A Sane Fix to the Economy

It sure sounds like Congressman Tom Udall has a solid grasp of how we should proceed to fix this economic crisis on Wall Street so that it benefits Main Street Americans. I can agree with all of his requests.

"The Administration's proposal, as it has been presented to Congress, needs significant changes.

First, any plan that puts taxpayer money at risk must ensure that taxpayers get paid back before shareholders, bondholders or executives—so that corporate CEOs do not get a golden parachute while taxpayers are left to pay the bill.

“Additionally, Congress should act further to keep Americans in their homes by addressing the crisis in the mortgage industry as well as the one in the financial sector. Any economic package that allows tens of thousands of Americans to lose their homes is simply inadequate.

“Finally, there must be accountability. If we invest taxpayer dollars to protect our financial markets, we should make sure that money is spent effectively and efficiently, with proper oversight and accountability. No administration should be given unlimited authority over the spending of $700 billion or more of taxpayers’ dollars. Any bailout plan needs to ensure that those managing the bailout are responsible to Congress and the American people.”

I think Americans will back Democrats in Washington if they also stand behind a bill that would ensure these types of controls on Wall Street. I for one am glad that Congressman Udall was willing to take the time to carefully understand the issues and support changes that would protect homeowners and the voting public.

The voting public should demand that President Bush not be allowed to shove us into a bailout plan that has little to none of the protections that Congressman Udall is requesting. We listened to President Bush (Bust) once before and look where it got us. Why should we now listen to anything President Bush or his administration has to say on this issue? We need to hear from leading Economic individuals that are not directly controlled by the Bush Administration to clearly understand the options available to us at this moment in history. No sane person would ever be forced into a snap judgment when it come to large amounts of money personally so why would we allow President Bush to force us into one that will require billions of our hard earned tax dollars.

DOW Drops 778 on News of Bailout Bill Failure

DOW Drops 778 points in record one day total. Not since the great depression has the economy been in this type of crisis. The results of how this decision by Congress will play out over the next few days are new territory for those of us who are not over the age of 80 or 90. The word of the day in the markets was total and complete fear.

This is where the Republican Party forces their friends on Wall Street to take responsibility for some major bad decisions. The American people are not happy with the risk that CEOs of failed corporations took. They want these individuals to face jail time and the corporations to fail in order to clean house. Why should corporate America be bailout when Main Street Americas are being told to suck it up and face it like a man? Americans are losing their homes and their jobs so why should Wall Street be treated any differently?

The public is suggesting a bottom up solution where the people to be bailout are the homeowners. The market is going south because of homeowners not being able to pay the banks their mortgage payments so the simple answer to the problem is to help homeowners to met their monthly obligations. The likelihood of this being enacted by the Republican Party is slim to none but now is the time for Democrats in both the House and Senate to stand their ground because they clearly have the America voting public behind them on this issue.

The message is clear Main Street not Wall Street is important to America.

Hold Your Nose America

It is time for Congress to vote on the bailout bill. We all know just how much this bill stinks but the republicans have given us no choice at this point but to bailout the economy for the sack of the voting public on Main Street. This does not mean that we should not hold people responsible for their actions that brought the country to the brink of economic disaster. Some of those Corporate CEOs should be seeing time behind bars for this and oversight should get a lot more restrictive in the next few months. The Republican Party loves to throw words around like accountability and responsible so now is the time for them to face their own accountability and responsible for what they have done to this country’s economy.

Don’t you just love how the republican members of congress managed to remove any support from this bill for distressed home owners? The Republican Party has managed to prove once again that the only people they care about work on Wall Street not Main Street America. When the Republican Party speaks about accountability and responsible they are talking about Main Street not Wall Street because it is clear that they think Wall Street is above those requirements. Now is the time to let the Republican Party know that it is Main Street public voters who truly run this country.

U.S. Bailout Language

Language for the Taxpayer’s Bailout (Highway Robbery) Bill also known as the “Economic Recovery and Corporate Accountability Act of 2008.”

Here is the language for the bill that must bailout the major corporations on Wall Street. The idea of letting any corporation get so large that they can hold the America Economy hostage and force us to bail them out in order to save our retirement and our economy is too outrages for words. Nevertheless the Bush (Bust) Administration has managed over just eight short years to do the unthinkable to harm this country. Senator John McCain would carry that mentality forward into yet another four more years of failure if the voting public gives him the chance to do so in November.

Now is the time to send in those vote by mail request forms and tell the Republican Party that the Economic Party is over for them and their good friends on Wall Street for the next four years so that we can get this country back on track. Senator McCain is already saying on This Week to George Stephanopoulos that he would not support any help for Main Street but that he has worked non-stopped even stepping away from his campaign to support Wall Street.

We need change that we can depend on and the only person for the job is Senator Barack Obama.

Senator Obama v. Senator McCain: This Evening’s Debate

John McCain’s last words were that he would protect the veterans. What is his voting record on veteran healthcare? Has Senator McCain truly supported veterans in this country from the Iraq war? I understand that he has voted against key veteran’s bills such as healthcare and educational benefits over the years. He has not been a friend to the veterans of this country. Coming from West Virginia I had close friends that served in the Vietnam War and I can say that they deserve their benefits.

McCain should learn to look at Senator Obama when he is talking to him. He would not look at the camera or Senator Obama. Senator McCain was too busy looking down his nose at this country to see the voters. Senator McCain is arguing over pork spending which is only 2% of the national budget while Senator Obama wanted to talked about ending the war in Iraq which could save this country ten million dollars a day. Clearly Senator McCain is not very knowledgeable on economic issues. McCain is stuck in the past while Senator Obama is looking toward the future of America.

Senator McCain was not able to see the problem of limiting his vision to only the Iraq War while the rest of the world is falling apart. What he does not see is that the threat from terrorism is not coming from Iraq. Taking your eyes of the ball could clearly end very badly for this country both with future harm and with our economy.

Senator Obama made points when talking about investing in rebuilding our country from the ground up since we all know what trickle down economics can result in over the long run and our economy is not stable enough to withstand those results at present.

Reaction to President Bush’s Speech

Last evening President Bush finally went on the national airwaves to face the American people to try and explain to them why we should support his rescue (bailout) plan. He spent exactly 12 minutes reading from a prepared speech to the American people. He said that there was no other choice. He blamed it all on struggling home owners. He clearly took no blame for the state of today’s economy.

The American people clearly understand that we have no choice at this point in time. We are forced into having to bailout Wall Street to save our economy but we don’t have to be happy about why this came about. We should demand oversight and the CEO’s of any corporation that request a bailout should be punished for their reckless behavior. Something should be done to limit the size of these major corporations so this does not occur in the future.

Senator McCain is trying to use this as a reason to put a stop to Friday’s Presidential Debate because he knows that there is no defense for his party’s behavior over the past eight years. If asked questions about how to fix the economy his lack of knowledge will come through only to clearly for the America people to see. Clearly Senator McCain is not the man to be president at this moment in history.

The Casa at the end of the Cultural Rainbow

With all that has been in the news lately about the Republican Party of Bernalillo County chairman one has to wonder exactly how elitist is the Republican Party in this state. It is a sad day when a party leader has to define himself by just how much lighter his skin is compared with that of other individuals in his state and somehow how that makes him better than other people. I know that the Republican Party looks down their collective noises at the rest of the world but I think everyone can agree that he took it way too far.

It does make you stop to think just how diverse is the Democratic Party. I was at a party a few weeks ago at the home of Democratic Party State Chairman Brian Colon. It was a little event to support one of our state senators. We were all having a great time that afternoon. People were sitting and standing around in and out of the house just talking and eating. Everyone was equal and friends. The thing that no one stopped to think about was that you could not have planned a more diverse group of people if you had worked on it for weeks or months. Just by inviting friends the Colons has gathered someone from every cultural background and every social and economic level in this country. Chairman Colon and his wife have done without even trying what the Republican Party has completely failed to do by reaching out to New Mexicans and making our party the party of diversity in this state. The Colon’s home is truly the Casa at the end of the Cultural Rainbow for New Mexico.

Free Enterprise or Corporate Socialist

If Wall Street Investment Banks want to be treated as Free Enterprise during this bailout then they need to act the part and treat the bailout as a large loan from the public that will be repaid in the future. They need to met the requirements to attain the loan which includes that they will cap all CEO salaries if they receive the loan until such time as it is paid back to the American people. They will put up the debt instruments and they need to release documentation as to what the investments current market value is and how they came to that amount. They must prove that management can and is willing to run the corporation in such a manner as to turn a profit in the future by providing financial statements and documentation in report form on a timely base for the duration of the loan.

If they want this to be social welfare then all they have to do is hand over ownership of their corporation to the federal government.

The choice should not be a difficult one either for the government or the corporations in question. I don’t understand why this should be a hard plan to work out in the first place. If it was a family member that you were loaning money to then would you not demand the same?

Change and Candidates That We Can Trust

What more can one say about the current economic crisis in America. The news is just not good and we need some kind of a break. The Senate and Congress simply must tell President Bush, “No blank checks for Wall Street.”

Clearly the Republican Party will resort to out and out lies to blame this on anyone but themselves. Why should they stop now since it has worked for them so well over the past eight years? I just saw an ad by Darren White attacking Martin Heinrich that was one lie after another. Darren White has been a strong supporter of the Bush Administration. He went so far as to be his campaign chairman here in Albuquerque. I have a feeling that Carl Rove gave him a copy of his play book while he was here in Albuquerque. White invited President Bush here to raise funds for his current campaign for congress. Tell Darren White that we don’t believe his or President Bush’s lies any longer. We want Martin Heinrich for Congress and we want change that we can trust here in Albuquerque. The message is clear no more lies.

The Economy’s link to Politics

I have been an accountant for the past eleven years. I can tell most people that the last thing you want to hear from me is all about my real world job. Most people equate accounting with math and that is a huge turn off from the start for them. The problem with this reaction is that the general public does not understand how the economy works. The American voting public wants large corporations and the government to run the economy for them in a way that their credit cards work, they can borrow money for a car or a home, their retirement accounts are at a value that will give them a nice lifestyle after retirement.

We should not expect the average American voter to know how to run a large investment bank or how to run the government. With a society as large and as complex as America we need people who can specialize in areas of expertise. The key to keeping the balance is oversight and regulator controls that will keep greed in check.

We need to say to people that you will be paid well for a good job but at the same time we must punish people for failing to achieve the goals set for a corporation. The problem is that the present day government has failed to protect the interest of the average American voter. Large Corporations have created what they call the golden parachute to reward individuals who have failed to achieve the goals set out for them. With corporate leadership walking away from jobs with million dollar paychecks even after they have run the corporation into bankruptcy there is no reason or drive for these people to work for the betterment of any corporation. These leaders are in it for what they can walk away with for their own bank accounts.

Current elected officials in the Republican Party have done everything they can to dismantle public oversight and regulatory controls. They have removed the very regulations that would have prevented the current crisis. They say that public assistance programs are a form of socialism as if it was a crime worst then murder but the current bailout is more socialist then any public assistance program could ever hope to become because of the price tag attached to it.

We need to force a rebalancing of the current system that has caused our economic crisis. We need caps on the amount of money that corporate leaders earn. We need strict oversight of corporations. We need rules to control the greed factor of Corporate America. We need to limit the size of large corporations so that if one fails that it does not damage the economy. No corporation should be allowed to get so big that it can not fail without causing a depression in this country. We need legal recourse for any individual who knowingly runs a large scam on the American people for their benefit. We need to limit corporate control over elected officials who make the laws that protect average American voters. Corporations should not be allowed to buy influence in our government halls. Lobbyist should be banded from holding any job related to public office and public office holders should be band from becoming lobbyist. This rule should also include their staff. If we do not demand reform right now while the public is watching then the problems we face will only worsen in the future.

New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission releases results

List of Judges from Second District Court that made the grade for retention, the New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission put out this list of judges that they say are the best of our judges in the second district court system. These individuals are considered the best of the best in the City of Albuquerque.

Baca, Ted C.
Baca, Theresa M.
Barela-Shepherd, Denise
Butkus, Carl J.
Campbell, Clay Pace
Candelaria, Neil C.
Huling, Valerie A.
Jewell, Angela J.
Lang, William F.
Martinez, Kenneth H.
Murdoch, Albert S. "Pat"
Nash, Nan G.
Rivera, Geraldine E.
Romero, Jr., John J.
Sanchez, Ross C.
Vanzi, Linda M.
Walker, Deborah Davis
Whitaker, Stanley
Zamora, Maria Monica

Voters should take the time to go to the bottom of the ballot and check off yes for these quality individuals. We here in Albuquerque are lucky to have so many gifted individuals on the bench.

Judges names to remember that are running for their first election that are not up for retention are:

Brown, Charles
Parnell, William
Sheppard, Reed
Schwarz, Bob
Whitefield, Elizabeth

Reed Sheppard is the only one with a contested election but he is the best one to vote for in this years election.

A New Approach for America

A real plan for change:

Now is the time to make the change we need. Wall Street gains 410 points on the news that like the Saving and Loan bailout the government run by President Bush (Bust) will create a fund to bailout the investment banks. Never mind that he would not help Middle Class America to prevent them for losing their homes in the first place. Never mind that he allowed corporations to become so large that their demise would harm our economy. He now has the plan to bail them out at the taxpayer’s expense. Ask Senator McCain (McSame) how much will this cost the American voting public? Where is all that responsibility President Bush and Senator McCain love to talk about when it comes to the America people or is that only for the middle class?

President Bush (Bust) to Console with his Economic Advisors

Eight years later and our economy is on the verge of a major recession if that does not give you reason enough to vote to put a democrat in the oval office nothing will. The Federal Reserve Bank has become a Sugar Daddy to Corporate America while failing to hold any one responsible for huge mistakes over the past eight years. The Security and Exchange Commission does not appear to have any control over publicly held Corporate America. Has the Bush Administration been asleep at the controls or is this just the end results of too much power centered and not enough oversight in the oval office. Either way we can not afford another four more years of the same under the direction of Senator John McCain (McSame).

We need someone like Senator Barack Obama in the oval office to take control and force Corporate America to take responsible for their actions. We need someone with a realist plan on how to jump start an economy which is at present in a downward spiral. We need someone with fresh ideas and the will power to get things done in Washington. We need someone who knows that spending good money after bad in a war that has nothing to do with the stability of our country is not helping our economy. Our economy can not withstand another hundred years of war in the shape it is at present. We need someone like Senator Barack Obama who has the common senses to get this country back on track in the right direction.

How Low Can You Go? The Republican Party Sinks to New Lows to Win an Election

The Michigan Messenger is reporting that the Republican Party is planning on using foreclosure lists to disqualify voters during the November election. They are hoping to cause long lines in areas where there have been a large number of foreclosures on home loans. They want to cause long lines so that other voters will be discouraged on Election Day. Talk about the Republican Party simply not caring about middle class Americans. The Democratic National Committee and Senator Obama have brought a lawsuit to try and block these types of behaviors that would disenfranchise voters on Election Day in this country.

If lying to the voting public was not enough now they want to disenfranchise voters by blocking them from voting after they have lost their homes. The Messenger also reported that Senator McCain’s Campaign office is housed in the building owned by foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott I guess we can get a good idea of where Senator McCain stands on the issue.

$400 Billion Bailout Cost to the America Voters

$400 Billion in bailout money is being given to major corporations and not a dime for the people losing their homes on main street America. Where was the oversight of these out of control businesses over the past eight years? Where will this madness stop? Has the Federal Reserve Bank become Sugar Daddy to Corporate America?

The question is how will this effect future business practices in this country? How will this affect the way other countries treat America when it comes to business dealing in the future? The taxpayers of this country can not become the answer to every CEO’s bad decision. Where is the supervision of these publicly held companies? What was the Security and Exchange Commission doing while this crisis was developing? In the near future these questions will have to be answered for the voting public. Someone in corporate America should be held legal accountable for what is clearly out of control greed. The America voters should be outraged that this behavior was allow to continue for so long a period of time and that it will be their tax dollars that will pay for huge mistakes made by these companies.

We need people in Washington who will hold Corporate America accountable for their actions and not just hand them more bailout money at our expense.

The Problem with the Economy

Alan Greenspan said that he would not put him money on the U.S. economy escaping a recession in the short term. He told George Stephanopoulos, ABC This Week, on Sunday that he would place the risk as higher then 50% for a recession this year.

Mr. Greenspan the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank said that this is a once in a life time correction which has much to do with the inter-connectness of major financial institutions with the global economy. While the inventory for the housing market does not have to be at zero it should balance out by early next year if all goes well over the next few months.

In My View:

What should the next president of the United States do to improve the market during the first quarter of next year so that the economy stabilizes? This country can not bail out every large financial institution. There are a few large ones that could cause problems for the national economy so those should be stabilized over the next year. They should use as much private funding as possible to achieve these results. More sticker supervision should be placed on institutions that clearly can have a huge effect on our economy. Even the republicans admit that it has been a lack of control in these institutions which has lead to such a large correction in the market place at present.

We as a country should clamp down on companies moving jobs overseas and south of the border because it only harms our economy in the short run. What we should do is put more funding into higher education and require continuing education credits for our national workforce so that they do not fall behind other individuals in other countries. At one point in history we said that a worker in our country should be well rounded in their educational skills so as to be able to move if their current job no longer supported our economy’s needs. This view of business should be encouraged in our present day society.

Pension plans and healthcare plans should be moveable with the employee instead of being tied to just one company this would encourage employees to move to the areas where more employees are needed. A national standard should be set where people pay in a base rate for retirement and then the employer matches that amount for as long as the employee is employed at any one company. I personally pay social society and pay into a pension play at my current job. This would result in putting an end to the republican talk of making social security private. Far too many individuals simple don’t understand how to invest money for retirement. Investment groups that are required to file reports with the federal government would do a much better job and it would help the overall economy to have more money invested into retirement funds. As a country we invest very little of our present income into retirement as compared with other countries in the world.

We need to encourage the development of small businesses in this country which would result in an increase in gross domestic product. Minimum wages should be set at a realistic level which maximizes a workers ability to achieve the goals of employers and also provides a base level of life style for all individuals. Different cities have different level of cost related to basic standards of living and this should be taken into account when setting minimum wages for employees. If an employee can not afford to engage in taking further college level credits then it defeats the argument that we should have a better educated workforce.

Employers should be made to understand their responsibility in our national economy when it comes to our workforce. They can not continue to give double digit salaries increases to themselves while forcing their wage earners into lower and lower economic standards of living. Employers have a responsibility to be ethical in their dealings with those people that they employee. Too many large companies are not following this philosophy and the end result is that it is harming our overall economy and the standard of living in this country. The answer is not to allow large companies to point to countries that have a history of human right violation and say see they do it to their employees so we should also be engaged in those types of business practices to compete in the global economy because the end result will harm our people and our country.

500 Point Drop in Stock Market, wow am I glad that I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon

We need a president who understands the issues facing our country when it comes to the economy. At this point in history the last thing we need is someone who does not have a firm handle on how to deal with an economy which is facing some of the most difficult times since the nineteen twenties. Too many wrong steps at this point will send this country into a major depression or worst.

We need to encourage growth in small businesses. We need to discourage companies from moving jobs overseas. We need a new source of energy that is not based in the golf coast states so that energy prices don’t soar every time a major hurricane comes ashore. We need to invest in rebuilding and upgrading the levees and sea wall along the coast so that a major hurricane does not destroy our costal cities while costing this country million if not billions and lives all at the same time. We need to invest in research and development to help come up with new ways of creating protection for our costal cities and developing new sources of energy.

We can not afford a war that is not giving back to the stability of this country at present. Oil is simply not the answer in our country’s future and pouring more money into that area will only cost us more money that is badly needed in other areas. Oil futures are not in this nation’s best interest at present. If we don’t wake up and face reality now we will either face a major depression or we will not have a country in a few short years.

Democrats have forgetting to be thankful for the ones we have

As of late all we hear about is the Republican Party’s candidates. We hear what they will be unable to do for us. We hear about their negative side. We hear what they have failed to do for our country. I have been as guilty as the rest to be drawn off topic by the negative Republican Party after all they are the masters of doing just that to our party.

Now is the time to say what we are grateful for in our own candidates. I personally am very grateful that Joe Biden can talk more then me. It is nice to know that I am not the only member of my party that has strong views on the middle class. It is great that our next vice president understands that our children are a great value and that he will do everything he can to protect them from harm. I am grateful that Senator Obama grew up the son of a single mother so that he will understand what I go through everyday trying to raise a daughter all by myself. I am grateful that he has two daughters of his own so that he will value equal pay for all women in this country.

I am grateful that Tom Udall decided to run for the senate seat because he is a wonderful choice for our party. He cares about a woman’s right to choose. It is not that I wish any child to die but I don’t want the government to tell me how to control my own body in such a personal manner when it should be a decision made by me and my doctor. After all I had no problem tell my doctor that my child’s life was more important them mine to me. I am grateful that Tom Udall cares for the environment because I want a world for my daughter and my future grandchildren to have in the future. It is great that he wants to develop American made energy that is renewable so that we don’t have to face rising cost at the pump and with basic needs such as food. I am grateful as an educational employee that Congressman Udall cares about paying us a livable wage and that he cares about children and their education.

I am grateful that we have Martin Heinrich to run for congress since he will work well with Ben Rey Lujan and Harry Teague in the House of Representatives this next year. He cares about the same issues that Tom Udall cares about and will move the congress in the right direction. He has a beautiful family with two young sons so he wants a quality educational system for them and children like them. He is a great outdoors man and will want to make the outdoors a place that he and his son’s can enjoy for a long time to come. He has worked with children so he knows how important healthcare is for everyone.

We have a whole list of candidates from top to bottom of the ballot that we should be grateful for in our state. From the district court judges who work hard everyday to give us fair and equal justice to the state senators who will bring us new laws that will provide us more income in the field of education.

Our job is easy. All we have to do is take a few minutes out of our busy life to show these people how grateful we are for their presents by voting for them either at home with a vote by mail ballot or by going to the polls and casting our ballot either early or on election day. I encourage each and every democrat to take the time to think about what makes you grateful for the presents of our candidates. It will make you feel a lot happier then thinking about what you don’t like about the republican candidates then go out and tell a friend why they should vote for our candidates without criticizing the republican candidates.

Time to Register Voters for the Change We Need

Now is the time to get everyone to register to vote. We need healthcare, we need made in America products, we need American jobs, and we need American produced clean energy. If you know someone who is not registered to vote there are lots of places to get them registered. The Democratic Party has a booth at the state fairgrounds just outside the fairway. You can tell them to go over to the Obama headquarters on Central and Carlisle. The Democratic Party headquarters on San Pedro just past Lomas on the west side of the street also has people who can register you to vote. Also you can go down to the county clerk’s office to register to vote. We want everyone to stand up and vote this year for the change we need. Walkers will be in your neighborhood from the Obama teams to register unregistered voters. I spent the morning walking my neighborhood to make sure everyone has the right to vote come November. We must put aside our daily routines long enough to give this country the chance to bring back the American Dream for the middle class. The future of our country depends on everyday average Americas caring enough to get out and vote for the candidate that will bring real change to our country.

BBQ at Martin Heinrich’s Headquarters

Martin Heinrich and his family welcomed the community to his headquarters for a BBQ today. Heinrich is the local grassroots candidate for congressional district one here in Albuquerque. He has strong support from individuals of the community and from the local labor unions which protect the rights of local labor members. Martin is a family man who cares about the community and the country. He is looking to serve the voting public and people around the country by protecting labor jobs and also protecting our environment for our families. His wife said it best when she told the voting public that it is a family effort to get her husband elected to congress this year.

Check out the picture on my gmail site: http://picasaweb.google.com/starfly.mary/MartinHeinrich91308

McCain/Palin Not the Original Maverick

I received this from a friend. I don’t call my friends names like some bloggers because my friends are real people. They are red blooded Americans that represent the middle class in this country. They care about family, the environment, jobs, and their friends. I found this information very interesting.

“Here’s some interesting facts about the word Maverick that I thought you might want to know. Why are the Republicans comparing themselves to a group of fierce Texas Democrats?

From: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. At http://www.bartleby.com/61/4/M0160400.html

SYLLABICATION: mav·er·ick

PRONUNCIATION: m v r- k, m v r k

NOUN:

1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it. 2. One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

ADJECTIVE:
Being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence: maverick politicians; a maverick decision.

ETYMOLOGY:
Possibly after Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803–1870), American cattleman who left the calves in his herd unbranded .

From Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Augustus_Maverick

Samuel Augustus Maverick (July 23, 1803–September 2, 1870) was a Texas lawyer, politician, and land baron.

Maverick was not active in politics during the Civil War but afterward helped John H. Reagan to organize the Democratic Party once more. He died in San Antonio.

Maverick County, Texas is named for him. U.S. Representative (Democrat) from Texas Maury Maverick (1896–1964) was his grandson.

Maverick steadfastly refused to brand his cattle. As a result, the word maverick entered the English lexicon, meaning both an unbranded range animal as well as a slang term for someone who exhibits a streak of stubborn independence.

Maverick's stated reason for not branding his cattle was that he didn't want to inflict pain on them. Other ranchers however, suspected that his true motivation was that it allowed him to collect any unbranded cattle and claim them as his own.”

Why are the Republicans comparing themselves to a group of fierce Texas Democrats? That is a good question. The Republicans love to still our images and twist them for their own warped reasons. I would say that if anyone could lay claim to the title “Maverick” it would be Senator Obama because he has steadfastly refused to take PAC money and has even demanded that the Democratic Party do the same this year. We had all given into the view that PAC (special interest groups that fund candidates) was a fact of life but Senator Obama has shown us that the American people are more then willing to support a quality candidate with small donations. Leave it up to a true community organizer to show this country that yes we can make changes that those of us who have spent years working on the very same problems could no longer see. Senator Obama is a breath of fresh air in a room where the republicans had polluted the environment long ago with their views on special interest money even to the point of convincing democrats that there was not answer to the problem. If Senator Obama is not a great example of a Maverick then I know that McCain/Palin can never hope to lay claim to that title.

We all Pledge Allegiance to the Same Flag

Yet the Republican Party is the masters of dividing our country. Their hate speech is unforgivable. They would have you believe that our candidates some how are un-American. Our candidates are the men and women who care greatly for issues like the family, rule of law, taking care of the weaker individuals, and putting our country first by bringing the jobs that republicans have shipped overseas back home to America. We want to see more made in America and less made in China. We want to see our children protected from lead toys. We want good paying jobs at home for both men and women alike. Tell the Republican Party that we are sick of all they have done to our country over the past eight years.

I spent the evening from 3 pm to 6 pm at the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s state fair booth registering new voters. When Senator Edward M. Kennedy can take the time to send an email that reminds us all that we should be working for our country then we have no greater reason that we can not take sometime from our busy lives to help elect our party’s candidates that clearly care about this country and our values.


“Dear Mary,

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

It was more than 47 years ago that President Kennedy spoke those words and challenged an entire nation to put service above self. You've no doubt heard those words repeated time and again, but simply repeating them does not guarantee they are carried out.”

Now is the time to put our country first before the Republican Party destroys the very thing that we all love, our country, America. Make no mistake democrats are Americans.

Sarah Palin (A pig with lipstick or an out and out female liar)

No one in this country wants to see a woman attacked because of her gender on that point I am totally sure about the facts. At the same time no one wants to see a woman use her gender to gain an office she is not ready for because it makes the rest of us look bad in front of the whole world. For Sarah Palin the news is bad because there is more important issues that will bring women back to the democratic side of the street. We are finding out that her issues our not ours.

First there is the issue of banding books from the public library. Mothers may not see the need to have their children read books that don’t agree with their views on life but if we start banding books from the public library then maybe some of the books that promote their views on life would be the very next to be banded. The great thing about freedoms is that as long as you give them freely to everyone in society then everyone benefits but the minute you start singling out individuals or groups of people then you could be a member of the next group to be singled out for removal or censorship.

The right to choose when it come to our own bodies has been a big issues over the last eight years. I would never kill a child and have put my life at risk for the one child that I do have. I still think that government should stay out of decisions when it comes to a woman’s body. If we want to reduce unwanted children why not force men to take birth control or force them to marry and put them in prison if they walk out on a child. If we suggest that government has the right to control a woman’s choose then why not do the same for men and see just how much they like it.

Next is the bridge to no where which Sarah Palin supported and then after the tide turned she decided to pull her support for the project. She has repeated time and an again that she took on the old boys network but the facts say that she created her own network once in office. Who was the good old boys network to start with and how were they removed from power. Last time I checked the Republican Party was made up by 90% of good old boys. Want to talk about a group that is mostly old white men.

The more women learn about Sarah Palin the more they disagree with her on her stands on many female issues. The fact is that Sarah Palin is not Senator Hillary R. Clinton and never will be like her. Hillary is a bright and intelligent woman who has earned the respect of the women of this country. Sarah Palin says what the Republican Party tells her to say not matter how many women it harms.

How Safe are People Who Work in Public Jobs?

Judges, teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police officers spend their days working with the public. They help people and do their best to change lives for the better everyday for not a lot of pay. Most of these individuals could earn a great deal more if they decided to work in the private sector but they are driven to bring about positive change so they work in the public sector.

Yet more and more these same people are becoming the target of mentally ill individuals who see any form of kindness as an invitation to stalk, harm and kill people who work in the public sector. The question is what we can do about this increasing threat to the very people who wish to help the public.

Years ago President Ronald Reagan decided to do away with mental hospitals and he decided to release those mentally ill individuals into the public without any type of assistance or public support. The number of hospital beds for mentally ill that could harm themselves or others dropped to far lower then it should have ever been allowed. The homeless most people see on the streets everyday are from that very group of people. What does it say about our society that we care so little for the mentally ill that we let them freeze to death on the streets of our cities at night during the winter every year or die from the effects of high temperatures during the desert summer days. How is this better then keeping them in a secure hospital where they receive food and safety?

These mentally ill individuals who can not be held accountable for their actions are still required to make decisions about their own healthcare and what medication they will refuse and which if any they will take for their own health. We would never allow a two year old child to decide which medication to take when they are ill so why do we force the mentally ill to do it everyday of their life in this country? How cold and indifferent are we to these poor people and their families? What if anything are we the public willing to do to protect these individuals who are unable to protect themselves for the harm they can inflict on themselves and others who work with the public everyday of their life. Should we lock public servants behind doors and behind glass walls to protect them for the very public that they serve due to our indifferences to the mentally ill in this culture?

Republican Double Talk

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184086

I love this video because it truly shows just how the republicans can flip flop on just about any issues they face.

Obama Campaign Walking and Fund Raiser for Victor Raigoza

Today was the second day of neighborhood walks this weekend. I went over to the campaign headquarters at Central and Carlisle and made phone calls for two hours. I would encourage everyone to find sometime to show the Republican Party that we support Senator Barack Obama for President. New Mexico will go blue this year and we will see the change that our country wants and needs to help the middle class and low income families. The only thing we have to do is get out the voters for our candidates.

At 3:00 p.m. I went over to State Party Chairman Brian Colon’s home for a fundraiser for Victor Raigoza. Aleli Colon is a wonderful hostess and makes everyone feel welcome to her home. We owe a great deal to this democratic woman for all she does for our party. Aleli is a teacher and a member of the AFT. There were too many individuals to name them all but it was good to see them out to support Victor. A few of the more notable individuals were State Treasurer James B. Lewis, State Senator Eric Griego, and State Senator Tim Keller.

I also dropped by the courthouse last Friday to visit with the district court judges. I want to remind everyone to make sure you vote for the retention races by going to the bottom of the ballot and checking yes for a number of very good judges. My favor is Judge Carl J. Butkus who is clearly at the top of his field in skill and knowledge. He hates it when I point out just how exceptional he is at his job but we should be as lucky to have him on the bench for many years to come. I also dropped by to see Judge Bob Schwartz and Judge Reed Sheppard two very good judges that do a brilliant job for our district. We can not say enough in support of these men because they work very hard every week to provide fair and balanced justice for our city. So the least that we can do is to take the time to vote yes for them on November 3 or to check their name off on the vote by mail ballot because to do otherwise would be to give up some of the best judges we have had on the bench in years.

Rally and Press Conference to protest McCain Visit

State Senator Linda Lopez, State Senator Dede Feldman and City Councilwoman Debbie O’Malley held a press conference today on civic Plaza to let Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin know that they were not welcome in Albuquerque New Mexico. Their form of politics is not what this country needs at this point in history. To prove that fact all you had to do was watch the protest that followed for a few minutes.

The Rally turned into a protest where people who attended the rally walked over to the convention center where republicans were waiting in line to see the republican candidates. The divide was only to clear. The Democrats were on the west side of the street calling for peace and civil rights. The republicans on the east side of the street were calling for more war and screaming racial epithets about Senator Barack Obama. The “N” word was used more the once while I was watching the protest. Clearly the police feared that the protest could become volatiles because some of the individuals that were screaming the racial epithets did not look like people who could control their behavior in public. I think those individuals were clearly upset when the democrats refused to start anything violent.

I did not stay because I was tried after the State Fair Parade and the negative tone of the republicans was not something I cared to listen to late into the evening. I head back to my car which was on the other side of the other building in a handicapped parking space. I wanted to slip through the build but was informed by an armed guard that unless I was attending an event that I could not enter the build even to cross over to the other side. Went did our convention center become private property of Senator John McCain? I though our tax payer’s dollars was used to paid for those buildings. I stayed calm and simply limped around the building. When someone has a gun, I find it best to always be polite even if you are tired and in pain.

Martin Heinrich at New Mexico State Fair Parade

Finally an all American father of two who knows how to run for Congress in congressional district one. Martin Heinrich ran the two miles of the parade route shaking voter’s hands. I think that he is trying to beat Big Bill’s record. Where was Darren White? Not at the State Fair Parade. He was too busy with Senator McCain (Bush clone). Clearly Martin Heinrich thinks that the voting public is more important then the privileged elite. McCain was quoted earlier this last month saying that he wanted to take our river water and hand it over to California and Arizona. It looks like we can see why Martin Heinrich is pulling ahead in the polls.

There are lots of other pictures from today’s event of local candidates on my Webshots. The link is at the bottom of the left hand side of the page.

McCain Tried to Ignore and Dismiss Anti War Protesters at National Convention

“Americans want us to stop yelling at each other,” McCain ad-libbed. Senator John McCain would love to ignore and silence the voting public but even in the Republican Party’s National Convention voters spoke out again a never ending war.

While Senator Obama offered a vision of hope and change with his speech last week all Senator McCain could come up with was a weak attack on the man that will soon be our next President of the United States.

With just sixty days before the convention we need every voter to speak to their neighbors so that people understand how important this year’s election will be to our country. We can not afford another four more years of Bush/McCain politics as usual for the richest 1% of the country. The time is now for the middle class voters to rise up and have their voices heard. We need people to stand up and register to vote so that their voices will be heard all the way to Washington and beyond.

This weekend both Saturday and Sunday at the Obama Campaign Headquarters on Central and Carlisle people will be meeting to walk neighborhoods with friends. You could get out and learn who your neighbors are and encourage them to register to vote and to vote by mail. Now is the time for the voting public to speak out and demand change in Washington that will allow the middle class to thrive and rebuild.

Michelle Obama’s Visit to Albuquerque New Mexico

Michelle Obama came to rally the women of Albuquerque to support her husband for President. She is a wonderfully talented speaker and did a great job of speaking to the real needs of women in Albuquerque and around the country. A mother of two she could list all of the real responsibles that a woman and working mother faces everyday of the week. She knew the pain of not being with your children and the pain of feeling that maybe if you take time off that your job is not getting done at the level you would like. Who knows maybe someday in the future she could run for president. I think that she would make a great one but in the mean time we are called to elect her husband Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I personally trust her judgment a lot more then that of Sarah Palin’s.

The only negative thing about the event was that people had to stand for two hours before she arrived. There was also an hour wait in line. The room was packed so it got hot fast. I can’t say that I was too impressed with the security for this event either. I personally value Michelle a great deal and think that they should run everyone through medal detectors for her safety. I know that the Obama Campaign can do a better job of planning a visit in the future both for the candidate and the voting public.

A Democratic Woman’s Values

It is strange but men do not always understand the value systems of democratic women. We vote for candidates because they show that they care about family issues that affect our everyday lives.

I personally never want anyone to speak too harshly to my child but then I expect a great deal for her myself. I want her to get a good education but at the same time I expect teachers to be treated fairly. I expect her teachers to go all out to work with children and to advance their education but I also expect government to give them the freedom and supplies they need to do a good job. Teachers like all individuals should be paid a living wage so that they do not have to worry about those issues while at work.

I want the freedom of choice when it comes to my own body but I would never harm a child. I would have given my life for that of my child during my pregnancy but I feel that the government should have no right when it comes to deciding what is good for me or my child.

I want people to stand on their own two feet and work hard to advance themselves but at the same time I feel that employers should pay a fair wage and not pay administration what I consider to be outrages salaries while refusing to give fair wages to their everyday workers.

Were life of a community is concerned I feel that government should do everything in their power to protect people from harm but I expect people to take responsible for their own actions and not do things that bring harm to themselves or others. Anyone that disrespects the rule of law should be held accountable for their actions.

I expect candidates to be honest and set a good example for our children but at the same time I don’t think the media should launch personal attacks on them or their families.

I want energy that is reasonably priced but I also want to protect the environment for my child and future grandchildren. I think that the government has not put enough money into research and development in the recent past and that as a result we are now paying the price at the pump and in heating our homes. The price of basic everyday items such as food, drinks, clothes, and personal care items have also risen because of the lack of foresight of the Bush Administration.

I will not vote for a woman just because she is a woman but if she has good ideas and she stands up for my values then I will be more then happy to support her for an elected position. I don’t feel that Sarah Palin can in anyway represent my values therefore I will not vote for her in November.

Not a Day to Party

New Orleans has survived yet another hurricane with little damage at this point in time. Hurricane Gustav did not hit head on like Katrina so the levees held up until now. There is still some question about two of the levees walls because water is overtopping them.

The Republican Party took the day off from politics to request that republicans should donate money to help victims of Hurricane Gustav. Senator Barack Obama is asking supporters to give money and volunteers to help out the victims of this hurricane. The other two news stories were that Palin’s seventeen year old daughter is pregnant. Senator Obama asked that Palin’s daughter be treated as off limits. He does not want politics to harm a young girl who is facing getting married at a very early age and having a child at the same time. Also our condolences go out to Congressman Steve Pearce and his family because he lost his father today.

Mothers should take this opportunity to speak with their children to explain that while children are a gift you should be in a position to care for them before getting pregnant. Palin’s daughter Bristol is only seventeen which is a young age to have a child. I as a mother would hope that my daughter would spend a few years going to college and working on a career and have a stable marriage before she would consider getting pregnant. We must take the responsible to teach our daughters that they are valued in their families and that they can take their time before having children. Children having children is not good for either. I was thirty four and in a stable relationship with a good job when I got pregnant but things still did not work out as well as I would have liked. Shortly after getting pregnant my daughter’s father was in an accident so I was left to raise our daughter by myself. I had cancer which forced me to give up my good paying job and go back to college to get a desk job which does not pay as well. Life can be hard enough without being young and inexperienced add to the mix. Parents while not attacking Bristol should let their children know that this behavior is not something that they would condone or encourage in their own family.