Crunch Time for Demos

Martinez Leads Denish
Water & Education

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (D), left, will face Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez (R), right, in the general election

According to the latest polls, reported by the Journal, Sun. Aug. 29, Republican Susana Martinez leads Democrat Diane Denish 45% to 39%–while 16% remain undecided—in the New Mexico governor’s race. Anti-incumbency fervor, the lack luster Denish campaign, and “pay to play” politics under the Richardson administration are threatening to turn Republican Martinez into a national political figure.

On September 12, from 3 to 6, Trudy Healy and hosts will try to revive the Denish campaign in Taos County at a rally for “People who love land and water support Diane Denish” event at the Sagebrush Inn Convention Center. Email trudy.valerio.healy@gmail.com if you want your name on the list of supporters. Healy herself is the “Bruja de Agua” and treasurer of the state’s Water Trust Board.

If Martinez wins, Senator Carlos Cisneros and Rep. Bobby Gonzales of Taos will be playing defense. A Republican on the fourth floor of the Roundhouse means gridlock below in the house and senate chambers. Constituents from the democratic north won’t be able to find a corner to pee in.

Arsenio Cordova

Longtime Taos County Republicans who could benefit from a Martinez victory are already being mentioned as members of a shadow cabinet. According to Flavio, who picked up a leaked memo, Arsenio Cordova’s name keeps popping up as a potential Secretary of Education at PED and/or member of the Board of Regents. Virgil Martinez has been mentioned as a nominee for the Energy and Resources Advisory Council. Either Art Ortiz or Bobby Ortega could be nominated to the state banking committee. Luis Reyes is seen as a sure-fire candidate for the reorganized telecom initiative. And Jerome Lucero is being pushed to lead a committee for the reform of the Public Regulation Commission.

A Republican administration will probably do away with the Office of State Engineer policy that prevents water rights transfers south of the Otowi gauge. Then, insiders predict a gold rush as big munis and industrialists from the south buy up Taos water rights. Currently, Chevron Mining is hoarding hundreds of acre-feet of water rights while waiting for the market to free itself from regulation by Demos–even as the hometown Questa vendidos position themselves to profit.

As for education issues, the Richardson administration has almost doubled the budget for the state’s Public Education Department. It grew from $9 million in 2003 to $17 million in 2009. The number of employees increased from 259 to 319 today, according to today’s Journal North. (See: “PED Can Save With Cuts on Top, Frank Splendoria, Journal North, Sun. Aug. 29, 2010.”)

If there is a single source of failure at New Mexico schools, knowledgeable sources say, you can follow the money to the gridlocked PED–where second-rate administrators go to retire. Splendoria, a Las Vegas activist writes, “The folks on the frontline suffer, and the cats at the top stay fat.”

“The Fat Cats protect the status quo, undermine school boards, parents, and kids,” says Flavio. “Look at Taos. The board has replaced failing superintendents and business office personnel–responsible for millions of dollars in cost over-runs and failed audits. A few longtime aging educators have left. But key personnel, responsible for failures in education remain ensconced at CRAB Hall.” And the current answer to board members questions about why teachers pass students who can’t read: “I don’t know,” say the administrators.

As long as HB 212 places all the power in the superintendent’s hands, the culture of failure nurtured by the Department of Education and PED will hamstring boards and parents—destroying the public schools. Martinez apparently wants to complete the job of destroying the public schools begun by the Richardson administration–using tax money for private schools, according to her speeches.

And school-board member Arsenio Cordova lurks (and smirks) in the background, saying, “I told you so.”

Pobrecito voters. Vote for Diane and save your land from drying up and keep the water flowing in Taos County. Vote for Martinez and bring sanity to PED. Look at the Taos School Board; you’ve got one character with a Master’s degree, a Republican, who speaks up in favor of education and fiscal sanity. Meanwhile, the alleged chair of the Taos Democratic Party, who sits on the board, surely has a GED (?) but who got his experience on the streets and his education at the Springer Boys Home, when he wasn’t defending himself against wrongful death lawsuits in court, supports failed administrators and their policies. Que Pasa El Cine?

And dissident demos for Martinez are following the lead of a former judge who was censured by the state Supreme Court for “willful misconduct.” What ethics?

The devilish conundrum above is enough to turn you into an advocate of “Green Party Politics.” Here’s the good news: register and vote as an Independent. The future of gridlocked politics resides in the power of the “swing voter”—the 16% who remain undecided. Look no further than the lone Republicans and Demos, who play the game in the U.S. Senate. Locally, study the movidas of Art Rodarte, who manipulates the Kit Carson Coop for his own particular pleasure.

Viva Democracia!

Answer to TMS Board Questions

Hey Bill,

Why do kids pass when they can’t read?  Because teachers get yelled at if they flunk too many students.  At least at the elementary and middle school level.  Particularly here in Taos, when a teacher is from here they don’t want to flunk a child of a friend of theirs.  At the high school, there is a teacher that flunks well over half the students every year for the last 6-7 years.  That teacher is still there even though the kids certainly don’t want to be in those classes.  Most of us at the high school get kids that are at 5th or 6th grade level when they enter 9th grade.

What are we supposed to do?  We try and teach them high school level 9th grade stuff with as much hand holding as possible.  If they don’t want to learn, which is usually the problem, then there isn’t much we can do.

The only way this “community” is going to fix the schools is by looking in the mirror.  PARENTS, too many of them have failed their children.  Those kids come to the schools with myriad of problems, particularly, a lack of respect or desire to learn.  The schools are supposed to fix them?  How much should we take away from other kids to fix the problems of these neglected, abused and discouraged children?

This district has one of the highest SpEd populations for a district its size.  They don’t bring in enough money and thus money is taken from other programs to fund those needs because the district HAS to fund those IEP requirements. Everyone suffers because 20-30% of the kids that come to the schools are already so messed up by their parents.

Law enforcement and other social services aren’t doing their job like they should either. This is a COMMUNITY problem.

Later.

Signed

Taos Teachers