Democracy for New Mexico

Invitation to a Reception Hosted by The Honorable Hector Balderas For Senate Candidate Rep. Martin Heinrich

Did you know? - When you look up the word class-act in the dictionary there is a picture of Hector Balderas. 
Mr. Balderas is our NM State Auditor, cleaning up corruption for real every day. A true democrat, for the people. A true statesman hosting an event for Congressman Martin Heinrich, his opponent who won the very challenging primary state race for the United States Senate.

Destination Education Tour with Hector Balderas

On Friday May 18, I accompanied New Mexico State Auditor and U.S Senate candidate Hector Balderas as he traveled across the state on his “Destination Education” tour.  Balderas had students from Wagon Mound—many of whom were featured in Balderas’ recent ad—with him.  UFC fighter John Dodson, another New Mexico native, also traveled with us on the campaign bus.

  
Balderas to grads                    John Dodson w Mrs.B 

Our first stop was at Albuquerque High School, where Auditor Balderas gave the keynote address at the farewell assembly for the graduating seniors.  Balderas’ touching and inspiration speech to over 1,500 students and staff congratulated the seniors for overcoming great adversity in order to graduate.  Balderas also challenged the students to never let the obstacles ahead stop them from achieving their dreams.  “If you have a plan, work at that plan, and never give up, the world will get out of your way.  I know this because I lived it,” Balderas said.

After Balderas’ speech I had the opportunity to get on the campaign bus with Balderas, the students, and Dodson.  It was great getting a chance to talk to the kids from Wagon Mound and hearing why they are so inspired by Balderas’ candidacy.  These Wagon Mound kids were very excited and very proud of their home legend Hector Balderas. The kids were also thrilled to hear about Dodson’s path and career. I asked the kids what they liked about Hector and the video is below.

After about an hour drive we arrived in Santa Fe and met with Representative Luciano “Lucky” Varela and Santa Fe School Board Member Linda Trujillo outside the State Capitol.  The students delivered the letters they had all written explaining what education means to them.  A couple students even read their letters aloud.  Varela and Trujillo were clearly touched and inspired that students traveled so far to express their thoughts and concerns.

After only two stops on the tour I was exhausted and headed back home. The campaign, on the other hand, was forging ahead, heading to Las Vegas, Taos and Española.                

$642,000,000,000 (billion) for the War Machine "Ike was Right"

$642,000,000,000.00 for Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Budget, 8 billion more than what Obama or the Defense Secretary even asked for. I bet the Department of Education would love 8 bil more for their FY2013.

When will this craziness stop? CD1 Congressman Martin Heinrich voted yes, CD2 Congressman Pearce voted yes, CD3 Congressman Lujan voted no. Heinrich voting with Pearce is not good. Heinrich's press release is at the end of this post. To see how Congressional votes across the Country were cast for this bill see this article.

This kind of obscene money spent on war and defense has got to stop. 88 billion still going over to Afghanistan for 2013, that is $1.5 bill every week. Think of what this Country could do with $1.5 bil every week. The bill funds a missile defense site to be built on the east coast, that the military itself opposes, old star-wars garbage, and even Russian cold war garbage. We have gone insane, when we will fund things the military does not even want and threaten drastic cuts to social security for our seniors which is desperately needed now, we have gone insane.

Ok yes there are jobs that come from all that obscene money for people in NM. At Kirkland mainly, yes these jobs have real people working in them, but it is time we ask; do we spend our precious tax dollars on space war or fireman, Russian cold war or teachers, more nuclear weapons or solar energy, fixing the San Juan coal plant that we know is killing people which will cost $800 mil, or 1.5 bil for another week in Afghanistan?

Heinrich says in his statement below: "H.R. 4310 includes language that restores these missions, and includes $25 million for the continuation of the ORS program and $45 million for the continuation of STP. The United States Air Force (USAF) estimates that there are 68 jobs at the KAFB ORS headquarters office, not including the New Mexico small businesses that contract with and provide support to ORS. Further, the USAF estimates there are 74 jobs at the KAFB STP office." So let me do a quick calc...that is 142 jobs for $70 mil tax dollars. Not a good return I say. Maybe if it was even 1,420 jobs or 14,200 jobs for 70 mil I would be more in favor. If you are one of those 142 people working on this project you are psyched, but if you are us underemployed and unemployed, we are not so psyched.

How about the constant drum beat of the funding social security, and medicare costing the country too much money. We have paid into this fund for all the years we have been working, let's face it, it has been used as a slush fund for other war machine spending. It is time we stop being a super power around the world, rebuilding and protecting the world meanwhile our own needs go untended. Our seniors struggling, our children slipping more and more behind. Channel 7 is having a debate tonight with the CD1 Candidates I hope they ask how each of the candidates would have voted for this bill.

These are the questions we face this election. More of the same use of our money for war machine spending or funding realistic things for our citizens needed now. Like President Eisenhower said in his 1961 farewell address "restrain the "military-industrial complex." you can read the entire speech here. 51 years ago, and we are have done nothing but increase our military industrial complex to the point it is now the only budget of our country that receives more and more than requested and has very little accountability for where the funds go, and meanwhile we are out of work, kids have no food to go to school with a full belly, moms and dads are not working, no money for healthcare, no money for sustainability projects.

If the election was today who would you vote for? Who would be the most likely to not cave for star war spending, even if it does have jobs related to it in Kirkland, does it make sense for now? Is it the best use of your/our tax dollars? I do not think so. You decide.

Heinrich Fights to Save KAFB Missions and Boost New Mexico’s Economy
Defense Authorization Bill to Strengthen National Security, Ease Export Controls and Promote Tech Transfer Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 18, 2012) – Today, U.S. Representative Martin Heinrich (NM-1) announced that H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013 passed the House by a 299 to 120 vote. The bill ensures that our military is fully prepared for threats and challenges worldwide and that our troops get the benefits they deserve and have earned. This year’s NDAA includes several important provisions authored by Rep. Heinrich that support U.S. service members and their families, create jobs, and spur economic growth in New Mexico.

“I will keep working to ensure that our national laboratories and military installations have the resources they need to perform their critical national security missions,” said Rep. Heinrich.

In February, as part of the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2013, the Department of Defense recommended eliminating funding and terminating the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program and the Space Test Program (STP), both of which are headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB). Since that time, Rep. Heinrich, a Member of the House Strategic Forces Subcommittee, has led the fight in the House to restore the ORS and STP missions.

As a result of Rep. Heinrich’s work, H.R. 4310 includes language that restores these missions, and includes $25 million for the continuation of the ORS program and $45 million for the continuation of STP. The United States Air Force (USAF) estimates that there are 68 jobs at the KAFB ORS headquarters office, not including the New Mexico small businesses that contract with and provide support to ORS. Further, the USAF estimates there are 74 jobs at the KAFB STP office.

“I asked the tough questions and I worked with my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, to protect these missions at Kirtland,” said Rep. Heinrich. “As the Department of Defense looks for ways to cut spending across the country, I am committed to fight for New Mexico and ensure that jobs remain intact.”

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-9) added, “I applaud Congressman Heinrich for his hard work in bringing the committee to a more sensible approach that prevents the loss of the ORS and STP missions and their personnel.”

Additional provisions included in the NDAA that are positive for New Mexico:

• Preserved Directed Energy jobs at KAFB. NDAA provided an increase of $30 million to preserve the skilled workforce that was involved in the Airborne Laser Test Bed program and to accelerate experimentation with next generation directed energy system development.
• Increased Technology Transfer. Rep. Heinrich successfully offered an amendment that would authorize a pilot program between one national laboratory and one non-profit entity for the purpose of accelerating technology transfer from national laboratories to marketplace.
• Ease Satellite Export Controls To Boost NM Small Business. An amendment, based on legislation Rep. Heinrich introduced last year to ease satellite export controls, was accepted. Easing export controls will provide a strong boost to New Mexico’s aerospace industry.
• Possible 2013 and 2015 BRAC Rejected. KAFB, Cannon Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands Missile Range would be protected from a 2013 or 2015 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC).

Hector Balderas Statement on Marco Rubio's Alternative to the Dream Act

Today, Hector Balderas released the following statement calling on politicians on both sides of the aisle to reject Marco Rubio’s pared-down proposal for a new DREAM Act:

“Senator Rubio’s claim that the DREAM Act in its current form will cause “chain migration” ignores a critical reality: there are millions of young people who have lived here since childhood and they just want to achieve the American dream like anybody else.

The undocumented youth in this country are our students and neighbors. They want to work. They want to succeed. They want to become entrepreneurs. But without a path to citizenship -- which Senator’s Rubio’s proposal does not include -- those dreams won’t be possible.

We need to address the realities of how we live and work. The original DREAM Act accomplishes just that. By providing a path to citizenship for young people who truly want to be here, we can build a nation that is more fair and more full of opportunities. And there is nothing more American than that.”

Op Ed by Hector Balderas; The Legacy of Cesar Chavez Is Our Legacy

OP-ED by Hector Balderas.

This weekend, millions of Americans will pause to reflect and honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez.

Cesar Chavez will always be known as a tireless advocate for the poor and underrepresented.  When he saw an entire group of our society struggle with no one speaking for them, he not only lent his voice, but helped them realize how to make theirs heard.

For most of our nation’s history the migrant workers who picked the lettuce, the peas, the beans, the cherries, and the grapes were paid almost nothing.  They suffered their injustice without hope.  With his nonviolent approach to change, Cesar Chavez led the pickets, the marches, the strikes, and the boycotts until finally farm workers achieved higher wages, better working conditions in the fields, and the right to bargain collectively.

As a leader in the fight for justice for migrant workers, and of the Latino civil rights movement in general, Cesar Chavez helped generations of Latinos in America realize a sense of self-empowerment, whether it was standing up to brutality or simply registering to vote.

Cesar Chavez was guided by a simple principle -- to leave the world a better place than we found it.  He showed us that a single voice can change our country.  And he showed us how strong a people can be when they bind their hearts and efforts together in a sense of community.

The hope and optimism that Cesar Chavez articulated inspired generations after him.  As a young boy growing up in Wagon Mound, my mom and I lived in public housing and survived on Medicaid and food stamps. But even as a boy growing up in family and community that did not have much, I never knew we were poor.  Instead, my mother filled her children with a sense of hope and optimism.  She taught us that with hard work, a strong sense of community, and the willingness to stand up for what is right, the sky was the limit.

Sadly, today there are far too many families in too many New Mexico communities who have lost that sense of hope – who no longer believe that the sky’s the limit.  They worry about a lack of jobs in their communities, whether or not they can pay their mortgage, how they will send their kids to college, or if their kids will even finish high school.  For the first time, they’ve lost hope that their children will have it better off than they did.

And it’s no wonder.  When they look at Washington and see our political and leaders arguing over how big of a tax cut to give the wealthiest among us, people lose hope.

When they look at Wall Street and see that not one single person that caused our nation’s economic crisis has gone to jail or been held accountable, people lose hope.

Cesar Chavez taught us that there’s a better way.  That the only way to strengthen our society is by investing in all our people – not just the most privileged.  By investing in public education, rural infrastructure, and our struggling small business owners, and protecting programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we will not only be helping our most vulnerable, we will be strengthening our entire nation.

As Chavez once said, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community.  Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

That is a lesson our political and corporate leaders could stand to learn.

But we cannot rely on them.  If there’s anything that Cesar Chavez taught us, it’s that we must take our destiny into our own hands.  Only we can ensure that our voices are heard and that our communities thrive and succeed.

That is what inspired me to enter into public service.  Throughout our entire history as a nation, only seven Latinos have ever been elected to the U.S. Senate.  We need more people from our community to step up and be active, not just by running for office, but by getting engaged in our community, and by using the most simple but powerful weapon we have – our votes.

Even with that, there are many cynics who wonder if we will ever be able to truly bring change, if we are too much of an underdog.  To them, I say that I began every one of my political campaigns as an underdog.  But that’s OK because I’m in good company.  We are a state full of underdogs.

But if there’s one thing that Cesar Chavez taught us – and that history has proven – it is that we as a community, we as a people, and we as a nation are at our strongest when our underdogs make their voices heard.

This weekend, the dream still lives and our hopes continue to sustain us.  Cesar Chavez’s struggle is our struggle, and the struggle ennobles us.  Let us honor him by never losing his sense of abetter world, and let us prove to our mothers that we still believe that the sky’s the limit.

Hector Balderas is New Mexico State Auditor and a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate.

3/30: from Denise Balderas - See you at the Q!

From Denise Balderas, Hector's lovely wife: Please join me and my husband, Hector Balderas, for a celebration at the Q Bar.

In Support of Hon. Hector Balderas
Our Candidate for the United States Senate

Date: Friday, March 30th
Time: 5:00 – 6:30 PM
Location: Q Bar
Hotel Albuquerque
8oo Rio Grande NW

GUEST $50
SPONSOR $100
SUGGESTED CONTRIBUTIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED BUT NOT REQUIRED
RSVP: brian@hectorbalderas.com

Check out Hector’s nominating convention speech: https://bit.ly/HBConvention

For more information or questions, please contact Brian Colón at (505) 270-2154 or email brian@hectorbalderas.com 

P.S.  Your contribution TODAY of $250, $100, $50 or whatever amount you can afford will make a difference with just 4 days left in our fundraising quarter!  I’m all in and I hope you will join me.  In fact, I’m so committed—I went BALD for Balderas! Check out this video and make a contribution today at BALD for Balderas!

US Senate Candidate Hector Balderas at DPNM Pre-primary Convention

Above video provided by Balderas for New Mexico

DFNM is starting the Democratic Pre-primary Convention coverage with spotlighting NM State Auditor Hector Balderas. Hector was escorted to the stage with his many supporters. "There were more people on the stage than in all of Wagon Mound" Hector stated to cheers.

  

Young and old all proudly championing their candidate. Hector Balderas is a very modest humble public servant. He has worked hard for the state to track down corruption as the State Auditor, and to help the small towns of New Mexico be accurate with their accounting. Hector's speech emphatically states that no wall street bankers have been held accountable for the crash in 2008. And if he was in office that would not be the case. He will stand up for ordinary New Mexicans, and fight for us every day.

   

Bald for Balderas

Below is a funny video of Brian Colon showing his commitment to Hector BALDeras. You must check this out! Brian and Hector are like blood brothers but now we can call them BALD brothers.

Last but not least is the raw video shot of the Balderas Campaign; Supporters escorting Hector to the stage, getting set on the stage and Balderas delivering his speech.

State Auditor Balderas Arrives in City of Sunland Park with Team of Auditors

This morning, State Auditor Hector Balderas arrived in the City of Sunland Park with a team of auditors who are conducting a special audit of the City’s financial operations.  Balderas ordered a special audit of Sunland Park on February 23, 2012 after concluding that the City’s finances were in a state of financial disarray, which presents a myriad of risks to the City’s citizens and public funds.  The special audit will target various City funds and operations, and Balderas said his auditors are moving with increased speed and working closely with law enforcement officials to ensure taxpayer dollars are fully protected.

“I'm gravely concerned by the recent arrests of the City’s top management, and I’ve directed my auditors to fully brief federal, state and local law enforcement and oversight agencies as our audit progresses,” Balderas said.

Early this morning, Balderas and his auditing team met with law enforcement officials who are leading investigations into City officials.  Balderas and his auditors also are visiting Sunland Park City Hall.  Depending on the outcome of his findings, Balderas may recommend to Governor Susana Martinez that the Department of Finance and Administration take over the City’s financial operations.

Balderas Gets More New Mexico Grassroots Support

The following was provided by the Hector Balderas for Senate Campaign.

Today, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Local 1032 and five New Mexico leaders announced their support for Hector Balderas' candidacy for United States Senate.  These endorsements add to the grassroots momentum and excitement the Balderas campaign is building and generating.  Those current and formers elected officials who endorsed Hector, include:

• Representative Ernest Chavez
• Representative Sandra Jeff
• Former Representative Harriet Ruiz 
• Santa Fe School Board Member Linda Trujillo 
• Mayor Richard A. Cordova, Mayor, Village of Eagle Nest

In a letter announcing the AFGE's support, President Andres Aragón said about Hector, "Being raised in Wagon Mound New Mexico, you truly understand the needs of rural New Mexico and have a deep connection to the communities statewide. This perspective is critical in public service, especially in these tough economic times.  Our state is the beneficiary of extensive federal resources that employ our people and serve our communities.  Our next United States Senator must continue to make New Mexico a priority by protecting its people not Wall Street."

Aragón continued, "Your record in the state legislature and as state auditor of holding government and corporations accountable to protect everyday New Mexicans is desperately needed now more than ever in our nation's capital.  Washington is broken and we are confident you will bring a fresh approach to governing and work toward finding innovative solutions to help retain and create jobs." 

"I'm so excited to receive the support from the AFGE and these important leaders in New Mexico.  Our campaign doesn't have special interest money or backing from Washington insiders. We are powered by the people—a true grassroots movement.  We are organizing labor and community leaders across the state who are committed to ensuring that New Mexicans have a Senator who represents and fights for them.  I cannot wait to turn this goal into reality," Hector Balderas said.

Today brings to 52 the number of current and former elected officials across New Mexico who have endorsed Hector.

NM State Auditor Hector Balderas Holds Open House for U.S. Senate Campaign Headquarters

NM State Auditor Hector Balderas held an open house for his U.S. Senate campaign headquarters in Albuquerque last night. It was a packed house with supporters from throughout the state in attendance and plenty of food, music and fun.

 
In his remarks, Hector addressed the dysfunction and gridlock in Washington, DC. By bringing accountability to our nation's capital and Wall Street, we can improve our economy. He citied his experience the past six years in transforming the Auditor's office and bringing fiscal accountability to state government so that we can invest in people and programs that serve the most vulnerable in our communities.

Mr. Balderas and Mr. Heinrich, We Expect More of You

What follows is a guest blog by Mr. Mike Goodenow. Mr. Goodenow is the former Legislative and Policy Director of the National Foundation for Women Legislators and has worked on campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senate in three states.  This month he is founding the John F. Kennedy Policy Center in Albuquerque and in Arlington, Virginia.

An Open Letter to U.S Senate candidates Hector Balderas and Martin Heinrich
From Mike Weber Goodenow, Albuquerque citizen

Dear Mr. Balderas and Mr. Heinrich:

You are our state’s two best leaders from the generation born in the 1960s and 1970s.  It was with great anticipation that we watched both of you enter this race last Spring and present us with the opportunity to elect one of you our next U.S. Senator.

Each of you offers us a calm and civil tone and policies based on rational analysis of the issues. You have both shown great courage in public office. You have both demonstrated the integrity, the intelligence, and even the statesmanship that we have a right to expect from our next U.S. Senator.

Mr. Balderas, you have been a courageous State Auditor who has saved New Mexico taxpayers millions of wasted dollars, rooted out fraud and embezzlement in our state and local governments, and ended corruption in our regional housing authorities. You have been bold and fearless, and no one who understands what you’ve achieved as State Auditor can do anything less than admire you.

Mr. Heinrich, you have set aside Ojito Wilderness and protected it and helped set aside one of the nation’s few urban wildlife refuges just south of Albuquerque. You led the effort to raise the minimum wage in Albuquerque, you were innovative in passing new solutions to crime in our city, you have voted for the most sweeping progress in health care in five decades, you’ve voted to reform Wall Street, and you have offered dynamic and innovative leadership on veterans’ issues in the U.S. House.

But we are now several months into this race, and you are both running very timid campaigns on the issues. Other than Mr. Heinrich’s innovative agenda for veterans, your campaigns have been cautious and banal.

It is safe to say that a Senator Martin Heinrich would be a national leader on environmental issues, on Native American issues, and on veterans’ issues, because, Congressman, you already are.

Mr. Balderas, anyone who examines your record and public statements can see that a Senator Hector Balderas would be a national leader on both justice and civil rights and on federal fiscal discipline and federal deficit reduction.

Should this be the basis of our decision on June 5^th?

What about the issues that most of us are voting on? The economy, jobs, and wages. Health care.  Clean energy. And education and job training. On these issues, neither of you is giving us enough information to determine who would be the better Senator.

It seems that Mr. Balderas would be better on education, infrastructure, fiscal accountability, and closing the federal deficit and that Mr. Heinrich has an edge on using science and technology to maximize job growth and on clean energy. But neither of you has offered bold proposals in any of these areas.

So far it does not seem that either of you recognizes that the U.S. Senate is a place for bold and dynamic leadership that can transform our nation.

I call on both of you to respect the intelligence of New Mexico’s citizens and voters, to acknowledge the historical importance of this election, and to demonstrate your appreciation of the unique role of the U.S. Senate in shaping our nation’s destiny.

I urge you both to step forward and offer bold policy solutions that will truly produce tens of millions of new American jobs – including millions of new high-paying jobs – and transform the quality of life for all Americans.

What about a $9 per hour minimum wage? It was the equivalent of $9 (in today’s dollars) when John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson were President – and the JFK and LBJ years provided one of the fastest growing economies in American history. Where does each of you stand on the federal minimum wage?

President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are offering bold education reforms. What about each of you? Where are your bold proposals on early childhood education, K-12 education, and higher education?

The federal government is spending only $7 billion a year on job training. Would either of you increase this or change job training in any way?

Clean energy: You’re both for it. But what would each of you do? The Obama Administration’s $65 billion in spending and tax credits for clean energy has run out. What do you propose we do next? And which of you will do more to ensure that New Mexicans get plenty of new clean-energy jobs?

New Mexico is still near the bottom in exports.  What would either of you do about this from the U.S. Senate?

What about our national trade deficits?   Since 1993, a whopping $8.4 trillion in net cash – in imports over exports – has left Americans’ pockets for foreign nations. U.S. Senators vote on trade treaties.  What would each of you do regarding our huge and unsustainable national trade deficit?

How about business assistance programs, technology transfer and commercialization of research, and access to business capital?   What does each of you propose?

What about balancing the federal budget during by the end of your first term in the Senate?  What about tax reform?

The Chinese government just announced ambitious plans in space. No federal initiative in the past six decades has produced more new high-paying jobs, both directly and indirectly, than President John F. Kennedy’s Apollo mission to the moon. Does either of you have a response to the Chinese?

What policies do you advocated that would increase jobs in fast-growth business sectors like aerospace, bio-science, nanotechnology, advanced materials and manufacturing, media and information technology (including networking and AI), and robotics and other cyber-physical systems?

We deserve a visionary, transformative, and effective U.S. Senator who boldly and courageously steps forward, calls us to be our best, and advances real solutions that will transform our lives. We deserve a U.S. Senator who works to resolve the core challenges of our time and who helps enable Americans to build and walk into a dynamic and opportunity-filled future.

Mr. Balderas and Mr. Heinrich, each of you has the potential to be such a Senator. You have just five months left to show us your capacity for problem-solving and bold statesmanship in the U.S. Senate.

Sincerely, Mike Weber Goodenow, Albuquerque

01/19: Balderas for New Mexico Headquarters Open House

The following announcement is from the Hector Balderas for Senate Campaign. To download the invite please click here01 19 12 Balderas Open House Invitation.