Disqus - Latest Comments for Owinurame

Re: Most calls to hotline complain about “double-dippers”

Fedup77 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:29:33 -0000

You are sadly uninformed. Double dipping has a dramactic and bad effect on state and local budgets. This is because the jurisdiction that has hired them back must, by law, pay 100% of the DD PERA and ERB contribution. Now let's do the math. If on average the 2,200 double dippers are making $25 an hour (This is low by most estimates), and on average the jurisdicition is having to pay the employees retirement contribution of 10%. By getting rid of these folks this would save around $12,000,000! This is not even considering not filling the position. This is just getting rid of the double dipper and letting an unemployed person take the job. If you start looking at getting rid of the position altogether then the savings skyrocket.

Re: Most calls to hotline complain about “double-dippers”

Owinurame — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:47:39 -0000

Don't distract us with this "double-dipping is making us go broke" myth.
The danger of double-dipping is that it allows nepotism and favoritism to continue even after your friend or relative retires. But this is also a problem regardless of the retirement status of your chosen buddy.
Double-dipping certainly improves the chosen indiviuals' bottom line, but it adds nothing to the state budget deficit. If those jobs are vacant (and not frozen) someone is going to he hired and the state will be paying that salary.
Sin taxes, rolling back tax cuts for upper income, and reforming state corporate tax laws - however - will actually improve the budget outlook. I support them all.

Re: UNM Care doesn’t seem to care much for the undocumented

Owinurame — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:46:21 -0000

UNM has come a long way in improving care and in establishing dialogue with advocates for patients in the community. Sadly there is still much to do.
The issue is a case study of why we need health care and health insurance reform. The health sciences center facilities must navigate the assorted bureacracies of over a hundred insurance plans. The money save by simplifying that alone would pay for the modest number of unqualified immigrants. It would also make us ALL healthier.

Re: Anti-immigration activists see opportunity in health care debate

Thomas_James — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:11:33 -0000

And that comment by you clearly places you in the racist column yourself.

Re: American Cement permit appears headed for approval

Owinurame — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:47:54 -0000

Exactly - the entire process should be changed to consider the total impact and burden on the community. From a resident's perspective, quality of life is air AND water, soil, noise, traffic and polluting businesses, AS WELL AS the current and historic rates of sickness and death, PLUS the availability and maintenance of services and amenities and property values. All these things come together to create or detain a community's health and happiness - to allow the rule makers and enforcers to isolate each issue from the others is one more form of divide and conquer.
Does anybody believe that 4 times more particluate matter will IMPROVE the quality of life?

Re: Anti-immigration activists see opportunity in health care debate

Owinurame — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:34:12 -0000

The baseless fears about health care reform stem from some people's inability to accept the fact the we have a half-white president who is smarter and more competent than most of his all-white predecessors. Outrageous threats and claims about immigrants - come from the same hateful ignorance. Both typify the last death rattle of right wing racism.

Re: American Cement permit appears headed for approval

gwynethd — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:36:53 -0000

I didn't go to the meeting on the 12th, but my understanding is that this was a tidying of language meant to bring city wording in line with state wording and that would NOT allow an applicant to make changes outside the scope of the original permit. Am I wrong?

Re: American Cement permit appears headed for approval

Owinurame — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:13:15 -0000

I hope Ms Doland will write about the Air Quality Division's attempt to re-write the rules for public hearings and no longer require the community's input when a polluter seeks to extend hours and multiply the amount of dust by a factor of 3-5.
Exactly that proposal was made at the City-County Air Quality Control Board meeting on Aug 12th.

Re: ABQNews: School Board Should Make Condoms Available In Schools

Owinurame — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:44:53 -0000

Thank you for an intelligent and balanced analysis of an issue few seem to be able to address rationally.

Re: ABQ Journal gives health care reform mostly sickly coverage

Owinurame — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:21:03 -0000

Right on, Senator!

CORRECTION to the lnk below: Try http://hsc.unm.edu/about/community
Then click on:
"2007 Community Perspectives Report"

Re: ABQ Journal gives health care reform mostly sickly coverage

Owinurame — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:09:19 -0000

There's an unreported local story here: http://hsc.unm.edu/about/community/docs/Communi...

Re: ABQ water authority is plenty accountable

Owinurame — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:43:13 -0000

Accountability might also mean publication of plans and results of testing. Will more than 50% of our drinking water be river water in the winter season? What exactly does that water contain? How much of the pollutants can actually be filtered out? Where can we go to hear and comment on these issues?
etc. etc.

Re: Tyrus Toribio’s tragic death offers lessons

tracydingmannauthor — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:49:03 -0000

Yes, good point, Owinurame. That would be a positive outcome as well.

Re: Tyrus Toribio’s tragic death offers lessons

Owinurame — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:40:16 -0000

Perhaps we (and the media) will start to realize how overexagerated some of our other fears are, such as kdnapping and murder of children by strangers; cyberstalking and school shootings. The vast majority of murders of children under 12 are committed by parents and caregivers, totalling approximately 20 children or more a year in NM.

Re: Beware the hidden cost of an early tax refund

Owinurame — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:49:32 -0000

Great article - thank you. Wish it had been published a month ago . . .

Re: ‘Tea parties’ come to New Mexico this week

Owinurame — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:00:55 -0000

"Last but not least: it turns out that the tea parties don’t represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They’re AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects. In particular, a key role is being played by FreedomWorks, an organization run by Richard Armey, the former House majority leader, and supported by the usual group of right-wing billionaires. And the parties are, of course, being promoted heavily by Fox News." - P Krugman, "Tea Parties Forever"

See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/opinion/13kru...

Re: New Mexico media struggle for viability online

Owinurame — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:28:07 -0000

Does the NM Independent accept or solicit donations? Why not? I might cough up some cash to see your excellent articles increase in number.
Th ABQ Journal will never survive as a web-only - not with the total mess of a website they have! (not to mention they censor comments).

Re: ABQJOURNAL UPFRONT: We All Have Stake in Medicaid Fight

Owinurame — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:51:22 -0000

Who censors the comments? What are the rules? Maybe you should state them outright or cease to offer the (false) opportunity.

Re: ABQJOURNAL UPFRONT: We All Have Stake in Medicaid Fight

Owinurame — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:04:54 -0000

Good piece, Thom.
However, I wouldn't call Medicaid 'wildly expensive'. New Mexico pays an average of less than $1800 per person for a whole year's health insurance for Medicaid enrollees - 70% of whom are children. Compared to any private, or even employer-based health insurance, I call that a deal. And we haven't begun to discuss what it does for our state's economy.
In fact it was entirely wthin reach to insure every child under 5, when the Governor promised to do so over 3 years ago. Ask him where we are on that promise of his.
And now that even more people are needing it, What has he done? Crashed the ambulance.
He should open up all the books so that New Mexicans can see not just every penny, but exactly why HSD can't seem to get its work done . . .

Re: New Mexico is actually making matters worse for state’s poor

Owinurame — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:56:40 -0000

State labor leaders warned about this on these same pages in November:
http://newmexicoindependent.com/10900/guvs-appr...

The warning could be summed up by the title of a rock song: "Don't Crash the Ambulance"

The state has a long history of building eligibility barriers to public assistance in order to save pennies. For example, how are we doing with the Governor's pledge (made over 3 years ago) to insure every child under 5?

At the moment when the need for public services began to rise, the Governor's high-income appointees froze the hiring of low-income public servants. For those state workers who could be helping the poor get access to benefits, the stimulus has already "disappeared into some dark hole" : taken away by HB 854.

Re: Albuquerque Journal

Owinurame — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:20:22 -0000

These are hard questions that need to be asked - Thank you for asking them, Joline.
Those studying homicides of young people in NM now know that the apparent low rate of abducted and murdered young women in the state was actually only due to the lack of attention and information.

Re: Bill to speed up access to state records is larded up with exceptions

Owinurame — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:42:57 -0000

NM's Inspection of Public Records Act is the last bulwark protecting us from total cronyism and unethical behavior. Bravo to Ken Martinez for defending it.

Re: Albuquerque Journal

Owinurame — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:27:38 -0000

Does this comment feature actually work? Or are ALL comments censored?
I have never seen a comment . . .

Re: Albuquerque Journal

Owinurame — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:43:21 -0000

The Journal also reports that over 20 young women have gone missing in the last 10 or more years in the Albuquerque area. Did the Journal ever report on those stories? Can you link us to them in your articles?
Thanks

Re: Albuquerque Journal

Owinurame — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:32:45 -0000

You could have also stated it this way = 75% of all the money contributed came from over 2500 small donors and only 1.5% of donations exceeded $5000.