Category: Commentaries

Walt Rubel Commentary: An important first step for police reform

3/23/2022

Las Cruces residents joined with Americans throughout the nation during the summer of 2020 in protests demanding police reform.

While protests in other cities turned violent and destructive, ours were peaceful and respectful. Which isn’t surprising, given the generally positive relationship between police and our community. But that respect should not be confused for a lack of purpose or determination for real reform.

Walt Rubel Commentary: No solutions this week, only questions

3/16/2022

Can the United States avoid war with Russia?

Should we avoid war with Russia? Does a nation that spends so much on weaponry that it has built the strongest military force in the history of mankind have a moral obligation to act when lesser armies are slaughtering innocent people in another nation?

Walt Rubel Commentary: Go back to the basics on city spending

3/2/2022

The inability of the Las Cruces City Council to allocate federal relief funding in a way that is fair, efficient and transparent is concerning, not only for the more-than $10 million now in limbo but also for the future millions that will be coming our way as a result of federal bills for both pandemic relief and infrastructure.

Last week, the City Council put the brakes on plans to distribute $10.37 million it has received through the American Rescue Plan Act. And, as I write this, there is no agreement on how to move forward.

Walt Rubel Commentary: NM now stands alone with COVID mandate

2/16/2022

The recent decisions by Democratic governors throughout the country to end coronavirus face-mask mandates have left New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on her own.

Within three days last week, Governors John Carney of Delaware, Dan McGee of Rhode Island, Kathy Hochul of New York, Steve Sisolak of Nevada, Jay Inslee of Washington and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois all announced they were ending their mandares.

Walt Rubel Commentary: Wealthy space tourists don’t need our charity

2/9/2022

From the day in 2005 when the agreement between Bill Richardson and Richard Branson for what would later become Spaceport America was first announced, the business model for southern New Mexico has always been to separate wealthy tourists from their not-so-hard-earned vacation money.

“... First flights of a suborbital spaceliner (are) now planned in late 2008, early 2009,” Virgin Galactic announced in a 2005 press release, the first of what would be many overly optimistic projections.

Walt Rubel Commentary: Stop pretending Supreme Court is above politics

2/2/2022

Las Cruces native Stephanie Valencia writes with pride about the role she played in helping Sonia Sotomayor become the first Latina confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Valencia, who had worked on both the campaign and transition team for Barack Obama, was serving as his deputy director in the Office of Public Engagement when Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his retirement in 2009.

Walt Rubel Commentary: End SS tax, then replace lost funds

1/26/2022

When former Gov. Bill Richardson ended the gross receipts tax on food in 2005, I thought it was a no-brainer. Food and water are the two things we can’t live without, so of course they shouldn’t be taxed.

But the experts at New Mexico Voices For Children; who understand the intricacies of our tax system much better than I do and know that when it comes to setting tax policy, everything's a brainer; disagreed. They predicted correctly that shifting the burden from food to other purchases would hurt the poor more than help them.

Walt Rubel Commentary: Tune out bogus claims of rampant voter fraud

1/19/2022

Republican lawmakers in New Mexico have alleged for years that our elections are plagued by massive voter fraud. They finally had their chance to prove it in 2011, with Susana Martinez as governor and Dianna Duran as secretary of state.

Duran was the first Republican secretary of state since E.A.Perrault in 1929. And, she came into office bound and determined to prove that claims of rampant voter fraud were real.

Walt Rubel Commentary: Sheriff needs authority to run her office

1/5/2022

Back in the days when former Sheriff Kiki Vigil was constantly fighting with former County Manager Julia Brown, I thought it was just a personality clash between two strong-willed leaders acting a bit like children.

But, now that current Sheriff Kim Stewart is constantly fighting with current County Manager Fernando Macias, I’m starting to think that this isn’t just about personalities, and that conflict is baked into the system.

Walt Rubel Commentary: Mutating virus will require constant effort

12/22/2021

A few weeks ago, when the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus was sweeping through Africa and just beginning to make its presence known here, the dimmest members of the anti-vax crowd suggested that the global wave of death and illness was really just a ploy by the Democrats to win a few more House seats in next year’s mid-term election.

“Here comes the MEV - the midterm election variant. Democrats will do anything to cheat during an election, but we won’t let them,” proclaimed Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, who is likely best known for the Saturday Night Live parody of his absurd fawning over Donald Trump’s medical report when he was the White House physician.

If this whole thing really is a ploy by the Democrats to maintain control of the House of Representatives, it’s a doozy. And I sure wish they’d call it off.

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