Democracy for New Mexico

Deal Reached on Nuclear Option

So who do you think won? Who caved? What's the net result? Check it out and let us know:

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/23/201840/027#178

It feels to me like a cave by the Dems but then Reid didn't have a strong hand and this is no doubt better than the nuclear option. And I'm sure the rightwingos will be raving at Frist for not being able to swing this even with 55 Repub Senators. Still, the reviews are mostly mixed...

Phew!

Hot, hot, hot recordbreaking temperatures have moved into New Mexico:

The sudden heat wave is causing flooding and high stream and river water up north as the snowpack melts lickety split:

Read all about it in the Taos News and Santa Fe New Mexican.

And of course the temps in the 90s in Albuquerque, 100s down south and 80s up north are pushing people onto their boiling roofs for emergency start-up. Why cover this on a political blog? I was thinking this might be one of the reasons political debate has heated up of late. Nah. Comments still coming.

REMINDER: MoveOn Filibusters Tueday at Noon

There are now MoveON PAC demonstrations in support of preserving the right to have Senate filibusters scheduled in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, El Prado and Las Cruces at Noon tomorrow (Tuesday). Click for more information and to for a Citizen Filibuster to Stop the Right-Wing Power Grab.

Palast Fundraisers a Big Success

The fundraisers for Voter Action NM and election investigation work held in Albuquerque and Santa Fe this Friday and Saturday were well attended and raised substantial financial support for the NM voters' lawsuit and investigative work in the state. Investigative journalist Greg Palast and attorneys John Boyd and Lowell Finley appeared at the IBEW Hall in Albuquerque and a dinner in Corrales on Friday, then moved up to similar events in Santa Fe on Saturday.

In the photo, Eric Elison gives Greg Palast a New Mexico Democratic Friends button at the Corrales dinner fundraiser. The Albuquerque events were cosponsored by NM Democratic Friends and Democracy for New Mexico.

Click to view a photo album of the Albuquerque-Corrales events or click on the link to the album down a ways on the right-hand sidebar on this page.

Click to visit Greg Palast's website. To learn more about NM election irregularities, the voters' lawsuit, the work of Voter Action NM or to donate to the cause, click to visit the website of Voter Action NM.

Local blog Fort Progress has more photos in their story on the IBEW event.

Living Wage Politics: Special City Council Meeting Wednesday!

From Terry Riley:
Living Wage.  This isn't about sneaking some unearned benefit.  This is about being paid more than people are currently being paid because the existing minimum wage is inadequate.  Now, that is a simple statement but the problem is really that simple.  There are people who are making the issue sound difficult.  They say that if you give a raise at the bottom of the wage scale then everybody will want a raise and the cost of everything will go up.  Excuse me!  The prices on everything have already gone up!  Gas at $2.20 per gallon.  If you ignore everything else, that alone is proof that $5.15 per hour is not a living wage.

If you approach this problem as a business owner and in a totally selfish manner you can still justify better pay in an ever tightening economy.  Think about how these things affect an employee's value to you.  No wonder you don't think they are worth more money, you made them too expensive to hire.

• Employees who make less than a living wage will not own a reliable car.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will not have reliable child care.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will need food stamps just to get by.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will have to use tax supported health care.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will have to use tax supported legal aid.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will have to use tax supported housing.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will change jobs with no notice. 
• Employees who make less than a living wage will be sick more often than others. 
• Employees who make less than a living wage will experience more domestic abuse.
• Employees who make less than a living wage will be more likely to steal from an employer.

Some people argue that if somebody wants to make more money they should work harder or get a better education.  How do you get a better education if you are working 60 or more hours per week at two or three jobs so you can pay most of your bills?  How can you get ahead when predatory lending is legal for paycheck loans, title loans, and tax refund loans?

How can we not support a living wage?  Don't fool yourself, this is not really a good wage.  For example, you wouldn't want to only be paid $7.15 per hour, would you?

The Albuquerque City Council is holding a special session this Wednesday, May 25th at 5 PM in the City Council Chambers which is downstairs in the City -County Building.  That is just west of the Civic Plaza downtown at the corner of Marquette and 3rd Street.

The present action is only to put this issue on the ballot in October so that the voters can choose.  The polls show that 70% of the citizens of Albuquerque support this.

I promised the City Council a large turnout in support of this measure when they deferred dealing with it at the last regular City Council meeting.  We really have to show up in large numbers because it is not clear that we have enough support to pass this.  Please don't let this opportunity to improve living conditions in Albuquerque drop.  The people deserve it and we KNOW that this kind of help is not coming from the state or federal governments.

Terry Riley
www.WhatIfYouKnew-NM.com
Veterans for Peace - Albuquerque
Veterans for Common Sense
Military Families Speak Out
Stop the War Machine
New Mexico Democratic Friends

Sunday Bird (Nest) Blogging

I haven't had the time to introduce the lastest additions to our avian family. Our parakeets Whitey (mama) and Queenie (dad) produced four eggs in their nest box after numerous amorous encounters. Those four eggs have now hatched and we have four rather ugly parakeet chicks. Here are two early pics of the brood:

You can see gorgeous glop on mama Whitey's beak. This is the delicious regurgitated food and what's called parakeet "milk" that nourish the babies. Whitey does emerge from the nestbox at times to eat at the food bowl but mostly it's Queenie, the father, who eats seeds and then passes the food into Whitey's beak who then does the same for the babies. Perhaps more info than you'd want or need, but you know how it is!

In the one above you can see that the oldest chick can hold its head up and has huge feet!

This is the latest shot. You can see that the feathers are starting to come in on the two eldest chicks. The eggs are laid about every other day so once they start hatching, one emerges every other day. Unfortunately, we learned today that the runt of the brood probably won't survive, which isn't unusual. The tiny chick was barely breathing today, and didn't look like it would survive the day. Ah, joy and tragedy in the world of the parakeets!

(Click on photos for larger images.)

1st Annual Yard Sale to Benefit NM Wilderness Alliance

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:

Please help us with the first
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Yard Sale
June 18th in Albuquerque

Donate your used items to help raise money for our efforts to protect New Mexico's wild landscapes. All donations can be dropped off at the office beginning May 1st. NMWA staff will pick up your items in Albuquerque June 13 to 17th. Please contact Roxanne Pacheco for additional information or to schedule a pick-up at 505/843-8696 or roxanne@nmwild.org

Each dollar raised at the Yard Sale will be MATCHED by one of our donors!  That's right, each dollar raised is DOUBLED- so your donations are worth twice as much!

If you don't have any used goods to donate, but you'd still like to help, go to: https://secure.ga3.org/05/donate_nmwild

Special DPBC Meeting 5/26

From Marvin Moss, DPBC Chair:
SPECIAL Democratic Party of Bernalillo County MEETING, MAY 26, 6:00 PM, Law School, Room 2401 - for ward and precinct officers, new and seasoned, and other interested Democrats - a discussion of ward/precinct organization, strategies and procedures.  District coordinators from state HQ will make the presentation and answer questions.  You are urged to attend, especially if you are an officer.

Editor's Note: You can track Democratic Party and other political events at the DPBC website. Click on Calendar of Events on the left-hand side of their main page.

Join the Fray

The discussion is still going hot and heavy in our earlier thread about Governor Richardson and the Party and fundraising. You can join in here. Next week, I expect to have another thread that deals with these issues. Right now, I'm helping to coordinate the Palast events tonight, I have a ward meeting tomorrow and I'll be helping with the politics and religion event on Sunday, put on by NM Democratic Friends - Ecumenical Voices for Democracy. Hope to see many of you tonight and Sunday.

MoveOn PAC Urges Citizen Filibusters Nationwide

From MoveOn PAC:
Citizen Filibuster to Stop the Right-Wing Power Grab
Senators are right now debating the future of our courts and our democracy in Washington. Join MoveOn members across the country in round-the-clock, 24-hour Citizen Filibusters starting Tuesday May 24 at 12 Noon to send a message that senators should do the right thing.

This is an emergency. If Republicans succeed, they’ll have complete power to reshape the Supreme Court, appointing justices who oppose the worker protections, women's rights, and environmental laws. This could be the most important decision the Senate makes this decade, because the impact of these lifetime appointments will be felt for a generation.

Please consider changing your schedule for the next couple of days to help out starting this Tuesday, May 24, at 12 noon. Host your own Citizen Filibuster to Stop the Right-Wing Power Grab or sign up for an event near you.
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Editor's Note: So far, there are citizen filibusters in New Mexico scheduled for Albuquerque at Senator Pete Domenici's office and Santa Fe at the Federal Courthouse. to sign up for these, find others or create your own event.