Vern Raburn, President and CEO of Eclipse Aviation

has an opinion piece in the Albuquerque Journal, throwing his weight against the proposition to raise the standard of living of the

working poor closer to the poverty line.

You know Eclipse Aviation, right? Eclipse has received millions in public dollars from

the county and state. Politicians at all levels have bowed, scrapped and done everything to bring Eclipse here, including kissing

Raburn’s ass. Now, Raburn raises his snout from the public trough and oinks he wouldn’t have brought his business here if this

ordinance had been in place. Albuquerque would be hostile to business with this ordinance. Never mind the money we’ve thrown at Eclipse.

Never mind the money we’ve given to Intel, whose long straw drank the 100 Year Aquifer in ten. Never mind the money we gave Siemens,

which left us with a toxic waste dump right on I-40.

Slyly, Raburn claims an increase in minimum wage would not affect any of his

employees. What he opposes is an add-on that opponents of a fair wage are using to fuel fear, uncertainty and doubt — FUD — the most

powerful force in business. I believe there is some uncertainty where this clause came from and what it really means. A proposal to

remove it was voted down; among those voting against clearing this up was the conservative block of the city council. Is it possible that

profiteers inserted this language as a poison pill, or at least want to keep it there, so they can fight the ordinance tooth and nail but

claim they aren’t cheap, stingy bastards, just protecting the American Way. Simply put, it’s Unions that opponents fear. Raising the

minimum wage a couple of bucks is nothing; Unions might demand actual benefits. Don’t these folks realize how impotent Unions are

today?

Notice that Raburn, as all fat cats do, appears to side with the little guy, that Engine of Capitalism, the entrepreneur.

You know, that person who says, screw you, boss, keep your lousy benefits package, I’m breaking free. The kind of person who will never

in his or her life see the kind of public money Raburn has to burn. For the record, truly small businesses are exempt from the Living

Wage Ordinance. You can screw a handful of employees as long as they’ll take it; get a little larger, and you’ll have to share the

wealth.

Raburn has been very lucky that local politeness has prevented anyone from asking, “are you really going to be able to

sell any planes?” His principal competitor is quire confident Eclipse can’t do it. Until they finally put one in the air briefly, I was

sure it was a scam. Note that recently an Eclipse plane crashed. Raburn blamed the pilot — don’t want those potential buyers or

investors getting nervous.

The previous opinion piece by Raburn that I read was a long defense of Richardson for not buying an

Eclipse as the state jet. I wondered why, but now I realize he couldn’t produce one in any timely way and didn’t want the headline,

“New Mexico Governor Dies in Eclipse Plane Crash.” Bad for business.

I fully expect Eclipse to leave the state someday, though it

won’t be because of the minimum wage. Guys like Raburn have no loyalty to place or people; they follow the money and stay a step ahead

of the indictments. I assume he’ll be flying out on someone else’s jet. Good riddance. mjh

PS: if you

find my language hostile, read Raburn’s piece and count the number of times he calls proponents of a Fair Wage “deceptive.” It’s the

opponents who are appallingly deceptive.

ABQjournal: Wage Proposition Clause Poison to New

Business By Vern Raburn, President and CEO, Eclipse Aviation

In reviewing the Albuquerque Journal’s coverage of the complex

issues related to the proposed minimum wage ordinance, it is clear to me that the proponents for the ordinance intended voters to

make a decision on this issue without knowing what they were actually voting on. …

My concern is with the fact that

the proponents of this ordinance have been less than forthright with voters and that the hidden components of the

ordinance will have a very negative impact on the economic vitality of Albuquerque and on the community at large.

I agree with

the assertion of many that the minimum wage ordinance is deceptive on its face. …

When a law is passed that

fosters the opportunity for a disruptive workplace, limits an employer’s ability to protect his employees and

encourages government to intrude in the day-to-day relationship of an employer, employee and customer, then that law is

wrong. [mjh: time to undo health and safety codes!]

Over at DukeCityFix, there is an

interesting exchange of comments about mayoral candidates — interesting in part because, until I last checked, there wasn’t any

name-calling or ugliness.

The alibi has its endorsements and, on the blog, notes from a recent mayoral forum. mjh

A fellow blogger recently

said he is torn between Winter and Griego. Even with Winter’s opposition to a fair, living wage? Even with Winter’s support of the

most stringent voter ID requirements — the solution to a non-existent problem which, curiously, impacts Democrats and Independents

significantly while not inconveniencing that large number of Republicans who vote by absentee ballot. Voter fraud hasn’t caused as many

problems as Republican Secretaries of State.

Yes, Winter is a moderate Republican and I wish there were a thousand more like him

— or even one more. Yes, he’s tall, good-looking, anglo and male. But can one really be torn between Winter and Griego? mjh

ABQjournal: Minimum

Wage Fight Heats Up
What the candidates have to say
Do you support the ballot measure that would set a $7.50

minimum wage in Albuquerque?

Martin Chávez: “No, I agree with Sens. Domenici and Bingaman that it should be done at

the federal level.”

Eric Griego: “Yes, I strongly support a fair wage for a fair day’s work. The best thing we can do to

fight crime, fight poverty and enhance our economy is to pay a decent wage.”

David Steele: “Yes.”

Brad

politicians and bureaucrats to set wages for private employers.”

class="mine">I wrote at Duke City Fix about

a piece of campaign literature from Brad Winter that has an embarrassing typo (and two inexplicably underlined sections).

Over

there, I chose not to say what bothers me most about this piece — the title of the committee that paid for the flyer: “Committee to

Restore Honesty and Integrity to City Politics, a committee of the Republican Party.”

This is nauseating and typical of

the Radical Right. This simple committee name declares that heretofore City Politics have been dishonest, but the Republicans (of all

people) will restore it. That is a specious claim that slanders many good people of various political affiliations. Republicans have been

doing this smear for years, and it has served them very well. It’s ugly and rude. Citizens need to stop rewarding the

Radical Right’s despicable tactics and start punishing them, instead. mjh

I don’t listen to KUNM’s Call-In Show very often (Thursdays, 8am-9am, 89.9 FM). When I do, it is usually just

for a few minutes. Still, I’m glad the show is on and it clearly meets a need for some in our community.

Like Phil. Somehow, I

always hear Phil call, even if I tune in at some random moment for just 5 minutes. Phil knows exactly what’s wrong with the world:

government wants to steal all his money. This guiding awareness figures into every call he makes. I’m pretty sure that even people who

agree with Phil can’t stand to hear him talk. If only he realized his rampant arrogance turns off most listeners. He bloviates and

pontificates and barely restrains his exasperated anger. Phil is definitely pissed off — you would be, too, if you thought government is

a thief and your enemy, as, sadly, so many of our fellow citizens think today. Extreme conservatives have ridden that horse — the

government is the enemy — into power. Now we get to struggle for survival in a world ruled by cheap bastards who believe they deserve

anything they can get and you deserve nothing. Such “self-made men” are oblivious to the Commonwealth and the Common Good and to the debt

each of us owes each other. We are a nation and every one of us benefits from a communal pool of resources. No one is truly self-made or

self-sustaining. Things must be paid for — things beyond just an army to hold back the poor from your gated community. mjh

A couple of things about these yard signs on public property.

Steel’s was the first sign I saw

there, though I couldn’t remember his name. Says a lot about effectiveness of yard signs.

Don’t know Steel, but the other two

are Republicans, who worship private property rights but seem to disdain public property.

Since that picture was

taken, the situation has, of course, gotten worse. Johnson, another Republican, has joined the group. And Winter and MyA (aka MIA) have

doubled their signs — god knows why, and he only talks to Republicans.

Unfortunately, a zealous volunteer has responded to

Mayer’s sign by putting up one for Marianne Dickensen. See how these things snowball. A progressive should see this is no group to

imitate. I hope her campaign will take down this sign, though I know if her’s is the only one to disappear, suspicions will be raised.

mjh

mjh’s Blog: Political Yard Signs Belong in YARDS

class="mine">Isn’t this the NRA’s worst nightmare? mjh

Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civilians – New York Times By ALEX BERENSON and JOHN M. BRODER

Local police officers began confiscating weapons from civilians in preparation for a forced evacuation of the last

holdouts still living here, as President Bush steeled the nation for the grisly scenes of recovering the dead that will unfold in coming

days.

Police officers and federal law enforcement agents scoured the city carrying assault rifles seeking residents who have holed

up to avoid forcible eviction, as well as those who are still considering evacuating voluntarily to escape the city’s putrid waters.

…

Mr. Compass, the police superintendent, said that after a week of near anarchy in the city, no civilians in New

said.

That order apparently does not apply to the hundreds of security guards whom businesses and some wealthy

individuals have hired to protect their property. The guards, who are civilians working for private security firms like Blackwater, are

openly carrying M-16s and other assault rifles.

Mr. Compass said that he was aware of the private guards but that the police had

no plans to make them give up their weapons.

Katrina’s Silver Lining – New

York Times By DAVID BROOKS

There may be local resistance to the new arrivals – in Baton Rouge there were three-

hour lines at gun shops as locals armed themselves against the hurricane victims moving to their area – but if there has

ever been a moment when people may open their hearts, this is it.