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As John McCain addressed the last night of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, the final pieces of the platform the GOP hopes will keep them in the White House emerged in sharp relief.
Victory in Iraq. More tax cuts for the wealthy. Plenty of domestic drilling for oil. Reduced or eliminated public help for the millions in society who don't have the means or the tools to help themselves.
Increasingly, the man who proudly called himself a political maverick has reached out to the rock-ribbed Republican base for the votes he needs to win.
Not surprisingly, the New Mexico GOP delegation loved every word of McCain's acceptance address - just like the state's Democratic delegation adored Obama's acceptance speech expressing the exact opposite ideals in Denver.
I was lucky enough to attend both conventions and interview members of both of the state's delegations, along with dozens of others from the state who are intensely involved in the political, social and economic future of our country.
I listened very carefully to the speeches by Biden, Obama, Palin and McCain and I watched the reactions all around me.
And I think it's very clear that America is becoming - no, IS - sadly polarized. I'm not the only one: A quick scan of convention coverage by seasoned political observers revealed this trenchant analysis:
It's GOP's world; elitists just live in it
I hate to think that two diametrically opposite sides are going to be slugging it out for the next two months for the right to "brand" the country we all love.
But after what I've seen these past two weeks, that's exactly what I know will happen.
It's gonna get worse.
On a slightly more hopeful note, I did talk to many people these past few week - many from New Mexico - who told me they are still undecided.
So, for the sake of those who are not already dug in, could we please keep looking for some common ground between polemic and unrealistic themes like "Drill, Baby, Drill" and all-wind-and-solar, all of the time?
I'm no political expert, but I promise it could only benefit us all.
Victory in Iraq. More tax cuts for the wealthy. Plenty of domestic drilling for oil. Reduced or eliminated public help for the millions in society who don't have the means or the tools to help themselves.
Increasingly, the man who proudly called himself a political maverick has reached out to the rock-ribbed Republican base for the votes he needs to win.
Not surprisingly, the New Mexico GOP delegation loved every word of McCain's acceptance address - just like the state's Democratic delegation adored Obama's acceptance speech expressing the exact opposite ideals in Denver.
I was lucky enough to attend both conventions and interview members of both of the state's delegations, along with dozens of others from the state who are intensely involved in the political, social and economic future of our country.
I listened very carefully to the speeches by Biden, Obama, Palin and McCain and I watched the reactions all around me.
And I think it's very clear that America is becoming - no, IS - sadly polarized. I'm not the only one: A quick scan of convention coverage by seasoned political observers revealed this trenchant analysis:
It's GOP's world; elitists just live in it
I hate to think that two diametrically opposite sides are going to be slugging it out for the next two months for the right to "brand" the country we all love.
But after what I've seen these past two weeks, that's exactly what I know will happen.
It's gonna get worse.
On a slightly more hopeful note, I did talk to many people these past few week - many from New Mexico - who told me they are still undecided.
So, for the sake of those who are not already dug in, could we please keep looking for some common ground between polemic and unrealistic themes like "Drill, Baby, Drill" and all-wind-and-solar, all of the time?
I'm no political expert, but I promise it could only benefit us all.
She's a hit. Donations and offers to volunteer have been pouring into the New Mexican Republican Party headquarters since John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, says state Republican Party secretary Nina Martinez.
I spoke to the New Mexico delegate at St. Paul's Xcel Center just before Palin's historic address at the Republican National Convention. She said the party's HQs in Farmington, Roswell, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces have all seen an influx of support due to Palin, who Martinez called "a great, working mom, not a fake, media-created entity."
And judging from the way the New Mexico delegation - and the rest of the convention hall - responded to Palin's feisty speech last night, the Republican support will continue.
"I love her!" squealed delegate Pam Wolfe of Las Cruces midway through the speech, in which Palin took direct aim at the experience and motives of Democratic challenger Barack Obama. Read More »
I spoke to the New Mexico delegate at St. Paul's Xcel Center just before Palin's historic address at the Republican National Convention. She said the party's HQs in Farmington, Roswell, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces have all seen an influx of support due to Palin, who Martinez called "a great, working mom, not a fake, media-created entity."
And judging from the way the New Mexico delegation - and the rest of the convention hall - responded to Palin's feisty speech last night, the Republican support will continue.
"I love her!" squealed delegate Pam Wolfe of Las Cruces midway through the speech, in which Palin took direct aim at the experience and motives of Democratic challenger Barack Obama. Read More »
Warren McNeil of St. Paul says he's voted Republican in the past and is still making up his mind about who to vote for in the presidential election.
I chatted with McNeil as we stood in Rice Park a few blocks from the Xcel Energy Center, watching last night's live edition of MSNBC's "Road to the White House" with Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post and a host of other pundits. Chris Matthews of "Hardball" fame stood by waiting to go on.
McNeil was walking to his Downtown St. Paul home a few blocks away when he happened upon the show.
The topic of the evening was the news of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year old daughter - and whether or not it would influence Republican voters.
For McNeil, it's not a dealbreaker.
"I have three daughters - that's part of life," he said.
What worries him a bit more is the fact that she's so conservative.
"That's a part of the Republican Party that McCain needs to appeal to. It's not necessarily the part I'm affiliated with."
McNeil said he'd be watching the convention closely to try to learn more about Palin.
As protests popped up all around St. Paul yesterday afternoon, the crowd in the safe zone around the MSNBC show was an uneasy mix of Obama supporters, McCain boosters, and outright characters.
I tried to interview a young guy wearing a Nixon shirt and carrying a McCain sign but he didn't want to go on the record.
A knot of Obama supporters waved signs, yelled and tried to get on camera every time his name was mentioned. It worked a few times.
The uneasy juxtapositions prevailed in the busy city streets immediately around the center.
Heavily-armed cops in riot gear shared the sidewalks with well-dressed Republicans, while scruffy citizen-journalists prowled the streets sharing word of which protests were going down where.
In a Downtown coffee show, members of the tongue-in-cheek protest group Missile Dick Chicks huddled to discuss the night's strategy.
Later that evening, parts of Downtown St. Paul were shut down and police unleashed tear gas after a peaceful afternoon protest against poverty was co-opted by other groups and lingered into the evening.
I chatted with McNeil as we stood in Rice Park a few blocks from the Xcel Energy Center, watching last night's live edition of MSNBC's "Road to the White House" with Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post and a host of other pundits. Chris Matthews of "Hardball" fame stood by waiting to go on.
McNeil was walking to his Downtown St. Paul home a few blocks away when he happened upon the show.
The topic of the evening was the news of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year old daughter - and whether or not it would influence Republican voters.
For McNeil, it's not a dealbreaker.
"I have three daughters - that's part of life," he said.
What worries him a bit more is the fact that she's so conservative.
"That's a part of the Republican Party that McCain needs to appeal to. It's not necessarily the part I'm affiliated with."
McNeil said he'd be watching the convention closely to try to learn more about Palin.
As protests popped up all around St. Paul yesterday afternoon, the crowd in the safe zone around the MSNBC show was an uneasy mix of Obama supporters, McCain boosters, and outright characters.
I tried to interview a young guy wearing a Nixon shirt and carrying a McCain sign but he didn't want to go on the record.
A knot of Obama supporters waved signs, yelled and tried to get on camera every time his name was mentioned. It worked a few times.
The uneasy juxtapositions prevailed in the busy city streets immediately around the center.
Heavily-armed cops in riot gear shared the sidewalks with well-dressed Republicans, while scruffy citizen-journalists prowled the streets sharing word of which protests were going down where.
In a Downtown coffee show, members of the tongue-in-cheek protest group Missile Dick Chicks huddled to discuss the night's strategy.
Later that evening, parts of Downtown St. Paul were shut down and police unleashed tear gas after a peaceful afternoon protest against poverty was co-opted by other groups and lingered into the evening.
DENVER - History streamed into Denver's Invesco Field last night in all shapes, sizes and colors. Nearly 84,000 people stood in line for hours to witness something many in this country thought they might never see - a Black man accept the nomination for the presidency of the United States.
But they also came to hear, finally, a call for leadership for a country weary of war and angry at economic and social inbalances that the current administration refuses to acknowledge, much less address.
And in his historic speech, Barack Obama did not disappoint.
I watched as people around me alternately wept, shouted and stomped their feet as Obama pledged to be a voice for the millions of Americans who've been ignored these past eight years.
He spoke about his months of listening to - and actually hearing - the woes of union workers, teachers, doctors, working mothers, the old, the sick, and veterans who served our country.
And before Obama spoke, I watched thousands fall silent in rapt attention as a number of regular Americans related their triumphs and their troubles with education, healthcare and jobs.
Yes, Obama made history last night, and I, along with Americans of all color are so proud, not only of him, but for what his unprecendented nomination represents for the people of our country.
But for a nation tired of years of seeing the rich get richer and the powerful scorn the masses, Obama's speech is much more than just a historical landmark, no matter how meaningful that landmark is.
It was a passionate, intelligent, detailed call. And for the thousands cheering at Invesco and the millions watching and hoping at home who listened hungrily to Obama's every word, it was about the possibility of a future that's so much different than the one they imagined yesterday.
But they also came to hear, finally, a call for leadership for a country weary of war and angry at economic and social inbalances that the current administration refuses to acknowledge, much less address.
And in his historic speech, Barack Obama did not disappoint.
I watched as people around me alternately wept, shouted and stomped their feet as Obama pledged to be a voice for the millions of Americans who've been ignored these past eight years.
He spoke about his months of listening to - and actually hearing - the woes of union workers, teachers, doctors, working mothers, the old, the sick, and veterans who served our country.
And before Obama spoke, I watched thousands fall silent in rapt attention as a number of regular Americans related their triumphs and their troubles with education, healthcare and jobs.
Yes, Obama made history last night, and I, along with Americans of all color are so proud, not only of him, but for what his unprecendented nomination represents for the people of our country.
But for a nation tired of years of seeing the rich get richer and the powerful scorn the masses, Obama's speech is much more than just a historical landmark, no matter how meaningful that landmark is.
It was a passionate, intelligent, detailed call. And for the thousands cheering at Invesco and the millions watching and hoping at home who listened hungrily to Obama's every word, it was about the possibility of a future that's so much different than the one they imagined yesterday.
DENVER - What does folksy radio talk-show host Jim Hightower of Texas have to do with fiery Chuck D. of the activist rap group Public Enemy?
Plenty, if the issue is affordable healthcare for the masses.
Both the rapper and the country homilist spoke passionately at a huge rally in Denver held with hundreds of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers from across the nation who traveled to the city for the Democratic National Convention. And Public Enemy later performed, as did Death Cab for Cutie (more on that later).
About 30 healthcare workers from New Mexico made the trip north in vans and private cars, leaving Albuquerque at 4 a.m. to make it to the 3 p.m. rally at Denver's Sunken Gardens Park across from Denver Health medical center.
Albuquerque physician Elizabeth Burpee, a resident in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Hospital, was a featured speaker at the rally. Burpee, a member of the healthcare reform group Healthcare United, spoke about the need for healthcare workers to fight for healthcare reform on a national level. The group of healthcare workers formed in February as a project of the Service Employees International Union.
"We have to do this," said Burpee. "We have no choice. If we don't we'll face the collapse of the healthcare system in this country."
After the rally, Burpee talked about her reasons for getting involved.
"I wanted to show that doctors are interested and involved in helping create legislation for healthcare reform. We need to be there, at the table, when the legislation is being drafted…in the next Congress, we hope."
Pat Bartels, a physical therapist at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, also made the trip to Denver to show her concern about improving the health care she provides to her patients.
She said she's been involved in consumer healthcare reform since the early 1990's with the local reform group Health Action New Mexico. But little has been accomplished nationally, she said.
"We've made no progress since 1992, when the Clintons tried to reform healthcare. We've relied on managed care to control costs. I think we can all agree that's been a failure."
Like many healthcare workers fighting for reform, Bartels said she is outraged to see patients dying from preventable or treatable conditions. And she said she's seen patients lose everything they have to pay for healthcare.
"People are going bankrupt because of health crises," she said. "That's unheard of in all other developed countries."
Bartels said Healthcare United is working to register healthcare workers to vote and to educate them and the public at large about how the presidential candidates stand on key health issues.
"We're just trying to get the word out on what their positions are, so they can make up their own minds," she said.
Before the short speaking program, Chuck D. and Professor Griff of Public Enemy joined with members of Death Cab for Cutie in converting Public Enemy anthems of the 1980's such as "Fight the Power" and "Don't Believe the Hype" into SEIU anthems. (No, Flava Flav was not there and they did not perform "9-1-1 is a Joke.) The group closed out their impromptu concert with a noisy, full-out performance of the controversial, slightly profane, anti-George W. Bush anthem "Son of a Bush."
No one complained.
Plenty, if the issue is affordable healthcare for the masses.
Both the rapper and the country homilist spoke passionately at a huge rally in Denver held with hundreds of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers from across the nation who traveled to the city for the Democratic National Convention. And Public Enemy later performed, as did Death Cab for Cutie (more on that later).
About 30 healthcare workers from New Mexico made the trip north in vans and private cars, leaving Albuquerque at 4 a.m. to make it to the 3 p.m. rally at Denver's Sunken Gardens Park across from Denver Health medical center.
Albuquerque physician Elizabeth Burpee, a resident in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Hospital, was a featured speaker at the rally. Burpee, a member of the healthcare reform group Healthcare United, spoke about the need for healthcare workers to fight for healthcare reform on a national level. The group of healthcare workers formed in February as a project of the Service Employees International Union.
"We have to do this," said Burpee. "We have no choice. If we don't we'll face the collapse of the healthcare system in this country."
After the rally, Burpee talked about her reasons for getting involved.
"I wanted to show that doctors are interested and involved in helping create legislation for healthcare reform. We need to be there, at the table, when the legislation is being drafted…in the next Congress, we hope."
Pat Bartels, a physical therapist at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, also made the trip to Denver to show her concern about improving the health care she provides to her patients.
She said she's been involved in consumer healthcare reform since the early 1990's with the local reform group Health Action New Mexico. But little has been accomplished nationally, she said.
"We've made no progress since 1992, when the Clintons tried to reform healthcare. We've relied on managed care to control costs. I think we can all agree that's been a failure."
Like many healthcare workers fighting for reform, Bartels said she is outraged to see patients dying from preventable or treatable conditions. And she said she's seen patients lose everything they have to pay for healthcare.
"People are going bankrupt because of health crises," she said. "That's unheard of in all other developed countries."
Bartels said Healthcare United is working to register healthcare workers to vote and to educate them and the public at large about how the presidential candidates stand on key health issues.
"We're just trying to get the word out on what their positions are, so they can make up their own minds," she said.
Before the short speaking program, Chuck D. and Professor Griff of Public Enemy joined with members of Death Cab for Cutie in converting Public Enemy anthems of the 1980's such as "Fight the Power" and "Don't Believe the Hype" into SEIU anthems. (No, Flava Flav was not there and they did not perform "9-1-1 is a Joke.) The group closed out their impromptu concert with a noisy, full-out performance of the controversial, slightly profane, anti-George W. Bush anthem "Son of a Bush."
No one complained.
DENVER - New Mexico's electoral importance in the race for the presidency has earned the New Mexico delegation some high-profile guests for breakfast at the Democratic National Convention.
High-profile Republican T. Boone Pickens surprised the New Mexico delegation early today by stopping by the official delegate breakfast at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Downtown Denver.
The visit follows Monday's appearance at the New Mexico delegate breakfast by former Denver mayor and U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena and CNN commentator and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile.
And New Mexico delegates were buzzing about a rumor that Hillary Clinton may pay them a visit Thursday.
Today the Texas oilman presented his much-publicized alternative energy plan to the New Mexicans, who listened politely, said delegate and New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas.
"I didn't know he was going to be here," said Balderas.
"He made a little joke about being a Republican."
Balderas said Pickens touted his plan as getting America off oil dependency even sooner than the plans floated by Al Gore and other Democrats.
In addition to the state's 38-member delegation, an unusually-large number of New Mexicans have come to Denver for the convention, said Balderas.
Two major factors are probably at play, he said. The geographic closeness of Denver is one, and the fact that New Mexico is considered such an important swing state is another.
New Mexico's electoral importance is probably the reason for the all of the wooing that's been going on at the delegate breakfasts, said Balderas.
Former TVI president Ted Martinez of Albuquerque was one of the many New Mexicans who drove to Denver for the convention to be with the delegates.
He traveled with former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris and his wife, LaDonna Harris. Martinez is not a delegate - the badge around his neck designates him an "Honored Guest." Read More »
High-profile Republican T. Boone Pickens surprised the New Mexico delegation early today by stopping by the official delegate breakfast at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Downtown Denver.
The visit follows Monday's appearance at the New Mexico delegate breakfast by former Denver mayor and U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena and CNN commentator and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile.
And New Mexico delegates were buzzing about a rumor that Hillary Clinton may pay them a visit Thursday.
Today the Texas oilman presented his much-publicized alternative energy plan to the New Mexicans, who listened politely, said delegate and New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas.
"I didn't know he was going to be here," said Balderas.
"He made a little joke about being a Republican."
Balderas said Pickens touted his plan as getting America off oil dependency even sooner than the plans floated by Al Gore and other Democrats.
In addition to the state's 38-member delegation, an unusually-large number of New Mexicans have come to Denver for the convention, said Balderas.
Two major factors are probably at play, he said. The geographic closeness of Denver is one, and the fact that New Mexico is considered such an important swing state is another.
New Mexico's electoral importance is probably the reason for the all of the wooing that's been going on at the delegate breakfasts, said Balderas.
Former TVI president Ted Martinez of Albuquerque was one of the many New Mexicans who drove to Denver for the convention to be with the delegates.
He traveled with former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris and his wife, LaDonna Harris. Martinez is not a delegate - the badge around his neck designates him an "Honored Guest." Read More »
DENVER: Rep. Tom Udall told me he will talk about the sorry state of the Bush economy when he addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
I ran into the congressman and candidate for U.S. Senate at the Sunport this morning while we were both waiting for Denver-bound flights.
Udall, a Democrat, said he will speak at the convention tomorrow at the request of New York Senator Charles Schumer, who chose Udall to speak as part of a slate of Schumer's most promising Senate candidates. Others who will speak include New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen, Maine's Tom Allen and Colorado's Mark Udall (Tom Udall's cousin).
Tom Udall, who faces Steve Pearce for the senate seat left open by the retirement of Pete Domenici, said he was heartened by the opening-day speeches of Michelle Obama and Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.
"I think it was a step toward healing and unifying the party," he said. "I thought all of it was very moving."
Udall said he plans to take aim at the economic policies of President Bush - and link them to Pearce- when he addresses the unabashedly partisan crowd tomorrow.
"He is for a continuation of the Bush policies on taxes, which hurt the middle class, and on his trade policies, which ship our jobs overseas."
I ran into the congressman and candidate for U.S. Senate at the Sunport this morning while we were both waiting for Denver-bound flights.
Udall, a Democrat, said he will speak at the convention tomorrow at the request of New York Senator Charles Schumer, who chose Udall to speak as part of a slate of Schumer's most promising Senate candidates. Others who will speak include New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen, Maine's Tom Allen and Colorado's Mark Udall (Tom Udall's cousin).
Tom Udall, who faces Steve Pearce for the senate seat left open by the retirement of Pete Domenici, said he was heartened by the opening-day speeches of Michelle Obama and Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.
"I think it was a step toward healing and unifying the party," he said. "I thought all of it was very moving."
Udall said he plans to take aim at the economic policies of President Bush - and link them to Pearce- when he addresses the unabashedly partisan crowd tomorrow.
"He is for a continuation of the Bush policies on taxes, which hurt the middle class, and on his trade policies, which ship our jobs overseas."
As you wander the sunny streets of Lower Downtown Denver among the crowds of conventioneers, you can't help but notice that the police presence is daunting.
I've had no interaction with the police - except to ask them for directions - but New Mexico Common Cause Executive Director Steve Allen did last night. He's in Denver for the convention, where the local chapter of his organization is hosting some events.
Allen told me he was just minding his own business last night, walking down the street, when he ducked into a LoDo hotel to use the restroom. He noticed a few young anarchists hanging around outside the hotel but thought nothing of it.
Then he ran into venerable New York congressman Charles Rangel, holding court in the hotel lobby with his entourage and forgot all about the anarchists.
It was all pretty cool, he thought, until he went to the bathroom and couldn't get out.
About 100 police had alerted on the anarchists, closed down the hotel and wouldn't let anyone move. Not Allen, stuck in the bathroom. Or Rangel, hanging tough with his posse.
After what seemed like a very long time, the police let Allen and everyone else leave the hotel.
"You could smell the tear gas in the air," said Allen, who snapped a quick picture of the police and a lone anarchist in the wake of the standoff.
Can someone say overkill?
I've had no interaction with the police - except to ask them for directions - but New Mexico Common Cause Executive Director Steve Allen did last night. He's in Denver for the convention, where the local chapter of his organization is hosting some events.
Allen told me he was just minding his own business last night, walking down the street, when he ducked into a LoDo hotel to use the restroom. He noticed a few young anarchists hanging around outside the hotel but thought nothing of it.
Then he ran into venerable New York congressman Charles Rangel, holding court in the hotel lobby with his entourage and forgot all about the anarchists.
It was all pretty cool, he thought, until he went to the bathroom and couldn't get out.
About 100 police had alerted on the anarchists, closed down the hotel and wouldn't let anyone move. Not Allen, stuck in the bathroom. Or Rangel, hanging tough with his posse.
After what seemed like a very long time, the police let Allen and everyone else leave the hotel.
"You could smell the tear gas in the air," said Allen, who snapped a quick picture of the police and a lone anarchist in the wake of the standoff.
Can someone say overkill?
Hey college students! Have you ever suspected that your hard-luck tuition story is so pathetic it could win some twisted kind of contest? Well, the National Education Association and the Huffington Post blog have launched the first-ever "Got Tuition?" video contest to solicit the most compelling and sad tuition-related story.
The producer of the winning two-minute video will win $1,000 in prize money and get the opportunity to blog on the front page of Huffington Post about their own rough road to college affordability.
Videos will be judged by a panel that will include Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and other Huffington Post contributors, who will select five finalists on which the public can vote.
"Every year NEA members see talented students whose potential is not realized because they can't afford to go to college, and our elected officials are not recognizing just how serious an issue this is for families," said Shilpa Reddy, a spokeswoman for the NEA. "With almost 200 small lenders suspending their student loan programs this year, this has become a serious national economic issue. We're providing a platform to the people who are bearing the brunt of this problem."
Recent polls show that families are increasingly concerned with rising college tuition costs. Over 75 percent of people say it is more difficult to pay for college now than it was 10 years ago, and over half of families with students in high school report cutting back on spending in order to afford college. The faltering economy is most frequently named as the reason people cannot keep up with tuition costs. To add insult to injury, credit agencies actually penalize families who shop around for the best rate on student loans by tarnishing their credit ratings.
Contestants should send their videos to gottuition08@gmail.com and must include their name, address, daytime phone number and email address. Videos must be no longer than two minutes and should tell the contestant's story about tuition costs, resulting student debt and what policymakers should do to solve the problem. Judges will be looking for creativity, how well the message is conveyed and relevance to the theme of college affordability.
Videos that advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate for any federal, state, or local elected office are ineligible. For more information visit GoTuition website.
The producer of the winning two-minute video will win $1,000 in prize money and get the opportunity to blog on the front page of Huffington Post about their own rough road to college affordability.
Videos will be judged by a panel that will include Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and other Huffington Post contributors, who will select five finalists on which the public can vote.
"Every year NEA members see talented students whose potential is not realized because they can't afford to go to college, and our elected officials are not recognizing just how serious an issue this is for families," said Shilpa Reddy, a spokeswoman for the NEA. "With almost 200 small lenders suspending their student loan programs this year, this has become a serious national economic issue. We're providing a platform to the people who are bearing the brunt of this problem."
Recent polls show that families are increasingly concerned with rising college tuition costs. Over 75 percent of people say it is more difficult to pay for college now than it was 10 years ago, and over half of families with students in high school report cutting back on spending in order to afford college. The faltering economy is most frequently named as the reason people cannot keep up with tuition costs. To add insult to injury, credit agencies actually penalize families who shop around for the best rate on student loans by tarnishing their credit ratings.
Contestants should send their videos to gottuition08@gmail.com and must include their name, address, daytime phone number and email address. Videos must be no longer than two minutes and should tell the contestant's story about tuition costs, resulting student debt and what policymakers should do to solve the problem. Judges will be looking for creativity, how well the message is conveyed and relevance to the theme of college affordability.
Videos that advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate for any federal, state, or local elected office are ineligible. For more information visit GoTuition website.
Dena Jaramillo - a college student, a mother and the assistant operations manager at Betty's Bath and Day Spa - lost her health insurance last month.
Her offense? She turned 22… and was summarily dropped from her father's policy.
The practice of removing children from their parent's policy once they become adults is common among health insurance companies.
But like almost every young person it happens to, it left Jaramillo in a bind.
As a student at Central New Mexico Community College, Jaramillo qualified for some health benefits, but found they were too limited for her needs.
So she turned to her boss, Elissa Breitbard, who owns the North Valley spa where she has worked for the last eight years.
"I didn't know what to do, so I asked Elissa if I could get on the plan at Betty's," she said.
Breitbard had hired Jaramillo to fold towels and help out in the spa when she was a 14-year-old student at Valley High School and watched proudly as Jaramillo worked her way up to assistant operations manager.
But Breitbard soon found out she was powerless to help her longtime employee.
Breitbard's health insurance provider for Betty's only allows her to insure people who work 32 or more hours a week. Because of the demands of her schooling and her need to care for her young child, Jaramillo can never squeeze in more than 28 hours of work per week.
"It literally breaks my heart that I can't insure her," said Breitbard. Read More »
Her offense? She turned 22… and was summarily dropped from her father's policy.
The practice of removing children from their parent's policy once they become adults is common among health insurance companies.
But like almost every young person it happens to, it left Jaramillo in a bind.
As a student at Central New Mexico Community College, Jaramillo qualified for some health benefits, but found they were too limited for her needs.
So she turned to her boss, Elissa Breitbard, who owns the North Valley spa where she has worked for the last eight years.
"I didn't know what to do, so I asked Elissa if I could get on the plan at Betty's," she said.
Breitbard had hired Jaramillo to fold towels and help out in the spa when she was a 14-year-old student at Valley High School and watched proudly as Jaramillo worked her way up to assistant operations manager.
But Breitbard soon found out she was powerless to help her longtime employee.
Breitbard's health insurance provider for Betty's only allows her to insure people who work 32 or more hours a week. Because of the demands of her schooling and her need to care for her young child, Jaramillo can never squeeze in more than 28 hours of work per week.
"It literally breaks my heart that I can't insure her," said Breitbard. Read More »
Green builders and architects often joke that they spend half their time explaining what green building actually is.
When the Albuquerque green architectural consulting firm Environmental Dynamics, Inc. is pressed to define green building, they have a ready example at hand - their own rehabbed building. The architects and consultants who run EDI bought a "nasty" concrete block commercial building near San Mateo and Central NE several years ago and turned it into a veritable showcase for green commercial renovation.
"What we do is exemplified by the building we're in," explains Kent Beierle, one of four partners who make up EDI.
The building at 142 Truman NE has a rustic yet stylish, modern look, sporting sustainable cork floors in the conference room and bamboo walls and floors throughout. Interior walls are finished with a non-toxic product made from crushed oyster shells and marble sand. Abundant skylights eliminate the need for artificial lighting during the day.
The building's exterior is finished with an all-natural lime wash mixed with crushed, recycled glass. (Above photo by Patrick Coulie)
Recycled steel beams were used in the renovation, and concrete rubble from the nearly complete demolition of the building is "caged" in wire and used as a fence around parts of the building.
It takes a lot of water to make concrete. So instead of using concrete or asphalt for parking areas and outside walkways, EDI used an experimental blend of rocks that compresses over time into a concrete-like surface.
You can't see it, but the building even has a green roof - one of the few in Albuquerque.
EDI is proud to say that it used or recycled about 90 percent of the waste that remained from the building's demolition.
"Only one Dumpster was taken to the landfill," said Bierele.
EDI's renovation was done using the practices and products common to those it uses in its many commercial and residential jobs for good reason: To show how easy and attractive green building can be, said Bierele.
"We set out to make green building sexy, to make it accessible to people, to dispel the myths and the voodoo. It's ridiculously simple stuff, really," he said.
An increasing number of companies around New Mexico are catching on to the green building trend, which proponents say not only helps the environment but also produces more conscious, less-wasteful employees and residents.
"New Mexico lends itself well to sustainable design," said Kris Callori, an architect and partner in EDI. "There are so many ancient examples of sustainable building and water usage."
And as one of the few local firms accredited by the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, EDI is earning a reputation as one of the state's leading firms. Read More »
When the Albuquerque green architectural consulting firm Environmental Dynamics, Inc. is pressed to define green building, they have a ready example at hand - their own rehabbed building. The architects and consultants who run EDI bought a "nasty" concrete block commercial building near San Mateo and Central NE several years ago and turned it into a veritable showcase for green commercial renovation.
"What we do is exemplified by the building we're in," explains Kent Beierle, one of four partners who make up EDI.
The building at 142 Truman NE has a rustic yet stylish, modern look, sporting sustainable cork floors in the conference room and bamboo walls and floors throughout. Interior walls are finished with a non-toxic product made from crushed oyster shells and marble sand. Abundant skylights eliminate the need for artificial lighting during the day.
The building's exterior is finished with an all-natural lime wash mixed with crushed, recycled glass. (Above photo by Patrick Coulie)
Recycled steel beams were used in the renovation, and concrete rubble from the nearly complete demolition of the building is "caged" in wire and used as a fence around parts of the building.
It takes a lot of water to make concrete. So instead of using concrete or asphalt for parking areas and outside walkways, EDI used an experimental blend of rocks that compresses over time into a concrete-like surface.
You can't see it, but the building even has a green roof - one of the few in Albuquerque.
EDI is proud to say that it used or recycled about 90 percent of the waste that remained from the building's demolition.
"Only one Dumpster was taken to the landfill," said Bierele.
EDI's renovation was done using the practices and products common to those it uses in its many commercial and residential jobs for good reason: To show how easy and attractive green building can be, said Bierele.
"We set out to make green building sexy, to make it accessible to people, to dispel the myths and the voodoo. It's ridiculously simple stuff, really," he said.
An increasing number of companies around New Mexico are catching on to the green building trend, which proponents say not only helps the environment but also produces more conscious, less-wasteful employees and residents.
"New Mexico lends itself well to sustainable design," said Kris Callori, an architect and partner in EDI. "There are so many ancient examples of sustainable building and water usage."
And as one of the few local firms accredited by the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, EDI is earning a reputation as one of the state's leading firms. Read More »
In a speech today before the American GI Forum in Denver, John McCain told the veterans group that when the government forgets its debts to veterans, it constitutes "a stain upon America's honor."
Yet that's just what one prominent local member of the Hispanic veteran's rights group says McCain has done, for failing to support the revamped GI Bill and increased medical benefits for veterans during his long tenure as a United States Senator.
A few months ago, I interviewed Louis Tellez of Albuquerque, a World War II Army veteran and former national secretary of the GI Forum.
Tellez, 84, attended college thanks to the original GI bill and credited it with setting him down the path to a lifetime of success.
Tellez told me how dismayed and betrayed he and his fellow vets in the GI Forum felt by McCain 's refusal to support the expanded GI Bill.
Every major veterans group, including the American GI Forum, called for passage of the bill.
A few weeks after our conversation the bill did pass, with the overwhelming bipartisan support of nearly every senator except McCain.
Tellez also showed me the GI Forum's 2008 legislative agenda, which calls for various initiatives to improve the quality of life for veterans.
Most notably, citing the high rates of suicide and brain injury among returning Afghanistan and Iraq War vets, the GI Forum's platform calls for ensuring maximum funding for medical and mental health care for all veterans.
According to his Senate voting record, McCain has voted repeatedly against expanding compensation for veteran service-connected disabilities since 2000. What does that mean?
That means veterans with physical and mental injuries due to combat or other service, injuries that can make it difficult for them to hold jobs or relate to their families. In short, injured veterans who have paid a price just short of death for serving our country.
It's puzzling, said Tellez, that McCain, of all people - a war hero, a former prisoner of war who suffered greatly - would fail to support these initiatives for his fellow veterans.
"He's against everything that benefits vets," he said, shaking his head. "I wrote to him about three years ago, and I said that, as a vet, he should be well aware of the needs of vets. He never wrote back."
Yet that's just what one prominent local member of the Hispanic veteran's rights group says McCain has done, for failing to support the revamped GI Bill and increased medical benefits for veterans during his long tenure as a United States Senator.
A few months ago, I interviewed Louis Tellez of Albuquerque, a World War II Army veteran and former national secretary of the GI Forum.
Tellez, 84, attended college thanks to the original GI bill and credited it with setting him down the path to a lifetime of success.
Tellez told me how dismayed and betrayed he and his fellow vets in the GI Forum felt by McCain 's refusal to support the expanded GI Bill.
Every major veterans group, including the American GI Forum, called for passage of the bill.
A few weeks after our conversation the bill did pass, with the overwhelming bipartisan support of nearly every senator except McCain.
Tellez also showed me the GI Forum's 2008 legislative agenda, which calls for various initiatives to improve the quality of life for veterans.
Most notably, citing the high rates of suicide and brain injury among returning Afghanistan and Iraq War vets, the GI Forum's platform calls for ensuring maximum funding for medical and mental health care for all veterans.
According to his Senate voting record, McCain has voted repeatedly against expanding compensation for veteran service-connected disabilities since 2000. What does that mean?
That means veterans with physical and mental injuries due to combat or other service, injuries that can make it difficult for them to hold jobs or relate to their families. In short, injured veterans who have paid a price just short of death for serving our country.
It's puzzling, said Tellez, that McCain, of all people - a war hero, a former prisoner of war who suffered greatly - would fail to support these initiatives for his fellow veterans.
"He's against everything that benefits vets," he said, shaking his head. "I wrote to him about three years ago, and I said that, as a vet, he should be well aware of the needs of vets. He never wrote back."
I've just returned from this weekend's inspiring Netroots Nation conference in Austin, TX, where 3,000 of the nation's most progressive political bloggers met not only to network with each other but to sit down with some of the country's most exciting established and emerging progressive leaders.
You may have heard by now that Nobel Prize Laureate Al Gore was a surprise Saturday morning guest at Netroots Nation.
But unless you read blogs, you probably didn't know that Netroots Nations also drew such high-powered guests as former national security officer Richard Clarke; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, author and radio personality Jim Hightower and Democratic Leadership Council chairman Harold Ford Jr.
They and other speakers came to talk freely about issues like the Iraq War and the coming elections, but also to acknowledge the growing power of progressive blogs to influence the issue environment.
And for every big-name speaker like Pelosi or Gore, there were dozens of bloggers, activists, legislators and others at Netroots Nation who described how they used progressive blogs to defeat entrenched politicians, mobilize support for progressive candidates, publicize egregious healthcare nightmares, spark ethics investigations and otherwise inspire readers to political and social action.
I took away a sense of great hope about the efficacy of the netroots to not just inform, but to act as an organizing tool and government watchdog. The potential - and need - for the expansion of those roles is especially huge now, in light of the decline of the influence and focus of the traditional print and broadcast media.
I say traditional media, not mainstream media, because I agree with political blogger extraordinaire Markos "Kos" Moulitsas- Zuniga, who founded The Daily Kos blog and organized Netroots Nation, the third annual gathering of its kind.
In a lunchtime speech Friday in which he addressed the growing influence of the netroots movement, Kos told us bloggers that it's time to stop calling newspapers, magazines, television and radio the "mainstream media" and refer to them as "traditional media" instead.
That's because, said Kos, it is the bloggers, who fight for the rights of ordinary people to maintain rights like freedom of speech and clean elections and affordable healthcare, who represent America's mainstream now.
You may have heard by now that Nobel Prize Laureate Al Gore was a surprise Saturday morning guest at Netroots Nation.
But unless you read blogs, you probably didn't know that Netroots Nations also drew such high-powered guests as former national security officer Richard Clarke; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, author and radio personality Jim Hightower and Democratic Leadership Council chairman Harold Ford Jr.
They and other speakers came to talk freely about issues like the Iraq War and the coming elections, but also to acknowledge the growing power of progressive blogs to influence the issue environment.
And for every big-name speaker like Pelosi or Gore, there were dozens of bloggers, activists, legislators and others at Netroots Nation who described how they used progressive blogs to defeat entrenched politicians, mobilize support for progressive candidates, publicize egregious healthcare nightmares, spark ethics investigations and otherwise inspire readers to political and social action.
I took away a sense of great hope about the efficacy of the netroots to not just inform, but to act as an organizing tool and government watchdog. The potential - and need - for the expansion of those roles is especially huge now, in light of the decline of the influence and focus of the traditional print and broadcast media.
I say traditional media, not mainstream media, because I agree with political blogger extraordinaire Markos "Kos" Moulitsas- Zuniga, who founded The Daily Kos blog and organized Netroots Nation, the third annual gathering of its kind.
In a lunchtime speech Friday in which he addressed the growing influence of the netroots movement, Kos told us bloggers that it's time to stop calling newspapers, magazines, television and radio the "mainstream media" and refer to them as "traditional media" instead.
That's because, said Kos, it is the bloggers, who fight for the rights of ordinary people to maintain rights like freedom of speech and clean elections and affordable healthcare, who represent America's mainstream now.
Few commonly used things are more toxic than jet fuel. So that's a big part of why the news that a huge jet-fuel leak under Kirtland Air Force Base on the southern edge of Albuquerque is so disturbing. The bare facts of the case are cause for concern: The leak has been happening since the 1970s, was finally discovered in 1999 and then was re-discovered last February to be much, much worse than ever thought.
The public is concerned, and rightly so, about the risk of contamination to nearby groundwater in residential neighborhoods located nearby. Jet fuel, if ingested by human, can cause cancer.
But a story this week in the Albuquerque Journal skimmed lightly over the possibility that the leaking jet fuel is dangerous now or could be dangerous in the future.
"This is not an immediate cause for panic," Col. Robert E. Suminsby, Kirtland's base commander, told the Journal.
Should the people of Albuquerque simply accept this reassurance from the Air Force, who apparently failed to prevent, discover and/ or manage the leak for at least 30 years? I don't think so.
And how and why did Kirtland withhold the news of the expanded leak from the public from February of 2007, when it was discovered, until now? Where were the follow-up questions about that?
Then there's the question of challenging the response from the state and local agencies directly responsible for monitoring groundwater contamination, maintaining the safety of the water supply and keeping the public informed about a possible health risk.
The Air Force inexplicably waited until November of 2007 to report the expanded leak to the state Environment Department, who apparently did not make the news public on its own.
According to the story, a spokesman for the state Environment Department said policies usually call for (The Environment Department? The discoverer of the leak?) the enactment of a plan to clean up contamination before it is reported to the public, unless the public health is at risk.
Isn't the possibility of causing cancer a public health risk? What exactly is the state's policy on reporting contamination and does it contain a loophole that should be closed? What about the City-County Water Authority, who also knew about the leak back in February?
Suminsby told the Journal that the Air Force didn't report the contamination earlier because it "didn't have enough answers" to determine its scope. That's a very bad reason to keep information like that from the public.
I think the problem is not that there weren't enough answers - there weren't enough questions.
I call upon the media and environmental watchdog groups like the Southwest Information Research Center, which monitors groundwater contamination, to continue asking the questions that will get all of us the answers we need to live safely; questions about the scope of the contamination and the possibility of harm.
I want them to keep asking those questions in addition to these: How did the leak happen? Why did the leak happen? How was it finally discovered? Who finally made it public? Why did the Air Force wait from February of 2007 to November of 2007 to report it to the state? And what happened to cause the information to be kept secret for several months after that?
Summer mysteries may be fun to read, but this real one is just plain scary.
The public is concerned, and rightly so, about the risk of contamination to nearby groundwater in residential neighborhoods located nearby. Jet fuel, if ingested by human, can cause cancer.
But a story this week in the Albuquerque Journal skimmed lightly over the possibility that the leaking jet fuel is dangerous now or could be dangerous in the future.
"This is not an immediate cause for panic," Col. Robert E. Suminsby, Kirtland's base commander, told the Journal.
Should the people of Albuquerque simply accept this reassurance from the Air Force, who apparently failed to prevent, discover and/ or manage the leak for at least 30 years? I don't think so.
And how and why did Kirtland withhold the news of the expanded leak from the public from February of 2007, when it was discovered, until now? Where were the follow-up questions about that?
Then there's the question of challenging the response from the state and local agencies directly responsible for monitoring groundwater contamination, maintaining the safety of the water supply and keeping the public informed about a possible health risk.
The Air Force inexplicably waited until November of 2007 to report the expanded leak to the state Environment Department, who apparently did not make the news public on its own.
According to the story, a spokesman for the state Environment Department said policies usually call for (The Environment Department? The discoverer of the leak?) the enactment of a plan to clean up contamination before it is reported to the public, unless the public health is at risk.
Isn't the possibility of causing cancer a public health risk? What exactly is the state's policy on reporting contamination and does it contain a loophole that should be closed? What about the City-County Water Authority, who also knew about the leak back in February?
Suminsby told the Journal that the Air Force didn't report the contamination earlier because it "didn't have enough answers" to determine its scope. That's a very bad reason to keep information like that from the public.
I think the problem is not that there weren't enough answers - there weren't enough questions.
I call upon the media and environmental watchdog groups like the Southwest Information Research Center, which monitors groundwater contamination, to continue asking the questions that will get all of us the answers we need to live safely; questions about the scope of the contamination and the possibility of harm.
I want them to keep asking those questions in addition to these: How did the leak happen? Why did the leak happen? How was it finally discovered? Who finally made it public? Why did the Air Force wait from February of 2007 to November of 2007 to report it to the state? And what happened to cause the information to be kept secret for several months after that?
Summer mysteries may be fun to read, but this real one is just plain scary.
Three NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico members were ejected from Arizona senator John McCain's town hall meeting Tuesday at the Hotel Albuquerque.
They had tickets, just like the 500 or so people who were let in and given a chance to pose a question. But they apparently made the fatal mistake of wearing NARAL T-shirts to the event.
At least that's what the group's executive director is left to believe.
The security people who ejected the NARAL ticket holders didn't give them a reason for having to leave, NARAL director Heather Brewer told me Tuesday. They were simply told that they were trespassing and threatened with arrest.
The NARAL members weren't arrested - they left quietly.
But their ejection certainly raises a lot of questions about whether free speech was tolerated at a town hall event designed to take questions from New Mexicans - all New Mexicans, not just those who tow a particular party line. Organizers had billed the event as public and open to anyone holding a ticket, space permitting.
Read what local blogger NMFBIHOP, who was inside the event, had to say about the ejection here.
It's almost funny, Brewer told me later on Tuesday. The NARAL members had wanted to ask McCain a question about a recent misstep by McCain campaign "Victory Chair" Carly Fiorina. In the widely-reported incident, Fiorina stepped on the McCain party line by expressing dismay that many insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control pills.
According to NARAL, McCain's 25year voting record as a U.S. senator includes 22 votes against birth control, including consistent votes to block low-income women's access to birth control, to deny teens accurate information about birth control and condoms, to stop measures that would require insurance companies to cover birth control, and to block funds to an organization that provides family-planning services - not abortion - for the world's poorest women.
McCain has yet to adequately address his votes in the wake of of Fiorina's statement. Read what local blogger Marjorie says about that here.
I think the NARAL members had as much of a right as anyone to enter the town hall for their chance to ask McCain a question about his long and public record of voting on reproductive rights.
What do you think?
They had tickets, just like the 500 or so people who were let in and given a chance to pose a question. But they apparently made the fatal mistake of wearing NARAL T-shirts to the event.
At least that's what the group's executive director is left to believe.
The security people who ejected the NARAL ticket holders didn't give them a reason for having to leave, NARAL director Heather Brewer told me Tuesday. They were simply told that they were trespassing and threatened with arrest.
The NARAL members weren't arrested - they left quietly.
But their ejection certainly raises a lot of questions about whether free speech was tolerated at a town hall event designed to take questions from New Mexicans - all New Mexicans, not just those who tow a particular party line. Organizers had billed the event as public and open to anyone holding a ticket, space permitting.
Read what local blogger NMFBIHOP, who was inside the event, had to say about the ejection here.
It's almost funny, Brewer told me later on Tuesday. The NARAL members had wanted to ask McCain a question about a recent misstep by McCain campaign "Victory Chair" Carly Fiorina. In the widely-reported incident, Fiorina stepped on the McCain party line by expressing dismay that many insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control pills.
According to NARAL, McCain's 25year voting record as a U.S. senator includes 22 votes against birth control, including consistent votes to block low-income women's access to birth control, to deny teens accurate information about birth control and condoms, to stop measures that would require insurance companies to cover birth control, and to block funds to an organization that provides family-planning services - not abortion - for the world's poorest women.
McCain has yet to adequately address his votes in the wake of of Fiorina's statement. Read what local blogger Marjorie says about that here.
I think the NARAL members had as much of a right as anyone to enter the town hall for their chance to ask McCain a question about his long and public record of voting on reproductive rights.
What do you think?
Gerald King can't wait for the day when green jobs become plentiful all over Albuquerque. The New York native says he's tired of working dirty, low-paying jobs that don't benefit the environment.
King says he feels like he's worked every one of those jobs, but confesses that his "bottom rung" was his stint at a fast-food restaurant, serving up "unhealthy, jacked-up food."
Indeed, fast food restaurants, which serve heavily-processed starches, sugars and meat from far-flung sources, pay the lowest and have the highest carbon footprint of any food sources around.
King, who is 32, said he learned about green jobs recently while attending classes at the Central New Mexico Community College, or CNM. Specifically, he read about the green jobs initiative spearheaded by New Mexico Youth Organized, a piece of proposed city legislation that would provide training for those seeking green jobs and incentives to businesses who offer them.
King volunteered with NMYO to get the word out about green jobs and says he hopes to be one of the many people who will benefit if the City Council passes the initiative. Four city councilors introduced the measure to the entire body in May, and it will be taken up again in August.
Right now King works part-time at various jobs, including sometimes working as an extra on movies shot in New Mexico.
But King says he would love to take a permanent, full-time position in recycling work or possibly bike repair - a clean job that benefits and enhances the environment, without harming it. He says he would welcome the opportunity to get training for his new job.
"I mean, you're not necessarily just learning a trade, you're learning a conscious trade," he says. "If a green job were available for me, I would be one of the first people in line."
King's also been pretty busy spreading the word about green jobs. Many of his friends had no idea what they are, so he had to spend a lot of time educating them.
"They're like, `Man, what's a green job?' so then I tell them, 'It's a job like recycling or landscaping.' In my circle of friends, my peoples know now."
King says he feels like he's worked every one of those jobs, but confesses that his "bottom rung" was his stint at a fast-food restaurant, serving up "unhealthy, jacked-up food."
Indeed, fast food restaurants, which serve heavily-processed starches, sugars and meat from far-flung sources, pay the lowest and have the highest carbon footprint of any food sources around.
King, who is 32, said he learned about green jobs recently while attending classes at the Central New Mexico Community College, or CNM. Specifically, he read about the green jobs initiative spearheaded by New Mexico Youth Organized, a piece of proposed city legislation that would provide training for those seeking green jobs and incentives to businesses who offer them.
King volunteered with NMYO to get the word out about green jobs and says he hopes to be one of the many people who will benefit if the City Council passes the initiative. Four city councilors introduced the measure to the entire body in May, and it will be taken up again in August.
Right now King works part-time at various jobs, including sometimes working as an extra on movies shot in New Mexico.
But King says he would love to take a permanent, full-time position in recycling work or possibly bike repair - a clean job that benefits and enhances the environment, without harming it. He says he would welcome the opportunity to get training for his new job.
"I mean, you're not necessarily just learning a trade, you're learning a conscious trade," he says. "If a green job were available for me, I would be one of the first people in line."
King's also been pretty busy spreading the word about green jobs. Many of his friends had no idea what they are, so he had to spend a lot of time educating them.
"They're like, `Man, what's a green job?' so then I tell them, 'It's a job like recycling or landscaping.' In my circle of friends, my peoples know now."
New Mexicans can rest assured that there is no cronyism at the University of New Mexico, according to....the University of New Mexico?
As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, a recent internal investigation by UNM officials found no evidence to support a whistle-blower's charges of cronyism in the hiring and promotions of 21 employees. The whistle-blower, who requested and got anonymity from UNM, said in a formal complaint to president David Schmidly that the 21 employees - who included past state employees and relatives of state employees - had received plum positions or promotions without merit or without going through the competitive hiring practices required by state and university policy.
According to the whistleblower, the actions occurred after the arrival in 2004 of David Harris, who was then acting president and is now UNM's chief financial and chief operating officer. Since 2004, the combined raises of those 21 employees - who included the heads of UNM's human resources department and internal audit division - added up to almost $900,000, the whistleblower alleged.
In a recent meeting with the Journal, Schmidly called the investigation a vindication for the school.
But not everyone at UNM sees it that way. Read More »
As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, a recent internal investigation by UNM officials found no evidence to support a whistle-blower's charges of cronyism in the hiring and promotions of 21 employees. The whistle-blower, who requested and got anonymity from UNM, said in a formal complaint to president David Schmidly that the 21 employees - who included past state employees and relatives of state employees - had received plum positions or promotions without merit or without going through the competitive hiring practices required by state and university policy.
According to the whistleblower, the actions occurred after the arrival in 2004 of David Harris, who was then acting president and is now UNM's chief financial and chief operating officer. Since 2004, the combined raises of those 21 employees - who included the heads of UNM's human resources department and internal audit division - added up to almost $900,000, the whistleblower alleged.
In a recent meeting with the Journal, Schmidly called the investigation a vindication for the school.
But not everyone at UNM sees it that way. Read More »
Do you have insurance but still can't afford care? Have you experienced a health care nightmare?
Real stories are often overlooked.
That's why we want to hear about your story. Send us an email us and tell us about your experiences with the health care system. We may even share some of your stories (anonymously) on our blog.
Email your story to:
tracy.healthcare.clearlynm@gmail.com
Real stories are often overlooked.
That's why we want to hear about your story. Send us an email us and tell us about your experiences with the health care system. We may even share some of your stories (anonymously) on our blog.
Email your story to:
tracy.healthcare.clearlynm@gmail.com
Tuesday night the nation's two major political universes swung into alignment and the choice of candidates finally became clear - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama will face Republican Sen. John McCain in the race for president.
At last, Americans can begin to envision the presidential race as it will actually happen, without the messy hypothetical scenarios that have threatened to obscure a much-needed focus on the issues.
McCain himself has kicked off the ideological fray, challenging Obama to debate him in a series of town-hall type meetings in towns across the United States.
We at Clearly New Mexico welcome the chance to compare the candidates as they face off in forums that will provide little opportunity for evasion or spin.
We've got a scant 151 days for Obama and McCain to square off and let the public decide whose policies make the most sense regarding pressing issues like health care, taxes, climate change and the Iraq War.
McCain vs Obama, hashing it out toe-to-toe on a stage near you?
Bring it on!
At last, Americans can begin to envision the presidential race as it will actually happen, without the messy hypothetical scenarios that have threatened to obscure a much-needed focus on the issues.
McCain himself has kicked off the ideological fray, challenging Obama to debate him in a series of town-hall type meetings in towns across the United States.
We at Clearly New Mexico welcome the chance to compare the candidates as they face off in forums that will provide little opportunity for evasion or spin.
We've got a scant 151 days for Obama and McCain to square off and let the public decide whose policies make the most sense regarding pressing issues like health care, taxes, climate change and the Iraq War.
McCain vs Obama, hashing it out toe-to-toe on a stage near you?
Bring it on!
That's what local veteran Bruce Clark called Arizona Sen. John McCain's visit Monday to a ceremony honoring war dead at the New Mexico Veteran's Memorial in Albuquerque.
As he spoke to a Memorial Day crowd of about 1,000, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was joined by New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Steve Pearce and Rep. Heather Wilson, who are running for Domenici's soon-to-be-vacant seat.
Clark, a former Marine whose son Bradley Clark is serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, said he showed up at the event to protest what he called "this criminal war" and McCain's support of it.
But though it was a public event on public property, all signs of dissent were quashed by the heavy presence of APD officers and agents from the Secret Service, he said.
"We were very intimidated," he said.
In fact, the Albuquerque chapter of New Mexico Veterans for Peace applied for permission to set up an informational table alongside others just inside the park entrance, but was denied, said Sally-Alice Thompson, a spokesperson for the group. Their request was denied after the United Veterans Council, who runs the city park/memorial, demanded to see the information they wanted to hand out.
"They looked at our literature, which is anti-war, and said it was too political. They said they could have nothing that was political," said Thompson. "Which is interesting, because they had a presidential candidate and two candidates for Senate giving campaign speeches up there."
Indeed, McCain spoke repeatedly of his race for the presidency and the policies he would seek to enact if elected.
McCain, a Vietnam veteran, spoke at length about his efforts to honor those who serve. As part of his speech, he attempted to justify his opposition to a popular expansion of the historic G.I. Bill.
The bipartisan bill, widely supported by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other veteran's groups, would provide full college benefits for soldiers who've served at least three years in the military since 2001. Seventy-five U.S. senators voted for the measure on May 22.
Sen. McCain, who sponsored another version of the bill that called for soldiers to serve at least 12 years before getting those benefits, was one of only three U.S. Senators who was not in Washington for the vote.
That's because on May 22, Sen. McCain was in California, at the home of San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, attending a $25,000 a couple fundraiser for his presidential bid. Read More »
As he spoke to a Memorial Day crowd of about 1,000, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was joined by New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Steve Pearce and Rep. Heather Wilson, who are running for Domenici's soon-to-be-vacant seat.
Clark, a former Marine whose son Bradley Clark is serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, said he showed up at the event to protest what he called "this criminal war" and McCain's support of it.
But though it was a public event on public property, all signs of dissent were quashed by the heavy presence of APD officers and agents from the Secret Service, he said.
"We were very intimidated," he said.
In fact, the Albuquerque chapter of New Mexico Veterans for Peace applied for permission to set up an informational table alongside others just inside the park entrance, but was denied, said Sally-Alice Thompson, a spokesperson for the group. Their request was denied after the United Veterans Council, who runs the city park/memorial, demanded to see the information they wanted to hand out.
"They looked at our literature, which is anti-war, and said it was too political. They said they could have nothing that was political," said Thompson. "Which is interesting, because they had a presidential candidate and two candidates for Senate giving campaign speeches up there."
Indeed, McCain spoke repeatedly of his race for the presidency and the policies he would seek to enact if elected.
McCain, a Vietnam veteran, spoke at length about his efforts to honor those who serve. As part of his speech, he attempted to justify his opposition to a popular expansion of the historic G.I. Bill.
The bipartisan bill, widely supported by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other veteran's groups, would provide full college benefits for soldiers who've served at least three years in the military since 2001. Seventy-five U.S. senators voted for the measure on May 22.
Sen. McCain, who sponsored another version of the bill that called for soldiers to serve at least 12 years before getting those benefits, was one of only three U.S. Senators who was not in Washington for the vote.
That's because on May 22, Sen. McCain was in California, at the home of San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, attending a $25,000 a couple fundraiser for his presidential bid. Read More »
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