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Rio Grande Foundation releases 2023 legislative ‘Freedom Index’ results

6 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), a free market think tank, released the highest performers of its 2023 Legislative Session Freedom Index, a ranking system by the group based on floor votes taken by state legislators regarding “various economic, education, and constitutional issues from a pro-freedom perspective.”

The group ranked each vote from -8 to +8 “depending on the overall impact of the legislation.”

“The best overall voting records were compiled by Alamogordo area freshman legislator Rep. John Block. Block was followed by Rep. Randall Pettigrew, who represents parts of Hobbs and surrounding areas,” wrote the group. 

Block received a total score of 116, while Pettigrew scored 102. 

“Kudos and thank you to Rep. Block and Rep. Pettigrew for their strong leadership. We’ll discuss the Senate and have more scores in a subsequent post,” RGF wrote. 

The highest-rated state senators were Sen. Joshua Sanchez (R-Grants), with a 75 score, and Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington), with a score of 72.

The lowest-rated senators, according to the Freedom Index, are Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española), with -132, and Sens. Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales), Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque), Nancy Rodriguez (D-Santa Fe), and Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) tying for second-worst with a score of -131. 

The House members with the lowest scores are Reps. Joann Ferrary (D-Las Cruces) and Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque) with scores of -130. 

Votes included in the Index ranged from gun rights to abortion, with the highest-weighted categories appearing to be regarding taxation, the budget, and the environment. 

A podcast with RGF President Paul Gessing talking about the Freedom Index can be streamed here.

Rio Grande Foundation releases 2023 legislative ‘Freedom Index’ results Read More »

After Vasquez’s pro-criminal vote, top GOP PAC launches billboard campaign

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced it is launching a nationwide billboard campaign targeting vulnerable House Democrats who have embraced pro-criminal policies. 

Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District is a name included on that list, who recently voted to reduce penalties for violent criminal offenders. Vasquez is a freshman won by a little over 1,000 votes in the November 2022 election.

“Crime is surging in these vulnerable Democrats’ backyards and they are signaling they don’t care,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said. “A slap on the wrist for violent criminals is too extreme even for President Biden, but not extreme enough for these Democrats.”

Other House Democrats being focused on include Reps. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania. 

The move comes as a crime wave has bludgeoned New Mexico, specifically Albuquerque, which Vasquez partially represents. 

2022 was the deadliest year on record in Albuquerque, with 121 homicides. New Mexico was ranked the state with the highest kidnapping rate in the nation. Businesses are also closing due to the crime epidemic plaguing the state.

After Vasquez’s pro-criminal vote, top GOP PAC launches billboard campaign Read More »

Haaland humiliated again during congressional hearing

44 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a Democrat former congresswoman from New Mexico’s First District, was once again humiliated in front of a U.S. congressional panel.

Haaland couldn’t answer basic questions from Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-WY), a former Interior Department secretary under President Donald J. Trump.

Zinke asked Haaland during a hearing, “Is it your policy that critical minerals should be sourced from countries that are stewards of the environment like the U.S. and our allies, or sourced from Russia and China that don’t share our same values?”

Haaland responded, “Our policy is to, um, work to make sure we have the best, um…” 

Zinke responded, “I’ll take that as a maybe,” asking further, “Are you aware that China produces more emissions than any other country on the planet?” 

“I have probably read that somewhere,” Haaland responded.

The congressman then asked, “Have you read the Department of the Interior report on critical minerals dated December ‘17?” Haaland responded that she had not. 

“Are you aware that China controls, by proxy, production [of] the supply chain of critical minerals that are critical to both the EV (electric vehicle) world and defense?” asked Zinke. 

Haaland said, “Thank you for that information.” 

After further questions from Zinke, Haaland continued to respond, “Thank you for the information, congressman,” seeming not to know the basic information referenced. 

She continued regarding a question about sourcing these minerals domestically rather than abroad, “We are working currently on identifying those critical minerals…. That is with the U.S. Geological Survey…. I know energy independence is a priority of… [Joe] Biden.”

WATCH:

Following the embarrassing hearing, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block wrote, “We are not sending our best and brightest to Washington. Biden’s appointees and nominees have a difficult time answering basic questions. She’s been the Sec of Interior for 2 years. Does she know anything? Embarrassing.” 

Another wrote, “This woman makes [Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg] look experienced & qualified,” adding, “That was pathetic.” 

During Haaland’s confirmation hearings, there were similar flubs by the then-congresswoman, who could not answer basic questions before being elevated to the Interior Department post by Joe Biden. 

NM Dems release frantic defense of Deb Haaland after confirmation hearing trainwreck

Haaland humiliated again during congressional hearing Read More »

Walmart shuttering crime-ridden ABQ location after nearly 40 years in business

37 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The violent wave of crime plaguing New Mexico, specifically in Albuquerque, is forcing Walmart at 301 San Mateo Boulevard Southeast to close its doors after nearly 40 years in business at the location. The store is located in the War Zone, also known as the “International District,” known for its crime epidemic.

Walmart spokeswoman Lauren Willis said the store, which has 287 employees, was first opened at the location in 1985 — 38 years ago. The employees will be given the option to transfer to other locations in the city.

Business Insider recently reported, “Walmart did not answer questions about whether crime rates at the Albuquerque location were responsible for the decision to close it. But Albuquerque police officers had their hands full with the store in the past year. The Albuquerque Journal reports that 708 calls were made requesting police service at or near the store in 2022.” 

According to a KOB 4 report, “Police were called to the Walmart at San Mateo near Central more than 1,400 times for various calls in 2019. That’s almost four calls every day.”

The closure of the Albuquerque location, as well as locations across crime-ridden states, came after Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon warned last December that certain “stores will close” if high theft rates didn’t slow down.

Cleveland.com reported that the total number of Walmart location closures are as follows: “Arkansas (1 store), Georgia (2), Florida (1), Hawaii (1), Illinois (3), Indiana (1), Minnesota (1), New Mexico (1), Oregon (2), Texas (1), Washington (1), Washington, D.C. (1) and Wisconsin (1).” 

Reports note how the shuttering of the Albuquerque Walmart “will impact lower-income residents,” as KRQE 13 reported. 

Resident Gabriel Sena told the outlet, “It’s gonna be sad for them, you know, because some people don’t have cars, and this is where they go, and all they have is Smith’s now down on Yale, but that might be out of the way too.” 

Walmart shuttering crime-ridden ABQ location after nearly 40 years in business Read More »

Exclusive: NM School Boards Assoc. responds to leaked conference audio

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Over the past week, Freedom Families United released an undercover video appearing to show a 2022 New Mexico School Boards Association conference training where the trainer, Andrew Sanchez, made remarks that “parental rights end when you send your kids to public school.” 

After the Piñon Post’s request for comment to the New Mexico School Boards Association (NMSBA), the organization’s executive director, Joe Guillen, a former Española School Board member, has issued a response, decrying the video as “clearly mischaracterized” and affirming that the NMSBA has not “advocated for a diminished role of local control or parental rights in determining local educational policy and content.”

The full response from Mr. Guillen is as follows:

Thank you for your message and for sharing the subject YouTube video. Let me begin by assuring you the New Mexico School Boards Association (NMSBA) values and recognizes the important role parental participation and engagement play in the success our schools and students in New Mexico. We encourage our members to make parent involvement a central part of their community outreach efforts to help ensure their policies and programs reflect and meet the needs of their students.

A little background on the process we utilize in selecting breakout sessions at each of four major conferences. Prior to each conference we issue a request for presentation proposals which is distributed to numerous officials, agencies and law firms involved in public education. Upon receipt of presentation proposals we select approximately 18 and place them in three concurrent time slots allowing school board members to pick and choose those to attend among the various topics. See the attached listing of training sessions for our Annual Conference held in Albuquerque last December where the subject session was presented. You will note the wide range of training topics we attempt to offer.

Andy Sanchez, is a well-known and longtime school attorney with over 25 years of experience with the Cuddy & McCarthy Law Firm and more recently with the Himes, Petrarca & Fester Law Firm. He has presented at our conferences regularly on a host of school related topics. We felt the topic of his presentation was very timely given the recent adoption of new social studies standards by the NM Public Education Department.

The presentation, which the website video clearly mischaracterized, focused on the current federal and state laws and the court cases on the role of local control and parents in the curriculum development and review process. The presentation did not discount the role or value of local control or parents in the educational process. To be clear, neither NMSBA or the presenter advocated for a diminished role of local control or parental rights in determining local educational policy and content. Many of those in the audience who were present for the entire session, were complimentary of the information presented. While the session lasted approximately 60 minutes, the website video picked 2.5 minutes of the presentation to attempt to make a point clearly unrelated to the purpose and content of the presentation.

NMSBA remains focused on the topics that most impact students and teachers—ensuring every classroom is staffed with a highly qualified teacher; increasing broadband internet access to close the ‘homework gap;’ supporting historically disadvantaged students; supporting students with disabilities and mental health needs; and addressing the learning loss stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanchez’s talk appears to have come from a 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. slot on December 3, 2022, at the conference titled “Parent Attempts to Opt-Out of Curriculum and Teachers, including a Review of CRT and Parent-rights.” According to the conference schedule, around 80 people were in attendance. The full schedule for the conference was provided by Mr. Guillen, which is linked here. 

NM school board trainer on hot mic: ‘Parental rights end’ in public school

Exclusive: NM School Boards Assoc. responds to leaked conference audio Read More »

As NM carjackings rise, leftists rejected Dem-sponsored proposal to fix crisis

18 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

During the 2023 Legislative Session, few proposals to tackle the state’s crime epidemic reached the governor’s desk. A handful of bills focusing on retail crime, catalytic converter thefts, and cyber security ultimately passed, but nothing specifically tackling carjackings or other violent crimes.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) report shows New Mexico has the fourth-highest rate of car thefts in the nation, with Albuquerque leading the state in rates of carjackings.

H.B. 491, a bill to tackle car theft, sponsored by Reps. Cynthia Borrego (D-Albuquerque), Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde), and Art De La Cruz (D-Albuquerque) died in its first committee, with four leftist Democrats rejecting the measure.

The bill would increase penalties for the unlawful taking of a vehicle, embezzlement of a vehicle, or fraudulently taking a vehicle.

According to the bill’s fiscal impact report, “Under the revised penalties, anyone convicted for these crimes could be guilty of a fourth-degree felony for a first offense; a third-degree felony for a second offense, regardless of which provision was the first offense; and a second-degree felony for a third or subsequent offense, regardless of which provision was the first or second offense.”

Borrego explained was necessary due to the increased number of car thefts, including a family member of hers who owns a car lot and fell victim to thieves stealing a vehicle then later trashing it miles away.

Despite carjackers seeming to become increasingly emboldened to steal vehicles in New Mexico, the four Democrats on the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, Reps. Joanne Ferrary (D-Las Cruces), Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), Liz Thomson (D-Albuquerque), and Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) quickly tabled the bill. Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and John Block (R-Alamogordo) both voted against tabling the bill.

Block wrote on Twitter following the vote, “The NM House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee just tabled a commonsense bill that would enhance penalties for repeat offending carjackers. NM is top in the nation for car thefts, but the bill died on a party-line 4-2 vote despite it being sponsored by 3 Dems. What a clown show.”

Other bills that died on arrival in the committee included legislation from Rep. Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerque) to curb fentanyl dealing, increase sentences for illegal gun possession, and make it easier to keep suspects behind bars pending trial.

Without meaningful crime bills getting across the finish line, it is unlikely crime in the state will let up, as weak-on-crime legislators have prevailed in killing proposals from both Democrats and Republicans to fix the scourge of violence and lawlessness in New Mexico.

As NM carjackings rise, leftists rejected Dem-sponsored proposal to fix crisis Read More »

NM school board trainer on hot mic: ‘Parental rights end’ in public school

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A new undercover audio recording released by Freedom Families United, a group that specializes in exposing educators and systems pushing “woke” policies, appears to show a New Mexico School Boards Association trainer, Andrew Sanchez, teaching school board members anti-parent policies.

“We’re going to start basic, really basic, power of the board. You… shall have the following power: to develop educational policy for the school district,” Sanchez says. 

“So guess what? You are potential targets with regards to any understandings of parental rights and/or subjects of curriculum.”

He told the school board members in training, “Remember, your most powerful governing tool is the power of the pocketbook. The school district doesn’t do anything unless you’re going to fund it, right? These are very fine points of why you’re so valuable and so important with regards to public education.” 

“Parental rights are developed by the common law. The idea of the common law was that only parents had the ability to tell… to say what was important for their child. Religious freedom: What basically the argument that has been happening now is people are arguing that the religious beliefs trump and allow them to discriminate against others.” 

He continued in the leaked audio, “In other words, now they are saying that the constitutional rights have precedence over each other. So you’re going to see a lot more everything based on that religious freedom-type argument.” 

“There are reasons why when you send your kid to school, you’ve given up some of that constitutional right. So, they can make decisions with regards to their [kids] without limitations on the custody and care… but when you send them to school, and by requiring school attendance, you don’t have that fundamental right anymore. In other words, the fundamental right of parents with regards to education is you get to pick the school [the child] goes to. You do not have the fundamental right to tell the school district how to teach your child. Your choice is if you don’t like it, you can go to a private school that was more aligned with your political or your religious beliefs” (emphasis added).  

Sanchez said, “So, this all boils down to parental rights being: They have the right to pick the system they want their kid to enter, but once they enter it, they cannot tell a public school how to teach their child or what to teach your child. You have the fundamental right, but once you’ve entered the public school system, the public school system prevails. Again, parental rights end when you send your kids to public school” (emphasis added).

He also went on to bash free states like Florida, erroneously claiming that the state “doesn’t even teach the Civil War anymore,” which is false. 

He said, “What you teach this generation that will soon be voting — the kids that are graduating next year turn 18 and vote in ‘24 — are instrumental to the future of us as a democracy and as society goes forward,” leaving out that the United States is a constitutional republic, not a democracy.” 

The Piñon Post contacted the New Mexico School Boards Association for comment but has not received a response as of publication. If the Association does respond, its comments will be updated in this article.

Watch the full video here:

Watch a snippet of the longer video here:

NM school board trainer on hot mic: ‘Parental rights end’ in public school Read More »

New ABQ abortion facility has ‘starting goal’ of killing 75 babies weekly

32 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, “Whole Woman’s Health,” an abortion facility formerly located in Texas, opened a new location in Albuquerque. It is located at 718 Lomas Boulevard Northwest.

The abortion company, which has been active for around 20 years, had abortion mills in Austin, McAllen, Fort Worth, and McKinney, Texas, before the state passed life-affirming laws protecting the rights of children in the womb from abortions.

Axios noted that the new Albuquerque abortion center “will serve New Mexico residents, plus folks from other states, like Texas and Oklahoma,” touting its abortion tourism in the Land of Enchantment. The facility has disclosed that 21 patients from Texas and three from Louisiana have already booked appointments at the Duke City abortion mill to kill their children over opening weekend.

The facility will perform first and second-trimester abortions up to 18 weeks of the child’s gestational age. It plans on expanding those services to late-term abortions “up to 24 weeks in the near future.” Also offered at Whole Woman’s Health are abortion pills at up to 11 weeks while setting a “starting goal” of killing up to 75 babies per week.

Axios reported, “Whole Woman’s Health chose Albuquerque because it’s in a ‘safe state’ and is easy to fly into,” meaning abortion is legal up to the moment of birth in New Mexico with absolutely no safety requirements for mothers, babies, or medical professionals.

The abortion company’s president and CEO, Amy Hagstrom Miller, said, “she chose a city over a small border town so patients and staff could be in a more populated area where they could blend in.”

The news comes after late-term abortionist Curtis Boyd, who is responsible for more infant deaths than any other abortionist in American history, has stopped offering abortions later in pregnancy in his Albuquerque center, Southwestern Women’s Options, which also previously had a location in Dallas, Texas before shuttering. 

New ABQ abortion facility has ‘starting goal’ of killing 75 babies weekly Read More »

Smugglers hire through WhatsApp, Craigslist to sneak illegals into NM

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A recent report from KXAN News Austin has documented multiple recent altercations Border Patrol units have had with smugglers, mostly Americans, transferring illegal aliens into New Mexico through the southern border. 

In one case reported by the outlet, a black Mazda CX-5 was stopped by agents in Hidalgo County after failing to stop for a speeding violation on March 14. The vehicle, manned by U.S. citizen Francisco Perez Mercado, sped onto Interstate 10 until crashing into another car in Lordsburg. 

Perez Mercado’s companion Christina Lynn James-Blake and two of the illegal aliens being smuggled were airlifted to the hospital.

“James-Blake allegedly told Homeland Security investigators that she availed her vehicle to the smugglers for $1,000. She said she and Perez picked up Mexican and Guatemalan migrants at a Douglas, Arizona, motel and were to drive them to Phoenix, taking a detour through Southwestern New Mexico to avoid highway checkpoints…. Migrant apprehensions remain steady along Southwest border One of the migrants told investigators smugglers charged him $8,000 to get him across the border and past highway checkpoints,” reported KXAN.

On February 28, an agent stationed at the Arizona-New Mexico border spotted a passenger inside a blue Hyundai duck, which led to the questioning of the driver, U.S. citizen Gabriel Scott. He sped up amid being questioned and was later apprehended with a tire-deflation device.

“Scott allegedly volunteered that he picked up the migrants in Nogales, Arizona, and hid two of them in the trunk for more than three hours. Scott said he was recruited by smugglers through an ad on Craigslist for an undisclosed amount of money, court records show,” the outlet reported.

On the morning of March 16, a Las Cruces-area Border Patrol agent spotted a dark Dodge Challenger following a gold Jeep with its lights off. As the caravan approached a Border Patrol checkpoint, the Challenger revved past traffic and was later apprehended on New Mexico Highway 185 after two miles of pursuit. The gold Jeep has not yet been located, but the driver of the Challenger, Jorge Luis Freyre, told investigators he belonged to the Chuco Tango gang.

Another caravan situation happened near New Mexico’s Antelope Wells point of entry, where a white Chevrolet Silverado and a 2006 Honda Pilot refused to yield and were later stopped by tire-deflation devices. 

Seven illegal migrants were apprehended wearing camouflage clothing in the Silverado and three in the Pilot.

“The vehicles eventually stopped, and border agents apprehended seven migrants wearing camouflage clothing inside the Silverado and three inside the Honda Pilot. All were from Mexico. One driver, Marco Garcia Acevedo, allegedly said he was hired through WhatsApp to transport migrants; driver Carlos Eduardo Cruz Guzman said he is an Arizona resident who entered the United States illegally, court documents show.” 

On February 27, Matthew Paul Anderson of Phoenix was apprehended driving his SUV on New Mexico Highway 80, where he surrendered, revealing his contract to smuggle three illegal aliens from Mexico via one of his contacts. He allegedly said to the Border Patrol agent, “You got me, man.”

U.S. Border Patrol said in a statement, “Arrested smugglers intercepted in recent smuggling schemes have been primarily from Mexico and the United States. However, they have also come from other countries such as Venezuela, Honduras and Cuba.” 

Smugglers hire through WhatsApp, Craigslist to sneak illegals into NM Read More »

NM taxpayers’ return on investment revealed in new report

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A new report published by WalletHub revealed the states with the best and worst returns on investments of taxpayer money, with New Mexico ranking low on the list.

WalletHub wrote, “Different states have dramatically different tax burdens. This begs the question of whether people in high-tax states receive superior government services. Likewise, are low-tax states more efficient or do they receive low-quality services? In short, where do taxpayers get the most and least bang for their buck?”

According to the analysis, taxpayers in New Hampshire, Florida, Alaska, South Dakota, and Texas took the top five spots, respectively.  

California ranked 50th as the lowest state, with Hawaii coming in 49th and New Mexico ranking slightly better at 48.

While New Mexico ranked 49th for overall government services, residents paid the 24th-best tax rate in the nation.

Following the 2023 Legislative Session, New Mexico might be ranked below Hawaii or California due to a new Democrat-led tax package that raises alcohol taxes by 20 percent and cigar taxes to a full 25% of the price, among other measures that will increase taxes to the tune of around $100 million annually.

Commenting on the legislative session, the Rio Grande Foundation wrote, “Overall, the session, even with a $3.6 billion surplus, offered no fundamental approach to economic development or anything else.”

Other numbers from WalletHub show New Mexico ranks 49th in education ahead of only Alaska, 34th in health, 48th in safety, 49th economically, and 30th regarding infrastructure and pollution.

Source: WalletHub
Source: WalletHub

NM taxpayers’ return on investment revealed in new report Read More »

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