Archive for Estancia
Like A Good Neighbor … Time To Belly Up
 by Chuck Ring (GadAbout-BlogAlot ©2008)Â
Quote Freely From the Article — Leave The Pseudonym Alone
On October 7th of this year I posted the following article
Since that time area churches, other non-profits and area businesses have contributed money and other items to assist those losing their jobs through the difficult transition in times that were perilous even before the closing of the call center. Temporary assistance is always welcome by those in need, but more is needed in order to secure another employer or employers to employ those who want to work.
The rumor on the street is that Moriarty has asked for the help of Edgewood to refurbish parts of the building or grounds where a new tenant might locate. I believe this is a fitting proposal for several reasons:
- those who have or will lose their jobs want to work and they need to work
- some employees who lost their jobs live in Edgewood and other points outside of Moriarty
- as a former employee of the connection, I can attest to the fact that a majority of the employees spent a portion of each paycheck at Edgewood businesses
- Edgewood is not in the charity business, but this potential assistance is not charity. It is taking care of our own; no matter the location of their residence
- this assistance would demonstrate Edgewood’s willingness to recognize the assistance given to citizens of this valley and reward that assistance in a meaningful way
- it would be one more illustration of a regional approach to economic development
- it would demonstrate to the legislature and Santa Fe County that our dollars need to stay here to help our own, before sliding to Santa Fe City and Santa Fe County
Not Quite Over For The Political Junkies
by Chuck Ring
For those who are political junkies or just feel like a junk heap after the election, here’s something you can play with to see trends and results statewide and countywide.
After you arrive at the page you will see that you are on the results page for Santa Fe County. If you wish to dig down to individual precincts you will find a precinct select window next to the county window in the upper left corner of the page. Of course you can also select another county to examine if you want to spend all day and night on the site.
In Santa Fe County precincts 15, 16, 18, 73, 84 and 85 the transit tax was voted down. The total vote was 2755 against to 1515 for, which seems to verify that most folks in those precincts (which is mostly Edgewood do not see a train track or any other real overall transportation benefit to the citizens in our future. But, the bad news is that the rest of the Santa Fe County portion of transit district citizens felt differently and voted for the tax, so that the totals were 34934 for to 28,501 opposed.
So, what will happen as a result of the transit tax passing? On January 1, 2009, you will see the gross receipts tax for the incorporated area of Edgewood (inside Santa Fe County) rise from 7.625 to 7.750. This tax, joins other taxes that have been foisted on us because we cannot overcome the votes from the rest of the county when it comes to tax referendums. One answer to the perpetual problem is the possibility of forming a county out of portions of Santa Fe, Bernalillo and perhaps Torrance counties. This is not the first time that this possibility has been mentioned, but it might be more viable now, because it is difficult to walk much less run, with Santa Fe County’s hand in our back pocket.
It could be worse. Santa Fe City joins Española, and Taos to have gross receipts tax rates above eight cents on the dollar.
What? A 36″ Giant Sucking Sound!
by Chuck Ring
Just when you thought that the City Different, AKA Santa Fe or Disneyland, was through being outrageous, comes the story that they want to add to their water supply. Maybe not bad on the surface, but this deal involves sucking or pushing water through a 36″ pipeline from Ft. Sumner. Such sucking and/or pushing would be over a distance of 145 miles and a lift in elevation from 4049 feet altitude to an elevation of 7320 feet altitude. A lift of 3271 feet through a 36 inch pipeline will require enormous energy, materials and “mucho dinero.” Similar problems did not deter Santa Fe City several years ago when they hatched a similar scheme to import water from the Estancia Basin in Torrance County to Santa Fe. A very vocal Estancia Basin contingency and a well-attended Santa Fe City Council meeting put a dam up to halt that particular project.
I am preparing a series of articles that will shed light on some of the two Santa Fes’ (The Twins) water deals and gimmicks. The articles will be published here and will be utilized elsewhere in an attempt to halt the craziness of The Twins and their like, especially as their actions apply to taxing entities that will not see benefit of such taxation and similar actions. Until I post the first article in the series, you can slake your thirst by accessing and reading an article on the subject which appears in today’s (Sunday, November 2, 2008) Santa Fe New Mexican:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Private-water-pipeline-proposed-for-S-F-
That’s it for now.
GadAbout-BlogAlot
New Mexico Sex Offender Registry Site
by Chuck Ring
I am not by nature an alarmist. But, I also believe forewarned is forearmed. With Halloween and other holidays coming very soon, it might be valuable for parents and others to know more about some of the areas and individuals to avoid during trick or treat and other activities where children and adults are placed together.
The New Mexico Department Of Public Safety (DPS) maintains a website known as the Sex Offender Registry. The site is user friendly and there is no need to provide detailed information in this article. You can get to the site by clicking here
Be sure to read all of the warnings contained on the various pages of the website and recognize that the information provided on the website is provided as a public service and there is a disclaimer for accuracy. In other words, please use the information as it was intended to be used. Do not use it to intimidate, harass, or to take any action outside the bounds of propriety. Nor should individuals or groups do anything that would be a violation of any law regarding any information found on the website.
Jack Thorp Centennial Celebration
About 100 years ago, Jack Thorp published one of the first, and possibly the first, collections of cowboy songs. The book, which contained 23 songs, was published at the Estancia News and Print Shop, right here in New Mexico’s real central valley. A second edition, published in 1921, was expanded to include 101 songs, a number of which Thorp wrote himself.
Born in New York City in 1867, Thorp was the son of a lawyer and real estate investor. He attended Harvard for three years, and moved to New Mexico at about the age of 19 (rangewriter.org). Thorp and other early collectors of cowboy songs are recognized for preserving a tradition of music and poetry that might well have been lost.
The Jack Thorp Centennial celebration will be held on Saturday, June 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Torrance County Fairgrounds in Estancia. Events include a silent auction, cowboy poetry, preview of the P.B.S. film “On The Trail of Jack Thorp,” an art show, a barbecue lunch ($8.00) and an evening dance ($5.00). For more information, contact Bobby Neeley at (505) 384-5232 or Babbi Baker at (505) 384-1858.
The Farm Bill and New Mexico
Editor’s Note: In addition to her many other community service efforts, Margarita Mercure Hibbs is a leadership specialist for the My Rural America Action Fund, which addresses issues important to rural Americans. In her transmittal of this article, which was also submitted to various newspaper organizations, Ms. Mercure Hibbs notes that, due to a clerical error, the veto override was delayed until this week, and that Representatives Udall and Pearce supported this bill, while Representative Wilson did not.
by Margarita Mercure Hibbs
The Farm Bill, officially known as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, is not perfect. That does not however, diminish how vital it is in our efforts to feed the world, supply energy for our nation, conserve our resources, assure a cleaner environment, improve our water quality, and advance the quality of life for millions of Americans. There are realities for rural Americans that should not be forgotten as we peer into the future strengthening our state and our nation. With the ongoing anxiety of a deepening recession, exorbitant gas prices and local families who lost their homes in the Trigo fires, the larger question is, are we a nation that cares for our rural people, or is this merely lip service paid during political campaigns? »» The Farm Bill and New Mexico