Monday, January 19, 2009Big Bill Takes Another Hit; Questions Raised About His "Charity"; Who Gave & How Much? Also: Our Economy; We Go To The No Spin Room![]() The ABQ Journal reports that, beginning in 2004, Big Bill collected $1.7 million for the "Moving America Forward Foundation," formed to increase voter participation among minorities. He collected the cash under the umbrella of a "public charity"--which means individual donors and expenditures don't have to be reported as they do for his campaign account or his political action committees. The comment that is going to cause Bill the most trouble came from Amanda Cooper, his longtime fund-raiser and campaign consultant. She is listed as a paid board consultant on IRS filings. Asked about the foundation and its donors, she replied: "I can't comment on that." With that one line Cooper gave birth to the newest guessing game in La Politica. What individuals and businesses, if any, gave money to the "charity?" Did any of them do business with the state? And if there is nothing to hide, why won't the Governor voluntarily release all donors and expenditures for the foundation? Bill's administration is already under the scope by the federal grand jury for an alleged pay to play scheme in which the bond firm CDR won a state contract. That revelation cost him his chance to become Commerce Secretary under Obama. It doesn't take much of a leap of faith to assume that the federal grand jury is also looking at this foundation. Do you think that's why we are learning about it now? ED, LORETTA AND BRIAN ![]() NONPROFIT FALLOUT ![]() The Journal reported the Tides Foundation was a large donor to Bill's nonprofit. That same foundation gave $50,000 to Lee's Center for Civic Policy. The Center used nonprofit money to mail what they call educational and "advocacy" pieces into the districts of state legislators in the '08 elections. Attorney General King called the stuff blatantly political and in violation of state law. He and the Secretary of State ordered the nonprofits to register as political committees and report in detail their financial activities. Some of the same players in these nonprofits will be lobbying the Legislature for ethics reform, but thanks to the revelations about Big Bill, pressure will grow for them to agree to complete transparency for their own political activities. They are already being accused of hypocrisy. Now their foes have stronger standing to demand that they be regulated and that such regulation be included in ethics reform bills. Don't say we didn't tell you. THE NO-SPIN ROOM ![]() As for the recession not being as severe here, other than on a human level, why should we care? We don't live in Tulsa or Tallahassee and we are confronting our own widespread economic pain. Maybe it's useful to compile just a few of the local and recent headlines: ABQ restaurants Carrabas, Whisque, and Black Angus all close, throwing dozens out of work; Eclipse Aviation lays off over 500; American Home goes into bankruptcy--more lost jobs; the ABQ Journal lays off an undetermined number of workers; KOB-TV lays off nearly a dozen; Intel's Rio Rancho work force is now at 3,500 down from over 5,000; national chains Linens N' Things and Circuit City go under, costing dozens of more NM jobs; hiring freezes take effect at the University of New Mexico, the state and the cities of ABQ and Santa Fe; Advent Solar lays off 55 in ABQ; In the Silver City area, 1,100 copper mining workers will have lost their jobs by Feb. 13 as a result of the commodities crash. And we have yet to hear from the oil and gas fields where low prices could mean layoffs. And the list goes on...
No wonder the state's unemployment help lines are jammed. That's the real story in our state. It's not what is happening in Phoenix, Dayton, or Denver. It is the economic pain that is occurring in our back yard. If the economists and the incumbent political class would acknowledge it, we might do a better job of developing ways to deal with it. E-mail your news and comments, anonymously if you wish. (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2009 Not for reproduction without permission of the author |
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