Allen Weh's two tool, tool chest; a baseball bat and a veto pen.

Gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh assures voters that he needs only two tools to deal with the entrenched politicians and public servants in Santa Fe; a baseball bat and a veto pen.

He is wrong.

Take for example; Pit Rules, link. Pit Rules apply to environmental aspects of drilling for oil and gas. The rules, written to protect the environment, may be over protective and unproductive. There are those who believe that the Pit Rules stifle exploration and development and contribute to dwindling tax revenue to the state.

When asked about that specifically, at the Tea Party Forum, candidate Rep Janice Arnold-Jones said she plans to call a moratorium on enforcing the rules, and then review the situation to come up with a solution that protects the environment without over-biting the hand that feeds state coffers.

Weh, countered by saying, while his opponent, Arnold-Jones, would "study" the problem, he would end it with a stroke of his Governor's pen; baseball bat at the ready should anyone object.

The simple fact is that the Governor simply does not have the authority, under the State Constitution, to strike down regulations at will; Weh's plan is a non-starter; it will never leave the gate.

Voters must decide, whose plan is more workable? Can knowledge, experience, and the ability to negotiate effectively fix the problem, or do we need somebody swinging a baseball bat and a veto pen to beat the opposition into submission?

It's a no brainer, if you ask me.




photos Mark Bralley