Opinion Archives - Page 4 of 21

CYFD, the nation’s most expensive paid mourners

MLG and CYFD perpetuate New Mexico’s family crisis

New Mexico is ranked the fifth worst state for child abuse, the eighth worst for children’s healthcare, the ninth worst for children overweight or obese, and the worst for children’s food insecurity. Overseeing this debacle is Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her New Mexico Children, Youth, and Family Department (CYFD), whose budget exceeds $368 million. They are the nation’s most expensive paid mourners.

I believe Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s CYFD is staffed with empathetic and compassionate individuals like herself (Which is why MLG won her elections). But empathy and compassion alone only perpetuate the misery of New Mexico’s families, not solve it. Today MLG’s CYFD is little more than expensive paid mourners wailing after another child’s death.

MLG and CYFD did not create a crisis for New Mexico’s families. It is the Santa Fe Democrats, government officials, and professionals’ attitude toward child-raising, “It Takes a Village.” Their public school industry focuses on teaching their culture, molding students into their image, and deceiving parents about what they are doing. At the same time, they are failing in their mission to educate our children. Their medical industry: dispenses psychotropics, birth control, sex-changing drugs, and counseling with or without parental approval. When our children harm themselves or others and have a future of misery, they blame the parents and the parents’ culture. The definition of “It Takes a Village” is many pointing fingers, many mouths yelling, no brains, and no conscience.

It is time we return to the basics that made our country great.

Strong Mothers Liberals laughed every time Sarah Palin was quoted saying, “I’m a momma grizzly bear when it comes to my children.” Having backpacked in black, brown, and grizzly bear country, I knew a momma bear and her cub deserved particular respect. But first, we must teach our mothers how to defend themselves and their children. Then, mothers and wives can end the abuse.

Engaged Fathers Fatherless families have a substantially higher risk for poverty, behavioral problems, infant mortality, incarceration, teen pregnancy, abuse, and neglect. Every newborn’s birth certificate lists the father’s name. The government provides incentives to families where the father is engaged. Communities support fathers who never had a father that cared about them.

Deserving Children Every child deserves to know who their father is, have a roof over their head, have food on the table, and have an education system that prepares them for a bright future. Education is not just reading, writing, and arithmetic; it is learning the responsibilities of citizens and the consequences of not abiding by the laws of our country.

God’s Grace Santa Fe democrats, government officials, and professionals have behaved like government money, and their all-knowing power was greater than God’s Grace. This fraud needs to be exposed. Parents must seat God at their table and bar their door against those that have destroyed New Mexico’s families.

Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick Rich at MickRich.substack.com.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Barbara Vigil is out as Lujan Grisham’s CYFD secretary

Why does Holy Week seem so unholy?

1 Comment / Opinion / By Mick Rich

This Holy Week reminds me why I became a Catholic.

My mother was raised a Lutheran, and my father a Catholic. My parents had long abandoned their faith when I was born, replacing God’s grace with their unrighteous vengeance. Unfortunately, I see that exact unrighteous vengeance today in our government and the institution we depend upon.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrested Donald Trump during Holy Week. Did Bragg believe he was slaying MAGA Supporters’ Messiah? They support Trump, knowing he is just a man with imperfections. Not MAGA supporters, but Bragg, that believe his political leader is a Messiah.

District attorneys do not prosecute violations of the law; they prosecute the violators. Bernalillo’s former District Attorney-turned-New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez did not prosecute the shooting of one victim nor the last drive-by shooting but only charged the violation of the law with Darian Bashir’s murdered famous UNM baseball player Jackson Weller. George Soros’ DAs play god on who and who not to punish.

George Soros’ district attorneys do not prosecute violations of the law; they prosecute the violators. Then-DA Torrez did not prosecute the shooting of one victim, nor the last drive-by shooting, but only charged the violation of the law with Darian Bashir’s murdered famous UNM baseball player Jackson Weller.

Democrat Leaders support the medical profession’s belief that they have the power to create males and females. Yet, despite the surgeries and chemicals, they cannot change that males have X-Y chromosomes and females have X-X chromosomes. In Mathew 19:4, Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female?’” Therefore, the medical profession is committing fraud upon its victims when they say, “We change your sex.”

President Obama declared that 2008 “was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal.” Since then, the oceans have continued to rise despite the sacrifices of the American people and the resulting damage from environmentalist actions. Offshore wind turbines have resulted in the death of dozens of whales rotting on the New Jersey coast. Corn production for ethanol in the Midwest has washed fertilizers into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a toxic “Red Tide.” Only God could part the sea and return it to its natural level without environmental damage.

Democrats have been removing the Ten Commandments from our public spaces on the pretext that it is a religious document. They believe they are wiser, fairer, and more compassionate than God could be. But all they have done is replace God’s grace with their unrighteous vengeance.

Despite my childhood experiences, I knew God had not abandoned me. Instead, God had placed individuals in my life to guide me until I could find my way. My mother recognized that I had arrived when she told me, “We worked so hard to raise you. Then you became a Catholic”.

During these challenging times, it is essential to stay close to God.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

New Mexico’s new official state aroma

4 Comments / Opinion / By Michael Swickard, Ph.D.

“The first condition of understanding a country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

The New Mexico Legislature rarely makes me laugh. This year they did. An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican notes that it passed a bill designating the aroma of fire-roasted green chile as the official New Mexico smell. Governor Michele Lujan Grisham signed the bill in Las Cruces on March 28, 2023.

While New Mexico is not a country, to understand New Mexico, you should appreciate the unique aroma of fire-roasted green chile. Importantly, the roasting smell only lasts thirty minutes, while eating Green Chile is an everyday pleasure.

Fire-roasting chile is when the outside waxy layer is quickly scorched with a flame to a char, allowing the removal of the outer skin without damaging the inside chile meat. The plant produces a waxy coating to keep moisture inside the chile pepper while it’s growing. Fire-roasting prepares the outer skin for removal and also gives the chile meat a fantastic smokey flavor.

As to what made me laugh, it was when discussing S.B. 188, one senator, a dairy farmer, noted the stuff sticking to his boots in the dairy barn happens to be the smell he associates most with New Mexico.

And friends, I know both the roasting smell and the cow pie smell. In fact, I am not revolted by either smell but prefer the green chile roasting over mucking out of a cow shed, which I have done more times than I care to remember.

S.B. 188, introduced by Senator Bill Soules (D-Las Cruces), lists the official New Mexico names for: flower, bird, tree, fish, animal, vegetables, gem, grass (not the intoxicant) fossil, cookie, insect, question, answer, nickname, butterfly, reptile, amphibian, aircraft, historic railroad, tie, necklace, and last but not least, aroma.

They forgot the New Mexico sound of Fire-Roasting. It is a white noise and could be on a white noise machine for going to sleep. During the next session, they could add a twenty-third designation, the sound of fire-roasting chile as the official New Mexico sound.

The New Mexico sound I recognize most often is the sound of wind moving swiftly across New Mexico as we hold onto our hats. One time the wind in New Mexico suddenly stopped, and about 500 ranchers all fell over at once. Another New Mexico sound is tumbleweeds being smashed by cars on roads. They are grilled tumbleweeds, though not edible.

While the pleasant smells of fire-roasting chile are mildly interesting to me, it is the tasting and eating of green and red chile that matters. There are certainly fewer calories for you to just sniff the air and comment on the texture and suitability of the chile smell. However great the smell is, it is not satisfying.

The pleasure of Southwestern cuisine and the delight of New Mexico is a plate of red or green enchiladas with tortillas. That is what spins my happy meter.

Finally, the impetus for making the smell of green chile roasting the official smell of New Mexico was the work of some Las Cruces elementary students. I hope the Las Cruces Public Schools puts in a program to teach all students how to plant and care for chile pepper plants. And to roast the peppers.

Throughout the school year, the school lunch program should offer green and red chile. The students will learn the answer to the official New Mexico question: Red or green? The Official New Mexico answer is: Red and green or Christmas, Let’s eat! Note: I added what’s important to that official answer.

Michael was born at Holloman Air Force Base outside of Alamogordo, New Mexico, his father a career Air Force photographer. He became a photographer at NMSU for the student Round-Up and the yearbook, where he was the head photographer from 1968-69. Later, he was the initial production manager when KRWG-TV went on the air in February 1972. In 1973, Michael was hired by KOB-TV. He has mixed a love of media with a love of education, having taught at Albuquerque High School, Doña Ana Community College, and the NMSU College of Education. Michael holds a Ph.D. in educational administration with a focus on distance learning. From a lifelong enjoyment of chile, he is happy writing and talking about it.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

From ‘Can’t win for losing’ to ‘We can and we will win’

33 Comments / Opinion / By Mick Rich

We are not going to wait for another election cycle.

A response from a Republican insider to last week’s article was that “not much is going to change in New Mexico this election cycle. Depending on who wins the Presidency and the NM US Senate race, there is hope.” The Conventional Wisdom, “Conservatives have been losing for so long, what is another couple more losing election cycles?” Can we afford to wait?

Two of our children called a while ago to announce they were expecting. Then recently, they told us we would have granddaughters. We are excited to have granddaughters now too. But as I write this article, I wonder, when will the Democrat-run school systems and the teacher’s unions let us know what the gender of our grandchild is?

While Republicans squabble amongst themselves, the Albuquerque mayor may be lining up to run for the governorship in 2026. The mayor will do for New Mexico what he has done for Albuquerque: record murders, record crime (APD underreports significant crimes), and record homelessness. In Albuquerque, even the homeless and criminals complain about crime.

When Republican leaders were wailing, “We can’t win because the Democrats’ redistricting and campaign tactics are unfair,” they succeeded in driving the Republican “rank and file” away from the polls. Then, the Republican leaders blamed the rank and file for not showing up.

While Republican leaders follow Robert’s Rules of Order, the Democrats line their pockets and shake down businesses. Even oil and gas companies contributed to various Democrats that wanted to shut down their industries.

While Republican leaders support free enterprise, the Democrats create union-only jobs that funnel money into their political campaigns. The union-only movie industry gets its twenty-five percent kickback, union-only public construction projects, and union-only public employees. The message could not be clearer with the shooting on the “Rust” set after the union-only workers were replaced with non-union workers.

Republican leaders’ unofficial motto does not have to be, “Can’t win for losing.” It can be “We can and we will win.” That is why I write this column every week despite people telling me I am wasting my time and risking my business and personal safety. I am not alone in this effort, and we are making progress.

After Ronna McDaniel won her re-election to the Republican National Committee, she announced this was her last term. After that unconscionable election flyer and the drumming of the 2022 election, state Rep. Jim Townsend (I always had great respect for Townsend) did the honorable thing: he resigned from his leadership position.

In this article and others, I have discussed how to keep our Republican Party open to all while remaining competitive in the general election. The Republican National Committee is investigating this very issue.

In past articles, I have addressed utilizing the strategies (which are legal) that the Democrats used to win elections, which included “ballot harvesting.” A recent CNN article discussed that the RNC is investigating utilizing a form of ballot harvesting.

I have always been a proponent of congressional and statewide candidates working with the county party and their efforts. County parties are integral to energizing the rank and file. That is why I was disheartened when the leading gubernatorial candidate told the delegates he did not need them. However, it is a hopeful sign that then-candidate Mark Ronchetti now seeks an audience with the Bernalillo County Party.

New Mexico Republicans can take lessons from the Battle of New Orleans. The British Army, fresh from defeating Napoleon, believed they were invincible and marched into battle only to be mowed down by General Andrew Jackson. Likewise, the Santa Fe Democrats have had total control of New Mexico for so long that they no longer hide their corruption and disdain for the New Mexico People; they are ripe for a resounding defeat too.

Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Santa Fe Democrats created NM’s failed education system

14 Comments / Opinion / By Mick Rich

Republicans can fix it: Put children first, with education focused on reading, writing, and arithmetic.

New Mexicans believe Santa Fe Democrats will turn around New Mexico’s public education system despite decades of failing grades. That is why New Mexicans approve more money for education yearly and wonder why our children can’t learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. The Albuquerque Journal editorial wrote what many think, Mississippi turned around its failed education system, so why not New Mexico? Yes, Why Not New Mexico?

The Evidence

Mississippi is a right-to-work state that ensures parent and student interests do not compete with the teacher unions. The teacher’s union control the New Mexico legislature via Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), AFT Union member, and Senate pro-tem. KRQE recently reported that Stewart proposed a cap on union-targeted charter schools (similar to the 2019 bill) — a statement that is good for the teacher unions and bad for parent/student choices.

Mississippi focuses on students learning reading, writing, and arithmetic. Santa Fe Democrats focus on student indoctrination.

Breitbart 2021 headline: “Whistleblower: Albuquerque Social Studies “Recommended Books’ All About Race, Queerness.”

Recently, Project Veritas posted an audio revealing “Mandatory CDC Guidelines on Transgender Ideology In New Mexico Schools.”

Mississippi spends approximately ten percent more per student than New Mexico. However, the gap may be more significant when New Mexico’s inefficiency is factored in. The Albuquerque Journal recently reported that Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) administrative staff increased while student enrollment decreased. When APS enrollment dropped, APS wasn’t concerned about what happened to the students, only assuring the teacher and administrators that they would not lose their jobs. APS has demonstrated that its priority is its union staff, not its students.

New Mexico’s educational budget will be $3.5 billion. How much of the $3.5 billion is siphoned off before it reaches the students? In 2021, Sheryl Williams Stapleton, an AFT Union member and Democrat floor leader of the New Mexico House, was indicted by the DOJ for charges of racketeering and money laundering federal grant money received for educational software. But is Williams Stapleton just the tip of the corruption iceberg? If the DOJ can quickly uncover corruption in the New Mexico education system, why not the state’s attorney general and auditor? Maybe because they have agreed to focus on Republicans and give a pass to Santa Fe Democrats.

The Path Forward

Put parents and students first by breaking the teacher unions’ stranglehold on our education system. New Mexico could reverse the damage done when Bill Richardson recognized the teacher unions. Education dollars belong to the parents and students, not the failed New Mexico education system, not to the teacher’s union, and not in the hands of corrupt Santa Fe Democrats.

Allow parents and students to hold schools, administrators, and teachers accountable. Parents and students should be able to sue Schools for failing to educate our youngest generation. In addition, parents and students should be able to sue for psychological damages associated with critical race theory and gender identity chaos.

It is time to replace federally indicted Sherryl Williams Stapleton’s name with businesswoman and NM Representative Jane Powdrell-Culbert on the African American Performing Arts Center and Exhibit Hall. In addition, New Mexicans demand an independent audit (the NM State Auditor is not independent) of the Education Budget.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

An election integrity expert’s response to ‘Stolen election vs. unfair election’

18 Comments / Opinion / By Erin Clements

This opinion piece by former US Senate candidate Mick Rich asks the question: “Was the 2020 Presidential election stolen from Donald Trump, or was the 2020 presidential election unfair to Donald Trump? There is a difference between the two, and that difference is essential for Americans in future elections.” This premise presents a false dichotomy that assumes that the election can be unfair or stolen, but not both. In reality, an election can be both unfair and stolen.

Acknowledging the election was unfair is itself an acknowledgment that it was stolen if the party that played unfairly was given the victory on a razor-thin margin, as occurred in the 2020 presidential election. Trying to separate fairness from theft is a dangerous attempt to force Americans to accept unfair elections as legitimate elections. No election based on censorship, fake scandals propped up by corrupt government actors and the media, and hundreds of millions of dollars of private money being used to influence how we vote should be viewed as legitimate. Using the words “stolen election” under such circumstances is completely appropriate.

Mr. Rich inaccurately describes the people who believe elections are being stolen as “Trump supporters.” Multiple polls have shown that between 60 and 70 percent of Americans believe our elections are affected by widespread cheating, and not all those people are Trump supporters. In fact, it was Democrats who attempted to blow the whistle for many years on the vulnerability and hackability of the black box electronics that comprise our election system. Many of these same Democrats are strangely silent on this topic now, but that doesn’t remove the fact that those who believe there is no widespread cheating are in an ever-shrinking minority.

Mr. Rich points to an AXIOS article that predicted a “false election day Trump win” as proof that the slow chipping away of Trump’s significant election night leads over days and weeks was somehow honestly done. Is Mr. Rich forgetting that the Twitter Files and recent US House hearings proved that the mainstream media has been colluding with leftist organizations and government agencies to manipulate the beliefs of Americans about COVID, the corruption of the Biden family, and the 2020 election? People who are powerful and corrupt enough to do those things are certainly smart enough to know they needed to establish primacy in the narrative by predicting what they were going to do in the swing states to make it appear normal and expected. In fact, they brazenly admitted that they were “working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information” in a February 2021 Time Magazine article.

There are plenty of eyewitness testimonies and video, mathematical, and statistical evidence that prove that Trump’s election day win was not honestly erased as AXIOS would have us believe. I suggest starting with this website, which contains a wealth of information on the massive amount of evidence that points to widespread fraud in elections all over the country, particularly in the swing states. Anyone who is intellectually honest and wants to continue denying that the 2020 election was stolen must deal with the substance of this evidence because they can’t honestly continue to parrot that it doesn’t exist.

This statement in Mr. Rich’s article was an odd one: “Trump supporters believe there were enough close states that illegal activity associated with ballot harvesting could make a difference. However, without knowing which states will be ‘close enough,’ millions of ballots would have been created, destroyed, or changed across many states, and there is no evidence that happened.” This is a straw man. Anyone who has run for federal office is aware that tracking and predicting elections is big business. Any moderately competent campaign adviser will have reams of historical trends and current polling data to help their candidate target exactly which voters they need to contact to win the right precincts, to win the right counties, to win their election. It is known ahead of time exactly which counties any election will hinge on and by approximately how many votes.

Before 2020, most of us assumed that this campaign targeting was typically being conducted in a fair and legal way, but now we are certain it is not. The tiny margins of “victory” in the handful of swing states that swung 2020 in favor of Biden do not amount to millions of votes, as Mr. Rich stated, but rather a few thousand. Could a few thousand votes have been inserted illegally in each of these swing states, either through ballot stuffing or digital manipulation? Yes, they could have. And the evidence suggests that’s exactly what happened.

I would remind the readers that mainstream media has staunchly insisted over the last several years that conservative viewpoints were not being censored on any platform. They claimed no evidence existed to believe such a thing. They called in their experts and sponsored studies to make the people who knew their voices were being silenced look crazy. But Elon Musk’s Twitter Files and recent US House hearings have proven the media lied about censorship just like they lied about the Biden laptop and Russia collusion. It’s only a matter of time before they will be shown to be lying about widespread election fraud.

In closing, I reject the false dichotomy of an unfair versus a stolen election. Unfair is stolen. But that’s not even the fundamental issue. The fundamental issue is that the vast majority of Americans believe the current electronic election system is not trustworthy and leaves the door open to widespread fraud. This is reason enough to reform our elections in a way that restores confidence. That means voter ID and a return to paper ballots that are hand-counted with bipartisan oversight at the precinct level. It means full transparency and accountability in every step of the process and the rejection of electronic black box voting machines.

Wife, mother, engineer, and election integrity activist. You can find reports on elections in New Mexico written, in part, by Mrs. Clements here and here.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Stolen election vs. unfair election

35 Comments / Opinion / By Mick Rich

Big Gov, Big Tech & Big Media put their thumb on the scale for Big Dems

Was the 2020 Presidential election stolen from Donald Trump, or was the 2020 presidential election unfair to Donald Trump? There is a difference between the two, and that difference is essential for Americans in future elections.

Stolen Election

Donald Trump led by wide margins in multiple states on election night, only to lose by large margins the following day or days. Trump supporters believe this indicates that Joe Biden and his supporters manufactured millions of votes. However, this “false election day Trump win” was predicted in the AXIOS article, “Exclusive: Dem group warns of apparent Trump Election Day landslide.” Because the Democrats’ strategy was for Democrats to vote early or by mail which takes longer to tally, at the same time, the GOP’s strategy was to get Republicans to vote on election day, which takes substantially less time to add. These two strategies caused the lead to switch from Trump to Biden.

Joe Biden Democrats collected ballots before they reached the voters, filled in the votes, coerced voters, or destroyed Republican ballots. Trump supporters believe there were enough close states that illegal activity associated with ballot harvesting could make a difference. However, without knowing which states will be “close enough,” millions of ballots would have been created, destroyed, or changed across many states, and there is no evidence that happened.

Democrats are said to have changed votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden by hacking Dominion Software. Do Trump supporters believe that since software/websites/databases are susceptible to being hacked by evil characters of the world, why couldn’t voting tally software by Dominion be any different? Changing a few hundred votes could occur unnoticed, but not millions of votes.

Unfair Election

Big Tech Companies solely censored Trump. Media Research Center headline on October 19, 2020,” Twitter, Facebook Censored Trump, Campaign 65 Times, Leave Biden Untouched” NPR on December 8, 2020 headline, “How Private Money From Facebook’s CEO Saved the 2020 Election, their $400 million to Democratic strongholds got out the vote for Biden. Fortune headline on October 22, 2022, “The RNC is going to court to prove it.

Big Government fabricated the Russian Collusion that hamstrung the Trump presidency and hobbled the 2020 campaign. The November 5, 2021, National Review article headline, “Durham Is Steadily Exposing the Real “Russia Collusion” Scandal.” Clinton’s campaign team must have been shocked by their Trump opposition research; the FBI and NSA used the Steele Dossier to justify investigating Donald Trump and Trump Presidency.

Big Government with Big Media & Tech Companies censored negative stories about Joe Biden. In the New York Post story “Revealed: Ukrainian exec thanked Hunter Biden for “opportunity to meet’ veep dad,” the underlining premise was that Hunter and Joe Biden used the office of the VPOTUS to enrich themselves. This story had the potential to keep Trump in the White House is why Big Government, Big Media & Tech Companies squashed the story. The Associated Press, “The FBI is investigating whether emails published by the Washington Post… connected to a possible Russian influence operation…”. The Hill headline, “50 former intelligence officials warn NY Post story sounds like Russian disinformation”, Recent Insider headline, You may think Twitter was wrong to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story, but it wasn’t a violation of the First Amendment.

Moving Forward

When you are asked, “Do you believe the 2020 Election was stolen?” respond with, “Evidence shows Big Gov, Big Tech & Big Media covertly supported Democrats and silenced Republicans. As a result, those organizations made the 2020 election unfair to Donald Trump and Republicans.

You can call out the media when they propagandize and do not report the news. An example is the Albuquerque Journal’s article by Elise Kaplan, “Trump lawyer’s ties to NM run deep,” in which the reporter used others to slander John Eastman. Kaplan quoted individuals who described Eastman as “a prick,” “He was a jerk, he was arrogant,” Mr. Traitor.” “This is not reporting; this is propagandizing. You can email the Albuquerque Journal’s managing editor at kmoses@abqjournal.com AND demand that they correct the story.

You can file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission that Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Pricilla Chan, should be prosecuted for manipulating federal elections. Click on the link to learn How to file a complaint with the FEC. You can also file a complaint when Federal Government employees abuse their office to favor one party or candidate at Where to Report Fraud, Waste, Abuse, or Retaliation.”

Your Independent media are working to report the real news. That is what Mick Rich 2 the Point is about. As well as… Harvey Yates with the Artesia and Espanola newspapers, Mary Alice Murphy with the Grant County Beat, John Block with the Piñon Post, Dinah Vargas with ABQ Off the Cuff, Carla Sontag with New Mexico Sun. Support these independent voices.

Being a Republican in New Mexico is difficult, especially on voting day. To stop voter intimidation of vulnerable Republicans, the NMGOP should assist those Republicans to vote by mail and help them mail their ballots. For the remaining Republicans, encourage Republicans to vote early or by mail to foil the Democrat’s strategy of hindering Republican voters.

In 2020 I stood before five hundred people and announced my four goals, one of which was to bring conservatives together under the broad tent of the Republican Party. The first step of uniting Conservatives was our event in January. Next week I will report my progress in uniting conservatives and the challenges ahead.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Climate activists waging war against Americans

3 Comments / Opinion / By Mick Rich

Climate activists follow Mao’s Great Leap Forward

Climate activists and their Democrat politicians are waging a clandestine war against the American people. This war is being waged from the Nation’s Capital to every home without identifying the verifiable factors that prove the “Climate Will No Longer Change.” Nor the cost of the American people’s Blood and Treasure in achieving their dream.

While Joe Biden says he supports oil production, his administration has done the opposite by limiting the number of Federal acres leased for oil and gas production. In addition, Biden abandoned a significant oil and gas drilling project in Alaska started under President Trump.

While climate activists and their Democrat politicians say they support clean air, their clean air legislation is targeted to shut down industries they don’t like, not improving the air we breathe. As an example, Earth Justice’s (motto “Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer”) states, “Exposed communities need solidarity and support from people around the U.S. to ensure EPA adopts the most robust and protective limits on toxic air.” “In 1977, 0.2 million barrels of refinery capacity was added (the last refinery constructed), and in 2019, 1.5 million barrels of refinery capacity were eliminated. From 1977 to 2022, the American population increased by almost fifty percent, and oil refinery capacity decreased by nearly 5%. No wonder diesel stockpiles are at record lows.

Before 2016, Climate activists and Democrat politicians told us the goal was to clean up coal-fired power plants’ exhaust gases. However, by 2016 Hillary Clinton clearly stated her and the climate activist’s dream, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and companies out of business.” Since then, coal mines and coal-fired electric power plants have been under siege. From 2016 through 2022, coal-fired electrical generation has decreased from 1,250 to 800 billion kilo-watthours. It is projected that another 200 billion will be removed by 2029. So much for the billions wasted cleaning up the exhaust stack gases when the actual goal was to shut them down.

Climate activists and their Democrat politicians say their energy policy will save us money, but it does the exact opposite. A Washington Post article,” Fuel to power your car, heat your home or cook your food is all more expensive and driving inflation,” states that natural gas, coal, or petroleum is the primary driver of inflation. In addition, the US Congress Joint Economic Committee reported on June 10, 2022, “For the average American household, inflation will cost an extra $7,620 in the coming year. For the climate activist, no cost is too high for the American people to pay.

European politicians have realized the climate activists’ promises of cheap, plentiful renewable energy are empty promises. In 2021 the United Kingdom restarted an old coal power plant to meet its electrical demand. In 2022 Germany, France, Austria, and the Netherlands resumed the operation of coal-fired power plants to address their electrical power needs.

Chart, line chart Description automatically generated

Climate Activist: Replace Natural Gas & Coal with Wind & Solar

American climate activists noticed Europe’s backsliding and are following the strategy outlined in “The Art of War” “When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home.” Climate activists and Democrat politicians are working: To eliminate new oil and gas leases, especially in Alaska, where “By law, Alaska is required to remove all traces of the pipeline after oil extraction is complete.” For the destruction of oil refineries resulting in the permanent reduction of diesel and gasoline supplies. For the destruction of closed coal-fired power plants despite delays in building a solar plant to replace the coal-fired plant (Power Company of New Mexico, San Juan Generating Plant).

Climate activists are forcing a renewable energy-based economy upon the American people just as Mau Zedong forced the industrial-based economy (the Great Leap Forward) upon the Chinese people. Forty-five million Chinese died during Mao’s Great Leap Forward. In 2021, 200-800 Texans died from exposure to cold when the electrical generation (#1 natural gas, #2 wind, #3 coal) couldn’t keep up with the demand during a winter storm. Climate activists are committed to their “Great Leap Forward” regardless of the lives lost.

Write your Members of Congress and state legislators to demand they provide verifiable evidence that the climate activist policies they are enacting will stop the extensional threat of climate change at what cost? Otherwise, they are risking the lives and livelihood of the American people.

Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.

Elon vs. Big Tech, NM’s indies vs. NM media

5 Comments / Opinion / By Mick Rich

In 2016 Donald Trump was the most popular candidate in the Republican Primary while spending nearly the least amount of any candidate. At the same time, Jeb Bush was spending the most of any candidate and was among the least popular candidates. News pundits explained the disparity between Trump’s brash behavior and celebrity status. I believed there was more to the story and why it is important today.

Donald Trump was a celebrity and understood how to get earned media (news coverage vs. paid advertising). As a casino owner, he understood the importance of data mining, obtaining as much information on individuals as possible and tailoring a message to them. The message can be delivered by direct marketing (letters and postcards), and casino upgrades, but the most important is social media outreach.

Bloomberg Article 12.06.2016 Tracking the 2016 Presidential Money Race

According to Politico, Hillary Clinton and her allies raised $1.2 Billion verse Donald Trump and his allies raised $600 million. Clinton outspent Trump in every category except digital and online advertising. In that one category, Trump outspent Clinton by almost five to one. Add earned Big Media to the mix, and Trump won the election.

Imagine the dismay of Big Tech and Big Media in the days after the 2016 election when they realized their industry inadvertently assisted in the election of Donald Trump. Donald Trump made a fool of the lot. They would not be played the fool the second time, and they weren’t.

We have read many of the same national headlines for the past year regarding High-Tech supporting democrats and liberals. They are… “Google Pushes Conservative News Sites Far Down Search List”, The multiple ways Twitter censored conservatives, Here’s Your Proof That Facebook Discriminates Against Conservatives.

High-Tech is not alone in the treatment of conservatives; the National Media ignored Biden’s failings while embellishing Trump’s. Insisting that the Hunter Biden Laptop is fake is a trap. So is insisting that it is real, Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say, Study shows media reported 150 times more negative news about Trump over Biden

Despite New Mexico’s media declaring themselves independent and moderate (The Albuquerque Journal editor stated, “as a moderate,” it is hard to choose between Vasquez and Herrell), they are anything but moderate. The reporting or lack of reporting of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and the blackmailing of powerful people is an example of New Mexico’s newspapers protecting Powerful Santa Fe Democrats.

New York media conducted in-depth investigations of Jeffrey Epstein (he had a residence in New York). One NY Times Headline read, The Day Jeffrey Epstein Told Me He Had Dirt on Powerful People. While New Mexico’s newspapers are silent (Epstein had a residence in New Mexico similar to Pedifile Island in the Caribbean) despite NM Governor Richardson being named in court proceedings in New York. Albuquerque Journal did not even report that a Jeffrey Epstein “statue” was installed in front of Albuquerque’s City Hall in the middle of the night. Santa Fe Democrats in high office with New Mexico’s newspapers kept Jeffry Epstein’s sexual abuse of young New Mexican women and the blackmail of his “Powerful People” hidden from the people of New Mexico.

Elon Musk has uncovered the censorship of conservatives and the government’s manipulation to silence opposing viewpoints on Twitter. New Mexico’s Independent voices are covering the news that is not reported here in New Mexico. Whether it is Dinah Vargas of Off the Cuff, John Block of the Piñon Post, and D. Dowd Muska with No Dowd About It. Mary Alice Murphy was one of the first in New Mexico to publish an online newspaper. Her Grant County Beat publication now rivals the printed newspaper in Southwest New Mexico.

Being an Independent Voice in New Mexico, where the Santa Fe Democrats have the power to punish dissenting views, is risky. Each of them, including myself, can share stories where the Santa Fe Democrats have taken or attempted to take a pound of flesh for an unfavorable news story. Support these Independent Voices with a donation, a subscription, or becoming an advertiser. We need more New Mexicans to hear the truth.

Beautiful to watch individuals work as a team

Leave a Comment / Opinion / By Mick Rich

Miserable to watch a team struggle as a group of individuals

I completed every project stringing together a thousand projects in my career. Not one construction defect claim (we did have warranty callbacks) nor any severe injuries (we did have a few cuts, abrasions, and broken bones) in those forty years. A few of those projects were internationally recognized. Before we turned a shovel of dirt, we built our professional construction team. Otherwise, my record would have been that I started one construction project in my career.

The early lessons in my career

I moved a couple of hundred miles from home to work on a construction project at eighteen. I was amazed that men on the project could have more than heated arguments during the day and drink and gamble at the casinos at night. There was animosity between the men, but it never got in the way of getting the project built and having a good time.

I was a Resident Assistant at Hawley Hall during my last year at Oregon State University. RA’s had little authority and plenty of responsibility; there were fifty young men on my floor. I kept the peace and everyone safe while they focused on graduating and growing up. I learned how to encourage behavior rather than punishing rule breakers. It was a successful year, with no injuries, suspensions, or probations. I remember when the fifty young men began referring to me as “my RA.” Not the fourth-floor RA.

At twenty-three, I was assigned to oversee Ronny Farmer and his crew of ironworkers on the company’s 35-million-dollar project. I ensured they had what they needed (material, equipment, and information) to accomplish their job, and they put up with me being a recent college graduate. It was not until they heard that Billy T, the carpenter general foreman, told me, “You know the best crew on the project are the carpenters.” I responded with, “no, there is no better crew than Ronny’s,” that I earned the respect of the Ironworkers.

A year later, the project manager promoted me to general superintendent. The project had a year to finish, fifty men on the payroll, and I was stuck with Billy. Billy wanted my job and undermined my efforts to complete the project. He got my job and later complained about the responsibility of the position. Billy taught me a valuable lesson; there are worse things than being down a critical team member.

We started Britton & Rich Construction when I was twenty-eight, with two pickup trucks and a few tools. We looked at every competitor as a threat and an enemy. Five years later, we split up, and I was on my own. By then, I understood I had competitors, not enemies. I joined Associated Builders and Contractor, and my fellow members and I worked together to improve the construction industry with apprenticeship programs and safety courses. My competitors made me a better contractor.

A team of construction professionals versus a bunch of construction workers

As a young project engineer, I watched our 70-ton truck crane operator and three laborers place concrete. The crane operator stopped the hook over the full 1.5 cyd concrete bucket at the back end of the concrete truck; the laborer hooked the bucket, and the operator began lifting and swinging the bucket seventy feet and down twenty feet to the water tank foundation. As the bucket reached the vertex of swinging, the laborer pulled the line releasing the concrete. The bucket continued the swing back to the concrete truck. Meanwhile, the empty concrete bucket was now full. The empty bucket sat down at the concrete truck and was un-hooked; the full bucket was then hooked. This happened every minute for several hours. It was as graceful as Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire dancing. Allen Bradford’s company operated that way, from the operator and laborers to the C Suite. Allen’s company in the 1970s set the standard for Heavy / Industrial Construction on the West Coast. We were second to none, including Kaiser, Bechtel, Jacobs, and Guy F Atkinson, to name a few.

I left Allen’s company and moved to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to Marion. I hired on with an old-time construction company owned by two brothers. It did not take long to understand that this company was in trouble. During my first week, there were hushed discussions that a worker holding a tagline had been killed when the crane boomed into a high-voltage power line. Ralph, and Henry, blamed each other for any mistakes, and that behavior continued to the laborer in the field. The company culture: keep your head down, do what you were told, and don’t make waves. Despite the culture, I spoke up when I had concerns when a subcontractor or client was taking advantage of them. My concerns were dismissed, and Ralph, Henry, and I parted company. I heard later that the subcontractor cost them tens of thousands of dollars, and the client cost them their company.

Whether in sports, business, or politics, you build your team first. Together you establish the goal and develop the plan. You execute the program and make the necessary adjustments to achieve the goal. Allen did and shared the successes. Ralph and Henry did not; they lost their company, and everyone lost their jobs.

Without the lessons I learned as a young man, I would never have had the success I did in construction or politics. I look forward to seeing how our team does this January 2023.

Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

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