My question would be: Who was the land bought from? Who was the contractor? I'll guarantee that both answers will lead back to a powerful state official who was responsible for its creation.
Who wants to join me in going out there to start a hippie commune. I'll be the guru. I'm an old hippie (will be 70 on April 21), and I probably won't sleep with the pretty ladies in residence.
@@cosmoray9750 it's a great example of democrats fueling the perpetual job security plan. As long as you can hide out in a school or other form they do not need to contribute or participate in anything that would resemble work or accountability
I suspect the owner of the land may have had something to do with the idea... Wonder how much the taxpayers paid for this otherwise worthless land. Worse case, he gets paid for the land, best case it brings in people and whoever owns the rest of the land in the area can build the gas stations, hotels, restaurants...
@Golden God I'll finish that sentence for you. ...because of the millions in tax dollars, they keep getting from hard working citizens. ...(You're welcome)
Yeah, if your press is going to do it’s job as poorly as your politicians, you are doomed. Seemed to me the only person named with any connection is Governor Richards who also wasn’t actually named as having made any decisions and is no longer worried about the wrath of the voters. It’s not really too out of line to ask if this story isn’t effectively just spinning the story and hoping to put it to bed with no one getting held responsible.
The name that would matter here is Bill Richardson and he is basically untouchable in New Mexico no matter what he does. This thing was built because he was running for governor in the early 2000s and needed to reward his friends. The reporters did the best they could. I'm sure the people who run the state were not happy that this story was produced at all.
“ I can’t think of a more stupid or dangerous way to make decisions than to put those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” Dr. Thomas Sowell
I can think of several ways - a person that is unqualified, a person that is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and a person that is out for their own self-interest. There are people that make good decisions all the time that pay no price if they are wrong.
It wasn't "blunder." Don't let those crooks sell the taxpayers that load of crap. This story has all the earmarks of corruption and conspiracy. An investigative reporter worth his salt would've explored various avenues, including who owned the land the museum was built on and how much it was sold forand when. These reporters ignored the most important questions ! SMH The people deserve better than that.
@@vulgardisplayoftruth2060 , this sort of thing, unfortunately, happens across the entire country. In some states it is more prevalent than others . It's a shame that the majority of this great nation's leaders have a greater love for money 💰 🤑 than they do for upholding the constitution of the United States and out values. Public service is an honor and a privilege than should be held near and dear to every American's heart. How much longer can this nation hemorrhage moneys and debts before she finally collapses ? The way politicians rack up debts and attack the very foundation of America it's as if they want her to fall ! SMH Edit : grammar
Make it into an office for all politicians and put a big fence around it and keep them in it!!! Amazing how all of them that had decisions in building it now say it’s in the wrong place!!
I live in New Mexico but never visited the museum. After reviewing a satellite map image of the area, I can see why it was a blunder. Though it was located near a high volume rest area (stopped there many times) there was no direct access from the rest area to the museum. Had there been direct access and effective signage, it probably would have worked out. People want things to be easy and don't want to be inconvenienced.
It seems like a cool museum, I am from New Mexico too and my family loves the history but we never even knew about it. We probably would’ve gone if it was
So when you look at the map of the road, it passes through the cities of Socorro, Los Lunas and Albuquerque. It crosses I-25 at multiple locations. I wonder who owned that consultant firm?
The people on this consulting firm really need to take a good look at a map of New Mexico and take a guess where the majority of the population lives. The people aren't gonna go to a museum in the middle of nowhere, except the adventurous. If you build it much closer to Albuquerque, then yes a lot more people would've gone. Breaking Bad put Albuquerque on the map (before it was just some place Bugs Bunny mentioned one time), and they recently revealed a statue of two of its characters. And people are pouring their opposition to that, despite the show helping New Mexico's economy while this multi-million dollar museum built with tax dollars sits in the desert wasting away. Doesn't make sense.
Come on, the museum wasn't a total failure. I'm sure the politicians who dreamed up this idea managed to squeeze at least a couple hundred thousand $ dollars in kick backs out of the contractors they chose to build it!
@@Jim-Tuner I'm not surprised. Thats why so many scoundrels are running for public office to grift off the big gov't dole. Whats worse yet they're usually the same people who rail against the "welfare state". The military industrial complex is the same.
@@chrissinclair4442 Well one thing I'll say about Epstien before he was murdered, opps I mean committed suicide in a Federal prison was that when it came to providing pedophile services to rich and power men he wasn't politically partisan. Which is why Donald Trump used to host parties for Epstein at Mara Lago and frequently attend parties at Epstein's NY townhouse.
@@whiteorchid5412 it was reported in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial he had a rift, oh wait that was before the Maxwell trial. It was reported in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial he had been to Epstein's child abuse islands more times then anyone guessed. Epstein evidence in the Maxwell trial also had multiples of FBI asset tags were they could have been collected multiples of times by the FBI and given back to Epstein. Did you know Epstein's private planes landed even on military bases for pickups and possibly drop offs?
@@markmeridian3360 I touched a fresh dog turn with my boot last week. It evoked more emotions than this mockumentary. I watch these clowns trying to manipulate my emotions these days and I can't even get pissed off. I just roll my eyes. Maybe if I smash enough dog turds, I'll become desensitized & will stop getting pissed off.
@@markmeridian3360 hahaha lol damn that’s true. A dog turd has more meaning than a empty historic building! The buildings empty anyways it’s not even the building that’s important but the dog turd at least reminds you that the neighbor doesn’t give a damn to let the dog take a shit on your lawn to piss you off!!!
I really wish you'd gone deeper into the impact that consultants have on bad decisions. I can almost guarantee there were state employees right from the beginning saying this won't work, but they were overruled in favor of the consultants. Recently I was on a planning group for our town. The citizens said we need to fix X, Y, and Z. The consultants changed that to revitalize downtown with a convention center, upscale retail and restaurants, and upscale apartments with utterly ludicrous estimates of tourists, convention dollars, and such. This is small town rural Tennessee. No conventions are coming here. Ah but the consultants are just so much better .....
I’d also suspect that the consultant knows that improvements will drive up the tax floor and ALSO has out of town friends waiting to snap up those pricey properties as their owners are out priced and “forced” to sell. As with all else, the actual needs come last.
It does seem more the type of museum you'd be dragged to with your school, rather than one to appeal to tourists. But I wouldn't mind buying it and turning it into a home! :D
I've lived in NM for decades and never even knew this place existed. Not that I would've visited it even if I did. Placing this 25 miles south of Socorro is just beyond stupid. Socorro is a tiny town to begin with, and there is NOTHING anywhere near 25 miles south of Socorro. Everyone involved in this "project" should be investigated.
All those people saying "It will pump millions of dollars into the economy" makes it very hard for a politician to stand up and say, "It's a waste of taxpayer money". "How can anyone be against economic growth", goes the mantra. Of course, there are a lot of people making money from the project, at the taxpayer's expense.
@@nebraskafarmer9015 Our political system was doomed to fail eventually. I was a NM farmer, my business partner was a Texas farmer, and if indeed you are a Nebraska farmer you absolutley understand once our system of government was put into place, one or more groups would use the very system to take it down. Our system just took a little longer to destroy than most others. Maybe because it use to have God as its center and the scriptures to sware an oath of truth on. Thank you God for sending your son the Messiah for our redemption. Those who do not believe in the redemptive work won't miss us when we're gone. Then they can have every bit of their way they want.
Standard government -- taking a "long look" after the failure -- apparently nobody did a "hard look" when thinking about spending $5M // Barker needs to follow the money and find out which politicians benefited from this disaster
Who got the contracts to build it? who got the money under the table?! Now you know why they wanted to build a New Mexico United stadium! Or how bout that Art bus project🤪💋 You gifted, New Mexico husling con artist
@Derrick Bridges I’ve heard those underground streams go all the way north and or northeast. Starts out in CA. I’ve heard also there are tons of underground “facilities” in NM. So many things we have not been made aware.
Another fine example, Southern Blvd. In Rio Rancho, 1/2 got the royal treatment, the other 1/2 got the shaft. And the politician's want us to realect them for second terms. Do you think that we should support, their find decisions? 😖😖😖🤯🤯
My questions are; 1) Who owned the land that was purchased for the museum? This person could have benefited quite well. 2) Who was the contractor that build the museum? Again, this is someone who would have benefited. 3) Were the people that benefited from this project politically connected?
Exactly, why not dig just a little deeper? "it was the goverment" is nonsense, someone paid to get that put into a bill, who? Who built it? People who have economic interests get boondoggles like that put into bills, expose them.
The whole thing was about Bill Richardson. The project was about putting out contracts to his friends to help him get elected governor in the early 2000s. The vast majority of the money came from the federal government and the Clinton Administration in which Richardson was serving. But reporters can't say Bill Richardson and survive in New Mexico.
The answer to 1 and 2 is both myself. On an unrelated note I am enjoying retirement in my beachside mansion in Florida. In regards to 3. I had a few family members in the state legislature if that's what you mean politically connected.
I would most definitely buy the museum and live there. I love weird structures and the original intention of the building would make it a weird spacious house. Also no one would bother me most of the time. As a side gig I would probably rent a part of it as an Airbnb and sell it as an special experience below the stars and the silence of nature.
The town near where I live had a tax increase on the ballot several years ago. The option was, if memory serves, 1 1/2 % or 3%. There was no option for no increase. They got their tax increase. Corruption has taken over all governments in the nation. From local to state to federal.
@@momentswespend6798 what would you do? Vote out the corrupt ones, if you can convince their voter base, and you’ll end up just electing more corrupt ones. What’s your brilliant suggestion and how have you eradicated political corruption where you live?
@@sharonvictoria2434 most don’t really need utilities for an overnight stay. I prefer not to be in an rv park. There are quite a few state parks that don’t have utilities.
I’ve made it 53 seconds into this video and the only thing I can think that this building looks like it should be a prison. Secluded, big, relatively little parking, all with a building that looks like nothing more than a high school from the outside.
They did the same thing for a giant courthouse in Mora that was started years ago and to this day has never been finished. Why aren't people allowed to vote on how our money is being spent. These people are make ng horrible decisions with our money.
Haha! Portola CA has a huge expensive looking building that was constructed to be the county courthouse. It was never used. Biggest most expensive building in the county, never used.
@@markhonea2461 they built it with our taxes. We are pretty much working slaves. They take 20% of our income for taxes and do whatever they want with it. We have no choice.
Literally could’ve used the money for scholarships for students or revamping schools. We are dead last in education among the states for a reason. There are enough tourist attractions in New Mexico, we need to address education, which is SEVERELY flawed and neglected in NM.
Its whole purpose was to do exactly what it did. That was to consume resources at extremely highly inflated prices. It was built out of the way so it would be forgotten about, and most importantly it was built to make a few individuals very wealthy in the process.
It was also specifically built as part of getting Bill Richardson elected governor. It was about contracts and photo ops. They never cared about if anyone ever used it.
Funny how nobody remembers who thought this up and wanted this to happen. I guarantee if it would have been successful,we would have every single person involved trying to take the credit
I worked in a sheet metal shop (W.H. Rogers) in Charlotte NC for 33 years, I never will forget Mr. Rogers had a sign on the wall that read Why is there always enough time to do something wrong, but never enough time to do it right....He passed away in 1998 but the company is still there. He was a great Man!
Another New Mexico blunder is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express. Transit is great for communities...when done right. While the MTA's LIRR and Metro-North runs throughout the day because they understand people travel between NYC and the suburbs at different times of the day, it took a long time for New Mexico to figure out that a traditional commuter rail model of running at rush hours just doesn't work. It's like with Metra in Chicagoland. Wanna hangout in Chicago but the last train to your suburb leaves for the night too early? Too bad! In the case of New Mexico, when it first opened in 2006 for Phase I between Albuquerque to Bernalillo, service was initially free for all. As was the case when it was extended to Santa Fe in 2008. During the first full week of service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, 33K passengers boarded. But this was short-lived. While ridership increased in 2010, reaching a peak of over a million annually, it proceeded and continues to decline. From under 750K in 2019 to 256K in the first quarter of 2022. Now the state is looking to revise the schedule, focusing on all-day frequency. As for the cost...the cost of the Rail Runner system was $135 million for the first phase and around $250 million for the second phase. Preliminary estimates indicated that the service would operate at a deficit, requiring up to $10 million in government funding annually. In late 2007, the Rail Runner was the subject of more criticism as a transportation funding shortfall left many state road projects stalled.
Agreed. Not that many people commute between ABQ and Santa Fe, as well. They are far enough apart that people don't really seek out jobs outside of the city they live in.
My wife is from there and cannot understand why I dislike visiting her home town. I grew up on Pismo beach. She thinks her scrub and cacti are beautiful. She’s strange.
@@skaetur1 Mine is from Albuquerque. On our first trip to visit her family she said "look how beautiful it is." All I saw was barren desert and distant mountains. Then she gets mad when I said, "what am I looking for?" I grew up on the third coast. NM has nothing on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. I mean the gulf beaches are not spectacular, but they make for a better scenery than a desert.
Millions...?gosh hold our beer. In Hawaii we got a 9 billion dollar train that will never be finished with wheels that are the wrong size gauge for the track. Now that's how you line some pockets.
Politicians on all levels (from several states most likely) and investors (from anywhere & everywhere) which is always the case. You're learning how politics & investing works.
@@curtischildress9580 what are you talking about everywhere this is all done in Santa Fe and it's done by a bunch of dumbass Democrats it's funny how the bureau of Land Management took 4 million dollars to put towards this museum and then what did they start this year the largest forest fire !!!was that done by outside help too??
@@cleanearth6238 Politicians from everywhere meaning different locations where these situations happen. As for it being Democrats or republicans? They're both equally invested. You think politics are different for each party...WTFU!!! Politics is a business no matter what name you carry. You're watching show & tell games by politicians that they let the public see to get their votes...when their shows are over, both parties go back inside & talk some hard-edged serious business about running this country which depends on the economy. ...That 4-million-dollar investment went toward a bunch of good paychecks for a bunch of workers who sure as hell didn't complain about getting it at the time. You really don't understand how politics works. That 4 million paid paychecks for people so they could pay bills & live...WTF cares who handed out 4 million???!!! ...Those fires? Revenge by international drug traders, some set by illegals, some happen in nature...those type fires happened in the 1950s.
The actual cost estimate in the plan was $8.3M. The video made it appear to only be a $5M loss. These politicians are corrupt but the voters of NM are just plain stupid!
@@jeffdodson6106 Not stupid--49% of New Mexicans are on some form of welfare. They vote for the politicians that are friendliest to their interests, and are unconcerned about any other issue. Too, the governor and the legislator just legalized recreational use of marijuana, and New Mexico uses Dominion Voting Machines. Help is NEVER on the way...
@@Joe_Goofball The 49% better start fighting then. I know it's not just NM either. I recently heard the Feds answer to the ongoing drug problems in the inner city is to provide the users with clean needles and crack pipes. This would lower the number of illnesses and deaths caused by dirty paraphenalia. Now that makes great sense. Then we can have the taxpayers pay for drug programs to treat their addicition caused by the help of the Feds. This kind of thinking causes me to believe it is the government smoking crack before each legislative session. This is what happens when God is removed from the government. He steps back and watches the fools do what they do best without him. 5% victims used by the governement as examples to exploit enough people which initiate social actions forcing the citizens to take sides. Those who choose opposite the progressive agenda are shown to be the blame, you know....the white, conservative, racists. Why anyone wants to live in the current society I have no Idea. Today there is nothing but peace and prosperity to all Americans.......NOT! When just a few short years ago it was available to anyone who simply wanted to work! This country will continue to spiral until it is made a third world country. It will only come back when God is recognized again by the very people who removed him. And after all our history too........man is such a fool.
@@Joe_Goofball Legal drug use has probably attracted more visitors to New Mexico than this museum… And the Dominion voting machines have proven more accurate than hand counts in four separate audits in New Mexico…
@@allangibson2408 That's why I'm looking forward to Dominion's civil suit against Mike Lindell to come to trial. We WILL see what really happened, or perhaps what didn't happen...
Follow the money and you will find your answer. There are different kinds of political mobsters in Socorro - just look up who that property was bought from, and who got the build contracts. Those were some connected people.
Isn't it amazing how they can do a long drawn-out news report and never ask or answer the most important questions?. I watch these reports and I can clearly see them dancing around and covering up what they should be reporting. I think it's called propaganda.
Who own the land is certainly a question to be asked. The next would be the availability of water to support a small city. In Arizona circa 1985 there was a master planned community west of Phoenix. A beautiful scenic parkway was put in and the building was supposed to follow. Problem was, they could not get water. The project faded but about 2005 the building began. Prior to that the only people that used the road were the truck driving schools. The community is there now...Bell Road west of Surprise towards Interstate 10. Last time I saw it golf courses and retirement communities were being built. Sun Valley Parkway...AKA The Road To Nowhere. In time, a community will be built near the museum and the right people would profit...just give it ten more years. Water is most likely the key....The name of this news report makes me think they are well aware of the Arizona story. Phoenix had a free news paper that really did investigative reporting and they asked the right questions...no answers though. I think it was the News Times.
Our family drove right past this on the expressway in 2019 on our way to the Trinity Site. We might have stopped in if it were open and advertised. What a shame. Maybe one day they can make this site viable. I am all for protecting our history and heritage. Unfortunately there is NOTHING out that way for hours in any direction. Another waste of our tax dollars.
Another example of over paid university educated professional consultants giving their opinion without any responsibility for the outcome. Paid consultants have no skin in the game.
That is how things are purposely setup to work i.e. "no resposibility for the outcome". Governments purposely hire consultants instead of doing things in-house so that they have a convenient way of passing the buck when things go wrong. This way, the govt can devolve itself of the blame, and as always, its the tax payers who loses out.
Some ideas work in theory but aren’t practical and can’t be applied… it’s the whole engineer but no common sense and because they’re formally educated they don’t listen to the people at the bottom saying this won’t work…
This shit goes on everywhere. Here where I live, they added on to the Courthouse and also built which I though was a large elevator shaft. Turns out it was added for appearance only. It cost 250,000 dollars to build. Well less the 5 years later it was deteriorating to the point it had to be taken down. It cost another 250,000 to safely disassemble the monstrosity. 1/2 million dollars wasted. No one responsible. There lies the problem no one responsible.
Along with the leading politicians and bureaucrats for the project. They should be named as well so their judgement (and likely corruption) can be judged accordingly.
Legislators are too busy allowing violent felons out jail the next day, and getting arrested for DUI in Santa Fe... Don't bother them with things like making the state better.
No petrol stations? No hotels? No restaurants? Hey, everyone! Let's just build a museum out in the middle of the desert with absolutely NOTHING else around it!!! Sounds like a GREAT idea!
Did a little research for those listed in this video. It was one of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" kinda Bills. Well.....thanks to the watchful citizens of NM, their elected politicians played the "slip it by and launder" game. The 40 acres of the museum property was said to be provided by the Bureau of Land Mgnt. The planning study in the video was actually completed in 1994 under Gov Bruce King (D) but was not funded until 1999 when State Senator Ben D Altamirano (D) added the request in an amendment to a Bill that was passed under Gov Gary Johnson (R). Evidently no one read the full Bill to see what was in it before passing it. Bill Richardson (D) was Gov when the Real Camino was completed in 2005. The video stated $1M was allowed for the project with an additional $4M added by the BLM. The actual planning report states the projected cost of the project was an estimated $8.3M. Knowing the government never estimates short, my guess is the actual cost of the project was closer to $12M......let's get real! So where did the other $4M - $8M go? If we could only follow the money. The overcrowded Museum was finally closed for good in 2016 under Gov Susana Martinez (R) who apparently had enough of the (D)'s wasting taxpayer money, kicking the laundry bag of money down the road. The people of NM likley blamed (R) Gov Susana Martinez for lost jobs etc before electing Michelle Grisham (D) as their new Gov., who assigned Debra Garcia Y Griego (D) to head the Dept of Cultural Affairs. There is still a functioning website for the Camino Real Interpretive Center despite its close in 2016 over 6 years ago. I have $100 that says this will happen again. I have another $100 that says (D) will be at the end of every name involved! Wake up NM!!
It would have been a lot better if it had been in sight of the interstate instead of 5 miles away, down a gravel road. Not too inviting when you can't even see it.
"Success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan." All these politicians with scowls on their faces today, where were they back when the money was being appropriated? I definitely think the Camino Real is a significant historical feature of New Mexico and the building looks very nice. Too bad it was built in the wrong place.
Did a little research for those listed in this video. It was one of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" kinda Bills. Well.....thanks to the watchful citizens of NM, their elected politicians played the "slip it by and launder" game. The 40 acres of the museum property was said to be provided by the Bureau of Land Mgnt. The planning study in the video was actually completed in 1994 under Gov Bruce King (D) but was not funded until 1999 when State Senator Ben D Altamirano (D) added the request in an amendment to a Bill that was passed under Gov Gary Johnson (R). Evidently no one read the full Bill to see what was in it before passing it. Bill Richardson (D) was Gov when the Real Camino was completed in 2005. The video stated $1M was allowed for the project with an additional $4M added by the BLM. The actual planning report states the projected cost of the project was an estimated $8.3M. Knowing the government never estimates short, my guess is the actual cost of the project was closer to $12M......let's get real! So where did the other $4M - $8M go? If we could only follow the money. The overcrowded Museum was finally closed for good in 2016 under Gov Susana Martinez (R) who apparently had enough of the (D)'s wasting taxpayer money, kicking the laundry bag of money down the road. The people of NM likley blamed (R) Gov Susana Martinez for lost jobs etc before electing Michelle Grisham (D) as their new Gov., who assigned Debra Garcia Y Griego (D) to head the Dept of Cultural Affairs. There is still a functioning website for the Camino Real Interpretive Center despite its close in 2016 over 6 years ago. I have $100 that says this will happen again. I have another $100 that says (D) will be at the end of every name involved! Wake up NM!!
I’ve never seen more “REPORT DRUNK DRIVING” signs and been forced to travel 25 mph in the middle of NOWHERE… than in New Mexico. Drunk and slow… should be NM motto…
She's only been head for 3 years but she was head of Santa Fe cultural committee so I'm sure she was a part of it. She also has a history of being a part of overtly expensive and overpriced public boondoggles. Chicago museum campus should of cost only 150 million. But in the end to shift a road and add grass, it cost 330mm. She knows all about the grift. She from Chicago so she got professional experience in corruption.
Did a little research for those listed in this video. It was one of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" kinda Bills. Well.....thanks to the watchful citizens of NM, their elected politicians played the "slip it by and launder" game. The 40 acres of the museum property was said to be provided by the Bureau of Land Mgnt. The planning study in the video was actually completed in 1994 under Gov Bruce King (D) but was not funded until 1999 when State Senator Ben D Altamirano (D) added the request in an amendment to a Bill that was passed under Gov Gary Johnson (R). Evidently no one read the full Bill to see what was in it before passing it. Bill Richardson (D) was Gov when the Real Camino was completed in 2005. The video stated $1M was allowed for the project with an additional $4M added by the BLM. The actual planning report states the projected cost of the project was an estimated $8.3M. Knowing the government never estimates short, my guess is the actual cost of the project was closer to $12M......let's get real! So where did the other $4M - $8M go? If we could only follow the money. The overcrowded Museum was finally closed for good in 2016 under Gov Susana Martinez (R) who apparently had enough of the (D)'s wasting taxpayer money, kicking the laundry bag of money down the road. The people of NM likley blamed (R) Gov Susana Martinez for lost jobs etc before electing Michelle Grisham (D) as their new Gov., who assigned Debra Garcia Y Griego (D) to head the Dept of Cultural Affairs. There is still a functioning website for the Camino Real Interpretive Center despite its close in 2016 over 6 years ago. I have $100 that says this will happen again. I have another $100 that says (D) will be at the end of every name involved! Wake up NM!!
Why was the consulting firm not interviewed or even named in this video? Granted, the politicians are to blame too but, with all the mentions of "the consultants" in this video, it felt like the reporter was going out of his way to not mention their name.
I agree. They mentioned it at the start then repeatedly said there was no feasibility study. B.S. Government usually works pretty well, this is a B.S. hit on government. This was a rare mistake.
@@dustinabc given that it is likely none of those people is in office anymore it is likely irrelevant. Half of them may be dead. They were probably in their 60s when this passed over 30 years ago.
Sell the building to the local drug cartel, they are the only ones who actually drive through there on a regular basis. And without them all your service industry and restaurant personnel will stop showing up for work immediately. (Ok, not ALL of them, I did meet some really nice old ladies and a few good teenagers with decent upbringing working there. But the rest of us? forget about it, our drug habits were the only thing that kept us from remembering how little we were being paid to do all that undesirable work.)
"Nobody remembers where the idea came from". Had it been successful, can you imagine a museum, of all things, not having anyone know where the idea for it came from? lol. How convenient. SOMEONE DEFINITELY REMEMBERS.
A five year old could have pointed out the flaw of a building plonked in the middle of the desert. Pity all these clever administrators and politicians didn't ask one!
I worked on that building and if you're telling me it was a 4 million dollar building you'd better look at contractors and state officials cause they didn't put that much money into it.
Logistically, I can see the reason for a comprehensive study, but it really doesn't take a lot of thought to conclude that if there is no supporting infrastructure to attract tourists, that the museum will not attract nor retain visitors, let alone staff!
Ok how did this manage to simultaneously feel like a masterful TH-cam shitpost but also a pretty interesting local news segment? I see the complaints about lackluster "investigative" reporting but damn, they somehow managed to make this feel like an uncannily polished meme or an uncannily goofy news segment.
"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong." Thomas Sowell
This deal was pretty well planned. You're learning how politics & investing works. Also...several people who built this museum and got paychecks when working there never felt any money was being wasted.
It would take 2 minutes to go through the paperwork to see who exactly made the decision to build it there. That person or people should not be working in government.
Reminds me of the Safeguard anti-missile site built in North Dakota. It was only active for 2 days before shutting down. The pyramid for the radar is still there, the underground computer complex is empty along with the interceptor missile silos. Multi-millions spent on 2 days of activity.
Who owns the land it’s built on? That will tell you the story. BTW, You wanna know why they won’t name who’s idea it was? The answer probably lies in the governors office.
Soccoro is a GOP country and you can see that with all the Trump signs there! 1999 was when the state floated the idea and had GOP governor! Feds got onboard to make it reality in 2005 and Bush was president!
Yeah, I was wondering why they wouldn't say who sponsored it. But it might have nothing to do with the governor. There are a lot of corrupt people here.
There is a TH-cam channel called wonderhussy adventures, if you want to see a well done video series check out her multi part series on the Donner party, she does a very professional job on all her videos but I found that one especially well done, she lives in death valley now but used to live in Vegas, she travels all around the desert looking for interesting abandoned places, I'm surprised she hasn't done one about this place.
“I don’t trust society to protect us; I have no intention of placing my fate in the hands of men whose only qualification is that they managed to con a block of people to vote for them.” Mario Puzo
New Mexico, you got off light. Just imagine having a high-speed train that nobody will ride. That's California for ya. We've spent BILLIONS AND MORE BILLIONS on this mess and not one steel wheel has even TOUCHED a rail. People need to go to prison over this massive fraud. However, being a one-party state, and the same party judges, it's unlikely that will ever happen. God, I hate what my state has turned into.
There could’ve been saving plans. Another person commented on how it was near a heavily used rest area but no signage for the museum. That’s one problem they could have easily changed. If they had leased space to a cafe with outstanding food (not rest stop food), that might have helped. With all the RV activity, why not have a nice RV/camper site set up nearby? I could think of many more things that could’ve been done to make this successful. What a shame.
Good ideas- considering the museum celebrated what amounted to a settler/caravan trail, connection to the rest area, in house food service, and a camper site would have made enormous sense.
In the report it said the location had deficient utilities. Who's going to pay for the upgrade to water sewer and electrical that would be needed for campgrounds and restaurant? You had to go down a three mile gravel road to get to it. If you pave the road, run power sewer and water lines, maybe it could work. But why not build it in a place that has paved roads and sufficient utilities in the first place?
Museums in the middle of nowhere don't always fail. I'm thinking in particular of the Maryhill Museum in Washington state, which is an amazing facility with an amazing collection on an amazing site in the middle of nowhere. People travel long distances to see that museum. Maybe the El Camino Real museum just wasn't interesting enough for people to make the trip.
Socorro is located 74 miles south of Albuquerque and 146 miles north of Las Cruces. On Interstate 25 a Major Highway NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! The Deliberate "Framing" is deceptive. I actually Visited this Tourist Museum 2011 and it was Very Active with Many Many tourists. It is a victim of the 2016 Election of The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket. Trump personally closed Socorro Museum
@@edwardlouisbernays2469 HAHAHAHAHA and the 8,000 tourists a year was what made up by Trump, YOU sound like you are from New Mexico and that is the real problem, too many like you, my parents and sister lives there, and the politics are wacko crazy corrupt. the story is how the whole state is run, and the "republican " governor you had was a never trump rino. I don't think there ever was a conservative candidate in new Mexico, and what a mess it is. Crime drugs illegals homelessness, the state is a mess, well blue state what else is there to say
My question would be: Who was the land bought from? Who was the contractor? I'll guarantee that both answers will lead back to a powerful state official who was responsible for its creation.
Bingo.
@@DGuerriero To find the real reason for anything that is inexplicable.....follow the money.
Democrats
I was going to say the same thing
@@paulleonard7038 Cheesewiz!!! You see, anyone can blurt out bullshit with nothing to support their claims... literally anyone.
A three mile gravel road is enough to indicate why no one went there.
Exactly should've been in city
Who wants to join me in going out there to start a hippie commune. I'll be the guru. I'm an old hippie (will be 70 on April 21), and I probably won't sleep with the pretty ladies in residence.
@@brahmburgers
I'll go!
I'm 65.
I'll be the "young buck stud" ! !
I'll take care of the ladies...
@@MrSpaceRatt lol love it!
@@brahmburgers Sorry my dude, I already closed on this property. You can still send the ladies though.
It’s not a “blunder” it’s systematic corruption, check the Invoices
Yeah I'd say 4 million disappeared in that one
That money probably disappeared to the very people they're interviewing
Follow the money...
No doubt about it
Funny, as Russia's Putin and Fox News also promoted corruption.
The politicians, and other involved in this project, knew EXACTLY what they were doing - lining their pockets with taxpayer dollars.
It happens time and time again. Watch Clinton Cash.
exacto!
All democrats
Kick backs and no accountability.
Fat wallets/purses and no one goes to jail.
It is a win win for the politicians and the consultants.
@@cosmoray9750 it's a great example of democrats fueling the perpetual job security plan. As long as you can hide out in a school or other form they do not need to contribute or participate in anything that would resemble work or accountability
"No one knows where the idea originated". Reminds me of the old saying: "Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan"
Ain't that the truth.
deep
I suspect the owner of the land may have had something to do with the idea... Wonder how much the taxpayers paid for this otherwise worthless land. Worse case, he gets paid for the land, best case it brings in people and whoever owns the rest of the land in the area can build the gas stations, hotels, restaurants...
So true. Also keep in mind the old saying…if you do something good, no one remembers…if you do something wrong, no one forgets-
Reminds me of another old saying:
“Don’t build anything deep in the desert.”
😁
I visited New Mexico and found it hard to leave, someone stole my car.
I live in New Mexico this 100% true
Res-bomber?
Land of Entrapment... 🤣
Stole my tires, left the truck
Lmai
It was a complete success! Politicians made tremendous money on contractor kickbacks, bribes, and other hustles. Who owned the land? The Mayor?
You hit the nail right on the head
Right, why do we have to listen to lame excuses when there's a cash grab by thieving elected officials?
Land ownership was never mentioned in the video. I wonder why???
That's what happens when a dumbass gets ahold of a positive cash flow
BLM kicked in $4 million so I'd guess it's BLM land. My guess is the good ol' boy network was at work to convert tax dollars to private profits.
And of course no one is held accountable for failures like this.
No of course not, why would they be? They're too powerful
@Golden God I'll finish that sentence for you. ...because of the millions in tax dollars, they keep getting from hard working citizens.
...(You're welcome)
Republican Talaban at its finest f up
Doug's most likely right. Since no one named the consultant or the land owner & contractors this report is about as well-planned as the Museum.
Your post was better then this video.
Yeah, if your press is going to do it’s job as poorly as your politicians, you are doomed. Seemed to me the only person named with any connection is Governor Richards who also wasn’t actually named as having made any decisions and is no longer worried about the wrath of the voters.
It’s not really too out of line to ask if this story isn’t effectively just spinning the story and hoping to put it to bed with no one getting held responsible.
The name that would matter here is Bill Richardson and he is basically untouchable in New Mexico no matter what he does. This thing was built because he was running for governor in the early 2000s and needed to reward his friends.
The reporters did the best they could. I'm sure the people who run the state were not happy that this story was produced at all.
@@Jim-Tuner This isn’t exactly Russia. I doubt if they had named names there would be any arrests or disappearances.
..Bingo..🥛🥛🍪🥛☎️
“ I can’t think of a more stupid or dangerous way to make decisions than to put those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” Dr. Thomas Sowell
A quote from an anti government moron by another
Exactly 💯
Beautifully stated..have a cookie..!
..🥛🥛🥛🍪🥛🥛🥛
I can think of several ways - a person that is unqualified, a person that is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and a person that is out for their own self-interest. There are people that make good decisions all the time that pay no price if they are wrong.
turn it into a casino, that will draw them to it.
It wasn't "blunder."
Don't let those crooks sell the taxpayers that load of crap.
This story has all the earmarks of corruption and conspiracy.
An investigative reporter worth his salt would've explored various avenues, including who owned the land the museum was built on and how much it was sold forand when.
These reporters ignored the most important questions !
SMH The people deserve better than that.
This was targeted fraud against the state. Just look up the developers and land owners.
@@nobodynoone2500 I believe it .
i wonder how much heroine and cocaine processing was funded through this
What would you expect from anywhere else than New Mexico.
@@vulgardisplayoftruth2060 , this sort of thing, unfortunately, happens across the entire country. In some states it is more prevalent than others .
It's a shame that the majority of this great nation's leaders have a greater love for money 💰 🤑 than they do for upholding the constitution of the United States and out values. Public service is an honor and a privilege than should be held near and dear to every American's heart.
How much longer can this nation hemorrhage moneys and debts before she finally collapses ?
The way politicians rack up debts and attack the very foundation of America it's as if they want her to fall ! SMH
Edit : grammar
"no feasibility study"
That describes a lot of our nation's many legislative blunders.
Make it into an office for all politicians and put a big fence around it and keep them in it!!! Amazing how all of them that had decisions in building it now say it’s in the wrong place!!
AGREED!!
Make that fence electric and you got a deal.
its roundup time
Hey people Santa Fe sucks
@@angeldemon234 ok and what does that have to do with anything talked about here exactly?
I live in New Mexico but never visited the museum. After reviewing a satellite map image of the area, I can see why it was a blunder. Though it was located near a high volume rest area (stopped there many times) there was no direct access from the rest area to the museum. Had there been direct access and effective signage, it probably would have worked out. People want things to be easy and don't want to be inconvenienced.
Yeah, the real problem might have been just a minor planning issue, as you say. Too bad. I love going to those museums.
It seems like a cool museum, I am from New Mexico too and my family loves the history but we never even knew about it. We probably would’ve gone if it was
@@dbacks2023-
It was actually located 25 miles south of Socorro.
@@SigmaSheepdog yeah and she was saying she’s would’ve gone if it was less than 25 miles from Abq
@@ingrid3291 Ooooops, my bad.
There's no way that building cost that much, nor the land seeing that it's a state own building... I guarantee most of that money was pocketed.
that is the exact reason it was built where it was. Money could line a few pockets and no one would bat an eye.
Exactly
The location probably added to the cost. Plus, the sound systems, displays, replicas…….but, yes, corners were definitely cut.
So when you look at the map of the road, it passes through the cities of Socorro, Los Lunas and Albuquerque. It crosses I-25 at multiple locations. I wonder who owned that consultant firm?
Most assuredly that happened. For how poor NM is the very idea is absurd.
The people on this consulting firm really need to take a good look at a map of New Mexico and take a guess where the majority of the population lives. The people aren't gonna go to a museum in the middle of nowhere, except the adventurous. If you build it much closer to Albuquerque, then yes a lot more people would've gone. Breaking Bad put Albuquerque on the map (before it was just some place Bugs Bunny mentioned one time), and they recently revealed a statue of two of its characters. And people are pouring their opposition to that, despite the show helping New Mexico's economy while this multi-million dollar museum built with tax dollars sits in the desert wasting away. Doesn't make sense.
Come on, the museum wasn't a total failure. I'm sure the politicians who dreamed up this idea managed to squeeze at least a couple hundred thousand $ dollars in kick backs out of the contractors they chose to build it!
The politician who dreamed it up became governor of the state.
@@Jim-Tuner I'm not surprised. Thats why so many scoundrels are running for public office to grift off the big gov't dole. Whats worse yet they're usually the same people who rail against the "welfare state". The military industrial complex is the same.
Bill Richardson = FriendsOfEpstein
Wonder who this will be given to when attention dies down?
@@chrissinclair4442 Well one thing I'll say about Epstien before he was murdered, opps I mean committed suicide in a Federal prison was that when it came to providing pedophile services to rich and power men he wasn't politically partisan. Which is why Donald Trump used to host parties for Epstein at Mara Lago and frequently attend parties at Epstein's NY townhouse.
@@whiteorchid5412 it was reported in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial he had a rift, oh wait that was before the Maxwell trial. It was reported in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial he had been to Epstein's child abuse islands more times then anyone guessed. Epstein evidence in the Maxwell trial also had multiples of FBI asset tags were they could have been collected multiples of times by the FBI and given back to Epstein.
Did you know Epstein's private planes landed even on military bases for pickups and possibly drop offs?
This "investigative" report was about as good as the project itself.
@@markmeridian3360
Nah. At least the museum is a thing you can touch. This report is just people talking and people recording people talking.
@@markmeridian3360
I touched a fresh dog turn with my boot last week. It evoked more emotions than this mockumentary. I watch these clowns trying to manipulate my emotions these days and I can't even get pissed off. I just roll my eyes.
Maybe if I smash enough dog turds, I'll become desensitized & will stop getting pissed off.
There wasn’t any investigation in this report, that’s for sure.
@@markmeridian3360 hahaha lol damn that’s true. A dog turd has more meaning than a empty historic building! The buildings empty anyways it’s not even the building that’s important but the dog turd at least reminds you that the neighbor doesn’t give a damn to let the dog take a shit on your lawn to piss you off!!!
It was an "Oh well" report.
I really wish you'd gone deeper into the impact that consultants have on bad decisions. I can almost guarantee there were state employees right from the beginning saying this won't work, but they were overruled in favor of the consultants. Recently I was on a planning group for our town. The citizens said we need to fix X, Y, and Z. The consultants changed that to revitalize downtown with a convention center, upscale retail and restaurants, and upscale apartments with utterly ludicrous estimates of tourists, convention dollars, and such. This is small town rural Tennessee. No conventions are coming here. Ah but the consultants are just so much better .....
An expert (or a consultant) is just somebody from out of town with a briefcase (or in this day and age, a website).
Experts are from out of town....right???
"Consultant" is not a real job.
Most consultants are just former govt leeches finding the same source of blood from outside the govt
I’d also suspect that the consultant knows that improvements will drive up the tax floor and ALSO has out of town friends waiting to snap up those pricey properties as their owners are out priced and “forced” to sell. As with all else, the actual needs come last.
It does seem more the type of museum you'd be dragged to with your school, rather than one to appeal to tourists.
But I wouldn't mind buying it and turning it into a home! :D
gotta say, didn't expect to find "the" Larry Bundy Jr in this comment section.
I've lived in NM for decades and never even knew this place existed. Not that I would've visited it even if I did. Placing this 25 miles south of Socorro is just beyond stupid. Socorro is a tiny town to begin with, and there is NOTHING anywhere near 25 miles south of Socorro. Everyone involved in this "project" should be investigated.
Bosque del Apache is pretty awesome place though.
I would say they need hung, but for lack of trees, a firing squad would suffice?
One of the things that is in Socorro is a big bureau of land management office and they put up 80% of the money for the project.
Land of Entrapment.
Thieves, liars, cons…..
I'm sure the contractors and the bureaucrats who approved the project don't see it as a screw up.
I guarantee the afforded themselves the legal armors as well... these politicians need to hang in closets, in Hell's Kitchen.
@@caiusmadison2996
How about the businesses that lobbied those politicians?
Has to be asked: who owned the land before? BLM? Private? New Mexico?
"we investigated ourselves and found that we did nothing wrong"
Can't you just hear them saying that?
@@spikespa5208 the people that originally lived there did not consider land ownership to be a thing. They were mostly killed and put on reservations
"What were they thinking?" They were thinking "fuck it, aint my money." That's what they were thinking.
Somebody finally gets it, thank you!
and they will continue using the same argument until the people wake up........which will be never!
All those people saying "It will pump millions of dollars into the economy" makes it very hard for a politician to stand up and say, "It's a waste of taxpayer money". "How can anyone be against economic growth", goes the mantra. Of course, there are a lot of people making money from the project, at the taxpayer's expense.
@@nebraskafarmer9015 Our political system was doomed to fail eventually. I was a NM farmer, my business partner was a Texas farmer, and if indeed you are a Nebraska farmer you absolutley understand once our system of government was put into place, one or more groups would use the very system to take it down. Our system just took a little longer to destroy than most others. Maybe because it use to have God as its center and the scriptures to sware an oath of truth on. Thank you God for sending your son the Messiah for our redemption. Those who do not believe in the redemptive work won't miss us when we're gone. Then they can have every bit of their way they want.
which is why the government should not be trusted to anything with financial efficiency. We should be privatizing 90% of current government services.
Standard government -- taking a "long look" after the failure -- apparently nobody did a "hard look" when thinking about spending $5M // Barker needs to follow the money and find out which politicians benefited from this disaster
Several politicians from different states most likely plus investors from all over the country.
The politicians should pay all that money back ‼️
👍✌️
Sounds like a plan.
In your dreams. :-D
What? The $5M or the $8.3M that was clearly stated in the actual cost estimate planning proposal. I read it online!
@@jeffdodson6106 All the money not just part of it ‼️
Who got the contracts to build it? who got the money under the table?! Now you know why they wanted to build a New Mexico United stadium! Or how bout that Art bus project🤪💋 You gifted, New Mexico husling con artist
Exactly!
I got the money 💰
@Derrick Bridges the what? You gotta be shittin me!
@Derrick Bridges I’ve heard those underground streams go all the way north and or northeast. Starts out in CA. I’ve heard also there are tons of underground “facilities” in NM. So many things we have not been made aware.
Another fine example, Southern Blvd. In Rio Rancho, 1/2 got the royal treatment, the other 1/2 got the shaft. And the politician's want us to realect them for second terms. Do you think that we should support, their find decisions? 😖😖😖🤯🤯
My questions are; 1) Who owned the land that was purchased for the museum? This person could have benefited quite well. 2) Who was the contractor that build the museum? Again, this is someone who would have benefited. 3) Were the people that benefited from this project politically connected?
Exactly, why not dig just a little deeper? "it was the goverment" is nonsense, someone paid to get that put into a bill, who? Who built it?
People who have economic interests get boondoggles like that put into bills, expose them.
How about who was the consulting firm that offered such sage advice as to the location??
Always follow the money!
The whole thing was about Bill Richardson. The project was about putting out contracts to his friends to help him get elected governor in the early 2000s. The vast majority of the money came from the federal government and the Clinton Administration in which Richardson was serving.
But reporters can't say Bill Richardson and survive in New Mexico.
The answer to 1 and 2 is both myself. On an unrelated note I am enjoying retirement in my beachside mansion in Florida. In regards to 3. I had a few family members in the state legislature if that's what you mean politically connected.
I would most definitely buy the museum and live there. I love weird structures and the original intention of the building would make it a weird spacious house. Also no one would bother me most of the time.
As a side gig I would probably rent a part of it as an Airbnb and sell it as an special experience below the stars and the silence of nature.
MSan, "no one would bother me out there"....maybe The Manson Family.
I was thinking the same thing
I would love to hop off a train and come visit you during the night at that house. 🔪
They could have just turned it into a housing project for battered women shelter
Comes from the state where we spent over 30k on a rainbow crosswalk😂
The difference is more people saw the crosswalk 😂
F..kn ridiculous
Wow, that's gay!
What we put up with is sickening
Bill Richardson's rail runner another example of waste of tax payers money... In such a poor state as NM!
The town near where I live had a tax increase on the ballot several years ago. The option was, if memory serves, 1 1/2 % or 3%. There was no option for no increase. They got their tax increase. Corruption has taken over all governments in the nation. From local to state to federal.
What will you do about it?
votes aren't counted.
2020 proved that.
@@momentswespend6798 nothing
@@momentswespend6798 what would you do? Vote out the corrupt ones, if you can convince their voter base, and you’ll end up just electing more corrupt ones. What’s your brilliant suggestion and how have you eradicated political corruption where you live?
Dems have ran this state for 80 years, but its the rebuplicans fault.LOL
Add RV overnight parking and it will boom again.
..for realz..
No lie... lol
Put a liquor and marijuana store there and it will really boom especially if its on a indian reservation.
Good idea but no utilities
@@sharonvictoria2434 most don’t really need utilities for an overnight stay. I prefer not to be in an rv park. There are quite a few state parks that don’t have utilities.
You all forget : What is the prime directive of ALL corporate government's prime directive: "Waste Tax Dollars"!!!
I’ve made it 53 seconds into this video and the only thing I can think that this building looks like it should be a prison. Secluded, big, relatively little parking, all with a building that looks like nothing more than a high school from the outside.
Can never have enough parking should have paved over even more square miles of pristine nature.
They did the same thing for a giant courthouse in Mora that was started years ago and to this day has never been finished. Why aren't people allowed to vote on how our money is being spent. These people are make ng horrible decisions with our money.
Haha! Portola CA has a huge expensive looking building that was constructed to be the county courthouse. It was never used. Biggest most expensive building in the county, never used.
If the people were allowed a voice the political class would be checked and they wouldn't be able to spend the money. No kick backs, no graft.
It wasn't a bad decision to them as they and there cronies made bank from the construction.
@@markhonea2461 they built it with our taxes. We are pretty much working slaves. They take 20% of our income for taxes and do whatever they want with it. We have no choice.
Because we're a republic, not a democracy.
Government .. waste our tax money... never.
Literally could’ve used the money for scholarships for students or revamping schools. We are dead last in education among the states for a reason. There are enough tourist attractions in New Mexico, we need to address education, which is SEVERELY flawed and neglected in NM.
You’ve got to get past Mississippi, West Virginia and Nevada to be champion of last place.
@@tahoeclay New Mexico is dead last in education according to US News Reports.
Its whole purpose was to do exactly what it did. That was to consume resources at extremely highly inflated prices. It was built out of the way so it would be forgotten about, and most importantly it was built to make a few individuals very wealthy in the process.
Very well said.
Democrat playbook
@@ThinkHarderr republican gospel
@DEZZNUTZ 1001 you should do better research "bruh..."
It was also specifically built as part of getting Bill Richardson elected governor. It was about contracts and photo ops. They never cared about if anyone ever used it.
Funny how nobody remembers who thought this up and wanted this to happen. I guarantee if it would have been successful,we would have every single person involved trying to take the credit
Bill Richardson = FriendsOfEpstein
Wonder who this will be given to when attention dies down?
I worked in a sheet metal shop (W.H. Rogers) in Charlotte NC for 33 years, I never will forget Mr. Rogers had a sign on the wall that read Why is there always enough time to do something wrong, but never enough time to do it right....He passed away in 1998 but the company is still there. He was a great Man!
There was a twist on that saying at a place I worked: "If you don't have time to do it right, how will you have time to do it again"?
Another New Mexico blunder is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express. Transit is great for communities...when done right. While the MTA's LIRR and Metro-North runs throughout the day because they understand people travel between NYC and the suburbs at different times of the day, it took a long time for New Mexico to figure out that a traditional commuter rail model of running at rush hours just doesn't work. It's like with Metra in Chicagoland. Wanna hangout in Chicago but the last train to your suburb leaves for the night too early? Too bad!
In the case of New Mexico, when it first opened in 2006 for Phase I between Albuquerque to Bernalillo, service was initially free for all. As was the case when it was extended to Santa Fe in 2008. During the first full week of service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, 33K passengers boarded. But this was short-lived. While ridership increased in 2010, reaching a peak of over a million annually, it proceeded and continues to decline. From under 750K in 2019 to 256K in the first quarter of 2022. Now the state is looking to revise the schedule, focusing on all-day frequency.
As for the cost...the cost of the Rail Runner system was $135 million for the first phase and around $250 million for the second phase. Preliminary estimates indicated that the service would operate at a deficit, requiring up to $10 million in government funding annually. In late 2007, the Rail Runner was the subject of more criticism as a transportation funding shortfall left many state road projects stalled.
Agreed. Not that many people commute between ABQ and Santa Fe, as well. They are far enough apart that people don't really seek out jobs outside of the city they live in.
“Where did the government go wrong?”
More like a question that answers itself. You know nothing good is going to follow the statement, "and then the government..."
"Wise government spending" would be an example of oxymoron. The other guy is right. Yours is a question that answers itself.
The voters of NM went wrong
"Built in the middle of nowhere" perfectly describes New Mexico.
I know, but they REALLY went out of they way for this one.
My wife is from there and cannot understand why I dislike visiting her home town. I grew up on Pismo beach. She thinks her scrub and cacti are beautiful.
She’s strange.
@@skaetur1 Mine is from Albuquerque. On our first trip to visit her family she said "look how beautiful it is." All I saw was barren desert and distant mountains.
Then she gets mad when I said, "what am I looking for?"
I grew up on the third coast. NM has nothing on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. I mean the gulf beaches are not spectacular, but they make for a better scenery than a desert.
I feel bad for Old Mexico
@@skaetur1 I’d prefer the scrub and cacti over salt water.
Millions...?gosh hold our beer. In Hawaii we got a 9 billion dollar train that will never be finished with wheels that are the wrong size gauge for the track. Now that's how you line some pockets.
Every sector of the government wastes money like this
Ouch
We need the names of the people who pushed this forward. ACCOUNTABILITY is something we need to enforce from now on.
Politicians on all levels (from several states most likely) and investors (from anywhere & everywhere) which is always the case. You're learning how politics & investing works.
@@curtischildress9580 what are you talking about everywhere this is all done in Santa Fe and it's done by a bunch of dumbass Democrats it's funny how the bureau of Land Management took 4 million dollars to put towards this museum and then what did they start this year the largest forest fire !!!was that done by outside help too??
@@cleanearth6238 Politicians from everywhere meaning different locations where these situations happen. As for it being Democrats or republicans? They're both equally invested. You think politics are different for each party...WTFU!!! Politics is a business no matter what name you carry. You're watching show & tell games by politicians that they let the public see to get their votes...when their shows are over, both parties go back inside & talk some hard-edged serious business about running this country which depends on the economy. ...That 4-million-dollar investment went toward a bunch of good paychecks for a bunch of workers who sure as hell didn't complain about getting it at the time. You really don't understand how politics works. That 4 million paid paychecks for people so they could pay bills & live...WTF cares who handed out 4 million???!!! ...Those fires? Revenge by international drug traders, some set by illegals, some happen in nature...those type fires happened in the 1950s.
They should really revamp this property for a psychological treatment/therapy facility. Our state is struggling with mental health!
There's a lot of things they need to do but won't.
How much did the consultants sell the land to the state for?
The actual cost estimate in the plan was $8.3M. The video made it appear to only be a $5M loss. These politicians are corrupt but the voters of NM are just plain stupid!
@@jeffdodson6106 Not stupid--49% of New Mexicans are on some form of welfare. They vote for the politicians that are friendliest to their interests, and are unconcerned about any other issue. Too, the governor and the legislator just legalized recreational use of marijuana, and New Mexico uses Dominion Voting Machines. Help is NEVER on the way...
@@Joe_Goofball The 49% better start fighting then. I know it's not just NM either. I recently heard the Feds answer to the ongoing drug problems in the inner city is to provide the users with clean needles and crack pipes. This would lower the number of illnesses and deaths caused by dirty paraphenalia. Now that makes great sense. Then we can have the taxpayers pay for drug programs to treat their addicition caused by the help of the Feds. This kind of thinking causes me to believe it is the government smoking crack before each legislative session. This is what happens when God is removed from the government. He steps back and watches the fools do what they do best without him. 5% victims used by the governement as examples to exploit enough people which initiate social actions forcing the citizens to take sides. Those who choose opposite the progressive agenda are shown to be the blame, you know....the white, conservative, racists. Why anyone wants to live in the current society I have no Idea. Today there is nothing but peace and prosperity to all Americans.......NOT! When just a few short years ago it was available to anyone who simply wanted to work! This country will continue to spiral until it is made a third world country. It will only come back when God is recognized again by the very people who removed him. And after all our history too........man is such a fool.
@@Joe_Goofball Legal drug use has probably attracted more visitors to New Mexico than this museum…
And the Dominion voting machines have proven more accurate than hand counts in four separate audits in New Mexico…
@@allangibson2408 That's why I'm looking forward to Dominion's civil suit against Mike Lindell to come to trial. We WILL see what really happened, or perhaps what didn't happen...
Follow the money and you will find your answer. There are different kinds of political mobsters in Socorro - just look up who that property was bought from, and who got the build contracts. Those were some connected people.
Isn't it amazing how they can do a long drawn-out news report and never ask or answer the most important questions?. I watch these reports and I can clearly see them dancing around and covering up what they should be reporting. I think it's called propaganda.
Who own the land is certainly a question to be asked. The next would be the availability of water to support a small city. In Arizona circa 1985 there was a master planned community west of Phoenix. A beautiful scenic parkway was put in and the building was supposed to follow. Problem was, they could not get water. The project faded but about 2005 the building began. Prior to that the only people that used the road were the truck driving schools. The community is there now...Bell Road west of Surprise towards Interstate 10. Last time I saw it golf courses and retirement communities were being built. Sun Valley Parkway...AKA The Road To Nowhere. In time, a community will be built near the museum and the right people would profit...just give it ten more years. Water is most likely the key....The name of this news report makes me think they are well aware of the Arizona story. Phoenix had a free news paper that really did investigative reporting and they asked the right questions...no answers though. I think it was the News Times.
Our family drove right past this on the expressway in 2019 on our way to the Trinity Site. We might have stopped in if it were open and advertised. What a shame. Maybe one day they can make this site viable. I am all for protecting our history and heritage. Unfortunately there is NOTHING out that way for hours in any direction. Another waste of our tax dollars.
Another example of over paid university educated professional consultants giving their opinion without any responsibility for the outcome. Paid consultants have no skin in the game.
They should have named the consulting firm and examined it's connection to the government.
Like the old saying: Consultants are like pigeons, they come sh$% over everything, then leave.
That is how things are purposely setup to work i.e. "no resposibility for the outcome". Governments purposely hire consultants instead of doing things in-house so that they have a convenient way of passing the buck when things go wrong. This way, the govt can devolve itself of the blame, and as always, its the tax payers who loses out.
Well their only consequence is profit.
Some ideas work in theory but aren’t practical and can’t be applied… it’s the whole engineer but no common sense and because they’re formally educated they don’t listen to the people at the bottom saying this won’t work…
Reopen it as “The Museum of Bureaucratic Failure”. It would probably be ironically profitable
This shit goes on everywhere. Here where I live, they added on to the Courthouse and also built which I though was a large elevator shaft. Turns out it was added for appearance only. It cost 250,000 dollars to build. Well less the 5 years later it was deteriorating to the point it had to be taken down. It cost another 250,000 to safely disassemble the monstrosity. 1/2 million dollars wasted. No one responsible. There lies the problem no one responsible.
What courthouse or city?
your job is to hold them accountable.
@@freezingcathedral by doing what, exactly? Yelling and screaming in the comments section of TH-cam?
The people in charge are responsible. GOP. These are called campaign kick backs.
Its not their money they are spending.
This makes me so happy. New Mexico is so poorly run, and this is just more icing on that cake. So funny.
The consultant's name should have been prominently mentioned in this report.
Exactly. They should be called out for their incompetence.
Right there on the report cover. Based in ABQ. 03:30
Along with the leading politicians and bureaucrats for the project. They should be named as well so their judgement (and likely corruption) can be judged accordingly.
Legislators are too busy allowing violent felons out jail the next day, and getting arrested for DUI in Santa Fe... Don't bother them with things like making the state better.
Totally agree with you.....
We're not supposed to call them felons these days. It hurts their feelings.
Politicians create havoc to distract the people, then while not looking they pull this crap. Pure Evil!
Went in 2015. Glad I went before it closed. Really fascinating and well curated place. Deserved as it said a better location.
Is it any where near Richard Brandon's Space Station, possibly close to Truth or Consequences?
Building it 25 miles down the road would have not made difference in attendance
Thanks for sharing your experience and making the trek to get there. It's a real shame it wasn't in a better location.
I agree the city they would've mad money looks like fasanating history
Supposedly it was near a high traffic area, but with no direct access or signage.
No petrol stations? No hotels? No restaurants? Hey, everyone! Let's just build a museum out in the middle of the desert with absolutely NOTHING else around it!!! Sounds like a GREAT idea!
Blind trust of the consultant was the key to their failures. What a disgrace.
When you look a New Mexico's roadways, this is a huge misappropriation of funds.
Oh, I suspect those politicians were well paid to be "blind"...
I'm pretty sure failure was very profitable for the ones who failed.
Don't forget all the money flowing under various tables!!
They may have had the dumb location idea, but the responsibility ultimately rests with idiotic and/or corrupt politicians.
Let's be honest ~ somebody, some people, got paid. It was a success! Swindles come in all kinds of well crafted narrative.
I'm sure everybody got paid. Some more than others. 🤯🤯🤯🤯😖😖
I can guarantee that the guy that they interviewed got paid off
However he was voted out of office
Did a little research for those listed in this video. It was one of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" kinda Bills. Well.....thanks to the watchful citizens of NM, their elected politicians played the "slip it by and launder" game. The 40 acres of the museum property was said to be provided by the Bureau of Land Mgnt. The planning study in the video was actually completed in 1994 under Gov Bruce King (D) but was not funded until 1999 when State Senator Ben D Altamirano (D) added the request in an amendment to a Bill that was passed under Gov Gary Johnson (R). Evidently no one read the full Bill to see what was in it before passing it. Bill Richardson (D) was Gov when the Real Camino was completed in 2005.
The video stated $1M was allowed for the project with an additional $4M added by the BLM. The actual planning report states the projected cost of the project was an estimated $8.3M. Knowing the government never estimates short, my guess is the actual cost of the project was closer to $12M......let's get real! So where did the other $4M - $8M go? If we could only follow the money. The overcrowded Museum was finally closed for good in 2016 under Gov Susana Martinez (R) who apparently had enough of the (D)'s wasting taxpayer money, kicking the laundry bag of money down the road. The people of NM likley blamed (R) Gov Susana Martinez for lost jobs etc before electing Michelle Grisham (D) as their new Gov., who assigned Debra Garcia Y Griego (D) to head the Dept of Cultural Affairs. There is still a functioning website for the Camino Real Interpretive Center despite its close in 2016 over 6 years ago.
I have $100 that says this will happen again. I have another $100 that says (D) will be at the end of every name involved! Wake up NM!!
It would have been a lot better if it had been in sight of the interstate instead of 5 miles away, down a gravel road. Not too inviting when you can't even see it.
I agree
The mistake was trusting politicians with tax payer money. This is just the tip of the iceberg in NM
I lived in New Mexico for twenty years, and before moving in 2010 I visited that museum at least five times. I really enjoyed it. What a shame.
Wow it would've been even more amazing in the closet town for support
Five times? Quit lieing to everybody.
"Consulting Firm" that is where so many things go wrong. These people charge to either state the obvious, or to steer things far from the obvious.
"Success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan." All these politicians with scowls on their faces today, where were they back when the money was being appropriated? I definitely think the Camino Real is a significant historical feature of New Mexico and the building looks very nice. Too bad it was built in the wrong place.
Did a little research for those listed in this video. It was one of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" kinda Bills. Well.....thanks to the watchful citizens of NM, their elected politicians played the "slip it by and launder" game. The 40 acres of the museum property was said to be provided by the Bureau of Land Mgnt. The planning study in the video was actually completed in 1994 under Gov Bruce King (D) but was not funded until 1999 when State Senator Ben D Altamirano (D) added the request in an amendment to a Bill that was passed under Gov Gary Johnson (R). Evidently no one read the full Bill to see what was in it before passing it. Bill Richardson (D) was Gov when the Real Camino was completed in 2005.
The video stated $1M was allowed for the project with an additional $4M added by the BLM. The actual planning report states the projected cost of the project was an estimated $8.3M. Knowing the government never estimates short, my guess is the actual cost of the project was closer to $12M......let's get real! So where did the other $4M - $8M go? If we could only follow the money. The overcrowded Museum was finally closed for good in 2016 under Gov Susana Martinez (R) who apparently had enough of the (D)'s wasting taxpayer money, kicking the laundry bag of money down the road. The people of NM likley blamed (R) Gov Susana Martinez for lost jobs etc before electing Michelle Grisham (D) as their new Gov., who assigned Debra Garcia Y Griego (D) to head the Dept of Cultural Affairs. There is still a functioning website for the Camino Real Interpretive Center despite its close in 2016 over 6 years ago.
I have $100 that says this will happen again. I have another $100 that says (D) will be at the end of every name involved! Wake up NM!!
Too bad gov't got involved in this (or any) project.
@@dustinabc I doubt you have ever really thought about the many ways government has benefitted your life.
I’ve never seen more “REPORT DRUNK DRIVING” signs and been forced to travel 25 mph in the middle of NOWHERE… than in New Mexico.
Drunk and slow… should be NM motto…
I'm born n raised in MN. Have wondered about NM...weather is a bit "warmer"
The lady speaking at the end was lying big time. She knows exactly what happened and why.
Yep, the whiny voice gives it away.
What will you do about it?
She's only been head for 3 years but she was head of Santa Fe cultural committee so I'm sure she was a part of it. She also has a history of being a part of overtly expensive and overpriced public boondoggles. Chicago museum campus should of cost only 150 million. But in the end to shift a road and add grass, it cost 330mm. She knows all about the grift. She from Chicago so she got professional experience in corruption.
Did a little research for those listed in this video. It was one of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" kinda Bills. Well.....thanks to the watchful citizens of NM, their elected politicians played the "slip it by and launder" game. The 40 acres of the museum property was said to be provided by the Bureau of Land Mgnt. The planning study in the video was actually completed in 1994 under Gov Bruce King (D) but was not funded until 1999 when State Senator Ben D Altamirano (D) added the request in an amendment to a Bill that was passed under Gov Gary Johnson (R). Evidently no one read the full Bill to see what was in it before passing it. Bill Richardson (D) was Gov when the Real Camino was completed in 2005.
The video stated $1M was allowed for the project with an additional $4M added by the BLM. The actual planning report states the projected cost of the project was an estimated $8.3M. Knowing the government never estimates short, my guess is the actual cost of the project was closer to $12M......let's get real! So where did the other $4M - $8M go? If we could only follow the money. The overcrowded Museum was finally closed for good in 2016 under Gov Susana Martinez (R) who apparently had enough of the (D)'s wasting taxpayer money, kicking the laundry bag of money down the road. The people of NM likley blamed (R) Gov Susana Martinez for lost jobs etc before electing Michelle Grisham (D) as their new Gov., who assigned Debra Garcia Y Griego (D) to head the Dept of Cultural Affairs. There is still a functioning website for the Camino Real Interpretive Center despite its close in 2016 over 6 years ago.
I have $100 that says this will happen again. I have another $100 that says (D) will be at the end of every name involved! Wake up NM!!
@@jeffdodson6106 very interesting to say the least. Hmmmmm thanks for sharing this information 👍
Check to see who sold the government the land. Probably a politician. That would explain the WRONG location.
or friend or relative or ...
Why was the consulting firm not interviewed or even named in this video? Granted, the politicians are to blame too but, with all the mentions of "the consultants" in this video, it felt like the reporter was going out of his way to not mention their name.
They do not want to get sued. Also possible the contractor went bankrupt in the last two decades. They clearly weren't good at profitability analysis.
I agree. They mentioned it at the start then repeatedly said there was no feasibility study. B.S. Government usually works pretty well, this is a B.S. hit on government. This was a rare mistake.
Nor did they name the specific politicians and other individuals pushing the project. Poor journalism.
@@dustinabc given that it is likely none of those people is in office anymore it is likely irrelevant. Half of them may be dead. They were probably in their 60s when this passed over 30 years ago.
Sell the building to the local drug cartel, they are the only ones who actually drive through there on a regular basis.
And without them all your service industry and restaurant personnel will stop showing up for work immediately.
(Ok, not ALL of them, I did meet some really nice old ladies and a few good teenagers with decent upbringing working there. But the rest of us? forget about it, our drug habits were the only thing that kept us from remembering how little we were being paid to do all that undesirable work.)
Turn it into a casino with a "easy" house and hotel, and fill it with replicas of the museum pieces.
Add in the element of upscale mudbath and spa and go after that kind of clientele. Might not even need a casino.
only indians are allowed casinos, you know the special people
@TNerd not big enough blue state you know
@TNerd if you build tents around it, but it will get cold in winter !
"Nobody remembers where the idea came from". Had it been successful, can you imagine a museum, of all things, not having anyone know where the idea for it came from? lol. How convenient. SOMEONE DEFINITELY REMEMBERS.
Dam county does this wasteful crap all over instead of fixing the infrastructure. "Just don't worry about the pot holes, look at the art!"
just like in N.Korea.Sure you're starving too death but look at this MASSIVE people's hall that cost💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰
A five year old could have pointed out the flaw of a building plonked in the middle of the desert.
Pity all these clever administrators and politicians didn't ask one!
And they say there isn’t an option for homeless.
Yeah because the homeless people are going to want to live out in the middle of freaking nowhere , give me a freaking break
@@jgbuff04 Hard enough to even hook a free ride to the West Side Shelter!!! As you know, all the way out there!
Transportation to and from would cost a lot also.
I worked on that building and if you're telling me it was a 4 million dollar building you'd better look at contractors and state officials cause they didn't put that much money into it.
The consulting firm estimated $8.3M
Logistically, I can see the reason for a comprehensive study, but it really doesn't take a lot of thought to conclude that if there is no supporting infrastructure to attract tourists, that the museum will not attract nor retain visitors, let alone staff!
They had 4 rows of port-a-potties
@@jeffdodson6106....but no beer tent.
Ok how did this manage to simultaneously feel like a masterful TH-cam shitpost but also a pretty interesting local news segment?
I see the complaints about lackluster "investigative" reporting but damn, they somehow managed to make this feel like an uncannily polished meme or an uncannily goofy news segment.
I went to this museum 10 years ago. It was awesome.
They should've put in the city I bet it would've been around longer
They ate doing it agin right now. Rte 66 museum on the west side. Shove it closer to the rio grande... closer to old town. WHERE THE TOURISTS GO!
"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong." Thomas Sowell
This deal was pretty well planned. You're learning how politics & investing works. Also...several people who built this museum and got paychecks when working there never felt any money was being wasted.
@@curtischildress9580 Upvoting your own self-delusions requires professional help.
It would take 2 minutes to go through the paperwork to see who exactly made the decision to build it there. That person or people should not be working in government.
We need more Larry barker investigates
He is a snitch ! 😒
Of course no one is held accountable when it turns out to be a bad government decision.
there is no limit to the political abuse of the American taxpayer
This is a classic example of why people don’t like government.
Reminds me of the Safeguard anti-missile site built in North Dakota. It was only active for 2 days before shutting down. The pyramid for the radar is still there, the underground computer complex is empty along with the interceptor missile silos. Multi-millions spent on 2 days of activity.
We have one in Ledger MT. Just a shell of a building. $27M mistake
The rich get richer. And those ruled over get stupider !!!
Nice reference. 15 Billion and fully operational for 24hrs. What a joke. This needs to stop. Some good old fashion lynching maybe?
@@dennismilton9078 yeah 15B in 60s dollars. Probably would be 500B today. Free money!! Fire up the printing press!
Who owns the land it’s built on? That will tell you the story.
BTW, You wanna know why they won’t name who’s idea it was? The answer probably lies in the governors office.
The dinosaurs 🦖
Soccoro is a GOP country and you can see that with all the Trump signs there! 1999 was when the state floated the idea and had GOP governor! Feds got onboard to make it reality in 2005 and Bush was president!
Yeah, I was wondering why they wouldn't say who sponsored it. But it might have nothing to do with the governor. There are a lot of corrupt people here.
Someone made alot of money from this disaster. Who was it?
The private consulting firm that made the blunder got paid, and not blamed. They are not even mentioned in this story-
Those with a powerful incentive to spend other people's money still haven't run out of other people's money.
The "consultants" estimation wasn't just off base, it was on another plane of existence.
50th in the state in education and we wonder why our states a shitter!
Props to the production crew for this high quality video. True professionals.
There is a TH-cam channel called wonderhussy adventures, if you want to see a well done video series check out her multi part series on the Donner party, she does a very professional job on all her videos but I found that one especially well done, she lives in death valley now but used to live in Vegas, she travels all around the desert looking for interesting abandoned places, I'm surprised she hasn't done one about this place.
I was too busy noticing the poor journalism to give a lot of focus to the production
“I don’t trust society to protect us; I have no intention of placing my fate in the hands of men whose only qualification is that they managed to con a block of people to vote for them.” Mario Puzo
New Mexico, you got off light. Just imagine having a high-speed train that nobody will ride. That's California for ya. We've spent BILLIONS AND MORE BILLIONS on this mess and not one steel wheel has even TOUCHED a rail. People need to go to prison over this massive fraud. However, being a one-party state, and the same party judges, it's unlikely that will ever happen. God, I hate what my state has turned into.
They should turn it into a shelter and bus all the homeless in Albuquerque there
May take too much $$ out of the budget to bus them that far out for free!
Ya that makes complete sense. Should bus yer ass anywhere thats somewhere else!
There could’ve been saving plans. Another person commented on how it was near a heavily used rest area but no signage for the museum. That’s one problem they could have easily changed. If they had leased space to a cafe with outstanding food (not rest stop food), that might have helped. With all the RV activity, why not have a nice RV/camper site set up nearby? I could think of many more things that could’ve been done to make this successful.
What a shame.
Good ideas- considering the museum celebrated what amounted to a settler/caravan trail, connection to the rest area, in house food service, and a camper site would have made enormous sense.
In the report it said the location had deficient utilities. Who's going to pay for the upgrade to water sewer and electrical that would be needed for campgrounds and restaurant? You had to go down a three mile gravel road to get to it. If you pave the road, run power sewer and water lines, maybe it could work. But why not build it in a place that has paved roads and sufficient utilities in the first place?
You make good points. I would add, they were already in it millions, pave the road.
@@brettcope9752 plus, no one ever heard of solar?
Just thinking the same thing. A campsite, motorhome/caravan site, cafe area, and trails to outside displays, and the story may have been different.
It wasn't a "blunder". I believe the word you were looking for is _boondoggle!"_ They knew it wouldn't work from day 1!
Sounds like the “consultants” who generated that initial report need to be investigated.
I want that building. I can turn it into a veteran housing and agriculture project. That will help.
Museums in the middle of nowhere don't always fail. I'm thinking in particular of the Maryhill Museum in Washington state, which is an amazing facility with an amazing collection on an amazing site in the middle of nowhere. People travel long distances to see that museum. Maybe the El Camino Real museum just wasn't interesting enough for people to make the trip.
Socorro is located 74 miles south of Albuquerque and 146 miles north of Las Cruces. On Interstate 25 a Major Highway NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! The Deliberate "Framing" is deceptive. I actually Visited this Tourist Museum 2011 and it was Very Active with Many Many tourists. It is a victim of the 2016 Election of The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket. Trump personally closed Socorro Museum
@@edwardlouisbernays2469 HAHAHAHAHA and the 8,000 tourists a year was what made up by Trump, YOU sound like you are from New Mexico and that is the real problem, too many like you, my parents and sister lives there, and the politics are wacko crazy corrupt. the story is how the whole state is run, and the "republican " governor you had was a never trump rino. I don't think there ever was a conservative candidate in new Mexico, and what a mess it is. Crime drugs illegals homelessness, the state is a mess, well blue state what else is there to say
LOL
Why don't you find the consultants and sue them for lying to The Government?