Plan to tie driving to school performance is a bad one

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Gov. Bill Richardson announced last week his new plan to tie eligibility for a driver’s license to academic performance in grade school. It’s the latest example of trying to force students to learn by threatening them with punishment instead of actually improving the educational system to encourage students to want to learn. That’s the main reason this is simply a bad idea. You’ll still have to be 16 to get a driver’s license in New Mexico under Richardson’s plan. Eighth graders will also have to demonstrate that they are at the level of “nearing proficiency or proficiency” on New Mexico standards. Continue Reading

State’s new economy will require increased literacy

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New Mexico, led by Gov. Bill Richardson, has done a lot in the last few years to try to improve the state’s economic situation by creating new jobs in high-tech and film industries. There has been some success, most notably in the film industry. New Mexico has managed to attract major Hollywood companies to the Albuquerque area. In addition, the state has created a renewable energy transmission authority with the goal of developing new energy technology in the state and selling excess power it generates to other states. And the state is trying to construct the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport and transform the Las Cruces area into the worldwide center of the commercial space industry. Continue Reading

Media should promote substantive debate on issues

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I wish we could have honest debates about the issues in America. Too often, the 24-hour news cycle instead drowns us in controversy with only cursory examination of anything substantive. That’s a disservice to Americans. The latest example is the controversy over Barack Obama’s recent comment about Pennsylvania voters. For those who missed it, Obama said at a private fundraiser in San Francisco that many rural Pennsylvanians respond to their economic plight by becoming bitter and clinging to guns, religion, hostility toward people who are different from them and anti-immigrant and anti-trade sentiment. Continue Reading

Can America get back on the right track?

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A New York Times/CBS News poll released Friday found that 81 percent of Americans believe “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track” in the United States. It’s the highest number of people to say that since the news organizations began polling in the early 1990s, and up 12 points from the 69 percent who were dissatisfied with the state of the nation a year ago. Who’s surprised? It’s become clear that America is probably in a recession. We’re fighting two wars, and one of them is incredibly unpopular. Continue Reading

Fighting between Dems increases McCain’s chances

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Several months ago I didn’t see much reason to believe a Republican would be elected president this year. A Democratic wave was sweeping the country. Democrats had an incredibly deep pool of talented presidential candidates. Excitement about the candidacies of a woman, black man and Hispanic man led to media coverage of the Democratic primary that topped that given to American Idol. The Democratic wave is generally continuing; however, in recent weeks, I’ve changed my opinion about the chances of the Republican nominee as the result of an incredibly pragmatic GOP electorate. Continue Reading

America can’t continue to spend beyond its means

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I’ve been watching news about the nation’s sinking economy with increased interest in recent months, and I’ve gradually become less and less optimistic about the situation. It’s not the increases in the prices of gas and food that worry me most. It’s the systemic problems that are leading to such symptoms. Instead of addressing the root causes of such problems, I fear that our nation’s leaders are making only superficial attempts to ease the symptoms. The current crisis began with home mortgages. But the problems run much deeper than that. We are a nation whose federal government has led Americans by its own example into a culture of reckless spending. Continue Reading

Legislature, guv should follow Supreme Court’s lead

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For many in New Mexico’s legal community, there is the pre-Brennan era and the post-Brennan era. The pre-Brennan era ended on a fateful night in May 2004 when John Brennan, then the chief judge of the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, was charged with drunken driving and cocaine possession after allegedly trying to evade a sobriety checkpoint. He later pleaded guilty to the charges. The event was a catalyst that triggered a new era in which the Supreme Court cracked down on misbehaving judges and provided confidential help for those who voluntarily sought treatment for substance abuse and other problems. In addition, the Legislature and governor doubled the funding for the Judicial Standards Commission, the state board charged with investigating allegations of judicial misconduct and making recommendations for discipline to the high court. As a result more than 10 judges, including four from Doña Ana County, have left the bench in recent years though resignation, retirement or removal following action by the commission. Continue Reading

New alcohol-fatality rankings may reveal cultural shift

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New Mexico, led by Gov. Bill Richardson, has made a concerted, multifaceted effort in recent years to combat drunken driving, a scourge that has always afflicted the state. Last week, the state received its first real confirmation that its efforts are paying off. In 2006, for the first time, New Mexico wasn’t among the 10 worst states in drunken-driving and other alcohol-related deaths on its roads, according to rankings released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. New Mexico had the 17th-highest rate of drunken-driving deaths in 2006 – deaths involving people with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher – and ranked 14th in overall alcohol-related fatalities on its roads. New Mexico had the highest rate of alcohol-related fatalities in the nation in 1982 and has competed for that distinction every year since. Continue Reading

Clinton and Obama should thank Nader, not trash him

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Hillary Clinton blamed Ralph Nader this weekend for Al Gore’s 2000 loss to George W. Bush. She’s hardly the first to make such a statement, but the comment reveals the patronizing attitudes that still pervade her party. Barack Obama wasn’t much nicer, saying Nader “did not know what he was talking about” when he claimed there was no difference between Bush and Gore. But it’s Clinton’s comments that really got to me: She said categorically that Nader “is responsible for George W. Bush.” She’s wrong. You know who is “responsible” for Bush being elected? Continue Reading

New Mexico voters will have to force ethics reform

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After a year of work by the governor’s ethics task force and a legislative subcommittee to help build consensus on ethics reform, the New Mexico Legislature adjourned last week with no major reform being approved. It was the latest disappointing chapter in what has, thus far, been a mostly unsuccessful effort to reform the state’s tainted political system. Though activists have been pushing for four years, major reform proposals including enacting campaign contributions limits, creating a state ethics commission, paying a salary to lawmakers and expanding the public financing system to include statewide offices are left undone. There has been a little progress. Legislators approved in 2006 a law that places limits on gifts to public officials and candidates for office, but it’s a weak law that hasn’t actually reduced lobbyist spending. Continue Reading

Parties need a new nominating process

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Hillary Clinton was visibly exhausted when she arrived on stage at Highland High School in Albuquerque on Saturday. She paused to cough a few times during her 30-minute speech. Her voice was slightly raspy. After she left the Duke City, the cold got worse. She lost her voice during an appearance in Connecticut on Monday, MSNBC reported. Continue Reading

Dem nomination process degrades into immaturity

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I’ve been disappointed and stunned during the last couple of weeks to see the Democratic Party’s presidential nominating process degrade into a disgraceful display of immaturity. After all, we’re talking about electing a commander-in-chief, not a middle-school student-body president. Cheap shots and negative attacks have come to define the Democratic Party’s nominating process – a contest that had been previously characterized by the fact that the talent pool was so deep that even experienced candidates like Bill Richardson and Joe Biden couldn’t compete. A few examples: • During a nasty exchange between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at last week’s debate, Obama said he was working as a community organizer and watching American jobs go oversees while Clinton was “a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal Mart,” implying he has worked to help Americans who were losing their jobs while Clinton was involved in moving jobs to other countries. • Clinton shot back during the same exchange, saying she was fighting against Republicans while Obama was a lawyer representing a campaign contributor’s “slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago,” implying that Obama has helped the rich take advantage of the poor while she fought against that. Continue Reading

Eight crucial days for Richardson

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The next eight days are going to be the most critical in Bill Richardson’s political life.His longshot bid for the presidency is either going to get a huge boost in Iowa on Jan. 3 or it’s going to die. Most likely, Richardson will finish fourth, or even fifth, and the question will become how long the governor stays in the race before returning to New Mexico for the legislative session that begins Jan. 15.Richardson’s effort on the campaign trail has been valiant. He has worked at least as hard as the other candidates. Continue Reading

Newspaper endorsements don’t empower citizens

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Newspapers in America should empower citizens to take their government by the reins and direct it. Unfortunately, as with other powers that have so much influence over the game in Washington, many newspapers resort instead to trying to direct the actions of citizens. I’m referring to the common practice of newspaper endorsements. Just this weekend, the Des Moines Register endorsed Hillary Clinton and John McCain in the presidential race, and the Boston Globe endorsed Barack Obama and McCain. Why? Continue Reading

Religion isn’t reason enough to pick a president

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With the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush as examples, evangelical Christians should have figured out by now that sharing their religious beliefs doesn’t necessarily qualify someone to be president. The first was completely ineffective; the second is so bullheaded that he will leave office having done more harm than good. Though I’m not really a fan of his candidacy for president, that’s why I’m frustrated that some evangelicals won’t support Mitt Romney – who shares many of their political views – simply because he’s Mormon. As an active participant in an evangelical church, I’ve watched with interest the reaction of many evangelicals to Romney’s candidacy. My best friend is Mormon, and I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamic of the relationship between the two faiths. Continue Reading