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Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

Gov. Bill Richardson’s current troubles have me thinking back on past allegations that he was playing loose with the rules and bullying people. And that inevitably brings me back to my first real experience with the governor, during which I once compared him in a column to “Dictator Bush.” Richardson’s egregious actions actually inspired me to, for the first time, take advantage of my constitutional right to petition my government. [more]

Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

When Barack Obama announced his nomination of Bill Richardson to be commerce secretary in early December, my initial thought was something along the lines of, “That must mean the federal investigation of the governor’s administration has ended.” How wrong I was. [more]

Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

Since October 2007, New Mexico politics have been in a state of flux as the transition to the post-Pete Domenici era unfolded at the same time that the progressive takeover of American politics shifted the makeup of the state’s congressional delegation and Legislature.

We thought the dust was about to settle. Domenici was out. So were Wilson and Pearce. And Bill Richardson -- well, we all knew he came back to New Mexico to run for governor primarily so he could get another job in Washington, and we started 2009 thinking he was leaving to become commerce secretary.

Which would mean Diane Denish would become, in the coming weeks, the first woman to be governor of New Mexico.

But Richardson dropped another bomb on New Mexico politics on Sunday when he withdrew his nomination to be commerce secretary. [more]

Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

It began with U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s retirement, and it ended with President-elect Barack Obama nominating Gov. Bill Richardson to be commerce secretary. In all, 2008 led to turnover in New Mexico politics on an almost unfathomable level.

As a result, New Mexico is greener, both in the political and experience senses of the word. It was a year of great opportunity for politicos who wanted to rise in the ranks, and many did. Of course, in this left-leaning year, most of the newbies are Democrats. [more]

Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

For many boys of my generation, dinosaurs, G.I. Joe, baseball or the first Nintendo game system was the big thing.

Not me. I was interested in some of those things, but my real passion was anything to do with outer space. I watched the stars. I read about the solar system. I watched Star Wars, and played with space-related LEGOs. I read the Martian Chronicles and other science fiction. I waited for cold, clear nights to take my telescope outside and hunt for some far-off object.

So, I have to admit, I’m a little giddy about the fact that New Mexico is about to begin construction on the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world only 40 miles from my house. [more]

Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

The news from the newspaper industry in the last week has been disturbing. The New York Times is borrowing some $225 million against its headquarters building to free up cash. Tribune Co., which publishes the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Miami Herald, and the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, have joined the list of newspapers that are for sale.

When I was studying journalism in college 10 years ago, professors predicted that the shift to the Internet was 50 years away. But the ease of accessing information on the Internet and advances in technology, coupled with the failure of newspapers to adapt and the current economic woes, means the climax of that shift is upon us.
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Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

New Mexico really is in a dire financial situation, and solving it is going to be painful, not just for government bureaucracies but also for average New Mexicans.

The bottom line is this: The sharp drops in oil and gas prices mean the state has a current fiscal-year budget shortfall of about $500 million -- in a budget of about $6 billion. But that’s not the extent of the problem. Forecasters predict that in the next fiscal year, the shortfall will be at least another $200 million. [more]

Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

One common argument many New Mexico lawmakers have made against ethics reform is that the Legislature doesn't have ethical issues and its members don't need additional checks on their power. When Manny Aragon admitted several weeks ago to abusing his position in the state Senate to steal millions of taxpayer dollars, he blew that argument out of the water.

So, of course, some lawmakers have come up with bogus arguments against ethics reform. [more]

Diary Of A Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

We've known since the first rebuking of the GOP in the 2006 election that 2008 was going to be a Democratic year. We all knew the party of the right would lose some additional ground in the U.S. House and Senate. But, as the dust settles in New Mexico, it's becoming clear that this was a complete slaughter.

Barack Obama won nearly 57 percent of the vote in a state that went to George Bush in 2004. Democrat Tom Udall took the retiring Republican Pete Domenici's U.S. Senate seat with 61 percent of the vote. Democrats easily won all three U.S. House seats, picking up two that have been in GOP hands for decades. [more]

Diary Of A Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen

In the face of the myriad of crises that threaten the stability and security of our nation and world, there's one big reason to be hopeful as Election Day approaches.

Change is coming.

I'm not talking about the trite slogans of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. I'm talking about the grassroots uprising of America's citizens. The number of registered voters is at an all-time high. Political activism is at levels previously unheard of. Early voting in this election is already at record levels. [more]

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