What's going on, Albuquerque?

Morning Fix - Turquoise Fever!

• For $17 you can replace that stupid balloon license plate with a beautiful piece of turquoise fender jewelery. Supposed to be available today. DCF LVR, FIX GRL, & GOT DCF are special order. As is SAV H2O.

• I-40 from ABQ to Texas remains closed as of 3:00 AM. Check this map for detailed current information. Great on-line feature sponsored by the NMDOT.

• Idiots seem to be voting despite being banned by the NM Constitution. Efforts to change Constitution failed in 2002...likely to fail again.

• State Senator Eric Griego has introduced a joint memorial urging UNM to cut the salaries of 20 or so administrators who make $200,000-$300,000. Didn't UNM Pres. Schmidley increase the number of his Vice-Presidents to 19?

• Two ABQ policemen, battered by mob of 30 apartment dwellers, mace their way out of trouble. Two women jailed.

• Dollar-a-pack cigarette tax defeated in committee. Money was to be used for education. I attended this Committee when the bill was supposed to be discussed last Wednesday. The committee adjourned without considering the measure. It is HB 35. Click on the pdf link to the Fiscal Imact Report for a fascinating summary of the issues. For instance, did you know that one-third of tobacco sales in NM are not taxed?

0 members like this

Comment by slamwagon on January 29, 2010 at 9:22am: Very excited about the new license plates.

Comment by once banned twice shy on January 29, 2010 at 9:25am: sorta like the border is the edge of the universe.

Well, it pretty much is. Particularly when you're talking about leaving NM and going into Texas.

Comment by ramon t on January 29, 2010 at 9:29am: I think I'll be keeping my stupid balloon license plate. The centennial one is ....well.... meh.

Comment by misterhinkydink on January 29, 2010 at 10:48am: If idiots can run for elected office then they should be allowed to vote.

Comment by Johnny_Mango on January 29, 2010 at 11:06am: ramon t-
Ha! You may be right. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." However, the balloon plate, which was designed somewhere in New England and manufactured in Canada (if I'm not mistaken), just never caught on with many of us.

Comment by hettie on January 29, 2010 at 12:18pm: I really like the new plate. it hearkens back to an era when plates from most states were a single background color with a different color for text, perhaps a tiny emblem. very simple, maybe even graceful in their functionality. many states have a wide variety, so it's less easy to know at a glance where a car is from and many of the "artistic" plates issued around the u.s. are just tacky. it's just a license plate, for pete's sake. having said that, I won't be paying any money to have my plate replaced. I mean, it's just a license plate, for pete's sake!

Comment by Tracy Dingmann on January 29, 2010 at 12:49pm: I'm gonna get me one of them new license plates, ASAP. I think they are gorgeous.

Comment by Edith Grove on January 29, 2010 at 1:53pm: I'm attracted to that plate like a moth to a outdoor light. I can't help myself. But do you have to actually go into the MVD to get one?