The national legislative policy group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently released a report measuring the economic freedom of all 50 governors in the United States.
According to the group, the report “ranks each governor on their current economic performance and their fiscal and executive policies over their term in office. Governors who were inaugurated into high performing states and continue positive policies may not be able to improve as much as others but receive credit for their positive performance.”
“We believe that to those whom much is given, much is expected. Governors who are inaugurated into poor performing states and improve or try to improve their policies receive high policy rankings. Those who continue those policies receive low ranks for both policies and performance. Newer governors who do not have the long track records to measure are ranked only on the data that is relevant to their policies since taking office. In the case of a new governor who served together with the prior governor, we look at the track record over their most recent term of influence as lieutenant governor,” the report notes.
South Dakota’s Republican Gov. Krisi Noem ranked number one on the report, followed by Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. On the bottom of the rankings, however, appeared many Democrat governors of far-left states.
California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom clinched the 48th spot, Rhode Island’s Democrat Gov. Daniel McGee clinched the 49th, and the report listed the worst governor as Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
The report noted New Mexico ranking 49th for “executive policy,” 46th for “economic performance,” and 48th for “fiscal policy.” According to the graph provided by ALEC, Lujan Grisham’s state spending skyrocketed since she took power in 2019. The report also noted the state ranking 50th in its unemployment rate, 49th for federal unemployment benefits and 49th in education freedom.
State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) responded via Twitter after the ALEC report went public writing, “We are number one on the ‘worst of’ list yet again! Guess which Governor is ranked as the worst in the nation?”
On Thursday, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that in tandem with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the pair would attempt to ram through extremist legislation during the 2022 Legislative Session to further weaken New Mexico’s already fraud-ridden electoral system.
According to a press release from Lujan Grisham’s office, the legislation would do the following:
Increasing voter access by extending the early voting period through the Sunday before Election Day, designating Election Day as a state holiday, and allowing 16 year-olds to participate in local elections;
Creating a permanent absentee voter list that allows individuals to voluntarily receive mail ballots for each election without needing to make individual requests;
Expanding online voter registration opportunities by allowing individuals without MVD-issued ID to register online using their full social security number;
Extending the timeline for mailing ballots to voters to 35 days before an election and extending the deadline for accepting voted ballots to 7 p.m. the Friday after an election to accommodate for mail delivery time;
Supporting Native voting access by expanding the timeline for indigenous nations, tribes, and pueblos to request alternate voting sites;
Improving automatic voter registration by adopting a system that provides a mechanism for eligible individuals to become automatically registered to vote upon completing a transaction at the Motor Vehicle Department;
Enabling nominating petition signatures to be securely submitted electronically;
Automatically restoring the voting rights of those convicted of a felony who are not currently incarcerated; and
Creating an option to vote a straight party ballot.
The fraud-ridden system New Mexico currently has would be further bolstered with fraud, including more opportunities for ballot harvesters to harvest votes from our senior citizens, making it easier to fraudulently submit ballots with a “straight-party voting” option, accepting absentee ballots seven days after an election, letting people sign up to get absentee ballots for every single election without requesting them, nomination petitions available to be submitted electronically, letting 16-year-olds participate in municipal elections, among other fraud-ridden measures.
“On this somber anniversary of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, an anti-democratic attempt to overturn a free and fair election, we are reminded that it is more important than ever to safeguard access to the ballot box. New Mexico will protect the right to vote,” the scandal-plagued governor wrote.
After her announcement, far-left mostly George Soros-funded groups “ProgressNow New Mexico,” “Olé,” “New Mexico Vices for Children,” “Equality New Mexico,” the “Rio Grande Sierra Club,” among others celebrated the apparent attempt for Lujan Grisham and Toulouse Oliver to cling onto power.
Despite attempts at making straight-party voting return to New Mexico, the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2018 struck it down, with the Court telling Toulouse Oliver the Legislature would have to opine on the question.
Despite Piñon Post’s bombshell story on former Spaceport America chief financial officer Zach DeGregorio in which he alleges in a whistleblower suit over $200 million in fraud by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the mainstream media has been largely silent on the story.
The Santa Fe New Mexicanreported on the story but did not go over the “extortion, bribery, illegal drug use, sex discrimination, procurement fraud, securities fraud, and multiple violations of federal law,” as alleged by DeGregorio.
The Las Cruces Sun-News report focused on what DeGriego calls a “deeply flawed” report from the accounting firm, McHard, which he alleges inaccurately made a report about the malfeasance.
The News-Sun wrote, “McHard’s November 2020 report scrutinized De Gregorio’s activities as well, alleging that he assisted Hicks in circumventing procurement code, evading internal controls and it recommended investigating possible violations of professional standards for certified public accountants.”
“In the complaint, De Gregorio alleges he faced retaliation after submitting his report to the governor’s office and the state Economic Development Department, which oversees the New Mexico Spaceport Authority,” the leftist paper’s report notes. It largely stayed away from mentioning Lujan Grisham, who is a key figure in the complaint.
KKOB’s Eric Strauss spoke about the complaint and Piñon Post’s report on his Tuesday radio show.
No other mainstream media networks, including KOB, KRQE, KOAT, the Albuquerque Journal, nor any others covered the news.
UPDATE: KOB 4 finally made a short report on DeGregorio’s complaint, which was based largely on the Santa Fe New Mexican’s story.
On Monday, Zach DeGriego, the former Chief Financial Officer of Spaceport America from December 21, 2015, to June 21, 2020, announced he had filed a civil complaint in the First Judicial District Court against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over an alleged fraud of $200 million.
“I’ve never spoken about this publicly until now, but the continued retaliation from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her staff has forced me to make this statement to set the record straight,” DeGriego said in a video statement.
“Many of you know I was the former chief financial officer of Spaceport America in New Mexico. I left that position after making multiple whistleblower complaints. I was forced to resign when I had to choose between keeping my job and committing crimes. After the governor and her staff got rid of me they have done everything in their power to retaliate against me and destroy my life to keep me silent.”
“At the same time, they proceeded to violate multiple federal laws. Today, I have filed a lawsuit against the State of New Mexico for violations of the New Mexico whistleblower protection act and malfeasance by the state auditor. The complaint names 21 individuals who participated in a conspiracy including leaders at the highest levels of state government including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Attorney General Hector Balderas, New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colón, Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia Keys, and current managers at Spaceport America.”
“The complaint provides evidence of extortion, bribery, illegal drug use, sex discrimination, procurement fraud, securities fraud, and multiple violations of federal law. The complaint describes how after I left, the defendants proceeded to commit over $200 million in fraud when they issued bonds under false pretenses with disclosure documents containing fraudulent information.”
…
“The last governor in the United States who was impeached was Gov. Blagojevich [of Illinois]. He was arrested and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for a whole lot less than this. Now, I realize that I’m just one person going up against the most rich and powerful people in the state of New Mexico. And I realize that these people have virtually unlimited taxpayer dollars that they will continue to use to attack me. But here’s what I believe: I believe that one person can make a difference in this world and I believe it’s important to stand up for what is right.”
“I’m Zach DeGregorio, certified public accountant, and you, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, you are a crook.”
The 261-page complaint filed by DeGregorio includes 41 exhibits showing documented proof of alleged wrongdoing and carefully strings together facts and figures from his time of employment at Spaceport America.
DeGregorio, who is is referred to in the complaint as “DG” wrote in the complaint, “The employees at the NM Spaceport Authority are too scared to speak up out of fear of retaliation. If they did not comply, they would be maliciously attacked, just like the board member Rick Holdridge, who was illegally removed from the board by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham when he objected to the investigation.”
Alicia Keys
Regarding Lujan Grisham’s appointee, Economic Development Secretary Alicia Keys,DeGregorio alleges conflicts of interest with the film industry, where Keys allegedly attempted to falsify reports to show Spaceport America in worse financial shape and sabotage the large project in order to bolster the film industry instead.
“Alicia Keyes continued to work against the interest of the NM Spaceport Authority with regards to the Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax bonds. At the request of the NM Spaceport Authority board, ZD had been researching alternatives to refinance the bonds (last reported value of $47M in FY20). The date the Agency could exercise their option to refinance the bonds was 12/1/2020. ZD had been a vocal critic of refinancing with the current bond holders, the New Mexico Finance Authority, as there were many alternative options that would save the NM taxpayers millions of dollars,” the complaint reads.
Bribery Allegations
The complaint alleges bribes taken by Lujan Grisham, claiming she violated the Anti-Donation Clause and bribery of a public officer (NMSA 30-24-1). “By holding secret meetings, Virgin Galactic was improperly attempting to influence the use of the Spaceport’s operational budget for their own benefit in exchange for benefits to the Governor during upcoming space operations,”DeGregorio writes.
“As further evidence of bribery and preferential treatment, it was reported in the press that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham received exclusive access and promotion during Richard Branson’s first spaceflight with Virgin Galactic on July 11, 2021. This launch was not open to the public except for the Governor and her VIP guests including former Governor Bill Richardson. This is evidence of a quid pro quo. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham gave Virgin Galactic the designation of ‘essential business’ and in return she got to attend a party with Richard Branson,” he added.
$200 Million in Fraud
“Additionally, the fraud also corrupts the NM Finance Authority’s PPRF loan portfolio. The NM Finance Authority released bond disclosure documents stating the PPRF bonds were backed by the revenue from The Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax bonds, without disclosing the material risks of the bonds or the fraudulent actions of the Defendants which involved the CEO of the NM Finance Authority Marquita Russel. The Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax bonds should be removed from the PPRF, and the PPRF restructured. This means that NM Finance Authority also has been issuing fraudulent statements in over $200 Million of their own PPRF bond issuances. Investors justifiably relied on the NM Finance Authority’s false statements which would have impacted the bond ratings from S&P and Moody’s,” the complaint reads.
The fraud alleged relied on board appointments only Lujan Grisham could approve, with the appointment of Alicia Keyes as Board Chair of the NM Spaceport Authority. “This action gave Alicia Keyes control over any future board votes because the three new members had only known Alicia Keyes as board chair and had no prior experience with Rick Holdridge as board chair.”
“The Defendants forced ZD to resign in a constructive discharge. The Defendants were afraid that ZD’s communications exposed over $200 million of securities fraud they were about to commit. The Defendants fraudulently procured consulting services of The McHard Firm to conduct a deeply flawed investigation,” the complaint concluded.
DeGregorio’s complaint goes over many other instances of alleged fraud, corruption, bribery, and retaliation. It can be accessed here. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office was reached for comment but has not yet responded.
On Monday, Alexis Martinez Johnson, a former congressional and Santa Fe mayoral candidate and environmental engineer announced her second bid for Congress in New Mexico’s Third District.
According to an announcement, Martinez Johnson said, “After careful consideration and conversations with New Mexicans in the new [Congressional] District 3, I am proud to announce that I’m declaring my candidacy” against incumbent first-term Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.
On Martinez Johnson’s website it reads, “It is imperative that we have individuals who represent the consitutents of New Mexico’s District 3 by taking into account all voices. With experience as an environmental engineering professional, I bring the skill coming up with solutions.”
She added, “We as, New Mexicans, are united in the common goals of making sure that we have opportunity and that we live in a safe and healthy environment.”
At the current moment, Leger Fernandez has $266,577.14 cash on hand, according to reports from the Federal Election Commission.
She is expected to be heavily aided by pro-abortion group EMILY’s List, which runs high-dollar independent expenditures for pro-abortion female candidates. Martinez Johnson will have to prove the viability of her candidacy by outraising Leger Fernandez and by earning support from independent groups that could help her take back the Third District.
The Third District currently leans D+5 down from a D+14 district after Democrats gerrymandered the Second District from Republican to now favor Democrats. The dilution of the First and Third District to swing the Second now gives Republicans an opportunity to pick up the Third District — and 2022 is the time to do it as Leger Fernandez was first elected in 2020. In 2020, Martinez Johnson lost to Leger Fernandez in 2020 by 17.4%.
According to a release from Southwest Coalition for Life, national pro-life leader Abby Johnson, who became known for walking away from a job as a Planned Parenthood facility director and becoming a pro-life leader with her powerful story of redemption, will be visiting New Mexico for the New Mexico March for Life.
Among the speakers joining Johnson at the New Mexico March for Life will be Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, MarkCavalier of the Southwest Coalition for Life, Mike Seibel of Abortion on Trial, Elisa Martinez of New Mexico Alliance for Life, among others.
On January 5, there will be a “kickoff” webcast featuring state Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences), Schadenberg, and Roberta Cheek from Care Net of Santa Fe.
According to the organizers, the event will happen on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, from 1-3 p.m. in Albuquerque, NM. No venue has been announced yet, but it will be released before the event to those who have signed up.
“Just register at the same website NewMexicoMarchForLife.com and you will receive more information to join both the Kickoff Webcast at 1pm on January 5, as well as the main event on January 11,” wrote Cavalier.
He added, “Unfortunately, the normal New Mexico March for Life was not allowed to take place in Santa Fe for a second year in a row. That’s why a handful of local, state, and national leaders are quickly organizing an alternative event in record time.”
“Furthermore, last month’s outrage of a Planned Parenthood security guard in Albuquerque illegally handcuffing and detaining a law-abiding pro-life volunteer has caught the attention of national and international leaders,” referring to an incident that happened in 2021. Read more about that incident here.
Far-left Joe Biden approved via the “American Rescue Plan Act” around $350,000 in federal funding for eco-Marxist groups’ “environmental justice” initiatives.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, “Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions received $75,000 to create a water quality and public health curriculum for 400 eighth-graders in the South Valley and in Gallup.”
“Tree New Mexico received $200,000 for a two-year project to plant 400 trees in the International District,” and “The Health Equity Council received $75,000 to create a neighborhood food hub plan for the International District.”
The Tree New Mexico claims the South Valley is an “urban heat island.”
“Limited tree canopy and an abundance of asphalt and concrete make the region several degrees hotter than surrounding areas,” the Journal reports.
Shannon Horst, the group’s executive director, claims the data is key for a community where “environmental injustice has been endemic.”
The Health Equity Council’s work will include a focus on “air quality and conservation,” while Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions will use the cash for ten field trips to nail the eco-left message into them.
Leftist “climate change” doomsday theories have long been peddled by many in groups similar to those that got the federal funding, which is driving a narrative for the U.S. to pass a trillion-dollar “Green New Deal,” such as the one passed in New Mexico in the form of the “Energy Transition Act,” which is causing massive economic havoc with little results regarding clean air and water.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), who lives in Silver Springs, Maryland outside of Washington, D.C., bragged on Sunday about how he was supposedly “electrifying” his home with expensive new appliances including a new heat pump.
Heinrich shared a video and wrote on Twitter, “The decisions we make around our kitchen tables about the cars we drive and the appliances we use in our homes directly impact the health of our climate & our families. Today, I’m taking the next step to electrify my home and installing our second heat pump.”
This comes as 18.63% of New Mexicans are living below the poverty line and cannot afford to heat their homes during the winter, much less invest in eco-left appliances to “electrify” their homes for the “climate.”
After Heinrich posted the videos of his heat pump installation, New Mexicans responded.
One Twitter user, David Chavez, wrote, “A new heat pump in your house that is not in New Mexico. Here in New Mexico we are more concerned with crime and the homeless. Both keep increasing and all you care about is a new heat pump. But then again you don’t live in New Mexico so how would you know what our issues are.”
Miro Tokarczyk added, “How can such a[n] out of touch politician represent working families who can’t afford EVs and rising electricity and heating bills?”
Leticia Muñoz chimed in with, “How much did it cost out on the east coast? Cuz we know you don’t live in NM so you [didn’t] buy it here.”
An account called TexasNece” commented, “NM gas and oil is cheap, clean and reliable. We can’t afford your climate hysteria.”
Heinrich’s apparently out-of-touch comments come as far-left Democrats passed New Mexico’s Green New Deal in the form of the “Energy Transition Act” while Heinrich is a supporter of a National Green New Deal that would cripple the oil and gas industries which are responsible for heating New Mexicans’ houses in the winter.
On Saturday, The Hill listed scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham as one of the “most vulnerable” governors facing reelection in 2022 after the Governor’s tumultuous tenure which has resulted in scandal after scandal.
October campaign finance reports showed that New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) raked in more than $2.5 million over the previous six months.
While Grisham appears to be in a stronger position than other Democratic incumbent governors, with the Cook Political Report rating her race as “likely Democratic,” Republicans have set their sights on her seat.
Several Republicans, including state Rep. Rebecca Dow, former Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti and Sandoval County commissioner Jay Block, have thrown their hats into the ring to challenge Grisham.
Lujan Grisham joins the likes of fellow Democrat Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Steve Sisolak of Nevada, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, and Janet Mills of Maine who are all holding onto their seats by a thread.
With New Mexico’s Governor being the chair of the “Democratic Governors Association,” her race being listed as “likely Democratic” shows the people of New Mexico may have just had enough of her far-left leadership.
As we previously reported regarding Lujan Grisham:
Her controversy-driven tenure as governor has been marked with scandal after scandal after scandal. From forcing through the most far-left extreme bills through the Legislature to paying off sexual accusers and her own daughter with campaign cash, and then “misplacing” $250 million in Workforce Solutions money, she has weakened her chance of reelection day after day.
She repeatedly skirted her pandemic rules to buy luxury jewelry, used taxpayer funds for fine wine and $200/lb Wagyu beef steaks, berated local communities for not following her edicts, forced New Mexicans to stand in cold bread lines to get food and basic goods, fined churches and businesses tens of thousands of dollars for alleged non-compliance, removed the National Guard from the border and denied an immigration crisis, fired and hired cabinet secretaries on a dime, gave her staff hefty raises while New Mexicans lost everything, and she is giving away $10 million of New Mexicans’ dollars through a “lottery” to bribe people to take the experimental virus inoculation. Her pandemic lockdowns killed 40% of New Mexico’s small businesses.
We at the Piñon Post are not much into astrology or Zodiac signs for that matter, but what we can sense is that as the clock struck midnight, 2022 already feels different — in a good way. And even though 2022 is technically being called the “Year of the Tiger,” it feels a lot more like the Year of the Lizard People, at least in New Mexico.
In 2021, scandal-ridden alleged sexual predator Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called conservatives who protested her campaign announcement “lizard people” and it stuck.
Her controversy-driven tenure as governor has been marked with scandal after scandal after scandal. From forcing through the most far-left extreme bills through the Legislature to paying off sexual accusers and her own daughter with campaign cash, and then “misplacing” $250 million in Workforce Solutions money, she has weakened her chance of reelection day after day.
She repeatedly skirted her pandemic rules to buy luxury jewelry, used taxpayer funds for fine wine and $200/lb Wagyu beef steaks, berated local communities for not following her edicts, forced New Mexicans to stand in cold bread lines to get food and basic goods, fined churches and businesses tens of thousands of dollars for alleged non-compliance, removed the National Guard from the border and denied an immigration crisis, fired and hired cabinet secretaries on a dime, gave her staff hefty raises while New Mexicans lost everything, and she is giving away $10 million of New Mexicans’ dollars through a “lottery” to bribe people to take the experimental virus inoculation. Her pandemic lockdowns killed 40% of New Mexico’s small businesses.
But 2022 is the year she will be forced to face We The People at the ballot box. It is making Lujan Grisham, her Democrat allies, and weak “moderate” Republicans run scared of the massive Red Wave that will take over at the June 7 primary elections and November 8 general election. New Mexico already has so many new “lizard people” jumping in the ring to not only take out Lujan Grisham but to deliver change in our communities through legislative, judicial, county-level, and statewide seats.
A referendum is coming…
People have had just about enough of Democrat radicalism in New Mexico and they are prepared to win against it through hard-fought political activism and through talking about the issues that matter most to voters.
Republicans have seven options to choose from to take out MLG, they will finally have options in many primary elections against establishment “Republicans,” and have a true shot to bring fighters into power who will work to return as much of that power back to We The People.
So, the one message we “lizard people” have for Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Swamp is this: Watch out because THE PEOPLE are coming for you and we will win.
