New Mexico Republican Whines About Layoffs At Los Alamos Due To Obama Budget Cuts

Last year in my post, "Rats in a Cage," I used that graphic metaphor to describe how as America's economy slowly implodes every interest group is going to fight like hell to try and protect its share of the remaining booty. What's more, this will be every bit as true for so-called "austerity" loving Republicans as it will be for Democrats, as demonstrated yet again in this story by a local New Mexico television station:

On Tuesday Heather Wilson, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, released a statement in response to a voluntary lay-off at Los Alamos National Labs.

According to the release, 400-800 jobs will be lost at Los Alamos as a result of President Obama’s budget cuts.

Oh boy, this ought to be good. Lay it on me:

“400-800 jobs lost at Los Alamos will affect a lot of families and businesses in Los Alamos and Rio Arriba County,” Wilson said. “I'm afraid it is only the beginning. I expect there will be hundreds more jobs lost unless we change direction.

“A little over a year ago, President Obama made a commitment to modernize our nuclear weapons complex in order to maintain a safe, reliable nuclear deterrent at lower levels of forces. That commitment included replacing a 60-year-old facility at Los Alamos for handling plutonium. In his new budget, however, President Obama has broken that commitment. And as a result, an estimated 1,000 jobs will be killed for 10 years in Los Alamos.

“One of the best ways to provide for our defense needs would be to reduce excessive red tape from Washington and move more of the budget into programs. The President's budget includes almost $500 million a year in National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) administrative costs. We would be better off as a nation if most of this money were moved to programs like CMRR at Los Alamos. Having helped create the NNSA as a semi-autonomous agency attached to DOE, it is now clear to me that the change did not take hold. The priority should be science — not paying for layers of bureaucracy.

“I believe we need a handful of people who will steward our nation’s defense even in a time of peace. New Mexico needs someone who will fight for our laboratories — someone who understands our state's unique contributions to national security. I intend to stand up for New Mexico and fight for our labs when I am elected to the U.S. Senate.”

Memo to New Mexico Republican Senate candidate Heather Wilson: Go Fuck Yourself (seems like I have been saying that a lot lately). You and your party are all about supposedly cutting government spending--just so long as it is someone ELSE'S government spending. The Department of Energy, in particular, has been a particular target of your party--one that Rick Perry said he wanted to eliminate on those rare occasions when he could actually remember what it was called.

Well, guess what? ALL government spending needs to be cut, but the first to go ought to be the completely unnecessary and wasteful defense war programs like the ones at your precious laboratories. If they want to stay in business, let them retool themselves and do something that actually benefits mankind for a change.


Bonus: "So long mom...I'm off to drop the bomb"

Albuquerque's Old Town Sees More Than 20 Businesses Shut Down in the Last Year

The other day I read an article on a DC-based progressive news blog which laughably contended that the economic recovery is really starting to gain steam--presumably to advocate for the reelection of our great and glorious "leader," President Hopey-Changey. Politcal reporters who spew such nonsense need to start spending more time out in the real word, say, downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here is a local New Mexico television station with the story:

Albuquerque's Old Town looks more like a ghost town as more than 20 businesses have either closed or have moved out in the past year.

Business owners say the economy is hitting them hard, most report discouraging sales last year and say it's been extremely tough to stay afloat.

La Hacienda is closing its doors; the famous New Mexican restaurant has been open for more than 60 years and The Memories in Old Town Gallery is also going out of business.

And yet, hope still springs eternal, even when it doesn't make any sense at all:

"Old town is the heart of Albuquerque," said Karen Aceves, the owner of the Old Town Basket Store. "We may be beating a little slow right now but Old Town's heart will never stop beating."

She and her husband have owned their business for nearly 40 years. Aceves admits the situation looks bad right now, but she hopes the closures will breathe new life into the area.

That really is the most pathetic quote I think I've read yet from someone who believes that the economy just HAS to get better, because it always has in the past. They say it's darkest right before the dawn. But it's also darkest just before the last flickering light fades out forever.


Bonus: "Well they say...that Sante Fe...is less than 90 miles away"