New Mexico Mercury

Provincial Matters, 7-29-2013

V.B. Price's weekly collection of appreciations and observations.

Behavioral health drama reeks of ALEC (updated)

Does this formula sound familiar: A motley crew of conservative legislators, libertarian philosophers and free-market carnival barkers label a public sector entity as inefficient, wasteful, fraudulent, full of ne’er do wells living high on the hog.  An orchestrated crisis ensues.  Inexplicably, a host of typically for-profit corporations are waiting in the wings with a solution, salivating for the key to those hefty public coffers...

Insight New Mexico - Richard Fox

V.B. Price talks with political scientist and scholar Richard Fox about the ongoing issue of poverty in New Mexico.

Death comes to The Range

Every journalist in the state must see the death of their profession lurking over their shoulder.  The demise of the Raton Range because of falling revenues, population, and readership was just a matter of time. Small newspapers are going fast around the country.  Unless they are big enough to be bought by rightwing corporations headed by the likes of the Koch brothers, then there are no lifelines for them.

The Albuquerque Journal's ever diminishing content and ever increasing right-wing view of the world cannot be offset by doing their editorial cartoons in color...

What Happened to Albuquerque? Part 7: Solving our own problems

For Albuquerque to thrive in the near future, our leaders must shake off tired formulas and become trendsetters in local problem solving.

Sunland Park’s Missing Minutes

The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office (AG) has reaffirmed its dismissal of a citizen complaint against a former administration of the border city of Sunland Park, New Mexico. Filed by resident Ken Giove, the complaint raised more questions about the extent of previous, alleged electoral hanky panky as well as the mystery of important government documents missing from Sunland Park City Hall.

Giove’s complaint centered around the January 2011 passage of a City Council ordinance that lowered the salaries of the mayor and city councilors to $1.00 per month, an action which was subsequently reversed with the City Council’s approval of a February 2012 ordinance restoring the earlier salary levels retroactive to August 2011...

Provincial Matters, 7-22-2013

V.B. Price's weekly collection of appreciations and observations.

The Ultimate Spy

El Machete

Insight New Mexico - Margaret Randall

V.B. Price talks with poet, author, photographer, feminist and social activist Margaret Randall. They're conversation covers the meaning of feminism, International Women's Day, the patriarchal power structure and the importance of listening to the next generation of feminists.

APD Swingers

Humphrey's World