Unconditional Love

The weekend is coming to an end and it will be back to work tomorrow but the one thing we can take away from the long weekend with our family is unconditional love not just for our family but for our community, our neighbors, our city, our state and our country.

We must find ways to reach out and help people in need and to create a better system of government for our state and local communities. We need to develop lines of communications that benefit all people when it comes to government. Funny how it is that after an election most of the people we elected stop talking to everyday people and only speak with business leaders, lobbyist, and other government leaders. Where is the attempt to continue the conversation with the voters? Newly elected official should look for ways to continue the dialog with the voting public. The voting public should continue to look for ways to communicate with their elected officials.

The voting public may not always ask the easy questions but they do deserve to get a fair hearing and an answer back when a question is asked of an elected official. The voting public should word their questions so as to allow elected officials to be able to give an answer after all just blaming someone for an issue does not help in solving a problem. The voting public can share their feelings and ideas on any topic that they feel strongly about and elected officials should listen carefully before giving an answer.

The Obama Administration has setup a website, http://www.change.gov, where they are looking to continue the dialog with the American voting public. They want to hear from all Americans not just the Democrats. I personally feel that every elected official should have this type of website where they can seek input on a range of issues both local and national. If you go to most elected official’s websites they put contact information in a place that is hard to find and very seldom do you get a reply from the elected official about the question asked or the problem raised. Now is the time for change, now is the time for our elected officials to seek input on issues and to start listening to the voting public. One of the most enduring qualities of unconditional love is the ability to communicate with the people you care the most about even when the subject is difficult.

Black Friday

The leaves are on the ground and on my car, Thanksgiving is done and now it is time to shop for Christmas. Today is Black Friday and I must admit to staying home and visiting my local parks on foot. I do my shopping a lot earlier and enjoy the peace and quiet of the outdoors on Black Friday.

Santa may not be as rich this year but you always find money when it comes to your kid. Please don’t forget that the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County is taking coats and gift cards for homeless children until December 18.

The cold weather makes it feel like winter but that is still almost a month away. It is a good time to curl up with a good book and enjoy staying home. The next election will not be until February. We will not know for sure if any of the current school board members will even have opponents until mid December.

So it is the time of year to enjoy family and relax for the next few weeks.

Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of the attack in Mumbai, India.

Happy Thanksgiving

With tomorrow being thanksgiving the Democratic Party has a lot to be thankful for this year. President Elect Obama is working hard to develop a new administration to run this country and achieve the change he promised. I hope he wins his fight with the secret service so that he can keep his blackberry. We want a president who stays connected to the real world of Main Street.

Our state will be facing change as well. We wish Governor Bill Richardson and his family all of the success and luck so that he will end up in Washington this next year. It would not be bad to see a woman governor in the next year as well. Let’s hope that Diane Denish can show this state that women can and will put women’s issues and family issues before politics as usual. Just maybe she would be willing to create an environment where education could have smart reform. I know that my college is facing possible cuts of 3.8 million this year and 5 million in cuts next year for which I am sure that the current college administration will not be looking to make those cuts at the top but will only harm the people who work directly with the students since they don’t feel the need to have us around to run this college. Someone should give them a reality check before they do lasting harm to this institution. It will be interesting to see just how thankful we are in the coming year.

Still our state as a whole is doing better with a completely democratic federal representation. We can be thankful that we have two democratic senators and three democratic congressmen that will be taking office early next year. These men will bring a large number of green jobs to our state in the near future. Our labs will receive funding to develop new green technology. All of these developments should help the state in general to provide jobs for the coming years and help in protecting our environment.

Lastly we can be thankful that more of our troops should be coming home to spend time with family next year when thanksgiving comes around. These men and women have represented our country honorably and deserve to come home now to a hero's welcome.

Team Obama Awards

All over New Mexico and this country teams were organized to help elect democrats to office this year. Each team had a paid field organizer and a team leader. For my team our paid field organizer was Zach Mikelson and our unpaid team leader was Ron Murray. Both of these gentlemen worked long hard hours in order to help strongly encourage our group to work long hours and give of themselves to help win the elections this year. Our team was one of the leading teams in the state of New Mexico. At a party last week these yellow certificates were handed out to group members in recognitions of all the hard work performed by group members.



We could not have done such a wonderful job of organizing democrats and getting out the vote if it had not been for the superlative encouragement given by our team leadership. Now that the election is over and done with it is time to encourage all of the voting public to keep a careful eye on your elected officials so as to encourage them to carry out the supportive roll they were elected to in our local community. Ron Murray is forwarding information on local issues and will be encouraging our volunteers to speak out on important issues as they relate to our community. I am sure that elected officials who work hard for the betterment of our communities will also get recognition in the future for setting an example of what democrats can achieve when we all work for the change we know this country so desperately needs.

Emerge New Mexico- A woman’s Route to Public Office

If you are a woman and have every wondered about running for a public office like say board of education, state representative, state senator, city council or mayor then this is the program for you because it trains women on how to run for public office. People often ask me why I don’t run for public office since I am a walking and talking politician from the moment you met me. My answer is that I will never run for a publicly held office and I made that decision when I turned eighteen. I am more than happy to report about politics and express my views on policy and issues. I love to support candidates that I can believe in and question them to no ends but holding office is not what I want since I work doing what I love most teaching and helping students at the college level. Politics for me is my hobby and it is fun so let’s leave it at that shall we. I would love to see more women in this state run for local elected offices and encourage any woman interested to check out the emerge program. Once you decide to run for a public office trust me when I say I will be around.

“What Is Emerge?

Emerge is a political leadership training program for Democratic women in New Mexico.

The Emerge mission is to identify, educate, and inspire Democratic women who want to pursue a career in politics at the local and state level in New Mexico. Emerge is dedicated to making a long-term investment in these future leaders by developing their political and media skills; expanding their knowledge of local issues; and connecting them with mentors.”

So, what are you waiting for ladies, let's show the men of New Mexico how to do it the right way.
How smart are you compared to an elected official? Why not take the test.

Obama Economic Team

These are President Elect Obama’s picks for his new economic team.

Tim Geithner, Secretary of Treasury

Lawrence Summers, Director of National Economic Council

Christina Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisers

Melody Barnes, Director of White House Domestic Policy Council

Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council

Clearly President Elect Obama feels that these people can help in implementing his plans to bring this country out of its economic crisis. President Elect Obama wants congress and the senate to be ready on day one to provide him with the bills needed most to move this country forward in a positive direction still it will take time to turn the problems around and get the economy moving in the right direction. President Elect Obama is sure that with the right measures in place that our country can weather the current economic storm.

This is information released from the Obama group about each of the individuals chosen:

"Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner currently serves as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he has played a key role in formulating the nation's monetary policy. He joined the Department of the Treasury in 1988 and has served three presidents. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. Following that post he served as director of the Policy Development and Review Department at the International Monetary Fund until 2003. Geithner is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the National Economic CouncilLawrence Summers is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University. Summers served as 71st Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001 and as president of Harvard from 2001 to 2006. Before being appointed Secretary, Summers served as Deputy and Under Secretary of the Treasury and as the World Bank's top economist. Summers has taught economics at Harvard and MIT, and is a recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded to the American economist under 40 judged to have made the most significant contribution to economics. Summers played a key advisory role during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Christina D. Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors Christina Romer is the Class of 1957 Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has taught and researched since 1988. Prior to joining the faculty at Berkeley, Romer was an assistant professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Romer is co-director of the Program in Monetary Economics at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has been a visiting scholar at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Melody C. Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes is co-director of the Agency Review Working Group for the Obama-Biden Transition Team, and served as the Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to Obama for America. Barnes previously served as Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress and as chief counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee from December 1995 until March 2003.

Heather A. Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council Heather Higginbottom served as Policy Director for Obama for America, overseeing all aspects of policy development. From 1999 to 2007, Higginbottom served as Senator John Kerry's Legislative Director. She also served as the Deputy National Policy Director for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign for the primary and general elections. After the 2004 election, Higginbottom founded and served as Executive Director of the American Security Project, a national security think tank. She started her career as an advocate at the national non-profit organization Communities in Schools."

President Elect ,No Drama, Obama

President Elect Obama is a driven man who truly dislikes drama and simply wants to get the job done in the best possible way that will have the best results for the American People. He is not looking for a cabinet which will encourage drama nor does he want to see anger from his supporters that would result in drama to be played out in front of national cameras in this country. Our own governor Bill Richardson is trying his very hardest to play down any drama surrounding his appointment to a position in the Obama Administration because he understands the roll of a team player. I like most people in this state have known for months that Governor Bill Richardson would be leaving to join the Obama administration so any appointment will come as no big surprise. Any person with the least common senses would understand how valuable Governor Richardson would be to a presidential administration.

Today President Elect Obama will announce his economic team because he understands the value at this point in time for the American People and the Major Markets to be given a sign from his administration that once he takes office there will be people in control from day one, minute one that understand the issues and that can carry out his plan to stabilize the national market place.

Women of the age group between 45 through 54 are looking forward to the formal announcement of Senator Hillary R. Clinton as the next Secretary of State. It was very important that President Elect Obama show respect to the women in this age group in this country by placing a talented intelligent woman such as Senator Clinton into a powerful position in his administration. For him to have done any less would have angered a good number of women in this country. The Obama supporters who did not like Hillary Clinton need to understand that it is now time for them to move past their anger and dislike of Senator Clinton for the betterment of the party and our country. Hillary Clinton supporters showed during the general election that they could show their intelligent and wisdom by voting for Obama so now we need to see that Obama supporters can move past their anger and support Hillary for Secretary of State after all President Elect Obama is not looking for drama from this group.

Why is the movie Twilight so popular among teenage girls

Romantic Love is love that denies sex or sexual contact with the object of your affections. As young teenage girls we first started off with romantic love then around the late high school or early college years those relationships developed into marriage and sexual love. The books and now the movie twilight are based on romantic love where the main female character falls in love with a vampire. The vampire cannot loss control over his emotions so the relationship is forced into a form of romantic love where both the main characters deny physical love in favor of romantic love.

Once the pressure of sexual love is taken away from a relationship the individuals are freed to develop true affections for the other individual. In many long term relationships romantic love is usually what is missing because the idea of communicating with your partner is lost over a lifetime of raising a family and meeting basic responsible although some marriages rediscover romantic love shortly after all of the children leave home and the two individuals are forced to either redevelop the relationship that first cause them to fall in love and get married or they are faced with an end to the marriage.

With the overwhelming fear of STD’s in the world today many of our young people are looking to the idea of romantic love rather then sexual relationships that could lead to an early death. Most of our monster movies such as Dracula are based in part on the idea of romantic love. So if men or parents wonder why their young teenage daughters are so in love with Twilight the move or the books think back to that time in your own life where sex was a future act and the simple delight of falling in love and getting to know someone was the only thing on your mind. In many ways romantic love can be far more rewarding over time after all is it not that first romantic love that most people remember for the rest of their life as that perfect love.

Educational Reform

Educational Reform is very important for the future of our educational system and for the future of young people who will be our future workforce in this country. Over the past eight years I have watched the administration side of education become top heavy with high paying jobs where the individuals have no contact with students. As we have seen over the past few months this will lead to a meltdown of our educational system as it has caused a meltdown of some of our leading industries. Now is the time to enact smart reform and put the money back in the front line jobs of education. In New Mexico one administration job paying $100,000 could be used to pay the salaries of 2.5 frontline teachers. It could be use to pay for 4 or 5 instructional support staff who substitute teach and tutor students. We do not need more out of touch individuals who earn so much money to attend endless meetings that result in a poor quality of education for our children of all ages. A national ratio of teachers and instructional staff to administrators should be developed for our schools to prevent unnecessarily spending of taxpayer’s dollars. Laws should be pasted to prevent administrators from hiring employees without paying benefits. Too many of our current instructors are being hired only as part time employees where they are not given the time to develop high quality lesson plans for their students. They are being forced to work more than one job to make ends meet for basic needs. This can and does result in instructors and instructional staff having a lowered ability to provide high quality education for the students. A minimum wage based on regional cost of living for instructors and instructional staff should be enacted to ensure that these individuals can center their attention and skills on student and not on trying to make ends meet at home. Most people who enter the field of education are not looking to get rich but they still have to provide a basic level of income to meet their daily needs in order to support their own families. This is the type of educational reform that should be enacted to raise the level of education in this country.

The Party is Over

The victory parties are over and now it is time to get down to work and move our state and nation forward for change that we can believe in for the future. Word out of the state capital is looking to see major cuts in education but that was not what was said on the campaign trail. Educational Assistants are begging for a pay increase and maybe just a little respect from an administration who for the last eight years has become top heavy with high paying jobs that have nothing to do with providing our children a quality education. Now is the time to tell anyone earning over $100,000 that they are the ones facing no pay increases and that if they leave that no one will replace them. The money saved could then be used to pay front line teachers and educational support staff higher wages. The same could be done for higher education jobs.

Even if budget cuts must be done our state representatives should look at smart ways to achieve savings while protecting the quality of our children’s education. We can either spend the money now for education and the people who provide education in front line jobs or we can watch our public school system destroyed and leave this state with education for the very rich only that can afford private schools and charter schools. I am sure that the Republican Party would be thrilled to see that day come in New Mexico since it would turn New Mexico red once and for all.

The Republican Party has found the perfect solution to protect themselves from the poor uneducated masses they just build larger prisons to lock them away for good. The question is what is our democratic leadership in Santa Fe going to do next? I can honestly say that the voting public is watching very carefully. Action groups are being formed now from the Obama grassroots organization that will fight for the issue that they value most both on the local and the national level.

Help for Homeless Children and The Party's Monthly Meeting

Help homeless children right here in our city.

Here is a way for the Obama Mamas and the rest of the Democratic Party to do kind works for our community, Lovee McGee is looking for these items coats, jackets, gloves and caps for homeless grade school children. Part of what made President Elect Obama’s campaign so important was the message of hope at the local level. Now our party can help out homeless children right here in our city by collecting donations for homeless children and making sure that they have hope. Lovee also suggested gift cards because homeless people cannot receive food stamps and she wants to provide the children with backpacks of food that they can take with them over the holidays. No young child in Albuquerque should be out on our city streets with no coat and no food. Just think how cold it was yesterday evening and how low the temperatures dropped last night we have until December 18 to collect these items and drop them off at the Party headquarters on 1301 San Pedro North East. Now is the time to provide hope for the future.

The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Monthly Meeting

Yesterday evening was the monthly meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County. Some of our newly elected officials attended the meeting last evening.

Al Park who is a state representative spoke to the group about how important it is to keep the movement going after the election. He told how thrilling it was to work with the Obama groups when it came to getting out the vote.

Maggie Toulouse Oliver our county clerk also spoke at the meeting on the important of a movement to bring same day registration to our state so that no one is turned away from the polls on Election Day. Maggie Toulouse Oliver is a strong believer that every American should have the right to vote. She said now that the election is over her office has time to make improvements before the next big election. She would like to see the federal government devise a plan to track absentee ballots once they are in the mail system so as to be able to provide more accountability to voters about where their ballot is and when it will arrive in their mailbox.

Judge Clay Campbell and Judge Carl J. Butkus spoke for the District Court Judges. They thanked everyone who took the time to go to the bottom of the ballot this year and vote to keep our judges. Judge Campbell had also brought with him a few bags of coats and clothes for the homeless children. Clearly our judges are very supportive of their local communities.

Party Boys That is Democratic Party

Picture From Senator Bingaman's Office

From Left to Right: Ben Rey Lujan, Martin Heinrich, Tom Udall, Harry Teague, and Jeff Bingaman

Now if that is not a picture that will put a smile on your face then I can't think of one that will. Three Congressmen Elect, One Senator Elect and One Senator all from New Mexico and all fine members of the Democratic Party. I would say that this is an example of how hard work from the Democratic Party paid off big for New Mexicans this year. Blue is clearly my favorite color.

AFT Community College Union Local to Oppose Setting Board Member

I received this email today from the local union encouraging individuals to run for this board position in February. The email makes clear that the union does not wish to see this board member to be reelected but does not state why. I said this would be one of the races to watch this year on the local level and as you can see from this email I was not incorrect. This could get very interesting in the following weeks to come.

"Hi all,

As President Winograd reports, we have 3 CNM Governing Board district elections on February 3.

The Committee on Political Education (COPE) is hoping to find a candidate for district 3, Jeff Armijo’s district. If you know someone who lives in district 3 – see map if you are unsure http://www.cnmemployees.org/cnmgovbddistmap.pdf - and who knows CNM’s issues, has educational experience, and could put together a campaign, please encourage them to file on December 16 at the county clerk’s office.

Thanks,"

One does have to wonder what the reasoning is behind their opposition to Board Member Jeff Armijo’s reelection since all changes leveled against him in 2006 were dropped by the district attorney’s office months ago. I am sure that this Board Member will now have no further reason to support union causes in the future at the community college. I look forward to doing interviews with all of the individuals who will be running in this election. Unopposed candidates for these races should not have a difficult time in being reelected because turnout is normally very low.

Cry for More Pork Spending For the Auto Industry

The Auto Industry has been in financial trouble for years now and still they refuse to change in order to survive. Any bailout of this industry should come with major strings attached. I don’t disagree that something should be done to protect the jobs of auto workers but our government should put a stop to the lavish lifestyles of Auto Industry CEO’s. The Auto Industry should be forced by our government to retool their old plants to produce only fuel saving vehicles and renewable energy vehicles. No more SUVs should be produced by those companies that need a bailout. CEO’s should be forced to get rid of private planes and lobbyists. They should also not be paid either in salaries or bounces no more than 150% of what the lowest paid individuals in the plant earns on a yearly base. I know this will be painful for this industry but if they want taxpayer’s funds then they have to start living by our rules. When you come to the government hat in hand to ask for a bailout it should be painful so that people understand that the government is not seen as a first resource but only the last.

Note: If you have views that you wish to share on issues with our incoming President Elect go to Change.gov. We now have a government that is interested in hearing our views on issues.

Economic Hard Times and Education

As Democrats we hear candidates during the campaign tell us how very important education is to the future of our children. All of the candidates tell supporters how much they care about education and how they will make it a major priority once they are elected. Well the election is over and it is now time to face the music of budget cuts in our state so what do you want to bet that the first item to be cut from the budget is education and educational wages in this state. The cold hard truth is that most elected official could care less about education and our children. Our children are not the people who give these elected officials large sums of money during their campaigns so why should they care about their future. Our children are not the ones that attend private parties with these elected officials so they can’t put a face to the people they will harm.

The sad truth is that our educational employees in this state are not paid anywhere near what they are worth. Educational support staff at the college level gets paid less than $25,000 a year with far less benefits then those earning over $100,000 and at the K-12 level they are paid $12,000 a year which is not enough to raise a family on in this state but why should elected official care about those people right.

So what happened to all of that support for educational issues and educational employees that these elected official claimed to have during the campaign period? Why are management positions that pay over $100,000 with all kinds of perks not even being looked at when we talk about budget cuts? The president of my college got an 11% raise and a car allowance this year while I got nothing and drive a car that may not last until next week. Just think how few jobs would have to be cut to save the same amount of money. Which is more important to those elected official the students and the people who work hard with them every day or the people they go to parties with in the evenings.

We should all watch carefully over the next few months to see just what gets cut from the budget of this state so we can remember well next time we vote for an elected official.

Bush Administration set to attack Women’s Rights

When will George W. Bush (Bust) get it through that old white haired thick head of his that women’s bodies are their own and that he does not have the right to create federal rules to change that fact? The Bush Administration is ready to release a new policy that would prevent government funded health care from refusing to hire people based on their views of birth control. Now I am one of those few women that because of a history with blood clots cannot take any form of birth control but I even think this is carrying it way too far. We don’t need the federal government in the exam room with our nurses and doctors thank you President Bush. We don’t need any more teenage pregnancies in this state. More than 200,000 people and more than 150 members of Congress have already called for the Bush administration to withdraw this insane federal rule. President Elect Obama will reverse it when he take office so what is the point. We want to create federal rules that will help drop the rate of abortion not increase them. Does President Bush secretly want to increase the number of abortions in this country? Maybe he approves of abortion and just has not told anyone the truth over the past eight years. Maybe he is just trying to get a grandchild sometime in the near future. We don’t care. Just stop with the insane federal rules already will you.

Who will run for what in 2010

Who will run for election in 2010? I have been hearing some interesting views on who the Republican Party will be putting up for election in 2010. First will Heather Wilson be running for her old congressional seat or will she run for New Mexico Governor. Second will Steve Pearce run for his old congressional seat or will he also make a run for the governor’s seat. What can we say: “been there seen that race before in the primary.” Third will Darren White run for the Mayor of Albuquerque or will he try to run for one of the other seats up for election.

I can honestly say that I am not in love with any of those candidates but then again I am a democrat so I favor our elected officials. One does have to wonder just who would win if the Mayor’s race was between Marty Chavez and Darren White since neither did terribly well in the 2008 elections.

Surely we can be looking at leading democratic candidates in our state for the next governor of our state and mayor of our fair city. We have a number of good people who would do a much better job of balancing our budget and providing the services and foresight that this state needs to improve the quality of life for every New Mexican.

An Evening with the African Children’s Choir

Earlier this last week I along with many other active democrats were invited by State Party Chairman Brian Colon to attend a performance of the African Children’s Choir at Popejoy Hall. The Choir is made up of children from Africa who tours the world in order to provide an education for underprivileged children in Africa. The children that make up the choir are underprivileged and receive an education from the organization that runs the choir. During the performance they tell a truly heart breaking story of the children who have benefited from the proceeds of each year’s tour.

State Party Chairman Brian Colon is a member of the Board of Directors at Popejoy Hall. He and his family do all they can to bring culture to our city in many positives ways. This evenings event was very well attended which will serve well the children of the Choir.

I must admit to not attending too many of these types of social events over the past few years. I am trying to get out more at present but still I am getting use to going out on my own. I am a person who likes to attend events with someone. I guess it is because of my southern up bring. If I was back East I would have a number of friends to attend such events with during the year. My college friend and I would attend an event every weekend and one friend Steve would drag us to every movie opening no matter how busy we told him we were during the year. Steve lives in New York City and still manages to tell me what to go see and what movies to watch something’s never change; nevertheless, I would welcome a few friends here in the city that would be interested in attend such event. Finding a true southern gentleman who enjoys the theater and art shows is highly unlikely in this state but that would be the ideal for someone like me. I fear at present most of my southern friends are old married people and most of the men would rather have dental work then attend too many social events but I have managed to drag them to one or two events in the last year.

Giving

With the holidays coming up in the next few weeks we turn our attention away from politics to look at giving to those who need it most. The last eight years has not been good for the middle class or the economically distressed in this country. Groups who feed and cloth the homeless are not seeing the same amount of giving this year because of the economic downturn but still we must look at all we have and find it in our harts a way to help those that are less fortunate in our communities. Giving to charity when times are good is not as hard as giving to a charity when times are difficult but think how much more the people will appreciate what is given. I don’t make a stand on which charity to give to but I do suggest that you find one where the money goes to the people in need.

The new incoming Obama Administration should look at ways to impact the problem of homelessness in this country and to find ways to get people off the streets. Many of our homeless are veterans who have returned for war only to end up on the streets while others are mentally ill people who need guidance when it comes to medication and the simple task of everyday living. To turn a blind eye on these problems when the weather is turning cold is to do a disservice to veterans and mentally ill people in this country and that is what the Bush Administration has done to them over the past eight years. Now is the time for Congress and the Senate to work together to find ways to give these people a hand in to a safe caring warm environment not a hand out.

The Future of Youth in Our Party

We managed with the help of President Elect Obama, Senator Elect Tom Udall and Congressman Elect Martin Heinrich to turn out a lot of young people this year. They saw that the Democratic Party will welcome their energy and their commit to our causes. It has never been about the past but always about our children and their future when it comes to doing the right thing for this country. We want an educational system that will provide a good affordable education for students of all ages. We want health care so that our young people will live long and healthy lives. We want peace so no young person should be faced with the kill or be killed decision. We want clean green energy and to protect our environment so that there is a planet for the future generations. Government should never be about the past but we can still learn not to make mistakes by examining the past. For women and mothers nothing can be more important then the future of our children whether they be one or twenty one.

Young people have a great deal that they can do for themselves by helping the party that wants to provide an equal opportunity for all individuals to get an education. They should also help to educate younger people in the important of good government. It will not be long at all before these individuals are the ones running our party. Just look at people like Brian Colon who is our state party chairman. It was not that far in the past that they were naming him one of our up and coming young people in the party. Visit the party headquarters and you will see people like Buck Glanz, volunteer coordinator, who works hard and surely will be a leader in our party in the future. For now he is working hard to organize our party and provide a friendly face to represent our state party. The local Democratic Party has always held our arms wide open in welcome of young people who have a passion for good government. We want all of the volunteers who helped out in this years campaigns to now look at becoming active members of both the Democratic Party of New Mexico and the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County but do be careful because I am sure both groups want you. Just remember education comes first no matter how needed or wanted you are made to feel by our party.

Suffering from Election Withdrawal

Here are some tips on what to do with all of that free time you were spending getting out the vote for the general election:

1. The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County has a meeting at the UNM Law School every third Thursday. Their next meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm November 20. What better way to stay engaged then to become active in your local party activities?
2. School Board Elections are taking place in February of 2009 and candidates will be looking for supporters who want to help get out the vote. Central New Mexico Community College Board elections will also be on the ballot. What better way to learn more about your college then to become engaged in an election that will decide who runs your college. One of the college seats is even held by a long standing republican.
3. The Democratic Party of New Mexico is always looking for a few good volunteers to help out at the office on San Pedro near Lomas. Now is the time to become active and help organize the party office. Young people will be off for the Christmas break soon and can help a lot at the party office.

Now is the time to build the support structure for future elections in our state. If we don’t then the Republican Party will be more than happy to take back our state in 2010.

Governor Bill Richardson makes third and final Appointment to State Court of Appeals

On November 12, 2008 Governor Bill Richardson made his final appointment for the State Court of Appeals. Now all three appointed judges will have to run in partisan races in November of 2010.

Judge Tim Garcia in 2007 was the first and only Judge to rule against allowing the death penalty in a state case because he viewed it as unconstitutional.

“Garcia cited studies' findings that jurors decide on a penalty prematurely, which he said constitutes arbitrary and capricious violation of the federal and state constitution.”

Judge Garcia was first elected to serve on the District Court in November of 2002. Judge Garcia is the third and final appointment for the court of appeal until another seat becomes available which will mostly likely be appointed by a future Governor but needless to say Governor Bill Richardson has left his mark upon the New Mexico Court System during his time in office.

From the Governor’s Press Release

“Judge Garcia holds a degree in business from the University of New Mexico as well as a law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He is a member of the New Mexico Bar Association, National Hispanic Bar Association, the New Mexico Sentencing Commission and the United States Tennis Association.

Judge Garcia is filling a seat that will be left vacant by Judge Joseph Alarid. Judge Garcia’s appointment to the Court of Appeals is effective on January 1st, 2009. He will be required to run in the election for his Court of Appeals seat in the 2010 general election.”

Veterans Day (A time to honor our veterans and spend time with our family)

Today is the day to honor our veterans for their service to our country. I had to work because the college does not feel that our college should be closed on this special day. I have often wondered about that since families should be given time to spend the day with veterans and families.

I attended the Central New Mexico Community College school board meeting this evening. I still find it odd that most votes on the board are decided long before it comes to a vote in front of the public. The board elections are coming up in February for four members of the board. The members up for reelection if they should decide to run are: Robert P. Matteucci, Jeff Armijo, Blair L. Kaufman and Richard Barr. Richard Barr is the only republican on the board and it will be interesting to see if he draws any democratic rival in such a blue city as Albuquerque. One does have to wonder. Blair L. Kaufman is a solid active democrat and should receive the support of the party. Jeff Armijo is the same candidate who ran for State Auditor in 2006 but pull out and the seat went to Hector Balderas who is another very solid active democrat. This should be an interesting race to follow if he decides to run once more for reelection. Robert P. Matteucci is one of the oldest board members and I personally think that they should name a building after him. So in short the two races to watch for those of you who are political junkies and feeling the withdraw pains of after election times are those of Richard Barr (district 7) and Jeff Armijo (district 3). See Map. Union members may not be too happy with these people because they still don't have their raise which was approved last July by the state. If anyone is feeling the need to run for a board seat the deadline is in december and you can contact the county clerks office to get the deadline date. I look forward to interviewing anyone who runs this next year after all we follow small local races just the same as the large races in this city.


Business Week’s The Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2009


Albuquerque listed thirty second on the list but it was on the list which I am sure is better than some cities faired. This city could do a great deal more to make itself kid and family friendly in the coming years. We have grown culturally over the last few years with the bio park and the zoo. We have the explorer museum, an art museum and the natural history museum. We have the National Hispanic Cultural Center that has an art museum and live performers. We are beginning to design and build bike trials but more could be done to build bigger parks with activities for children. Community Centers could also be built that appeal to children of all age groups. The city has redesigned Tingley Beach with a small train that runs between the Bio Park and the Zoo but it would be nice to run it to the National Hispanic Cultural Center and The Rio Grande Nature Center. The train could even at some point be expanded to run to the International Balloon Park museum. The linking of all of these attractions would further encourage tourism in the City of Albuquerque therefore making it a more family friendly city for visitors. The local Native American tribes should also be encouraged to build a National Native American Cultural Center in the city alone the route of that small but family friendly train. Hotel chains should also be encouraged to invest in linking to the train around the airport which would encourage even more family friendly tourism. Families look for cities with a lot to do and an easy way to connect these activities. They also want to visit a place before they agree to live there so having all of your activities connected to the local airport is always a good way to attract attention to local attractions. Something for people and city leaders in this city to think about on a day like today where many families are off from work.

Universal Federal Voter Registration

Do all legal Americans have the right to vote? What a concept that people would be registered to vote at the same time they are given a birth certificate and a social security card. I know that the Republican Party fear giving more people the right to vote but is that a real reason to prevent it from happening in our life time. Since we can build a system for social security and birth certificates then why not a national voter registration system? No one is saying that any system is perfect but a system like this would be an improvement over the present one. It would do away with third party voter registration groups and destroy any objections that some have about voter registration fraud. A new system would free people up to work on getting out the vote for their candidate rather than just registering people to have the right to vote. What a concept that all Americans would be given a lifelong right to vote in this country. What is the Republican Party afraid of if such a system was enacted? Since when did the right to vote become a privilege and not a civic duty in this country?

Want to tell President Elect Obama your vision for change then go to his new website.

The Road Ahead

For now the road ahead looks bright for the Democratic Party. We are now ready to take control of our country and move forward. Our President Elect is building his administration, setting up meetings with world leaders and making plans to hit the road running on January 20, 2009. The painful part is the long wait before that day arrives but still there is a lot of work to be done before that day. America is watching carefully as he picks his cabinet to see where his administration will move. Women are looking to see if he will place women in positions of power. Clearly we want our voices represented in the new administration. There are many talented women to choose from and it would not be well for him to make a misstep at this point in history.

We are also looking to see how Michelle Obama defines her roll as our nation’s first lady. We want her to show that along with being a caring mother that she is also a very intelligent woman who can give voice to the difficulties that working women face in our country. First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed a desire to work with military wives as a small lab to expand into with projects that would improve family life.

How can the Senate and the U.S House of Representatives help? On day one they can put forth a piece of legislation that will give women equal pay and give the U.S. Supreme Court clear direction on when to start the clock on when a women can sue a business for pay inequities. They can reform education by doing away with “No Child Left Behind.” They can fund early childhood education and tutoring for all age levels so that our children are all given a balanced chance at success. They can pay teachers and instructional staff who work directly with students what they are worth and do away with over payment of school middle management and administration. They can develop more support for working mothers by providing safe cost effective child care. Paid family leave for parents would go along way toward helping working mothers balance family and work.

Now is the time for President Elect Barack Obama to show his respect for the women of this country.

What Next for the New Elected Official of the Democratic Party

The weekend starts with many people beginning to get back to normal after two years of hard work to elected people who can bring change to this country. The candidates are thanking their supporters and planning for their staff needs.

My suggestion to those candidates is to make sure and build a strong constituent service wing to their organization. While Senator elect Tom Udall has always had a strong support group for constituent services the three new Congressmen elect are new to this part of government. They need to get contact information out to the voters quickly so that if people want to make comments, express their views on legislation, ask questions, or need help they know were to turn and how to ask for help.

For the congressional group it is also important to keep the lines of communication open with the local media since the turn around for reelection is only two years for them and they will need support more then even come 2010. Our new congressmen will have the backing of senior congressmen this year because the party will want to hold on to all of the achievements made this year. Our new congressmen will most likely be bringing home some good benefits for New Mexicans that they will want to promote to the voters. Republican controlled media will be playing down any achievements in the hopes of promoting their own party in 2010.

The one advantage that these new members has is a strong open media in the local bloggers who have worked hard over the last few years to get the message out to the voting public. I would suggest that all three new members to the congress sit down with local bloggers to build contact lines so that they can be clear lines of communication. Senator Jeff Bingaman meets with local radio members on the phone every few weeks to answer questions and promote his views on current legislation. I have always found this helpful but must admit that I would love to see him reach out to local bloggers as well.

I would personally like to invite each and ever elected officials to set up a forum for bloggers to met with local members of the blogging community on regular bases to answer question and promote legislation so that the local voters have more knowledge of what is going on in Washington.

These types of communication can only increase the approval rating of both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives in this state. Open government can only result in good government in my view.

Club Social-The Best Membership to have in Albuquerque

I was invited by our Party Chairman Brian Colon to a Club Social (505-766-9858) event at the National Hispanic Cultural Center last evening. Chairman Colon even after two long years of hard work that has paid off well for our state is still working hard to build our party and encourage the development of the cultural part of our city at the same time. Club Social is a dynamic networking group for young professionals in the City of Albuquerque. It has a lot of great benefits to offer members and clearly is a membership that democrat professionals should take the time to investigate.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center is the hidden jewel of our city and I would suggest that everyone should pay it a visit sometime in the very near future. Coming soon is a fresco from the artist Frederico Vigil. I can personally tell you that this work will take your breath away. It will be one of the largest frescos in the United States and is a must see masterpiece. The artist has truly created a great masterpiece for our city. If you join club social at the Padrino level I am told that you will get a private viewing of the masterpiece in progress. While you are at the Hispanic Cultural Center you must stop by the art gallery to view the work of Alex Chavez. After being trained in the fine arts back east I can tell you that New Mexico is gifted by some truly great artists. I found Alex Chavez’s work to be among my favorite in a very well put together show last evening.

The Democratic Party has worked hard for the last two years to put people in office that care about our country and our local communities. Now is the time to show your support of our local culture which is a direct result of good government in our state. NCLB has been a program that has deprived our children of the finer parts of their education that would make them more well rounded individuals but with places like the National Hispanic Cultural Center which is on 1701 4th Street SW we have the ability to give some of that back to our children. Now is a time to be a proud democrat and get to know other proud professional democrats who share our views on how to make our country a better place for all Americans.

What is Change and Will it come to New Mexico

For the Voters:

Change for the voters will take more time because the first chance local elected officials will get to make changes is in January at the next session of the legislature. Now is when our local elected officials are setting their bills and goals for that session so people should start to contact them with requests on issues. The budget is tight this time round so the money will be limited. I for one would like to see paid holidays and annual leave for CNM Instructional support staff this is only fair since all of the other staff already get those benefits. The amount of money for the request is so small that most people in the legislature call it a rounding error so I would love to see that error fixed this year. These people did not get a raise this year yet because the college is unwilling to move even thought the legislature handed over the money for those raises months ago. But the school was able to give the school president an 11% pay raise. This is just one more example of a CEO who puts herself first while the basic workers are facing hard times economically. Now is the time to speak out on the issues that you feel the most strongly about in this state. You can find your representative's contact information at: http://legis.state.nm.us/lcs/default.asp.

For the Democratic Party:

The day after the election a friend who I met this year on the campaign trail emailed me all fired up to begin the change here in New Mexico. This individual wanted to replace inactive political people with young people he had met on the campaign trail. My advice was to start up a youth group that could have their own meetings and meeting place. These active individuals could and should bring a lot of spirit to our group but should not in any way cause the older members of our group to stop being active.

They can help build the party over the next two years by reaching out to other young people and by using technology to build lines of communication within the groups and with voters. Too many times in our city’s history and in the history of other groups people get all fired up about change and in the end all they really do is damage the organization that they are attempting to build up because change often means new and younger people who want to replace the current group of people. Just because people are older does not mean that they don’t have good ideas and some real world experience in the area that they are active and at the same time just because someone is young does not mean that they don’t have skills and knowledge that could help build an organization. Now is the time to find ways to unite and combine these two groups to build a stronger organization for the future. People should be proud of all that we have achieved from our hard work over the past two years and now is the time to build for a brighter stronger future both for our state and for our party. We have solid leadership so now let’s build more solid support for that leadership.

New Mexico's State Treasurer James B. Lewis' Reaction

Last evening I was able to interviw New Mexico's very own State Treasurer James B. Lewis on his reaction to the result that gave us our first African American President.

From the Albuquerque Convention Center

The Ballroom is so loud that you can not hear anyone on the phone but the crowd is thrilled so far with the results coming in with the state and national elections. The following is just a few of the calls in the national elections.

7:35 Tom Udall declared winner. Obama at 200 to McCain at 124.

7:45 Obama wins Virginia.

8:00 Iowa went to Obama

8:15 The District Court Races are looking good so far and things could not be better. Florida is looking good in early returns for Obama. My wish list is

8:40 State Treasurer James B. Lewis dropped by to check the elections results. Virginia is looking good for Obama.

8:45 It is no longer yes we can. It is now Oh yes we did as they projected Barack Obama our first African American President.

9:05 Senator Tom Udall speaking to the crowd. He is thanking supporter, family and friends. President Obama has 284 electoral votes compaired to McCains 146. Senator Tom Udall is telling the crowd that they will end the war and have a new energy future.

9:10 The wave has hit the shore the tide has swept away an old administration and the crowd is loving it. This room is so packed that the fire marshall is clearly saying no more people.

9:15 The State Auditor is thirlled and ready to get down to work now that we have a new administration in Washington.

9:30 Senator McCain throws in the towel.

9:40 Lots of people wanting to check in on local races now that the national race is said and done. Jason Mark from the PRC dropped by the table and is pleased with the result saying that the voters voted the issues.

10:00 Obama takes the stage to accept the office of President of the United State and the crowd goes wild. Martin Heinrich gave the floor to the next President before he accepts his office as U.S. Congressmen the first Democrat to hold that office in CD1.

10:20 Martin Heinrich take the stage to accept his office as congressman of Congressional District one. He is thanking his wife first of all. Thanked his parents and his campigen staff. Hope plus actions has turned New Mexico truly blue.

10:25 The governor is in Santa Fe. Brian is wondering if he might get a call soon. Ed Tinley just throw in the towel to Harry Teaque for Congressional District 2. We now have three democratic congressmen.

10:45 The crowd is thinning out because the races have been decided and New Mexico has gone through a blue wave like no other seen in this state's history.

Getting out the Vote

This morning I joined the Obama teams to walk neighborhoods to help get out the last of the voters. The Plumber and Pipefitters hall was filled with eager enthusiastic volunteers. The guest speakers who wished them well were Lt. Governor Diane Denish and soon to be Congressman for congressional district one Martin Heinrich. My best advice is to go vote and then stick a note on the door that you have already voted because those volunteers are not in the mood to give up until they are sure everyone has cast a vote today. Once you vote you will drop off the list of people to contact. The mood is one of restrained hope that by this evening that Senator Barack Obama will be our new president. Remember to call family and friends to encourage them to got out and vote today. No ID is required to vote so don’t let anyone drive you away from the polls today. Some good things to bring are a bottle of water, a good book and a chair if you don’t or can’t be on your feet for very long.

Vote Now

Vote Hope Not Fear

Vote Democratic New Mexico

Election Day is Finally Here So Go Vote

Two years of hard work and Election Day is finally here for New Mexico. In some respects it feels like Christmas. We all have our wish list of candidates but no one knows exactly what they will get at the end of the day.

Here is my wish list:

President Barack Obama

Senator Tom Udall

Congressman Martin Heinrich

Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels

State Senators: Victor Raigoza, Cisco McSorley, Tim Keller

State Representatives: Sheryl William-Stapleton, Al Park

Vote “Yes” for retention for all of the District Court Judges. JPEC has voted yes for retention for them all. May favorites are: Judge Reed Sheppard, Judge Carl J. Butkus, Judge Clay P. Campbell, Judge Charles Brown, Judge Elizabeth Whitefield, Judge Ross Sanchez, Judge Bob Schwartz, Judge William Parnall and Judge Albert Murdoch. All are very good judges that should stay in the courts.

County Clerk Maggie Toulouse-Oliver

PRC Jason Marks

Vote Now

Vote Hope Not Fear

Vote Democratic New Mexico

P.S. I will be reporting from the Albuquerque Convention Center this evening as the results start coming in for the election.

Racism a Thing of the Past or Still Present in the Working World

I grew up in a part of the old south where you could end up dead if you were a white woman seen dating a black male. As I moved to larger cities the feel changed as people became more at easy with cross cultural dating. Although I did have one or two boyfriends who feared telling their parents that they were dating a white girl. My first child was an African American male but I lost the child during my fourth month of the pregnancy. I have more than a few cousins who are African American. I am one of those strange people who has been color blind like my cousins from birth even thought we grew up in a very racist culture.

When I moved to New Mexico I openly dated African Americans with not so much as a cross word or feeling that any harm would ever come to me. I have lived in New Mexico for the past twenty two years and had forgotten what that type of hate could feel like until a few months ago.

I have a new coworker and it is clear that she is racist and open about the behavior. I have watched her turn students away and even act rude toward one student. I have reported it to her supervisor, my own supervisor and my dean. I find nothing more offensive then this woman’s behavior because those students depend on us for help when they need it most.

We are on the edge of electing our first African American president in this country and some have said that it clearly proves that racism is a thing of the past but I wonder just how true that is when some people feel that they can still mistreat people because of their skin color. You would have though that the Dean of my school would have been far more outraged to hear that this woman was behaving so toward an African American student but he remained far to calm from my point of view. I can only hope that tomorrow will bring a change in the direction of this country and that hate will not win out over hope.

The Wave is Building and You can Feel The Energy in the Air

The feeling in the air is the same feeling that you get right before a huge spring storm blows into the area. The air is filled with raw energy and you know that something big is about to happen. If all goes well tomorrow night our party will make history and New Mexico will turn blue in 08. A great number of hard working people have stepped up this year to show their support for our party. These individuals deserve a great amount of thanks for their never ending support and endless hours of hard work for all of the campaigns.

We have had a strong leader in State Party Chairman Brian Colon. He has organized a grassroots effort that is rivaled by no other in this country. Our county chairs have also stepped up to get out the vote and the results are beginning to show in early voting. Our lead candidates are among the best in the country and they have developed teams that have inspired the voting public to care about their candidates.

Yet without voter turnout on November 4 it could all come to nothing. These same individuals will be out early tomorrow to encourage people that have not yet voted to go to the polls. The effort will not end until the last voted is counted and the Democratic Party can claim the victory that our country so desperately needs this year.

And once the voting polls are closed and the votes are being counted our party chairman has invited us all to the convention center downtown to watch the result come in and enjoy the evening.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Election Night Celebration

Albuquerque Convention Center

401 2nd St NW

Albuquerque, NM

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Doors Open: 7:00PM

This event is free and open to the public. Please forward widely. Tickets are not required, however, please RSVP here.

Vote Tuesday
Vote Hope Not Fear
Vote Democratic New Mexico

Polls Say Democrats are Leading in all the Races

This morning the republicans were all admitting defeat of the Republican Party and its candidates on Tuesday. They could not understand why or how they are losing in the Polls. The Republican Party and it large group of old white haired men can not see past their own self interest to understand why the American people want change for the middle class and the economically distressed.

The democrats on the other hand are feeling the fear that some voters may not be moved to stand in long lines if they think that we are winning the races. Too many times we have watched as the election was taken away at the last minute by a very small margin of votes that in most cases was less then a thousand. The fear is real that it could happen once more this year if we don’t work hard to get out every single voter for our candidates. The Democratic Party will not make the mistake of being too over confident at this point in time. We truly understand that it is all up to the voting public and that nothing is over until the last vote is counted.

With only two more days left until the election on November 4 party members are walking every neighborhood and talking with everyone to ensure that if they have not voted that they get out on Election Day to do just that for the candidates. If you are an Obama supporter call the local office on Election Day and maybe they can find another supporter to drive you to the polls if you can not get yourself to a polling place. If you have voted then volunteer to help a friend to get to the polls to cast their vote on Election Day because nothing could be more important then getting out the democratic vote. If you feel that you will have problems in long lines then take a chair, a good book and some water to make it easier on yourself. No one every said that you had to stand in line to vote if the line is too long so try sitting in line. This could turn out to be the great American sit in of the two thousands.

Vote Tuesday

Vote Hope Not Fear

Vote Democratic New Mexico

George Lopez at the Obama Rally Last Weekend

With only three more days until this election is over we must get every voter to get out and vote. We only have one more day of voting to go before this election is over and done with so let's not let all of the hard work end in anything but victory. Last weekend George Lopez took time away for his vacation to come and speak to a crowd of 45,000 plus here in Albuquerque to help get out the vote.

Vote on Tuesday

Vote Hope Not Fear

Vote Democratic New Mexico

A Day off with the Kid

Yesterday I took the day off from working to spend the time on a movie set because my daughter was an extra for the movie. Yes, she will get paid for eight hours of work and her face will be one of many in the background of the next Jackie Chen movie.

I spent the day in the gym reading a book while she worked on and off during the day. She also spent three hours working on her homework for school. I know that it is important to have a parent in ear shot of any filming being done with a child under the age of 15 but I could not image doing this on regular bases. It is one of the activities that I would list as the most boring in the world. How would you like to have to go watch someone work all day long? If there is a next time I will bring my laptop so that I can be on the web.

My daughter has decided despite all of my trying to talk her out of it to be an actress. Now Jackie Chen movies do not rate as great works but the kids love to watch them and they do make money at the box office so for that reason any work is better then no work as long as it is clean and rated less then an “R.” The good thing is that my daughter is working both sides of the camera and knows that it is not all red carpet and Hollywood glamour. For her it is a job just like the ones the rest of us do everyday. She wants to be good at her job so she works hard and tries to be agreeable to the people around her.

If she works hard and has a little luck in the future maybe she will develop some say so as to the type of films she wants to act in. As a child she thinks that I am too hard on movies that have no real plot or character development but as she grows older I am sure her views will change on the matter.

For the most part I did not have anything related to politics going on but the book that I was reading. I had been invited to a early vote rally at the Obama headquarters but my daughter did not get off work until well after the event was over and done with and everyone had hopefully gone off to vote at the nearest early voting poll. After work my daughter dressed up as Carry White and went with her friends to visit the neighborhood for the yearly candy. As I said for her acting is just a career where she likes what she is doing. Somehow I get the feeling that her film teacher was about as thrill with the movie experience as I was in sitting around all day. Maybe he can use it to define to the students what is the different between good movie making and popular movie making. I hope everyone goes to see “The Spy Next Door” for the pure fun and enjoyment of just watching a movie that has little to do with great meaningful cinema.

P.S. I know that most of the voting public is getting sick of the political thing but in a few days it will have all paid off if we have a new president that cares about our country and the middle class so with that in mind.

Vote Now!

Vote Hope Not Fear

Vote Democratic New Mexico