7-6 Another casino for southern New Mexico?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE – The battle is hot and heavy over whether Southern New Mexico needs another Indian casino. Jemez Pueblo has been trying for years to get clearance to open a casino near Anthony 300 miles to the south.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is considering the application as of July 1. Many good arguments, pro and con, have been advanced over the past several months.
The Jemez application was set aside by the Bush administration several years ago because the proposed casino was not within commuting distance of the pueblo.
That requirement was not part of the federal law authorizing Indian gaming. It was a policy decision termed a "guidance memo," issued by the administration of former President George W. Bush.
Early in the administration of President Barack Obama, the Department of the Interior indicated it would be willing to review the rejection of applications by the Bush administration that were based on distance.
In late June, the guidance memo was rescinded. Up until that time, both sides, assuming the memo would be rejected, made arguments to the Department of the Interior for and against approval of the casino.
The public comment period ended July 1. The Department of the Interior will now, at some point, make a decision on the Jemez casino at Anthony.
David Wilson, a marketer for the proposed casino says approval of the Jemez application will not set a precedent as has been claimed. Off-reservation casinos have been approved in several different states, some at a greater distance from their tribe than is the case here.
The major opponent of the Anthony casino is the Mescalero Apache tribe, which operates casinos over 100 miles away. There are no other Indian casinos in Southern New Mexico. There are three horse track casinos, which offer slot machine gambling ,in Southern New Mexico.
The closest is the nearby Sunland Park track and casino. It has strongly opposed the Anthony casino but since it does not come under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, its objections do not carry the weight of a tribe with a casino.
The New Mexico Indian Gaming Association, which represents tribal casinos in the state, opposes the Jemez plan, according to Mark Chino, president of the Mescalero Apache tribe.
It must have been a very close vote because Wilson tells me that a majority of the 19 pueblos in the state either are in support of the Jemez plan or have agreed not to oppose it.
Most of the Indian casinos in the state are pueblo owned. At least 10 of them are clustered in an area ranging from Albuquerque to Espanola. The population in that area is far less than the population the same distance from Anthony.
According to Wilson, the population around Albuquerque is under 800,000, with 7,250 slot machines, while the population of Dona Ana County and El Paso is well over 900,000, with only 700 slots. That's not counting the 2 million population of Juarez, which provides a significant market.
The Fort Sill Apache Tribe in Oklahoma has weighed in on the Jemez request, disagreeing with some of the Pueblo's contentions and suggesting that Apaches have a much greater claim to Southern New Mexico being their homeland than do the pueblos.
That contention is not entirely accurate, however. Spanish colonist Juan de Onate met his first Pueblo Indians near the present Las Cruces on his journey north in 1598. They were the Piro, Manso and Tiwa Indians.
Later, during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Spanish , fleeing southward, were joined by members of the Isleta Pueblo, who also were Tiwa and took refuge in the Piro, Manso and Tiwa vicinity. The Tigua Tribe, south of El Paso, also is a Pueblo tribe.
Finally, the Fort Sill Apaches, of Oklahoma, would like to open gaming on property they purchased at Akela, west of Las Cruces. But Wilson says they had to agree not to use the land for gaming.
WED, 7-6-11

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

 

7-4 Many good reasons to celebrate July 4

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE – This is a very special day. We have many reasons to celebrate. Considering current events, there is very good reason to be extra patriotic.
We should pay homage to those patriots who pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Then they signed a document that made them all revolutionaries, guilty of treason, if captured.
Upon winning that revolution, we became the first revolutionary power and now we are the oldest revolutionary government in the world. We also are holder of the oldest written constitution.
It was all very infectious. Lafayette returned home after our war and, under George Washington's influence, made it the pet cause of liberals in France and Europe during the 1790s, introducing democracy in many countries throughout the continent.
Lafayette's friendship with Washington is the subject of Adopted Son, a book by Dave Clary, of Roswell, detailing the relationship between the two and the wide-ranging influence it had on themselves and their countries. It's a good July 4th read.
At this point in our history, when we're not feeling very good about some of our European allies, it may be helpful to remember the contributions of Lafayette, von Steuben, de Kalb and others, who helped us win our freedom.
Lafayette's contributions were especially crucial. He's the one who trapped Cornwallis at Yorktown and held him, though grossly outnumbered, until the rest of the American and French forces arrived. And he's the one who won the military and financial support of France for our cause.
When the United States entered World War I, much of the motivation was gratitude to France for its help so many years earlier. That assistance is now mostly forgotten but at the time, it was poignantly remembered by Gen. George Pershing's aide, Col. Charles Stanton, when he visited Lafayette's tomb on July 4, 1917 to announce, "Lafayette, we are here."
As we celebrate the document that officially declared the colonies to be in revolution, it is appropriate to remember that it is the only Revolutionary War date that we do celebrate, except for Patriot's Day commemorating the beginning of the War, on April 19, 1775. It still is celebrated in New England, with one of the big events being the Boston Marathon.
This would be a good day to reread the Declaration of Independence. It is an absolutely brilliant and inspired argument for overthrowing tyranny, and not just in the colonies' circumstance. It was a universal justification applicable to all people and all times.
Historian Samuel Morrison once said that had the American Revolution produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile.
Our founders fully understood that in order to espouse these universal, never-ending truths, they had to make it possible for revolution to occur again, even in their own country.
Thus came the Bill of Rights. Many of its 10 amendments are under attack today, with questionable searches and seizures, trials that aren't speedy, gun control and public sentiment against the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.
The willingness by many to surrender some of our cherished freedoms in return for perceived security is deeply troubling, but of most concern to someone in my business is the indication that many Americans have second thoughts about the First Amendment.
Polls over the last few years suggest that although Americans still support the ideals of the First Amendment, they have reservations about its reality. A majority think the press has too much freedom, that public demonstrations should not be allowed and that freedom of religion is not meant to apply to fringe groups.
And although 90 percent of Americans believe in freedom of speech, support falls to less than 50 percent when asked about specifics that are constitutionally protected. We are becoming reluctant to offend, willing to silence unpopular opinions and provocative ideas at the cost of freedom.
Where will we go from here?
MON, 70411

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

 

7-1 What's wrong with traffic cameras?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Why do people get so riled up about traffic cameras? From listening to talk radio as much as I can endure, I would guess it is because they are a communistic, invasion of privacy, Big Brother, dangerous money-grabbers.
The Albuquerque City Council has heard so much debate on both sides of the question that it may decide any day now to give up its duty as a representative of the people and just have them decide.
Such a referendum is not provided in law so the vote would be merely advisory, meaning the council is subject to hearing further arguments from both sides once the public vote is taken. So this won't be the end.
Most polls indicate around 75 percent of respondents support traffic cameras. But it is the other 25 percent that make all the noise. And they will be the ones, in a low turnout election, who will carry the vote.
I don't like getting traffic tickets any more than the camera protesters. I'll admit I deserved getting the few I ever have received. But it doesn't make me want to stop traffic enforcement.
I have a fear that a great many people would vote against any type of traffic enforcement. Let's get rid of those sneaky cops who hide behind billboards, they would say.
Traffic cameras seem so reasonable to me. I'm busted without the embarrassment of sitting beside the road with people driving by checking out who got caught. And the cop didn't have to endanger anyone as he wound through traffic to cut me out.
I've seen figures that only about 10 percent of all people who have had their pictures taken get a ticket in the mail. The reviewers have to be sure they have a good picture of the driver and the license plate and good evidence that the person was running a red light or going too many miles per hour over the speed limit.
With city budgets being stretched thin, cameras are much less expensive than paying police to monitor traffic and write tickets. Every handwritten ticket takes 15-18 minutes of an officer's time. Every accident takes 45 minutes to an hour or more.
And cameras do lower accident rates. Opponents of traffic cameras love to cite statistics that red light cameras cause more rear end collisions from tailgaters.
Such statistics do exist but not for all intersections. And even when there are more rear end collisions at an intersection, there are many fewer of the much more serious perpendicular, T-bone crashes in the intersection.
When former Gov. Bill Richardson and his state Transportation Board ridiculously ordered traffic cameras off state-supported thoroughfares through cities a few years ago, Albuquerque kept motion sensors in the pavement activated. It was found that lawbreaking increased 584 percent without the cameras.
Richardson was death on traffic cameras. The main reason seemed to be that he didn't get along with then-Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, who supported traffic cameras.
A few years before Richardson and his henchmen outlawed cameras on state roads, he convinced the Legislature to grab a share of the local money from camera fines.
Traffic cameras should pay for themselves but they aren't meant as a revenue raiser. They are meant to deter traffic violations.
A major setback to the program occurred the first year of Arizona's state budget difficulties when then-Gov. Janet Napolitano proposed as a help in budget-balancing the purchase of a large number of speed vans, which were placed all over the state, catching motorists and levying huge fines.
The favorite phrase back then was "If you can afford it, go ahead and speed. You'll be helping balance Arizona's budget."
Traffic cameras just aren't something to get that upset about. We are subject to surveillance just about any time we leave our houses. And we think nothing about it.
It's just another high-tech advance.
FRI, 7-1-11

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

 

6-29 State officials yearn for higher office

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE –- New Mexicans soon may need a scorecard to keep track of our state officials. The problem is that we are a small state and Republicans don't have a deep bench of public officials.
And that leads to jumping around between jobs. Lt. Gov. John Sanchez has been in office less than six months and has already officially declared as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Gov. Susana Martinez says he should resign but she can't make him do it because he also is an elected official and is immune to being bossed around by the governor.
But Gov. Martinez can give orders to her staff and has let it be known that any of them who decide to run for anything next year are outta here.
That edict would apply to Economic Development Department Secretary-Designate Jon Barela who has his eyes on the 1st Congressional District seat he narrowly lost last November.
Barela says he understands and would resign if he decides to run for Congress. The question is whether Gov. Martinez understands the effect of her position that people who work for her need to concentrate full time on their jobs.
Martinez, who has had national aspirations since she was a child, is being talked about as a possible vice-presidential candidate. Some of that talk reportedly is coming from the right people in Washington. She may have a better shot than Bill Richardson did in 2000 and 2004.
As a vice-presidential candidate, Martinez could attract minority and women's votes. She also would need to balance the ticket geographically, philosophically and in a number of other ways.
Conventional wisdom is that the extremes of both parties tend to control the nomination process. If one of the more conservative of the GOP presidential candidates were to take the nomination, Martinez might have an even stronger shot at being selected since she hasn't veered as far to the right as several other new Republican governors.
It's still a long shot but if Martinez is selected as the GOP vice-presidential candidate next summer, will she follow her own reasoning that she can't do two jobs at once.
My guess is that Martinez wouldn't step down as governor. She remained as district attorney from the time she announced for governor until hours before she was sworn into office.
Sarah Palin remained as Alaska governor while she ran for the vice presidency. The fact is that I've never known an officeholder to resign while running for something else.
But Susana Martinez has set a precedent that many New Mexicans are going to believe she should follow. If Martinez says Lt. Gov. Sanchez should resign from a position that has almost no duties, it follows that a governor should resign.
Will the public allow her to have different rules for herself? When Martinez took office, she reduced the salaries of most of her top aides but didn't reduce her own. Maybe that's the precedent.
When the GOP vice-presidential candidate is chosen next summer, John Sanchez still will be lieutenant governor. And if he wins the GOP Senate primary, he still will be a candidate. If Martinez were to be chosen as a vice-presidential candidate and resign as governor, Sanchez would become governor.
And if Sanchez were to be elected to the Senate, New Mexico would have no governor or lieutenant governor. According to my reading of the state constitution, that would make Secretary of State Dianna Duran governor.
Duran recently created major headlines by sending 64,000 voter registration forms to the state police to investigate for fraud. Her motives were widely questioned.
Former state GOP chairman John Lattauzio, of Alamogordo, defended her by noting that when Duran became Otero County Clerk in 1984, the county was solidly Democratic. Now it is solidly Republican.
That led former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish to question how that happened and whether the 64,000 questioned voter registrations might be the first step in New Mexico becoming solidly Republican.
WED, 6-29-11

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

 

6-27 New Mexicans hoodwinked by the Rail Runner

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- It is now confirmed. New Mexicans were hoodwinked by the Rail Runner.
During former Gov. Bill Richardson's 2003 honeymoon with the Legislature and the people of New Mexico, we were told the Rail Runner was an important economic development tool for all New Mexico.
Richardson's big promise to New Mexicans was that he could use his worldwide contacts and negotiating skills to lead our state into a vibrant economy.
Lawmakers gave him everything he requested -- a spaceport, tax cuts to attract high-paid corporation execs, additional education funding to produce a better workforce and lots of infrastructure for highways and a railroad.
The railroad not only was going to produce economic development, it would boost tourism, improve the environment, save road building expense and increase safety.
Somehow I never could understand how the train was going to help economic development from Belen to Santa Fe, much less in Hobbs and Farmington.
But $385 million was appropriated and the project was completed in record time for this part of New Mexico.
But now the Rail Runner is running into debt. And the solution is to discontinue weekend runs in about a month.. It isn't that the weekend runs aren't increasing in ridership, at least to Santa Fe. And it isn't that there is much of anybody on the weekday trains except during rush hours.
The reason weekend runs are being discontinued, according to the Rio Metro Transit Board, is that the Rail Runner was conceived from the beginning as a commuter train to get state employees to work.
So why weren't New Mexico taxpayers told that from the beginning? If we were told it was for getting state employees to and from work, there would have been calls to take it out of their paychecks.
And it's not as though state employees don't have complaints. It isn't a high speed train. There are many stops. Even at cruising speed, riders watch cars speeding past on nearby I-25. And then there are breakdowns, accidents and dead cows that bring it to lengthy stops. State employees are docked for being late.
A better solution would have been to eliminate mid-day runs. Gov. Susana Martinez says she sees the Rail Runner many times when "there isn't a single human being in it." But the Metro Board said it would have been counter to the original intent that it be a commuter train.
And talk about atrocious timing. The weekend cancellations will occur at the beginning of major tourism events such as Indian Market, Santa Fe Fiesta, and the New Mexico Wine Festival in Bernalillo.
Maybe the biggest "duh" is the beginning of an already scheduled discount ticket offering for infrequent riders. The idea of providing incentives for weekend riders is a good one. Gov. Martinez supports it.
Incentives would be especially good for Sundays when riders are fewer. The state's free Sunday admission for New Mexico residents to its seven Santa Fe museums should be publicized more.
But the Metro Board may not be very interested in getting people out of Albuquerque to spend their money elsewhere. But then there is always the possibility people outside of Albuquerque would like to ride into town to shop there.
The Rio Metro Transit Board would be wise to reconsider its hasty surprise decision. The stated purpose of the June 17 meeting was to juggle the weekday schedule and stops to save money. Instead, on a 6-5 vote it decided on a one-dimensional service.
Many train riders say they would be willing to pay a higher fare to keep the service going. As long as the unwise decision was made to spend $385 million on the infrastructure, we might as well keep it going if it can break even. That's good for a transit system.
A little creative thinking could do the job. Santa Fe already has appropriated funds to establish a visitor center at its railyard.
MON, 6-27-11

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

 

6-24 correction

The first sentence should have "ago": added at the end.

6-24 Congressional races, two-year colleges andBilly

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The U.S. Senate race got off to a running start over a month. But the 1sr Congressional District contest still is just beginning.
Political observers aren't expecting anything exciting in Congressional Districts 2 and 3 where incumbents Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Lujan appear very safe.
Pearce is telling supporters Democrats plan to give him a tougher district in the September redistricting session but early indications are just the opposite. Democrats may want to cede Pearce's district to the GOP in order to make the other two districts more safely Democratic.
The decision by Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich to leave his 1st district house seat to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated b y Sen. Jeff Bingaman's retirement yields a wide open race to replace him.
But not much is happening yet. State Sen. Eric Griego, of Albuquerque, is busy raising money and getting endorsements in the Democratic race. But he's by himself for now.
Other possibilities include former Albuquerque mayor Martin Chavez, former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Rep. Moe Maestas, County Commissioner Michele Lujan Grisham and Public Regulation Commissioner Jason Marks.
The only Republican firmly in the race is Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis. Other possibilities are state Economic Development Department Secretary Jon Barela, who was defeated by Heinrich in last year's general election and former state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones.
It may take all summer for that race to firm up.
* * *
The spread of two-year colleges to many mid-size towns in New Mexico has been a source of great pride to the state and local communities.
These institutions provide higher education opportunities to many young people who would not have the opportunity otherwise. They provide a trained workforce for the small industries the communities want to attract.
But Gov. Susana Martinez thinks the expansion has gone too far. Some communities now have multiple two-year institutions, thereby stretching the lean state budget beyond its capacity.
The culprit in all this seems to be branches of four-year colleges that move into communities that already have higher education offerings. In many cases the result is duplication of services.
It is difficult to take something away that already is offered but Martinez is determined to cut costs.
* * *
Tomorrow is the big auction in Denver, where the one surviving authenticated picture of Billy the Kid will be auctioned. It has been called The Holy Grail of Western history.
The picture is a tintype taken in the winter of 1879-1880 in Fort Sumner. Billy is said to have kept one of the four tintypes produced by the photo process and have given one to his pal Dan Dedrick. The other two were given to female acquaintances in Fort Sumner.
The only surviving tintype was the one given to Dedrick, who later moved to Northern California and did well in the mining business. The tintype was passed down through his family
It was on loan from 1986-1998 to the Lincoln County Heritage Trust and on display at a museum in Lincoln until the Heritage Trust disbanded. The tintype then went back to its owner Frank Upham, a direct descendant of Dedrick.
The auction will take place at professional auctioneer Brian Lebel's Old West Show and Auction, which has become an annual June convention in Denver, attracting many well-heeled collectors of Western history..
Last year, the Roy Rogers collection was auctioned. This year, it will be the collection of Frank Upham, which will include a tintype of Dan Dedrick taken just before Billy's picture.
Billy paid a quarter for the set of four pictures. The bidding in Denver could go over $1 million. Word of the auction has spread worldwide on the heels of a major publicity campaign. Quite a few New Mexicans say they are going up to Denver for the big show.
But none are expected to bring it back to New Mexico.
FRI, 6-24-11

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

 

6-22 Why make a criminal case out of it?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- How is the state Department of Public Safety going to find the time and money to investigate the 64,000 possible cases of voter fraud referred to it by New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran?
With state budgets being slashed by the last several legislative sessions, doesn't it seem logical that the state police Special Investigations Division has more important cases to handle?
For years, Republicans have worried that Democrats win elections by cheating. The cheating involves disappearing ballots, ballot boxes that suddenly appear when they are needed or long lines of voters at the polls, with a dollar bill or half-pint of whiskey in their pockets.
Of course, those long lines of voters could cast their ballots in any manner they want after they get in the voting booth. Although there are stories about people swearing they voted for the candidate of the Democratic precinct boss' choosing, only to have that precinct tally show no votes for the candidate.
There even is one story about a school superintendent telling a poll worker that he couldn't read so he needed to take the Democratic precinct chairman into the voting booth with him.
Invariably these stories involve Hispanics. And naturally many assume that with 12 million illegals said to be in the United States, that some of those Hispanics are illegals.
But how likely is that? In New Mexico, voting illegally is a fourth-degree felony. That gets a person thrown in jail where it is likely one's citizenship will be discovered. That means more jail time followed by deportation.
So how much effort are Democratic politicos going to put into recruiting illegals to register and to vote? There are better waters to drop one's hook in.
But New Mexico Republicans figure with all that smoke, there must be fire somewhere. So they have long advocated for voter identification at the polls. Democrats have long opposed voter ID so Republicans figure they must be up to something.
Since Republicans never had any luck getting their voter ID legislation through Democratic legislatures, they looked for other avenues to prove it is needed.
When George W. Bush became president, they let U.S. Attorney David Iglesias know voter fraud should be a priority. Iglesias says he looked hard, found little and could prove even less. That and the failure to get Manny Aragon indicted before the 2006 general election are alleged to be the reasons he was fired.
Similar pressures surely are being put on Dianna Duran. As secretary of state she testified to the Legislature that a cross-check of voter registration with a state Motor Vehicle Division database, revealed that 117 foreign nationals have registered to vote and at least 37 actually voted.
No problems with credibility there. But now she has sent 64,000 suspicious voter registrations to the state police. My guess is that Duran is being pressured from somewhere, just as Iglesias was.
This is not the Dianna Duran I have known as an efficient Otero County Clerk and respected state senator for many years. But her action in this instance is difficult to understand.
The 64,000 registration forms with discrepancies must be mostly attributable to clerical errors, errors filling out the forms or illegible handwriting. So why weren't they referred to county clerks for cleaning up?
Is it because most of them are Democrats and therefore can't be trusted? Is it because the Public Safety Department is under a Republican governor?
We've recently learned that state police have computer programs that search for patterns that could suggest suspicious activity within the 64,000 files.
If that is the case, why doesn't the secretary of state use those programs to analyze the 64,000 files? If no one in that office has the expertise, why not go to the Information Technology Department instead of making a criminal case out of it? There is still more to learn.
WED, 6-22-11

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

 

6-20 State employee rolls decreasing

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- Last fall, both gubernatorial candidates promised state employees "no furloughs and no layoffs."
We could be pretty sure there would be no furloughs. The furloughs in 2010 were wildly unpopular and, more importantly, they were a budget-cutting tool of Gov. Bill Richardson. Both candidates were running away from him.
At the conclusion of the 2011 Legislature, Gov. Susana Martinez and legislative leaders proclaimed the budget that was adopted would require no furloughs and no layoffs.
But layoffs already have begun. They sometimes are called reductions in force, or RIFs, but the results are the same. On June 10, 44 state employees were told to clean out their desks. They will be paid through the end of the month.
The 44 employees are a drop in the bucket compared to the more than 3,000 reduction in state payrollers as a result of not being replaced when they left state employment.
That hiring freeze was ordered by Gov. Richardson in the fall of 2008 and has been continued by Gov. Martinez except in the case of critically needed personnel.
A spokesman for the governor said the layoffs were made in order to streamline state government. Gov. Martinez said during her campaign that she would take a good look at the work of a committee appointed by the Legislature to make recommendations for government restructuring.
Several bills were introduced in the 2011 Legislature to reorganize state government but none of them got far. It likely didn't matter. The governor's actions thus far indicate she would rather veto legislation and then do it her way. In that respect, she is much like her predecessor.
Some of the agency cuts the governor made were predictable. She had promised to modify or eliminate any state government rules and regulations that hurt businesses. So the cut in the Regulation and Licensing Department was to be expected.
There likely will be more cuts, especially in the Construction Industries Division. Regulations and inspections have been a major target of this administration.
The Construction Industries Commission has repealed the energy-efficient building codes from the Richardson administration. Public hearings around the state indicate homebuilders are split on the action.
It is a short term fix to lower construction prices hoping to get the building market going again. But utility usage will eat into those savings plus require more energy utilization.
Improving public school education was another promise of the governor. So it came as a surprise to see 33 of the 44 cuts last week come from the state Public Education Department. Evidently those 33 employees weren't ones who were going to help bring about changes in the schools.
Soon after Education Secretary-Designate Hanna Skandera was appointed, there was talk of her contracting with former colleagues in other states to help strengthen education in New Mexico.
Some wondered where the money would come from to bring in all those consultants. Maybe we have our answer now. If Skandera's move truly does brig about improved student performance, the questions about her action will cease.
Surprisingly little static has resulted from elimination of the Commission on the Status of Women. The method of eliminating a statutory body by vetoing its funding is legally dubious.
And the idea that the commission has served its purpose may be even more dubious. Does the election of a female governor mean that the status of women now is equal to the status of men?
Tough economic times hit the private sector before they started affecting public employees. The business world coined a phrase to describe the strategy of applying minimal resources to as many projects as possible. It is called the "peanut-butter spread." It means spreading employees as thinly as possible.
So far, businesses have continued the peanut-butter strategy even as they are recovering. Many analysts predict the peanut-butter spread will be around for a long time.
MON, 6-20-11

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

 

6-17 correction

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- The Jemez casino at Anthony doesn't look nearly as sure today as it did a month ago when the Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a very rosy draft environmental impact study of the proposal.
Evidently the draft was prepared by the Jemez Pueblo for the BIA's consideration. The negative side of the proposal was not mentioned. But now it is coming out.
The Jemez Pueblo wants to build a casino at Anthony, south of Las Cruces to attract the large population in the El Paso and Juarez area, which don't have casinos.
Jemez has the misfortune of not being located on a major highway. So it has petitioned the BIA to allow it to locate a casino on land it would purchase almost 300 miles to the south.
Obviously few people from Jemez would work at the site but the income from the casino would be very helpful. And Anthony, in an economically depressed area, could benefit from the jobs.
Santa Fe businessman Gerald Peters also is involved in the deal. He would build and operate a hotel at the site. An application by the Jemez and Peters was rejected during the George W. Bush administration. But the current administration is reviewing those rejections.
Other casinos in the area now are letting their thoughts be known. Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino is located about 15 miles to the southwest. The racino contends that another casino in the county would be economically devastating.
The Mescalero Apache tribe, located 100 miles away says it also would be harmed. Somehow, nearly a dozen Indian casinos and a racino are successfully operating in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area.
The Mescaleros have a point when they contend that the proposed casino would be on land where Apaches once roamed - not the Jemez or any other pueblo.
Gov. Susana Martinez also gets to weigh in on the approval before it is granted. She has said that she is open to considering it but lately has sounded more wary of the arrangement.
Lurking in the background are other issues that could have an even greater effect on the final decision.
If approved, this casino reportedly would be the farthest distance of any casino in the nation from the reservation operating it. And if this one is approved, it could set a precedent for going even farther off a reservation.
The Fort Sill Apaches in Oklahoma want to open a casino at Akela, between Las Cruces and Deming. This was their homeland until the U.S. government moved them out.
After Geronimo's death, the Apache band was allowed to return to the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico. But some decided to stay in Fort Sill. They are the ones who want to build a New Mexico casino -- but they don't want Geronimo's remains moved back here.
Another issue involves Stan Fulton, owner of Sunland Park Racino. He has candidly said he is willing to spend whatever it takes to keep out any competition. He has given millions to New Mexico State University, which also is named in his will to receive half ownership of the racino upon his death.
The only proviso is that all competition be kept out of Dona Ana County. He has asked NMSU to oppose the Anthony casino. It hasn't, but some of its regents reportedly have personally opposed it.
Numerous business and governmental groups in the area have supported the casino but NMSU doesn't show up on that list either. Fulton is not from the area. He lives in Las Vegas, NV and is in the gaming business,.
The New Mexico Indian Gaming Association also opposes the Jemez request. That is unusual because nearly all the casinos are owned by other pueblos, which usually have good relations.
A few years ago, the Pojoaque and Nambe pueblos traded land parcels so Nambe could have land for a casino fronting the highway, squeezed between the Pojoaque and Tesuque casinos.
FRI, 6-17-11

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

In the last four words of the column just sent, Nambe should be changed to Pojoaque. Corrected column attached.

6-17 Anthony casino far from a sure thing

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- The Jemez casino at Anthony doesn't look nearly as sure today as it did a month ago when the Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a very rosy draft environmental impact study of the proposal.
Evidently the draft was prepared by the Jemez Pueblo for the BIA's consideration. The negative side of the proposal was not mentioned. But now it is coming out.
The Jemez Pueblo wants to build a casino at Anthony, south of Las Cruces to attract the large population in the El Paso and Juarez area, which don't have casinos.
Jemez has the misfortune of not being located on a major highway. So it has petitioned the BIA to allow it to locate a casino on land it would purchase almost 300 miles to the south.
Obviously few people from Jemez would work at the site but the income from the casino would be very helpful. And Anthony, in an economically depressed area, could benefit from the jobs.
Santa Fe businessman Gerald Peters also is involved in the deal. He would build and operate a hotel at the site. An application by the Jemez and Peters was rejected during the George W. Bush administration. But the current administration is reviewing those rejections.
Other casinos in the area now are letting their thoughts be known. Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino is located about 15 miles to the southwest. The racino contends that another casino in the county would be economically devastating.
The Mescalero Apache tribe, located 100 miles away says it also would be harmed. Somehow, nearly a dozen Indian casinos and a racino are successfully operating in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area.
The Mescaleros have a point when they contend that the proposed casino would be on land where Apaches once roamed - not the Jemez or any other pueblo.
Gov. Susana Martinez also gets to weigh in on the approval before it is granted. She has said that she is open to considering it but lately has sounded more wary of the arrangement.
Lurking in the background are other issues that could have an even greater effect on the final decision.
If approved, this casino reportedly would be the farthest distance of any casino in the nation from the reservation operating it. And if this one is approved, it could set a precedent for going even farther off a reservation.
The Fort Sill Apaches in Oklahoma want to open a casino at Akela, between Las Cruces and Deming. This was their homeland until the U.S. government moved them out.
After Geronimo's death, the Apache band was allowed to return to the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico. But some decided to stay in Fort Sill. They are the ones who want to build a New Mexico casino -- but they don't want Geronimo's remains moved back here.
Another issue involves Stan Fulton, owner of Sunland Park Racino. He has candidly said he is willing to spend whatever it takes to keep out any competition. He has given millions to New Mexico State University, which also is named in his will to receive half ownership of the racino upon his death.
The only proviso is that all competition be kept out of Dona Ana County. He has asked NMSU to oppose the Anthony casino. It hasn't, but some of its regents reportedly have personally opposed it.
Numerous business and governmental groups in the area have supported the casino but NMSU doesn't show up on that list either. Fulton is not from the area. He lives in Las Vegas, NV and is in the gaming business,.
The New Mexico Indian Gaming Association also opposes the Jemez request. That is unusual because nearly all the casinos are owned by other pueblos, which usually have good relations.
A few years ago, the Pojoaque and Nambe pueblos traded land parcels so Nambe could have land for a casino fronting the highway, squeezed between the Nambe and Tesuque casinos.
FRI, 6-17-11

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

 

6-15 Senate Race and Osama

s-15-11
SANTA FE – It's time to tie up some loose ends. Most of them com from reader questions or prodding.
Past columns have covered the two major candidates in each party that are going to make New Mexico's U.S. Senate race a doozy. We're talking about former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and Lt. Gov. John Sanchez in their pitched battle for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination. And Rep. Martin Heinrich and state Auditor Hector Balderas and their battle for the Democratic nomination.
We have three other candidates for those two races. In a previous column I covered businessman Greg Sowards of Las Cruces who is well in front among this trio. But that wasn't enough. Many of you wanted to know more about the other two. Neither one of them seem to be spending much money on their campaigns so it is difficult to learn about them.
I realized that the readers wanting to know more about Republican Bill English of Alamogordo wanted other readers to know more about him. I already knew that most of the material on English floating around in the blogosphere is damaging. I didn't want to do that, so if you are interested in Mr. English, just Google him
Andres Valdes lives in Albuquerque and is an activist for people who have no power and mostly are poor. Valdes advocates an economic model of worker cooperatives that have been successful in a Basque region in Spain.
Valdes created and runs Vecinos United a nonprofit group. He says he is embarrassed to admit that the Democratic Party is guilty of corporate greed just like the Republicans. "It's just that our party is willing to issue out a few more crumbs." Valdes does not have a Web site that I can find.
John Sanchez's past votes and speeches are beginning to catch up with him as his main opponent said they would. Wilson has said since the beginning that Sanchez is not the conservative he says he is.
Now we are learning that Sanchez had a 71 percent voting record for the AFL-CIO during his one term in the House and that he voted in favor of both reinstatement of public employee collective bargaining rights and a raise in the minimum wage. And Sanchez once told a Chamber of Commerce meeting that government can't be run like a business even though then-Gov. Johnson preached that it could.
Actually other Republicans also had a good voting record for labor during that 2000 legislative session. And other Republicans have explained that government can't be run like a business. Business owners make decisions and their employees carry them out. In a democracy, the Legislature makes the decisions and the governor carries them out. And the Supreme Court watches to assure the governor doesn't get out of bounds.
As former state GOP Chairman John Dendahl was fond of saying, only in a dictatorship does government run as smoothly as business.
Explain this one to me. We keep hearing that New Mexico still is very much in a deep recession. And yet the Department of Workforce Solutions has announced that Tier IV, the top tier of unemployment was cut off on June 12 because the state unemployment rate has dropped below the 8.5 percent threshold necessary for the state to qualify.
Is there some area of the state that is doing well but not letting us know about it? Or is it a matter of people giving up looking for a job or moving out of state? Are there any statistics that speak to that question?
And finally, I received an e-mail from my good friend Michael P.E. Hoyt, a former ambassador to the Congo, where he was held captive during a revolution. It was a copy of a prediction Hoyt had made in 2002 when we first started hunting Osama bin Laden in the caves along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He said bin Laden would never stay in those caves. He would go to live with his many wives and children in one of the hundreds of thousands of walled compounds somewhere in Pakistan. He knew it would take a long time to find out which walled compound.

6-13 Governor Gets Bolder

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Susana-PAC has been formed to help elect courageous state and local leaders committed to the types of reforms that will move New Mexico forward.
We were all rather surprised when former Gov. Bill Richardson kept his political action committee going strong even after he won his second term as governor and dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
But now Gov. Martinez has taken the idea a step further. First she used leftover PAC money from her campaign to buy radio ads and make robocalls to promote her legislative agenda.
Now she has created a second PAC to help fund state and local candidates who agree with her issues. What are those issues?
Martinez names three in her fundraising announcement -- repealing driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, school reforms and lowering taxes.
Martinez's e-mail announcement came from a post office box in Albuquerque so it is legit as far as not using government money. The forwarded e-mail I received happened to come from a state employee. It went to a personal e-mail address so that is OK.
It does raise the question, however, of how many state employees received that solicitation. The person who received this e-mail has no idea how Susana-PAC got his personal e-mail address.
Richardson helped legislative candidates also, sometimes even in primary elections. But he did it more quietly than Martinez. Maybe this is part of the "boldness" she talked about.
Gov. Martinez didn't get off to an especially bold start. Political observers somewhat expected her to hit the Legislature with an overwhelming array of programs and promises as Richardson had
But Martinez started slowly, taking her time with cabinet appointments and submitting legislation primarily in areas with which she had worked as a district attorney.
So we will see a different type of boldness from Martinez. She has demonstrated that boldness in the area of relaxing regulations on businesses -- big and small.
Perhaps her biggest impact has been on the construction industry. She wants to streamline inspections and permitting so homes and buildings can be built quicker and easier. She thinks the job can be done with many fewer people. Reports I am receiving indicate that staff reductions already are on their way.
Soon after her election, Gov. Martinez appointed a Small Business-Friendly Task Force to study all the rules and regulations of state government and determine which could be revised or rescinded to help small businesses.
The task force spent 90 days beginning in early January on its task and issued its 13-page report on April 1. Its first recommendation was that no state rule or regulation should be stronger than federal standards.
The report contains a six-page appendix relating solely to regulations of the Environment Department. Some 43 areas are identified for change. Well over half of them are not federally required. That likely means that in the last eight years the Environment Department was very busy strengthening its rules and regulations.
Did these changes hurt New Mexico's ability to attract and retain businesses? Probably. Will revising or rescinding them jeopardize the health, safety or welfare of New Mexicans? Probably.
Ideally, all factors will be carefully considered. But that isn't likely. Environmentalists reigned during the past eight years. Business will have its way now.
The task force is totally composed of business people. Not many can claim to be small business. The 43 areas they want changed in the Environmental Department mostly affect big business.
This is going to be a huge undertaking. The 26 or so task force members will probably work independently or in small groups to draft new regulations worded to their desires.
Administrative changes do not normally require legislation, so much may happen quietly behind closed doors.
MON, 6-13-11

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

 

6-10 Why Are Indian Names So Popular?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- An Albuquerque television station still is running ads for its news programs showing Harlyn Geronimo, of Mescalero, saying that using "Geronimo" as the code name for the operation to kill Osama bin Laden was a "slap in the face" to Indians.
And Jeff Houser, chairman of Geronimo's Fort Sill Apache tribe, has written President Barack Obama asking him to apologize for the blunder. That still may be pending.
Should the president apologize? I think it is possible for him to do so with the message that the code name was not meant to be derogatory, citing examples of the military using Indian names to instill courage and bravery in its troops.
The use of Geronimo in this instance, however, was a very bad idea. It invites comparisons between Geronimo and bin Laden. About the only valid comparison is that they both were very hard to catch.
As Houser wrote to the president, to equate Geronimo to a "cowardly terrorist is painful and offensive to our tribe and to all Native Americans."
Houser may be right about that statement. Whereas polls show that most Native Americans don't get particularly upset about sports teams with Indian names, this is a different situation.
Athletic teams want to invoke the fighting spirit of Native Americans defending their territory. Bin Laden was someone nearly all Americans wanted hunted down.
For its part, the Defense Department said code names typically are chosen randomly. That's hard to believe. The names of our military operations in the Middle East, such as Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom, carry definite meanings.
Names the Secret Service gives to presidents and the members of their families also seem to have subtle meanings. I can only figure that all those names fit into a different category than code names.
Whatever the Defense Department's excuse, it was a blunder. Maybe it was to be kept secret but such things always get out in these days of 24/7 news.
The simple solution is not to use any code names that might reasonably offend anyone. That means stay away from names of people, races, ethnicities and maybe even plants and animals. You know how some people are.
This sensitivity to use of Indian names was born out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Athletic teams at all levels were asked to drop their Indian names. Many elementary and secondary schools did. A few colleges went along. Professional teams completely ignored the requests.
Some teams reacted by increasing the emphasis on their Indian names. The Florida State Seminoles started a war chant and tomahawk chop. The practice spread to the Atlanta Braves. The Braves new field has electronic hatchet chops on walls all around the stadium accompanied by war chant music whenever a rally starts.
While our military can make an argument that naming aircraft, weapons and troop units after Indians pays homage to America's fighting heritage, professional sports teams tend to make a mockery out of it.
The Atlanta Braves for a while had Chief Noka-Homa come out of a teepee in the center field stands and do a war dance every time an Atlanta player knocked a homer. He was removed a couple of times but a losing streak for the team always followed.
American opinion is very split on this subject. But it is worth considering, especially for those of us who live in New Mexico from whence Geronimo came. He may come in second only to Billy the Kid as our state's most famous person.
Why aren't other minorities used by the military or sports teams? About the only exception I can think of is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Is it because we actually revere Native Americans for their dignity and bravery?
Another possible reason our military uses so many Indian names is that they have a very honorable record for service to our country, topped off by the code talkers. But then other minorities also have enviable fighting records.
FRI, 6-10-11

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

 

6-8 The Additional U.S. Senate Candidates

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- OK, we're back to talking about serious politics after detouring in the last column to talk about cowboys and aliens.
No, the subject wasn't the "Cowboys and Aliens" movie, partially filmed in New Mexico, with a cast including Harrison Ford. It premieres next month.
The cowboys were Billy the Kid and his mischievous pals during the shooting of Billy's tintype, in 1881. The aliens were sent by Josef Stalin to crash in Roswell in 1947, according to a recently released book by a previously respected journalist.
New Mexico's U.S. Senate race has given us plenty to talk about. Two high profile candidates have been slugging it out on the Republican side. In what will be a hard fought, evenly matched Democratic battle, the two major candidates are primarily trying to add fuel to the GOP fire.
In both races we see a present or former Albuquerque representative in Congress opposing a candidate who has run successfully for statewide office. We'll see which background makes for a stronger candidate.
With all this action, I have seldom managed to even list the other three candidates in the Republican and Democratic U.S. Senate races. But they are putting out an effort to run and deserve some notice.
First among the second tier of candidates is Greg Sowards, of Las Cruces. Sowards is an energetic, inventive and cheerful guy. Evidence of that can be found in his e-mail address www.shortbaldhonest.com.
Sowards has done well in several businesses and is willing to lay out some of that money to kick start his campaign. He has flown to Washington to interview and hire consultants for national fundraising and grassroots organizing.
He is an engineering graduate of Brigham Young University and holds five U.S. patents. He has been married 37 years and has six married children and 17 grandchildren. He is an Army veteran who specialized in electronic calibration.
Sowards has run for Congress twice before. First, he challenged Rep. Joe Skeen in 1996. New Mexico Republicans frown on such foolishness. Republicans don't challenge their party's incumbents.
Such audacity prompted GOP state chairman John Dendahl to do something party chairs seldom do. He endorsed Rep. Skeen in the primary.
Sowards didn't do well. Twelve years later, when Rep. Skeen retired, Sowards ran again in a crowded primary and did better. This time Sowards is determined to be a factor.
He has positioned himself as the only true conservative in the race. The positions he has taken in his two previous U.S. House races indicate he is conservative all the way.
Heather Wilson is not a conservative. She couldn't have won six general elections in Albuquerque with a totally conservative voting record.
Lt. Gov. John Sanchez says he is a true conservative but has never held office long enough to prove it. He was on the Los Ranchos town council for three years and was a state representative for two years. Wilson says his conservative record is invented.
Sowards should be included in any GOP primary debates. He will have much to add.
Bill English, of Alamogordo, also is a candidate in the GOP primary. He supports limited government, states' rights and term limits. He wants to make New Mexico the center of the commercial space industry. And he wants to reestablish transportation routes closed by military intervention.
English is the son of a former Arizona state representative and was a columnist for the Alamogordo Daily News. Other than that, I can find little information about his background.
Andres Valdes, of Albuquerque, is a candidate in the state Democratic race for the U.S. Senate. He admits he likely will be called the longshot in the race. He has no campaign Web site and the only information about him included in any news reports is that he is an activist.
Apparently neither English nor Valdes has the resources to get mentioned often in their longshot races.
WED, 6-8-11

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

 

6-6 Billy and UFOs

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- We're hearing breaking news almost daily about our U.S. Senate primary candidates and about the unfolding judicial scandal. But let's pause just a moment for a little bit of summer fun.
I'm talking about Billy the Kid and UFOs. Not together for the first time. At least I don't remember any B movies about Billy and little green men. Although I seem to remember one about werewolves.
After a recent column about the one remaining tintype of Billy being auctioned in Colorado on June 25, Santa Fe gallery owner Andrew Smith lamented that New Mexico will be losing a very important piece of its history if that tintype ends up out of state.
I reported that wealthy buyers from out of state are interested in the tintype for their personal collections. Smith says the tintype should be in the Museum of New Mexico. He hopes a group of New Mexicans can get together to buy the tintype and donate it to our museum.
Estimates are that the tintype will go for $100,000 to $500,000. That's a pot full of money but we heard of political donations in the last gubernatorial campaign approaching that amount.
My previous column also speculated about why such a ladies' man looked so goofy. I have learned since that column that Billy's pals were standing behind the photographer making faces during the lengthy process.
A Billy the Kid trail ride was completed yesterday, tracing Billy's route from Lincoln to Fort Sumner after he escaped from jail. If you missed it, a ride is being conducted by another company, Great American Adventures, Oct. 9-14.
And now to UFOs. A new book is out called "Area 51" which is reported to be a very well documented case for the existence of a super secret Nevada base where spy planes and all manner of top secret experiments are conducted.
Then the author takes on the 1947 Roswell UFO crash with only one source to back her up. That source claims a disc-shaped object, developed by captured Nazi scientists, crashed in the area, on orders from Josef Stalin, in order to panic Americans into thinking Martians had landed.
A decade earlier, Orson Welles had scared the pants off us with his "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. Were we still as gullible nine years later after having undergone another World War? Most news sources think not.
But Julie Shuster, with the UFO Museum in Roswell, says it is sure to bring more people to town. The big UFO Festival this year will be July 1-4. The city and the UFO Museum are working together this year on the festival so it should be better than ever.
Recently the FBI launched an online data base so researchers won't have to file Freedom of Information Act requests. It is convenient for researchers and saves the FBI a ton of time. FBI sources say UFO requests are the most popular subject matter.
Matthew Arco, with the Roswell Record says one document has caught the attention of UFO researchers. It is a memo from a special agent to J. Edgar Hoover informing him that an investigator for the Air Force stated that three flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico.
The agent said the government has very high-powered radar in the area that evidently interfered with the controlling mechanism of the saucers. Julie Shuster says bring it on. This is just one more fascinating bit of information that will get people coming to Roswell.
The annual Paranormal Symposium will be held Oct. 25-30 this year. The site has moved from Angel Fire to Taos, at the Kachina Inn. The focus last year was on the secret Dulce UFO base.
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, better known as SETI, has run out of money and shut down just as it was planning to point its radio dish at a recently discovered group of planets, judged to be the right distance from their suns to make them inhabitable.
And finally, the Vatican announced it is OK to believe in aliens because we can't place limits on God's creative freedom.
Somewhere, Galileo must be smiling.
MON, 6-6-11

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