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‘Crisis?’ ‘Emergency?’ Don’t buy government hype

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By Marita K. Noon Remember the old commercial that said, “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen?” The modern version might be, “When the government talks, don’t listen” — at least, not when the government uses the words “crisis” or “emergency.” The dictionary defines crisis as, “A stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.” Emergency is defined as, “A serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action.” There is drama in these words: “If we don’t do something now, the world will end!” They demand action, and, when used by government officials, lead American citizens to believe they must support the cause or face certain demise. With this in mind, here are a few recent cases in which we were led to believe there was a crisis: Immigration During the last election cycle, the phrase “immigration crisis” was commonly heard. But this crisis is not a new idea. Journalist Robert Scheer says, “Having intermittently covered this issue for the Los Angeles Times over 30 years, I can well recall the peaks of panic in which we reporters were dispatched to the border and out into the fields to witness the arrest of people desperate to find work.” Bush had grand plans to deal with immigration and Senators McCain, R-Ariz., and Kennedy, D-Mass., both worked on the issue. Continue Reading

Kokesh will run as a Republican in CD3

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Here’s something I should have noticed in writing last night about campaign finance reports: When Iraq war veteran turned antiwar activist Adam Kokesh filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on July 6, he stated that he will run as a Republican. Kokesh, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., next year, had not previously announced whether he would run as a member of any political party or as an independent. Many of his beliefs are fairly libertarian and he has been active in Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty. Kokesh announced that he plans to run as a Republican today in a news release. The release states that Kokesh’s platform is “post-partisan,” so he has “been approached my many parties.” Kokesh, the release states, “comes from a long line of Republicans and has been registered as a Republican since he was old enough to vote.” “Often a critic of the party leadership, he believes the actual platform — limited government and lower taxes — is most aligned with his belief system, even though the Republican office holders have strayed far away from the party platform,” the release states. Continue Reading

Madrid is considering running for land commissioner

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Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid confirmed today that she’s considering running for land commissioner next year. “Always thinking of options and this is one of them, but way too soon to contemplate details,” Madrid wrote in response to an e-mail asking if she’s thinking about running for land commissioner. Madrid’s name most recently surfaced in November when The Politico reported that she was on the short list for interior secretary in President Barack Obama’s administration. It’s a job that instead went to former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. Madrid, a Democrat who is originally from Las Cruces, became the first woman elected to be a district court judge in New Mexico in 1978 when she won a judgeship in Albuquerque. Continue Reading

Heinrich, Teague raise more than $300K in quarter

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This article has been updated.U.S. Reps. Martin Heinrich and Harry Teague, D-N.M., each raised more than $300,000 for their 2010 re-election campaigns between April 1 and June 30. That’s according to Federal Election Commission reports that were due by 10 p.m. tonight. Teague, who will face his predecessor in the 2nd Congressional District, Republican Steve Pearce, next year, raised $328,300 during the quarter, according to his report. That included about $146,000 from individuals and $182,000 from political action committees. Continue Reading

Behavioral health transition rocky on both ends

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Lawmakers want a special audit of ValueOptions contract; providers’ association says it fears ‘slow, inaccurate, or untimely payments’ from OptumHealth during transition If legislators and behavioral health providers are to be believed, the state’s transition between behavioral health contracts has been rocky on both ends. A bipartisan group of 13 state legislators sent a letter to State Auditor Hector Balderas on Monday requesting a special audit of the contract with the outgoing provider, ValueOptions, which expired June 30. The lawmakers, who were organized by Rep. Nate Cote, D-Las Cruces, lodged a host of complaints including that providers were not being reimbursed in a timely manner or at all for services they provided, that clients were being inappropriately denied service and that the company retaliated against providers who complained. The legislators also stated in the letter that they are “concerned with the response of the responsible state agencies to complaints.” In an interview, Cote said the problems are longstanding but appear to have gotten worse as ValueOptions was heading out the door. He said he has received several complaints from constituents, including a provider in Las Cruces whose clinic is on the verge of closing because of about $500,000 in claims that haven’t been paid. Continue Reading

Susana Martinez confirms gubernatorial bid

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Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, a Republican, confirmed today in a brief interview that she’s running for governor. She didn’t say much, but confirmed what I reported earlier today — that she will announce her decision to run at a news conference at Roberto’s restaurant in Las Cruces at 5:30 p.m. Friday. “I really want to wait until Friday for the formal announcement,” Martinez said in response to questions. She wouldn’t talk about how she plans to raise money beyond saying she has “a plan,” and she said she didn’t want to comment on whether she has hired staff or reveal the names of people who are helping her campaign. Martinez did reveal that she’s been seriously considering running for higher office for some time in confirming that she closed her district attorney campaign account in December. Continue Reading

Denish raised more than $500K in the last 3 months

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish announced today that she raised a little more than $500,000 from April to June for her 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Other candidates for statewide office haven’t released such numbers today. It’s not a required filing day. Denish, who is pushing for ethics reforms including increased frequency of required campaign finance reporting, voluntarily releases finance reports every three months. State law only requires it twice a year (the next report is due in October). Continue Reading

GOP’s Turner hires staff for potential guv run

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Republican Doug Turner is putting all the pieces in place for a 2010 gubernatorial run, though he isn’t saying at this point that he’s certain he’s running. Turner is “leaning toward getting into the race,” he said Tuesday in an interview, adding that he has “hired a few folks, brought on some external consultants” and done significant polling. He said he has an “initial staff” in place. The CEO of the Albuquerque-based public relations firm DW Turner said he has already spent “considerable” personal money preparing for a run. “We’re making sure we’ve got the right team and the right resources and, when all that’s in place, we’ll announce,” Turner said. Continue Reading

Join the discussion…

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Here’s your mid-week reminder to submit your guest commentary in response to this question: How do you identify yourself politically (liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, independent, something else or none of the above) and what does that mean to you? Commentaries should be 250-750 words. You must be willing to have your name published with your commentary, and include a 1-2 sentence bio at the end that indicates what city and state you’re from and any other information you want to include. Submissions must be received by Friday and should be e-mailed to heath@haussamen.com. I’ll begin publishing them next week. Continue Reading

‘A game changer:’ DA Martinez is running for governor

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Martinez will announce her candidacy at a news conference in Las Cruces on Friday Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, a Republican, will formally announce Friday that she is running for governor next year. Martinez is not taking the intermediate step of forming an exploratory committee, as some others have done. She will announce her decision to run at a news conference at Roberto’s restaurant in Las Cruces at 5:30 p.m. Friday, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Martinez, who turned 50 today, has not publicly confirmed her decision, but she has notified some people close to her. Jose Z. Garcia, a New Mexico State University government professor and political analyst, said Martinez’s entry into the race will be “a game changer,” both in the Republican primary and, if she wins the primary, a general-election matchup with likely 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Diane Denish. Continue Reading

Activist disappointed in Denish’s support for gambling

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“The gaming industry has proven to be an important part of our state’s economy,” Denish staffer says in explaining her 2005 votes The head of the New Mexico Coalition Against Gambling said it’s “disappointing” that, after previously expressing concern about the effects of gambling in New Mexico, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has voted to expand the hours of operations at racinos and accepted tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from the industry. But Guy Clark said whether Denish allows the gambling industry to influence her decisions as much as Gov. Bill Richardson isn’t yet clear. “I would be a little less inclined to say she was pay to play than Gov. Richardson, but she’s not living up to her previous statements that would indicate a more enlightened response to predatory gambling,” Clark said. “But I think we should give her a little more time.” Clark, who is also chairman of the Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation’s board, said the influence of the gambling industry on Richardson was obvious in the makeup of the transition team he formed as he prepared to take office in 2003 and in actions he has taken since. The industry has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Richardson. Continue Reading

Here’s why Kokesh’s candidacy is interesting

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Here’s an example of why Adam Kokesh’s bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., next year is so interesting. On Sunday night I posted a poll on this site asking whether Luján or Kokesh would win a potential battle between the two next year. Mid-morning today, about 45 people had voted, with about 67 percent picking Luján. As of the publication of this posting, the poll has 609 votes. Kokesh is winning with 539, or 89 percent of all votes cast in the poll. Continue Reading

Putting the ‘Grand’ back in ‘Grand Old Party’

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Meet this site’s newest columnist. She plans to write a weekly column about a timely topic: redefining the Republican Party. By Sarah Lenti When Heath and I discussed the possibility of me blogging on his site, I knew immediately what I wanted to kibitz about — redefining the Republican Party. No, the subject matter is hardly original. And, yes, it is actually probably a bit predictable for someone who has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns and then worked in a policy position for four-plus years. Continue Reading

State GOP hits Denish in new TV ad

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This article has been updated.Lt. Gov. and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish said recently that she and her office have “not been part of” any corruption scandals plaguing state government. Now the state GOP is trying to link the Democrat to pay to play in a new TV ad that is airing beginning today — about 16 months before the general election. In an ad that uses a slot machine as its prop, the narrator says this: “The Richardson Denish game. Big money donor needs a favor. Gives campaign cash. Continue Reading

Let’s get a discussion going

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This period of change is a good time for reflection, so I’m inviting you all to submit guest commentaries about this question: How do you identify yourself politically (liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, independent, something else or none of the above) and what does that mean to you? Commentaries should be 250-750 words. You must be willing to have your name published with your commentary, and include a 1-2 sentence bio at the end that indicates what city and state you’re from and any other information you want to include. Submissions must be received by Friday and should be e-mailed to heath@haussamen.com. I’ll begin publishing them next week. Continue Reading