John Block

Thanks to violence in Dem-run ABQ, GOP candidate unsafe to door knock

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Over the past few months, four Muslim men have been killed in Albuquerque in what police are calling an apparent coordinated attack on Muslims in the Duke City.

The latest slaying was of Naeem Hussain, who was an employee of the City of Española, killed in an ambush in Albuquerque two Fridays ago.

KRQE reports, “Until the suspect or suspects are caught, the Muslim community is in fear.” The outlet reports that APD is saying, “they do believe these men were targeted because of their race and religion.”

Republican House District 24 candidate Khalid Emshadi, who is a member of the Islamic faith, ripped Democrats for causing the violence against his community. He called out not only the city leaders but also his far-left Democrat opponent, Rep. Liz Thomson.

On Twitter, Emshadi wrote, “I don’t feel safe in my own district because @lizthomsonnm and @MayorKeller won’t do a damn thing about crime.” He added, “We need to change this … I will stand and fight for our rights.”

Emshadi wrote in a subsequent tweet, “As much as [I] hate to do this, I will not be in public with the exception of work until this killer is caught. I cannot risk my safety with a serial killer killing Muslims on the loose. I need to do what’s necessary to protect my family.”

After Joe Biden made a statement appearing to condemn the anti-Muslim attacks in Albuquerque, Emshadi wrote, “These politicians are good for nothing but tweets. They’ve done nothing to prevent this from happening again.” He tagged Biden, Thomson, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Mayor Tim Keller in the post. 

Emshadi fled civil war in Libya to immigrate to the United States, seeking the American dream. He is running for the Legislature to “keep it alive for all New Mexicans.”

Thomson, his opponent, has fanned the flames of racism and bigotry through her social media posts. She has demeaned police officers, conservatives, parents, and many other groups. 

Thanks to violence in Dem-run ABQ, GOP candidate unsafe to door knock Read More »

Group appeals MLG admin’s latest move to raise the cost of gas

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

While New Mexicans struggle to make ends meet amid high gas prices, skyrocketing food costs, and an economy that remains in a recession, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration is working overtime to raise the cost of gas.

New Mexico’s Environmental Improvement Board adopted new ozone pollution rules in April, which went into effect on Friday, spurring the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico to file a legal appeal challenging the rule, which would increase the cost of gas.

Jim Winchester, Executive Director of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico (IPANM), said, “At a time when the public supports responsible domestic production to reduce gasoline prices and a decrease in our dependency on foreign sources of energy that are unquestionably worse for the environment, IPANM strongly feels this is the wrong rule at the wrong time.”

He continued, “While IPANM does support a fair and balanced Ozone Precursor regulation, we have no choice but to appeal this version of the rule that will force operators to plug still-productive wells and will inflict economic hardship on New Mexicans with little to no gain for the environment.”

IPANM wrote in a press release, “Today’s filing with the New Mexico State Court of Appeals against the Environmental Improvement Board will be followed by technical arguments to be filed by IPANM within 30 days that will identify the specific provisions to be challenged. With the matter now in the court, IPANM will not comment on the specifics of the pending objections other than to point to our concerns raised throughout the 3-year process that were not included in the New Mexico Environment Department’s final draft rule submitted to the EIB.”

In April the group noted the out-of-state environmental groups rigging the process to benefit their interests while ignoring consumers who will be saddled with the cost of such regulations. IPANM wrote then, “IPANM’s concern throughout this process is that the state would appease out-of-state environmental groups pushing provisions based on anti-oil & gas ideology instead of real emissions data and facts. Unfortunately, the state’s own news release seems to confirm our suspicion by offering the celebratory quotes of environmental groups and a Biden administration that has blatantly declared war on domestic production while encouraging foreign adversaries to produce, pollute, and export fuels to the United States without any accountability.”

Following the new rule going into effect, Larry Behrens, the Communications Director of Power The Future, wrote, “It’s clear Michelle Lujan Grisham feels our families aren’t already paying enough. After her failed attempt to raise the cost of gas through the legislature, Governor Lujan Grisham is acting like Joe Biden and simply issuing new orders.”

“This rule will not only raise the cost of living on our families, but it will place a massive burden on the remaining small businesses that are already struggling. This appeal is a critical first step to stopping Governor Lujan Grisham from taking unilateral action to raise the cost of gas even further,” Behrens concluded.

Group appeals MLG admin’s latest move to raise the cost of gas Read More »

Fellow Democrat files ethics complaint against lame duck Speaker Egolf

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, it was reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican that state Rep. Miguel García (D-Bernalillo) had filed an ethics complaint against lame duck Speaker of the House Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) over his self-appointment to the nominating committee for the Public Regulation Commission (PRC).

The Commission was changed from an elected position to an appointed one after voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2020.

“The PRC Nominating Committee is statutorily created. It is not the creation of a simple memorial or a joint memorial. It is singularity the most important step in transitioning from an elected board to an appointed board. Such transitional power should rest with the people, not an elected politician,” García wrote in his complaint to the State Ethics Commission. He characterized Egolf’s self-appointment as a dereliction of duty.

Egolf, who previously faced another ethics complaint over his use of his office for personal gain by passing 2021’s H.B. 4, which stripped qualified immunity rights from local governments, opening them up to frivolous civil rights lawsuits. Egolf just so happens to be a civil rights lawyer who was the primary sponsor of the bill that would enrich himself. The Ethics Commission, in true form, tossed the credible ethics complaint.

“I had thought the speaker was set to pick up a lot of work in his retirement following the passage of the civil rights bill,” said House Republican Leader Jim Townsend (R-Artesia).

Now, Egolf is claiming García, who is in his third decade of serving as a legislator, suddenly is going after Egolf over a “personal vendetta” to get “publicity.” But it is unclear why now — after serving 25 years in the Legislature — García would suddenly grasp for headlines.

“It goes counter to the customs and traditions of Speakers’ appointing the people to statutorily created committees, boards, or commissions,” he wrote. “In my 25 years as a State Representative, the Speakers’ that I served under never appointed themselves to a statutorily created committee. Speaker Raymond Sánchez, Speaker Ben Luján, Speaker Ken Martínez, and Speaker Don Tripp never crossed the line. In the sixteen years that Raymond Sánchez served as Speaker, he states that he never self-appointed himself to a statutorily created committee of which protocol called for people participation,” García noted in his complaint, referring to both Republican and Democrat speakers of the New Mexico House of Representatives.

The seven-member committee that Egolf appointed himself to will seek at least five nominees to serve on the three-member board. The PRC will now be appointed from the nominees by the governor. If Republican Mark Ronchetti defeats incumbent Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, that could change some things for the trajectory of the panel.

Fellow Democrat files ethics complaint against lame duck Speaker Egolf Read More »

MLG mercilessly discredited by media over latest bizarre attack ad

9 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has recently been airing bizarre attack ads against her Republican opponent, Mark Ronchetti, claiming he supports “defunding the police.” The problem is the GOP nominee, who has multiple endorsements from law enforcers, does not support the position. On the contrary, Lujan Grisham actually has supported police defunding radicals.

As we previously reported:

But if Lujan Grisham was focused on eliminating crime, she would not have been a staunch supporter of many anti-police bills proposed last legislative session, including H.B. 4, which put targets on peace officers’ backs by stripping them of qualified immunity and opening police departments and localities up to frivolous lawsuits — bankrupting them.

H.B. 4’s sponsors, Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) and state Rep. Georgene Louis (D-Bernalillo), just so happen to be “civil rights” attorneys who would directly profit off of their legislative proposals. Lujan Grisham signed the anti-police, anti-public safety bill anyway. 

Lujan Grisham’s allies in the Legislature, such as state Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo), sponsored the most extreme anti-police bills in the nation, including S.B. 227, which would have implemented the “strongest” anti-police “use of force” standard in the nation.

Now, Lujan Grisham, amid record-breaking homicide rates in Albuquerque and some New Mexico streets looking like warzones, is trying to save face despite her support for Black Lives Matter protesters who want to defund the police. 

In her ad, a narrator reads, “Keeping New Mexicans safe is part of the governor’s job. But Mark Ronchetti will slash budgets for police and law enforcement agencies in every corner of New Mexico.”

On the screen, the words, “Mark Ronchetti is promising to defund the police” appear. The ad cherry-picks a short clip of Ronchetti during a KOAT 7 debate saying, “They don’t want more money. They don’t want more guns.”

But KOB 4’s fact-check mercilessly discredited the embattled governor’s false claims. The news station wrote, “The snippet is wildly out of context.”

According to the fact-check:

[Ronchetti said], “We have to back the blue. We have to tell them we will support them no matter what they need from us. We have some of the best law enforcement in the country here. And when you ask them, ‘What do you need? What would help you?’ the answer is simple: They don’t want more money. They don’t want more guns. They want to know that the governor of the State of New Mexico and their leaders backs them up.”

Whether police agencies truly do not want more money or guns might be debatable, but Ronchetti isn’t threatening to cut funding in full or in part. In fact, the crime plan posted on his campaign website says he wants to “fund and support police.”

…

As proof, the governor’s campaign points to a July 15 tweet from Ronchetti. He criticizes the $8.5 billion state budget, but makes no specific mention of state police pay raises.

A press release from the governor says the raises will cost $9 million this fiscal year –  which is one-tenth of 1% of the total budget.

The latest lies from Lujan Grisham come after she also claimed Ronchetti wants to ban all abortions in the state, despite him taking the stance that New Mexico should “permit” abortions up to 15 weeks.

WATCH:

MLG mercilessly discredited by media over latest bizarre attack ad Read More »

Gabe Vasquez brags about Dem gerrymandering for political gain

15 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, far-left Gabe Vasquez, the Democrat nominee for Congress in the Second Congressional District, sent out a press release bragging about the Democrats’ partisan gerrymandered maps making it easier for a leftist to reclaim the Second District from Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell.

Vasquez, in a press release, wrote regarding a new Democrat-funded poll that shows him leading by one point, “The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group and shared exclusively to National Journal Hotline, which noted that, after redistricting, … Republican Herrell is one of the most vulnerable Republican members in the country.” 

“Redistricting moved the 2nd Congressional district from a Trump +12 to Biden +6 district and that is reflected in these results,” it concludes.

The Democrats rammed through maps drawn by the left-wing dark money group “Center for Civic Policy” (CCP), which gerrymandered New Mexico’s congressional districts to favor Democrats and steal the voice of conservatives, especially those living in the Second District.

The gerrymandered CCP map segregates the South Valley of Albuquerque into the Second District and lumps a large chunk of Albuquerque into a strange district that sprawls all the way to Roswell. The strange shape of the districts also lumps Hobbs with communities like Española and Santa Fe, which have astronomically different cultures and needs. The snake-like figures in the Democrats’ gerrymander denote signs of extreme partisan redistricting for political gain.

But despite that, Vasquez is bragging about the partisan ploy to steal back the Second District by hook or by crook. The map is currently in litigation. 

Vasquez believes the United States is a racist country, believes in abortion up-to-birth, and supports sweeping socialist policies, such as the destructive Green New Deal.

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NM leads the country in local government job loss: Pew report

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to a new Pew Charitable Trusts research, New Mexico once again is first in another bad category — this time local government job loss. 

As the economy continues to lag following the pandemic lockdowns, most in the private sectors are regaining employees. However, in the public sector, not counting in education, New Mexico trails all the rest of the U.S. in hiring and keeping local government employees.

According to Pew, “Surprisingly, employment in this sector has dipped slightly even as the recovery lengthens, down 0.6% since December.” The report continues, “By comparison, private employment is up 3.4% since that month, though still not fully recovered from its losses since the pandemic struck earlier in 2020.”

“Fourteen states recorded declines of more than 5% over that period. New Mexico experienced the sharpest loss (-8.5%),” the group wrote. New Mexico was only bested by states, including New Hampshire and Connecticut at -7.6%, Louisiana at -7.5%, and Illinois at -6.9%. 

The Pew report noted, “Even governments with adequate budgets to hire are having trouble filling positions because of pandemic-related closures or recruitment hurdles. Some of the toughest jobs to fill are in health care, corrections, and highway maintenance.” 

“[B]oth the public and private sectors suffered steep employment declines shortly after the pandemic began disrupting daily life and the economy.”

New Mexico led all other states, excluding the District of Columbia, in overall unemployment at a rate of 4.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

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Dems’ anti-police law that stripped qualified immunity now costing taxpayers big time

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Despite pleas from local governments and concerned citizens over the extreme increases in insurance costs to municipalities, along with other issues, Democrats in the legislature rammed through 2021’s H.B. 4, which threatened to bankrupt localities by stripping away their qualified immunity rights. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the disastrous piece of legislation.

This dangerous move impacted every level of city and municipal government, with negative consequences facing police departments most. The law allowed workers to be sued personally for alleged infringements to one’s “civil rights,” which now creates a massive problem for local governments.

As we reported in March 2021:

The bill has the ability to bankrupt local communities with slews of frivolous civil rights lawsuits, end qualified immunity and put a target on law enforcers’ backs. Local governments from all across the state are vehemently opposed to the measure, as well as many local law enforcement officials from all over New Mexico.

“More money for insurance or claims means less money for essential services or higher taxes,” said Santa Fe County Attorney Greg Shaffer during testimony against the bill. “This shifting of risk impacts all citizens,” he said. “More money for insurance or claims means less money for essential services or higher taxes.”

In a previous hearing of the bill, Detective Shaun Willoughby of the Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association said, “This particular bill takes away our ability. This is basically a tax increase. We are taxing the public all over the state of New Mexico. Hurting budgets that can be used for training on the mental health, can be used for resources and social programs in the poorest state in the nation.” 

Proponents of the police-attacking bill came sponsored by dark money groups like billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s “Moms Demand Action,” the Soros-funded “Sierra Club,” “ProgressNow New Mexico” and “Equality New Mexico.” These groups’ supporters claimed H.B. 4 was a necessary reform for civil rights while not addressing how it would cripple local municipalities’ budgets, open these localities to million-dollar frivolous lawsuits, and put targets on peace officers’ backs. 

Now, as predicted, municipalities’ insurance rates are skyrocketing through the roof, being characterized as a “problem,” according to A.J. Forte of the New Mexico Municipal League.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports:

Forte said the new law is shaping up to be a problem for local governments. Though the Civil Rights Act does not allow plaintiffs to file lawsuits against individual government employees and caps a payout for each claim at $2 million, agencies in New Mexico that pay into self-insurance pools expect higher fees as a result of the law.

Where will the money come from? Forte said potential sources include “pay raises, quality-of-life programs, basic services. Our municipalities are going to have to make some hard choices.”

He added insurance coverage increases are already coming in anticipation of actual lawsuits.

…

Displaying two reinsurance contracts between his organization and NLC Mutual Insurance Co., Forte pointed out the yearly difference in insurance premiums between July 2021 and July 2022 — a jump of about $700,000, from $1.1 million to $1.8 million.

The “woke” bill carried by civil rights attorney Rep. Brain Egolf (D-Santa Fe), who personally benefits from his bill’s passage, now is creating destruction and carnage in local governments — many still trying to pick up the pieces following the Democrats’ stringent lockdowns during the pandemic that killed the workforce and set progress back years. 
“We live in a world with finite dollars, and if you put them all in the claims bucket, there’s fewer dollars for providing services to the community as a whole,” said Association of Counties attorney Grace Phillips. Although the so-called “social justice” activists are pleased with the law, local governments continue to suffer through the bad lawmaking which threatens to bankrupt their communities.

Dems’ anti-police law that stripped qualified immunity now costing taxpayers big time Read More »

MLG claims to support Dem, GOP ‘women’ — a term most Dems can’t define

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Despite most Democrats not being able to define the simple term “women,” far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham now claims to be placating not only Democrat women but Republican women also with one issue — abortion.

The scandal-ridden governor who paid off $150,000 to an alleged sexual assault victim and former staffer, is tripling and quadrupling down on what she perceives to be her number one issue: abortion.

Constant fundraising emails her campaign expels insist her GOP opponent, Mark Ronchetti, is an “anti-choice extremist” despite Ronchetti saying New Mexico must “permit” abortions up to the 15th gestational week. 

But most New Mexicans and Americans disagree with Lujan Grisham’s abortion up-to-birth policies that, through 2021’s S.B. 10, stripped all protections for women, babies, and medical professionals while allowing abortion up to the baby’s date of birth — possibly after.

But now, in a Saturday Tweet, Lujan Grisham claims, “I’m not talking to Democratic women or Republican women. I’m talking to ALL women. Think hard about your right to make decisions about your body. We’re 100 days out from election day. Your vote will matter.” 

The governor ignores the fact that an expectant mother’s body has different DNA than that of the baby in her womb, and therefore, the baby is a person. She still uses the “your body” trope to peddle her pro-abortion message.

One New Mexican replied to the governor, writing, “Did you support our rights when you closed schools houses of worship and local businesses? You threatened healthcare workers nurses and state employees with getting fired unless they got vaxxed. You’re a tyrannical hypocrite.”

The commentator is correct that Lujan Grisham threw out her supposed caring for “bodily autonomy” during the pandemic when she fired state workers for not taking the jab while mandating desperately needed health care workers to be inoculated. She also forcibly ejected elderly nursing home patients from the care and housing they desperately needed to push virus-positive patients into these centers. Now, the scandal-ridden potential one-term governor is claiming to stand for bodily autonomy. 

But still, it is unclear if Lujan Grisham can define the word “woman.” Maybe someday, New Mexicans will have an answer to that question. But with reelection right around the corner, the Governor’s shot at reelection has dropped with her GOP opponent outraising her. The polls show New Mexico’s governorship is in a dead-heat to the finish line.

MLG claims to support Dem, GOP ‘women’ — a term most Dems can’t define Read More »

U.S. rep joins ethics probe into Deb Haaland over shady financial disclosures

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On July 20, the watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust filed a complaint with the Interior Department’s Departmental Ethics Office over Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s financials claiming to report zero in assets despite drawing a six-figure congressional salary.

On Thursday, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) called for the Office of Inspector General to conduct an audit into the “efficacy and effectiveness” of DOI’s Ethics Office. According to the Washington Times, Westerman cited “unanswered questions about Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s financial disclosures.”

“Last week, the completeness of Secretary Haaland’s disclosures were again called into question,” he said. “In addition to raising concerns about Secretary Haaland’s compliance with federal ethics standards, this complaint triggers additional questions about the operation of the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Departmental Ethics Office (DEO).”

The Times reports:

The disclosure form reported no assets over $5,000 from bank and investment accounts. The only asset listed was an annual per capita payment of $175 from her enrolled tribal membership in the Laguna of Pueblo.

She was not required to report federal income from her two years as a congresswoman from New Mexico, during which her annual salary was $174,000.

“The American public grants incredible authority to Cabinet officials such as the Secretary of the Interior in return for full transparency,” said Protect the Public’s Trust’s director Michael Chamberlain. “It is extremely difficult to believe, in fact, strains credulity, that someone who had been making a congressional salary of $174,000 and was to be entrusted with overseeing a budget of more than $17 billion would not herself have a bank account.”

“Yet we are asked to believe precisely that, with no supporting evidence. Instead, Protect the Public’s Trust believes that an investigation to discover the truth is warranted,” he continued.

“While her 2021 Form 278e indicated a net worth of $0, the financial disclosure Secretary Haaland submitted after marrying her long-time partner reported assets of between $970,000 and $2.125 million,” said in a July 20th statement. “This range did not include two residences on which the couple has mortgages, one of which reportedly is a New Mexico home worth in excess of $1 million that has been her registered voting address for several years.”

U.S. rep joins ethics probe into Deb Haaland over shady financial disclosures Read More »

Dems continue eating fellow Dem alive

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Democrats continue their onslaught against their fellow Democrat, state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo), over accusations of sexual harassment to a former Michelle Lujan Grisham staffer, Marianna Anaya, who has made false sexual assault accusations before.

Around 25 dark money far-left groups, including OLÉ, the Center for Civic Policy, Equality New Mexico, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, New Mexico Native Voters, the New Mexico Working Families Party, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, ProgressNow New Mexico, Emerge New Mexico and the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, all signed a letter demanding the Democrat be stripped of his interim committee assignments.

“We understand that the internal investigation, begun in March, has now been completed by an outside attorney and referred to the legislative subcommittee charged with making a determination on whether there is adequate evidence to [take] action on the multiple charges made against Ivey-Soto,” the groups wrote in a letter, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

They claim some of his accusers are appearing before the same committees “on which Ivey-Soto sits. As a committee member, he has the power to cross examine, embarrass, and even intimidate the very same advocates who have accused him of harassment. He can also influence the outcome of the bills brought by these women.”

Ivey-Soto told the New Mexican, “Certainly, if I were acting in any manner in these interim committee meetings that would be deemed as retaliatory or otherwise unprofessional, singling out people who have filed a complaint, I think at that point it would be cause for leadership to take action.”

Senate Pro-Tempore Mimi Steward (D-Bernalillo), who has animosity toward Ivey-Soto, reportedly said, “The subcommittee work is not yet completed and until it is we must follow the procedures, confidentiality and due process required by policy.”

“The subcommittee leads this process, not outside [counsel] or leadership, and they must be afforded the time to gather all the information they need before any decisions or further action related to this matter will be made,” she added. “I respect the concerns of the advocates and will take them into consideration at the appropriate time.”

The interparty fighting with Democrats comes as the November 8 election will decide the governorship and the fate of the state House of Representatives, where Republicans have a shot at flipping the chamber and reclaiming the Governor’s Mansion.

Despite the cries about supposed sexual assault by Ivey-Soto, these so-called “advocates” have been radio silent on Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham paying off a former staffer, James Hallinan, $150,000 over claims the governor poured water over his crotch and then groped him.

Dems continue eating fellow Dem alive Read More »

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