New Used Car or the City Bus System

Today I spent the day looking for a new used vehicle and now I have one. What is bad for the car industry was good for me this year because the price of cars has been driven down by the lack of buyers. I must admit that I much preferred the family owned M & F auto sales car dealership to the large dealers. Being a woman buying a car in this country is not easy but there are more women sales people then ten years ago when I purchased my last car and I was more then a little happy that the person who sold me my car was a woman. I miss having a mechanic to check over my car but my mechanic retired last year so now I must rely on car fact reports and hope that the state laws will protect me as a buyer.

For the last month I have been taking the city bus to and from work everyday. Expanding the bus system is a smart move by our mayor and will only help working families in the future. The bus system will also help to reduce CO out put and help to protect our environment which will be good for all New Mexicans. Sad to say CNM would not let me even use a company vehicle to drive to other campuses in the evening to substitute a class since as they put it, “it was not for a business use.” What are we in the business to do if not teach classes? Not a way to encourage people to us the city bus system to get to and from work. Clearly the policy needs to be changed to support the real mission of the college and encourage workers to use mass transits in the city but just one more reason to reign in a CEO type administration at the community college. Taxpayers pay for a vehicle for the president of our college. I wonder dose she take it home at the end of the day. Maybe we should look more closely at the people who make school policy which would be the governing board. They also hire the president of the college who should be sitting an example for the rest of the state with her school policies toward green usage in the city. At present I will still be forced to drive my new used car to work so that I will be able to work late on those days when someone needs a substitute for their class after all the students should come first even if the college administration does not agree.

President Obama has a Plan for the Future

Here is a twist a president who actually has a plan and is willing to stick to it. President Obama is now working hard to do the things that are needed to change America for the better. He is willing to spend a great deal of money to move this country in the right directions where people can afford homes and college educations for their children.

The republicans are already lining up to fight tooth and nail for their dreams of a country where the poor only get poorer and the rich get richer. The voting public will have to work hard to make sure that elected officials don’t just slide into conservative views like our state senators have done over the last few months. Being a progressive in New Mexico is not easy but with time and hard work we will begin to turn the red tide even in New Mexico. People just have to hang on and not give up hope for a better future.

At this point we must stick with the people we elected to the federal government and try to support the progressives at the state level. They are new and few so it will take more time for them to achieve our goals. We will have to work hard during the 2012 elections to help elect more progressives in this state. Conservatives are boosting that in this state they are holding us at bay in the larger cities and that because of that we will never be able to bring about real change for New Mexico but we learn from their bad behavior and we will work to remove conservatives in the future because it is our state and we deserve to have a say in its future.

The state senators who are democrats who fear change had better watch their step or they will face a very angry voting public in 2012. Education should be reformed to make it about the students and to help encourage frontline educational employees by giving them better pay which does not mean taking more money from their paychecks to pay for their retirement in the future while rewarding CEO type administration with large pay increases. A failure to act in the best interest of the voting public will be remembered in the future and result in consequences.

We will keep careful eyes on how they spend the recovery and reinvestment funding and the Obama administration will hear about any misused or abuse of that funding here in New Mexico.

President Obama Addresses the Congress

Last evening President Obama gave a solid clear and to the point speech to Congress and the Senate. He also wanted to address the voting public and let them know that he understood their point of view. He laid out an aggressive plan for how his administration will deal with the economic recession within the next two years. He asked all Americans to give feedback on how the money is being spent from the recovery and reinvestment bill. He gave a website where Americans can share their stories on how this bill is affecting their lives. http://www.recovery.gov/ He put Vice President Joe Bidden in charge of watch dogging how the money is spent and as President Obama himself said, “No one better mess with Joe.”

The republican response to the president’s speech was move of the same that we saw over the past eight years and clearly they still do get it that they lost the election. If the Republican Party ever hopes to regain seats in the federal government they will need to readdress issues in a way the American people can support and understand.

Reactions from our Congressmen

Congressman Martin Heinrich’s Reaction:

“Despite the very serious economic situation we are in, I share President Obama’s optimistic view that we can create good jobs by investing in green energy, education, health care and restoring our infrastructure. Now, more than ever, we must reform the way government conducts its business, eliminate unnecessary and ineffective programs, fight for middle class families and restore the American Dream for all New Mexicans. “

Congressman Ben Luján's Reaction:

"President Obama and the 111th Congress have inherited a difficult economic situation from the Bush Administration. Tonight, President Obama outlined a clear and responsible plan to get our economy back on track, put people first, and invest in America."

"President Obama's commitment to changing the direction of our country is encouraging and inspiring. He spoke boldly, he spoke to the American people, and I look forward to working with him to get our economy back on track."

When Will the Grand Jury Investigation into CDR be Finished

State Party Chairman Brian S. Colón writes a guest article in the Albuquerque Journal reacting to the on going investigation into CDR which has been directed at the Governor’s office.

Strange that a tool which was first created to prevent political prosecution of individuals has now been turned on elected official in this state to drag out an investigation over many months for what is beginning to appear to be political reasons. Any jury pool would be only too exposed to leaks from this investigation because of the length of time it is taking to hear and rehear testimony. With such a high profile case one would hope that leaks would be held to a minimum and that speed would be a key issue for any prosecuting attorney if they truly believed there is a case to be prosecuted.

With political reform being a major theme to this year’s legislative session now would be a good time to take a long hard look at local elected state officials and decide who is standing next to them whispering in their ear. For too long this state has seen high dollar lobbyists from oil and gas and other major companies having a strong influence on republicans to the point where normal everyday voters have no hope of getting a fair hearing and now a republican U.S Attorney is facing questions on why a high profile case is lingering for such a long period of time. Some in the media have suggested that it is simply a case of him wanting to hold on to his job for a little while longer. What ever the reason I am sure that the voting public would like nothing more then to see this investigation completed and decisions made as to what will happen next if anything. Our state’s voting public doses not want New Mexico to become equated with pay for play activities at the state government level unless there is real hard evidence to back up the claims.

The Issue that Started the Economic Crisis in America

Not since the great depression has America saw this type of economic crisis. Jobless rates are predicted to increase into the double digits and while manufacturing is predicted to decrease in the next year. Millions of Americans are losing their home and their jobs all at the same time. Large companies are going under and banks cannot afford to loan money to either large or small businesses. The republicans want to blame the voting public for these issue but the truth is that the Bush Administration refused to address the core problem before it spun out of control.

The core issue is housing and to be more specific mortgages. The answer is to address that issue and provide the economy with the security that is needed to stabilize the economy. People who took the step to purchase their first home and achieve the American dream should not be blamed for this crisis. The value of homes should be written down to current market values by bankruptcy counts and interest rates for those mortgages should be set at a fix cost in order to allow people to be able to pay their mortgages on time. Once banks understand exactly what the values of those mortgages are then they can value the assets which they hold and those assets will have a future stable value. The banks will then be able to loan money to large and small businesses based on that stable future value of the assets they hold and that will protect jobs which will allow people to be able to spend once more in this country. You can weave the economy back together the same way the Bush Administration inaction unwoven it.

After this issue is dealt with then the government should go after CEOs and Companies both large and small which caused this issue to develop. No company should ever be allowed to grow so big that for economic reasons we as a country could not allow it to fail that is at the core of free enterprise in this country. CEO’s salaries should never be allowed to grow to the point that they have not relationship to the companies they run and the employees of those companies because that type of corporate structure invites failure. All of these factors will take time to deal with and that is why the Obama Administration needed to pass the economy recovery and reinvestment bill. Although the economy recovery and reinvestment bill is not perfect by anyone’s standards it is a step in the right direction.

So what is the responsible of the voting public in all of this? The voting public should understand that it is their responsible to save money for the future incase of economic problems. They should demand oversight from government when it comes to financial matters and demand fair wages for all Americans. They should control their own spending and invest in the economy so as to encourage growth which will benefit all. Home ownership should be seen as a good and beneficial thing because it increases a since of belonging to local communities and all Americans should be encouraged to achieve that dream. I would encourage the federal government to create a bill that would encourage and aide educational employees to own their own home within the community in which they work and live this would encourage them to work hard for their local schools. At present most educational employees cannot even afford to live in the community in which they work.

Results of Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Monthly Meeting

Latest Thursday evening was the monthly meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County. First to speak was Congressman Martin Heinrich. Congressman Heinrich told a crowded room that despite strong support from himself and Congressman Luján and Congressman Teague that the recovery bill was stripped of educational funding much needed by this and other states. Clearly republicans do not support public education and will do anything to damage it even if it harms this country. Until democratic elected officials start standing up in numbers as our represents did for education this country will continue to have problems educating our young people for future jobs, the bill does include some funding to reeducate workers for green jobs. Our state will be receiving large sums for green jobs and the state will receive money to help prevent reductions in state services. Congressman Heinrich limited questions to only three and then left for another event.

After Congressman Heinrich spoke the crowd was introduced to the Judges in the Appeals Court and both the second and third district courts. Each of the systems and divisions was described by a local judge. Some are the judges who will be running in the next elections and some like Judge Clay Campbell and Judge Carl Butkus are regular members who work hard to educate the public on the value of the court system. Judge Campbell pointed out during the meeting that judges are restricted on answering questions about cases and issues so it is best to stick to questions about job history and education in order to get a good feel about what type of judges the candidates will be on the bench. As Judge Campbell point out no one would even want a judge to predetermine a case before they hear the facts and hear the testimony from both sides on any matter before the court. What they did not point out is that most judges must take a pay cut in order to serve the public and that they often put their lives and those of their families in danger just to see that justice is provided for our state and city. They also work long hours and spend a great amount of time reading through mountains of materials for each case before the court.

The third issue covered during the meeting was the election of ward chairs and precinct chairs for the party. A number of meetings will be held in March in order to meet the requirements to elect these individuals. For more information on the meeting dates go to the county party website there is a link on the lower left hand side of the page.

The Parkland Hills Community—A Center of Fine Living

Since every other part of the city has decided to name their communities then I have decided it is high time that I remind people around the city of my community’s name. My area of the city between Gibson and Zuni from south to north and from San Mateo and Washington from East to West has long been named the Parkland Hills Community and little to nothing has been done to promote the name over the years. We are bordered by Nob Hill to the west and the International District to the east therefore we are at the heart of a developing community area.

The Parkland Hills Community has long been a walkable community with many nice parks. You will often see people walking, biking, or jogging Ridgecrest early in the morning and late in the evening. We have a mixture of fine homes and middle class residents. Our schools could use a little improvement but building has been going on lately to improve our grade school. We do need a larger community center and we welcome clear up along San Mateo in the International District. Our community is on major bus lines so that the residents can help achieve the mayor’s green city goals. We have a variety of shopping and eating options easily within walking distance and we are close to the Air Force Base. The Parkland Hills Community is a place with many old cottonwoods and the views of the mountains are just beautiful after dark. So next time you are thinking about moving across the river and don’t want to face the drive and lack of serves think about buying your next home in the Parkland Hills Community where you will find a very active liberal sense of community.

Congressman Luján in the State

This is what you call reaching out to the Voting Public when it comes to the Economic Recovery Bill.

Wednesday, February 18

7:00 am - Economic Recovery Congress on Your Corner, Big Dogs Chuckwagon, 525 Riverside Drive, Espanola
7:30 am - Economic Recovery Congress on Your Corner, Angelina's Restaurant, 1226 N Railroad Ave, Espanola
12:45 pm - Economic Recovery Congress on Your Corner, El Parasol Restaurant, 1903 Central, Los Alamos
1:00 pm - Economic Recovery Small Business Roundtable, Coffee Coffee Booth, 723 Central, Los Alamos
3:00 pm - Economic Recovery Small Business Roundtable, Los Arcos Restaurant, 819 N Riverside Drive, Espanola

Thursday, February 19

9:00 am - Economic Recovery Roundtable on Investment Policy with Curry County Commission, Curry County Courthouse Commission Chambers, Clovis
1:00 pm - Schools and the Economic Recovery - Modernizing Classrooms and Protecting Teachers' Jobs Tour, Barry Elementary School, Clovis
12:00 pm - Economic Recovery Press Conference with Cannon AFB Officials Regarding Cannon and the Recovery Package, Clovis

Friday, February 20

9:30 am - Renewable Energy and the Economic Recovery - Creating Green Jobs Tour, Mesalands Community College Wind Energy Program with Jim Morgan, Director of Technology and Tracy Rascoe, Wind Energy Director, Tucumcari
3:00 pm - Schools and the Economic Recovery - Modernizing Classrooms and Protecting Teachers' Jobs Tour, Clayton High School (built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration), Clayton

Saturday, February 21

8:00 am - Economic Recovery Congress on Your Corner, Fina's Diner, Chama
1:45 pm - Economic Recovery Town Hall, 333 South First Street, Bloomfield
3:45 pm - Economic Recovery Congress on Your Corner, Safeway Food & Drug, 415 North Main Avenue, Aztec
4:45 pm - Economic Recovery Congress on Your Corner, Hiway Grill, Aztec

And for the people in Albuquerque who would like to see their congressman in action Martin Heinrich will be at the UNM Law School Thursday evening at 6:00 pm attending the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County meeting.

President Obama has eyes on Economic Recovery Money

Today President Obama signed the economic recovery bill into law. He is now asking his supporters to keep an eye on how the money is being spent so as to reduce waste. There will now be hundred of thousands of eyes watching and reporting back to the president just how the money is being used in each state. Clearly the President will not be happy if anyone misuses the money from this bill.

Report Waste Here and Leave Reactions on How the Money is being Spent.

Recovery.gov

Taxes

These two emails were sent to me and I thought they should be shared.

"Interesting . . . made me think!

At first, I thought this was funny...then I realized the awful truth of it.
Be sure to read all the way to the end!

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, and teach him taxes are the rule.
Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.
Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries tax his tears.
Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways to tax his ass.
Tax all he has then let him know that you won't be done till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers, then tax him some more, tax him till He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, tax his grave, tax the sod in which he's laid.

Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom...'
When he's gone, do not relax, it’s time to apply the inheritance tax...

Accounts ReceivableTax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food Tax
License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales T ax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?!?!?!? I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!!!! YOU can help it get there!!!!GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!"


And now the reply:

“A hundred years ago we didn’t have highways, federal law enforcement, space program, military industrial complex, FDA, social security and other entailments , EPA, FCC, Homeland Security, SEC, PBS, GI-Bill, student grants, student loans, funding for the arts, expanded VA Hospitals, NTSB, FAA, TSA, Department of Labor, Department of Energy, a large National Park System, OSHA etc….

A hundred years ago we had children in sweat shops with locked fire escapes, rampant poverty among all age groups but most of all the children and the elderly, unsafe food, unregulated medicine, dumping of pollutants and carcinogens into our drinking water. We had unchecked air pollution. Work place safety was ignored with thousands dying. So stop being so selfish, we are one of the least taxed nations in the world. Stop your complaining and let’s get to work re-building this nation!

David”

Thanks David for reminding us that our taxpayer’s dollars can and should be used to help those in this country who cannot help themselves. The fight is not to stop paying taxes but to make sure that those dollars are spent smartly to help Americans. Our fight is with special interest groups and the lobbyists that speak for them and not with the government programs that protect health and safety for all Americans and provide a well educated workfore for the future of this nation.

Another Death Caused by a Mentally Ill Individual

Treatment, Treatment, Treatment! New Mexico is failing its mentally ill individuals and it is costing the lives of innocent people. Families are begging for help but none will come for them or their mentally ill families’ members. State Senator Cisco McSorly has been working hard to get help for these individuals for years but with little progress. People are dying and yet our state government is turning a blind eye to the plight of these people and their families. Many walk the streets homeless and helpless with little treatment and little hope for a better life. Some are veterans who return home from war and yet they end up on the street where they are a danger to themselves and others.

Our state can afford to pay college presidents over $200,000 and universities presidents over $400,000. We can afford to give college and universities money to spend on high paid lobbyists who lobby against educational employees. We spend money on vice presidents in the $100,000 range and little money in the classrooms or on the employees who work directly with students every day. We give exempt employees of state government huge salaries and watch as administrations grow. Yet where is the money to put an end to the deaths caused by the homeless mentally ill individuals because of a lack of medical treatment and how many more innocent people and police officers have to die in this state before enough state senators cares enough to help these people? Before the lobbyist in Santa Fe loss their grip on our elected officials and our state government officials start to put the voting public before special interest groups? Where is the smart spending in state government? Why do we hear them complain about micro management? How many more innocent people must die?

Please Forgive Us Progressive Democratic Elected Officials

President Obama told a story this week about a constituent who walked up to an elected official and said “I am the reason you were elected.” The official asks how and the constituent said that he supported and voted for the official. His reply was so you’re the reason I am in this pretty mess. “Well I forgive you.”

Now progressive democratic elected officials will have to find it within themselves to forgive the voting public for getting them into a pretty mess where they are faced with older democrats who are controlled by lobbyists and who could careless about the needs or the wants of the voting public. We as the voting public are going to have to send more progressive democrats to the state senate if we want change. Older lobbyist controlled democrats are siding with the failed policies of the Republican Party just so they can raise the funds to get reelected in the future. The current state senate is for the lobbyists, by the lobbyists and of the lobbyists.

The Albuquerque Journal reported in Saturday’s issue that 55 lobbyists who out number the state senate had given large sums of money over the past election and that now they are taking elected official out for very high priced meals. How can anyone in the voting public stand up and be heard if state senators are too busy being bought and controlled by lobbyists. Clearly reform needs to come but it looks like it is too late for the current state senate to stand up to the people that own them. As long as lobbyists control the state senate no bill will ever pass that could help the voting public. It will only be business as usual. The sad part of all of this is that when it comes to state run colleges and universities we the taxpayers are paying for the salaries of the lobbyists who buy our own state senator who then vote against the interest of our children.

The progressive state senators are the only ones standing up for constituent’s wants and needs because they are refusing to take money from lobbyists so they should be supported in the future by those of us who voted them into office after all we are the reason they are now in this pretty mess.

Pay to Play Politics Needs to be Stopped in this State

The Voting Public is too Poor to Pay to Play

State Senate Education Committee and the Education Budget

Yesterday I was told that the State Senate Education Committee does not micro-manage how state colleges and universities spend their money in this state. At the time I was arguing for a bill that would give fair and equitable treatment to instructional support staff. What I witness should be frightening to any member of the voting public. The room behind me was filled with high paid lobbyist from the colleges and universities around the state and by the end of the meeting the State Senators were echoing their empty quotes. The money that pays these individuals salaries comes from our taxpayer dollars. They were not there to help protect individual that face discrimination but to maintain the system that encourages it. The president of Central New Mexico Community College went from a salary of $185,000 per year to $206,000 within the first six months after she was hired at the same time instructional support staff received a $0 increase in their pay for the year. We as a state will be forced to watch as our children fail their college classes because after budget cuts the people who work directly with those children will no longer have their jobs but the administration will grow and be paid more. If this system does not need to be micro-managed then I can think of no other time where taxpayer dollars could save this states education system from failure. The look of hate which the college president gave me as I left that room spoke volumes about her misguided CEO values when it comes to education in this state. How dare I have the audacity to stand up and show hope for change in the face of discrimination.

State Senate Education Committee:

Senator Cynthia Nava - (D)
Chair Senator John M. Sapien - (D)
Vice Chair Senator Stephen H. Fischmann - (D)
Member Senator Mary Jane M. Garcia - (D)
Member Senator Timothy M. Keller - (D) The only senator to stand up for educational employees
Member Senator Gay G. Kernan - (R)
Member Senator John Pinto - (D)
Member Senator Sander Rue - (R)
Member Senator Vernon D. Asbill - (R) Ranking Member

Value is when you pay someone for what they are worth and a failure to do so is disrespect of the greatest kind in the business world. If Lincoln has stopped to asks the cost of freedom we would not have had Barack Obama as our 44th president.

New Mexican Educators Under Valued and Under Paid

We value you was the message given by the State Senate Education Committee members to low income employees of Central New Mexico Community College but we will do nothing to stop President Kathy Winograd from continuing to practice decimation against instructional support staff at the local college. Their message was that it is a local issue and that if you don’t like what is going on then you need to replace board members with people who support paying instructional support staff for the 21 days they are forced to take off each and every year without pay. Senator Keller was the one shinning example of someone who truly cares about educational employees in New Mexico. He was willing to stand up for more pay for these individuals. We must replace both state senators and board members who really do not value educational employees. State Senators and Governing Board members should be given only one chance to support issues like this one and if they refuse to act then they should be voted out of office. This state will never improve on the educational front if lip service is the only result of requests for better pay for educational staff. Next time I go to the polls I will be sure to show both the governing board and state senators just how much I value them.

While we are at it I would like everyone to support state senate bill *SB 424 which would show educational administration in this state that we value them in the same manner that they value us. Perhaps State Senator Sue Wilson Beffort would like to present a bill that would give all Educational Administrators who earn over $75,000 per year a forced 21 day leave without pay so that they could feel just as valued as low income educational support staff.

Tomorrow We Face the Education Committee in the State Senate

Tomorrow morning we go to Santa Fe and face the college administration to try and speak for low income educational employees in the hopes of winning paid annual leave and paid holidays. We can’t buy support for our cause because we don’t have the money to pay lobbyist therefore we are forced to speak for ourselves. The colleges will have well paid lawyers and lobbyist to paid for their side of this and we will be but a few lowly paid individuals hoping to stand against the smoke and mirrors that they put forth in order to block our bill that would offer equality to instructional support staff.

State Senators have said that they support paying educational employees more and providing more support for education in this state but so far all the support I have seen is coming from our federal senators and congressmen who demanded that more money be put back into the economic rescue bill. Yet what was in that or any other bill that would increase the pay of educational employees. They can build large new buildings but what good will that be without the employees to staff those building. How can they talk about caps for CEO salaries and not speak of caps for educational administration salaries? The governor can reduce governmental administration salaries yet educational administration is guilty of taking low income staff pay increases and putting the money into their own paychecks. This may well be our last hope at equality and as my mentor instructor once told me all you can do is ask and the worst they can do is to say no. If they do say no then we will know for sure that their words were meaningless hype used to get votes from the voting public. Yet we already know that a few good progressive senators are staying to their word and fighting for the cause of education in this state.

President Obama Optimistic about Bipartisanship in the Future

With enough intelligent argument republicans will learn to work with democrats to move the country forward in the right direction. President Obama is giving republicans a lot more credit then I would today but then again I spent the day exchanging emails with an educational administration who only believe in the truth if they agree with it. Discrimination against low paid instructional staff is so rooted in the system that they feel free to inflict unreasonable demands on the low paid individuals just because they can and nobody can or will stop them.

State Senate Bill 444 will be heard in the State Senate Educational Committee on Friday morning. It is a small hope that our legislature will side with these low paid educational employees and bring some justice to an unjust system. If President Obama can hold onto hope them just maybe the rest of us should do the same in local government even if the local educational administration is just as detached as the Republican Party and Corporate CEOs from current reality.

Please make sure to contact you state representatives and encourage them to support State Senate Bill 444. No one should face discrimination in this day and time.

State Senate Bill 444

State Senate Bill 444 is a bill that would prohibit discrimination in paid holidays and accrual of annual leave at public post-secondary educational institutions. Lobbyist for the college will say that discrimination of educational support staff is a good thing during a recession just as long as administration staff continues to receive $100,000 and up salaries. In other words the taxpayers of this state are paying to keep educational administration salaries high while enforcing discrimination against low income instructional higher education staff. Where is the justice in this behavior? I know that I don’t want my taxpayer dollars spent to continue the discrimination I face every day at work. Support State Senate Bill 444 by calling your legislature today. Legislature Website. Help make education a priority for our state and end discrimination against higher educational employees earning less than $25,000 a year who are forced every year to take 21 days off without pay.

President Obama Speaks to Voting Public About Support for Economy Bill

Looks like it is time to support our president’s economic recovery and rescue bill. We sent President Obama to Washington to make changes knowing full well that the Republican Party would do everything in its power to stop change. They have turned down the hand that President Obama reaches out to them in order to play political games. Now it is time for the American voting public to tell them that business as usually is not acceptable in Washington and that we want a bill on the President’s desk this week.

Our Congressmen’s reactions to 7.6% Unemployment Rate

Last month the U.S. lost another 598,000 jobs in one month. Families are losing their homes, health insurance and yet the republicans don’t want to spend the money on Main Street that will put an end to this downward spiral. The republicans are more then willing to bail out the banks but when it comes to Main Street we don’t provide them with the fringe benefits that major companies do every year. Clearly reform needs to take place in the Republican Party. Luckily we here in New Mexico are represented by two very fine Democratic Congressmen and here are their reactions to the poor news on the employment issue.

Congressman Heinrich’s reaction to job loses

“This staggering loss of jobs reinforces the dire need for swift, bold action to turn our economy around. Under the failed Bush economic policies, New Mexico’s working families were left behind while Wall Street CEOs were given major tax breaks and golden parachutes.

“Last week, I voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which will create good jobs for the 1st Congressional District and provide much needed tax relief for those hit the hardest by this economic downturn: our working families. It is my hope that the Senate will work to get this bill to President Obama’s desk as soon as is prudently possible.”

Congressman Ben Ray Luján’s reaction to job loses

“Again, our country is faced with staggering job losses– 598,000 jobs were lost in the last month, the worst single month of job losses since 1974. The news has come in over the last few weeks as some of our country’s largest companies have cut jobs due to our mounting economic crisis. Many more Americans are facing cuts in pay or hours, raising questions about their futures and their ability to provide for their families. We are again seeing the effects of the failed Bush policies of the last eight years, and we need to act to get our country back on track.”

“These tough times require action. We cannot simply stand idle as families suffer and our nation’s economy risks further collapse. America needs a Recovery Plan that builds a foundation to stabilize our economy, creates and saves jobs and invests in the people of our country. We, everyone of us, must come together, work toward a solution and have the courage to stand up for the people of New Mexico and our great nation who are struggling.”

Change is Here

Change is here and the republicans are not liking it one little bit. The new SCHIP bill was passed and signed into law by President Obama. The Economic Rescue and Recovery Act is close to passing hopefully with a few moderate republicans signing on for the good of the country.

Now is the time to try and change some of the local laws that will help people right here in New Mexico. The legislature is working on laws that if passed would help but again the republicans are holding on to the same old tired views that got them kicked out in the first place. The same people who got President Obama elected are now working tirelessly to bring about change locally and they are reaching out to bring republicans on board for the change.

It is high time that we put aside our different views and work to make our community a better place to live and a better place for our children to grow up in now that the election is over and done. Progressive State Senators like Tim Keller, Tim Eichenberg and Eric Griego are working hard this year to improve the quality of live for New Mexicans. We need systems of mass transit that are safe and clean for all age groups. My daughter told me that she had seen fights at the bus stop on Central and Zuni while waiting for her bus home. We need more police presents on that street corner to protect the public from those types of activity. I wish I could afford a car so I could dive my daughter to school but until they pay educational employees a livable wage I and my daughter will be forced to take the city bus to school and work. The up side of that is that we are helping to save the environment. San Mateo from Gibson to Lomas bears watching in order to promote public safety in this city.

Election Results for School Boards

APS

District 3--LORENZO L. GARCIA with 45.84% Congratulation

District 5--PAULA M. MAES with 50.66% Congratulation

District 6--DAVID L. ROBBINS with 56.07% Congratulation

District 7--DAVID EUGENE PEERCY with 83.32% Congratulation

Please remember it is all about the children.


CNM


District 1--ROBERT P. MATTEUCCI with 100% Congratulation

District 3--DEBORAH L. MOORE with 59.39% Congratulation and welcome to the board.

District 5--BLAIR L. KAUFMAN with 100% Congratulation

District 7--MICHAEL D. DEWITTE with 85.83% Congratulation and welcome to the board

You will have lots of work to do over the next year.

CNM Community College Fails Green Employment Test and Treats Instructional Support Staff as Second Class Citizens

If you work as an instructional support staff member or as a teacher at Central New Mexico Community College then you must use your own car for business use so forget using the city bus to get to work because once there you cannot use a company vehicle to travel to another campus unless it is during your normal work hours. The administration can use company cars to drive a few blocks but educators cannot use it to prevent the college from canceling a class. The administration makes $100,000 and up salaries while instructional support staff make less then $25,000 so it make perfect since to the administration to prevent them from using company vehicle to earn more income by working late once they are at work. This all encourages a not so green life style just in order to make a living.

Today the public voted for governing board members that make these policies and hire the administration to enforce them. Clearly this college is guilty of green washing and nothing more when it comes to the environment. I was told by one administrator to “not think for myself but to let him think for me.” I informed him that if god had wanted me to let him do the thinking that he would not have given me a brain. He then asked me who was the character in the “Wizard of Oz” who did not have a brain. The poor treatment by the college administration has now leaded the administrators to treat instructional support staff as second class citizens who they can feel free to harass.

First Day on the City Bus

I got to work with a few minutes to spare and it did not take me that long at all. The bus driver on 317 was very friendly and helpful. I think the addition of college students to the commute has helped the system greatly. People appear friendly and I even saw a baby on the bus today. Albuquerque has made great progress in their public transit system since I moved here in 1987. Greg Payne should tell his bus drivers that they are doing a great job. Now if the college will just not give me a hard time about taking the company vehicle when they require that I change campuses to substitute. You would think that if they are encouraging people to ride the bus to work that they would not make it so they could not do their job once they were at work. Going green means supporting that effort throughout the system but the college is always behind the city when it comes to supporting green progress. Good going to the leaders of this city for making it far more travel friendly then even our capital city.

Walking the International District

After working at the college for eight years my car has finally died. I will have to wait until the end of February in order to be able to buy a used car to replace it so for now I am a handicapped woman on foot. Today I walked over to the bank on Gibson and across from the old Lovelace Hospital. Homeless were all round and I must admit to feeling very ill at easy walking through that neighborhood. Groups of men who did not look too friendly were standing next to the road on Eastern Street between the shopping center and San Mateo. I walked pass what looked like a homeless person’s blanket lying on the sidewalk before I got to San Mateo. Cars were parked so that you had to walk out into the street to get around them. In the past I have checked the sex offenders website because of taking my daughter out on Halloween evening and I already know that a number of sex offenders live in the area. Clearly more work needs to be done in that neighborhood before woman feel safe walking in that area of the city, I would like to see more police on foot in that area of the city. I would not recommend anyone walking in that area after dark. I know that a number of community leaders are working very hard to clean up the neighborhood but I would suggest that they get out and walk that area of the International District just to find out what the problems are in the area. Tomorrow I will take the city bus to work and find out how at easy I feel on it.