I continue my look at the sources of our present cultural impasse by examining in detail the incompatibility between an egalitarian democracy and individualism by examining the notions of rights and choice and how non-democratic hierarchies promote individualism.
Today's intelligence: concrete measures that New Mexico can take to manage more efficiently, equitably and resiliently water resources that are expected to decline by 25 percent over the next 50 years
General obligation bonds are backed by a governmental entity's ability to levy taxes, sometimes described as "the full faith and credit clause." Despite vague ballot language, voters passed the issuance of $3 million in bonds last November, demonstrating faith in T or C government. Will faith persist? Should it?
The exposition of recent changes in reading and writing leads to this excursion on a breakdown of what we used to think was the social function of language. That postulate is discussed by analyzing the comments to this series of articles as symptomatic of that breakdown.
Just as the lower-court planning and zoning commission blinded themselves to current city code, so did the Truth or Consequences City Commission. Mayor Amanda Forrister and her husband have been granted a kennel permit, making their hunting-dog operation legal, or at least sanctioned by her fellow city commissioners.
I've weighed the way three institutions have historically unshaped our idea of democracy as a model of human relations. I now turn to look at how these cultural tendencies impact public discourse and our apparent inability to settle any public issue.
Today's intelligence: Who is Harvey Yates and what is he trying to accomplish by buying Española's newspaper and making sizeable political contributions last election cycle, primarily to New Mexico Republicans, including Solomon Pena.
The validation of a personal, individualistic point of view in American culture to the exclusion of an objective, shared, and collective perspective constantly puts us at odds with one another because individuals normally disagree in judgement, interpretations, and opinions.
The city is falling apart all at once, 60 years of infrastructure neglect coming to crisis, while its debt capacity is exhausted. City officials were real with legislators and they were real back.
Continuing my discussion of our turn towards individual points of view to the exclusion of larger concerns, I propose that in the last half century, American education has focused on student subjectivity pushing the culture towards individuation rather than cohesion.
So far, good-ole-boy government is enabling Mayor Forrister to remain above the law. The 30 animal-control violations against her and her husband, which include animal cruelty, were not considered in P&Z deliberations and the current kennel law was thrown out the window.
There will be no sunshine on the possible sale of the city's electric utility. If it happens, it will be a private sale to Sierra Electric Cooperative.