Clearly New Mexico

What is Clearly New Mexico?

Cyrus Gould — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:29:35 MDT

There's a new website in town, and it's really shaking things up. You may have heard about clearlynewmexico.com here and there, but here is the real deal on the site that has New Mexico talking.

Clearly New Mexico is about engaging in new conversations. It's about bringing up issues that mainstream media shies away from. It's about holding politicians accountable, and holding a space for the community to share their thoughts and opinions.

Clearly New Mexico means more than just a website. It's a place where the news is brought to you from friends and neighbors instead of mega-rich corporate sponsors. Clearly New Mexico is a news source with a conscience. A place you can rely on for current, local stories that dig deep into important issues. It's about sharing power through ideas and communication.

Clearly New Mexico is about working class values. It's about keeping our state, and our planet healthy. It's about investing in people and families. Clearly New Mexico means better public structures, like schools, parks and community centers. It means standing up for what's right, even when the going gets tough.

In a time when journalists often cater to advertisers, it's a breath of fresh air to see a grassroots news source that has an honest and straightforward approach Clearly New Mexico is here to stay, and it's re-writing the rules of the media game, one blog at a time.

problems with economy

lostinthe60's — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:38:52 MDT

People are continually complaining over how expensive the gasoline and diesel prices are. Yet,they keep buying and driving these gigantic s.u.v.s,v-8 cars,and humongous diesel pickups. These vehicles eat up outrageous amounts of fuel and take too much money to keep running. Besides,the main reason fuel costs so much is so much petroleum is used by excessive driving,vehicles which use too much fuel,and people not thinking about ways to economize. I cannot even afford a vehicle(maybe i can afford to get a small economic motorscooter in the future). I walk(great exercise anyway),get my health insurance to pay for a taxi to take me to my doctor visits,ride the bus,or try to get someone to give me a ride in their vehicle.

The Dark Ages of Campaign Reporting

Matt Brix — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:45:38 MDT

Yesterday was the first deadline of the year for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Secretary of State's office. Candidates are encouraged (I write "encouraged" because anybody filing a report can claim a "hardship" and fax in their paper reports) to file donation and expenditure reports on-line.

According to news reports, the Secretary of State's office has announced that it is granting a 24-hour extension for candidates to file. Additionally, the public learned this morning that this first set of campaign finance reports will not be available on-line until May 26th.

May 26th. That's just one week before the June 3rd primary election. Consider that the second candidate campaign finance report is due to be filed on May 29th. If the Secretary of State's office continues this practice of delayed public disclosure, then the second report won't be available until June 12th -- nine days after the primary election.

Folks, it's 2008. New Mexico has had an electronic reporting law on the books for five years.

Ostensibly, the law has been in effect for over two years.

With today's news of deadline extensions and two-week delays, one can only conclude that, when it comes to on-line reporting and public transparency, the Land of Enchantment has been thrown back to the Dark Ages.

Greenwashing Mayor Introduces the New Art of Ethics-washing

eli il yong lee — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:01:45 MDT

Dan McKay reported in last Friday's Journal that Mayor Martin Chavez is taking on the issue of ethics at City Hall. McKay writes:

Mayor Martin Chávez says he wants to transform the ethical culture at City Hall-- starting with new training for employees, independence for the city clerk and termination for those who flout the rules.

Chavez says, "…we want to weed out the bad apples."

Also on Friday, this website featured an investigative report by Pulitzer Prize winner Eileen Welsome about Chavez's relationship with Marc Schiff, the architect who pled guilty to felony charges connected with the Courthouse scandal. That cozy mayoral connection appears to have resulted in the public getting overcharged millions of dollars for the design and construction of the Balloon Museum.

And yet, as if cue, this morning's Journal editorial rhapsodized about the Mayoral ethics initiative - "City Takes Lead Again, This Time on Ethics."

myanmar(spelling?)

lostinthe60's — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:36:02 MDT

The cyclone that hit Myanmar(Burma)is truely a major dissastor. The rulers of the country are major STUPID! All they seem to care about is themselves. SCREW their countrypeople. They are so isolated from the world that they neither know nor care what the rest of the world thinks or wants to do(even if they want to help Myanmar). It just makes me cry that all the people there suffer,starve,and die while their rulers won't let aid come in to forestall it.

The New G.I. Bill: McCain's opposition aligns him firmly with Bush

JD — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:44:49 MDT

Yes, it was a big government program about which former Senator Bob Dole spoke in these glowing terms: "It changed America; it may have changed the world."

Passed in 1944, the G.I. Bill of Rights made available to sixteen million veterans of World War II, like Dole, generous educational opportunities and home ownership. It helped build the American middle class that drove the post-war economic boom of the 1950s.

In a recent NY Times op ed ("Doing the Troops Wrong"), Bob Herbert wrote:

The original G.I. Bill of Rights, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944, paid the full load of a returning veteran's education at a college or technical school and provided a monthly stipend. It was an investment that paid astounding dividends. Millions of veterans benefited, and they helped transform the nation. College would no longer be the exclusive preserve of the wealthy and those who crowned themselves the intellectual elite.

Herbert goes on to say that "reinvigorating the G.I. bill is one of the best things this nation could do."

That's why a new GI Bill -- Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act -- has been introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. In the Senate, Vietnam veteran Jim Webb (D-VA) has been leading the charge along co-sponsors Chuck Hagel (R-NE), another Vietnam vet, and John Warner (R-VA), a former Navy Secretary.

A version of the bill has also been introduced in the House and New Mexico Congressman Tom Udall is an enthusiastic sponsor.

But the Bush Administration opposes the new G.I. bill. So does John McCain.

Holiday from Reality

Matt Brix — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:12:12 MDT

This past weekend, the Sunday public affairs programs were ablaze with the latest nonstarter of an idea from the campaign trail. Yes, the concept of giving motorists a "holiday" from the national gasoline tax continues to be debated, despite universal condemnation from economists.

Let's do a quick fact check about the national gas tax.

Going Green (with envy)

Cyrus Gould — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:07:47 MDT

With all the focus on "eco-celebs", it can be easy to forget the millions of low-income citizens who only wish they could afford the environmental peace of mind flaunted by their favorite movie stars. Hollywood has good intentions, but I'm pretty sure the film actor's guild will not be responsible for saving the planet.

Let's estimate, and say that roughly ten percent of Americans are moving forward into the new green economy, this means 90 percent are left behind in the grey pollution based economy. 10 percent is a good start, but if we want to avoid a climate crisis, we need to bring everyone on board.

Perhaps we can learn something from the cellular market.

Six-Word Memoirs: New Mexico Style

eli il yong lee — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:06:41 MDT

I read a fun book last week - Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser.

It's a wonderful collection of six-word autobiographies from people both famous and ordinary. Here's the intro from the website:

Six-Word Memoirs: The Legend

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Last year, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the recountre by asking our readers for their own six-word memoirs. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet ("Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends") and poignant ("I still make coffee for two") to the inspirational ("Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah") and hilarious ("I like big butts, can't lie").

So here's a few more I thought up for this election year:

Hillary Clinton: Need more delegates than there are.

Barack Obama: I just want to be me.

John McCain: 100 year occupation? I said that?

Bill Richardson: My beard makes me resemble Jesus.

Diane Denish: Bill Richardson for a cabinet post.

Tom Udall: If you're liberal, raise your hand.

Steve Pearce: Heather is liberal. Red is blue.

Heather Wilson: Me, liberal? You crazy, Steve Pearce.

Jeff Bingaman: That's MR. Super Delegate to you.

As they say, everyone has a story. Got any to share?

Accomplishing Something Terrible

Matt Brix — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:20:06 MDT

By now, most Americans are cognizant of the fact that today marks the five-year anniversary of President Bush's "mission accomplished" speech. A vast majority agree that this war was a mistake - in terms of both lives sacrificed and the long-range damage to our economy.

And now we're learning more about the toll taken in the broken bodies and minds of our veterans -- and what's not being done to care for them.

Innovative Bank Accounts May "Save the Day" for some Low-Wage New Mexicans

suz — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:41:38 MDT

This from the New Mexico Public News Service
A Bank Account to "Save the Day" for Low-Wage New Mexicans This from the New Mexico Public News Service Albuquerque - Wells Fargo and Community Action New Mexico are teaming up to offer "Individual Development Accounts" to a limited number of qualifying low-income families. The accounts match the family's savings, up to $1,000, 4-to-1. The catch is that savers must complete a financial literacy course and be saving towards a big, possibly life-changing purchase.

It's a bank account that quadruples savings, but there's a catch. Community Action New Mexico and Wells Fargo are teaming up to offer a limited number of "Individual Development Accounts" (IDAs) to low-wage workers looking to save up for something big - like a home, college tuition, or starting a small business. The first thousand dollars of savings in the accounts will be matched 4-to-1, but Patricia Nie with Wells Fargo in Albuquerque says the catch is, savers will be required to complete a financial literacy course first. Accoprding to Nie "From basic banking to what's involved in purchasing a home, how do you finance your education - it covers a wide spectrum of topics."

A limited number of IDAs are available statewide to individuals and families who have earned income but live at 200 percent of poverty or less, which is equivalent to about 40 thousand dollars or less for a family of four.

Ona Porter with Community Action New Mexico says the idea is to 'earn it, save it and grow it,'adding "And the growth is in taking an asset, learning how to manage that asset to leverage it, not only for more money, but for a better life." Porter says savings growth also contributes to the local and statewide economies. For more information contact your local community action agency or visit http://communityactionnewmexico.org .

Greening the Greeks

WanRey — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:39:23 MDT

It was early morning on a beautiful spring Saturday. Despite it being clear and sunny, "Spring Storm" was about to hit the city. Every year during spring UNM students gather at the football stadium and contribute a part of their Saturday to go out and do community service. New Mexico Youth Organized was lucky enough to be one of the groups that students joined in a community action.

The Sigma Chi fraternity was assigned to help us, and, I can't lie, having just graduated from college, I had my preconceptions about "frat boys". Yet, I was already impressed that this group of young men were not only volunteering, but they were also sacrificing a beautiful Saturday morning and afternoon.

They had already put a dent into my long-held stereotype.

So they joined us on our bio-diesel powered school bus, and we all drove out to Alamosa Park in the South Valley. From the street the park doesn't look that dirty, but upon closer inspection we could see shards of glass dispersed amongst the sand in the playground and lots of trash throughout the grassy areas.

Thousands of Citizens to Candidates "We have the Power2Change"

Michael C. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:40:41 MDT

TUESDAY APRIL 29th 2008

Thousands of Citizens to Candidates “We have the Power2Change”

Campaign Shows that New Mexicans Want Candidates to Lead on Clean Energy Issues

Albuquerque, NM – At the culmination of Sierra Club’s Power2Change campaign, Sierra Club New Mexico today announced that 5,329 citizens have added their voices to the call for candidates up and down the ballot in New Mexico to make the right choices and pledge to support local, state, and federal policies that will create a new energy future for America. Part of a national effort focused in nine states, the Power2Change collected over 50,000 signatures nationwide in the past month and educated voters about the choice we face in 2008 as well as the contrasts between competing visions of our energy future.

McCain: “Happy Festivus, Insurance Industry!”

Matt Brix — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:59:53 MDT

Over the past couple of months, a discussion on the core issues facing Americans has pretty much fallen by the wayside during the presidential campaign. Americans expect an adult debate on foreign policy, the economy and health care. Instead, the 24-hour news cycle is obsessed with one candidate's middle name and who's most at home taking shots at a bar.

It's not surprising that people are getting fed up.

Fortunately for those of us who relish meaningful policy discourse, Senator John McCain is hitting the road this week to trumpet his plan for reforming the nation's broken health care system.

As a primer for the headlines that are sure to come, I thought it might be important to highlight some questions about the Senator's core policy prescription; tax credits to spur the purchase of private insurance.

Prior to the questions, however, let's review some important facts about Senator McCain's intimate relationship with the insurance industry.

Over the past dozen years, Senator McCain has raised about $3.5 million from interests tied to the insurance industry. Just shy of forty lobbyists from the industry are listed as fundraisers, co-hosts of events, or staffers for the Senator. Furthermore, several high-ranking members of the McCain campaign staff are high-paid lobbyists for insurance interests. (The campaign finance and lobbying figures are based on Public Campaign Action Fund analysis of data obtained from the Center for Responsive Politics).

With this primer, three questions come to mind for the Senior Senator from Arizona.

New Sierra Club Poll Shows Hispanic Voters Concerned about Global Warming and Energy, Willing to Take Action

Michael C. — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:58:35 MDT

April, 28 2008

"New Sierra Club Poll Shows Hispanic Voters Concerned about Global Warming and Energy, Willing to Take Action"

Groundbreaking Bendixen & Associates-Conducted Poll is the First-Ever National Survey of Hispanic Voters on Energy and Environmental Issues

Washington, D.C. - Hispanic voters are overwhelmingly concerned about energy, global warming and environmental issues and are willing to take action to find solutions, according to results of a Sierra Club-sponsored national poll released today and conducted by Bendixen & Associates. The first-ever national poll of Hispanics on environmental issues was conducted March 20-30, 2008, and it found that U.S. Hispanics - a growing and powerful demographic - are deeply connected to nature and are concerned about the environment enough to take action to protect their communities and their families.

Why NM needs an independent ethics commission

eli il yong lee — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:30:31 MDT

Last Thursday, the US Senate Select Committee on Ethics issued its "Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" to Senator Domenici for pressuring then US Attorney David Iglesias to move quickly on the Bernalillo County courthouse scandal.

It's worth noting that this same committee issued the exact same type of letter - the "Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" -- to Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, for his misconduct in a public restroom last summer.

I wonder - can a legislative body police itself effectively? It's an honest question, and one that is in play as the New Mexico legislature struggles with the question of whether to constitute an independent ethics commission to handle alleged ethics violations of its members. So far, the Legislature has failed to pass this ethics proposal.

The US Senate's issuance of these two letters proves that at minimum, the body is capable of raising strong questions about the actions of its members. On the other hand, there is a legitimate argument to be made that the "Admonition" letters do not do justice to the actions they attempted to address.

The New Mexico Legislature actually has a similar, in-house ethics body. It's called the "Interim Legislative Ethics Committee" and it "convenes only upon the receipt of a complaint or a request for an advisory opinion." A quick check of the state's website reveals no previous agendas or previous minutes posted for this committee. I've only been in New Mexico for 13 years but I talked to a lot of folks during the past two legislative sessions about this Interim Ethics Committee. No one could recall this committee taking up a serious ethics issue in recent history.

However, those with really long memories remember the case of State Representative Ron Olguin.

continued rantings and ravings

lostinthe60's — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:56:57 MDT

The Molina medicade program in this state leaves alot to be desired in its service to its customers. My wife goes to the doctors,has medicine prescribed,takes the prescriptions the pharmacy,then invariably she gets told "not approved." I have sent emails to Molina,Senator Bingaman,the Public Regulatory Commission(handles insurance in this state),Governor Richerdson,our local state senator,and local state representative. We pray that some way,some day my wife can get Molina to pay for her medicines. She has at least 6 medicines waiting in the pharmacy for Molina to pay for them so she can get them. She is suffering from migraine headaches,nerve problems,arthritis,and diabetes. Because of this she makes my life miserable,so we hope and pray that we can get our problem solved soon. You must have medical insurance,as pharmaceutical companies have raised the price of medicines completely out of out-of-pocket paying for them.

Straight Talk on McCain: Hard times ahead for NM students

JD — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:35:51 MDT

A gloomy picture is revealed for students in New Mexico when one sifts through presidential hopeful John McCain's recent major policy address on the economy.

In face of a deepening recession and the growing Bush budget deficits, McCain is promising to exercise "spending restraint" - while, however, also vowing to pour still more money into the Iraq War, which already piled up an estimated price tag approaching $3 trillion.

A new analysis by the National Education Association reveals that McCain's plan would translate into over $35 billion in education cuts for the 2010 fiscal year. For New Mexico this clocks in at $275 million lost dollars.

For example, McCain's plan would have the following impacts on education funding authorized for New Mexico:

Pell Grants - MINUS $34,300,000 (college students affected - 8,833)

Head Start - MINUS $7,627,232 (low income children affected - 1,010)

Special Ed Grants - MINUS $100,007,813 (children with disabilities affected - 25,350)

Grants to Local Educational Agencies - MINUS $87,697,095

For more information, see NEA.ORG.

Domenici admonished by ethics panel, Wilson still under investigation

JD — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:50:43 MDT

This just in on the U.S. Attorney scandal:

On Talking Points Memo.

On The Politico.

Earlier on Clearly New Mexico.

Community diss-service

Cyrus Gould — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:43:06 MDT

When I mention the words "community service" what comes to mind? Criminals perhaps, in bright orange mesh vests picking up trash on the side of the freeway. Unfortunately many teenagers experience this kind of community service as their first major form of discipline. So basically we are teaching them that giving time to help the community is a punishment, reserved for outcasts and lawbreakers.

What is wrong with this picture?