6-3 Top Officials Always Trying to Move Up

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- For more than eight years, the executive has been running for something else. Those were the approximate words of Republican state Senator Clint Harden as he fretted over the entry of Lt. Gov. John Sanchez into the GOP race for the U.S. Senate.
Harden thinks Sanchez should resign because of his important role in the redistricting process. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and breaks tie votes.
Harden says Sanchez will be distracted from his duties. If Sanchez were to resign, the state would be without a lieutenant governor. The duty of presiding over the Senate would be assumed by the president pro tempore, who is Sen. Tim Jennings, a Democrat.
Jennings was elected to his position by a coalition of Republicans and a few Democrats. But since the election of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, Jennings is seen by some as moving closer to the Democratic caucus positions.
But Sen. Harden is right on one count. Our last two governors and lieutenant governors have spent a considerable amount of time running for something else.
Gov. Martinez, as the first Hispanic woman in the nation to be elected governor, is automatically a rising star in the Republican Party. And she isn't shying away from opportunities to appear at GOP functions in other states.
Martinez is one of several young minorities who might be very helpful to the GOP as a 2012 vice-presidential candidate. Among the legion of newly elected Republican governors, she has declined to follow the playbook and go as far in the anti-minority and anti-labor direction as some other new governors.
Likewise the GOP would love to add Sanchez as another minority in the U.S. Senate. His main opponent, however, Heather Wilson would broaden the Republican tent by adding another woman to the Senate.
The amount of help either will quietly receive from national sources is yet to be seen. Susana Martinez, as a female minority, received significant national help in the primary and general elections.
Political observers were surprised to see Martinez react immediately to Sanchez's entry to the Senate race considering she has made little secret of her desire to be on the national stage also.
Of course, she can make her interest in the vice presidency known quietly but plenty is going on behind the scenes. And as soon as a favorite appears the action becomes frantic with deep background screenings.
I was a witness to a small part of that action when a screener called in 2004 to ask if I thought Gov. Bill Richardson was too interested in Billy the Kid and UFOs. My answer of "No more than I am" probably sank his chances for the nomination.
As New Mexicans are well aware, Richardson spent a huge amount of time running for president in 2007. But it wasn't in his genes not to be in complete charge of everything that was happening back here. He managed to juggle both, which is an indication that public officials can multi-task.
To complete Sen. Harden's lament, former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish ran for something else the entire time she was in office. She would have run for governor in 2002 had Richardson not gotten in the race, scaring almost everyone out.
Denish kept her eye on the governorship the eight years she was in office and declared for governor as soon as she began her second term.
Governors and former governors always have a good chance to be considered for the presidency because they can point to their administrative experience. A healthy majority of candidates running for the GOP nomination for president are governors or former governors.
That includes New Mexico's former governor, Gary Johnson, who has been touring the nation for many months speaking to groups in the early primary states.
But Johnson continues to have trouble stirring up interest. He is a genuine tea party conservative on fiscal issues -- in fact, the most genuine. But when he starts talking about the war on drugs or immigration or gay rights, he loses his audience.
FRI, 6-3-11

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

6-1 Is It Better Not to be from Albuquerque?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- The Democratic U.S. Senate primary is likely to be as hard fought and negative as the GOP primary. The two races have much in common.
Both contests feature a member or former member of the U.S. House, representing Albuquerque, against an opponent who has won statewide election.
In the GOP primary, former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and Lt. Gov. John Sanchez do battle. In the Democratic primary, U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich and state Auditor Hector Balderas face each other.
Heather Wilson represented Albuquerque for over 10 years, never losing an election. She left her seat and unsuccessfully ran statewide in the 2008 GOP Senate primary to replace Sen. Pete Domenici.
John Sanchez won the GOP primary for governor in 2002 and then lost the general election by a big margin to Bill Richardson. He won the 2010 GOP primary election for lieutenant governor and went on to win the position in the general election running on a ticket with Susana Martinez.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Martin Heinrich has been elected twice to the U.S. House from Albuquerque. In the U.S. Senate primary, he is squaring off with Hector Balderas who is serving his second term as state auditor.
The big question for the coming election is whether it is better to have represented Albuquerque in Congress or to have been elected to statewide office.
Both Lt. Gov. Sanchez and state Auditor Balderas have traveled the state extensively. They already have political contacts in every county. Is that more important than having a big, loyal base in Albuquerque and not be known well among the other two-thirds of New Mexico's population?
The pundits disagree. In 2008, Wilson beat Pearce in Albuquerque by about a 2-1 margin. But Pearce won his southern constituency by a 3-1 margin.
Wilson should do well again in Albuquerque. Sanchez probably will be stronger in the north. Southern New Mexico could decide that race.
Among the Democrats, Heinrich should do well in Albuquerque and Balderas in the north. One advantage for Balderas is that he can boast of being from Wagon Mound when he is in the rest of the state but talk about his days going to law school and being an assistant district attorney in Albuquerque.
Neither Balderas nor Sanchez has established much of a record for a congressional candidate. Both served one two-year term in the state House of Representatives. Balderas is in his fifth year as state auditor. Sanchez is in his first year as lieutenant governor and hasn't been allowed to do anything except preside over the Senate.
Wilson is pounding on Sanchez's lack of a record. She says he claims to be a tea party conservative but his record to back that up is invented. He's not who he says he is, Wilson claims.
Recent developments since Sanchez announced indicate that Gov. Susana Martinez may have unofficially come down on Wilson's side. The day after Sanchez's announcement, Martinez announced she will not be assigning him any duties since he might be distracted by running for the U.S. Senate.
For the life of me, I can't recall an elected official ever resigning an office in order to run for a higher office. That includes the governor herself who held onto her district attorney's job until days before she was sworn in as governor. It also includes Rep. Wilson when she ran for the Senate.
The day after the governor's disapproving remarks about Sanchez, she appeared at a meeting at which Wilson was speaking and seemed to make a point to talk with Wilson and have their picture taken.
Besides presiding over the state Senate, statutes also provide that the lieutenant governor serve on several boards and commissions. The governor can't legally remove Sanchez from them but past practice suggests she might try again.
WED, 6-1-11

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

column dates

 have noticed several papers dropping Monday editions. One editor inquired today about the appropriate time to run columns labeled for Monday. The answer is to do what works best for you. In my 24 years of doing this, papers have run my columns early, late, not at all, on the front page or two columns in the same edition.

 

I write because I enjoy it and have no objection when you run it or how you change it to make it more readable -- as long as you don't change the meaning. Would it be better to label the columns Mon, Wed and Fri? I try to get them out a day or so ahead of time and can accommodate to any arrangement

 

Please let me know any recommendations you might have.

 

Thanks, Jay

5-11 Memorial Day

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- Did you know that Memorial Day is commemorated in different ways and on different dates throughout our nation? The observance had its beginnings during the Civil War, which is a good hint that there would not be uniformity.
More than two dozen cities and towns lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day, and each had its own customs. There is evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.
Following the war, towns in the North decided it would be a good idea to honor their military dead also. In 1868, "Decoration Day" was officially proclaimed. It was so named because the emphasis was on decorating graves of fallen soldiers.
By 1890, it had been adopted by all northern states. Most southern states refused to observe the national day because of lingering hostilities. They continued with their own state observances, spread throughout the year.
It wasn't until after World War I that the South began recognizing the federal Decoration Day. Many men from both North and South gave their lives in that war, making unification finally possible.
In 1967, approximately a century after the first Decoration Day, the name was changed to Memorial Day. A year later, Congress passed the Uniform Holiday's Bill, which moved four holidays from their traditional dates to the closest Monday in order to create some three-day weekends.
All states have now adopted the holiday, although most southern states still observe a separate day to commemorate those who died fighting for the Confederacy.
Memorial Day customs in various areas of the country still differ. In most areas, the emphasis is on honoring the dead from all wars our nation has fought.
Some communities, however, want to pay their respects to all their dead by cleaning cemeteries and decorating all graves. The practice may help distinguish the observance from Veterans Day.
Recent Memorial days have meant more to Americans as our young people are dying again in the service of their country. The shift in the nature of warfare has meant that fewer lives are being lost than before.
Most of us do not have a close family member who has been killed in any war and the media is largely prohibited from showing the flag-draped boxes bringing young Americans home.
But the cost of our nation's defense is still counted in lives and not in dollars. The real cost of liberty, the real price of the freedoms that too many take for granted, is measured in lives that won't be fulfilled.
New Mexico has contributed its share and more to the defenders of freedom. Even before we became a state, our predecessors proudly joined the Rough Riders who charged San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt.
A half century later, we were the fighting 200th Coast Artillery, that slowed the Japanese march down the Pacific until our nation could recover from the devastating losses at Pearl Harbor.
Few of our World War II veterans are still with us to remind us of their sacrifices. But we must remember because it is those memories that put into perspective the consequences of future actions.
Mothers remember. It has been said that if mothers were in charge, nations would get along better. The same can be said of generals, who understand the horrors of war. Our problem is the swaggering politicians, most of whom avoided military service and haven't had to suffer the loss of sons or daughters.
So this Memorial Day, before we launch into a celebration of the summer's first long weekend, let us remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to protect the constitutional guarantees we take for granted.
And let us also remain ever watchful that no government ever uses a national crisis to justify taking away any of those rights and freedoms.
MON, 5-30-11

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

5-27 Lt. Gov. Sanchez Makes Senate Race Exciting

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The Republican U.S. Senate race now is definitely on. The official entry of Lt. Gov. John Sanchez provides the two heavyweight candidates political observers were expecting.
Former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson announced for the Senate seat sometime ago but it seemed almost inevitable that eventually a strong candidate with appeal to conservatives would emerge.
The possibility existed that Rep. Steve Pearce would enter the contest as he did four years ago when Sen. Pete Domenici retired. But after losing that general election race to Tom Udall and winning back his former House seat, Pearce appeared content to remain in that safe seat.
Conservative leaders then focused on Lt. Gov. John Sanchez to be their savoir. As a successful businessman, who is willing to get his fundraising started with money of his own, he has appeal. And because he is Hispanic, he is sure to receive national help from organization eager to eager to broaden the Republican tent.
Wilson starts out ahead in this contest because of her name recognition after being a five-term U.S. Representative. She is a good fundraiser and stands out as an effective advocate of New Mexico's air bases and national labs.
Sanchez is likely to get some behind-the-scenes help and advice from Rep. Pearce. That's about all Pearce can do. Likewise for Gov. Suzanne Martinez.
Sanchez is her lieutenant governor and Wilson headed her transition team. That doesn't mean she is close to either, however. Martinez didn't choose Sanchez as her running mate. He won that position in the 2008 GOP primary. And Martinez's political advisors likely choose Wilson as her transition team head.
One political junkie even suggested that Gov. Martinez may want to help Lt. Gov. Sanchez as much as she can so he will be off to Washington as a U.S. senator rather than have him around as a lieutenant governor.
The New Mexico Constitution has no provision for replacing a lieutenant governor. The position remains open for the rest of that term.
When Vice President Harry Truman moved up to the presidency upon Franklin Roosevelt's death, the vice presidency remained open until the end of that term. A provision was later made for replacing a vice president and it was used when President Jack Kennedy was assassinated and when Vice President Spiro Agnew had to resign. It is how Gerald Ford became president.
New Mexico governors rarely have had a good relationship with their full-time lieutenant governor. The position originally was part time and never should have been changed in 1971.
Two lieutenant governors, Bob Ferguson and Jack Stahl, decided not to be full time. They both had very good relationships with their governors, Jerry Apodaca and Garrey Carruthers.
It is tempting to take the full-time lieutenant governor option because it could be a stepping stone to higher office. All have tried but none have succeeded. Lt. Gov. Casey Luna even ran against Gov. Bruce King who was seeking a second term.
The one difference in Lt. Gov. Sanchez's situation is that if he loses, he still will have a job for another two years, at which time he can run again for lieutenant governor or any other office.
Even though full-time lieutenant governors are not close with the governors under whom they serve, they usually are tied to them politically for good or bad.
If last year's gubernatorial election was any indication, Sanchez will be helped in the Republican primary by Gov. Martinez's popularity and could be hurt in the general election, if he gets there, by anything Martinez has done that can be criticized.
It looks like it will be a good race. Wilson has impressive academic credentials and 10 years experience representing her Albuquerque district in the House.
Sanchez has won two statewide primaries -- for governor in 2002 and for lieutenant governor in 2010. And he won a statewide general election for lieutenant governor.
FRI, 5-27-11

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

5-25 Legislative Leaders to Challenge Vetoes

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- As predicted a few weeks ago, the Legislature is getting serious about court challenges to some of Gov. Susana Martinez's vetoes.
Leaders of both political parties agree that some of the governor's vetoes have to be tested in court. Senate Republican Leader Stuart Ingle is especially bothered by Martinez changing a $150,000 appropriation to $50,000 by striking the "1."
If the governor is allowed to make this one change this year, she can rewrite the entire budget next year. This is part of the continual tug of war between the governor and Legislature, regardless of which party is in power.
The Legislature as a whole can't take the governor to court but individual lawmakers can. We should be seeing that soon, not only in this instance but others such as line item vetoes in bills that don't involve appropriations
Martinez already has been taken to the Supreme Court twice this year and lost both times. This won't be the end of it. And if she loses in court, she has another crack at the Legislature during the September special session on redistricting.
Martinez already has said she is going to take another shot at stopping driver's licenses for illegal aliens. She isn't going to give up on that issue.
Public schools say they need more money in order for budget cuts to not affect classrooms. Sponsors of bills that didn't get considered by the regular session because of filibusters would like another shot. That includes some anti-corruption legislation that the governor would like to see.
Lawmakers prefer the special session to concentrate solely on protecting their districts. The idea is to shed the precincts they have lost and pick up precincts they might be able to win. At worst, they would like no change in their districts.
But population fluctuations make changes inevitable. And sometimes that means either losing your entire district or being thrown into a district with another incumbent.
Members of the U.S. House and state Public Regulation Commission also are wandering the Capitol's hallways trying to protect or improve their districts. Congressional Districts 1 and 3 grew more than the state's average growth and District 2 grew less than the average.
A Democratic Legislature will redraw all the boundaries and then Republican Susana Martinez can veto what she dislikes. That happened under Republican Gov. Gary Johnson and ended with the court deciding to change boundaries as little as possible.
Democrat Bruce King was governor during the three previous redistrictings. To the consternation of Democrats, he told those Legislatures even before they got started to "keep it between the fence posts."
Speaking of former Gov. Gary Johnson, he promises not to be outworked in his fight for the GOP presidential nomination. Gov. Bill Richardson promised the same thing four years ago and was gone soon after the primary season started.
At least Richardson got in on the major debates. It doesn't appear Gary Johnson will. He is working New Hampshire especially hard in the hope that his brand of libertarianism will appeal to GOP voters there.
But there just aren't enough Republicans anywhere who believe in ending the war on drugs and the other wars around the world that we've gotten ourselves into.
Willie Nelson liked those ideas for long enough to give Johnson his endorsement. But after a few days he started hearing about some of Johnson's other beliefs and withdrew.
It was embarrassing for both. Willie said afterwards that the more he got involved in politics, the more he realized he is a guitar player.
Another disappointment for Johnson is Rep. Ron Paul's decision to get back into the GOP race this year. Johnson had hoped to be the next Ron Paul but Rep. Paul, from south Texas, is meeting with much more acceptance this year. Maybe Johnson has to wait another cycle as Paul did.
WED,5-25-11

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

Back to Work

OK,    the celebrating is of a 50th wedding anniversary is over and I get to concentrate on my second love -- writing this column. I have missed Monday's column but will be back on regular schedule with the column for Wednesday.

 

Tommy Trujillo in Rio Rancho points out a major mistake in 5/20 column for yesterday. Larry Barker moved to KRQE-TV Channel 13, years ago. My apologies for not getting it to you sooner.

5-20 attachment

-By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Gov. Susana Martinez's administration has been taken to task for misuse of a state airplane. The basics of the situation sound reasonable for the state to have undertaken.
A production crew shooting a pilot for at TV series was stuck in Las Vegas, NM and needed to take a look at the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad in Chama.
They called the head of the state film office who offered to get a state plane to fly them up. She checked with the state transportation director, two cabinet secretaries, two top state lawyers and the governor's office.
Reportedly all felt it was a legitimate usage to further the business of the state. That doesn't sound bad at all. I can believe it has been done by previous administrations, including the most recent one.
So why did KOAT-TV feel this situation was important enough to send investigative reporter Larry Barker to look into what happened?
Susana Martinez ran on a platform of cleaning up corruption in Santa Fe. So did some of her primary opponents. She also was tough on the film industry and thought it got too many perks.
If Martinez had heard of the Richardson Administration doing such a thing, she would have blamed it on the corrupt Richardson-Denis administration.
But there is a strong possibility Martinez never knew what was going on and I cant even imagine Lt. Gov. John Sanchez being in the loop.
This was a case of a new administration with very little government experience bumbling through totally unfamiliar territory. And it is very likely to happen more than once again.
Two very basic principles were ignored here. None of these top administration officials were aware that this action was completely in conflict what their governor had been saying for a year. Perhaps they all need a training session on what the governor stands for.
And much more importantly, they all approved breaking state laws on which they also should be trained.
Even though lending a hand to a film production crew seemed like good business for the state., New Mexico has some very strict laws against public resources being used for private gain.
New Mexico, the first state to be colonized by Europeans, was almost the last state admitted to the Union because of our long history of lawlessness and corruption.
When Congress approved New Mexico's constitution 100 years ago, it required very strong anti-corruption provisions. Those provisions have hampered economic development and tourism efforts for years.
Attempts have been made to reduce the restrictions but the sad truth is that New Mexicans still don't trust their government very much. So we still operate under strong anti-donation restrictions.
General Services Department Secretary Ed Burkle was selected to take the fall for the administration. Had a similar situation under the previous administration come to light, Martinez's campaign would have blamed the governor and lieutenant governor.
And you can be pretty sure that the next time Martinez or Sanchez runs for anything, they will be blamed for the illegal action. No one will even remember the name of Ed Burkle.
The person who handled the approval for the governor's office was former Rep. Keith Gardiner, now Martinez's chief of staff. In this administration, the buck stops with him in almost all cases. Very few people or issues get all the way through to the governor.
This case should have gotten all the way to Gov. Martinez. It involved two of her biggest issues -- film industry perks and state planes.
Even before she became governor Martinez appointed a team to review state airplane usage. But I'm told no one from the film industry has ever gotten all the way into talk with the governor about anything.
Reportedly the film company has reimbursed the state for the $4,000 cost of the plane. No explanation ever has been given why they didn't just rent a car.
FRI, 5-20-11

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

5-20 A Rookie Mistake

 

5-13 correction

FRI, 5-13-11
SANTA FE � When disaster occurs in other countries, Americans respond with massive public and private aid. Why don�t they do the same when it is a disaster in the United States?
In at least one case, our government is not coming to the aid of people it has harmed. In fact, it appears to be hiding the evidence.
On July 16, 1945, our nation was at war. We had lost hundreds of thousands of troops retaking South Pacific islands the Japanese had taken several years earlier. All that was left was to take the Japanese mainland. Estimates of casualties in that battle ranged as high as 1 million.
Scientists at Los Alamos were working at a feverish pace to finish two different types of atom bombs our politicians felt could likely end the war without invading Japan. The scientists were confident that the �Little Boy� bomb would work but weren�t as confident about �Fat Man.�
Our government decision makers didn�t want the tactical disadvantage of dropping a dud on a country it knew also was working on a nuclear bomb so the decision was made to use it on ourselves first to see if it worked.
Working without supercomputers, they still were able to estimate the amount of devastation from the blast. What they didn�t know were the aftereffects. They protected themselves well and, as far as we know, none died from aftereffects. During the past decade numerous obituaries have appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican about scientists, who worked on the bomb, dying of old age.
But what about the people who lived in the counties near Trinity Site? Some lived on ranches closer to the blast that some of the scientists� observation posts. Those ranchers weren�t warned of what was about to happen. They all survived, so the government thought it had successfully played with people�s lives � in the name of national security � and won.
And that was the end of that. No further testing was done. New Mexicans breathed the air, drank the milk and ate the meat and vegetables they raised, unaware that some of it may have been poisoning their bodies.
And then people started dying of cancer and other radiation-related diseases. It was noted first in laboratory workers and then in people who lived downwind from the Nevada nuclear tests of the 1950s. But no one paid attention to New Mexicans living downwind from both the Trinity test and the Nevada tests. Why not?
Many reasons are given. Trinity was too far in the past. New Mexico was too far from Nevada � even though southern Nevada was part of New Mexico when we were a Spanish territory.
Maybe it was hopelessness. In 1942, ranchers from what now is White Sands Missile Range were kicked off their property. They were told they would get their land back as soon as the war was over. It didn�t happen. And they never were adequately compensated despite fighting the government for over 50 years.
Part of it was patriotism. The government needed to conduct the test and would do right by its citizens. Everyone had to sacrifice for the war effort so it is best not to complain.
Finally the facts became overwhelming. New Mexicans had been poisoned and the government wasn�t willing to own up to it. A group called the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, headed by Fred Tyler and Nina Cordova was formed to gather evidence and present it to our congressional delegation.
Last year their efforts were bolstered by a Centers for Disease Control 10-year project to analyze every document generated by the lab during its existence to identify any medical information that has not been made public.
The report indicated that no studies have ever been made of the internal radioactive doses received by residents.
Last year New Mexico�s entire congressional delegation introduced bills to make eligible New Mexicans a part of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
They went nowhere. Soon, we�ll look at possible reasons why.
The paragraph beginning with "Maybe it was hopelessness" has some words omitted. Attachment 2 has them added.

5-13 Downwinders Fight Back

FRI, 5-13-11
SANTA FE – When disaster occurs in other countries, Americans respond with massive public and private aid. Why don't they do the same when it is a disaster in the United States?
In at least one case, our government is not coming to the aid of people it has harmed. In fact, it appears to be hiding the evidence.
On July 16, 1945, our nation was at war. We had lost hundreds of thousands of troops retaking South Pacific islands the Japanese had taken several years earlier. All that was left was to take the Japanese mainland. Estimates of casualties in that battle ranged as high as 1 million.
Scientists at Los Alamos were working at a feverish pace to finish two different types of atom bombs our politicians felt could likely end the war without invading Japan. The scientists were confident that the "Little Boy" bomb would work but weren't as confident about "Fat Man."
Our government decision makers didn't want the tactical disadvantage of dropping a dud on a country it knew also was working on a nuclear bomb so the decision was made to use it on ourselves first to see if it worked.
Working without supercomputers, they still were able to estimate the amount of devastation from the blast. What they didn't know were the aftereffects. They protected themselves well and, as far as we know, none died from aftereffects. During the past decade numerous obituaries have appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican about scientists, who worked on the bomb, dying of old age.
But what about the people who lived in the counties near Trinity Site? Some lived on ranches closer to the blast that some of the scientists' observation posts. Those ranchers weren't warned of what was about to happen. They all survived, so the government thought it had successfully played with people's lives – in the name of national security – and won.
And that was the end of that. No further testing was done. New Mexicans breathed the air, drank the milk and ate the meat and vegetables they raised, unaware that some of it may have been poisoning their bodies.
And then people started dying of cancer and other radiation-related diseases. It was noted first in laboratory workers and then in people who lived downwind from the Nevada nuclear tests of the 1950s. But no one paid attention to New Mexicans living downwind from both the Trinity test and the Nevada tests. Why not?
Many reasons are given. Trinity was too far in the past. New Mexico was too far from Nevada – even though southern Nevada was part of New Mexico when we were a Spanish territory.
Maybe it was hopelessness. Ranchers from what now is White Sands Missile Range were kicked our congressional told they would get their land back as soon as the war was over. It didn't happen. And they never were adequately compensated despite fighting the government for over 50 years.
Part of it was patriotism. The government needed to conduct the test and would do right by its citizens. Everyone had to sacrifice for the war effort so it is best not to complain.
Finally the facts became overwhelming. New Mexicans had been poisoned and the government wasn't willing to own up to it. A group called the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, headed by Fred Tyler and Nina Cordova was formed to gather evidence and present it to our congressional delegation.
Last year their efforts were bolstered by a Centers for Disease Control 10-year project to analyze every document generated by the lab during its existence to identify any medical information that has not been made public.
The report indicated that no studies have ever been made of the internal radioactive doses received by residents.
Last year New Mexico's entire congressional delegation introduced bills to make eligible New Mexicans a part of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
They went nowhere. Soon, we'll look at possible reasons why.
Next column will be 5-20-11

correction

Gary Johnson is run, got in too big a hurryning for president, not governor. Sorry

5-9 GOP Looking Good

MON, 5-09-11
SANTA FE � A recent national GOP poll would suggest that New Mexico Democrats might just as well not bother with the 2012 elections. A robo call of Republicans likely to vote in the 2012 primary gave Gov. Susana Martinez a 93 percent favorable rating and former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson an 83 percent rating.
Those are high marks, even for members of one�s own party. And that is an especially high rating among Republicans for Wilson who was beaten convincingly in the 2008 GOP primary by fellow Republican Steve Pearce.
Lt. Gov. John Sanchez has been working at inheriting the conservative blessing from Pearce this time around. But his 58 percent approval rating is not translating yet into Republicans who say they will vote for him. Only 17 percent plan to do that at this point as compared to 59 percent who will vote for Wilson.
If that number has any validity for Wilson, she is doing much better than expected. Likely Republican primary voters usually tend toward conservative and that isn�t considered good for Wilson. It is time for those with conservative credentials to get their campaigns in high gear.
And recently Wilson received an endorsement from Tea Party activist Tim Lewis a, brother of Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis, who is running for the vacated U.S. House seat of Rep. Martin Heinrich. Wilson also is viewed as New Mexico�s most able advocate for the state�s national labs and air bases.
Gov. Martinez�s popularity is surprisingly high among Republicans considering she has just been through a bruising legislative session without a great deal of success delivering on campaign promises. She has traveled the state frequently, often for feel-good bill signings and evidently always by car but otherwise, her media effort has been weak and her accessibility low.
Republicans like limited government and that�s what they�re getting. Few bills got past Martinez�s veto pen and many programs have been cut. And she continually gets away with claiming that she cut $450 million out of the state budget even though her budget proposal cut only $134 million from our next budget and the Democratic-controlled Legislature cut another $22 million beyond the governor�s cuts.
One cut Martinez hasn�t been able to make is the sale of the state jet on eBay. She now has contracted with a Colorado firm to find a buyer.
One cut that Martinez�s homefolks shouldn�t like is her lack of support for Spaceport America, located near the border between Sierra and Dona Ana counties. The project could be the biggest economic development initiative southern New Mexico ever has seen
At times Martinez has had a few nice words about the project but mostly, she has seemed totally disinterested in the entire idea. She did appoint what appears to be a strong manager for the effort but she followed that with a $500,000 cut to the spaceport�s operating budget. That money could be much needed when it comes to opening and promoting the spaceport.
A month seldom passes that another state or nation doesn�t announce plans for a commercial spaceport. Sooner or later, Virgin Galactic�s Richard Branson is going to get an offer he can�t refuse to move his operations out of New Mexico. This month�s entry into the contest is the tiny island of Curacao, off the northern coast of Venezuela.
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has made it official. He now is a declared candidate for governor. He still isn�t making many lists of candidates but he has participated in a South Carolina debate. There is a catch, however.
To register for South Carolina�s ballot and participate in the debate a $25,000 payment is necessary. Few of the top tier candidates have opted in. There is bound to be another inducement down the line.
Also participating in the debate was U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Johnson had hoped to gain the libertarian support that Paul had behind him for years ago. But it sounds as though Paul will be running again.
Friends and family now arriving. Things are getting hectic. Next two columns are iffy.  Jay