Democracy for New Mexico

Sunday Bird Blogging

We're still recovering from the Fighting Illini's come from behind victory over Arizona yesterday in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and so is Bosco. It was a nervewracking affair. Four minutes to go, Illinois down by 15 points. Major turnaround. Illini win in overtime 90-89! I'm an Illinois alumnus, having spent the late 60s in Champaign-Urbana hanging out on the quad, playing old-fashioned pinball machines at local student hangouts and staying up all night typing English lit papers on a manual typewriter. So I was very excited about my team, rated number one in the nation this year, being in the Elite Eight. Now they're in the Final Four! More nail biting to come next weekend.

Bosco is also an Illini fan, as you can see from his orange head and blue tailfeathers:

We're trying to find him a Fighting Illini lovebird-sized t-shirt, but so far, no dice.

DPBC Meeting Highlights

Last Wednesday's special meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County at the UNM Law School began with State Senator Linda Lopez, who is also the current Bernalillo County Democratic Party Chair, being presented with a bouquet in appreciation for her stellar work in negotiating the election reform bill and getting it passed at the Legislature. Here's Terry Riley presenting the flowers to Senator Lopez on behalf of DFNM, NM Democratic Friends and others. That's County Vice Chair Marvin Moss at the podium.

Senator Bingaman then spoke about Social Security and the severe problems that would result if President Bush's privatization plan were adopted. Afterwards, he graciously answered questions for more than an hour on a variety of topics. Regarding his recent vote for the very controversial bankruptcy bill, Senator Bingaman admitted it might have been a mistake given the fact that important amendments to improve the bill did not pass. He said the issue might well have to be revisited in the near future to make it more fair to ordinary Americans. (You might say.)

Marvin Moss welcomes the Senator to the meeting above.

Senator Bingaman takes numerous questions from the overflow crowd.

Tell Your Social Security Story

The debate over the Republican plan to dismantle Social Security involves a lot of big numbers and far-off dates. But Social Security impacts lives every day in a deeply personal way.

When you click on our Social Security graphic, you can read stories from other DFA members across the country. By telling those stories publicly we can shore up support for the most successful social policy in history. You can also tell your Social Security story, sign a petition and access a special section of the DFA website that features resources you can use to help save Social Security.

We'll be focusing on actions we can take to support Social Security and using our Social Security stories to create and frame our arguments at the next DFA-DFNM ABQ Meetup on April 7th. We plan to create a straetegy for media and activist actions here in Albuquerque. So when you submit your story to DFA, please keep a copy to use at Meetup.

If you haven't joined our DFA-DFNM Meetup group, visit the Meetup website and register. You'll be placed on our email list to receive updates and news of interest to our members.

DFA is also collecting donations to run two radio ads based on the thousands of personal stories from ordinary people whose lives have been changed by Social Security. They're ready to go on the air in the same markets as the USA Next anti-Social Security ads that will begin appearing in the coming days.

You can hear the 30-second and 60-second ads at DFA's .

But they can't go up without your donation. Click to make a contribution.

Free Sticker for DFA Anniversary

It's the one-year anniversary of Democracy for America. You can celebrate it with pride by getting a special Democracy for America logo sticker. They're free—just let DFA know where to send it:

www.democracyforamerica.com/anniversary

Of course, Dean for America, which started the whole thing, began in 2003. I attended my first Dean for America Meetup in April of that year, when Howard Dean was just taking off as a candidate! Let's hope DFA -- and DFNM -- continue to grow and thrive. With our support and participation, they will.

REMINDER: Udall Social Security Town Hall Schedule

From Rep. Tom Udall's Office:
NEW MEXICO – U.S. Representative Tom Udall, D-N.M., is holding a series of town hall meetings next week on Social Security.  The federal lawmaker said he wants to hear from New Mexicans about what they value most in Social Security.

“Social Security has been one of the most successful federal programs in this nation’s history. It has protected millions of elderly from living in poverty, and has been the backbone of every American’s retirement plan. It is a guarantee that we can all count on in our old age,” Udall said. “I hope New Mexico residents will attend these meetings to let me know their views on what changes, if any, should be made to Social Security.”

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2005
Rio Rancho
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Meadowlark Senior Center, 4330 Meadowlark Blvd.

Albuquerque
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
T-VI’s Montoya Campus Auditorium (Juan Tabo and Montgomery)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman also attending

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2005
Española
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Rio Arriba Senior Center, 410 Hunter Street

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2005
Taos
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Taos Senior Center, 601 Lovato Place

Last week Udall voted against the House-passed budget that raids the Social Security Trust Fund of more than $1.1 trillion over the next five years.

In New Mexico, the percentage of Hispanic seniors living in poverty today is twice that of non-Hispanic seniors at 22%.  More than half of Hispanic women age 65 and older depend on Social Security for 100% of their income.  Social security payments have reduced the poverty rate of seniors from 45.6% to 12.1%, pulling an estimated 80,000 seniors above the poverty line.  There are about 29,000 seniors living in poverty in New Mexico.  Without Social Security, an estimated 109,000 seniors would live in poverty.

Approximately 295,000 – one of six New Mexican residents – receive Social Security benefits, either as a retiree, a disabled worker, a widow, or child. Almost 1/3 of those beneficiaries are under the age of 65.  More than 30,000 are widows, and 28,000 are children.

“President Bush’s plan to establish private accounts requires borrowing nearly $5 trillion, largely from foreign countries, and increasing our debt for the next 50 years, threatening rising interest rates today, and raising taxes on our children and grandchildren tomorrow,” Udall said.

Repub Hypocrisy Reigns

From the blogosphere... more at:

How seriously should we take the concern and outrage of Dubya, DeLay, Bob Schindler (Terri Schaivo's father), and the right-to-lifers? Let's take them one at a time.

First, Dubya. In 1999, as governor of Texas, Bush signed into law , which allows a hospital to discontinue life support, over the objections of the patient's family, if the hospital's ethics committee finds that the treatment is nonbeneficial. (link via Mark A.R. Kleiman) Although the law originally applied only to adult patients, in 2003 the Texas legislature extended it to include children.

This past Tuesday, March 15, the law was used to remove a breathing tube from Sun Hudson, an African-American baby in Houston, against his mother's wishes, causing his death:

The baby wore a cute blue outfit with a teddy bear covering his bottom. The 17-pound, nearly 6-month-old boy wiggled with eyes open, his mother said, and smacked his lips.

Then at 2 p.m. Tuesday, a medical staffer at Texas Children's Hospital gently removed the breathing tube that had kept Sun Hudson alive since his birth Sept. 25. Cradled by his mother, he took a few breaths, and died.

"I talked to him, I told him that I loved him. Inside of me, my son is still alive," Wanda Hudson told reporters afterward. "This hospital was considered a miracle hospital. When it came to my son, they gave up in six months. ... They made a terrible mistake." [link via Long Story Short Pier]

Also in Houston, doctors are invoking the law Governor George W. Bush signed in announcing that they intend to cut off life support for Spiro Nikolouzos against his family's wishes:

A patient's inability to pay for medical care combined with a prognosis that renders further care futile are two reasons a hospital might suggest cutting off life support, the chief medical officer at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital said Monday.

Dr. David Pate's comments came as the family of Spiro Nikolouzos fights to keep St. Luke's from turning off the ventilator and artificial feedings keeping the 68-year-old grandfather alive.

St. Luke's notified Jannette Nikolouzos in a March 1 letter that it would withdraw life-sustaining care of her husband of 34 years in 10 days, which would be Friday. Mario Caballero, the attorney representing the family, said he is seeking a two-week extension, at minimum, to give the man more time to improve and to give his family more time to find an alternative facility. [link via Atrios; typo in story corrected]

Has Dubya spoken out against these terrible abuses of the bill that he signed into law? Has he stated that "there should be a presumption in favor" of allowing the lives of Sun Hudson and Spiro Nikolouzos to continue? Has he declared that he made a terrible mistake, and wishes he had vetoed the bill instead of signing it? Nope. He hasn't said a word.

Second, Tom DeLay. He's a Texan, too. Has he spoken out about the taking of Sun Hudson's life, and the threat to take Spiro Nikolouzos's life, both in Texas? Surely he's given enraged press conferences denouncing these as "murder" and "medical terrorism," and introduced legislation to protect the lives of Sun Hudson, Spiro Nikolouzos, and others like them? Nah. Not a peep out of him, either.

An article in today's Washington Post suggests that DeLay and other congressional Republicans' deep concern about Ms. Schiavo might be (gasp!) politically motivated:

In a memo distributed only to Republican senators, the Schiavo case was characterized as "a great political issue" that could pay dividends with Christian conservatives, whose support is essential in midterm elections such as those coming up in 2006.

. . . .

An unsigned one-page memo, distributed to Republican senators, said the debate over Schiavo would appeal to the party's base, or core, supporters. The memo singled out Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who is up for reelection next year and is potentially vulnerable in a state President Bush won last year.

"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats." [link via Talking Points Memo]

Third, Bob Schindler. He's probably too preoccupied with his daughter's case to have heard about Sun Hudson or Spiro Nikolouzos, so it wouldn't be fair to criticize him for not saying anything about them. But it turns out that he pulled the plug on his own mother:

[G]iven the vehemence with which he has been fighting to prolong Terri's life, it is a little surprising to learn that Robert decided to turn off the life-support system for his mother. She was 79 at the time, and had been ill with pneumonia for a week, when her kidneys gave out. "I can remember like yesterday the doctors said she had a good life. I asked, 'If you put her on a ventilator does she have a chance of surviving, of coming out of this thing?'" Robert says. "I was very angry with God because I didn't want to make those decisions." [emphasis added]

Fourth, the right-to-lifers. The inconsistency of Dubya and DeLay and Bob Schindler is very disappointing. But surely the highly principled right-to-life folks have been just as upset about Sun Hudson and Spiro Nikolouzos as they have about Terri Schiavo? No, they've haven't said jack about Sun or Spiro, either. Odd.

But surely the right-to-lifers vigorously opposed that horrible Texas law that allows hospitals to discontinue treatment to Sun, Spiro and others against their families' wishes, right? No, they helped write it:

[O]ne of the co-drafters in both 1999 and 2003 was the National Right to Life Committee. Witnesses who testified in support of the bill in 1999 included representatives of National Right to Life [and] Texas Right to Life . . . .

Digby observes with his usual eloquence:

By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are also aware that Republicans have voted en masse to pull the plug (no pun intended) on Medicaid funding that pays for the kind of care that someone like Terry Schiavo and many others who are not so severely brain damaged need all across this country.

Those of us who read liberal blogs also understand that that the tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican Congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are aware that the bankruptcy bill will make it even more difficult for families who suffer a catastrophic illness like Terry Schiavo's because they will not be able to declare chapter 7 bankruptcy and get a fresh start when the gargantuan medical bills become overwhelming.

And those of us who read liberal blogs also know that this grandstanding by the Congress is a purely political move designed to appease the religious right and that the legal maneuverings being employed would be anathema to any true small government conservative.

Those who don't read liberal blogs, on the other hand, are seeing a spectacle on television in which the news anchors repeatedly say that the Congress is "stepping in to save Terry Schiavo" mimicking the unctuous words of Tom DeLay as they grovel and leer at the family and nod sympathetically at the sanctimonious phonies who are using this issue for their political gain. [link via Atrios; typos corrected]

(Thanks to Nancy G. for this story.)

Check Out New Website for Democratic Party of Bernalillo County

From Bill Peifer:
The official web site for the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County is up and running, although still under construction.  Please stop by and check it out.  Constructive criticism is appreciated.

Website URL: https://www.BernalilloDems.org

Send comments or suggestions to Bill at: webmaster@BernalilloDems.org

You can also click on our links to this site in the right-hand sidebar on this page under Featured Links or Democratic Party.

Counter Republican Anti-Social Security Blitz

From Democracy for America:

Get ready for the Republican anti-Social Security blitz.

A couple of weeks ago a right-wing front group called "USA Next" made national news when it started its anti-Social Security campaign with a bigoted, hateful ad. You helped create a backlash so strong that it spent the next few weeks licking its wounds.

But now they're back. USA Next is set to go on the air with its political hate speech in the next two weeks. You built the momentum -- we can't let up now. Ask your friends to petition media outlets to keep bigotry and distortions off the air:

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/StopUSANextInvite

Remember -- the USA Next ads come from the same Republican operatives who unleashed the swift boat attacks.

And USA Next isn't the only player -- it is just one of dozens of entities that funnel money from corporations and right-wing billionaires into our political process. They have pledged to spend whatever it takes to dismantle Social Security.

Their latest project: producing distorted polls to generate news coverage and "evidence" of support for their privatization agenda. It's part of a coordinated effort by corporate interests and conservative ideologues to wage a multi-front war on Social Security.

Fox News, of course, featured the results of the biased poll. But so did other news outlets -- they need to be put on notice that they will be held accountable for airing USA Next's distortions. Tell your friends to join the call for accountability now:

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/StopUSANextInvite

Conservative ideologues have been plotting the takedown of Social Security for a generation. And while we have done a good job getting the truth out so far, we can't rest.

The fight to save Social Security isn't over -- it has barely begun.

Tom Hughes, Executive Director
Democracy for America

McCain Tags Along on Bush ABQ Visit

From the Santa Fe New Mexican:

There's another showing Tuesday of the good-cop, bad-cop routine featuring President Bush and Sen. John McCain, Bush's one-time presidential rival who has become a big booster of the president's Social Security plan.

The Arizona Republican accompanied Bush on Monday to the senator's home state and Colorado to try to help sell the public and Congress on the president's proposal for a major Social Security overhaul.
[. . .]
It all went so well that McCain, perhaps enticed by a day riding around in the presidential limousine and aboard Air Force One, decided to accompany Bush to an event Tuesday in Albuquerque, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. McCain had been scheduled to drop off Bush's itinerary after Monday's last stop in Denver.

The original reason for the Albuquerque stop was to give a boost to New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee that will have a hand in any Social Security changes.
****************
One has to wonder what levels of independence, self-esteem and pride McCain has given how Bush and his minions spread inaccurate smears about McCain and his family during their primary battle before the 2000 election.

I guess a ride in the presidential limo is enough for an alleged "straight shooter" like McCain to forget about past indignities. I'm wondering how McCain would explain the wonderful benefits for younger workers that he's touting when the trilllions of dollars in debt the creation of private accounts would generate are taken into account. Oops, don't mention that! And I'm sure no-one will at the Albuquerque Bush rally or any other rally. After all, no Democrats allowed in the Republican elite clubhouse!

Latest on Bush Protest

From Stop the War Machine news:

1. W is visiting Albuquerque in order to have a "conversation" about Social Security tomorrow, Tuesday, 3/22 in the Convention Center at around 9:30 AM.

You are invited to do the following:

Plan A: Go to Civic Plaza by 7:30 AM.  Bring signs...

Plan B (if you are unable to do plan A): Meet at the Federal Courthouse at or as soon after 7:30 AM as possible.  Bring signs...

If you have any questions or you hear any further details of when W will arrive and where he will be, please call 933-6600.
**************
I understand that a third alternative being promoted for a gathering place is Robinson Park at 8th and Central. It's difficult to know beforehand where they will allow people to congregate given all the street closings and other "security" measures that keep the people away from Bush.

Bush reportedly arrives in Albuquerque today at 7 PM, and will stay overnight at the Hyatt Regency, catty-corner from the Convention Center Marriott at Louisiana and I-25.