The End is Near, The End is Near!

Yes, the end of calendar year 2012 is near and like the Mayan calendar most New Mexicans will live to see the beginning of 2013. I guess this is as good a time as any to look back over the top political stories of the year and what impact they will have for the future.

The Top story would have to be the passing of New Mexico Speaker of the House Ben Luján. Speaker Luján had a profound effect on this state. He was a strong fighter for the people of New Mexico. He was a very gentle soft spoken man. I remember holding hands with him during one political event. We were speaking about our children and how proud we were to be  their parents. Life gives you many things but family is the best of all. Speaker Luján was proud of his family and especially his son U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján. He was also very active until the end in helping other people take care of their families.

Number two would have to be the retirement of U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman. Senator Bingaman has worked hard for our state. His values have been to help our children and our environment over his long career. He has faced many different combinations of political influence during his career in the senate. Perhaps the most difficult has been in the last few years where senators no longer work together for the benefit of the American people. Senator Bingaman has always been a strong supporter for the “Rule of Law.”

Number three would be the reelection of  President Obama. With the reelection of a democratic president women do not have to fear republicans rolling back the rights of women in this country. President Obama is not going to put corporations before people in Washington. The Fiscal Cliff is all about him fighting to protect Middle Class Americans from the greed of the very rich. It is a pity that the House of Representatives has to be controlled by republicans who are unwilling to see sensible reason when it comes to the budget.

Number four would be  the issue of gun control and the safety of our children in this state’s schools. With the killings of twenty children on the East Coast we are now forced to look at our own schools both K-12 and college level. New Mexico schools were built to be open with many points of entry. Our colleges are completely open to entry at any point. Security for these institutions are at best a joke.

The local community college allows entry to anyone including convicted killers, the mentally ill, sex offenders and common thieves. Ankle bracelet devices are a common sight in the classrooms. Our children could be sitting along side the next mass murder in any of their college classes. There is no plan in the event of a mass shooting on these campuses. Security is unarmed and untrained. They have limited access to most of the buildings. Employees and students don’t even know what to do in case of a fire. Top School Administration is too busy putting funding into their own paychecks to bother with funding for school security. The boards have no control over spending when it comes to Administration.

Number five would be the republicans total lack of ability at job creation in this state. Governor Martinez has not just failed at private job creation but has managed to drive away jobs with her short sighted views on the movie industry and the space industry. Mayor Berry is no better will his lack of control of his police force, which only drives away potential businesses. No business owner is going to want to relocate to a city where they see heavily armed police pouring out of large buildings during the middle of the day on the local news even if it is only to arrest a copper thief. Mayor Berry needs to get his act together and hire a real police chief before something major happens in the City of Albuquerque.
 
These are the top five news events of the year and how they will affect 2013. The next year, and yes there will be a next year, will be most interesting for our state. The governor and the mayor of Albuquerque are both facing reelection in the next two years, so will we keep them or will we replace them? Only the voting public knows for sure.

School Board Elections Candidates on February 5, 2013

Albuquerque Public School Board Seats:

District 3 Candidates

Leah E Persons
Lorenzo L. Garcia
Candido Arturo Archuleta Jr.

District 6

Donald R. Duran
Angela L Gonzales Carver
Kyle V. Lee
Teil Plont
Paula Maes
David L. Robbins

District 7

Larry A Langley
David Eugene Peercy
Bill G. Tallman

Issues that are of concern to parents include school safety, Administration salaries, and Parent to school communication

Central New Mexico Community College Board Seats:

District 1

Dan Serrano
Marjorie T. Germain
Pauline J. Garcia
Ramona J. Martinez

District 2
Ernest W. Sturdenvant
Carolyne DeVore-Parks
Robert P. Matteucci Jr.

Issues that are of concern to students and parents include school safety, Administration salaries, and Women’s issues such a culture of sexual harassment of management to employees.

 

A special thanks to Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver for her open government stand when it comes to releasing the names of candidates. This list is unofficial but should become official within the next few days.

Mayor R.J. Berry Not a Successful Business Man for Albuqureque

R.J. Berry promised to run the City of Albuquerque like a business. He has but the problem is that Berry is not a successful business man. He lacks the skills and abilities of former Mayor Chavez. Berry has failed to promote Albuquerque as a product worth investing in for businesses. As a result we are ninety fourth out of a hundred of the largest metropolitan cities when it comes to recovery from the Great Recession.

Mayor Berry lacks the vision to get behind large city improvements that would attract employers and tourist to our city. He has no skills in promotion nor does his staff. Berry has not reached out to the environmentalist in this city to help him promote a partnership between them and the city that would aide in the development of attractions along the river. Mayor Chavez built the channel in the nature center that not only attracted tourist but protected the silvery minnow. Berry has totally ignored that project over the last few years.

Look at Tingly Beach as an example, Mayor Chavez redeveloped that areas for fishing and recreation. He cleaned up a very dirty place and turned it into a show place. Yet, Berry has done nothing to expand that development. Where is the public and private partnership that would develop that area further? Why not upgrade the rest of that tract of land and build restaurants along a nice pond where people could sit out on a deck and watch the water and the local bird life. During the day you could rent little boats.

Lights and landscaping could be placed around the ponds to make the place more inviting to tourist. An entrance could be built to allow people to enter the Zoo. People could be encouraged to eat at the restaurants maybe do a little shopping, play some golf and then take the little train to either the Zoo or the Bio-park. That train could be expanded to make a trip to the Hispanic Cultural Center. Local hotels could be encouraged to provide van trips, which would take tourist to the area for activities.

One has to ask Mayor Berry, where is his vision for our city? Where is the push to expand and build upon the projects that Mayor Chavez so successfully started for this city? Why is he such a failure at working with community groups when it comes to the development or redevelopment of areas in our city? Why is he not working with state senators to improve parts of our city? .

No More New Jails and No More New Judges

In the past two years judges across the state have cut themselves off from the voting public. They have built walls and cameras between the voters and themselves. They think themselves about the normal voting public. They have no desire to spend even one minute with the voters in this city or for that matter this state.

Now that we are faced with another sixty day session in Santa Fe, they will be asking for more of our tax dollars. Well, we have limited resources this year. The money should go toward early childhood education and rehabilitation for people with drug problems and mental problems. If we solve these problems than we will not need more judges or more jail cells.

Judges already live in rich chambers with lots of staff to take care of their every need. They get paid far more that most New Mexicans. Maybe some of their pay could go toward staff that could work in rehabilitation centers. If people learn to control their anger issues and their drug problems than their families and friends would not have to asks an indifferent uncaring judge for an order of protection.

Perhaps if people got mental health care and drug rehabilitation than fewer jail cells would be needed. Rather than housing people they could get the real help that has been lacking so sorely over the years in our state. Harder laws and richer unconnected judges are the last thing we need in this state.

Our police force has only caused people to fear the law when it comes to reaching out for help. Than uncaring insensitive judges blame the victims of these type of crimes. Judges that have no training in how to prevent a drug addicted mentally ill individual from going off their medications and killing someone they know. These judges think that they are not there to prevent crime. If so than they should not be in the courtroom at all. The money for their rich salaries could be better spent on preventing the crimes in the first place.

Educational Reform and Four Year University Regents

Each of our state’s universities has it own appointed board of regent. Half of which are too busy to be bothered to even show up for meetings on a regular bases. The universities have overlapping course offerings that only cost more in state educational funding. Some of the regents care while others see the position as a stepping stone toward public office. It is a vehicle for political appointees that only cost the state in funds that could be better spent on classroom support.

Perhaps it is past time to create one board of regents for all of the state’s four-year universities. You could have one regent representing each of the four-year universities in the state. It would be wise to have that regent living in the area of the university that they represent. Why have someone from across the state represent a university just because they graduated from that university at some point in history?  

Since each university has a student regent perhaps the board could have two or three student regent positions which rotate between universities every few years.

Why would this be good for state’s four-year universities? First regents would have to work together to create common goals for all of our universities. This might encourage them to consider the types of degrees offered by each of our universities therefore eliminating overlap. It might encourage them to recognize courses statewide.  Spending for buildings would have more oversight as a regent would have to achieve support from other regents.  Smaller universities would get a fairer hearing when it comes to what is best for their local communities as far as funding of construction projects were concerned.  

We must remember that regents are not the ones who make day-to-day decisions for our universities. The presidents they hire set the policies and oversee the universities daily business. Regents are there to hire universities presidents and set broad objectives for the progress of the universities. Lobbying is done by individuals hired by the universities who are well trained in that field. Most often regents are nothing more that blind individuals who follow the requests made by universities presidents.

The cost savings of having one board of regents for all of the four-year universities as apposed to a five or seven member board for each university would be better spent on helping  our children get their degrees.  With a more limited number of individuals more responsibility could be attributed to individual regents for attending meetings and making good decisions for their university and the communities they are attempting to represent. It would also give regents a better understand of how each university fits into a complete system that educates our children statewide.

How to Reform the Republican Party

Republican Party’s American Dream nothing more than a nightmare for American Women and their families. The Republican Party has a lot of work to do if they want to win back the support of the women in American. Republicans are old, white, and male.

Their problems start with demeaning women in this country. The Republican Party says that they want big government out of people’s private lives but somehow that does not include women in this country. I no more want a democrat male calling the shots in my private life than a republican male. I got to admit that most democratic men are too well trained. They will not even give their opinion about an issue when asked outright. This is not about hating on men because most of us kind of love them. They help us to create successful families and they make great partners in life.

Next the Republican Party says that they want people to take responsibility for their selves. Yet, they refuse to ask the richest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes. They refuse to force corporations into taking responsibility for paying their workers an income that would cover basic needs such as health insurance, childcare cost, food, or even housing. If corporations stepped up and paid good wages to all their employees and most especially women than most social services would be unneeded. Low wages does not drive the demand for more durable goods to be manufactured in this country.

America has an aging population. We all know that it is the contributions made by current workers that support the benefits provided to the retired individual in this country. Well educated women are not having large numbers of children at present. If we want our seniors to be provided for than we need to import more young people. Immigration will provide the workers that will support our seniors in the future. We have lots of room for growth in this country so why not fix the immigration problem. Self-deportation is the wrong answer at the wrong time for this country. It attacks the very foundation of immigrate families.

The federal legislature is facing some difficult decisions in the near future as they approach the fiscal cliff and those decisions will affect middle class women in this country. It is up to women to demand that the message sent during this election year be heard by the current legislators. For the Republican Party to simply dig their heels in and demand cuts that will harm working women and their children rather than increasing taxes on the rich in order to increase revenues is totally unacceptable.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Victory Party

Great, packed party. Too many people to count and lots of joy and noise.

Election Party Night 2012

A Woman’s Right to Chose

It is here. Time to cast your vote! No greater right or responsibility in this country. The only way to waste your vote is to not cast it. Just remember no candidate is perfect. We chose the best one for the job. You may not love every response the candidate gives but better to vote for someone you disagree with the least then let the other candidate win knowing that you totally disagree with their stand on issues.


Women in this country out number male voters at the polls therefore we have the power to force our issues to the forefront. Women must send the message that discrimination against women in the workplace is not acceptable in this day and time.

Women have the right to be treated equally by their coworkers. It is not rude to demand that our voices be heard. Women have the right to earn the same as men in this country. Women have the right to lead companies and work at the top levels of Corporate America. Women have the right to ask for assistance with childcare. Women have the right to expect an employer to make flexible schedules that would allow them to meet their family obligations both to their parents and their children. Women have the right to make their own decisions about their bodies. This is the twenty first century and we have rights that men have not right to take away from us.

We have the right to express those views with our vote today. We have a right to demand that elected officials stand with us rather than against us.

Congressman Martin Heinrich at UNM Campus

This is a link to a video taken at UNM Campus today:

 http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/photo.php?v=3309778242948

It was a Question and Answer with local reporters. Both Martin Heinrich and Michelle Lujan Grisham addressed questions on the election from other reporters. They answered questions about working women who have gone back to college to further their degrees that I asked. I want to thank who ever found my wallet and returned it.

Republican Super PACs are Back

Like a bad horror movie that just keeps replaying on an endless loop the Republican Super PACs are once again, in the last few days before the final day of the election, filling the airwaves of New Mexico with harsh and misleading attack advertisements. It is a last minute attempt on their part to cut the margins of victory in states that are considered to be leaning toward the democratic candidates.

With Republican Super PACs renewing their efforts to undermine President Obama’s lead in New Mexico, Democratic Party of New Mexico State Chairman Javier Gonzales is asking local democrats to give all they can afford to ensure that they can push back hard against all of the negative attack advertisements.

Voters are not able to get away from the relentless attack ads. Even young children are beginning to display adverse reactions to the uninterrupted bombardment of negative ads much in the same way that most adults wish they could openly display their emotional reactions. The answer is turning off the attack ads by either watching on demand movies or turning off the television and reading a good book.

Voters can end a great deal of the ceaseless attention directed at them by voting early at one of the many local early voting centers around the state. After which it is just a matter of the voters limiting their and their children’s exposure to the general media outlets.

First Amendment Right v. A Candidates Right to Choose

The First Amendment Right of the fourth estate is freedom of the press. Included in that concept is that the press should have free access to all political events, documents, and political activities. Now the problem becomes the candidates deciding who is or is not considered press.


The President of the United States recognized in his first race for his seat in the Oval office that bloggers are indeed press. If someone has been blogging for a valid length of time and is covering political events, candidates, and political issues then they should be given all the rights and privileges of a news media reporter.

The precedent set by allowing the candidates to pick and choose which reporters they wish to cover their events based on where the reporter is getting their funding to publish those reports is wrong in just too many ways for us to cover. The path that leads to state controlled media is started with this behavior.

More and more reporters are moving to online formats as the major newspapers and magazines move to such a format. The New York Times announced just recently that they would be moving to an online format in the near future. These news media services may not hire a reporter but simply pay reporters on a story by story basis. Some reporters are opting to self-publish in order to maintain their own control of what they decide is news worthy and what is not news worthy.

Trip Jennings calls us his tribe because we at one time or another have all worked in the roundhouse media room. I got put on the spot by Trip my first time in that room. This tribe has been trained in how to remain professional while asking difficult questions of public individuals. Those public individuals may not always like the type of questions we ask them. We often put them on the spot about their weaknesses.

The voting public deserves to know the truth. They expect us to get our stories right or to retract our statements. We are held to a higher standard of telling the truth and reporting the facts as honestly as we can. Are their reporters who color their stories? Yes, of course there are individuals who cross the line but they are few and far between. Reporters are human and can at times be misled.

No candidate, no matter how powerful or public should be allowed to exclude a member of the press from their media events. Candidates should not be allowed to decide who is nor is not a reporter. We will make that call among ourselves thank you. It takes time and hard work to build a reputation as a political reporter and we guard that reputation carefully in order to be accepted among our peers.

We also work hard to build solid relationships with candidates knowing full well that at some point we many have the difficult task of reporting something that they don’t want made public. It is a fine line we walk and often a difficult one. It is not unknown for personal private relationships to develop between candidates and reporters. Earlier this year we had a news agency report that a reporter had been seen acting a little too friendly to a candidate. She point out to the other reporter that if he had done his homework then he would have known that she was married to that candidate.

Convince Me Maybe

Martin Heinrich seriously convince me that I need to vote for you! I am so ready to not vote for you. So far you have turned away a reporter at one of your pay-for-view events in Santa Fe because you did not agree with his politics. Or maybe it was because you are too good to be seen with a reporter who does not work for one of the major national conservative networks. Even the President of the United States does not act in such a disrespectful manner. How should I know why the reporter was turned away since your communications director has not returned my call?

I have not seen you in months. Your campaign staff is insulting to bloggers. I know this because I have called not once but twice. You lack any interest in my personal issues or those of the women who read my blog. At this rate I could write a great column on why not to vote for you. If this is how you treat your constituencies, than maybe I don’t want you in Washington D.C. We already have a U.S. Senator who acts that way.

I know what you had done in the past. Not all of it has been great. What I want to know is will you stand with hard working mothers in the future. Your ego has become so inflated that I have my doubts. I have to wonder if all the money you have received in the past year will have a direct effect on your future votes if you are elected to the U.S. Senate. As my later mother use to say, “The devil is in the details.”

Good looks only go so far when it comes to the welfare of our children. Hard working mothers cannot afford the high price tickets to see this would be senator. Maybe my vote does not matter to you. Maybe their votes don’t matter to you.

Give me one good reason other than the fact that no one likes Heather Wilson as to why I should vote for you. And please don’t expect working mothers to show up for pricy events in the middle of a working day.

Let’s Just Do It!

Yes, elections are like having a baby. You get down to the final few weeks and all you want is a good outcome sooner rather than later. The fates are cruel in that way because we can see the end but until that day comes the misery will only increase.

Hateful republican advertisements fill the airwaves everywhere. You get endless calls from campaigns unless you have already voted early. Some people like to vote on Election Day. Signs are on every corner. There is simply no getting away from it.

Some candidates have fulfilled your every desire. For those you are happy to cast your ballot for them. (Case in point for me: Congressman Ben Rey Lujan) Some candidates have been less then desirable but the alternative is just so unthinkable and outrages that you know you will have to vote for them anyways. (Case in point for me: Soon to be Senator Martin Heinrich) Then there are those candidates that can burn in purgatory before you would cast your vote for them. (Case in point for me: Judge Ben Chavez)

Voters should think of early voting polls like C-sections. They get the pain over quickly and then you can relax and concentrate on other things in your life until Election Day. The county clerk’s office has a list of early voting centers here in the city.

Thirteen days until it is over but the good thing is that there will be parties. Some will win big while other will lose. At this point it is all up to the voting public. Just remember turnout does count.

Santa Fe Rally for Gotv

A Gotv rally in Santa Fe: Attending was: Congressman Ben Rey Luján, New Mexico Supreme Court Candidate Barbara Vigil, Candidate for New Mexico House District 50 Stephen Easley

Santa Fe GOTV 2012

Have you got your binder yet?

Yes, election time is finally here. Starting tomorrow people can start voting early. The best thing about it is that the volunteers will stop calling you once you vote.


Governor Mitt Romney insulted women across the country by saying that when he was elected as Governor of Massachusetts that he had to request information about potential women for his administration. He said that he collected binders full of women. While the desire to include women in top level government jobs is a good one, the imagery was very poor.

The voters in this state will need a binder full of candidates. They will want people who are skilled and qualified. They will want candidates who will support their issues. They will want people who listen to them and not just the rich people who can afford to pay their price to speak with a candidate.

My picks are:

President: Barack Obama

Congressional Candidates: Michelle Lujan Grisham-CD1, Ben Rey Lujan-CD3

State Supreme Court: Barbara Vigil

State Court of Appeals: Monica Zamora

State Senators: Michael Padilla, Tim Keller, Tim Jennings

Please don’t tell Jennings I ever endorsed him for anything.

State Representative: Sheryl Williams Stapleton

This is just the start of my list. Some people have been intentionally left off because at this point I am not happy with their behaviors toward the voters. Let’s just say that the 47% count when you go to the polls and that anyone who disrespects that in Bernalillo County will pay the price. Bernalillo County holds 40% of the voters in this state, which gives them a great deal of power when it comes to picking our representatives.

The Second Presidential Debate

Last evening President Obama proved that he can take a strong leadership position when dealing with his opponent. The President did not just sit by and take notes this time as he did in the last debate. He defended his positions and his record. He managed to show strong leadership in a difficult position.


The President called Romney out when it came to using international problems as political weapons. The whole world disapproves of a candidate using the deaths of Americans to attack a sitting President. There can be no excuse for such behavior from someone seeking the Oval Office.

The President made a good case that women’s health issues should not be controlled by big conservative government. Privacy is a right that all Americans have despite their gender. Government should not be allowed to control the body of any individual.

Economic issues for women cannot be dismissed or damaged just because the Republican Party places no value on the life of or health of a woman.

Immigration is a family issue when children are taking from their schools to be deported and parents are not even told where the child is or who took them. This is a major fear of any parent. No parent could possibly approve of the governments behavior when it comes to this issue. No caring parent could in good faith wish that type of terror or fear on any parent. What type of man or parent is Romney that he would support this type of government policy?

Romney did not come off as creditable when it comes to the economy. His views sound a lot like what got us in this mess in the first place. Voters already know that uncontrolled large corporations will only result in a return to a major recession. The United States middle class simply cannot afford a return to policies that cause the last recession.

The President won this debate because he has a more defined plan that gives details on moving this country forward. The only details that Romney could or would provide result in our country moving backward into another major recession which could cripple this country.

The Question of Bond C

BOND QUESTION C

The 2012 Capital Projects General Obligation Bond Act

authorizes the issuance and sale of higher education and

special schools capital improvement and acquisition bonds.in an amount not to exceed one hundred twenty million dollars

($120,000,000) to make capital expenditures for certain higher

education and special schools capital improvements and 

Shall the state be authorized to issue general obligation bonds

acquisitions and provide for a general property tax imposition

and levy for the payment of principal of, interest on and

expenses incurred in connection with the issuance of the bonds

and the collection of the tax as permitted by law?

No part of this bond will be used on any employee’s salaries. The laws in this state say that bonds cannot be used for everyday expenses like salaries because once you increase them they do not decrease.

The dollars from this bond will be used to upgrade old buildings and equipment in our universities and colleges. For too long new buildings and campuses were built but old buildings were not upgraded.

These bonds could help create jobs for local construction companies in our state. These are jobs that are much needed because of our governor’s failure to promote job growth in this state.

She is at present in another state promoting a man who would only support the top 2% of this country. Governor Martinez should be here in this state promoting this bond to help reduce unemployment in this state. As everyone can see we are lacking leadership from the governor.

When Pigs Fly!

Brian Colon's Annual Bipartisan Hot Air Balloon Watch Party.

Casa Colon Balloon Party

State Senator Tim Keller or Former State Senator Shannon Robinson

Let’s take a hard look at the two candidates who are running for the state senate seat in the International District. Why should the voting public vote for either of the candidates?

New Mexico State Senator Tim Keller

State Senator Tim Keller is in his first four year term as state senator. He has made the International District his heart and soul. For Senator Keller the International District is his home. He walks the neighborhoods often. He is present for their events and activities. He knows the people on a personal level.

You can see the real honest anger in him whenever anyone puts up roadblocks that prevent him from helping individuals who live in the area. Senator Keller does not just expect people to vote for him because they have done so in the past. He does not have a sense of entitlement to the position.

For State Senator Keller, the real issues, which he supports, are the ones that he has found from listening to the voters in his district. He is not above asking residents in the International District to vote for him.

Former New Mexico State Senator Shannon Robinson

Former New Mexico State Senator Shannon Robinson is someone who spent a lot of time in office. He cares more about what goes on in Santa Fe then in his own district. He lost touch with the residents of his district a long time ago. He feels entitled to the senate seat. He defends views that are not held by the people living in the International District.

The anger you see in Robinson is directed at the residents of the International District for not just reelecting him. You also see a great deal of anger directed at Senator Keller for taking his seat in the state senate.

Former Senator Robinson is conservative and would most likely side with the Martinez Administration when it comes to issues that could be a detriment to the voters of the International District. Former Senator Robinson would do anything necessary including changing parties just to regain power over the International District.

Mitt Romney and the Healthcare Debate

Mitt Romney on Healthcare in 1994. He is still weak on details for healthcare in this country. He was dead wrong then and he is dead wrong now. He wants to take us back to a plan in which he failed to make the case. We have a healthcare plan, "Obamacare!"

International District 2012

Great day in the International District!

State Senator Time Keller a active community member who cares about his home.

International District 2012

Not a Good Night for the President

Mitt Romney had a great debate last evening because he lied through the entire thing. There was no control by the moderator. Romney went on the attack from the outset. He used false information that was unbelievable at best. His nonverbal body language screamed, “Look at me I am lying and I know it.” How can the American People trust someone who can so obviously lie on national television?


President Obama did not have his head in the game last night. He looked at the moderator far too much and was slow and thoughtful with his answers. He should have come out more forcefully and challenged Romney more on his falsehoods.

The American public expected far better from their president. The facts alone are with the president. Romney would cut taxes for the rich at the expense of the middle class in this country. He would destroy healthcare and hand individuals over to an unregulated insurance industry that is already out of control when it comes to cost.

Romney would allow large corporations and banks to control the government with no oversight. He would turn back the clock when it comes to women’s rights.

The whole thing was a huge disappointment when it comes to getting real and honest answers that can help people make up their minds this election year.

Who are you with today?

Today Congressman Ben Rey Luján released a new facebook picture for his campaign. The artwork was done by a New Mexico Highland University student by the name of Eli Menchaca. His campaign is encouraging people to use it as their facebook picture.

NMSU President and the Regents

The issue of the president's job at NMSU is an employment issue therefore nothing can be said until it is resolved. Had the Regents for New Mexico Southern University said anything publicly, the school could have been sued. I don’t think taxpayers want a lawsuit over something that should be keep private in the first place.

I am sure that the Regents for the school will provide the voting public and the school employees with as much of an answer as they can once the matter is settled. What type of fool would demand private employment information from university officials just to sate his own curiosity at the expense of taxpayers.

Public employees should have a right to some privacy. Public employees do not agree to give up their constitutional rights just to work for the government. At this point the voting public has no idea as to what the problem is in the first place at the school. Unless the president of the school did something illegal or unethical we may never know the full story.

The voters have to ask themselves would you want your private employment information handed over to the public just to sate someone's curiosity?

Update: The President was released from her position at NMSU. As should have been expected little information was given. Now it is up to the regents to make the process of hiring a replacement as open as possible.

Separation of Church and State

Our government was founded on the important concept that church and state would remain separate. No government endorsed church, which would force Americans to practices one faith. A faith that they may not agree with in the first place.

I understand that the Roman Catholic Church expects us to follow the teachings of our church. It expects us to value life, religious freedom, and marriage. As a divorced single mother, I get that maybe I am not doing such a great job on some of those issues. I have not done my level best all of the time but I do try. I think they call that sinning. Last time I checked, we were all guilty of that behavior.

My best friend is also Catholic. He is happily married and has been so for many years. When I talk to him about these issues, he tells me that the church’s teachings are what he calls “good guidelines” and that I should not be too upset with myself for not succeeding in achieving all of them. The first time he says that I was blown away. He is right.

As democrats, we should never allow our church in this country to order us to vote for one person over another. Like it or not in the past the church has made mistakes. No human run institution is without sin. God may guide the church but humans who run it still have free will to make mistakes that can and do harm other people.

The one thing that holds true always is that “Love” is the central belief. Love is all about giving and not taking. It is all about helping and not harming. It is all about acceptance and not rejection. It is all about caring and not self-centered hate. It is about working together to make a better life for our families.

If our elected officials could find a way to work together in a productive manner than our country would be a better place. If all Americans shared equally, then everyone could enjoy the good fortune and the fruits of our labor.

I think the time has come for the voting public to support the candidates who are willing to embody the concept of love. We should strongly encourage our representatives to protect the rights of All Americans and not just the privileged few.

War on Educators

I would love to be able to say that the Republican Party is the only one guilty of this behavior. The sad truth is that both parties are driving quality educators out of the field on a daily bases at present. Educators get tired of everyone treating them like the enemy. At some point, the fight is just not worth the rewards. Educators get tired of the fight and just want peace.


The job is hard enough with the low pay, overcrowding, students that come not ready to learn because of social issues and a lack of teaching materials. We do what we can while the educational administrators gets richer by the year.

Legislators and government officials at both state and federal levels hand over huge sums of money but refuse to direct the path of that money to the right people. It is like a family member watching a boss hand over the paycheck to an alcoholic. They know that the money will not be spent on basic needs. Educators are then blamed for the failures of the system. They are being forced to take responsibility for circumstances that are out of their control.

Republicans have directed the message to blame frontline workers who get little training, no real support, and low incomes. The wealthy educational administrators and corrupt fund administrators suck up retirement funds. For years, educators have received less than industry standards for their jobs. Any quality educator can leave the educational system and find higher paying work in their field of study even with the current economic difficulties.

Legislators think that the answer is to blame educators and force those educators to teach to some exam that does not reflex the desire to produce thinking intelligent individuals who would be a credit to the workforce. The ability to read, write, and do math is not the only skills that we want from our workforce. Life does not come will an answer key! Problem solving skills and an ability to think critically about issues are abilities that cannot be achieved if students receive all the answers to an exam. Teaching to the exam does not produce productive students.

Congressional Candiddate Michelle Lujan Grisham in the South Valley

Congressional Candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks to a large crowd in the Albuquerque South Valley after being interduced by Congressman Ben R. Lujan.

In the South Valley

South Valley Support for Michelle Lujan Grisham!

South Valley Event with Michelle Lujan Grisham and Congressman Ben R. Lujan

Congressman Ben R. Luján's Visit to Albuquerque South Valley

Congressman Luján visited Albuquerque's South Valley today to show support for Congressional Candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Fired Up and Ready to Vote!

The next few weeks will be busy ones for candidates. Everyone is coming out with weekend events to convince the remaining undecided voters to lean their way when the early voting starts. I can tell you that, if you want them to stop contacting you then vote as early as you possibly can. Once, you cast that vote the candidates and their teams stop trying to contact you.


For individuals who like to be educated and courted by the candidates, these are your golden days in the sun. Once the election is over you will not be seeing federal candidates until reelection time comes around again. For state elections you will have a few months before the race for governor starts to really heat up.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico team has hit the road. They are traveling around the whole state to different events encouraging voters to vote early. This year there is no straight ticket vote. People need to be reminded how completely necessary it is to vote not just for the federal candidates but also state and local candidates.

We here in Bernalillo County are seeing a lot of Michelle Lujan Grisham. She is leading the charge to get voters out to the polls. We have also seen a lot of the local candidates for the state legislature. It is important to encourage these individuals to understand normal working class and middle class people’s issues. Too often candidates are so busy fundraising that the only people who really matter are the richer individuals willing to donate the most. If the voters are not careful those will be the people who are represented in our state and federal government.

I encourage the voting public to talk to candidates that care enough to talk to you. Learn as much as you can about the candidates so as to make an informed choice when voting. Know which candidates support you and your issues. Don’t just vote for pay-for-view candidates just because they look charming or motherly soft on their commercials! A false managed image candidate is not the person you want deciding the laws that will directly affect the future of you and your family.

Bill McCamley Candidate for NM House of Representatives District 33

The southern part of the state could do no better than Bill McCamley as a representative. He already works well with a number of legislators who want to create more jobs in the State of New Mexico.

 

 

McCamley is a hardworking honest candidate who cares a great deal about his community. Count on him to give the voting public an honest answer as he listens carefully to the public when it comes to issues facing all New Mexicans. 

Mitt Romney on the Working Poor

Mitt Romney feels that America Voters are not entitled to Healthcare, Food, or Housing. Nice to know that he cares so little for the voting public.

Tell Mitt Romney that Food, Heathcare, and Housing are not entitlements! Vote for Barack Obama!

2012 New Mexico State Fair Parade

Congressional District One Candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham out shines her opponent in New Mexico State Fair Parade. Click on the link for lots of great pictures!

2012 New Mexico State Fair Parade 

Bill McCamley for House of Representatives District 33

Fundraising Event in Albuquerque:

When: Wednesday, September 19, 2012. 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where: Chama River Brewing Company. 4939 Pan American Freeway NE. Albuquerque

How: Please make checks payable to:

Campaign to Bill McCamley for State Representative
PO Box 458
Mesilla Park, NM 88048

Ladies if the women of Las Cruces can steal our candidates out of Albuquerque than we can return the favor in kind by stealing one of their candidates for the day. Bill McCamley is a wonderful speaker and a great candidate who deserves our enthusiastic support. I can think of nothing better to do on a Wednesday evening.

Republican Right Beyond Reason

The Republican Party has lied to the American people for so long that some individuals do not know what the truth is anymore; that is if they ever did in the first place. Fox News so distorts the truth that some extreme republicans cannot believe the truth even when every other network is reporting it.

The republicans would have us believe that President Obama bows down to other world governments. We know for a fact that there is not truth in that statement. Since when did working with other world governments to bring about peace become a bad thing? Blind hate and fear of other governments would only lead this country to expensive wars with losses of more American lives.

The republicans want to rewrite history to blame President Obama for our current economic troubles. The truth is that he took office during one of the worst economic down turns in history. As President Clinton said no one, not even him, could have turned this country around in just four short years. It would be unreasonable to expect a miracle of that magnitude in such a short period of time. Still we are as a whole a lot better off than we were just four short years ago. Women need to keep fighting the war in order to protect our current rights and to bring about equality for our daughters when it comes to salaries.

The republicans with their war on women would strip all rights to privacy from women. They would remove them from the workforce and subjugate them to our male population. Women would not be able to protect themselves from abusive men. It is hard to believe that women can support those views at this point in history but in the old south, some women still want to be told how to dress and what to think by a man.

As a thinking, intelligent democratic woman, I will be the first one to call President Obama on his mistakes because I feel that is my right. I am sure that President Obama expects no less from the woman of our party. He has admitted that he is human and made some mistakes during his first term in office. I will keep after him on the issue of real educational reform. Reforms where teachers are treated with respect and given the resources to successfully educate our children.

The republicans fear education because they know thinking intelligent individuals cannot be easily lied to when it comes to things like our economy and employment issues. They denigrate anyone with a degree because they know that a well-educated individual easily dismisses their propaganda as fake and untrue.

We may never be able to change the minds of these extreme right republican individuals but with President Obama in office for four more years perhaps we can prevent the spread of these types of extreme individuals in the future by bringing our country out of recession and providing more jobs. An increased tax base created by those new jobs will also provide the government with more funding to put towards a better education for our children.

Candidates in New Mexico State Fair Parade

This coming Saturday will be the New Mexico State Fair Parade in Albquerque. The parade will start on the fairgrounds at 8:30 am and head East on Central Avenue.

The Democratic Party will have candidates in the parade as always. This year is the year where a woman candidate will be the highest-ranking candidate in the parade. Senatorial candidate Martin Heinrich will not be attending this year’s parade.

Leave it to a woman to get the job done at home where it is important to show respect for women while a male candidate will only be looking at bring home more bacon.

Michelle Lujan Grisham will be the next U.S. Representative for Congressional District One in New Mexico. At present, she is leading in the polls. Michelle Lujan Grisham is polling at 46% while her opponent is polling at a pathetic 32%.

Republican’s war on women has not gone over well in New Mexico. Women are the small business owners and the breadwinners for our families in this state. It will be a positive, to have a woman who understands the issues, representing the state because of issues like education and family.

9/11 a Day to be Thankful for our Freedoms

We Remember !

Albuquerque a Republican Run and Owned City

First Mayor R.J. Berry is elected to run our city. His police force is more concerned with protecting sex offenders and preventing property crime to care about any other crimes. His administration is fighting tooth and nail to prevent low-income individuals from getting a pay increase. Our city has the most job losses of any city in the state and also cities in surrounding states.

The city council is about to become a supermajority controlled by republicans. You can be sure that things will not go well for city employees who are union members. The council will back any plan for things like not putting large construction projects on the ballot for the voters to consider. We will see pet republican construction projects pass with no voter input in the future.

The Bernalillo County Commission is also about to lean to the right as the governor will appoint either a republican or a fake democrat to the position being opened by Commissioner Michelle Lujan Grisham. Grisham is running for congress and gave up the position so that a democrat could be appointed to the ballot this November.

The problem with all of these changes is that no one appears to care in the Democratic Party. Candidates are either charging large prices for pay-for-view events in the city or they are moving their events north and south of our fair city. The State Fair Parade, which has been a big deal in the past, is looking like just another no show this year by candidates and the party. Democratic voters have nothing to talk about or attend that would encourage their desire to vote in the November election.

Why should anyone care if Bernalillo County becomes a republican haven in our state? Well let us just say that without our county someone being elected to a statewide race has very little hope of winning. Our city and county is the largest voting bloc in the state.

State Senatoral Candidate Michael Padilla's Event in the South Valley

Congressional District One Democratic Candidate Michelle Lujan-Grisham firing up the crowd of over 400 in the South Valley. 

Bernalillo County Commissioner Art Del La Cruz supporting the candidate and his community.

 

Just another great day in the south valley of Albuquerque.

Moving Forward



President Barack Obama
at Democratic National Convention

 The president drew a stark contrast last evening between moving our country forward and moving our country backward. As president his duty is to lead in an intelligent and statesman like manner. The other candidate has a problem with many behavioral issues as we have all seen. 

President Obama will work hard to protect middle class families. He will do the investing needed to provide job growth and prosperity in the future. He expects support and responsibility from the voters in this country. He and the Democratic Party are demanding a legislative body that can put aside politics infavor of cooperation in moving our country forward.

We can work with the Republican Party without losing sight of our own moral values. They can work with us without compromising their values. The best solutions are often ones where both parties combine the best and brightest ideas into a whole and complete bill.

No one wants a government that is so large that it cannot get the job done in a timely manner. No one wants our tax dollars wasted when there are great causes that still need funding. No one wants a government that controls ever element of its citizen’s lives.

We demand that the corporations and the rich pay their fair share in taxes to support the future development and security of our country. Citizenship carries with it many responsibilities as well as rights in this country. If republicans expect us to treat corporations as people, than corporations should start living up to their share of the responsibilities.

Our children have a right to a quality education, but the government better be willing to fund that educational process on the front lines. President Obama needs to look at were educational funding is going and not just hand it over to a top heavy administration where it will never get to the classrooms.

We demand that health insurance companies spend a percentage specific amount of their revenues on the services provided before awarding profits to their top executives, so why not demand that schools spend a percentage specific amount on classroom teachers, student academic support, and classroom materials in order to protect those that services are meant for in the first place.

President Obama is right when he says that we need more math and science teachers. His job is to provide a salary to attract quality people into the field. He also needs to supply those instructors with the materials needed to teach those classes. If he is going to demand more teachers than he better make sure higher education is affordable in those specific fields.

Lastly, the Democratic Party is the big tent party. If some groups are going to demand equality then two things should happen. First, they should not be allowed to exclude other groups just because of differing views on their issues within the party. Second, everyone in this country should realize that some issues are not a matter of a checklist created by either side but a complex negotiation with all the concerns parties having access to the table.

Democratic National Convention--Shared Prosperity and Shared Responsibility

President Obama and Former President Clinton
At the Democratic National Covention

Last evening President Bill Clinton eloquently spoke about the what, which needed to be fixed in our country and how President Obama plans to fix it in order to move our country forward. President Clinton displayed why Americans still see him as one of our greatest presidents to date. President Clinton suggested that a good place to start fixing our economy was with some good old-fashion basic math skills.

Something the Republican Party is lacking. The Republican Party wants to cut taxes on the richest top two percent of Americans but fails to provide the math on how they plans to pay for those tax reductions. They could possibly enact cuts to Medicare, Social Security, Educational Funding, and Social Services to millions of Americans in the middle class just to balance their budget.

President Obama wants to invest in education, research and infrastructure by tax savings and tax increases to the richest Americans. Any business owner will tell you that the only way to build a company is to invest in these same three important areas.

Government research has been responsible for everything from frozen peas to new and improved forms of solar power collectors in this country. It has sent a man to the moon and produced the information highway. Without investment now, the future could be a place where our children’s economy will be stuck in neutral or worse.

President Clinton is a remarkable man who has the ability to explain things in a way, which all Americans can get the meaning. He was the man who managed not only to balance our budget but also to leave our country with a surplus. President Clinton stressed the need for Americans to demand that the republicans learn to work with democrats in order to fix our problems. President Bill Clinton is no saint in most women’s eyes, nevertheless; he does know how to fix the problems that middle class families are facing.

The Democratic Party is lucky to have such a senior statesmen as President Bill Clinton. We should take his sage advice and vote for President Obama in order to protect our children’s future.

If a Man is Measured by His Wife

If anything speaks to the core values of a man, it is his wife. President Obama’s wife, Michelle, embodies the core values of the Democratic Party. Family is a story that is central to all democrats. The narrative of how we treat our family is very important in this country. Putting the needs of our children before your own selfish desires is at the base of those values.


Whether, you are a single mother with children struggling to get by, a gay couple wishing to be treated as a normal family, or a married couple just looking to provide for your growing family these values and morals far out weight any desire to be self-centered. We look to improve the lives of our families above all else.

As a country, we see a group of very rich individuals; we call the Republican Party, who put themselves and one man’s achievement before the welfare of our country. They value individual achievement over the longevity of our country. “We Built this!” They see people as being disposable. They view women and minorities as less valuable. They see the successes of unions, which improved the safety and welfare of millions of working class Americans, as a treat to their control.

We are not fighting for one man but for a dream that helped create the middle class in this country. The values we are defending are at the core of what we as American Voters care most about. If the speeches last evening were meant to do anything, it was to remind us of what we are fighting to protect in this election.

Tonight and tomorrow will be all about how to move this country forward but last evening was all about the why.

Mayor R. J. Berry Defends First Amendment Rights of Sex Offenders

Mayor R. J. Berry welcomes sex offenders to our city for a conference to reduce laws that protect women and children. Berry would make Albuquerque a welcome haven for people who destroy the lives of women and children.

Berry has done away with many of the administrative rules put into place by former Mayor Martin Chavez that were aimed at protecting women and children in this city from sex offenders. It is outrages that a mayor could defend individuals who have a proven record of re-offending.

Police are not preparing to defend the citizens of this city but are attempting to protect the sex offenders from the citizens of this city.

Citizens in this city have a right to be safe in their communities. Now the mayor is encouraging sex offenders to move to our city by his very behaviors. He would create a community of sex offenders in the Southeast heights side of our city.

This is no way to attract businesses to our city. It is no wonder that New Mexico is losing jobs while other states are gaining them. Who in their right mind would want to start a family in a city known for its sex offenders. Mayor Berry’s actions make you wonder why he is so supportive of these individuals.

Labor Day at the Democratic National Convention

Mayor Vilaragoiza and
 Chairman Javier Gonzales

Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Javier Gonzales spent Labor Day doing a fine job of representing New Mexico Democrats at the national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Strong leadership by party leaders both past and present has turned New Mexico Blue. Chairman Gonzales’ approach is one that women in this state see as being very supportive of their issues. 

 

Congressman Martin Heinrich spent the day on the campaign trail here in New Mexico saying that he will never  take voters for granite and will work hard for every vote until  they are counted on election day. Congressman Heinrich has a proud history of supporting democratic values for New Mexicans both in this state and in Washington D.C. He is a candidate for the senatorial seat now held by Senator Jeff Bingaman. Senator Bingaman is retiring after a  long distinguished career as a public servant for New Mexico. 

 

County Chairwomen Ana Luna Canales
and State Chairman Javier Gonzales

Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Chairwoman Ana Luna Canales will be leading the delegates from Bernalillo County in support of President Obama. Bernalillo County has one of the largest voting blocks for democrats in the state. Chairwoman Canales is a fine example of what a Hispanic Woman can achieve in support of women in this state.

 

Delegate groups will be supporting voting blocks such as Hispanic, Native Americans, and women. New Mexico has one of the most diverse populations in this part of the country. Democratic candidates are proud to provide representation and support for all New Mexicans in this state.

 

The Republican Party has failed in supporting the diversity in this state so voters have turned to the Democratic Party for support and understanding. The current governor is too busy pandering to powerful white rich republicans and corporations to give honest representation to the many subcultures in our state. 

 

The next three days will be filled with opportunities for the Democratic Party to shine in front of the whole country. Many major democratic leaders will be speaking about the issues facing this country. The convention will end on Thursday as President Obama accepts his parties nomination for reelection to the oval office.

This Seat is Taken

This seat is taken by a young women who has just finished college. She is looking for a president who will protect her constitutional right to family planning by appointing a supreme court justice, who understands that without affordable accessible birth control she will not be able to ensure her families economic security.

This seat is taken by a college graduate woman who is now looking for a job. She is looking for a president who will grow our economy with new jobs. She wants affordable healthcare that will allow her to stay healthy and productive thus allow her to move up the career ladder.

This seat is taken by a middle aged, middle class woman who owns her own small business. Yes, a business she built with her own blood, sweat, and tears. She is looking for a president that will lower her taxes, simplify government paperwork, and provide low cost loans to help her grow her company. The company which ensures that her family and her community has safe homes and a secure economic future. This woman is a community leader not looking for a hand-out but a hand-up by the government.

This seat is taken by the single mother who wants a good education for her child. She is looking for a president who can make sure her child’s teachers are not teaching to some exam but training her child in critical thinking skills. She knows that teachers who are distracted by the threat of economic insecurity make poor educators. She does not want to hear about educational administrator who get six figure salaries while her child’s teachers are pleading for classroom supplies.

This seat is taken by a middle class women who has just reached the level of management. She is looking for a president who will ensure that college is affordable to her children without weighing them down with major student loan debt. She is looking for a president that will protect her parents social security so that she will not be forced to support her parents in what should be their golden years.

This seat is taken by a middle class women who has reached management level in her career. She is looking for a president who will ensure that her pay is the same as the man who holds the office next door. She wants a president that will ensure her social security is still there when she retires in just a few short years.

This seat is taken by a middle class women who has just retired. She wants a president who will protect her retirement and her healthcare. She wants to be able to watch her grandchildren grow up without being force out of retirement just to make ends met. She wants a president who will hold corporations accountable for their decisions that affect stock prices and retirement pensions.

The women in these seats will be watching carefully next Tuesday to see how the Democratic Party plans on moving our country forward. The last thing these women want is to hear how the Republican Party will move our country backward. We have already heard about their failed policies and backward thinking.

We are not looking for another empty chair but one that will be filled with a individual who provides promise for our futures. We want a president with a vision of how to move our country forward into a more productive future.

Republican National Convention and the American Dream

Ladies, we have all had dreams of being the Egyptian Princess to Charles Heston’s Moses, where he takes you into his big strong arms and kisses you passionately. Maybe the damsel in distress that Dirty Harry saves a he drives into a crowded area guns a blazing. Alternatively, maybe that charming cowboy who rides up on his big white horse with the white hat like Ronald Reagan. You know the cowboy who sweeps you off your feet as you rap your arms around his waist and then the two of you ride off into the sunset.


Do not all movie fantasies start that way? The problem is that the Republican Party is not offering the American Dream but our worst nightmare. Most horror films start out with the fantasy but quickly become something else entirely.

The cowboy with the white hat turns out to be from Brokeback Mountain and after two children and a large home mortgage; he rides off with his new boyfriend not even to pay child support. You are left to support parents with no social security and children with only a voucher that does not pay the entire cost for their schooling.

While waking up from your dream Moses turns out to be a rapist, nine months later after you are forced to carry his child; the vile fiend is demanding join custody of the baby. Of course, there is no morning after pill since all forms of birth control have been outlawed.

Lastly, Dirty Harry is not there to sweep you off your feet. Ronald Reagan made sure that the mentally ill in this country could not be force to stay in a hospital or take their medications. The AK-47 is pointed at you and the young children you have in tow because there is no preschool due to budget cuts. Your parents are too slow to move out of harm’s way because of a lack of good affordable healthcare.

After the shooting is over and your wounded body is laying on the floor bleeding out, the nutcase with the legally purchased guns, thanks to the NRA lobbyists, leans over you to explain that his next stop is your older children’s school. Due to budget cuts and tax cuts for the very rich, the police are few and far between and do not have the firepower that is a right ensured to private gun owners.

Sometimes you feel like the person watching these events unfold on a screen. You are screaming at the people to look around them and see the old man who is talking to the empty chair. See how nuts what he is saying truly is before it is too late. Your are screaming at the voters to vote for the Democrats before the American Dream becomes the American Nightmare.

Governor Martinez on the National Republican Stage

Now I know that Governor Martinez would never attempt to speak for all New Mexican women. I have yet to meet one single woman who can cover the diversity of viewpoints held by the women of this state. New Mexican women have strong views on a number of issues and they do not always agree on one single approach to any issues.

Governor Martinez held great promise when she first ran for her position on the fourth floor in Santa Fe. The pity is that she had completely failed in her first term as governor. She promised to clean up Santa Fe and make government open and honest. Yet we find secret deals being made with lobbyist who have private email accounts.

She promised to improve our children’s educational system. Instead, she allowed Heather Wilson to bring in a woman from Florida who has only made the problem worse. Governor Martinez’s drivers cannot even respect the school zone laws while driving her to visit our schools in this state. If she is going to put our children in harm’s way by running them down with her big SUV, them we do not want her near our schools. What kind of example is her drive sitting for other New Mexicans?

Governor Martinez promised more jobs. Yet, we see that our state is losing jobs while all the other states around us are gaining jobs. She made it her mission to drive the film industry out of our state the very first year of her term in office. She has promoted ghost towns while making our larger cities into economic ghost towns.

Yes, small business owners work very hard to build their businesses and deserve all the support that the federal government can give them. The Republican Party and Governor Martinez have failed in many ways to support small businesses while giving the tax breaks to large corporations. Why has the governor not supported closing loopholes in this state that favor corporations over own homegrown small businesses?

Governor Martinez is a women but she has done nothing to support women in this state. She has done everything to promote male denomination over women. She does not support cultural diversity or fund programs that do support women’s issues in this state.

If anyone should be taking responsibility for their failures that would be Governor Martinez since she has not lived up to her own promises when it comes to New Mexico.

Republican Party National Convention – Ann Romney

Ann Romney was right last evening when she said that women have it harder than men do in the United State. We understand that thanks to republican policies of the past that women make less than men for doing the same jobs. The men in the business world simply label the jobs with different job titles. We also understand that electing a republican to the oval office would roll back all of the gains that working women have achieved over the past sixty years.


What Ann Romney does not understand is that the Republican Party’s “War on Women” is not going to get the boy who took her to that dance so many years ago a job in the oval office. What she does not understand is that just because she was willing to have five sons that every woman in this country would also be willing to have large families because of a lack of access to affordable safe birth control.

As a working woman raising a teenage daughter, I just have never been able to understand why some women want to have every detail of their lives controlled by a husband or for that matter the federal government. In my marriage, my husband and I were equal partners for life. Yes, there are men in the Democratic Party who respect women and value their views. I hope to find another one someday.

We need a president who values the working women in this country. We need a president that will tap a U.S. Supreme Court candidate who can bring back balance and fairness to the court system. We need a president who can give all Americans healthcare. A president who will protect our parent’s social security checks from privatization and outrages cuts.

What we do not need in the oval office is some rich out-of-touch white man who will cut taxes for the rich while destroying the middle class in this country. A middle class made up mostly of working women.

Why Chose a Woman for the New Mexico State Supreme Court

Many will ask why should we select a woman to run for the State Supreme Court this weekend. Given the fact that all of our candidates are experienced, talented, well educated, and passionate about the law what becomes to one factor that is not the same?

The New Mexico State Supreme Court is made up of five individuals. Four of which are old men. The one woman on the court may retire in the not so distance future. Four men representing all the women in New Mexico and attempting to understand complex legal issues that deal with problems faced everyday by women.

We have managed to put more women on the United States Supreme Court not just because they are women but because they are top in their field women who are as skilled if not more skilled than their male counterparts. The law should not be a male dominated profession in this state.

The top legal job for a lawyer should not be solely male dominated. Women bring a unique perspective on how to apply the New Mexico State Constitution and State Statues when it comes to women’s legal cases that face the court.

All you have to do for a prime example is look at  the news lately. Who would you want defining the term “Rape?” Would you want a man born before 1960 being the one to review a criminal case where the victim was a female rape victim? Could they even begin to understand why the law should be applied more liberally or more limited in such cases.

I am not saying that the male justices are totally lacking in understand but they would benefit from the prospective of more women on the court. Men tend to attempt to dominate when dealing with only one woman in a group discussion. Another woman on the court would provide balance. 

Interview with State Supreme Court Candidate Catherine Baker Stetson

Attorney Catherine Baker Stetson is a candidate for the State Supreme Court's open position. The State Central Committee will select one candidate to place on the November ballot on August 25.

Interview with State Supreme Court Candidate Michelle Hernandez

Attorney Michelle Hernandez is a candidate for the State Supreme Court's open position. The State Central Committee will select one candidate to place on the November ballot on August 25.

　

Interview with Judge Barbara J. Vigil

Judge Barbara J. Vigil is a candidate for the State Supreme Court's open position. The State Central Committee will select one candidate to place on the November ballot on August 25.

Interview with Candidate for NM Second District Court Jeff Rein

Jeff Rein a local criminal defense attorney is looking to be appointed to the ballot this weekend by the State Central Committee for the open position on the Second District Court here in Albuquerque.

The State Central Committee will chose a candidate to be placed on the ballot for this position on August 25.