New Mexico Lawmakers Rally Around Spaceport Secrecy Bill

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

3 hours 39 min ago
by Morgan Lee, Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers rallied Friday around a proposal to provide greater confidentiality for aerospace companies working out of a taxpayer-funded space launch facility in southern New Mexico, over the objections of open-government advocates.

A Senate panel unanimously endorsed a bill that would provide exceptions to state open-records law for information about tenants at Spaceport America. The legislation broadens the definition of trade secrets that are exempt from public disclosure, adding information tied to business operations at the launch facility overseen by the state-funded New Mexico Spaceport Authority.

Managers of the Spaceport America hangar, testing facilities, rocket launch pad and specialized runway say greater confidentiality provisions are needed to compete for new aerospace-industry tenants against competition from a growing list of government-subsidized launch facilities.

Spaceport America CEO Dan Hicks said the secrecy provisions are in the best interest of taxpayers who want to see a return on state investments of more than $200 million in the facility.

Read more: https://www.manufacturing.net/news/2018/02/new-mexico-lawmakers-rally-around-spaceport-secrecy-bill-0

[ancianita]

1. No more socialism for privatizers, then. Ban all tax subsidies. Let their free market pals pay.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. I agree on this important substance but not terms. Tax BENEFITS are hidden. Subsidies are public.

I agree on substance; disagree on terminology.

Tax deductions (benefits) are hidden; never added up, never costed out. They are the reason the tax code is so large. They are the first thing added and the last things removed from the code. They are written obscurely so the beneficiary is hidden. It might for example refer to domesticated animal transportation stimulus device (buggy whip) manufacturers located more than 50 miles from state capitals which would like devolve down to only one or two who qualify.

Subsidies (government grants) are public; they are always added up. They are the last things added to the budget and the first cut from the budget. Unless, of course, they are defense spending or particular earmarks used to buy the votes of members of Congress. In any case, Congress generally dislikes subsidies since they are so visible and easy to cut.

True tax simplification would convert all tax deductions to payouts. It would be net zero change monetarily but would be a huge change in transparency.

[ancianita]

4. Thank you very much for helping me think through this.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

2. "We're taking good care of your money, Mr. Taxpayer. You can trust us."

I know this is Space-X, and they launch from Florida and not New Mexico, but I wanted to illustrate how quickly a company can burn through several million dollars in just one failed launch. How much of that will be taxpayer money New Mexicans won't know under the new open records restrictions.

[mpcamb]

5. Sounds like the fix is in on this one.

"Trump administration wants to privatize the International Space Station

The White House wants to turn the International Space Station into a commercially run venture after 2024, according to an internal NASA document obtained by The Washington Post Feb. 11."

YOU BOUGHT AND PAID FOR IT AND THEY WANNA SELL TO THEIR DONORS AT BARGAIN PRICES! Same as the airports they're peddling. This is why we were a rich country. Important things were PUBLICLY owned. When they sell them off to their buddies you get to pay for them again.
Over and over and over.

Make any sense?