Out in the Cold Without Any Hope of a Warm Greeting

This morning I had to remind my sixteen-year-old daughter for the one-millionth time that she needed to start wearing a jacket since the weather is getting colder.

This reminded me of a campaign event, which I attended seven years ago this coming spring. My daughter and I had been invited to an event just outside of Santa Fe to meet some of the candidates from the northern part of the state. The event was free for anyone. I was invited because I was a new political blogger who covered candidates from all over the state.

Like this morning, my daughter had forgotten to wear a jacket. The day started out nice. When we got to the Chile farm, it had started to rain lightly. We stayed under the tent. I spoke to candidates as we ate some food. I was waiting for the Governor to speak when my daughter started to complain that she was getting cold. I was more than a little upset with her. She had once more walked out the door without a jacket. This had been a long running battle between the two of us.

A gentleman came up to us. He noticed that my daughter was cold. This man with the boots and the cowboy hat appeared concerned for her. This softened my usual demander because my primary concern is for my daughter’s welfare. I had never met this man before that event. He introduced himself as Tom Udall. He asked me to vote for him for congress. I told him that I lived in Albuquerque outside of his district. He still was interested in my options on the issues. I liked him. I supported and worked his campaign when he ran for U.S. Senator.

A few months back the Senators and Congressmen of this state all except for Congressman Lujan said that they would not be attending any townhall type events because of safety issues. All of their events since that announcement have been small private fundraising events. The price tag for these events has not been cheap. Things that normal average voters can ill afford to attend in today’s economic environment. While safer for the candidates, I do not think these types of events are going to buy them enough votes to win in next year’s elections.

No amount of money can buy the hearts and souls of the voting public in this state. We have seen candidates in the past spend large sums of money just to loss at the polls. What matters is if a candidate is willing to listen and act on what the common people are saying to them. If candidates wall themselves off from the voters, they have no idea what matters to the voters.

Now they can say that they are working hard in Washington or Santa Fe for the voters, but how do they know what matters to the voters. As most people already know, polls can and often are wrong. Unless elected officials speak directly to voters, they seldom understand the concerns of the middle class or the working poor. More of our state’s voters fit those categories.

Elected officials have voted a number of times to cut the educational budget in this state, which has resulted in my income being cut. I have to pay more because my daughter’s school has less funding for classroom supplies. The cost of everything including food has been going up over the last seven years as my income has gone down.

President Obama has been sending out request for campaign donations. He says that in return for these donations to his campaign that you can be entered in a change to have dinner with him. The donations are as low as five dollars. Well the president is more than welcome to come have dinner with me and my daughter any times he likes. I have no desire or time to travel to the White house for dinner. If he wants my five dollars, he is going to have to come ask for it in person. We can have dinner at a fast food place where the common voting public in this state eat dinner.

The message from this blog is simple. If candidates want people to vote for them, they had better start getting out of Santa Fe and Washington. Candidates need to listen to common voters so they can start voting the public’s will. Yes, some voters are going to be very angry at first and with good reasoning.

Obama’s Job Insurance

Americans are wondering if the Obama plan will help the economy. The plan calls for 447 million dollars in new spending. The spending would help states keep teachers, police, and firefighters on the job. It will rebuild roads and schools that have long needed the repairs. It will lower payroll taxes.

The question remains, will the republicans pass a bill designed to help the middle class in this country. They have shown no desire in the past to help the middle class. The republicans only have a desire to help themselves and the very rich in this country. The democrats can expect a bitter fight over any bill that would help Main Street Americans. They will need the support of democrats all over the country, if they have any hope of passing this bill.

Republican candidates for president are already attacking social security. The republicans have already called it a “Ponzi Scheme” and a fraud. Republicans forget that government is not a business but a moral service. Republicans would rather see older Americans out on the streets. Alternatively, they would have their families burdened with the responsibility of supporting the parents at the same time they support their children. Most Americans do not even begin to know how to invest in the market. They do not understand that for every big winner in the stock market there are thousands of losers.

We need to send to the U.S. House of Representatives people who understand that Main Street Americans should come before Wall Street. We need representatives that vote for bills that will help our economy recover. We need to support representatives that will put green jobs before large oil companies. We need new people with ideas on how to put Americans back to work.

Our country cannot return to the past in a global economy. We need to find new way of using our skills, which will make us number one in the world when it comes to green jobs and intellectual capital. We have to begin to teach our children how to think for themselves at an earlier age. Without these changes in how we do business nothing will help our economy.

Large businesses and rich individuals have a responsibility to invest in research and develop along with education to benefit the whole country. They need to stop saving their money and start spending it on the future. Without this investment, the rich will only find themselves the victim of a failed state. The very rich need to open their eyes, and they need to understand that without a healthy middle class this country will only become another third world country. In the end they will find that their large sums of money has no real value.

South Eastern Side of City Needs a Clean Up

This was a good report about the West Mesa killings. The report highlighted the need to clean up the ongoing problems on Central Avenue. We can all hope that the city will put more money toward this issue. We need new harsher state laws to punish the men who pay for sex. I would not recommend holding your breath on this issue since the male politicians in this city spend far too much time denying the problem. Or maybe they just use the serves too often...

Link to Dateline two-hour report

It would appear that as long as it is women killed that the Albuquerque Police Department will do nothing. The examples on the news as of late show just what their attitude toward women is in this city. We can only hope that the federal law enforcement agencies will find the need to investigate the lack of skilled law enforcement in this city.

Politicians must be held accountable by women voters for their willingness to turn this part of the city into a dumping ground for all types of sexual predators.

Job Hunters Boot Camp in Albuquerque

Congressman Martin Heinrich is getting tough on unemployment in the state of New Mexico. It is time for a booth camp to help the unemployed get a job. If you are unemployed or if you know someone who is unemployed, this is an opportunity to find a job.

The event will include seminars with helpful tips on how job hunters can more successfully market their skills, with presentations from Albuquerque VetSuccess, the University of New Mexico Career Services, and the Department of Workforce Solutions.

In addition to the seminars, more than 25 hiring employers will be on site taking resumes and answering questions. Employers include Sprint, Sandia National Laboratories, UPS, Farm Bureau Financial Services, and many more!

Job hunters can either register online or call 505-346-6781.