A4 Friday, February 10, 2012
OPINION
Gov. Martinez, Legislature in agreement sometimes SANTA FE – Amid legislativeexecutive turf battles, a few islands of bipartisan cooperation have surfaced. The most noticeable collaboration concerns the reform of the Public Regulation Commission. Everyone is working together on that item. As of this writing, the term “everyone” is not an exaggeration. A package of three constitutional amendments presented by the bipartisan think tank Think New Mexico has unanimously passed the House, including its committee referrals. The measures have the support of Gov. Susana Martinez and will be carried in the Senate by leaders of both parties. The PRC has been a dysfunctional organization since its inception. Its members often have been politicians prone to extracting favors from industries they regulate. The proposed changes would transfer out several of those industries and require some expertise in those that remain. These three constitutional
EDITORIAL
JAY MILLER
INSIDE THE CAPITOL
amendments are but the first steps in shaping up the commission. Other improvement measures have been introduced this year and more will be needed in the years to come. The state budget is another area of general agreement between the governor and Legislature. Little fighting occurred over the budget during last year’s contentious session. A budget target was agreed upon at a level much below the projected $450 million deficit and both sides worked to meet that figure. The Legislature’s only heartburn was that Gov. Martinez took full credit for the success in her open-
Roswell Daily Record
ing address to the Legislature this year. An old pro like former Gov. Bruce King would have shared credit with lawmakers and would have referred to them as his board of directors. This year may be a smooth ride to budget adoption again. The House got its budget over to the Senate later than its target date of mid-session but much has been agreed upon already. Back in the 1970s, with Democrats firmly in control of everything, the fights were between the House and Senate. Sometimes the House would not get its budget to the Senate until a day or two before adjournment. This year, the House Appropriations and Finance Committee waited until it could get complete agreement from its Republican members before sending the bill to the House floor. It was my first time in 49 years on the scene up here that I can remember a unanimous HAFC vote. The bill, as sent from the com-
mittee, leaves some room for Gov. Martinez’s pet projects and tax breaks. A spokesman says the governor appreciates their decisions. Basic agreement also exists on the major areas of spending – public schools and Medicaid. Veterans’ benefits appear to be another area of agreement. Gov. Martinez has been very interested in helping veterans. Former Gov. Bill Richardson also championed several veterans’ benefits early in his administration. It is a popular and justly-deserved benefit. Tightening necessary areas in drunken driving laws is another area most governors and legislatures have agreed upon. Fireworks legislation became a popular subject last summer when forest fires were devastating the state. Now that the governor and Legislature are considering legislation to curb fireworks in dangerous areas, fireworks dealers are arriving in Santa Fe to deliver the message that this is their livelihood.
If restrictions are applied to the sales, it won’t apply to Indian reservations. Martinez says she can work with reservations. Last summer, the governor was looking for a blanket authority to ban fireworks, which she currently does not have. The suggestion has been made that the state forester be given the authority. Gov. Martinez says she can work with that. The areas in which the governor and Legislature do not agree are not major issues that have to be solved. If drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens were an emergency, the licenses either could be taken away or any one of several solutions proposed by Democratic legislators to meet the governor’s concerns could be passed. As it is, licenses and voter identification likely will not pass in an all-or-nothing form the governor can accept and sign. So nothing will happen.
National Opinion Sugar and obesity
Nobody is overly sweet on sugar these days, but a bunch of scientists out West have taken concerns about Nature’s sweetener to an extreme. In a paper published recently, a team of scientists in California argued that sugar is so addictive it should be heavily taxed and regulated, like alcohol and drugs. They even want to set a legal age for buying sugar. That said, there’s no denying we have a national problem with obesity, and sugar is heavily to blame. Americans eat and drink roughly 22 teaspoons of sugar every day, three times as much as they did 30 years ago. Not all of that comes out of the sugar bowl. Much of it is hidden inside processed food and even bread and cereal. ... ... Obesity contributes to a wide range of health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 112,000 deaths in the United States are associated each year with obesity, and the total medical costs came to $147 billion in 2008. A new study of more than a million people found that people who carry extra weight report more everyday pain. But let’s be sensible. Let’s eat more healthfully and get more exercise. And let’s not listen to scientists who want a new Prohibition, this time for sugar. Guest Editorial Chicago Sun
The Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood
At a time when people routinely mistrust institutions, Susan G. Komen Foundation’s pink-ribboned fight against breast cancer has been a notable exception. Everyone loves the ribbon, which you can find on football fields, yogurt containers and the sides of giant airliners. Komen has done wonders in bringing the issue of breast cancer treatment to the forefront of medical concerns and in getting millions to take part in its Race for the Cure. Why would anyone possibly risk all that good will? That’s the question still being asked of Nancy Brinker, Komen’s chief executive, who jeopardized Komen’s standing by denying grants to Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer screening programs. The move clearly placed Komen in the middle of the abortion controversy. Brinker finally apologized Feb. 3, issuing a statement saying, “We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.” In defunding Planned Parenthood of nearly $700,000 in grants, Brinker had clearly thrown in with those social conservatives who have helped make Planned Parenthood a shorthand for abortion provider. Planned Parenthood offers a wide array of medical services to underserved women, including abortions. ... The challenge now is not just to ensure there will continue to be a race for a breast cancer cure, but to find a way forward so that everyone will be running toward the same goal. Guest Editorial Denver Post
DEAR DOCTOR K: Swimming is my favorite form of exercise, and I do it several times a week. Lately I’ve been plagued by swimmer’s ear. Can you tell me how to prevent it so I don’t have to give up swimming? DEAR READER: Swimmer’s ear is an infection of the outer ear canal that is usually caused by bacteria. The of ficial name of the infection is “otitis externa,” but it’s usually called swimmer’s ear because it so often occurs in swimmers. You’ve probably experienced itching and redness in and around the ear. You may have had yellow, green or even cheesy drainage from the ear. You may have
Waging war on the trifecta of tyranny As a six-time undefeated middleweight world karate champion, I have a pretty good idea what makes a warrior. And there’s presently one particular presidential candidate in the political ring who wears those gloves better than the others. It’s one thing to enter a ring with a single opponent, but what if you had to enter with three -- one candidate with unlimited money and two titans of political swing to back him? That is exactly what former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is facing right now. People see Newt’s primary
Doonesbury
CHUCK NORRIS
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
GOP opponent as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but I don’t. I think the battle is with Romney’s and his cronies’ staggering wealth. Last week, The Washington Post exposed that there are 41 mega-rich individuals who bankroll Romney’s campaign and his purchase of the seat
very long -- just look at the skin that has been underneath a bandage, a damp for several ASK environment, days. It gets white and DR. K puffy. If you could see it under a microscope, you’d also see that it has become a little “moth-eaten.” The function of skin is to UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE serve as a barrier against infectious organisms: It is felt pain when you touched a wall that keeps them outyour ear or when you side us. When it gets and chewed or talked. If the ear stays wet for a while, the canal was very swollen, you wall weakens. Bacteria get may have had some trouble through and underneath hearing. the skin. Normally, the skin inside There are always bacteria your ear canal -- like all of living in our ear canals. your skin -- is dry. When When the skin of the ear you swim, the skin inside canal is weakened by your ear canal stays wet. water, bacteria can start to Skin doesn’t like to be wet invade. That can cause
in the Oval Office: “Nearly a dozen of the donors have contributed $1 million or more. ... Some of Romney’s biggest supporters include executives at Bain Capital, his former fir m; bankers at Goldman Sachs; and a hedge fund mogul who made billions betting on the housing crash.” In Florida, for example, they collectively spent $15.4 million to run about 13,000 negative ads against Newt (not Obama). Compare that with the 200 ads that Gingrich’s campaign ran. Romney’s campaign spent more on ads in Florida alone than John McCain spent during his
itching. If you scratch the itch inside your ear, that can injure the skin and make it easier for the infection to worsen. Fortunately, there are effective treatments. Prescription eardrops contain medicines to counter infection and inflammation. With treatment, symptoms usually improve within 24 hours and go away in two or three days. To help prevent future cases of swimmer’s ear: — If you get water in your ears, dry them thoroughly. First, tur n your head to the side and pull the earlobe in dif ferent See DR. K, Page A5
25 YEARS AGO
entire presidential run. Given that monstrous media assault, I was actually pleasantly surprised Newt received more than 500,000 votes, compared with Romney’s 700,000. Newt’s second major opponent is the mainstream media, or MSM. All it takes is a quick flip through the major network channels to hear the pro-Romney accolades and defenses being offered via a variety of news anchors. For example, after Newt spanked (with great audience
See NORRIS Page A5
Feb. 10, 1987 Berrendo Elementary School has selected its Bobcats of the Month for December 1986, Principal Louis McDonald has announced. Sixth grade-Jason Garcia, Jared Hellums, Amie McCullough, Kevin Roberg, Tara Sigur and Daila Waggoner; fifth grade- Jared Carey, Lance Hipple, Justin Lindsey, Kelly McCallum, Amanda Newlin and Paula Veith; fourth grade- Craig Henderson, Lindsey Martin, Chris Otero and Angela Walterscheid; third grade-Chasity Bohanon, David Childress, Sarah Martin, Billy Melton, Tory Roberg and Billy Williams; second grade-Christina Bohanon, Wesley Graham, Scott Klein, Amber Knight, Landon Mayberry and Mary Beth Smith; first grade - Hillary Boss, Tracey DelaRosa, Lee Dodson, Melissa Eakin, Michael Lemmon and Scott Puma; kindergarten - Shannon Ernest, Lindy Keck, Christy Lawlis, George Spurrier, Julia Torrez and Jason Welch; library helpers - Sean McLaren and Tina Nowak; resource room - Gabriel Harris, David James and Angela Johnson; speech - Brooke Metcalf and Donny Scott; P.E. -Ty Camp and Melanie Walterscheid.