Politics

NM taxpayers forked over staggering amount for abortions in 2020-2021

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to New Mexico Department of Health documents obtained by the pro-life group Abortion Free New Mexico, a shocking number of taxpayer-funded abortions happened right here in New Mexico through Medicaid.

The records obtained by the group indicate, “In 2020, New Mexico Medicaid funded 3,372 abortion procedures that resulted in expenditures to abortion providers totaling $386,096.06.”

“In 2021, the numbers rose as New Mexico Medicaid funded 3,955 abortion procedures that resulted in expenditures to abortion providers totaling $421,026.90.”

The group wrote in the press release that New Mexico’s Medicaid system expended “almost $1 million tax dollars funding 7,327 abortions over the course of two years alone.”

The news comes after Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pledged to spend $10 million in 2023 on a new abortion mill in Las Cruces to service Texas women if she wins re-election. 

Tara Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico wrote, “Nearly $1,000,000 of our tax dollars that are already being paid out by New Mexico Medicaid over the past two years alone for 7,327 abortions should alarm us all and motivate us to act!”

“While we can’t stop New Mexico Medicaid from funding abortions, we can work to prevent Michelle Lujan Grisham’s latest attempt to force us as New Mexican citizens to pay for an abortion center that will cater to out of state women seeking to kill their children by voting pro-life. It is vital that each New Mexican of conscience is mobilized to help get pro-life candidates elected in November. Early voting is right around the corner so time is of the essence to volunteer your time, talents and treasure to the candidate of your choice who will stand for life and make sure that Lujan Grisham’s nefarious plans don’t come to fruition.”

Lujan Grisham faces tough competition from GOP nominee Mark Ronchetti, who is polling within single digits of the embattled abortion up-to-birth governor who previously signed a bill in 2021 to legalize abortion up-to-birth in the state of New Mexico by stripping away all protections for mothers, babies, and doctors.

MLG claimed to be ‘product’ of NM ‘public schools system’ despite going to private school

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, far-left Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was called out on Twitter by school choice advocates for claiming to be “A product of New Mexico’s public schools system” [sic] despite graduating from a private school.

The Democrat’s education platform reads, “A product of New Mexico’s public schools system, Michelle is dedicated to uplifting every student, parent, educator, and school in New Mexico.”

However, Lujan Grisham graduated from St. Michael’s High School, a private Catholic school in Santa Fe, as she also notes on her official government website, “Lujan Grisham was born in Los Alamos and graduated from St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe.” 

Corey A. DeAngelis of School Choice Now wrote on Twitter, “New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign website says she’s ‘a product of New Mexico’s public schools system.’ She graduated from a private school.” 

The Rio Grande Foundation’s Paul Gessing chimed in also:

She also did the very opposite of “uplift” every “ student, parent, educator, and school in New Mexico” due to her pandemic lockdowns which punished teachers who would not get the jab, ramming down the far-left Critical Race Theory curriculum through her Public Education Department, and even going as so far as to remove duly elected school board members who she disagreed with — the antithesis of her promise.

New Mexico’s education marks show 30-year lows in testing, with the deprivation of education for months and years to some children resulting in a barely literate publicly educated student population.

The proficiency tests released by PED show that third-graders had 23% proficiency in language arts, while those figures ebbed and flowed for other grades: fourth-graders (35%), fifth-graders (36%), sixth-graders (33%), seventh-graders (35%), and eighth-graders (33%). 

The state’s schools remain dead last on multiple rankings that show New Mexico has the worst public education system in the nation. Lujan Grisham is endorsed by the leftist teacher’s unions, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association, both of which advocated for lockdowns, forced masking, jabs, and Critical Race Theory. 

Judge removes Couy Griffin from office, citing Civil War

26 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, it was announced that state District Court Judge Francis Mathew had made a ruling barring Otero County District Two Commissioner Couy Griffin from holding public office.

Mathews wrote in his ruling that Griffin “became constitutionally disqualified from federal and state positions specified (under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, Section 3) and forfeited his current office as Otero County Commissioner effective Jan. 6, 2021,” adding, “Griffin shall be removed from his position as an Otero County Commissioner effective immediately.”

The judge made many anti-Trump sentiments in the ruling, claiming President Trump on January 6th made “false claims that the election was ‘rigged’ and ‘stolen,’” while claiming that the incursion into the U.S. Capitol constituted an “insurrection” despite not a single person involved being convicted of “insurrection.”

Regardless, Mathews concludes, “The Court concludes that the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol and the surrounding planning, mobilization, and incitement constituted an ‘insurrection’ within the meaning of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

He then compared the January 6th protesters to the Confederates, who lost the Civil War, writing, “The mob ultimately achieved what even the Confederates never did during the Civil War: they breached the Capitol building and seized the Capitol grounds, forcing the Vice President and Congress to halt their constitutional duties and flee to more secure locations.”

“The case law holds that a person ‘engage[s]’ in an insurrection within the meaning of Section Three by ‘[v]oluntarily aiding the [insurrection], by personal service, or by contributions, other than charitable, of anything that [is] useful or necessary’ to the insurrectionists’ cause. Worthy, 63 N.C. at 203; see also Powell, 27 F. Cas. at 607 (defining ‘engage’ as ‘a voluntary effort to assist the Insurrection … and to bring it to a successful termination’ from the insurrectionists’ perspective).” 

“One need not personally commit acts of violence to ‘engag[e] in’ insurrection,” said Mathews.

According to the New York Times, Griffin’s removal is “the first official in more than 100 years to be removed under the Constitution’s bar on insurrectionists holding office.”

Griffin represented himself in the trial, and he does have the opportunity for an appeal.

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will likely have the opportunity to appoint Griffin’s replacement, which will go against the citizens of the District who elected Griffin — a conservative — to represent them as commissioner.

The lawsuit was filed by residents of Santa Fe and Los Alamos Counties, while none are from Otero County.

Leftists have fit over Santa Rosa hanging image of city’s namesake

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Despite the city of Santa Rosa in Guadalupe County having heavy Catholic influence in its founding, including that of Saint Rose of Lima, some who have been attacking Ten Commandments statues across the country are coming for images of Santa Rosa and Our Lady of Guadalupe in the small city of around 3,000 next.

A local resident, Herman Baca, reportedly “donated the painting [of Santa Rosa], by a Peruvian artist, to City Hall — where it hung for about 24 hours in the spring before calls to take it down prompted its removal.” 

Baca also donated a monument of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the city, which was planned to be placed on a city-owned lawn a block from City Hall. 

Santa Rosa de Lima is the patron saint of embroidery, gardening, and the cultivation of blooming flowers. She is also the first saint born in the Americas to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Mayor Nelson Kotiar placed the image of Santa Rosa in City Hall, but after an outcry from some residents, it was removed. 

The Santa Fe New Mexican writes, “[Kotiar] noted a painting of Santa Rosa hangs in the county courthouse, and no one raises a fuss about it. Nor has anyone complained about a small bust of St. Joseph he displays in his office, he said.”

Attorney Andy Schultz, who helped rip down a Ten Commandments monument in Bloomfield, told the New Mexican, “The current status of the Establishment Clause jurisprudence is a mess,” while claiming conflicting case law makes the Catholic icons’ presence in Santa Rosa’s City Hall difficult.

“I am a devout Catholic and pray to Mary every single day, but that’s not where the painting belongs,” claimed gift shop owner Luisa Chappell.

“It’s an interesting question, right?” said State Historian Rob Martinez  “We have so many Spanish and Mexican names [of towns and counties] that are shod through Roman Catholicism.” While some people may protest placing religious icons on public property, he said, “Locals say, ‘What’s the big deal? We’ve been doing Catholic imagery for centuries.’ ” 

Many others see the monument of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the image of Santa Rosa as a big boost to the city’s identity and attractiveness to tourism, as well as paying homage to the historical events that led to the city of Santa Rosa’s creation.

Like clockwork, Dems make Labor Day about socialism

12 Comments / Editorial, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Monday signifies the federal Labor Day holiday, celebrating working people and the fight at the turn of the last century for humane, fair working conditions. This seemingly non-political holiday to celebrate the working man and woman, of course, had to be seized by left-wing radicals to promote socialism via modern unions and initiatives that work hard to put as much government into private industry as possible.

Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who previously failed to run for the U.S. Senate in 2020, claims Labor Day is meant to “celebrate our unions who ensure that every worker – regardless of what you make, what you look like, how you pray, who you love, or how you identify – has the rights, benefits, standards, and opportunity we deserve.”

She then continued to tout socialist policies, such as a guaranteed living wage, universal health care, and other government-funded programs, while erroneously claiming there is an attack on the right to vote. 

“Every one of us deserves a living wage, access to healthcare, good benefits, adequate working conditions, and easy access to the ballot box,” she wrote. 

Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico’s Third Congressional District took time on Monday to tout extremist labor leader Dolores Huerta, who said that babies in the womb do not have souls. 

Huerta previously said in 2021 to promote abortions, “I know that the child has no soul until they are born. Right?” 

Leger Fernandez wrote on Labor Day, “Today, we honor working Americans — and the unions and labor movement that gave us the five day work week and moved our nation forward over the decades. As one of my personal heroes, Dolores Huerta, once said: ‘Honor the hands that harvest your crops.’” 

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham shared a video on Labor Day with clips of her posing alongside Huerta while touting organized labor. She did not mention, however, that she has killed over 40% of small businesses in the state due to her brutal pandemic lockdown. 

She wrote to tout unions, “When unions exist, everything gets better. Thank you, New Mexico Labor.”

In a subsequent tweet, she promoted socialist policies, writing, “Without your organizing, we would never have achieved paid sick leave, accessible child care, a higher minimum wage, or many other policies that protect working people’s interests.”  

Other far-left politicians, such as Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-CD-01), Democrat Second Congressional District candidate Gabe Vasquez, and others, wrote similar sentiments online, trying to tie Labor Day with socialist policies.

Leftist NM columnist launches venomous attacks against Herschel Walker

9 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

In a column published on Thursday, far-left Santa Fe New Mexican columnist Milan Simonich launched attacks against Republicans, including Trump-endorsed Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker, among others.

Although softly bashing all of them, Simonich launched particularly nasty comments against Walker, who just so happens to be Black.

Simonich wrote in his poisonous opinion piece, “Palin seems like a Jeopardy! champion compared to Walker.”

But Simonich’s venom against Walker was not just in his latest column. He’s been railing against the football star for weeks — in an apparent vendetta of rage for some strange reason.

In another August 23, 2022, column, Simonich launched another racially tinged attack targeting Walker, claiming GOP New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti, who is White, is “is several cuts above Walker, which isn’t hard.”

He added, “A Republican, bumbling Walker is Trump’s handpicked choice in a state the former president lost in 2020,” dubbing him “The worst candidate this year.”

“Lujan Grisham can’t afford to underestimate Ronchetti. For all his generalities, he’s no Herschel Walker,” Simonich concluded.

Why all the low blows against the Republican, who just so happens to be Black? We will let you make your own conclusions on that.

MLG’s lockdown resulted in 30-year education proficiency lows: PED report

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s brutal pandemic lockdown that left countless New Mexico children without education for years did exactly as expected: plunged students’ proficiency levels down the toilet in a state where education already ranks 50th out of all other states.

Test results released by Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Public Education Department give horribly low marks for New Mexico’s students.

“In the 2021-2022 school year, PED deployed the first assessments of New Mexico’s Balanced Assessment System, which includes both within-year state assessments (e.g., dyslexia screening for all first graders, K-2 monthly progress monitoring for early literacy and math skills, interim mathematics and language arts assessments) and federally required end-of-year summative assessments. These end-of-year assessments measure proficiency in content standards of English/language arts and mathematics in grades three through eight and science in grades five, eight and high school,” wrote PED in a news release.

It noted that “34% of students assessed are proficient in language arts,” “33% of students assessed are proficient in science,” and “25% of students assessed are proficient in mathematics.”

The Albuquerque Journal reports, “About 31% of kindergarten through second-graders were proficient in early literacy, and 33% of fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders were proficient in science.”

In subgroups of the data, children remained at record lows. The Journal added, “24% of third-graders eligible for free and reduced lunch were proficient in language arts, and about 16% were proficient in math. By the fifth grade, proficiency numbers rose to 28% and 23%, respectively.

State Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences), who sits on the House Education Committee, wrote, “The facts are finally here. MLG’s prolonged shut down of our schools has resulted in the lowest student reading and math proficiency scores in thirty years. In. Thirty. Years. The mental, social and emotional impact remains unmeasured. Low income and majority children have been most harmed.” 

“During COVID the republicans introduced bill after bill to limit MLGs runaway power over parents and their children. The majority party would not even give our bills a hearing. Below are a few of the bills I introduced during COVID to help parents get educational help for their children. None of these bills even received a hearing. With New Mexico scoring worst in the nation, all options and solutions to address this massive learning loss must be available.” 

The proficiency tests released by PED show that third-graders had 23% proficiency in language arts, while those figures ebbed and flowed for other grades: fourth-graders (35%), fifth-graders (36%), sixth-graders (33%), seventh-graders (35%), and eighth-graders (33%). 

Early literacy scores also were horrible, with 31% of kindergarten through second-grade children proficient in reading.

In math, 23% of third-graders were proficient, while those figures continued to ebb and flow for other grades: fourth-graders (24%), fifth-graders (31%), sixth-graders (32%), seventh-graders (25%), and eighth-graders (20%). 

Pro-aborts issue ‘Orwellian’ abortion press kit demanding reporters deny facts, science

15 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, following Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s announcement of an executive order pledging to use $10 million taxpayer dollars to erect a new abortion facility in Las Cruces, pro-abortion groups issued what is being called an “Orwellian” press kit denying basic facts and promoting abortion misinformation.

In the kit shared by the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Daniel Chacón, the groups list what they brand as “political terms” versus “accurate terms,” claiming terms have become “stigmatized” to oppose abortion.

The guide claims “abortion clinic” must now be called “health center,” pro-lifers be branded “anti-abortion individuals,” pro-abortion supporters be branded “pro-abortion rights” and “pro-reproductive health care,” abortionists be deemed “health care providers,” “women” now be called “patients,” “individuals,” and “people,” and “late-term abortion” now be branded “abortion later in pregnancy.”

The pro-abortion press kit says regarding nixing the word “woman,” “Women are not the only people who become pregnant and/or seek abortion care. People of all genders, including non-binary individuals also seek abortion care.” Science does not back this up. Only women can become pregnant and have children.

The abortion kit also defended full-term abortion, claiming that the terms “abortion up until birth” and “infanticide are terms pushed by anti-abortion organizations in order to scare people and stigmatize reproductive health care. ‘Abortion up until birth’ simply does not occur.”

This is easily fact-checkable as blatantly false. A U.S. Congressional report found in 2016 that babies in New Mexico were, indeed, aborted up until birth and even killed after birth, making “infanticide” an absolutely appropriate term.

The Republican Party of New Mexico responded to the new press kit, writing, “Look at this: This Orwellian ‘newspeak’ guide was given to media reporters in NM to make sure they use words that sway the narrative. Women are replaced by ‘people,’ late-term abortion is now ‘abortion later in pregnancy,’ and pro-life is replaced with ‘anti-abortion.’”

Will Reinert of the Republican Governors Association noted that Lujan Grisham “now dictates how reporters write about her taxpayer funded abortion clinic to make it more politically palatable.” 

[READ NEXT: Democrat gov. denies press credentials to two conservative news outlets]

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article reported based on other reports that the press guide came from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. It actually came from MLG’s pro-abortion allies.

Pro-lifers react to MLG’s plan to spend $10M tax dollars on Cruces abortion mill

6 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) announced during a press conference that she will be signing an executive order pledging $10 million to build a state-funded abortion mill in Doña Ana County. This would come from 2023 capital outlay funds if she gets re-elected in November.

“This is a state that will stand against any attempts to remove or eviscerate women’s constitutional rights,” claimed Lujan Grisham, despite the U.S. Supreme Court affirming that there is no constitutional right to kill a child in the womb.

Pro-lifers quickly responded to Lujan Grisham’s extreme use of taxpayer funds on a live stream held by Southwest Coalition for Life.

Attorney Mike Seibel of Abortion on Trial said, “This is a complete diversion to provide New Mexico as the back-alley abortion clinic for Texas.”

Southwest Coalition for Life wrote in a press release, “New Mexico women have one of the lowest rates of abortion, and according to statistics from the New Mexico Department of Health, 80% of abortions in New Mexico happen in Albuquerque, meaning less than 500 women from Doña Ana County are seeking abortions each year.”

“Considering the influx of private abortion business already flocking to Las Cruces, there is no other reason for the governor to spend $10 million on what will now be a fifth abortion center in Doña Ana County unless she is specifically targeting Texas women in the county that borders El Paso, Texas.”

State Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice) said during the live stream, “This will be done in Senate Finance and House appropriations. What we need to start doing is contacting our state legislators and letting them know that this is unacceptable. We need to put a stop to this.” He added, “If she wants to put something somewhere and say she cares, then why not put this towards the pregnancy centers and maternity homes?”

Seibel encouraged pro-lifers to take action by contacting their local 40 Days for Life group while pointing out, “Just this year, the abortionist Franz Theard in Santa Teresa is up from 140 abortions a month to 260 a month. We’re seeing a doubling of Texas women coming from out of state.”

In July, hundreds of pro-lifers rallied outside an abortion mill soon to open in Las Cruces, where national pro-life leaders joined in standing up for the right to life. These massive numbers of pro-lifers are expected only to multiply as Lujan Grisham continues to assault the right to life in New Mexico.

According to a recent Albuquerque Journal poll, 59 percent of New Mexico voters polled support limits on abortion, putting abortion up-to-birth supporters in the extreme minority with just 35 percent support. 

In November, the Governor faces Republican nominee Mark Ronchetti, who has pledged to work across the aisle, if elected, to enact limits on abortions, affirming what the 59 percent of voters agree: Unlimited abortions in New Mexico are out-of-step with the populous.

WATCH:

[READ NEXT: Democrat gov. denies press credentials to two conservative news outlets]

Poll proves most NM voters are pro-life, abortion up-to-birth Dems in extreme minority

Poll proves most NM voters are pro-life, abortion up-to-birth Dems in extreme minority

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A new poll commissioned by the Albuquerque Journal proved once again that most New Mexicans are pro-life and support restrictions on the life-ending abortion procedure.

The poll conducted by Research & Pollinc Inc. between August 19 and August 25 with a sample size of 518 voters found that 35 percent of New Mexicans support abortion up-to-birth, meaning no restrictions whatsoever.

Twenty-two percent supported some legal limits on abortion, while 25 percent say abortion should be legal only in cases of rape or incest, while 12 percent say abortion should always be illegal. 

Therefore, adding up those who back bans on all abortions with minor exceptions and those who think it should always be illegal adds up to 37 percent — more than the abortion up-to-birth supporters. If adding those who believe in some limitations on abortion to those who believe in minor or total abortion bans, the extreme majority of the state (59 percent) backs abortion limits. 

24 percent of Republicans, five percent of Democrats, and eight percent of declined to state and Libertarians say abortion should always be illegal. 41 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of Democrats, and 28 percent of other voters say abortion should be legal with minor exceptions. Among those who support some limitations on abortion, 28 percent of minor party and independent voters agree, along with 24 percent of Democrats, and 18 percent of Republicans.

Among those who believe abortion should always be legal, Democrats lead with 55 percent in that category, eight percent of Republicans, and 35 percent of other voters.

The poll also reveals how out-of-touch politicians such as Michelle Lujan Grisham and other Democrats are on the issue of abortion, with only a minor 35 percent of the state agreeing abortion should be legal in any case without exceptions.

We previously reported regarding a CNN interview Lujan Grisham had with the network’s Jake Tapper: 

She then went on to tout her signing of the anti-life law, telling Tapper, “We eliminated an antiquated New Mexico unconstitutional ban on abortion that criminalized providers. And while it was never utilized, providers were, in fact, nervous about it. Could see sort of the tipping point at the U.S. Supreme Court and were very clear that that needed to be removed from our statutory framework, which we did about a year ago.”

The bill flatly stripped all protections for babies in the womb, mothers, and medical professionals, creating an unsafe, unregulated abortion free-for-all in the state of New Mexico.

Then Tapper told Lujan Grisham that most Americans support some restrictions on abortion, telling the Governor, “The polls also indicate the American people, as a whole, do support some restrictions on abortion. What is the law in New Mexico? Are there any restrictions?”

Lujan Grisham responded, “There are no restrictions. given that we interpret and I agree that, again, per this new Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, is this is a privacy right and a personal decision between a woman and her doctor. and to interfere in any of these medical decisions creates, and it has, unknown, untold reductions in civil liberties for any number of individuals.”

She piled on, “Here, we would love to do as much as we can to focus on maternal health and prenatal health, to make sure that we have fewer and fewer and fewer and eliminate all unwanted pregnancies. however, in these late-term abortion issues, these are women who have picked a name, have enrolled in child care, who have a nursery. The kind of medical issues and deeply private, personal traumas that are occurring in those aspects, I don’t believe government has any right to interfere and judge those decisions when two medical providers are providing that information directly to their patient.”

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