CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH LAW

Here is a suggestion for the powers that be in New Mexico government. Prioritize. Let us put something ahead of the grandiose schemes to invest the public money [taken by taxes]in this enterprise or that. Why take my money from me in the form of taxes and use it to "invest" in any "enterprise"?

Eclipse may get off the ground, with the taxpayers’ help. Why not issue bonds [not backed by New Mexico taxpayers] and see who will buy Eclipse bonds? Spaceport may get off the earth with taxpayers’help. Why not issue bonds for the spaceport [not backed by NM taxpayers]and the sky is the limit! Why not have Intel issue bonds and raise the money it needs, rather than grant it a tax relief of over $200 million per year for decades [keep in mind that $10 million is the annual operating cost of the train to the taxpayers]. Meanwhile, how about addressing ourselves to a more mundane but more important problem.

According to Sen. Tim Jennings of Roswell, we should have a law that imposes a tax to be used by the New Mexico government under Governor Bill Richardson, to pay for screening for breast cancer for low income women. His wife has been diagnosed with cancer after an MRI and we approach this subject with due respect for the feelings of his family and loved ones.

But now this has been put in the newspaper. So we have a right to comment. Why are not all New Mexicans entitled as a matter of right, to preventative, diagnostic medical tests? What is so magical about an MRI? Is it a good diagnostic tool? Do we want to use it, if it gives us bad news? Jennings as much as says that the mamogram, which his wife took every quarter, was not as useful as the MRI. Incidentally, why take a mammogram every quarter, when the doctors say every year or two or five (are the doctors counting the beans?)

Why not use the MRI machine and test everybody, for everything wrong? Every quarter or every month. If you answer anything except “money,” please say what. Money. The greatest nation on earth, in history, cannot provide [by confiscatory taxes] the money to check its citizens to see if they are invaded by the germ enemy (cancer). In years past the military provided examinations for certain diseases, and who complained that it was socialized medicine?

Part of the problem is cost. We hire a brain surgeon to lance a boil. That is not accurate, we give in to the trade union element of the American Medical Association which controls, and says if you New Mexicans want a boil lanced, you must hire a brain surgeon.

Hey. Let’s talk about a spaceport. A train.