Balderas lodges complaint, doesn't name names.

NM State Auditor Hector Balderas has complained to the citizens of New Mexico, a billion of their tax dollars are "at risk" in a state government known nationally for its fundamental corruption and incompetence, link.

He did not name the quasi-governmental agencies that are behind on their audits. Some of them many years behind on audits of over a billion dollars.

What was the first question that entered your mind when you heard Balderas report that a billion tax dollars were at risk?

Don't you want to see the list of the quasi-governmental institutions who are not handing in audits on time?

Please accept as a sign of your lack of control over power and
resources that are fundamentally your own, that
when you ask a legitimate question about the public interests
and about their public service, politicians and public servants
can look you in the eye and say, no comment.
Or, not even look you in the eyes at all.

The first legitimate exercise of power is to protect that power
from abuse.

It is not our responsibility to hold our government accountable
for their abuse of power, it is the responsibility of government
to hold itself accountable for the abuse of power.

For pennies, every tax dollar that is spent by our government
could be forensically audited. It is a matter only of hiring enough auditors.

That and getting lawmakers to appropriate enough money to end the culture of corruption at once and for all.

The Legislature of the State of New Mexico steadfastly refuses to give to the Office of the State Auditor, enough power and resources to make it impossibly difficult to hide public corruption and incompetence.

The Legislature of the State of New Mexico steadfastly refuses to give to the Office of the Attorney General, enough power and resources to make it impossibly difficult to escape accountability for public corruption and incompetence.

The Legislature of the State of New Mexico steadfastly refuses to give to the Office of the Secretary of State, enough power and resources to make it impossibly difficult to unduly affect the outcome of elections.

It's not the way they roll.

Instead, they build highway interchanges next to their property, link.

They have gotten away with it and,
they will continue to get away with it because

the Citizens of the State of New Mexico steadfastly refuse to march on the Roundhouse and demand the end of the culture of corruption and incompetence in state government at once and, for all.




photos Mark Bralley


Update; Heath Haussamen has provided a link to the named quasi-governmental agencies that are late. He also reported this afternoon, that Balderas had supplied the list of 91 to the Legislative Finance Committee when he spoke to them Tuesday.