Refuse the Juice

A Blind Item and More Ness...

My friend Jaime's blog is the best place in town to find all the inside campaign news.  He always knows who's parting company or changing sign guys.  However, he didn't tell you about this huge campaign shake-up when it happened.  I'll do this as a blind item.

What campaign lost its treasurer not too long ago?  And by "lost its treasurer" - I mean the treasurer left because they didn't like the candidate anymore and for good reason.

I wonder why that one got by Jaime?

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So Ness keeps saying that her tax problems all arose from a bad accountant she hired.  She hired an accountant because she started a small business (her law practice) in 2002.  That accountant decided that Ness was actually owed a tax return for a couple of years and amended them for her.  He made a mistake somewhere and now she owes nearly $200,000 to the IRS. 

Bummer.  A bad accountant really killed her here.  That's a lot of money and it's going to take forever to pay back.  Too bad her accountant wasn't like the majority of them whom carry professional liability insurance. She could have put his mistakes with her money on his tab and walked away. 

Or... She's so full of shit her eyes are brown.

In varying reports from her mouth and her mother's, she was a business novice in 2002.  She was "inexperienced" and hired the wrong people.  However, that doesn't explain why the accountant didn't mess up 2002 or 2003 or 2004 or 2005.  How does that work?  This guy filed the amendments nearly five years after going to work for her.  Was he messing up her taxes the whole time and then going back and fixing them?  What did he know and when did he know it?

As I look at the amounts that we're talking about and the fact that she calls them "income tax," I start to wonder how many millions she was making each year.  Once you start getting taxed (or returned tax) in the realm of $50 large, you're making some serious dough!  Or, you didn't pay your payroll taxes.  Yep, payroll taxes.  Every single person who has ever talked to me about her tax problems all say that the problem came from failure to pay payroll taxes.  Nobody has said anything about a tax return totalling $50,000 for one year's work. They all say payroll taxes over and over again.  That's just a rumor I hear, anyway. We will never know.

What we are seeing here is that Lyda has a real problem taking the blame for her own actions.  It's always someone else's fault. 

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Then there's the little matter of who stopped supporting Abe Peinado and starting supporting Lyda Ness. 

Maybe you got robo call from the patriarch of the Dipp family - Mike.  He called to say he loves Lyda.  Also rumored to be behind Lyda are members of the development crowd who hate the city manager about as much as they hate smart code and smart growth.  I have on good authority that the owner of a major development company who loves zero restrictions on development of any kind has jumped in behind Lyda after she promised to help them out.  This stands in stark contrast to what she's told the green crowd about how she'll work on their issues.  You can't be in bed with a developer and then try to squeeze Bill Addington under the same covers - it just doesn't fly.  So who is she lying to?

I think Lyda owes Lilly an apology for accusing her of taking money from the rich guys.  Looks like Lyda has got her own rich guys in her corner.  And don't think for a second that her rich downtown property owning supporters aren't requiring that she let them leave their ramshackle buildings in a ramshackle state.

(just to note - I agree with the developers on smart growth and smart code. It's crap and will only make trailer parks all that more plentiful in the county).

So that's that.

She's not being honest about the tax situation and you can tell because of the time line and the amount.

She's in bed with the rich guys just as much as her opponent is. 

Anything else?

Osama Will Not Save Obama

I have to weigh in on this latest development now that it has been fully birthed and declared a political matter by those who are in the business of declaring such things.  I would rather all of this stay in realm of euphoric patriotism for a while longer, but it's simply not going to happen.  Here's how this plays out.

Immediately after the word came that we killed Osama Bin Laden each side of the American political aisle simultaneously deployed both offensive and defensive messages.  Each side was aiming to minimize the other's role in the killing while maximizing their own.  This created an almost instant media storm that wiped out the burgeoning movement of a truly united nation.  Instead of getting together to celebrate, we were all called back to our own high-fenced yards by our assorted opinion leaders.  Those opinion leaders have spent the last 48 hours muddling the whole thing to death with their usual hyperbolic blathering. 

Whatever the truth is to any of the many questions being raised by the talking head is irrelevant - the mass confusion is all anyone sees.  Anything the president might have capitalized on is already being contested in the media arena where he's not even allowed to step on the field.  He can't spend the next few days, weeks or months dispelling all the many myths and conspiracy theories the right is going to throw at the death of Osama Bin Laden.  I know I'm attacking my own side, but they're damn effective changing the message and it's working brilliantly right now.

Take for instance the argument over whether waterboarding was key to finding Osama or not.  It's the hottest thing going right now and it's taking the focus away from the successful killing of the most wanted man on earth (who knew it wasn't me?).  The average Joe is currently trying to stop his eyes from rolling back in his head.  Obama doesn't get Joe's attention and praise, he gets Joe's anger at all the bullshit arguing that's interrupting his basketball and hockey playoffs.

Pretty soon Americans will go back to worrying about jobs and gas prices and their only memory of Osama will be the crap that surrounded his death and the remnants of conspiracy theories about a CIA cover-up.  No bump for Obama... just another battle in the media lost for a guy who can't control the message.

Another El Paso Times' Endorsement Has a Bad Past (allegedly)

My friend Jim Tolbert has quite a nice blog called "elpasonaturally" and he recently put out his endorsement for city council.  You can visit it HERE.

I disagree with his endorsements, but I appreciate his effort to educate folks on his issues.  I just appreciate Jim as a whole...  He's a great guy. 

I figure he had quite an internal battle over whether or not to post the anonymous quote below.  I reposted it here.

"I have personally known "Mayela" Mejia for many years and would like to caution everyone regarding her character and ambition. She is unethical and very deceptive. She was fired from a credit union on Ft. Bliss many years ago for unethical practices. She was required by the State of Texas to pay back funds that she was receiving fraudently for child support. She claimed that she was not receiving child support from her ex-husband and when the State took him to court he provided years of receipts verifying otherwise and she was required to pay back all of the funds that she received from the state. She has three children from three different fathers. Her most recent marriage was to a drug dealer in Juarez with ties to one of the cartels. He was murdered a couple of years ago in Juarez. In her previous election run she approached a local business asking them to provide a fictious receipt for services that were not rendered by the business. She had taken credit cards out in her daughter's name without her daughters acknowledgement ruining her credit because "Mayela" never paid back the obligations. Take caution when dealing with her. I feel that the City of El Paso will be dealing with corruption issues in the future if she is elected onto the council."

by Anonymous

If only one of these allegations is true the the newspaper has another mess on their hands.  I told the world that her personnel file was worth looking at, but nobody listens to me.  The lady is a wreck and she's going to make some blogger very happy in the future.

The Big Story Goes Unreported

I was a little shocked today to see the first words written in a long time about embattled Judge Regina Arditti.  I was more shocked by the fact that the word "suspended" was a part of her new title.  That's something I think the media should have been covering!

If I'm not mistaken (and I'm not), that means she has been paid her full salary for two years and not done a single damn thing to earn it!  Holy Cow!  We've paid her all that money and she's literally been sitting at home collecting a check... Why didn't anyone report this? 

Here's my question - If she is convicted, does she have to pay that money back? 

Here's another question - Why hasn't any local news agency picked up on this? 

This is one of the worst things I've seen in a while that has gone completely by the media as if it never happened. 

And just think if people would have pulled their head out of their ass and voted for Antcliff, you could have had someone actually working for that salary for the past two years.  Instead you voted straight ticket and we got screwed.

Welcome to El Paso - pick up your idiot pills before get you get settled in. 

I'm Confused... is She, or is She Not?

I don't want to write this... I really don't.  I don't have a personal problem with Lyda Ness, it's just that there's so much out there and I can't not hear the things that are being screamed at me by just about everyone in town.  I guess it's okay because I didn't post what I really thought about the EP Times' endorsements yesterday and this covers some of that subject too.

If you like Lyda Ness, do not read any further. Go do something else and save yourself the anger and resentment that my blog fosters in you. 

As my email box fills up with people making various points on Ness' political leanings versus Lilly's, I'm starting to realize there's at least one huge discrepancy in what I'm hearing.  Ness is both for and against the Transmountain project.  Well, she's one or the other, it just depends on who she's talking with at the moment.  Or, these people are all wrong. Actually, only half would be wrong since she's got to be lying to one side.

I have on very good authority that Ness is the darling of the tree hugging crowd who hate the Transmountain expansion deal.  That contradicts the claims of the people who are telling me that she is "pro-business" and a proponent of the Transmountain project. 

The persons telling me that Ness is a "big supporter" of the Transmountain expansion have all made it clear that they've heard her speak those words.  They aren't just implying her position via statements from her supporters or taking her words out of context.  They've actually heard the words.

My sources telling me that she's carrying water for the greenies can't confirm that Ness has said the words "I'm against the expansion of Transmountain."  However, they do imply that the greenies' support of any candidate is based solely on their (candidate's) position regarding the expansion of Transmountain. 

One theory I have on this is that very early on in this race Ness was looking for some developer dollars and took a pro-Transmountain stance.  Taking up the Transmountain issue would have doubled her slate of issues given that she was running solely on the plight of the city employed gays.  It was a no-brainer issue.  However, when the developers backed Lilly the game changed for Ness.  She had to separate herself from Lilly because Lilly wasn't against the gays and she wasn't against Transmountain.  Ness could have switched her support in order to separate herself from Lilly and score the endorsement of the greenies.

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quick note on the greenies:  There are several greenies in town that I love deeply on a personal level and that's no joke.  I make fun of them, but they are very special to me.  We put the environment aside when seeing each other socially... at least I think we do.  They may be poisoning my drinks/food when I'm not looking.  But... (and you hate when I write "but..." because nothing nice is written after that misused ellipsis) if you're the greenies' candidate, you won't be for long. They do not have rational demands of you and they will burn you the second you tell them it's unreasonable to ban all new construction on everything within the city limits including repairs and safety upgrades.  They don't expect you to follow them on an issue or two in exchange for their support, they expect you to do exactly what they say even if it is dangerous to your health or a threat to your freedom (i.e. go to prison because they forced you to attack Eddie Holguin with a Ficus to prove a point about east side development).  Getting in bed with them never ends well.

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Anywho...

I guess the only other clue as to her true feeling on the subject would be her thoughts on the Redd Road Extension.  Anybody who knows anything about something knows that you can't be against the Redd Road extension and then for the Transmountain widening.  It's not possible.  It's like being a Yankees and a Red Sox fan - IMPOSSIBLE.  Lyda Ness jumped in bed with the "I Hate Mexicans Please Don't Let Them Live in My Neighborhood" group (Save the Valley) and said that she vehemently opposed the expansion of Redd Road (this issue has been decided and the road will be built - there's nothing anyone can do about it. I'm sorry if the value of your land just tripled and you hate money).  So, I guess she's against Transmountain.  You are either for transportation, or you are not. It's pretty simple. 

Then again, she could have lied to the Save the Valley Klan knowing that she can't stop the project. Whowould be the wiser since there will never be another vote on it until the day they break ground 25 years from now?  It's pandering without the recourse!  And let's not forget that Transmountain is a forgone conclusion as well - she could be pandering without the threat of recourse there too.

To round this post out, I have to mention the liberal use of "pro-business" during this election.  The El Paso Times made every effort to claim their endorsements were "business friendly" and I don't think they know any details from any of the candidates on how they exactly intend to make that political mantra a reality.  Everybody is now saying they are "business friendly" and nobody is talking specifics. 

I highly doubt Ness falls into the "business friendly" category if she's being backed by the greenies.  Or, she's lying to them and she's actually Steve Forbes in Mariel Heminghway eyebrows (some of you got that and now need to change your under pants and clean your keyboard and screen). 

I think we have an enigma here.  I'm not sure where she stands on any issues other than the gay benefits fight and the ever popular question of whether David K is an asshole or an asshole and an idiot.  I would advise the greenies, the El Paso Times and anyone else who is supporting her to get her positions down on paper and hold her to them.  You might find her a little unwilling to sign on the dotted line.

I take back everything I've said about Lyda Ness-Garcia - the more I think about her, the more I see her as the perfect politician.  She's a hurricane wrapped in a tornado trailing an earthquake and I'm the only person on earth who has taken any notice.  She could be the next President of the United States (is she 35 yet?). Just look at the guy we have in there now and all the stuff the media never covered.  She's golden and you can't convince me otherwise!  She could have me whacked tomorrow and nobody would raise an eyebrow (don't get any ideas, I have a highly trained Bichon Frise attack dog).  Why she isn't knocking over banks left and right is beyond me! She's invisible! She can do no wrong!  This blog post was written and posted in a vacuum!  It never happened... at least in a world where the responsible mirror can see.

It Wasn't a Republican

I'm really busy catching up this morning, but had to post this update. 
The first person to make the death of Bin Laden small was none other than Hillary Clinton. She is making a political play and I think it is going to relieve any republican from having to throw stones. Democrats are a mean and nasty bunch and this is yet more proof of that.

She didn't even give Obama 24 hours to enjoy the moment.

El Paso Times Endorsements

I wrote out a whole long thing on the plane today and then just decided to leave it alone.  What's the point in going through the entire EP Times endorsement debacle?  Who knows why they do what they do, but their excuses for supporting the candidates they support rarely check out with facts.  Just take for example where they like one candidate's thoughts on transportation even though that candidate is against transportation... odd.

The bottom line is that they made two extremely easy picks - the candidates literally don't have viable opponents.  You can't really mess those up.

The other two endorsements are risky.  Only one of them has a chance of winning, so that takes some of the heat off of the EP Times.  Had the other ever had a chance and was actually elected, they would have lots of explaining to do.  But, since there's only a small chance that one of these endorsements will be elected, why bother bitching about it here?

I was just hoping my buddy Jaime would post a piece calling the Times Editorial Board "brilliant" for picking his favorite candidate. You may remember, he didn't quite use that word to describe them and their picks in the past (McCain).

I'm also less inclined post my original piece because it appears that nobody is reading their endorsements article online and nobody is commenting on it.  Nobody cares.  That means that the endorsements are in fact meaningless.  I think a couple of people over at the EP Times are happy about that.

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In other news Lyda Ness was out walking in my neighborhood and left me a door knocker with a personal note.  Good for her for being the bigger person.  You really got to have some guts to come to my door after I've said the kinds of things I've said about her.