Graft, Greed and Waste in State Government: New Mexico Edition
by Doug TurnerIn early 2008, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson grabbed national attention when he ran for the Democratic nomination for President. He dropped out early in the race but still made headlines for endorsing Obama over Hillary. As thanks, Richardson was named the nominee for Commerce Secretary. One of the first scandals of the Obama Administration followed almost immediately. Due to a controversy surrounding a pay-to-play scandal, Richardson was forced to withdraw his name from consideration after only one month.
Richardson quietly slipped out of the national spotlight and most Americans forgot about New Mexico’s corrupt Governor. Most don’t realize that prosecution for the scandal was quietly discontinued when the Obama team drained the investigator’s budget resource, leaving them unable to pursue prosecution. The case is still pending and will likely remain that way.
Now back in New Mexico in his final year as Governor, the behavior of a man who was an inconvenient nuisance to the Obama team has revealed itself to be nearly cataclysmic to my state’s future.
Just seven years ago, New Mexico was one of only a handful of states in the black, thanks to the leadership of our previous Republican Governor. Now, we’ve got an estimated $500 million deficit this year thanks to a government that continues to loot the pockets of taxpayers.
Aside from the absurd corruption, pay-to-play scandals and shady investment deals one of the most obvious evidence of poor management is the sheer size of New Mexico’s government. With new state agencies and 4,500 new employees, our state government has grown by more than 50% in the last 7 years costing taxpayers $250 million annually. Further, the numbers don’t even include the hundreds of exempt political appointees now drawing a government paycheck. Those people got jobs as payback for family, favors and financial contributions. Estimates put new political appointees in the neighborhood of 450 costing taxpayers around $50 million a year.
Already I’ve accounted for more than half the budget shortfall, and I haven’t even begun to talk about the fraudulent investment schemes, pay-to-play scandals and pork projects that have nearly sunk our state.
To put it into perspective, for every 100 private sector employees there are 24 state and local government employees. The average ratio is 12 per 100. I can assure you, my interaction with government in this state is not twice as good as it was seven years ago.
And now, the Governor who doubled the size of government has to find a way to pay for his distends. His answer? Well, it isn’t cutting state employees. And it isn’t cutting unfriendly regulations to grow small business. Nope. His answer is—you guessed it—NEW TAXES. During our last legislative session, lawmakers proposed taxes on candy, cigarettes, soda and even tortillas.
All proposals died a slow death and our legislatures failed to come up with a budget. Now, they’ve been called in to a special session that begins next week.
I am running for Governor of New Mexico to put an end to the graft, greed and waste that has run rampant in New Mexico.
The moment I am elected, I will immediately demand the resignation of every unnecessary political appointment. I made a pledge this week to roll back the number from over 600 to 167. I have called upon the Democratic candidate, Lt. Governor Diane Denish, to make the same pledge. The Lt. Governor has been trying to distance herself from the present administration’s defective distends, but a promise to return to a reasonable number of political positions would be a substantive statement, should she be willing to make it. Sadly, I expect silence will be her response.
The issue of bloated government is not limited to New Mexico. The waste here is merely a reflection of the corruption that is occurring nationally. For those among us who challenge the wisdom of Federal Stimulus dollars, look no further than the state of New Mexico for evidence of its failings. Those dollars only fuel our inefficient government and do nothing to force our government to fix itself.
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127 Comments
Ah yes, the "other" Slick Willie. Only this one, Bill Richardson isn't so slick. He isn't quite the advant garde sophisticate that he envisions himself, is he?
Mr. Turner, good luck on your race.
Very interesting read – I was just in New Mexico a few months back and I was left unimpressed. Your goal is noble and I wish you the best of luck!
Good luck to you sir. Never tire of the fight, and never lose focus…!
Linked to your post with an excerpt for We The People • New Mexico This will be an archive for Nov 2010.
There's nothing in New Mexico. Maybe a few Wild West Ghost towns that'll interests me. But that's it. My husband and I drove through there to be stationed at another place I didn't like very well, Fort Carson. CO.
I sure hope he looses his next re-election.
Richardson's sins seem to go on without end.
He puts his friends in well paid positions. Positions where they are not even remotely qualified.
Obama supports the governor's corruption by making it impossible to prosecute this criminal.
The state suffers under the weight of this idiocy and the people can't wait until the day he and his cronies are gone.
Richardson can go pound sand along with his progressive brethren across the country and now running our country into the ground.
Richardson would remain much healthier if he moves out of the country because people in New Mexico would do great harm to his body if given half the chance, and rightly so.
I was doing construction management on a project in Santa Fe for a client in Denver. N M requires contractors be licensed by the state. OK, fine, I was a construction manager managing the contractor for the client, not acting as the contractor. The state didn't like that…mostly the fact that I'd not paid anybody in government. They shut the job down, 100%, told my and the client lawyers to get &%$@ed! andsaid my fine was $10,000. When my lawyer asked what law or ordinance enabled a fine, much less $10,000, he was told it was a "regulatory proceeding in the process of final adoption".
Imagine that.
It probably didn't help that you were a white businessman. They hate those the most. Ever tried getting waited on in a Government office in Santa Fe? It is like waiting in line at the post office, only worse……..
All I can say is "Hey Rickie" "Hey Rickie" you so F….N lost Good bye
I never understood how a guy named bill richardson suddenly became latino… communist written all over that program.
Now show me a state that is not ran like this….crooked is as crooked does.
Graft, Greed, Waste, and Stupidity in Government: New Mexico Edition….
Geez, Gov. Richardson sounds like our crappy governor here in Michigan! She has completely put Michigan in the toilet and with the union strongholds in the auto industry it makes it very difficult to get rid of these tax and SPEND progressive commies!!! God help us all and remember to get out and vote in November!!! Better yet pick a good common sense cadidate and lend a hand.
History repeats itself. During the New Deal, people who got jobs on federal projects had to pay X% of their wages to the state Democrat Party. If not, they'd be shifted to work on projects far from home and with poorer working conditions (for example, Conchas Dam in eastern New Mexico). The Army Corps of Engineers was pretty irked when they found out about the practice.
He was always latino…Dad was a Yankee of mexican decent, Mom is actually from Mexico…
Don't let the name fool you…he's as invested in the "Patron" system as any Spanish Duke of the 17th century…
He's in his second and final term as Governor…Thank God…
I contacted a pediatric physician that I have used in the past in litigation matters. I asked him to send his fee schedule. Along with the schedule he sent me a copy of the New Mexico statute that had been enacted under Slick Willy II calling for a gross receipts tax which he was adding on top of his expert fees. Seems like if it moves in NM, Governor Bill wants a cut. Typical progressives. A budget deficit is a failure to tax adequately.
Not just Santa Fe, CL…statewide…
They started farming out MVD work to private businesses because they actually get things done…
Why they won't do that with everything else is beyond me…well, actually, I do know…no political payoffs…and its too late to get MVD back under their wing…
Doug has just told all of you what is just the tip of a very big iceberg…I know…
I live here…
And they're going to make the same mistake again…Diane Denish, the Dimocrat Lt. Gov., who was right alongside Gov. Mayonnaise for all the malfeasance, is in the lead in the polls…
Pray for us…
Alaska…
The Horse-racing industry in New Mexico has been taken over by Drug Cartels. They are enabled by Richardson's cronies on the commission and in posts of power within the horse racing system.
These people are criminals and dangerous. They have purchased the best horses with drug money and then drugged the horses to death in some cases just to win and launder their cash. They care not about the animals or who they step over to move the money in and out to look legitimate. They import illegals as trainers and jockeys.
Richard looks the other way, but it is apparent his cronies are getting paid the big bucks to enable the cartels.
Once you work for the cartel, you always work for them, no escape. This is the position the governor has put his friends in. With a governor like Richardson, who needs enemies.
The other trainers and owners all know this is happening but who will stand up to the armed and dangerous drug pushers who have no problem killing your sister or mother to keep you silent. Certainly not the Governor.
You hit that nail squarely on the head!
There is nobody as condescending, as those with the "Patron" system ingrained, and inbred into their heritage. They view themselves as Great Feudal Lords; the "Landed Gentry", and all others are newcomers, interlopers. The native New Mexicans? They look down their noses at them, and view them as peons…..
I guess you missed that big 10,768 foot mountain right alongside Albuquerque, did you…?
New Mexico has all kinds of things…such as the third largest natural gas reserves in North America…
If you were looking for lots of people jammed backside to elbow…sorry…we like not having to look into our neighbor's house when we step out the back door…I personally sit on 1.25 acres, and I'm congested…
And Bill can't be re-elected…he's already screwed up for two terms…
Politics make strange bedfellows in my limited experience with the game. Is the "Council of Foreign Relations" and the "Council on Foreign Affairs" different? If so, the latter is the one to watch with their "North American Union" hogwash. If Mr. Turners desired goals are only to take care of the budget and put a stopper in the border, then more power to him, but I have a feeling, like most politicians in a border state, they have ulterior motives.
"The Horse-racing industry in New Mexico has been taken over by Drug Cartels. They are enabled by Richardson's cronies on the commission and in posts of power within the horse racing system."
OH YEAH! Now there is a story NOBODY will touch!
It covers every border state in the southwest, and is big, real big.
Bigger yet, is the "match race' industry, which is under the radar, and is run by grocery sacks full of cash…
I am vaguely aware of the politics in Michigan, but I am well aware of the Union control of the state legislature. We have it here in California as well. I can only hope we both get a more conservative governor in November. Unfortunately for us both, unions run great smear campaigns.
Yes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_on_Foreign_R...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Affairs_Coun...
Mr. Turner why did you paint such a pretty picture of little Soetoro.You want to be the big cheese here start telling it like it is
Our douchebags here in Illinois are much more corrupt than your doucehbags.
[...] See the original post here: » Graft, Greed and Waste in State Government: New Mexico Edition … [...]
We had a budget surplus under the former Republican governor until Mr. Richardson decided to build the Railrunner (aka Bill Richardson's Toy Train) between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Now we're in deficit for a half billion, about the same cost as a train that was never needed in the first place. Quite naturally the duplication by government of an already existing system (Interstate 25) means subsidies to keep the train running. My personal share in this boondoggle amounts to $1500. A 2% promised raise (I'm a teacher) denied, and a 2% cut next year. I took the train once last year only to find that the stop marked "Albuquerque Sunport" doesn't actually serve the Sunport. Well, silly me.
[...] here: » Graft, Greed and Waste in State Government: New Mexico Edition … tags: democratic, dropped-out-early, early-2008, figured-out-how, grabbed-national, [...]
I'll send a prayer up for you Mjolnir if you do the same for us here in corruption riddled IL ~
Yea, we have how many in prison? And how many more on their way?! Our state is a joke ~
Having lived in NM from mid-2006 to mid-2009, I can confirm that NM is one of the most corruptly administered state government in the USA.
And its not simply corruption, but a level of incompetence that boggles the mind.
Many of the bureaucrats operate out of state agencies headquartered in Santa Fe, a very small townish state capital that is also a "sanctuary city."
Run by semi-retired progressive boomers from Rust Belt and northern Mid-western states, their arrogant attitudes are such that simple problems are never addressed or resolved. Simple solutions are never considered, everything is convoluted and complicated. The more complicated the better because then nothing has to be done which means less work for agencies.
Further, the NM State Annotated (their state legal codes) encompassed 18 volumes. A short set of laws, OK, no problem with that except there are few to none consumer protection laws. Unbelievable but true. Try getting a speeding ticket in NM where there are NO laws regarding maintenance and calibration of speed detection equipment. None. Therefore, if the officer says you are going 85 mph in a 35 mph zone, you have no legal recourse to challenge the findings.
And then there's bank fraud. Stories and advice abound among the citizenry on which banks to avoid and which banks have employees who will think nothing of skimming off money in a customer's checking account every month or randomly.
This actually happened to me -where mysteriously $200 each and every month disappeared from my checking account for a total of $2k. (I got it all back – check my username).
One example is the "NMStateP" scam that has been ongoing for a number of years now. In this scam, a Tennessee based group poses as a fund-raising arm of the NM State Police and continuously cold-calls NM residents asking for money. You can even read the stories online.
This scam is referred to by local NM residents as the NMStateP scam because this is what shows in the caller ID screen on the phone.
Although a number of residents and an Albuquerque radio station has come out and warned of this scam, still the NM State Attorney General has done nothing to stop the rip-off of residents by an out-of-state outfit using a NM *law enforcement* name.
Another piece of work is the Rio Grande River which flooded in 2006 due to heavy rains. And why did the river flood? Well, not due to heavy rains, but because the state legislature rejected legislation to reinforce river levees and rejected deeping the river bed to allow for safer, stronger flows.
So, now residents in Las Cruces, Hatch and other areas must pay increased flood insurance based upon redrawn FEMA maps because of flooding in 2006.
Those Californians who relocate to NM because they think the cost of living is lower are in for a huge surprise when they find out the sayin' is true: you get what you pay for. btw, the building codes there are quite different (substandard) compared to California. Particularly regarding exterior walls.
NM? Beware.
This is true. The Gross Receipts Tax is also applied to attorneys.
"Just seven years ago, New Mexico was one of only a handful of states in the black, thanks to the leadership of our previous Republican Governor…"
That Governor was Gary Johnson. A two term republican, successful businessman and the best governor NM had in 50 years. He is running for president in 2012.
http://ouramericainitiative.com/
Great post. This topic would make a great book. Namely the comparison of the Johnson and Richardson years in NM.
Gary was a great governor, no doubt about it. I would rather see him take Jeff Bingaman's senate seat two years from now. I respect Gary mightily for his libertarian views, but our nation is not yet ready for a libertarian president. The other man we need in the senate is retired general Greg Zanetti. Ooh rah! Our recently elected senator from two years ago, Mr. Udall, is a stuffed-shirt, carpet-bagging, shill for Obama. Mr. Udall, you ain't your daddy, and we don't want no 'Mo. Please excuse the pun; I'm feeling frisky.
What do they call honest, hard working, tax paying people from New Mexico now?
Texans.
I didn't recognize Gov. Richardson without his "I am a latino" facial hair. Whenever he wants to look mainstream he is clean shaven. Whenever he is trolling for the latino vote he grows his facial hair back. What a joke.
Wow Helldigger,…..Saw some of these guys with my own eyes at Russels' Truck Stop, North of
Springer, on I25. 4 dr Ford 3/4 ton pick up with 8 to 10 wet-backs, packed in like sardines, big long
trailer with some damn good lookin horses, ………..pulled up right beside me to buy diesel. They fell
out of that vehicle like clowns out of a vw beetle, went in & grabbed handfuls of sandwiches out of the
frig, got in line, then the guy with the money made them go put most of it back. I was standing there
thinking, "where the hell is the border patrol at times like this". I remember thinking, "who are these
owners who would let this 'crew' haul this caliber of animals? My son, 20 yrs ago hauled race-horses,
part-time for his employer. His colleagues were all clean cut young men, always a cut above their age
group, as far as maturity & responsibility was concerned. I drove away flabbergasted, as they all tried
to squeeze back in, sitting on one anothers laps, etc. What a trainwreck, NM has become.
Sort of like an Abe Lincoln beard, only uglier.
The minority.
I know some traveling nurses, husband & wife, who built a cabin in northern NM. They had 2 sons-in-
law who were architects design & render the plans. Lined up a good builder, I know him & he is good.
Plans had to be approved by the county, Taos, maybe the state also, I'm not sure. Plans would NOT be
approved until completely 'redone' by a NM firm. Cost them a year, because the build season is only
about 6 mo out of the year, in that area.
Off the top of my head could give 5 other examples of NM greed & graft, it goes on & on & on! They are
even making blunders now, that will damage their tourism industry, very foolish mistakes, based in greed.
What a limiting perspective. As one military spouse to another, I would say that your inability to appreciate the unfamiliar is part of the reason I avoid most of the Ft. Carson crowd. It would definitely benefit you to broaden your horizons and learn why places like New Mexico and the base of Pikes Peak have value. Stunningly beautiful New Mexico is rich in history, from cliff paintings to Route 66. Colorado Springs was founded as an international tourist destination and was the playground of the jet set and a variety of glitterati. Although I do mostly avoid Ft. Carson (the commissary is close and has a good selection), every day I thank God that I am here and do not have to leave. You don't have to like every place you see, but the intellectually curious will find something to appreciate.
And work like the Avenging Angels to put these traitors and sycophants on the unemployment lines…
I hear you, OCG…
Saddle up, 2010 is here…let's roll…
Anybody who thinks that Richardson really made the "choice" to back out is wrong. He was given the opportunity to back out before they canned him for being corrupt.
I know around the 'resort areas', it's Txnz, Okies, & a few Kansans. For the last 50 years NM survived
on tourist dollars from the above mentioned states. Guess the current Guv found other sources of revenue.
All professional services in NM are subject to Gross Receipts tax – Realtor fees, attorneys, medical providers, etc.
I used to push a rig for Swift…been to Russels' myself…
Cripes, when you think of all those people in Juarez hosed down in the street over this shite…
Maybe they should pull back a few of those Apache Longbows in Half-a gas-can…and run interdict along I-40, I-35, I-25, I-20, I-17, I-10, and just fence off all of So Cal…blow a ditch right through the Banning scalehouse…
It would take a hell of a lot of field arty…but that just might do it…
Progressives like trains. Remember the movie "Reds"?
The Dimocrat Party heard you…and have made moving into the lead "Job One"…
And the only profitable days, on the weekends, were specifically slated to be discontinued, because the train was supposed to be primarily for "commuters" during the week…
This thing was a stupid idea when Tony Annoya (Anaya) first proposed it during his administration…and even more so now…
And it STILL didn't get Gov. Mayonnaise, and his NASCAR "100+MPH" club convoy, off of the I-25 corridor…
PS: if you try to use it to commute, you find the train, the buses, and your work times won't match up, no matter what you try…because we did try it…
Broke…
It actually looks a little bit like a ringslot braking drogue parachute off of a F-4 Phantom II…
Its as patchy as his ethics…
I love the place…I was born here…
But the government sucks…money, innovation, business, freedom, etc…
Funny.
You summed up the situation quite succinctly.
You only left one interesting humorous part; all the wannabee idiotic "spiritualists" posing as "enlightened" soothsayers in Santa Fe. Such a conflagaration misfits the world has never seen……..
Richardson's only claim to fame is his ethnic background…….and the liberal simps and goobs just eat that particular meaninglessness up!
Great article, Doug. Nice summary of the sad situation in our little manana republic. Richardson these days looks like a man waiting to be arrested at any moment…….I can dream, can’t I?
Best of luck to you on the campaign trail!
Any Border Patrol who pulled along side them would have no problem recognizing that
'crew' I saw.
Taos is lousey with these types, too, their frizzy big hair, & flowey lose clothing, bushy eyebrows,
& armpits……….Make me think of Julia Roberts everytime I see them, she's supposed to live near
Taos.
Mr Turner, …..Good Luck with your campaign. As a part time resident & property owner who has no
vote in NM, I ask that you work hard to bring the NM Legislature to its senses. In the last 5 years they
have been on binge of regulation & control over small business & individual homeowners that is un-
precedented. It almost seems they wish to regulate the state out of business. Small companies all
over the state are struggling, many drawing their last gasp at this time. Nation-wide recession has
been one more nail in their coffin. Everything the Leg has done in the last 5 yrs, as far as new regs
needs to be re-examined, they are stifling growth & investment in the beautiful state I sometimes
call home.
Be Afraid Congress, Be Very Very Afraid!
Now It's Personal…
http://usataxpayer.org/?0036174522
I live in NM, and under previous Gov Republican Gary Johnson, we were undergoing a recession due to low oil prices in the late 90's. But the budget was balanced, and brand new highways were built. As I remember he used the veto pen about 400 times to keep the Dems in legislature under control.
Under Richardson, immediately spending skyrocketed, especially as oil prices began to rise in last 5yrs. He even raided the state permanent fund for more money. We went from the best governor in 50yrs to the worst!!
Even David Letterman made a joke…"Bill Richardson, too corrupt to be commerce secretary, but just corrupt enough to be governor of New Mexico"…HAHa
Makes ya proud to be an American, doesn't it!
Yes, it sure does victor. Congress was never meant to be a career. Congressmen/women better understand that we the people can read, and we the people ARE in charge, not you, the servants we send to represent us. We also know that we have the legal authority to throw out every member of congress who we believe are ignoring the will of the people. "We the people have had enough of you and your elitist mentality."
We don't expect, nor do we need you and your ilk to think for us. We have allowed you the honor and duty to be our proxy. You have disrespected our trust. You have trampled our dreams. You have used OUR tax dollars as your private piggy banks. You have voted yourselves raises in the dark of night, without even asking if we agree. You've developed the mentality that the same laws we must adhere to do not apply to you. You have broken the sacred trust of serving your country over yourselves. You have failed us. We will resort to the only legal recourse we have, at the ballot box.
"Be afraid, be very afraid"
We the people, in order to form a more perfect union…
I hope that you are right! But our government has run the public school system that has has been teaching America progressive thought since the 1880's and no one has stopped them, yet! Now, they even want to stop private home schooling etc. to keep the progressive movement on course! Why do "we the people" allow a government led progressive school system to undermine our republic government by the people? Why do these people make a "career" out of it, stealing our our hard earned money, while they have the best health care in the world and want to punish us further, nevertheless! Even Rome threw out their evil politicians before America has! I found Reagan's evil empire and it's our own government making even Jesse James look good! Come November, we'll find out just how good our government led public school system has trained it's deceived public! However, I did pick-up from the Bible that Israel economically will recover in 2012 from the worst Depression in America's history, after electing an Islam-trained economic terrorist President! You figure! What's congress got to do with our electing an Islam trained and foreign born black man President? I don't think that we would have won WW II if we had elected Hitler, do you? Yes, the government ran progressive school system has done it's job, hasn't it?
Oh yes.
Hairey legged, Birkenstock wearin', Chardonnay sippin', cheese eatin', stinking apes. That just describes the pretty women………..
I loved driving through Route 66, that was great. Fort Carson is beautiful, and the best thing is the Chyanne Moutain Zoo. The people however is a different story. I've noticed that alot of them are coming in from CA. I've met one guy there that was born and raised there and he said that he wasn't happy that Californians are moving there.
last time I was in Las Cruces there were tons of illegals during the day at wallie mart…and that was during Christmas week…I only wish I could get my mother who is in bad health to leave the place….I never feel safe while I'm there and always protect myself….
Good luck to you. Great info, I am alerting family in NM about your post here.
I've been wondering why Richardson's corruption just came out
after Obumble wanted him in his cabinet…He was in the House
for years, and Governor of NM for over 7 years…Wonder why the
Republicans weren't leaking out more info about Richardson…
I was surprised to hear he was corrupt….Seems like the Republicans
stay asleep until it suits them….
What about Kent Craven for Lt.Governor??
The Governer of N.M. should be jailed along with the o'bama administration. The good Latino people with their strong conservative values will not be fooled at election time. Stand up ,speak up, and fight the corruption in your state.
Instead of landing in jail for his corruption and incompetence, Richardson will be rewarded. After leaving office he will take a high paying lobbying job in Washington, be invited to sit on the Boards of Directors of major corporations, collect large speaking fees, and be a frequent guest of talk TV.
What a system these guys have made for themselves.
[...] » Graft, Greed and Waste in State Government: New Mexico Edition – Big Government. Easy AdSenser by Unreal [...]
The way NM Politics work:
1. Vote to elect fellow Hispanics that will get you things…notorious Northern NM election rule…goes all the way back before Reyes Lopez Tijerina and the Rio Arriba Courthouse takeover…in fact, it goes all the way back to the 1600's…
2. Only elect Republicans when you have to, or the quantity of voters in the Republican Party overwhelms the Democrat vote…unless your from Southern NM, and have to run a business to actually survive, rather than try to live on the"Patron's" crumbs from his table…
3. Repeat this process for 45 YEARS…
Well, for one thing, he thinks the earth is 6000 years old, and man and dinosaurs roamed around at the same time. And he tried to pass a bill last year in the legislature to teach this in the public schools.
Don't forget the occasional junket to North Korea to settle some matter or another…
Why does Richardson and Kim Jong Il get along so well…?
They get together to share some booze, swap playbooks, and watch pirated Chinese DVD's…then Litte Kim lets the latest transgressor go after Richardson promises more food for the N. Korean Army….
I lived in Santa Fe for about 7 years starting in 1990. I worked as the Chef for the Palace Restaurant and was Chef for the Opera for a few years. It is a shame that the Gov’t in the Roundhouse was a complete joke even then. The mayor of Santa Fe ( his name escapes me, but he was a gringo) would come into the Palace at lunch and knock back about 12 to fifteen vokdas and then go back to his office! The joke around the Palace was at least he couldn’t screw up the city when he was asleep! I found the country around northern NM to be the most beautiful I have ever seen and will probably move back in a few years when I retire.
And yes I saw Julia Roberts at the Tesuque Market about 1996 and she looked like three miles of bad road!
We out of state residents will welcome you with bells on Willy, the locals, not so much. They see
everyone as a potential competitor, as so many who 'retire' to N NM become disgusted with the
sorry way most business is run in the area & end up starting small businesses themselves.
My definition of a successful 'vacation' in the shadow of Wheeler Peak is, if I plan sufficiently
so that I don't have to go to Taos for ANYTHING during that week. However I have learned if I
arrive in Taos by 9 am, the riff-raff is not out & about. Seems they must be allergic to morning.
……..and work.
Wish I was congested like you however my work is in ABQ so I am in a townhouse. NM does tend to grow on people once they start exploring, same for most places. Easy drive gets you into 6 of the 7 climatic regions of the world, mountains and desert, brilliant sunsets. No different than when I was stationed in Grand Forks ND, even enjoyed bow hunting in -20 degrees. Any station/post is what one makes of it.
Keep up the good work Doug!!!
Now they pay X% of their wages to the Democrat Party through SEIU, AFLCIO, et. al.
If it moves they tax it.
The big difference is that you have put some of your corrupt dirtbags in prison while ours get plushy "consulting" contracts.
And let us not forget Bill's Toy Plane.
Not true.
The "Californians" you refer to may have lived here in Cali for a time, however they originally came from another state, such as Pennsylvania.
Generally native Californians do not leave the state and if they do, they move back within 4 years.
Check it out – the DMV tracks this.
btw, Santa Fe has something like 2500 realtors. So the spin is that Californians are moving in – anything to keep out-of-control home prices artificially high.
You are a liar.
Our ex governor, who let hundreds of thousands of illegals cross in and out of our state from Mexico for 8 years was awarded the Secretary of Homeland Security post.
Obama rewards those who can increase votes, even when they are illegals.
Geez, show your age while giving me a laugh!
Aw, I see the trolls are finally arriving!
Thanks for the reply, it was very enlightening…By the way, years ago,
I had the pleasure of staying in New Mexico for a week (White Sands),
and I had the pleasure to go to Las Cruces to have the best Mexican
Food I ever tasted at the La Posta…what a feast!!…..Never could find
Mexican food that good anywhere else….
Don't call me liar OK. I got that info from a Native Coloradoan. That was the first time I've been there and yes I've seen a bunch of CA liscence plates. Penn plates? Hardly seen those.
That's because NM is basically a one party state. Even my uber-Left coworker noted how many pols run "unopposed" on any of our ballots, year after year after year . . . That it resembled Iraq under Saddam . . .
This election will be no different. While there's 5-some candidates running for Governor on the GOP ticket–key offices are once again ignored. Frightening when you consider Soros' SOS Project, though he really doesn't have to worry about NM. I have to vote absentee, and I always know my voting effort will wind up dumped in an arroyo somewhere. I only half-joke when I say the reason why we went back to paper ballots filled in with pencil is it makes it easier for poll-workers to erase and change the votes. Which also explains why it STILL takes forever to get a final vote tally–they keep running out of erasers . . .
Oh, that's freakin' Brilliant…!
And EXTREMELY funny…! (It is, but it isn't…well, you all know what I mean…)
No wonder I can't find any "pink bubble gum" erasers around here today, the Mayor's race is being voted on here in Los Lunas…!
A heartily well-deserved +1 to you…!
Well, they were up all night listening to "the Hum"…
For a time, several recent transplants would complain that Taos had a "humming" noise, and it was setting some of the moonbat's teeth on edge…
Even the NBC affiliate was compelled to come up and film some of them trying to describe the noise to reporters and cameramen…
One woman was emphatically pointing out on the tape, "…LISTEN! Do you hear that…?"
Look up the insanity of Taos inhabitants: Google the August 23, 1993 " Taos Hum Investigation: Informal Report" by the US CONGRESS…!!
Flame…
Come on down to Los Lunas…seriously…
Maybe you can make up some commute that uses the damn train…
Get yourself some space…and your own apple trees…it changes a man…
I miss that snaggle-toothed old bird…
Yeah, I know…the F/A-18 Hornet is a superior aircraft in every way…
But dammit, the Phantom just LOOKS meaner…
So did the Tomcat…Tom Cruise, "Maverick", Walter Mitty dreams notwithstanding…
I hear ya, I feel similar about the C130. Nothing pretty but it has yet to be bested.
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