 3.3 percent to 4.3 percent over the same time period. New Mexico lost 3,700 manufacturing jobs, reflecting layoffs at Intel, Eclipse Aviation and TMC in Roswell, among other staff reductions. Construction jobs fell by 2,500 over the past year.

But, it looks like at least one legislator has decided that there are more pressing issues to deal with the then the looming half a billion dollar budgetary crisis and ever shrinking job market. After her last campaign, Representative Mimi Stewart has come to the conclusion that the most pressing issue of the day to is the need to abolish the electoral college:

An Albuquerque lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would align New Mexico with several other states that are seeking to do away with the electoral college system for presidential elections.

Four states — Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey — have already approved bills calling for a system that would use the national popular vote to determine who's elected president.

Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, who plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session to do likewise, said she's heard repeated gripes from constituents who dislike the current system.

"It's a fairness issue," Stewart said Monday in a telephone interview.

"Mathematically, 11 states could currently choose who's elected (president). I think people are tired of the electoral college."

It's good in these times of need that we have legislators who understand our priorities.

What Happens to the Money?

When government starts spending money, it has a habit of just disappearing. The more money there is, the faster it disappears. It's the one thing that government seems to do exceptionally well. Here in New Mexico, we've watched the Richardson administration burn through billions of dollars with little to show for it.

[Side note: Is it my imagination, or has some portion of I-40 between Tramway and I-25 been under construction for at least six straight years with little improvement?]

Of course, the government's make-the-money-disappear act is not unique to New Mexico. Over the last few months, the federal government gave away hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out the largest names in banking. Now, the question is: "Where did the money go?" And, the answer from the banks is: "We're not telling?"

But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's largest banks say they can't track exactly how they're spending the money or they simply refuse to discuss it.

"We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,'" said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to."

The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest?

None of the banks provided specific answers.

Billions gone just like that. What do we have to show for it? Nothing. Of course, this bailout is not a one time shot in the economic arm. In less than a month, our new president will be sworn into office, and shortly thereafter, we can expect this process of giving away hundreds of billions of taxpayer money to be repeated again and quite possibly again.

I should probably be arguing against more economic bailouts, but at this point that would nothing more than an exercise in futility. The course has been set and the money is going to be spent. So, the only question that remains is whether or not, those who receive this next round of billions in taxpayer money get to "simply refuse to discuss" how the money was spent.

Bloated Government Contributes to Crisis

Time and time again, it's been written here that Governor Bill Richardson's legacy amounts to spend, spend, spend. Of course, this has led us to the half a billion dollar budget crisis in which we now find ourselves.

Most everyone knows about the big ticket items. The very generous gift to billionaire Branson to pursue his space dreams. The even more expensive train, which will cost us tens of millions of dollars every year, and has resulted in a severly underfunded transportation system. But, what never seems to get quite the attention it deserves are the millions of dollars in newly created political payback jobs that have been handed out under Richardson:

Five years ago, just eight of Gov. Bill Richardson's political appointees made more than $100,000 a year. Today, more than 100 earn at least that much.

Also up under Richardson: the number of gubernatorial political appointees, formally known as exempt employees.

In his first 15 months in office, the number of appointees scattered throughout government grew from 167 to 307. Today, there are 468 gubernatorial appointees in exempt positions.

That growth in the patronage, or spoils, system of state government is one of the legacies of Richardson as he prepares to vacate the Governor's Mansion for a slot in Barack Obama's Cabinet.

Now, the only question remains is whether or not Lt Governor Denish will do the right thing and clear government of "the spoils" when she takes over?

A Move Back to Family Time

Yesterday, after church the family came over to our house for a late lunch. I made seco de pollo served with rice and accompanied by salad and bread. The cost to feed 16 people was just over $30. Not including the time at church (the Jewish guy was excused and did the cooking), we spent a little over four enjoyable hours together. Everyone had a great time.

Our kids went home with their visiting cousins to spend the night at their grandparents, which meant Roxanne and I had a kid free night. We haven't gone out to catch a movie in awhile, so we decided to go last night. The two tickets along with a single popcorn and a shared large soda cost just over $30. I couldn't help but think during the movie that I would have been just as happy watching a movie at home.

When I consider the two times yesterday I dropped $30, I have to admit I felt I got a lot more bang for my buck (and simple enjoyment) from the lunch at home than I did from the movie in the evening. Like many others, we're watching our budget a lot closer these days, and I have to tell you it will probably be sometime before I decide to go to a movie again. I can't imagine that I'm alone, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see a number of movie theater chains go under in 2009.

But, there is a positive side to the economic crisis in which we now find ourselves - a return to family values. You're going to find my more and more families spending time together, or in some case just staying together:

Circuit courts across the country report downturns in the number of divorce and separation filings. Cook County's Circuit Court in Chicago saw a 5% decrease in filings -- about 600 cases -- in the first three quarters of 2008 compared to the same period last year. Similar drops were reported in other cities across the country.

This domestic situation is also confirmed in a poll by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The AAML surveyed its members -- all divorce lawyers -- and found that 37% of them have seen a decrease in the number of couples seeking a divorce, while just 19% saw an increase in divorce cases.

In past generations, people found a way to make a marriage work for a variety of reasons - including economic neccessity. I also read somewhere, although now I can't fnd the post, that people are not going to be as quick to pack up and move arond the country. This means we'll be seeing people stay closer to their extended family. I've got to believe that socially this will be much better for our society as a whole.

New Mexico Finance Authority

Let's assume that Governor Richardson is not indicted by the grand jury over the CDR pay to play scandal. Assuming that's the case, his confirmation by the Senate will still go through, and he'll be departing the Land of Enchantment for the Beltway.

However, we still have a problem. The New Mexico Finance Authority Board contains no less than four cabinet secretaries as well as the State Investment Officer:

Ron Curry

Secretary

Environment Department

Katherine Miller

Secretary

Department of Finance & Administration

Fred Mondragon

Secretary
Economic Development Department

Joanna Prukop, Board Secretary

Secretary

Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources

Gary Bland

State Investment Officer

State Investment Council

So, even if you were to believe that it was just a bizarre coincidence that a company would be awarded with a $1.5 million fee after making two large contributions to the Governor, the fact remains that no one can find the contract, and those cabinet secretaries who are supposed to be looking out for us were at the very least negligent in their duties.

Which raises the questions, if the Governor leaves, and Lt. Governor Denish takes over, will she immediately remove all of those listed above from their positions?