New Mexico Mercury

New Mexico Mercury

Governor’s terrible indiscretion revealed

May 22, 2013

By James Burbank

The scandal has gone on almost a year. Governor Martinez and her super minions in state government were exchanging state business, but doing so in private e-mail apparently to avoid public scrutiny.

Just recently Attorney General Gary King, who will run against Martinez in the upcoming gubernatorial election, seized these communications. And guess what: a hideous breach of trust has been revealed in one of the gov’s communications. Yes, Susana Martinez has been caught red-handed e-mail ordering undergarments from some Internet purveyor.

Now personally, I don’t care where our fearless leader gets her underthingies, but I do care, and deeply so, that our very own governor has --

1.) Done business with some out-of-state concern instead of using a New Mexico company that makes and sells boxer shorts and other unmentionables.

2.) Has evaded paying Gross Receipts Tax on her Internet purchase.

Is this the kind of example Susana Martinez wishes to set for New Mexico’s youth, to say nothing of our state’s electorate? Voters don’t remember much, but they do focus a laser light on underwear buying when such transactions conducted by officials seem to be the least bit sneaky or disingenuous.

Here we have an example of a gigantic indiscretion that will stick in the minds of each and every New Mexico voter to surface from the murky depths of consciousness only when we get in the privacy of that little booth of truth and we pull the lever.

This piece was written by:

James Burbank

James Burbank has written and published over 200 articles for regional and national publications such as Reuters International News Service, The World & I Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, Farmer’s Almanac, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, La Opinion, New Mexico Magazine, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Tribune. He is author of Retirement New Mexico, the best selling book published by New Mexico Magazine Press, now in its third edition. He is also author of Vanishing Lobo: the Mexican Wolf in the Southwest, published by Johnson Books.

As a professional writing consultant, he has written and edited publications, video and radio scripts, annual reports, and investment information for a wide variety of corporate clients. A Lecturer II for the Department of English, Burbank has specialized in teaching technical writing and professional writing. His interests extend from composition and writing theory to environmental and nature writing. He has played a leadership role in developing and implementing the English Department’s teaching mentorship program.