Why Jeff Apodaca and not Michelle Lujan Grisham for Governor

People in the political world often forget that I am not a progressive or conservative democrat. I am very much in the middle taking sides on issues and not candidates. I vote on the grounds of how candidates come down on issues. I look at what they want to achieve for our state and the people who live in it. I always side on what I think will work for my college level students in the fields of education and jobs. I want someone who is strong when it comes to women’s rights and the fair and decent treatment of women in general. 

I also feel very strongly about candidates spending time with normal people who cannot afford to give large sums of money to support a campaign. I feel that ever since the court ruling on Citizen’s United that normal people have no voice with candidates. Candidates that spend all of their time in private parties and debates never get to know the voters. They claim that parades are their public events but there is no time spent just talking to the people.  They feel no connection or friendship with average people. People that can afford to spend $50, $250, or $500 to spend time in private with a candidate don’t have the same world views or struggles as a single mother trying to make ends meet.

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Now as far as Michelle Lujan Grisham is concerned I have a number of reasons why I will not vote for her. 

She promised a public event in Albuquerque but no one from her campaign ever even bothered to contact me. Then she cancelled debates in this city.

She took money from Senator John A. Smith and calls him her friend while she hates to even spend 5 minutes talking to me about any issue. 

She is unwilling to understand that foreign trade with Mexico could have problems if the President starts a trade war with that government. Yet most of her jobs plan was based on that issue. This approach has not worked in the past and will most likely not work in the future by itself. 

Some of the biggest donors to her campaign are people we don’t want our governor being friends with such as Big Pharmaceutical Companies. The same companies that promote pain killers that are now causing a drug problem in our state. 

I have told Michelle many times that I don’t like how much money she takes from these big donors and she feels that it is the only way that she can win a race. She spends the money on fancy ads and mailers. Paying for staff to run her campaign and other types of items to sell herself to the public but all the public wants is time to tell a candidate what type of issues matter to them. I acknowledge that candidates have to do some private fundraising events but it should not take all of their time away from the voters. 

Jeff Apodaca

Now as far as Jeff Apodaca is concerned I like his stands on issues and his desire to make positive changes for our state. I like that he is willing to lead and not be a follower when it comes to issues.

Yes, the man is angry at how the current system has failed our state. And he is willing to call other candidates out for behaviors that should not be happening. I try to get him to tone this down some and focus on his own issues but at the same time I completely understand the frustration he is feeling. 

 I love that he goes around the state making as many free events as he can afford just so that he can talk to real people and so that he can listen to their concerns. We have not had a candidate who cared about these individuals in years and it has harmed our state.

Yes, Jeff is willing to stand his ground on issues that he has strong feelings about but he will listen to you if you have other ways of dealing with those issues that are grounded in reality. And that I feel is all you can ask of a government official. This makes him come off as abrasive at times but once you get to know him then you understand that it is just that he cares. 

Jeff Apodaca and I are the same age, we speak the same language of business very well, and we have many of the same behaviors. Which makes him an easy person to understand and to support. He can be a little glib at times but so can I when provoked. In other words, I get as good as I give when it comes to this candidate. 

I would never tell another voter who to vote for but I can tell you who I like and why I like that candidate. This year I will be voting for Jeff Apodaca for New Mexico Governor.

Governor Martinez’s Failure Toward Our Children

New Mexico is once again at the bottom of the nation when it comes to child welfare. This year we ranked 49^th in the country. The governor sees this as progress? Our children go hungry. They do not have what they need to be successful in school. Yet where is the governor who promised to put our children first in this state? What is she doing to help our children success in life?

Since Governor Martinez moved into the fourth floor of the round house she has done nothing to help our children. She goes around handing out books as a photo op. and nothing more. She has driven hundreds of educations out of the field in this state. She has screwed up their pension plans. She has placed a unskilled women who knows nothing about teaching in charge of our school system. She is testing our children so much that they don’t know how to think for themselves any longer.

Her agency in charge of making sure children are protected when things go wrong in the home is standing by as children die. Saving money has been more important to her than saving the life of a child. Too often we see the faces of small children on television who were killed by their own parents. One of those children reached out for help only to be told that the people who would late kill him were good people.

Martinez has worked activity to prevent the growth of early childhood education. She prefers to demand punishment at the level of the third grade rather than helping younger children. State Senator Michael Padilla has worked tirelessly to help our child but has been block by the Governor every step of the way.  

Now we are seeing the results of high school testing that prevents our children from graduation. Students are dropping out of middle school and turning to street violence. Low income parents have nowhere to turn for help because of Governor Martinez's budget cuts that only please the Koch brothers.  These children have no hope for a job in our state because not even well educated adults are finding jobs thanks to Martinez’s failure to encourage job growth in our state. Where is the support to help our children succeed with these exams? Where is the campaign to encourage children to stay in school so that they can get a good job? The only thing that the governor has been campaigning for is Vice-President.

We need a real governor in New Mexico that puts the future of our children first.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Leadership

At yesterday monthly meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County, some people were questioning state party leadership when it comes to how Governor Martinez has been treated in respect to inappropriate activities.

The governor has a very high popularity rating despite such problems as:

• Darren White being approved as general manager of the Downs Racino after resigning from the mayor’s office because of questions of involvement with his wife’s traffic accident. White was very involved in lobbying for the Downs to the governor before the contract for the fairgrounds was settled. 

•  Emails between the governor’s top campaign official about the Downs 25-year contract before the contract was settled. The governor received large campaign contributions from individuals involved with the contract. 
•  Request from the governors campaign chief of staff to the educational department that resulted in list being prepared that separated Union from Nonunion teachers and provided their email addresses.
• Oversight of the NMFA, which is the state’s bank when it comes to capital projects and the bonds that pay for those projects. Fraud in an audit provided to Wall Street and Investors could cost the state’s taxpayers in lawsuits. The state could also face increased interest rates on future capital outlay projects.

If any of these incidents had occurred during Bill Richardson’s time as governor the press and the Republican Party would have been all over it. (Like white on rice) Governor Martinez is getting a friendly pass that keeps her popularity rating high despite her running on a platform of open and honest government.

Where is the State Democratic Party's leadership on these issues? And exactly what does the governor have to do to get their attention?