away from desk
Surgery on a grandchild is calling us away to Phoenix for awhile. Will have my computer and thank goodness for webcasting from the legislature. cell: 505-699-9982.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
3-4 Big Smoke. No Fire
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- As the legislature passed its midpoint, it was a case of heap big smoke but no fire. Bills were moving slowly through committee. Some Saturday sessions were being held but not many.
The House had passed some major legislation that has gotten nowhere in the Senate. That's not particularly unusual. Both houses give priority to their own bills until near the end of the session.
The big boasts that the Senate Rules Committee will produce an omnibus ethics bill continue to be made but little progress is evident. The committee is hearing ethics bills but at glacial speed.
Other bills are piling up on its calendar. This is the committee that confirms gubernatorial appointments, some of which are expected to be controversial. As of this writing, no weekend sessions of the committee have been held.
Between the House and Senate, over 30 ethics measures have been introduced. The House is accumulating its bills in the Voters and Elections Committee, which is also talking about an omnibus bill.
If such a bill is created in either or both houses, it will have to survive many committees and pass on the floor of both houses. Some of the committees an omnibus bill can be expected to encounter are the judiciary and finance committees of each house.
All four of those committees, with the huge number of bills referred to them, are known for grinding good ideas to a permanent halt. Do we have a plot afoot here?
It may be that the only real step toward transparency in government will be the broadcasting and Webcasting of legislative sessions and committee hearings.
Amusingly, that has come about not as the result of legislation but because of an act of civil disobedience by a Republican woman. Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones set up her own equipment to transmit audio and video webcasts of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.
Committee Chairman Ed Sandoval and Speaker of the House Ben Lujan both requested her not to do it. But she proceeded. Since then, the House has approved Webcasting as has the Senate Committee on Committees, which got the whole hubbub started by taking down the cameras the Senate approved the previous year.
The House approval resulted in the Legislature's website at www.nmlegis.gov transmitting the audio of House floor sessions. When the House is in session, click on the red message in the upper right hand corner of the screen and hear the proceedings.
It will likely be next year before the Senate will have its equipment set back up to send out audio and video signals during sessions of the Senate.
Meanwhile webcasts are available from www.kunm.org, www.lawmakerslive.com, www.nmgov.tv, www.newmexicoindependent.com.
Cancer claimed two of New Mexico's most committed advocates in the last few weeks. Patty Jennings lobbied for special education and other services for children and families with special heeds and was instrumental in the creation of the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool.
Jennings came to the Capitol many years ago as Patty Ikard, from Las Cruces, lobbying for children with special needs. She became a familiar face around the Capitol over the coming years.
Her bills often were in the Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Tim Jennings, of Roswell. Their mutual interests eventually led to marriage. Patty continued her presence at the Capitol, serving as a valuable source of fresh ideas for her husband.
She earned the respect of leaders from both parties. Capitol regulars will miss her greatly.
Another loss to the state is Los Alamos anti-nuclear activist Ed Grothus. He came to the laboratory in 1949 as a machinist. Twenty years later he decided he was opposed to the nuclear work. He left the lab and opened the Black Hole where he bought and resold surplus material from the lab.
I never met Grothus but I received humorous emails from him for years. He always had a new and off-beat slant to his brand of activism.
WED, 3-04-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- As the legislature passed its midpoint, it was a case of heap big smoke but no fire. Bills were moving slowly through committee. Some Saturday sessions were being held but not many.
The House had passed some major legislation that has gotten nowhere in the Senate. That's not particularly unusual. Both houses give priority to their own bills until near the end of the session.
The big boasts that the Senate Rules Committee will produce an omnibus ethics bill continue to be made but little progress is evident. The committee is hearing ethics bills but at glacial speed.
Other bills are piling up on its calendar. This is the committee that confirms gubernatorial appointments, some of which are expected to be controversial. As of this writing, no weekend sessions of the committee have been held.
Between the House and Senate, over 30 ethics measures have been introduced. The House is accumulating its bills in the Voters and Elections Committee, which is also talking about an omnibus bill.
If such a bill is created in either or both houses, it will have to survive many committees and pass on the floor of both houses. Some of the committees an omnibus bill can be expected to encounter are the judiciary and finance committees of each house.
All four of those committees, with the huge number of bills referred to them, are known for grinding good ideas to a permanent halt. Do we have a plot afoot here?
It may be that the only real step toward transparency in government will be the broadcasting and Webcasting of legislative sessions and committee hearings.
Amusingly, that has come about not as the result of legislation but because of an act of civil disobedience by a Republican woman. Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones set up her own equipment to transmit audio and video webcasts of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.
Committee Chairman Ed Sandoval and Speaker of the House Ben Lujan both requested her not to do it. But she proceeded. Since then, the House has approved Webcasting as has the Senate Committee on Committees, which got the whole hubbub started by taking down the cameras the Senate approved the previous year.
The House approval resulted in the Legislature's website at www.nmlegis.gov transmitting the audio of House floor sessions. When the House is in session, click on the red message in the upper right hand corner of the screen and hear the proceedings.
It will likely be next year before the Senate will have its equipment set back up to send out audio and video signals during sessions of the Senate.
Meanwhile webcasts are available from www.kunm.org, www.lawmakerslive.com, www.nmgov.tv, www.newmexicoindependent.com.
Cancer claimed two of New Mexico's most committed advocates in the last few weeks. Patty Jennings lobbied for special education and other services for children and families with special heeds and was instrumental in the creation of the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool.
Jennings came to the Capitol many years ago as Patty Ikard, from Las Cruces, lobbying for children with special needs. She became a familiar face around the Capitol over the coming years.
Her bills often were in the Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Tim Jennings, of Roswell. Their mutual interests eventually led to marriage. Patty continued her presence at the Capitol, serving as a valuable source of fresh ideas for her husband.
She earned the respect of leaders from both parties. Capitol regulars will miss her greatly.
Another loss to the state is Los Alamos anti-nuclear activist Ed Grothus. He came to the laboratory in 1949 as a machinist. Twenty years later he decided he was opposed to the nuclear work. He left the lab and opened the Black Hole where he bought and resold surplus material from the lab.
I never met Grothus but I received humorous emails from him for years. He always had a new and off-beat slant to his brand of activism.
WED, 3-04-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Sunday, February 22, 2009
3-2 Geronimo Brings National Attention to State
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The bones of famed Apache warrior Geronimo may return to his southwestern New Mexico home as the result of a lawsuit filed by his great-grandson, Harlyn Geronimo.
Readers who have seen my Billy the Kid columns know of my disinclination toward digging up graves. But this would be done for long-held cultural reasons. That softens my feelings about grave desecration a little, but not much.
Nevertheless, returning Geronimo to the homeland from which he was forcibly taken and held captive in Oklahoma and Florida for the next 23 years until his death has a certain appeal.
Geronimo died at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1909 and was buried in the Apache prisoner of war cemetery. For many years there has been a story that members of the secret Skull and Bones Society at Yale University broke into the grave in 1918 and stole Geronimo's skull and some bones for their clubhouse
On the 100th anniversary of Geronimo's death, 20 of his direct descendents filed suit against the federal government and the Order of Skull and Bones for the return of Geronimo's remains because he will not be at peace until he is back in his homeland.
The Geronimo family is not just grasping at straws. The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act gives lineal descendents a priority claim.
In 1913, four years after Geronimo's death, the government finally released the Apache POWs and gave them the choice of staying in Oklahoma or returning to the Mescalero Apache tribe in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico.
Most chose to stay in Oklahoma but about a quarter of them returned. Among them were the ancestors of Harlyn Geronimo, an artist and former Tribal Council member.
Five years ago, the Geronimo family dedicated a rock monument near the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument to their famous ancestor. Presumably this is the area of the Gila Wilderness, near Turkey Creek, to which they would return Geronimo's remains.
The Apaches from that area were members of the Bedonkohe Band of Chiricahua Apaches. When Geronimo was a young warrior, Mangas Coloradas was the chief.
In 1851, Geronimo's mother, wife and two children were slain by Mexican troops attempting to put down uprisings in the area. Enraged, Geronimo went to Cochise, the famous chief of a neighboring band of Chiricahuas across the border in southeastern Arizona for help in revenge against the Mexicans.
It was the Mexicans who gave him the name Geronimo. During an attack on a Mexican encampment, he repeatedly stabbed the soldiers with a knife, despite a hail of bullets. Legend says the soldiers began loudly appealing to San Jeronimo for protection. The name stuck.
During the next 35 years, Geronimo ranged from southeastern Arizona, throughout southern New Mexico and into west Texas, forming alliances with other bands of Chiracahua Apaches, such as Victorio, chief of the Hot Springs Apaches.
But southwest New Mexico was his home base. Recently the Fort Sill Apaches, who remained in Oklahoma, sought permission to open a casino at Akela, on Interstate 10 halfway between Las Cruces and Deming. They claimed a right to the territory because it was their original homeland. They have made little headway with New Mexico government officials.
The national media has picked up on the Geronimo story in a big way. The fierce Apache has become the gold standard for bravery. His name is shouted as troops jump out of planes or head into battle. This lawsuit may put his name on even more lips.
Increasing the interest in the Geronimo story is the tie to three generations of the Bush family. Prescott Bush reportedly was one of the Skull and Bones members who stole Geronimo's skull and bones from his Fort Sill grave. Bush's son and grandson who both became president also were members of that secret society and haven't been willing to shed any light on the situation.
MON, 3-02-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Saturday, February 21, 2009
2-27 Anything Goes in Tough Times
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The California Legislature's solution to its $42 billion budget deficit likely is an indication of the direction other states are headed. Anything goes.
New Mexico is solving its budget problem in three parts. Take care of the rest of this fiscal year. Make an estimated budget for next year, which begins in July. Then hold a special session in the spring to finalize it when we have a clearer picture of state and stimulus revenues.
California combined those three steps into one. Since it takes a two-thirds majority for budget votes, the governor and legislative leaders evidently figured they didn't want to go through misery three times.
The Golden State has gone many years with no major tax increases. But the rescue plan just passed bumps up income taxes, sales taxes and motor vehicle license fees. Visitors to California will contribute to the recovery by paying an average nine percent sales tax.
Virtually every program except prisons will be cut. Public schools are in for an $8.4 billion hit. The state workforce will be reduced by 10 percent.
Measures of that magnitude don't appear likely in New Mexico but the closing of major businesses around the state in recent weeks may cause more extreme steps.
Talk is beginning about cuts in the number of state payrollers. A more likely solution would be encouraging early retirement, voluntary furloughs and not filling vacant positions.
Bills have been introduced into the Legislature to enforce Gov. Bill Richardson's hiring freeze order, to increase and extend the governors salary reduction for the 740 exempt employees that he has appointed and to severely limit the instances in which retirees can return to work while still drawing retirement pay.
Other pending legislation includes Senate Bill 158, by Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, to measure the productivity of state employees and House Bill 538, by Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, to prohibit golden parachutes currently used by some universities and at least one school district.
House Bill 317, introduced by Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela, D-Santa Fe, professes to save money by transferring the state Purchasing Division from the General Services Department to the Department of Finance and Administration. At one time, all of GSD was a part of DFA but the Legislature decided such a large department was too unwieldy.
HB 317 also transfers the state Personnel Board and state Personnel Office into the Department of Finance and Administration. Rep. Varela's son, Jeff Varela, headed the state personnel office earlier in Gov. Richardson's term but left under hushed circumstances.
Senate Bill 382, introduced by Sen. Cynthia Nava, D-Las Cruces, has attracted some interest because of being dubbed the "bad actor" bill. Is this a poke at actor Val Kilmer, who is suggesting he might want to run for governor?
Turns out it is a bill that would allow the state Environment Department to deny an air quality permit to an applicant with a bad track record of falsifying reports, giving misleading information or committing felony violations of environmental laws.
As far as I can tell, Kilmer never has been accused of being a bad actor.
Tough financial times seem to be encouraging reconsideration of at least one social issue not normally thought of from a financial standpoint. The death penalty is said to cost more than life imprisonment without parole.
It seems that death penalty lawyers cost a whole lot more than prison guards. And there are other financial considerations, some of which are contested by death penalty proponents.
In New Mexico, the House again has passed a repeal. The bill is in the Senate where it has died before. Repeal proponents are hoping the new Senate members will spell the difference.
And then there's the governor. Richardson has opposed repeal in the past but says he has softened and the chances are about 50-50 he will sign it. Several other states are considering the repeal also.
FRI, 2-27-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The California Legislature's solution to its $42 billion budget deficit likely is an indication of the direction other states are headed. Anything goes.
New Mexico is solving its budget problem in three parts. Take care of the rest of this fiscal year. Make an estimated budget for next year, which begins in July. Then hold a special session in the spring to finalize it when we have a clearer picture of state and stimulus revenues.
California combined those three steps into one. Since it takes a two-thirds majority for budget votes, the governor and legislative leaders evidently figured they didn't want to go through misery three times.
The Golden State has gone many years with no major tax increases. But the rescue plan just passed bumps up income taxes, sales taxes and motor vehicle license fees. Visitors to California will contribute to the recovery by paying an average nine percent sales tax.
Virtually every program except prisons will be cut. Public schools are in for an $8.4 billion hit. The state workforce will be reduced by 10 percent.
Measures of that magnitude don't appear likely in New Mexico but the closing of major businesses around the state in recent weeks may cause more extreme steps.
Talk is beginning about cuts in the number of state payrollers. A more likely solution would be encouraging early retirement, voluntary furloughs and not filling vacant positions.
Bills have been introduced into the Legislature to enforce Gov. Bill Richardson's hiring freeze order, to increase and extend the governors salary reduction for the 740 exempt employees that he has appointed and to severely limit the instances in which retirees can return to work while still drawing retirement pay.
Other pending legislation includes Senate Bill 158, by Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, to measure the productivity of state employees and House Bill 538, by Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, to prohibit golden parachutes currently used by some universities and at least one school district.
House Bill 317, introduced by Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela, D-Santa Fe, professes to save money by transferring the state Purchasing Division from the General Services Department to the Department of Finance and Administration. At one time, all of GSD was a part of DFA but the Legislature decided such a large department was too unwieldy.
HB 317 also transfers the state Personnel Board and state Personnel Office into the Department of Finance and Administration. Rep. Varela's son, Jeff Varela, headed the state personnel office earlier in Gov. Richardson's term but left under hushed circumstances.
Senate Bill 382, introduced by Sen. Cynthia Nava, D-Las Cruces, has attracted some interest because of being dubbed the "bad actor" bill. Is this a poke at actor Val Kilmer, who is suggesting he might want to run for governor?
Turns out it is a bill that would allow the state Environment Department to deny an air quality permit to an applicant with a bad track record of falsifying reports, giving misleading information or committing felony violations of environmental laws.
As far as I can tell, Kilmer never has been accused of being a bad actor.
Tough financial times seem to be encouraging reconsideration of at least one social issue not normally thought of from a financial standpoint. The death penalty is said to cost more than life imprisonment without parole.
It seems that death penalty lawyers cost a whole lot more than prison guards. And there are other financial considerations, some of which are contested by death penalty proponents.
In New Mexico, the House again has passed a repeal. The bill is in the Senate where it has died before. Repeal proponents are hoping the new Senate members will spell the difference.
And then there's the governor. Richardson has opposed repeal in the past but says he has softened and the chances are about 50-50 he will sign it. Several other states are considering the repeal also.
FRI, 2-27-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Thursday, February 19, 2009
2-25 Legislature Declares Pluto a Planet
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Pluto has officially been declared a planet again -- but only in New Mexico -- and only on Feb. 18, 2009, although New Mexicans always will consider Pluto a planet.
On Feb. 18, Rep. Joni Gutierrez, of Las Cruces, introduced House Memorial 40 in the New Mexico Legislature restoring Pluto's planethood for a day in honor of the 79th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh on Feb. 18, 1930.
The memorial, proclaiming "Pluto is a Planet in New Mexico Day," was immediately debated and after some good-natured questioning of the sponsor, it passed unanimously.
Pluto lost its planethood four years ago at a meeting of the International Astronomers Union in Prague, Czech Republic. The action came at the end of the meeting, after many scientists had left. Controversy quickly erupted.
Some American astronomers charged that the action was taken as a poke in the eye of the United States for its shabby treatment of science during the George Bush administration. Pluto is the only planet discovered by an American.
But the IAU had better reason than that. Better telescopes were discovering other bodies in Pluto's neighborhood exhibiting similar characteristics. It was either reclassify Pluto or add an indefinite number of new planets to the solar system.
But the new definition has problems, one of which could eliminate some additional planets. So the debate continues as Pluto support societies form around the world.
New Mexico is where Pluto should expect its most support. Although Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto as a young man at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, his long and distinguished career and all his retired life took place almost totally in New Mexico.
Another hotbed of Pluto support is located in Streator, Illinois, Tombaugh's birthplace, which holds festivals and other events in Tombaugh's honor. Flagstaff has never shown interest in recognizing its part in Pluto's discovery.
Rep. Gutierrez's memorial also mentions Tombaugh's sightings of several unidentified objects in the sky near Las Cruces. It is not unexpected that astronomers would be more likely than most to sight strange objects in the sky.
In fact, Tombaugh was surprised there had been so few. Dr. Lincoln La Paz from the University of New Mexico was one of the few others to publicly reveal their sightings.
Tombaugh charged that some other astronomers were being unscientific by not revealing their sightings publicly or for not entertaining the possibility of their extraterrestrial origin and nature.
In other astronomical news, Discover Magazine currently has an article on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey being conducted at Apache Point Observatory, in Sunspot, New Mexico, 18 miles south of Cloudcroft.
The 10-year survey, nearing completion, so far has confirmed the existence of dark matter and dark energy, discovered cannibal galaxies, dwarf companion galaxies to the Milky Way, confirmed a major Einstein prediction and observed structures in the universe measuring a billion light years across.
It is by far the most ambitious sky survey ever undertaken. And it's right here in New Mexico. If you've never taken the beautiful drive from Alamogordo, through Cloudcroft, to Sunspot, you must do it. You'll pass through the state's only tunnel along the way and see some beautiful mountain peaks and canyons.
The scientists won't let you look over their shoulders at Sunspot but they have an excellent museum and do a great job of interpreting.
The huge dishes of the Very Large Array telescope west of Magdalena are a sight to behold. They have been featured in several movies and are well worth the trip out to see.
Besides these installations that are part of the public's knowledge, New Mexico also has many other sky search projects, which aren't so well know. New Mexico State University and New Mexico Tech are on the cutting edge as are top secret observatories at Kirtland Air Force Base and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
WED, 2-25-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Revised 2-23 Kilmer May Be In Wrong Party
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Actor Val Kilmer just keeps on coming. Last week he dropped in at the state Capitol for visits with Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Phil Griego, who represents the area where Kilmer lives.
The governor is an admirer of Kilmer's. Griego isn't. Kilmer has been quoted in national publications making disparaging remarks about residents of San Miguel County and about Vietnam vets.
Kilmer says both quotes couldn't be further from the truth. Griego isn't giving him the benefit of the doubt. Kilmer volunteered to write a letter in support of one of Griego's bills. Griego was appreciative.
Kilmer also dropped by the House chambers and was introduced. He hasn't made an appearance in the Senate yet.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who presides over that body, made her gubernatorial intentions public long ago and has raised over $2 million for her campaign already. Senators are having fun joking that Kilmer is afraid of setting foot in their territory.
Blogger Joe Monahan says Kilmer is being seen increasingly in the company of political operatives who are showing him the ropes and doing some informal consulting.
The next step, says Monahan, would be forming an exploratory committee, which will enable him to start raising some money. It's not that Kilmer couldn't afford to self-finance a campaign but if he's smart, he knows he needs to demonstrate an ability to raise funds from others before people start taking him seriously.
The actor has 1,800 acres of his 6,000 acre ranch on the Pecos River for sale. Rumor has it that this would be his campaign money. But it certainly didn't start out that way.
Kilmer put the land on the market three years ago when he had two major movie roles back to back and saw himself having less time to enjoy the ranch.
Those roles are behind him and he's now doing voices for cartoons. Kilmer gained considerable weight for one of those roles. Some observers have suggested that we'll know when Kilmer is serious about running for governor when he starts taking that weight back off.
But maybe it is the other way around. Maybe Kilmer has grown tired of the constant weight gains and losses required for differing roles and wants to settle back into something more comfortable like running for governor.
After all, New Mexicans have grown accustomed to a governor with some extra pounds on him. Kilmer would have to give up taking major roles if he were to become governor and maybe this is his way of doing it.
Kilmer says if he runs, he'll win. He says actors always win, citing Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. Hard to argue with that. Had Schwarzenegger been born an American citizen, he just might be our president now.
I can add some others. Fred Thompson was a Hollywood actor before becoming a senator from Tennessee. He then did "Law and Order" on TV before unsuccessfully running for president.
But TV isn't the kiss of death. Fred Grandy left his role as Gopher on "Love Boat" to serve four terms in Congress from Iowa. He then ran for governor and narrowly lost the primary.
Sonny Bono served as mayor of Palm Springs before going to Congress where he still would be serving were it not for a skiing accident. His widow Mary still holds the seat.
Sports heroes also win political races. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Bradley was a senator from New Jersey for years before running for president. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning is a senator from Tennessee.
And Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent represented Oklahoma in Congress for eight years before an unsuccessful run for governor.
Maybe the mystique wears off these guys after they leave the entertainment field but it surely helps them get in.
There is one similarity about all these guys, however, that Kilmer lacks. All but Bradley are Republicans.
MON, 2-23-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Actor Val Kilmer just keeps on coming. Last week he dropped in at the state Capitol for visits with Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Phil Griego, who represents the area where Kilmer lives.
The governor is an admirer of Kilmer's. Griego isn't. Kilmer has been quoted in national publications making disparaging remarks about residents of San Miguel County and about Vietnam vets.
Kilmer says both quotes couldn't be further from the truth. Griego isn't giving him the benefit of the doubt. Kilmer volunteered to write a letter in support of one of Griego's bills. Griego was appreciative.
Kilmer also dropped by the House chambers and was introduced. He hasn't made an appearance in the Senate yet.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who presides over that body, made her gubernatorial intentions public long ago and has raised over $2 million for her campaign already. Senators are having fun joking that Kilmer is afraid of setting foot in their territory.
Blogger Joe Monahan says Kilmer is being seen increasingly in the company of political operatives who are showing him the ropes and doing some informal consulting.
The next step, says Monahan, would be forming an exploratory committee, which will enable him to start raising some money. It's not that Kilmer couldn't afford to self-finance a campaign but if he's smart, he knows he needs to demonstrate an ability to raise funds from others before people start taking him seriously.
The actor has 1,800 acres of his 6,000 acre ranch on the Pecos River for sale. Rumor has it that this would be his campaign money. But it certainly didn't start out that way.
Kilmer put the land on the market three years ago when he had two major movie roles back to back and saw himself having less time to enjoy the ranch.
Those roles are behind him and he's now doing voices for cartoons. Kilmer gained considerable weight for one of those roles. Some observers have suggested that we'll know when Kilmer is serious about running for governor when he starts taking that weight back off.
But maybe it is the other way around. Maybe Kilmer has grown tired of the constant weight gains and losses required for differing roles and wants to settle back into something more comfortable like running for governor.
After all, New Mexicans have grown accustomed to a governor with some extra pounds on him. Kilmer would have to give up taking major roles if he were to become governor and maybe this is his way of doing it.
Kilmer says if he runs, he'll win. He says actors always win, citing Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. Hard to argue with that. Had Schwarzenegger been born an American citizen, he just might be our president now.
I can add some others. Fred Thompson was a Hollywood actor before becoming a senator from Tennessee. He then did "Law and Order" on TV before unsuccessfully running for president.
But TV isn't the kiss of death. Fred Grandy left his role as Gopher on "Love Boat" to serve four terms in Congress from Iowa. He then ran for governor and narrowly lost the primary.
Sonny Bono served as mayor of Palm Springs before going to Congress where he still would be serving were it not for a skiing accident. His widow Mary still holds the seat.
Sports heroes also win political races. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Bradley was a senator from New Jersey for years before running for president. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning is a senator from Tennessee.
And Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent represented Oklahoma in Congress for eight years before an unsuccessful run for governor.
Maybe the mystique wears off these guys after they leave the entertainment field but it surely helps them get in.
There is one similarity about all these guys, however, that Kilmer lacks. All but Bradley are Republicans.
MON, 2-23-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Last sentence rewritten.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
2-23 Kilmer May Be in Wrong Party
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Actor Val Kilmer just keeps on coming. Last week he dropped in at the state Capitol for visits with Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Phil Griego, who represents the area where Kilmer lives.
The governor is an admirer of Kilmer's. Griego isn't. Kilmer has been quoted in national publications making disparaging remarks about residents of San Miguel County and about Vietnam vets.
Kilmer says both quotes couldn't be further from the truth. Griego isn't giving him the benefit of the doubt. Kilmer volunteered to write a letter in support of one of Griego's bills. Griego was appreciative.
Kilmer also dropped by the House chambers and was introduced. He hasn't made an appearance in the Senate yet.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who presides over that body, made her gubernatorial intentions public long ago and has raised over $2 million for her campaign already. Senators are having fun joking that Kilmer is afraid of setting foot in their territory.
Blogger Joe Monahan says Kilmer is being seen increasingly in the company of political operatives who are showing him the ropes and doing some informal consulting.
The next step, says Monahan, would be forming an exploratory committee, which will enable him to start raising some money. It's not that Kilmer couldn't afford to self-finance a campaign but if he's smart, he knows he needs to demonstrate an ability to raise funds from others before people start taking him seriously.
The actor has 1,800 acres of his 6,000 acre ranch on the Pecos River for sale. Rumor has it that this would be his campaign money. But it certainly didn't start out that way.
Kilmer put the land on the market three years ago when he had two major movie roles back to back and saw himself having less time to enjoy the ranch.
Those roles are behind him and he's now doing voices for cartoons. Kilmer gained considerable weight for one of those roles. Some observers have suggested that we'll know when Kilmer is serious about running for governor when he starts taking that weight back off.
But maybe it is the other way around. Maybe Kilmer has grown tired of the constant weight gains and losses required for differing roles and wants to settle back into something more comfortable like running for governor.
After all, New Mexicans have grown accustomed to a governor with some extra pounds on him. Kilmer would have to give up taking major roles if he were to become governor and maybe this is his way of doing it.
Kilmer says if he runs, he'll win. He says actors always win, citing Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. Hard to argue with that. Had Schwarzenegger been born an American citizen, he just might be our president now.
I can add some others. Fred Thompson was a Hollywood actor before becoming a senator from Tennessee. He then did "Law and Order" on TV before unsuccessfully running for president.
But TV isn't the kiss of death. Fred Grandy left his role as Gopher on "Love Boat" to serve four terms in Congress from Iowa. He then ran for governor and narrowly lost the primary.
Sonny Bono served as mayor of Palm Springs before going to Congress where he still would be serving were it not for a skiing accident. His widow Mary still holds the seat.
Sports heroes also win political races. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Bradley was a senator from New Jersey for years before running for president. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning is a senator from Tennessee.
And Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent represented Oklahoma in Congress for eight years before an unsuccessful run for governor.
Maybe the mystique wears off these guys after they leave the entertainment field but it surely helps them get in.
There is one similarity about all these guys, however, that Kilmer lacks. Every last one of them is a Republican.
MON, 2-23-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Actor Val Kilmer just keeps on coming. Last week he dropped in at the state Capitol for visits with Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Phil Griego, who represents the area where Kilmer lives.
The governor is an admirer of Kilmer's. Griego isn't. Kilmer has been quoted in national publications making disparaging remarks about residents of San Miguel County and about Vietnam vets.
Kilmer says both quotes couldn't be further from the truth. Griego isn't giving him the benefit of the doubt. Kilmer volunteered to write a letter in support of one of Griego's bills. Griego was appreciative.
Kilmer also dropped by the House chambers and was introduced. He hasn't made an appearance in the Senate yet.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who presides over that body, made her gubernatorial intentions public long ago and has raised over $2 million for her campaign already. Senators are having fun joking that Kilmer is afraid of setting foot in their territory.
Blogger Joe Monahan says Kilmer is being seen increasingly in the company of political operatives who are showing him the ropes and doing some informal consulting.
The next step, says Monahan, would be forming an exploratory committee, which will enable him to start raising some money. It's not that Kilmer couldn't afford to self-finance a campaign but if he's smart, he knows he needs to demonstrate an ability to raise funds from others before people start taking him seriously.
The actor has 1,800 acres of his 6,000 acre ranch on the Pecos River for sale. Rumor has it that this would be his campaign money. But it certainly didn't start out that way.
Kilmer put the land on the market three years ago when he had two major movie roles back to back and saw himself having less time to enjoy the ranch.
Those roles are behind him and he's now doing voices for cartoons. Kilmer gained considerable weight for one of those roles. Some observers have suggested that we'll know when Kilmer is serious about running for governor when he starts taking that weight back off.
But maybe it is the other way around. Maybe Kilmer has grown tired of the constant weight gains and losses required for differing roles and wants to settle back into something more comfortable like running for governor.
After all, New Mexicans have grown accustomed to a governor with some extra pounds on him. Kilmer would have to give up taking major roles if he were to become governor and maybe this is his way of doing it.
Kilmer says if he runs, he'll win. He says actors always win, citing Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. Hard to argue with that. Had Schwarzenegger been born an American citizen, he just might be our president now.
I can add some others. Fred Thompson was a Hollywood actor before becoming a senator from Tennessee. He then did "Law and Order" on TV before unsuccessfully running for president.
But TV isn't the kiss of death. Fred Grandy left his role as Gopher on "Love Boat" to serve four terms in Congress from Iowa. He then ran for governor and narrowly lost the primary.
Sonny Bono served as mayor of Palm Springs before going to Congress where he still would be serving were it not for a skiing accident. His widow Mary still holds the seat.
Sports heroes also win political races. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Bradley was a senator from New Jersey for years before running for president. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning is a senator from Tennessee.
And Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent represented Oklahoma in Congress for eight years before an unsuccessful run for governor.
Maybe the mystique wears off these guys after they leave the entertainment field but it surely helps them get in.
There is one similarity about all these guys, however, that Kilmer lacks. Every last one of them is a Republican.
MON, 2-23-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
2-20 Congress Should Cut Its Own Costs
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The president and Congress are getting a lot of encouragement as they tighten the screws on auto industry executives., reducing their pay and cutting their benefits.
As the cost cutting mandates extend to Wall Street, crowds are cheering even more. States now are getting into the act with their own cost cutting measures.
U.S. House members have joined in by voting not to take their automatic pay raises next year. But that's not going to be enough. Americans are beginning to reason that if taking corporate jets away from the captains of industry is a good idea, why not take away the corporate jets of Congress?
Didn't know Congress has corporate jets? Congress' corporation is the government. And the Air Force flies planes for the government. And it's not just in battle. The Air Force also flies members of Congress on most of their junkets. And Air Force planes are more expensive than corporate jets.
During the long holiday Congress took to observe Presidents Day, many members of Congress took off for all parts of the world. These weren't pleasure trips, mind you. They were fact finding missions. One plane load spent Valentines Day in Paris, with spouses, finding facts.
Americans are beginning to ask if maybe members of Congress might want to start feeling the nation's pain by downgrading to first class.
First class must not be too bad a deal. One member of Congress flew first class from Washington to London and back during the recess. The flights cost taxpayers a reported $18,000.
This sorta stuff has got to stop. I can find facts for free using my computer and for much less than $18,000 on the telephone. A personal touch is more effective at times. But not every time.
A friend of mine came up with a great idea for how Congress can become a part of the cost cutting it is asking of the private sector.
He says that when companies fall on difficult times, they often cut staff. Wall Street will congratulate the CEOs for making tough decisions and boards of directors give them big bonuses.
So why shouldn't Congress do the same thing? Cut Congress in half. That leaves 218 members in the House. That seems like plenty. The Senate would have 50 members. One for each state. That saves $45 million a year in congressional salaries and $432 million on their staff.
Then cut the staff of the remaining members of Congress by 25 percent, saving $97 million a year.
And here's the big savings. If the members of Congress are reduced by half, maybe the number of pork projects they add to bills would reduce accordingly. That would save $7.5 billion a year.
Other cuts might help Congress better understand the average American Joe. Instead of being eligible for retirement after only one term in office, make them put in at least 20 years like anyone else lucky enough to even have a retirement plan.
Health benefits for members of Congress should be tied to the industry average. That means that when Congress decides what is a reasonable health care standard for the nation, members of Congress will be part of it instead of having a Cadillac plan.
Americans also are looking at the president for some cuts. That's not in salary, mind you. He makes half what the director of the troubled U.S. Postal Service makes. He even makes less than the financial vice president at the University of New Mexico.
What is bothering people right now is the new helicopters that have been on order for some time. The current fleet is getting old and in need of updating for security purposes. But those updates have driven the cost of a helicopter to $400 million. And for some reason we need 28 of them.
You can be sure Congress and the president will be looking very closely at this program.
FRI, 2-20-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The president and Congress are getting a lot of encouragement as they tighten the screws on auto industry executives., reducing their pay and cutting their benefits.
As the cost cutting mandates extend to Wall Street, crowds are cheering even more. States now are getting into the act with their own cost cutting measures.
U.S. House members have joined in by voting not to take their automatic pay raises next year. But that's not going to be enough. Americans are beginning to reason that if taking corporate jets away from the captains of industry is a good idea, why not take away the corporate jets of Congress?
Didn't know Congress has corporate jets? Congress' corporation is the government. And the Air Force flies planes for the government. And it's not just in battle. The Air Force also flies members of Congress on most of their junkets. And Air Force planes are more expensive than corporate jets.
During the long holiday Congress took to observe Presidents Day, many members of Congress took off for all parts of the world. These weren't pleasure trips, mind you. They were fact finding missions. One plane load spent Valentines Day in Paris, with spouses, finding facts.
Americans are beginning to ask if maybe members of Congress might want to start feeling the nation's pain by downgrading to first class.
First class must not be too bad a deal. One member of Congress flew first class from Washington to London and back during the recess. The flights cost taxpayers a reported $18,000.
This sorta stuff has got to stop. I can find facts for free using my computer and for much less than $18,000 on the telephone. A personal touch is more effective at times. But not every time.
A friend of mine came up with a great idea for how Congress can become a part of the cost cutting it is asking of the private sector.
He says that when companies fall on difficult times, they often cut staff. Wall Street will congratulate the CEOs for making tough decisions and boards of directors give them big bonuses.
So why shouldn't Congress do the same thing? Cut Congress in half. That leaves 218 members in the House. That seems like plenty. The Senate would have 50 members. One for each state. That saves $45 million a year in congressional salaries and $432 million on their staff.
Then cut the staff of the remaining members of Congress by 25 percent, saving $97 million a year.
And here's the big savings. If the members of Congress are reduced by half, maybe the number of pork projects they add to bills would reduce accordingly. That would save $7.5 billion a year.
Other cuts might help Congress better understand the average American Joe. Instead of being eligible for retirement after only one term in office, make them put in at least 20 years like anyone else lucky enough to even have a retirement plan.
Health benefits for members of Congress should be tied to the industry average. That means that when Congress decides what is a reasonable health care standard for the nation, members of Congress will be part of it instead of having a Cadillac plan.
Americans also are looking at the president for some cuts. That's not in salary, mind you. He makes half what the director of the troubled U.S. Postal Service makes. He even makes less than the financial vice president at the University of New Mexico.
What is bothering people right now is the new helicopters that have been on order for some time. The current fleet is getting old and in need of updating for security purposes. But those updates have driven the cost of a helicopter to $400 million. And for some reason we need 28 of them.
You can be sure Congress and the president will be looking very closely at this program.
FRI, 2-20-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Sunday, February 15, 2009
2-18 You Can Tell When Times Are Tough
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- You can tell that times are really tough when the governor and Legislature agree that a special legislative session is necessary to deal with an uncertain state budget.
Special sessions are not popular among most lawmakers. Those who work for a living have to take off additional time to tend to an unpaid job. For all legislators, special sessions rank somewhere between a major and a minor inconvenience.
Normally special sessions are called by governors who have something they want to cram down lawmakers' throats. It's often a pet gubernatorial project that didn't pass in a regular session.
But this time, virtually everyone is in agreement that we have almost no idea what the state's financial situation will be come July 1, the beginning of our state's next fiscal year. So a special session will be held, probably in May, when we will have a better idea about state revenues.
Will oil and gas prices have started back up, thereby providing the state with more revenue? How many new jobs will the federal stimulus bill create? And what kind of strings will the feds put on the stimulus money New Mexico receives?
Will lawmakers decide they have to cut state employee pay and benefits? They're already talking about it. There may be some legal complications. Gov. Bill Richardson already has cut salaries of his 470 political appointees. They aren't covered by the state personnel act.
Might lawmakers want to do something about the golden parachutes education institutions have been awarding the presidents and coaches who aren't doing the job?
Legislation has been introduced to stop the practice. You can bet that university presidents, coaches and public school superintendents will have people at the House Health and Government Affairs Committee meeting to testify against it.
Now that the federal stimulus bill has been passed and signed, we should know within a few weeks how the White House plans to administer it. That's when New Mexico decision makers can begin to calculate what it will mean to our state budget.
Also passed by the U.S. House is a bill turning down next year's automatic annual pay hike for House members. All three of New Mexico's House members announced soon after taking office that they would support the salary freeze.
The U.S. Senate, thus far, has taken no action on blocking its pay hike for next year. New Mexico's two U.S. senators have endorsed the idea of a freeze but no one has taken any action.
With no cooperation from the House on the economic stimulus bill and little from the Senate, will President Barack Obama abandon his dream of a bipartisan effort to solve our nation's financial crisis?
That's what President Bill Clinton did a few months into his first term. The resulting partisan rancor led to a GOP takeover of both houses of Congress the following year.
Clinton had to put up with a Republican Congress for the remaining six years he was in office. He got even, however, by borrowing items from the Republican agenda with which centrist Democrats could agree.
His resulting success in achieving numerous initiatives ended up ranking him high among presidents for success in dealing with Congress.
Obama doesn't appear inclined to follow the same path. He says he won't give up on working with Congress. Instead he is using the theme of former President Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address: "With malice toward none…" We'll see how it works.
How long will our nation's economic crisis last? Many U.S. economists are saying late 2010. Microsoft's Bill Gates recently shocked many by saying it will be another four years.
Gate's prediction likely didn't surprise the rest of the world, however. During the month we spent halfway around the globe last fall, commentators and analysts were settling on more like five-and-one-half years.
It's usually pretty safe to bet on Bill Gates. We're in this for awhile.
WED, 2-18-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- You can tell that times are really tough when the governor and Legislature agree that a special legislative session is necessary to deal with an uncertain state budget.
Special sessions are not popular among most lawmakers. Those who work for a living have to take off additional time to tend to an unpaid job. For all legislators, special sessions rank somewhere between a major and a minor inconvenience.
Normally special sessions are called by governors who have something they want to cram down lawmakers' throats. It's often a pet gubernatorial project that didn't pass in a regular session.
But this time, virtually everyone is in agreement that we have almost no idea what the state's financial situation will be come July 1, the beginning of our state's next fiscal year. So a special session will be held, probably in May, when we will have a better idea about state revenues.
Will oil and gas prices have started back up, thereby providing the state with more revenue? How many new jobs will the federal stimulus bill create? And what kind of strings will the feds put on the stimulus money New Mexico receives?
Will lawmakers decide they have to cut state employee pay and benefits? They're already talking about it. There may be some legal complications. Gov. Bill Richardson already has cut salaries of his 470 political appointees. They aren't covered by the state personnel act.
Might lawmakers want to do something about the golden parachutes education institutions have been awarding the presidents and coaches who aren't doing the job?
Legislation has been introduced to stop the practice. You can bet that university presidents, coaches and public school superintendents will have people at the House Health and Government Affairs Committee meeting to testify against it.
Now that the federal stimulus bill has been passed and signed, we should know within a few weeks how the White House plans to administer it. That's when New Mexico decision makers can begin to calculate what it will mean to our state budget.
Also passed by the U.S. House is a bill turning down next year's automatic annual pay hike for House members. All three of New Mexico's House members announced soon after taking office that they would support the salary freeze.
The U.S. Senate, thus far, has taken no action on blocking its pay hike for next year. New Mexico's two U.S. senators have endorsed the idea of a freeze but no one has taken any action.
With no cooperation from the House on the economic stimulus bill and little from the Senate, will President Barack Obama abandon his dream of a bipartisan effort to solve our nation's financial crisis?
That's what President Bill Clinton did a few months into his first term. The resulting partisan rancor led to a GOP takeover of both houses of Congress the following year.
Clinton had to put up with a Republican Congress for the remaining six years he was in office. He got even, however, by borrowing items from the Republican agenda with which centrist Democrats could agree.
His resulting success in achieving numerous initiatives ended up ranking him high among presidents for success in dealing with Congress.
Obama doesn't appear inclined to follow the same path. He says he won't give up on working with Congress. Instead he is using the theme of former President Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address: "With malice toward none…" We'll see how it works.
How long will our nation's economic crisis last? Many U.S. economists are saying late 2010. Microsoft's Bill Gates recently shocked many by saying it will be another four years.
Gate's prediction likely didn't surprise the rest of the world, however. During the month we spent halfway around the globe last fall, commentators and analysts were settling on more like five-and-one-half years.
It's usually pretty safe to bet on Bill Gates. We're in this for awhile.
WED, 2-18-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Saturday, February 14, 2009
GodDay Sir/Madam,
GodDay Sir/Madam,
how are you doing today? I hope all is well with you?if so thanks be to almighty God.
My Dear Friend, I got your contact information through google search and I decided to contact you directly, hoping that by almighty God grace you will successfully assist me out from my situation after my seven good days prayers and fasting over seeking for an oversees guardance,i am Hana Keanu from Sierra Leone (22 years old girl) i am writing you from Rep of Cote'Ivoire where i have been taking refegue after the brutal war and murder of my parents mr/mrs Keanu by the rebels during the renewed fighting in our country Sierra Leone.Because of the war my late Father sold his shipping company and deposited (us$10,500,000.00)ten million five hundred thousand united state of American dollars with one of the security company here in Cote d'Ivoire. and due to political sutuation in Cote'Ivoire now,
i need your urgent assistance to assist me recieved this money from the security company.i will also like to relocate to your country after you have recieved the money from the security company to Extablish a business with my own shear of the money whiech all these will be with your advice .If you are interested I will send you the full details and the contact of the security company in my next email,i am looking for a good partner that i can trust that will assist me in these business.please Can I trust you? When you received my massage please kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest and also your contact details. Thanks and i wait to hear from you Quicklly.
Best Regards
Hana Keanu
มาลองYahoo! Messenger 9.0 เปิดตัวแล้วจ้า!
Firefox 3: เร็วกว่า ปลอดภัยกว่า .
how are you doing today? I hope all is well with you?if so thanks be to almighty God.
My Dear Friend, I got your contact information through google search and I decided to contact you directly, hoping that by almighty God grace you will successfully assist me out from my situation after my seven good days prayers and fasting over seeking for an oversees guardance,i am Hana Keanu from Sierra Leone (22 years old girl) i am writing you from Rep of Cote'Ivoire where i have been taking refegue after the brutal war and murder of my parents mr/mrs Keanu by the rebels during the renewed fighting in our country Sierra Leone.Because of the war my late Father sold his shipping company and deposited (us$10,500,000.00)ten million five hundred thousand united state of American dollars with one of the security company here in Cote d'Ivoire. and due to political sutuation in Cote'Ivoire now,
i need your urgent assistance to assist me recieved this money from the security company.i will also like to relocate to your country after you have recieved the money from the security company to Extablish a business with my own shear of the money whiech all these will be with your advice .If you are interested I will send you the full details and the contact of the security company in my next email,i am looking for a good partner that i can trust that will assist me in these business.please Can I trust you? When you received my massage please kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest and also your contact details. Thanks and i wait to hear from you Quicklly.
Best Regards
Hana Keanu
มาลองYahoo! Messenger 9.0 เปิดตัวแล้วจ้า!
Firefox 3: เร็วกว่า ปลอดภัยกว่า .
Thursday, February 12, 2009
2-16 Making more than the U.S. President
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Executive salaries at the University of New Mexico have become an issue on the UNM campus and are likely to raise some hackles in the New Mexico Legislature.
The issue began with the publication of a big pay increase for Chief Financial Officer David Harris. The generous pay hike came shortly before the university imposed a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures.
The result was a 16.2 percent increase for Harris, bumping him up to a whopping $428,000 compensation package. In comparison, UNM faculty received a three percent raise.
Outrage among the faculty quickly focused, not on Harris, but on UNM President David Schmidly for taking the action. Calls for a faculty vote of no confidence in Schmidly gained steam.
UNM Board of Regents Chairman Jamie Koch came to the defense of Schmidly and Harris. He also criticized the faculty and invited students to question the commitment of their teachers.
But instead, students began circulating an online petition asking regents to remove Schmidly as president. The regents countered by commending Schmidly and Harris.
None of this can be good news for colleges and universities as the Legislature debates funding levels for next year. Salary packages of $587,000 for Schmidly and $428,000 for Harris are beyond comprehension for most legislators.
Not so long ago, Harris worked for the Legislature and then for two governors at salaries only a small fraction of what he is making now.
Schmidly says his salary is in line with presidential salaries at similar institutions. But we've seen reports of presidents at the universities of Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, Oregon and Nebraska being a little to a lot smaller.
Executive salaries at universities throughout the nation seem to be more in line with out-of-control compensation of executives in big business. The argument must be that everyone else is doing it so we have to keep up with the competition.
When Schmidly first came to UNM, many of the old-timers compared him to former President Tom Popejoy, a hugely popular UNM president whose 20-years as president spanned from the '40s to the '60s.
Tom was a native New Mexican and a UNM football star who worked his way up through the business office at the university. He enjoyed the respect of students, faculty, governors, legislators and New Mexicans.
During what many called the Golden Years of UNM, Popejoy brought the institution from a small school into university status, tripling its size during his tenure. He was perhaps best known for being a calming influence among faculty, students and state lawmakers during a time of civil unrest.
And his salary never was an issue. I have no idea what it was but I'm sure Tom would have some choice observations about the salary now. UNM has had many presidents since Popejoy left in 1968. There have been six in the last 10 years. And we're still looking for another Popejoy.
UNM regents chairman Jamie Koch may take the brunt of the resentment about high executive salaries at UNM. He has been appointed for a second six-year term by Gov. Bill Richardson and must be confirmed again by the budget-conscious state Senate.
Those hearings aren't going particularly well. The Senate Rules Committee conducts confirmation hearings and has asked for reports from the Department of Public Safety which does background checks for the governor.
Gov. Richardson says that is an intrusion on executive responsibility to nominate qualified candidates. The Rules Committee has responded by not voting on nominations for various boards and commissions, including university board of regents appointees.
A hostile hearing on UNM's budget already was expected in the Senate Finance Committee. Now a unfriendly Senate Rules committee hearing appears to be in the making.
MON, 2-16-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Executive salaries at the University of New Mexico have become an issue on the UNM campus and are likely to raise some hackles in the New Mexico Legislature.
The issue began with the publication of a big pay increase for Chief Financial Officer David Harris. The generous pay hike came shortly before the university imposed a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures.
The result was a 16.2 percent increase for Harris, bumping him up to a whopping $428,000 compensation package. In comparison, UNM faculty received a three percent raise.
Outrage among the faculty quickly focused, not on Harris, but on UNM President David Schmidly for taking the action. Calls for a faculty vote of no confidence in Schmidly gained steam.
UNM Board of Regents Chairman Jamie Koch came to the defense of Schmidly and Harris. He also criticized the faculty and invited students to question the commitment of their teachers.
But instead, students began circulating an online petition asking regents to remove Schmidly as president. The regents countered by commending Schmidly and Harris.
None of this can be good news for colleges and universities as the Legislature debates funding levels for next year. Salary packages of $587,000 for Schmidly and $428,000 for Harris are beyond comprehension for most legislators.
Not so long ago, Harris worked for the Legislature and then for two governors at salaries only a small fraction of what he is making now.
Schmidly says his salary is in line with presidential salaries at similar institutions. But we've seen reports of presidents at the universities of Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, Oregon and Nebraska being a little to a lot smaller.
Executive salaries at universities throughout the nation seem to be more in line with out-of-control compensation of executives in big business. The argument must be that everyone else is doing it so we have to keep up with the competition.
When Schmidly first came to UNM, many of the old-timers compared him to former President Tom Popejoy, a hugely popular UNM president whose 20-years as president spanned from the '40s to the '60s.
Tom was a native New Mexican and a UNM football star who worked his way up through the business office at the university. He enjoyed the respect of students, faculty, governors, legislators and New Mexicans.
During what many called the Golden Years of UNM, Popejoy brought the institution from a small school into university status, tripling its size during his tenure. He was perhaps best known for being a calming influence among faculty, students and state lawmakers during a time of civil unrest.
And his salary never was an issue. I have no idea what it was but I'm sure Tom would have some choice observations about the salary now. UNM has had many presidents since Popejoy left in 1968. There have been six in the last 10 years. And we're still looking for another Popejoy.
UNM regents chairman Jamie Koch may take the brunt of the resentment about high executive salaries at UNM. He has been appointed for a second six-year term by Gov. Bill Richardson and must be confirmed again by the budget-conscious state Senate.
Those hearings aren't going particularly well. The Senate Rules Committee conducts confirmation hearings and has asked for reports from the Department of Public Safety which does background checks for the governor.
Gov. Richardson says that is an intrusion on executive responsibility to nominate qualified candidates. The Rules Committee has responded by not voting on nominations for various boards and commissions, including university board of regents appointees.
A hostile hearing on UNM's budget already was expected in the Senate Finance Committee. Now a unfriendly Senate Rules committee hearing appears to be in the making.
MON, 2-16-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
2-13 Will Friday, the 13th, Be Good Luck?
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Will Friday, the 13th, mean good luck for a major ethics bill scheduled to be heard today in the Senate Rules Committee? Or will it be the usual bad luck that Friday, the 13 is said to bring?
Experience has shown us that anything to strengthen and improve the ethics of our public officials usually has bad luck on any day of the year. So why not try a Friday, the 13. Maybe our luck will change.
Today's ethics bill is being hailed by a group of senators as a milestone. It is a combination of most of the good ideas for ethics improvement that have been floating around the Legislature for decades.
Putting them all together will only make them stronger. Right? Well no, that's what usually kills bills. And it's hard to believe that a bunch of state senators who have spelled the death of myriad ethics proposals over the years, have good intentions on their minds as they give this big bill a pat on the back.
But that's what they say. Do you suppose these Senate leaders are chuckling under their breath right now, thinking they've put one over on all the good government lobby groups? In past years, these guys have been able to pick off one-by-one the many ethics bills introduced every session.
No one has ever tried putting them all together. Will that actually make them stronger? Or will it just be easier to wipe out a whole mess of them in one blow?
Sure, there's a lot more to like in a big bunch of bills, if you happen to like the idea of ethics reform. But if you don't happen to like ethics bills, then there is a lot more to dislike about a big bundle of them.
For years, political observers have been telling the good government folks that if they would decide on one ethics reform they'd like to push each year, they could make a big deal out of putting all their efforts behind it. In 10 years, you could have yourselves 10 good ethics reforms.
That's the way Think New Mexico, a statewide think tank operates. Since its beginning it has taken on one issue at a time. Over the years, it has eliminated the tax on food, created a strategic river reserve, established individual development accounts to help alleviate New Mexico's poverty, and reformed the state lottery.
The organization did it all by focusing 100 percent of its effort on one item, one year at a time.
Imagine what could have been done with ethics legislation using the same strategy. So why hasn't it happened?
The problem is that the notion of ethics encompasses too large a field.. Essentially ethics means honesty in government. There are so many ways to be honest, or dishonest, in government.
There are numerous groups wanting to get the money out of political campaigning. There are many ways to attack that subject. Contributions to candidates and political parties can be limited. Spending can be limited. Campaigns could be financed with public money. Unfortunately all these solutions get introduced every year.
Other groups want transparency in government. They want reports of campaign receipts and expenditures to be more often, more complete and easier to access. They want meetings of conference committees to be open. And they want sessions of both houses and their committees to be broadcast. Unfortunately they all get introduced every year.
Other groups want to eliminate undue political influence by special interests. They want to know who is doing business with the government, for how much and whose campaigns they contributed to and in what amounts. They also want to prohibit government officials from leaving office and quickly becoming lobbyists. Unfortunately they all get introduced every year.
So how do you pick one issue from the above three paragraphs? You don't. You can't. So each group does its own thing every year.
FRI, 2-13-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Monday, February 09, 2009
2-11 Val Kilmer Has Uphill Gov Battle
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Film star Val Kilmer just won't go away. He keeps teasing New Mexicans about his desire to run for governor. Every time we almost forget him, he comes up with a statement that sounds a little more serious.
I've probably been to 10 movies in the past 50 years so don't know Val Kilmer from Patrick Swayze other than that both are Hollywood actors and both have had ranches in San Miguel County for many years.
So I did some googling of Kilmer to find out what kind of guy he is and whether there is anything in his background to qualify him to be governor of our state.
I learned that he's gained so much weight recently that people don't recognize him. Since I didn't recognize him before, I'm even with the world on that count. Kilmer says he gained the weight for a recent movie and he now knows that after 40 it is a lot harder to take it back off. He's now 49.
Evidently he is very serious about his business. He works hard, prepares meticulously and gets totally into his part. His first love is the stage and he's recognized as one of the best in either venue. Kilmer also is a singer-songwriter and even writes some poetry.
Most people report enjoying their work with him but a few don't. Kilmer says he works well with anyone -- who is intelligent. Uh-oh. Might we have a problem here" A hard charging, overweight governor who wants people to agree with him.
There may be more similarities. Richardson had rock star status when he returned to New Mexico after serving as United Nations ambassador and secretary of the Energy Department.
Kilmer is a movie star but he also could have been a rock star. He sang Jim Morrison's part in the movie "The Doors" so well that the original band members had trouble distinguishing him from the real thing.
The actor has some New Mexico roots. A grandfather was a gold prospector in the Gila Wilderness and is buried in Truth or Consequences. Kilmer has chosen to declare New Mexico as his home for the past 25 years.
He says he isn't interested in being governor for fame or notoriety. If that sort of thing was important to him, he would have lived in Hollywood all these years.
Kilmer says he loves his state and would be comfortable representing its poor, hardworking, decent people. But will New Mexicans feel comfortable with Kilmer?
An interview with Rolling Stone back in 2003 won't help his chances on that count. The publication quoted him as saying, "I live in the homicide capital of the Southwest. Eighty percent of the people in my county are drunk."
Some New Mexicans contend Kilmer was kidding, which he sometimes does with reporters. State Sen. Phil Griego who represents the area where Kilmer lives, took him at his word and said he is welcome to leave San Miguel County.
Griego said Kilmer lives behind a gate and doesn't know his community. Since then Kilmer apparently has made an effort and says he is a responsible community member.
If Kilmer does decide to run for governor, it will be as a Democrat. He recently changed his registration from independent. That means he will have to go to the state Democratic nominating convention a year from now and get 20 percent of the delegate vote in order to get on the ballot.
And that means getting to know not only his neighbors but the rest of New Mexico. Kilmer says he has an advantage because people want to meet him. But he will have to get to the right places to meet the right people and convince them he would be a good governor.
With additional nominating petition signatures, Kilmer can get on the ballot but no one taking that route ever has won a primary election.
And he'll have to beat Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, a native New Mexican who already has raised $2 million for the race.
WED, 2-11-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Thursday, February 05, 2009
2-9 Why Can't They Be More Ethical?
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Big news. A major barrier in the path to ethics legislation appears to be softening. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez of Belen says he thinks recent events will contribute to a greater likelihood of passage.
The Senate has been the graveyard for most ethics legislation in the past. Sanchez himself is not the roadblock. He says he's speaking for a majority of his members.
The Senate's attitude in the past has been that it isn't needed because politicians and state officials police themselves and safeguards already are adequate. The only problem they have seen is that the enforcement of existing provisions hasn't been sufficient.
That contention has been brought into question recently but another assertion may have some merit. It is said that ethics legislation is like a balloon. When you squeeze it in one area, it just pops out somewhere else.
When you limit the amount of money a candidate can receive, special interests give it to political parties which use it for the candidate. When you limit what a candidate can receive, the money goes to independent expenditure committees which spend it on the candidate.
When you tell lawmakers they have to open the conference committees that resolve differences between House and Senate versions of bill, they make decisions ahead of time somewhere else.
But the good government people never give up their effort to make enough rules to control all situations. Numerous lawmakers have tossed bills into the hopper. The governor and attorney general both have gotten ethics packages introduced.
This year, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has recently introduced her own package providing more transparency into dealings between public officials and companies doing business with the state.
It doesn't take a pundit to figure out Denish is trying to put some distance between herself and Gov. Bill Richardson who is being investigated for pay-to-play dealings.
It also is revealing that the lieutenant governor had her three-bill package introduced in the House instead of in the Senate over which she presides.
So what is ethics legislation all about? As you see from the previous discussion, it involves many topics. The Legislature doesn't even recognize ethics as one of the 60 or so categories into which it divides bills. That's likely because it is such a broad category.
Ethics legislation generally involves bills regulating and reporting who gives how much to whom and when and who among the big givers has received contracts from the state.
Ethics also includes bills opening the actions of public bodies and of their records. And it involves the enforcement of all the above provisions.
Sen. Sanchez recently told reporters that he thinks the Senate roadblock will be broken when the Senate Rules Committee combines several ethics provisions into one major bill. He thinks that bill will get the necessary votes from the entire Senate.
The House generally has been receptive to passing ethics legislation. Is that because their shorter terms make them more receptive to constituent wishes but that they know they can depend on the Senate to kill their measures. We may learn the answer this session.
Why don't public officials behave in an ethical manner without all the regulation? Is human nature just not as good as we would like it as most of us would like it to be? Is greed too strong a motivator?
The same questions currently are being asked about Wall Street. The last several U.S. presidents have hoped financial markets could operate without many regulations because prudent risk assessment would prevent them getting out of hand.
Some people are trying to find an answer. The New Mexico Ethics Alliance aims to be a catalyst toward achieving higher ethical standards.
It is located at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management and headed by former Public Service Company of New Mexico head John Ackerman. If you are interested, check out its Web site at www.nmethics.org.
MON, 2-09-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Big news. A major barrier in the path to ethics legislation appears to be softening. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez of Belen says he thinks recent events will contribute to a greater likelihood of passage.
The Senate has been the graveyard for most ethics legislation in the past. Sanchez himself is not the roadblock. He says he's speaking for a majority of his members.
The Senate's attitude in the past has been that it isn't needed because politicians and state officials police themselves and safeguards already are adequate. The only problem they have seen is that the enforcement of existing provisions hasn't been sufficient.
That contention has been brought into question recently but another assertion may have some merit. It is said that ethics legislation is like a balloon. When you squeeze it in one area, it just pops out somewhere else.
When you limit the amount of money a candidate can receive, special interests give it to political parties which use it for the candidate. When you limit what a candidate can receive, the money goes to independent expenditure committees which spend it on the candidate.
When you tell lawmakers they have to open the conference committees that resolve differences between House and Senate versions of bill, they make decisions ahead of time somewhere else.
But the good government people never give up their effort to make enough rules to control all situations. Numerous lawmakers have tossed bills into the hopper. The governor and attorney general both have gotten ethics packages introduced.
This year, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has recently introduced her own package providing more transparency into dealings between public officials and companies doing business with the state.
It doesn't take a pundit to figure out Denish is trying to put some distance between herself and Gov. Bill Richardson who is being investigated for pay-to-play dealings.
It also is revealing that the lieutenant governor had her three-bill package introduced in the House instead of in the Senate over which she presides.
So what is ethics legislation all about? As you see from the previous discussion, it involves many topics. The Legislature doesn't even recognize ethics as one of the 60 or so categories into which it divides bills. That's likely because it is such a broad category.
Ethics legislation generally involves bills regulating and reporting who gives how much to whom and when and who among the big givers has received contracts from the state.
Ethics also includes bills opening the actions of public bodies and of their records. And it involves the enforcement of all the above provisions.
Sen. Sanchez recently told reporters that he thinks the Senate roadblock will be broken when the Senate Rules Committee combines several ethics provisions into one major bill. He thinks that bill will get the necessary votes from the entire Senate.
The House generally has been receptive to passing ethics legislation. Is that because their shorter terms make them more receptive to constituent wishes but that they know they can depend on the Senate to kill their measures. We may learn the answer this session.
Why don't public officials behave in an ethical manner without all the regulation? Is human nature just not as good as we would like it as most of us would like it to be? Is greed too strong a motivator?
The same questions currently are being asked about Wall Street. The last several U.S. presidents have hoped financial markets could operate without many regulations because prudent risk assessment would prevent them getting out of hand.
Some people are trying to find an answer. The New Mexico Ethics Alliance aims to be a catalyst toward achieving higher ethical standards.
It is located at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management and headed by former Public Service Company of New Mexico head John Ackerman. If you are interested, check out its Web site at www.nmethics.org.
MON, 2-09-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
2-6 Salary Cuts for Some, Not Others
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Salary cuts have been a major topic throughout our nation during this time of financial crisis.
The discussion is headed by Wall Street executives of bailout companies who raked in a reported $18 billion in bonuses. That incurred the wrath of President Barack Obama, who called it shameful.
Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill has introduced legislation to hold executive salaries and benefits to no more than the $400,000 salary of the president of the United States. President Obama is suggesting a cap of $500,000.
The executives themselves would think of either salary as a slave wage but for the 99 percent of us who make a whole lot less for a full year's work, it would be a dream come true.
Congressional pay raises also have been in the news. In 1989, Congress figured out a way to raise salaries automatically each year. This year's salary is pegged at $174,000, a 2.5 percent increase.
That seems like chicken feed next to salaries of corporate executives but in a year of salary cuts and freezes for those who are lucky enough to still have jobs, many Americans would like to see Congress treated the same.
The law that sets salaries also provides that members of Congress are free not to accept their automatic increases. Some do just that, but this year, others are taking it a step further
At last report, 81 members of the House have signed on to a bill freezing everyone's salary at last year's $169,300. Among those members individually turning down this year's pay hike plus signing on to the bill are Reps. Harry Teague and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
Congressional leaders make a little more. The majority and minority floor leaders in both houses make $193,400. The speaker of the House pulls down $223,500 and the vice president, who officially presides over the Senate but seldom shows up for work, makes $208,000.
And then there those 470 state employees in exempt jobs who enjoy nice salaries without having to go through the state personnel qualifying system and working their way up through the ranks.
Obviously the governor needs to bring in his own team to run the administration but Gov. Bill Richardson has needed more help than the average governor.
Since those employees are not covered by State Personnel Act protections, the governor can unilaterally lower their salaries. And that is what he has done.
Double-dipping state retirees who go back to work with the state are causing another financial problem. They not only get their regular salary, they also receive full retirement benefits and don't have to make their contributions to the state retirement system.
The practice is hurting the already financially strained state retirement system and is a target for possible action by this year's Legislature. But nothing may come of it because those who are benefiting most are politically-connected employees who got the provision into the law initially.
One of the politically-connected retirees is David Harris, the University of New Mexico's chief financial officer. He receives a $65,000 state retirement benefit in addition to a $428,000 salary.
His big pay increases have been at the center of a faculty uproar over high executive salaries and a hefty increase in number of administrators.
President David Schmidly and UNM regents chairman Jamie Koch also have been caught up in that controversy. As a result, Koch's reappointment to another six-year term on the board could run into some confirmation problems with the Legislature.
Harris' trip up the salary ladder has been phenomenal. In 1995, he was lured with a big pay hike from his post as director of the state Legislative Finance Committee to become new Gov. Gary Johnson's secretary of Finance and Administration.
Harris managed to stay on in Gov. Bill Richardson's administration. In 2004 he went to UNM and soon became acting president. When Schmidly was hired Harris went back to head of finance at a salary almost double what he'd made before.
FRI, 2-06-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
Monday, February 02, 2009
2-4 Bold Lawmaker Forces Action
By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- A gutsy state lawmaker has forced the door open ever so slightly to audio and video transmissions from state legislative committee hearings.
Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, an Albuquerque Republican, went out and bought a webcam and has begun streaming video and audio from the committees on which she serves.
The Webcasting was unauthorized so there is no telling how long it will continue but it did get some wheels turning that had been stuck in neutral for years.
Following Arnold-Jones' action, House leaders quickly proposed a rule to permit Webcasting with the permission of committee chairmen. That, in itself, would do no good. When she set up her equipment at the first meeting of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, Chairman Ed Sandoval, D-Albuquerque, asked her twice to turn it off.
She didn't. So House Speaker Ben Lujan, also a committee member, scolded her for not asking permission. Of course, had Arnold-Jones asked permission, it would have been denied and the Legislature would have remained stuck in neutral for another four years.
It took someone sufficiently courageous to stand up to the House leadership and force the issue. Plenty of praise and punishment is sure to be in store for Rep. Arnold-Jones.
The media also came in for criticism for playing up the issue and being the only ones interested in Webcasting or broadcasting legislative and committee sessions.
That's crazy. Computers are the competition. With scarcely any promotion, the Webcast site, www.nmgov.tv, had over 2,000 hits during its first week.
Another Web site asked viewers whether they supported or opposed legislative Webcasting. The vote was 100 percent positive. Arnold-Jones says she decided to do the Webcasting after being encouraged by constituents.
The state GOP has been having some fun with the issue. It isn't completely a partisan issue. It is more a leadership issue. Senate minority leader Stuart Ingle is a vocal opponent but it's an issue Republicans can pick up and run with because the legislative leadership is almost totally Democratic.
Early in the session Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock, complained that Webcasting might catch him asleep during a late night session of the House. The following day, the state GOP delivered coffee and mugs to Democrats on the House Rules Committee which will be considering the Webcasting issue.
The two most vocal proponents of Webcasting have been Rep. Arnold-Jones and Sen. Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque. Words had gotten them nowhere until Arnold-Jones decided to take action.
The House Rules Committee quickly appointed a subcommittee to consider Webcasting. One of the members is Rep. Ken Martinez, D-Grants, who is also is House majority floor leader. Martinez has been making positive comments about Webcasting, which provides some hope that a reasonable rule may be passed for the House.
Some form of audio coverage might start as early as this week. But don't hold your breath. Technical problems may cause a delay. Someone may want to ask Rep. Arnold-Jones for guidance. She sets up her audio and video system in a matter of minutes.
The Senate is more of a problem. Some Democratic senators worry that Webcasting their sessions would give the governor an unfair advantage because he would learn their secrets. But then all sessions of both houses are piped throughout the capitol building to all offices, including the governor's, for anyone to hear.
Two other worries of Democratic senators are that they will be embarrassed by saying something wrong during debate and that Webcasting will encourage some senators to "bloviate" even more than normal.
OK guys, there is a message hidden in there. Stop and think about it. Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell has. He argued that the Webcasting should cause senators to talk less and be more careful of what they say lest they embarrass themselves.
WED, 2-04-09
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- A gutsy state lawmaker has forced the door open ever so slightly to audio and video transmissions from state legislative committee hearings.
Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, an Albuquerque Republican, went out and bought a webcam and has begun streaming video and audio from the committees on which she serves.
The Webcasting was unauthorized so there is no telling how long it will continue but it did get some wheels turning that had been stuck in neutral for years.
Following Arnold-Jones' action, House leaders quickly proposed a rule to permit Webcasting with the permission of committee chairmen. That, in itself, would do no good. When she set up her equipment at the first meeting of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, Chairman Ed Sandoval, D-Albuquerque, asked her twice to turn it off.
She didn't. So House Speaker Ben Lujan, also a committee member, scolded her for not asking permission. Of course, had Arnold-Jones asked permission, it would have been denied and the Legislature would have remained stuck in neutral for another four years.
It took someone sufficiently courageous to stand up to the House leadership and force the issue. Plenty of praise and punishment is sure to be in store for Rep. Arnold-Jones.
The media also came in for criticism for playing up the issue and being the only ones interested in Webcasting or broadcasting legislative and committee sessions.
That's crazy. Computers are the competition. With scarcely any promotion, the Webcast site, www.nmgov.tv, had over 2,000 hits during its first week.
Another Web site asked viewers whether they supported or opposed legislative Webcasting. The vote was 100 percent positive. Arnold-Jones says she decided to do the Webcasting after being encouraged by constituents.
The state GOP has been having some fun with the issue. It isn't completely a partisan issue. It is more a leadership issue. Senate minority leader Stuart Ingle is a vocal opponent but it's an issue Republicans can pick up and run with because the legislative leadership is almost totally Democratic.
Early in the session Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock, complained that Webcasting might catch him asleep during a late night session of the House. The following day, the state GOP delivered coffee and mugs to Democrats on the House Rules Committee which will be considering the Webcasting issue.
The two most vocal proponents of Webcasting have been Rep. Arnold-Jones and Sen. Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque. Words had gotten them nowhere until Arnold-Jones decided to take action.
The House Rules Committee quickly appointed a subcommittee to consider Webcasting. One of the members is Rep. Ken Martinez, D-Grants, who is also is House majority floor leader. Martinez has been making positive comments about Webcasting, which provides some hope that a reasonable rule may be passed for the House.
Some form of audio coverage might start as early as this week. But don't hold your breath. Technical problems may cause a delay. Someone may want to ask Rep. Arnold-Jones for guidance. She sets up her audio and video system in a matter of minutes.
The Senate is more of a problem. Some Democratic senators worry that Webcasting their sessions would give the governor an unfair advantage because he would learn their secrets. But then all sessions of both houses are piped throughout the capitol building to all offices, including the governor's, for anyone to hear.
Two other worries of Democratic senators are that they will be embarrassed by saying something wrong during debate and that Webcasting will encourage some senators to "bloviate" even more than normal.
OK guys, there is a message hidden in there. Stop and think about it. Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell has. He argued that the Webcasting should cause senators to talk less and be more careful of what they say lest they embarrass themselves.
WED, 2-04-09
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com
