However, in the New Mexico Independent and on your site, you raise questions about the propriety of the democrat lt governor's use of public resources to fund political activities by way of press releases under official state letterheads. The article clearly broaches the implication of impropriety, but does not ask if the governor's or lt governors activities might be criminal, which they most likely are.

We see no evidence that you made any attempt to answer the very important question – “What laws protect we the people from misappropriation of public resources for political purposes?”

The answer, very simply, is NMSA Article 10, Section 16
10-16-3
A. A legislator, public officer or employee shall treat the legislator's, public officer's or employee's government position as a public trust. The legislator, public officer or employee shall use the powers and resources of public office only to advance the public interest and not to obtain personal benefits or pursue private interests incompatible with the public interest.

10-16-3.1. Prohibited political activities.
Public officers and employees are prohibited from:
C. violating the officer's or employee's duty to not use state property, or allow its use, for other than authorized purposes.

10-16-17. Criminal penalties.
Unless specified otherwise in the Governmental Conduct Act [Chapter 10, Article 16 NMSA 1978], any person who knowingly and willfully violates any of the provisions of that act is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both.

Does the law provide penalties of up to a year in jail for activities such as the Democrat Governor and Lt. Governor's use of state letterheads the official state Web site to openly promote their political allies? Looks like that's one very important question you forgot or refused to answer Heath. Why?

And another good question you failed to answer before you rushed to publish – why was the political press release on a state Web site for five years with no complaint from you or any of the state's other dying news organizations?

Instead of turning to the laws that protect us all for an answer, and which are readily reviewed from the convenience of your Web browser, you bring partizan politics into play, with a brief reference that Republicans are calling for an inquiry but you make no effort to explain why state employs can't use state property to influence elections. Like your in-house pundit frankly admits — you chose who are the good guys (and apparently what laws you want to see enforced) by who happens to care enough to cry foul, albeit five years after the law was plainly and clearly violated by the state's top officials in plain view of the entire state press corps.

By your standard, Heath, we would have no reports about government corruption until the question of guilt or innocence was answered in a court of law. Nobody would acknowledge the public is in the dark until somebody turns on the light.

oops, lights are on and your pants are still down, heath.

However, in the New Mexico Independent and on your site, you raise questions about the propriety of the democrat lt governor's use of public resources to fund political activities by way of press releases under official state letterheads. The article clearly broaches the implication of impropriety, but does not ask if the governor's or lt governors activities might be criminal, which they most likely are.

We see no evidence that you made any attempt to answer the very important question – “What laws protect we the people from misappropriation of public resources for political purposes?”

The answer, very simply, is NMSA Article 10, Section 16
10-16-3
A. A legislator, public officer or employee shall treat the legislator's, public officer's or employee's government position as a public trust. The legislator, public officer or employee shall use the powers and resources of public office only to advance the public interest and not to obtain personal benefits or pursue private interests incompatible with the public interest.

10-16-3.1. Prohibited political activities.
Public officers and employees are prohibited from:
C. violating the officer's or employee's duty to not use state property, or allow its use, for other than authorized purposes.

10-16-17. Criminal penalties.
Unless specified otherwise in the Governmental Conduct Act [Chapter 10, Article 16 NMSA 1978], any person who knowingly and willfully violates any of the provisions of that act is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both.

Does the law provide penalties of up to a year in jail for activities such as the Democrat Governor and Lt. Governor's use of state letterheads the official state Web site to openly promote their political allies? Looks like that's one very important question you forgot or refused to answer Heath. Why?

And another good question you failed to answer before you rushed to publish – why was the political press release on a state Web site for five years with no complaint from you or any of the state's other dying news organizations?

Instead of turning to the laws that protect us all for an answer, and which are readily reviewed from the convenience of your Web browser, you bring partizan politics into play, with a brief reference that Republicans are calling for an inquiry but you make no effort to explain why state employs can't use state property to influence elections. Like your in-house pundit frankly admits — you chose who are the good guys (and apparently what laws you want to see enforced) by who happens to care enough to cry foul, albeit five years after the law was plainly and clearly violated by the state's top officials in plain view of the entire state press corps.

By your standard, Heath, we would have no reports about government corruption until the question of guilt or innocence was answered in a court of law. Nobody would acknowledge the public is in the dark until somebody turns on the light.

oops, lights are on and your pants are still down, heath.

However, in the New Mexico Independent and on your site, you raise questions about the propriety of the democrat lt governor's use of public resources to fund political activities by way of press releases under official state letterheads. The article clearly broaches the implication of impropriety, but does not ask if the governor's or lt governors activities might be criminal, which they most likely are.

We see no evidence that you made any attempt to answer the very important question – “What laws protect we the people from misappropriation of public resources for political purposes?”

The answer, very simply, is NMSA Article 10, Section 16
10-16-3
A. A legislator, public officer or employee shall treat the legislator's, public officer's or employee's government position as a public trust. The legislator, public officer or employee shall use the powers and resources of public office only to advance the public interest and not to obtain personal benefits or pursue private interests incompatible with the public interest.

10-16-3.1. Prohibited political activities.
Public officers and employees are prohibited from:
C. violating the officer's or employee's duty to not use state property, or allow its use, for other than authorized purposes.

10-16-17. Criminal penalties.
Unless specified otherwise in the Governmental Conduct Act [Chapter 10, Article 16 NMSA 1978], any person who knowingly and willfully violates any of the provisions of that act is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both.

Does the law provide penalties of up to a year in jail for activities such as the Democrat Governor and Lt. Governor's use of state letterheads the official state Web site to openly promote their political allies? Looks like that's one very important question you forgot or refused to answer Heath. Why?

And another good question you failed to answer before you rushed to publish – why was the political press release on a state Web site for five years with no complaint from you or any of the state's other dying news organizations?

Instead of turning to the laws that protect us all for an answer, and which are readily reviewed from the convenience of your Web browser, you bring partizan politics into play, with a brief reference that Republicans are calling for an inquiry but you make no effort to explain why state employs can't use state property to influence elections. Like your in-house pundit frankly admits — you chose who are the good guys (and apparently what laws you want to see enforced) by who happens to care enough to cry foul, albeit five years after the law was plainly and clearly violated by the state's top officials in plain view of the entire state press corps.

By your standard, Heath, we would have no reports about government corruption until the question of guilt or innocence was answered in a court of law. Nobody would acknowledge the public is in the dark until somebody turns on the light.

oops, lights are on and your pants are still down, heath.