Let's drop in on Reader Vox Populi this steamy August day.

It seems the city of ABQ can't buy a break when it comes to crime and crime stats. The National Insurance Crime Bureau caused a stir when it reported that ABQ, long #1 in the nation for auto theft, had finally dropped to second in 2019. But reader Charles Arasim took a closer look at the data and says hold off on popping the champagne corks:

1) The NICB data places metro ABQ 2nd (697 thefts per 100,000) in the nation behind metro Bakersfield (726/100,000). The difference being only 4% may fall within the margin of error or, possibly, slightly above it.

2) The NICB, along with the FBI, report auto theft has been decreasing across the nation over the last few years. The best number I've been able to find (2018) places the national average at 229/100,000. This means the metro #ABQ rate of 697/100,000 is approximately 3.04 times (304%) with Bakersfield at 3.17 times (317%) the national average. A less than .2% difference is hardly big news.

3) Although the NICB places metro ABQ 2nd in the nation, NICB now places the State of New Mexico 1st. Does this show that this category of crime, due to a slight decrease in metro ABQ, hasn't really decreased but simply shifted to different lines on a map?

Well, how about this. So far this year the city has had 42 murders, on pace to perhaps rank below the 2019 record breaker of 82 homicides. Or is that just because people were locked up for a good part of the year because of the pandemic and now the killing spree will pick up speed?

MLG FUTURE

Vice-President won't happen, but speculation that MLG could end up in a Joe Biden cabinet if he wins the presidency continues. We get this:

Joe,  Some Senior Alligator thoughts on the possibility that MLG might be appointed Secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department:

There is recent precedent for this move - former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was appointed HHS Secretary by President Obama and served in his Cabinet from 2009-2014; If MLG resigns her current office to return to D.C. Lt. Governor Howie Morales becomes Governor, but who will replace Morales as Lt. Governor? We could see the first use of a recent 2008 amendment to the NM Constitution (Article V, Section 16) which provides: "Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, the governor shall nominate a lieutenant governor who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of all members elected to the senate and shall serve remainder of the unexpired term."

Howie's Light Guv? Already? Those Gators love to get ahead of the curve. To play along, we'd guess it would be a woman.

THE BIG OIL SPAT

That spat between the state's top Republicans and the NM Oil and Gas Association has them talking. NMOGA is praising the work done on energy by southern Dem Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small who is running against R Yvette Herrell. That has the GOP shaking its fist (as detailed on last Wednesday's blog) but here's a GOP consultant who is taking sides with the NMOGA:

I don’t blame the NMOGA for working with the Democrats in New Mexico, especially given how the Republican Party is disappointing in the following:

- Recruited candidates with little or no training.

-Not offering our candidates the help they need to win in November.

-Haven’t successfully moved President Trump's numbers in the state

-Still has deep rooted factions fighting each other

- Tolerating racism from Cowboys for Trump and not denouncing their hateful comments towards African American, Native and Hispanic communities.

These oil companies have to answer to the investors, banks, communities they serve, their employees, and customers . . .They are going to do what it takes to survive, even if it means working with Democrats and compromising with them. Compromise is something most of the party refuses to do even with its own members.

PATTY'S BUMBLE

Our Thursday report about how State Rep. Patty Lundstrom was embarrassed by a "technical snafu" during a remote committee hearing and a private phone call she was on was broadcast to a committee hearing while she was waiting to speak, drew this reaction from reader Kevin Bersell:

Joe, These aren't technical snafu's. Skills such as knowing how to mute your microphone and how to check that it is still muted are user knowledge and training issues. Not participating in a long and complicated phone discussion while you are in the middle of a remotely broadcast public hearing is a common sense issue. Nothing "broke down" except the user's ability to appropriately use and understand the technology at hand. Let's make sure the legislators are appropriately trained and supported so they can do their jobs during these difficult times.

We posted a link to the phone call that was not supposed to be heard, but the Legislative Council Service edited it out. A description of it is on last Thursday's blog.

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