Columns

There have been so many “defining moments” in our nation’s history – every election today, for example, is proclaimed such – the term is more cliche than truth.
Our war for independence was obviously a defining moment – not solely for our country, but for the world, as it turned out. The Civil War – the election of Lincoln and the anti-slavery voice countering the growing power of the South.
Two world wars. The civil rights movement. We send a man to the moon. Those were genuinely defining moments.

Recently I had an opportunity to visit with a gentleman from Catron County. The topic was what is happening in his part of the world.
“Some ranching,” my informant said. The saw mills are gone, thanks to the spotted owl and the environmentalists.
Subdivisions are the other development, he said. Some attract older people. Subdivisions are fine, he said, but he wonders about an older person building a Catron County home. Health care availability is modest, a problem he knows well, being equipped with a small oxygen tank.

Why are so many high profile politicos so ill-tempered these days? Is it in the job description: Politico, be unpleasant? Whatever the case, you encounter this snapping and sniping wherever you turn.
In New Mexico, Gov. Susana Martinez routinely bristles at the slightest hint of criticism.
In a recent op-ed piece, Martinez’s predecessor, Bill Richardson, suggested that the nation’s governors, Martinez included, might want to think twice before abandoning tax incentives for movie production in their states.

Keeping home and automobile insurance policies up to date couldn’t be more important .
You might not have the coverage you think you have. Your insurance policy may have changed and you might not be aware of the changes.  Prices of items in the home as well as the home value might also have changed.  
Let me introduce the concept of endorsements, which are defined as: a clause in an insurance policy detailing an exemption from or change in coverage.   Endorsements are often part of the state law.