Monday, October 19, 2009

The Very Special "Committees Committee"

Steve Terrell at the New Mexican has the best Special Session coverage (and frankly I wish he had more competition). Between his blog and "story" we get a good sense that:
  • There really is a committee called "The Committees Committee". Really.
  • Bill Richardson is really both a Special Session rules tyrant and the lamest duck since Daffy.
  • Jerry Ortiz y Pino is really running for Lt. Governor. Really. Really hard.
  • It really must be possible to not raise taxes, only cut spending by 1.5 percent here (education) and 3.5 percent there (stage agency spending) and still take care of a $650 million shortfall.
  • Everyone in Santa Fe really wants oil and gas prices to go back up. Like alot. By yesterday.
  • Getting back to education cuts, if 1.5 percent equals $40 million in savings, what's the point of that given the $650 million shortfall? As the dollar figure is nearly immaterial is it really more of a "screw you" symbolic kind of thing? Or is it really more of a "I'm Bill Richardson and I'll prove to you that I'm a big, bearded liar by saying I won't cut education and then cut it by some measly amount just to show you how much I can both lie and accomplish nothing at the same time?"
  • I appreciate Steve Terrell's work, but I sure wish we really had more political coverage in this State. And no, I really don't mean Joe Monahan when I say that.
  • Reality and a New Mexico Special Session have damn little in common when you come down to it.