The Daily Chronicle

Flat screen TVs? Big refers? Fancy shoes? Not here. Most everyone I know uses an old Obama Flip Phone. No Smart phones or hand held devices in these parts. The Christmas food boxes are stacked by the hundreds at firehouses for the poor folks. This is a hard time of year for people with kids who are as poor as they are here. I know people who do not even have a hot water heater because they cannot afford the fuel cost. They heat water on a wood stove. We just put running water into the house of a neighbor. He was using the well his grandfather dug and a dip bucket.

Aren't these people living the life that they have grown up with? Are they worse off than they were a hundred years ago?
Poverty means something different even in New Mexico and Mississippi than Bangladesh or Somalia.

They are worse off. 100 years ago, cash was not as important as it is now. The biggest challenge these people have faced since 1847 is loosing their lands and homes to the government over taxes. 100 years ago, this community was thriving. It ws bigger than Taos. The largest trading post in northern NM was here, actually next door. This was a robust farming community with a railhead only seven miles away so goods could go to market. Thousands and thousands of sheep here. Many farms producing grains and vegetables for market. Five plazas with trading posts. The differences between then and now are astounding. Since I came here, we have lost the lumber mill, the molybdenum mine, the ski resort. These were the economic drivers. Now, there are a few farms producing animal feed and that is it.

I think we have one under 25 here Orley. I was born in 65 so I suppose I am youngster around here.

You are doing the oil pump on your Ford Joe that is a job. Be sure and buy a Melling HVLP and Felpro gaskets so you never have to do it again.

 Kudos to New Mexico State Hwy improvements.

Yesterday wife was discussing divorce at 2PM, 2 hours later we were playing Mattress Mambo,such is life.

The Moly mine is a superfund site and most of the clean=up crew are contractors imported from Texas. Very few of the local miners were hired. That is the way Chevron has it organized.

Yes, people migrate for jobs and many left here years ago during WWII when defense plants sprang up in hte west. It is harder to do that these days. The cost of relocating an entire family. Some young and single people have sought working lives elsewhere. Many people choose to stay because they are on family land owned free and clear. There are not a lot of jobs. Why? The federal government is the largest landowner in this state and does little with their holding. Logging for lumber is out. Mining is out. Some grazing of livestock occurs but not much. The USFS even tried to ban cutting dead trees for firewood. They faced massive civil disobedience and relented. The point being the presence of the US government eclipses other economic opportunity. The federal government pays no property taxes to the State of NM or the counties and contributes very little in the way of money.

Then there is access to financial products by the residents. Home owner insurance was almost impossible to get in some areas. It was the same for home loans or business loans. Farm loans? Forget about it unless the borrower is one of the few large operators. I have had USDA credit people laugh in my face when asking about farm credit here. Ditto, the SBA following a massive wild fire here. Their response, "I did not know there were any real businesses in that community".

There are structural economic problems which are way beyond simply lazy people. NM will never be treated the same as other states. The reasons for that are partly racial. I cannot overstate the number of times I have had to explain to representatives of US corporations that New Mexico is part of the United States. While that seems silly it is indicative of a mindset.

It is not all doom and gloom. There are bright spots here. The Permian Basin portion of NM has brought much tax revenue to the state and jobs to some people in the south although many are Texas transplants.

The movie industry has found NM as good place for filming and studio work.

Other smaller business have followed those rich yuppies mentioned above.

Still, it is a place with many very poor people. For much of the state, the great prosperity others talk about just never happened here. Why, these poor people are begrudged some assistance from a nation as rich as this one will always bother me.

hubby and I are heading out in the morning for Grantsville, MD to attend Christmas in the Village at Spruce Forest. From there on Saturday we are going to Marietta OH to check out The Anchorage, an historic house, then that evening will be doing a candlelight tour of Victorian homes in Parkersburg decorated for Christmas. I suspect we will be getting home late Saturday evening.

That is a blessing in some ways.

On the other hand, I am surrounded by emptiness as it is USFS National Forest to the east and BLM wastelands to the west.

John (Tosh) said.."Why, these poor people are begrudged some assistance from a nation as rich as this one will always bother me." Bothers me that we have billions to give to countries that hate us...why?....because we have so much to give them (financially) and much of that aid doesn't go to the people of that country...lands in the pockets of the governing community...giving rise to hatred because we have it so much better than them.  The old story...The haves have it and the have nots have nothing....nothing but hatred for the hand that is outstretched.

now we know why you're not sleeping. 😉

😵

It is... man all the stuff in the way! I am really happy so far as I have had all the tools needed and few hang ups. Other than some very tight and stubborn nuts and bolts to break free, as well as some accessibility issues to oil pan bolts. 

I did get the melling and felpro before I got started, but the recommendation is appreciated and gives me some piece of mind.  Thanks

Tomorrow will likely be more fun than today and yesterday that's for sure. Stay tuned.