Piñon Post

WATCH: This week’s Piñon Post headlines in under 5 minutes

John Block, editor, and founder of the Piñon Post gives you an end-of-week rundown.

Earlier this week, The Republican Party of New Mexico filed a lawsuit seeking to impound ballots in Bernalillo County to uncover potential fraud. RPNM is financing the lawsuit, and former Republican congressional candidate Michelle Garcia Holmes has signed off on the petition. Former U.S. Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti has not said a word publicly about the lawsuit. 

Also happening this week, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham suffered a crippling political blow, with former vice president Joe Biden snubbing her to serve in his fictitious presidential cabinet as Health and Human Services secretary after the Governor turned down the position of Secretary of the Interior. Far-left Democrat Attorney General Xavier Becerra was chosen instead for HHS, while socialist congresswoman Deb Haaland is still in contention for the Interior role.

Lujan Grisham announced in her press conference this week that her Administration will be working to ration care at health care facilities, including a moratorium on any procedure her administration deems “non-essential.” She has also enacted a “Crisis Care” strategy to shift around doctors and medical staff to treat COVID-19 with a certification program. Her administration, however, excluded physician assistants from the executive order.

During the press conference, Lujan Grisham announced her intentions to run for New Mexico Governor in 2022, saying she’s “Staying” in the state and that she will “keep her fingers crossed” she can lure New Mexicans to the polls to vote for her agenda. 

In other news, Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce won decisive re-election over three rivals, easily beating the closest competitor 76-47. The Chairman and former congressman will serve a second two-year term. 

The Piñon Post helped usher in a major victory this week for Albuquerque residents when we organized countless citizens to write Albuquerque City Councilors and demand they reject a proposal by Councilors Isaac Benton and Cynthia Borrego to throw people in jail and issue fines if they do not follow COVID-19 mandates. The councilors dropped the bill from consideration, handing a massive victory to our state’s largest city’s citizens.

In the past few weeks, New Mexicans have heard rumors on social media about Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham potentially being in Hawaii around the date of November 20th. The Governor’s office has been stonewalling the Piñon Post despite our multiple correspondences asking for information on the rumors. Through an IPRA request to the Governor’s Office, we have learned that according to Nora Sackett, the Governor’s press secretary, and Tripp Stelnicki, the Governor’s communications director, they claim she was not in Hawaii. Stelnicki, in an email to another staffer, wrote, “Sooo dumb. I’m at her [house] right now– can confirm, not in Hawaii!” It is unclear why he visited the Governor’s residence while Lujan Grisham’s public health orders bar any such visit.  

Liberal bigwigs in New Mexico have been particularly nasty this week, including Nora Sackett, who mocked New Mexicans by sharing of someone questioning whether to take the COVID-19 vaccine. She wrote, “there is like a not insignificant chance these are New Mexicans I swear to god.” State Rep. Liz Thomson of Albuquerque chimed in, claiming New Mexicans need an “education.” 

Another politico catching heat for comments this week is Democrat Speaker of the Hosue Brian Egolf of Santa Fe, who claimed states joining in Texas’ lawsuit at the Supreme Court to nullify votes cast in four states against state law, are “installing” President Trump as a “dictator.” 

Lastly, an OSHA complaint has been filed by the pro-life group Abortion on Trial against Women’s Reproductive Clinic in Sunland Park for allegedly failing to alert the state about staff members catching COVID-19. One staff member died of the virus, while the abortionist was in intensive care with coronavirus. The Governor’s office has failed to provide a statement on any potential actions to close the clinic for health reasons. 

You can find all those stories and so many others by visiting PinonPost.com. Thank you so much for reading our news, and if you would like to help keep independent New Mexico news online, please consider donating by clicking the donate button at the top of your screen. Thank you for tuning in, and have a great week!

EXCLUSIVE: One-on-one with New Mexico GOP Chairman Steve Pearce

John Block, editor of the Piñon Post, had a discussion with former Congressman and current Chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Steve Pearce.

The exclusive interview touches on what Pearce has done during his tenure as chairman, how he has utilized his political connections to build up New Mexico, and the victories the Party saw in the last election. The Chairman also revealed what his vision is for his next term in the chairmanship if re-elected.

Republican Party chair elections are held on Monday, December 7, 2020, where the State Central Committee members will vote. Learn more about the New Mexico GOP by visiting their website, NewMexico.GOP.

Interview will premier at 9:00 a.m. local time.

Piñon Post editor sends letter to Congress urging them to deny MLG’s request for federal bailout

On Friday, Piñon Post editor and owner John Block sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services to urge them not to consider Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s September 10, 2020 testimony requesting a government bailout. 

During the Governor’s testimony, she requested funds due to the low oil prices and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite her unilaterally closing down the state and punishing small business owners and local governments who defied her orders. 

Block’s letter focuses on the Governor’s inappropriate use of government funds without the state Legislature’s permission, and about the careless spending by the Administration on “whimsical” and “far-out” social programs that are eating away at hundreds of millions of dollars in the state’s once-full coffers. 

“Lujan Grisham claims, ‘We all know, and I know that tightening our belts in the coming months, and years, is critical. And in some places like New Mexico, we already have.’ But her all-out assault on the oil and gas industry, which contributes 39% of our budget, by signing the radical anti-oil ‘Energy Transition Act,’ is already causing oil and gas producers to flee our natural resource-rich state — something that began far before oil prices dipped and COVID-19. Her wasteful spending on unnecessary and unwanted social programs is not ‘tightening our belt,’ especially when in a crisis. She refuses to pinch pennies to fulfill her expensive campaign promises instead and save face with the voters.” writes Block.

Block continues:

As a native New Mexican, I see the state I know and love hurting due to the fiscal irresponsibility of Gov. Lujan Grisham. While other states are back open, the Governor has repeatedly weaponized her office to play politics with this deadly pandemic, militarize her Attorney General as her attack dog to go after local leaders, and use her platform to belittle our citizens with personal attacks.

Once a great example of growth and prosperity, our state has been flushed away by years of failed leadership and heavy federal reliance, with not much to show for it. Our state is number 50th for child well-being, 49th for Crime and Corrections, 48th for Opportunity, 47th for Fiscal Stability, etc. 

New Mexico is the third most federally dependent state. Despite the massive influx of government funds, the state’s leaders, led by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, Rep. Deb Haaland, Sen. Tom Udall, Sen. Martin Heinrich, and others have squandered the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. 

And so I humbly request that you dismiss the New Mexico Governor’s September 10th testimony and do not further fund the supposed public servant who continues only to serve her special interests and political connections while ignoring the small businesses and working families of the Great State of New Mexico. 

The full letter can be found below:

Block urges all other New Mexico citizens and small business owners to send correspondences to the Committee by email or by mail to the addresses below:

U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Democrats:

The Honorable Chairwoman Maxine Waters
2129 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515  

FSCDems@mail.house.gov

Phone: (202) 225-4247
Fax: (202) 225-6952

Ranking Member Patrick McHenry
Financial Services Committee | Republicans
4340 O’Neill House Office Building
Washington, DC 20024    

fsr.voicemail@mail.house.gov
202-225-7502

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s September 10, 2020 testimony can be found below:

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