A4 Thursday, October 13, 2011
OPINION
Selection process for PRC isn’t working well
SANTA FE — How is the best way to pick our leaders? It is a problem every democracy wrestles with. In our country, we try it two different ways. At the federal level, we elect a president and he chooses everyone else. If one of them messes up, the president is responsible so the appointee usually is gone quickly. The result is a team effort. At the state level, voters choose a governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, treasurer, land commissioner and five corporation commissioners. If one of them messes up, that person is responsible. The governor usually is not well acquainted with the individual. Few voters are acquainted with the individual either. They likely voted based on party line. So the offending public official hires a lawyer and begins the lengthy process of defending himself or herself. Depending on the
EDITORIAL
JAY MILLER
INSIDE THE CAPITOL
situation, taxpayers may be picking up the tab. Over the years, New Mexico voters have decided they prefer the second method. In that way, the governor doesn’t get too powerful and maybe some of those elected officials might be people they have heard of and they might even like their ideas. The New Mexico constitutional convention in 1969 tried to switch to the appointive method but voters turned down the new constitution. So now the state spends big money trying to get errant politicians removed from office. By my count, we have had com-
Roswell Daily Record
missioners from four of the five Public Regulation Commission districts mess up badly enough to either have to resign or come close to it. I haven’t been able to find a commissioner from Albuquerque who has stepped in it very badly. Otherwise, we haven’t been able to elect very good PRC commissioners often enough. This isn’t to say that allowing the governor to choose his or her top administrators is foolproof either. Several readers have worried that allowing Gov. Susana Martinez to pick new PRC members would negate the entire reason for a Public Regulation Commission by making it a deregulation commission. It would hand everything over to industries that require regulating, they say. So how do we solve the problem? Make some commissioners elected and some appointed, has been suggested. I’m not sure what good that would do but it is worth studying.
And what about qualifications? Some states require a degree in engineering, law, economics or accounting. Or an alternative would be five years of work experience in a field regulated to the PRC. But would that run the danger of people who would be disposed toward favoring that industry? And then we have commissioners without any specialized education or experience asking who is to decide they aren’t smart enough to learn what they need to know. Besides, experts can be hired to do the technical analysis. We don’t need a commission of elites. T rue. What we do need is a commission composed of members who know how to do their job and perform their duties legally and ethically. Evidence during the entire life of the PRC and of the elected State Corporation Commission before it tells us it isn’t happening. The job, because of its
high salary and great power, tends to attract career politicians who too often don’t meet the standards required. The Think New Mexico organization has produced a booklet on rethinking the PRC. Its primary suggestions are to strengthen qualifications of commissioners and to transfer most of the enormous load of responsibilities to state agencies under the governor. Both suggestions seem to be part of the solution. But I’m not sure it is the total package. For years lawmakers and other New Mexicans have sought an answer. Many pieces of legislation have been introduced. One, in 1966, sponsored by Rep. Bob Perls became the PRC as a result of his boundless energy. It is time to try again. (Write to Jay Miller at 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505; by fax at 984-0982; or by e-mail at insidethecapitol@hotmail.com)
Make green jobs accountable
Venture capitalists make good returns when their investments in new firms or products succeed because they take big risks. The chance of failure — and big losses — is high. But they are investing their own money and that of their voluntary clients. Government shouldn’t be in that business. “Green” industries and green jobs are all the rage in government. A lot of ink has been spilled on the Obama administration’s halfbillion-dollar loan guarantee for Solyndra, the failed California solar panel firm. Now comes a report from the U.S. Labor Department’s inspector general suggesting that a $500 million administration program to train and place workers in green industry jobs, including renewable energy, pollution control and energy conservation, has been unsuccessful and the remaining money in the program should be returned for other uses. The program was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus program. The inspector general reports that the green jobs training grants resulted in the placement of 8,035 participants, with 1,336 retaining their jobs for more than six months. The targeted goal of the program was to place close to 80,000 workers. While about 53,000 participants were served by the training program, about 21,000 already had jobs and sought the training to either retain their jobs or improve their skills. The inspector general’s report suggested that the slow progress of placing people brought the program into question. The audit suggested that green jobs program officials should do a realistic evaluation of how much additional money can be spent “given the current demand for green-job-related skills and the job market for green jobs.” Once this is done, “any of the remaining $327 million of funds determined to be not needed should be recouped as soon as practicable ... so they can be available for other purposes,” the report stated. Another part of the program required the department to set up a green-jobs labor exchange so workers would be aware of the openings. However good an idea the effort seems on paper, the government is not in a position to pinpoint where green jobs — or any jobs — will be developed. Nor can it accurately predict exactly what skills will be required for which jobs. The economy of a nation as large as the United States is too complex and too diffuse for central direction from Washington or even regional offices. In the Solyndra case, questions are being raised about whether the administration pressured various federal agencies to speed up the approval process for the loan. In this instance, the Labor Department’s own inspector general is asking needed questions about the effectiveness of the green jobs program. The administration ought to take the questions seriously. Guest Editorial The Detroit News DEAR DOCTOR K: My mother’s hands are shaking more than usual lately. She has made an appointment with her doctor, but in the meantime, can you tell me if shaking is always a sign of something serious like Parkinson’s disease? DEAR READER: The shaking in your mother’s hands is called a tremor. T remors can af fect the hands, limbs, head or voice. The actress Katherine Hepburn developed tremors of her head and voice in her later years. A person can’t control a tremor. Most of us can get temporary tremors as a normal reaction to fear, anger, or when we are simply too tired
How Europe’s Greens will be taxing you PATRICK J. MICHAELS THE CATO INSTITUTE
The gaga greenies of Europe are about to charge you for flying here in America. In a stunning slap at the sovereignty of everyone on the other six continents, the European Court of Justice last week said it was just fine and dandy for the European Union to levy fees on planes flying elsewhere. As the Europeans see it, global warming is so bad that they have to tax ... us. Here’s how it works: You take off from London for Los Angeles; your flight route runs
Doonesbury
ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
or worn out. Too much caffeine or nicotine (in heavy smokers) can cause a tremor. So can withdrawal from an addictive substance (powerful painkillers or alcohol). Many commonly prescribed drugs also can cause a tremor. Examples include drugs used to treat depression such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
north-northwest over Scotland and out of European air space pronto. You pay a tax for this, which, while annoying, isn’t much different than a highway toll. But as your flight continues on — clipping south of the North Pole, then swooping over the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Alberta and into the United States and LAX — the EU will tax you for each one of those miles, too. Starting next year, the EU will tote up all the miles a plane flies to or from any European city, factor in the fuel usage and charge a “carbon levy” for all emissions
(SSRIs), tricyclics and lithium; the asthma drugs terbutaline and theophylline; and potent anti-inflammatory drugs such as prednisone. Lowering the dose of these medicines may reduce the tremor. One fairly common disease, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) can cause tremor. A patient of mine who came for an annual checkup said her hands had started shaking. She also had a rapid heart rate, even at rest. I ordered blood tests that confir med she had hyperthyroidism. Treatment fixed her thyroid, and her tremor. Two other common kinds of tremor are essential
that are more than 85 percent of 2002 levels. No airline is going to eat that cost, so you’ll get the bill, perhaps listed as an “environmental surcharge.” Like most taxes, it starts out small, maybe $20 or so (no one really knows yet) — and then the fine folks in Brussels will start jacking up the price. By 2020, it could be $60 — the sky’s the limit. And the EU’s not just planning to hike the tax — it’s already mandated it. By 2020, it will tax planes for using more than half their 2002 fuel, and while newer planes are more fuel efficient, they’re not making gains close to that
tremor and Parkinsonism. Like you, many of my patients with a tremor worry that they have Parkinson’s disease, but essential tremor is much more common. It is usually easy to tell the dif ference. Essential tremor is most noticeable when a person is in action. It can come on when someone is doing everyday things like writing a note or pouring a glass of iced tea. It’s the opposite with the tremors of Parkinson’s disease. The tremors occur at rest, as when a person is sitting still with her hands in her lap. But when she reaches out to grab or hold something, the
See DR. K, Page A5
25 YEARS AGO
level. According to Fitch, United, Continental, Delta and American are likely to get hit the most, because about 20 percent of their revenue comes from European travel. Things could get pretty ugly. China is already making noise about pulling its order for 10 double-decker A-380s from Europe’s Airbus (probably pretty good news for Boeing). Other countries may jack up landing fees or inflict similar taxes on foreign carriers. Until now, Europe and the United Kingdom have been
See MICHAELS, Page A5
Oct. 13, 1986 • Three senior girls from Roswell High School are awaiting the halftime festivities of tonight’s football game between the Portales Rams and the Roswell High Coyotes to find out which of them will be the 1986 RHS Homecoming Queen. The members of the royal court are seniors La Donna Gonzales, Melissa Salcido and Suzanne Smith. La Donna Gonzales, 16, is the daughter of Susan Merritt and Steve Gonzales of Roswell. She is a member of the Lady Coyote Volleyball Team, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the girls basketball team. Salcido, 17, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Salcido of Roswell. She is Senior Class president, a varsity cheerleader, a member of Student Council and active in varsity gymnastics, yearbook staff and drama. She was named the Silverbelle for September. Smith, 17, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Smith of Roswell. She is the head varsity cheerleader and a member of the Roswell High chapter of the Honor Society. She was a 1986 Girls State delegate.