Performers y Los Pendejos
The Sporting World
Major League Baseball begins April 1, a community holiday in Taos and elsewhere. The defending World Series champs, the SF Giants and catcher Buster Posey take on the LA Dodgers and the highest payroll in the National League. Buster just got the big contract: in three years he has two world series rings, a batting title, rookie of the year award and NL MVP trophy. Who are these Dodgers? The Giant fans know how to suffer the torturous ways of winning. Let Timmy smoke and Panda eat!
Local Dallas Cowboy fans might be talking about Tony Romo’s contract extension but the homegrown Romo I like, one Sergio “I only look illegal” of Cal’s Imperial Valley and the closer for the Giants, threw a cutter by Miguel Cabrera in the big show and struck out the triple crown winner—looking. Meanwhile, the Turlock Tornado, UNR’s Colin Kaepernick, playing in his tenth game at a rookie’s salary, came close to winning the Super Bowl. Big D’s Tony has the one play-off win in his long career yet owner Jerry Jones seems to think he’s got Roger Staubach or is it Troy Aikman in the house?
But closer to home, the pretensions to fame and glory are worse. Lobo Nation is mourning the loss of Basketball Coach Steve Alford, who couldn’t beat the Ivy Leaguers from Harvard in game one. Despite Steve’s love for the Duke City and a deal for ten more years of mediocrity in the MWC, the Indiana native is driving west to join the UCLA Bruins, who, like the current LA Lakers (and Dallas Cowboys) seem mired in, well, mediocrity.
Go Giants!
Procedural Pendejos
Call them unpredictable but I predict the “prophetic ones.” On Tuesday, the County Commissioners will consider the procedural errors of the Town’s (shoestring) annexation ordinance aimed at acquiring the airport et al on behalf of land owners–friends of the town council—and will probably file a what-for lawsuit. Among other infractions, the county may raise issues of “permission” from the USofA on behalf of Taos Pueblo, and “notice” or a lack thereof to citizens, property owners and local political subdivisions like El Prado Water and Sanitation as well as the Rio Lucero acequia parciantes.
Ill-defined maps and a lack of “publication” prior to passage of the annexation ordinance, as well as a faulty petition process—among other sins against the New Mexico Statures Revised—will surely be questioned and could delay the town’s shameless movida. What could be easier for a judge to say about the procedural demerits than–“Do it over and do it right.”
Then, during a second lawsuit, the public can hear about the merits of the local land grab.
Pendejos or Coopsters?
When your average energy activist from “Renewable Taos” talks about self-sustaining resources the average listener thinks “green,” “solar,” “wind,” “biofuels,” “hydro-power,” “net metering” and even, dare I say it: “transparency.” But your big local energy provider, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Inc., owner of diverse energy and community enterprises, involving not only electricity but also propane, Internet services and Broadband opportunities, edifice complexes for public safety or safe houses for phone and bill collectors, blows away the stereotypical progressive point of view.
For instance, trustees are elected from gerrymandered districts. In the Taos Valley a single trustee represents, more or less, 3000 members but in Penasco a trustee represents 800 or so. So, my friends, our vote in Taos is worth one-third to one-fourth of our neighbors in the valley to the south. Whereas two thousand members show up to vote in Taos, you are lucky to find 100 voting in Angel Fire, which has two trustees, or Ojo Caliente, which has one KCEC trustee totally dedicated to pleasing his Tri-State bosses. Despite meter memberships that measure more than half the total, Taosenos are only entitled, according to the bylaws, i.e. only four trustees out of eleven.
The Broadband movida was decided behind closed doors. Political reality trumps the energy activist at home and abroad. If you think you want actual change at the Coop v. a change in lip service, then a renewable activist needs to run for the board.
During the last nine years or so, the Coop has increased debt from say $40 million to $80 million, due to mismanagement as well as side bets on Propane and Internet, not to mention the ongoing “contracts for cuate program.” Going into debt, of course, is a growth industry but is it renewable?
Our friends can talk about the renewable energy “narrative” but we locals call it a “propaganda” program from the cities of engineering idealism. But that’s just me and a few other CAVE* men. But then as one trustee repeatedly says about colleagues, elected and appointed, at KCEC: “Most of them should be in jail.” And now the tentacles of Coop corruption are reaching into the pockets of the taxpayers to support KCEC’s Command Center folly.
*Citizens Against Virtually Everything