Democracy for New Mexico

More Coverage of our Party Discussion

Now Stephen Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican weighs in with commentary on and quotes from our recent discussions about Governor Richardson and the Democratic Party here. You can read it with comments at the New Mexican online:

https://www.freenewmexican.com/news/14138.html

Or read it plain on Terrell's website:

https://steveterrell.blogspot.com/

When I posted the intial item that criticized the Governor on his $3 million plus in fundraising to date for his 06 race in comparison with the relative poverty of the state and county Parties, I had no idea such a ruckus would be raised. Overall, I think it's a very healthy development. Unlike the lockstep Repubs, we have opinions and aren't shy about sharing them.

There's a related discussion going on over at MyDD that delves into the merits of the DNC funding activities in the states as opposed to the state or local Parties. If there is a good time to debate these kinds of things I think it's now, BEFORE election season kicks in again. What we're really analyzing is how the Party presently functions at various levels and what optimum functioning would look like -- natural after the kinds of frustrating losses Dems experienced in 04 despite all that money and all those volunteer hours.

I hope to soon be proposing some positive ideas for improvements being made by fellow NM Dems. These are meant to help create more transparency and accountability within the Party structure so we can do our jobs. And I hope the powers that be will realize we're not just whiners -- we actually have constructive suggestions to make. We'll be making them as we contemplate all that tedious door knocking, precinct walking and phone banking that has already begun in some neighborhoods.

We ARE the Party on the ground and I think we're passionate and creative and willing to work hard in the often thankless gruntwork jobs. The goal is not to be devisive or counterproductive. But we believe some changes are necessary in how things work so we can WIN next time.

The emails are flying. More to come.

One Account of Last Night's Hearing on the Fair Wage Initiative

Editor's Note: This is a first-person account of last night's Albuquerque City Council hearing on Councilor Martin Heinrich's Fair Wage Initiative. It's been reported in the Albuquerque Journal that more than 240 people attended.

From Anne Kass:
Everyone, especially those of you who missed the meeting last night, as Bill did, this is my report to him.  Let me know if I got anything seriously wrong.  Anne

The Council meeting was interesting.  I got there at 5 after 5, thinking the living wage thing would be delayed, but in fact, they started promptly at 5.  The place was packed.  More than 90 people signed up to talk.  Appropriately the business people sat on the right side of the room, and the good guys sat on the left.  The speakers were more than 2 to 1 in favor of the living wage ordinance.

Those opposed used the same old arguments, without supporting evidence, and in the face of persuasive evidence to the contrary, which was pointed out numerous times.  Businesses would not move to Albuquerque, they would move to Rio Rancho, they would lay-off low-wage people and just not have the work done, yada, yada, yada.  It was the usual suspects--Chamber of Commerce, a woman from Presbyterian Hospital, Inc. (which truly pissed me off), Building and Industry, Inc., Hotels, Inc., and so on, each speaker claiming to speak for thousands of member businesses.  One woman talking for contractors or some such group warned that the ordinance would allow unions to demand to see private business employment records and let obstructionists block the entry to businesses, and even allow them to occupy all the business toilet stalls (This reminded me of  Phyllis Schlafley and her ilk who used to argue that the equal rights amendment and women in the military would result in co-ed toilets.  These people are so full of crap which may explain their obsession with toilets.)  And there were a few who said that it was obvious that this whole thing was the work of outside agitators.  One of those doofuses claimed that ACORN had filed a brief in San Francisco courts, after they passed their living wage ordinance, asking for a special exemption for their employees who gather petition signatures on a free speech theory, which Matt Henderson quickly pointed out was a lie.   There were a few individual restaurant and small business owners who insisted they would be destroyed and one lady talking for the Restaurant Industry who pissed the audience off so bad they booed when she said that "those on that side of the room have never owned businesses so they're naïve..."  Alan Parkman was there again with his laws of economics as though they were as immutable as the law of gravity.

Brad Winter was acting like a dictator/strict father, demanding there be no applause, repeatedly warning the audience to, "be nice," and repeating that the audience must "be respectful"  of the council members as well as the speakers.  (A number of us are going to e-mail him today to say that while it is appropriate to call for respect from the citizens in meetings such as this, he also should request respect from his colleagues on the Council.  Sally Mayer and Tina Cummings were out of their chairs for the first hour of citizen comment (they had been there for the budget meeting) until shortly after 6 p.m. and then they squirmed around in their chairs, tossed their hair, whispered to each other, left the stage and returned several times, whispered and wrote notes to other council members, and Sally took phone calls, and generally acting like spoiled brats.)

The good guys talked philosophy, ethics, morality, facts, studies.  There were citizens, representatives from the homeless assistance groups, small business owners who said they've paid more than $7.15/hour to all their employees and never gone bankrupt, union guys (who said after the Chamber of Commerce guy reported that he'd done a little survey and found that a loaf of bread cost 15 cents more in Santa Fe--supposedly after and because of its living wage ordinance--and milk too) said they'd be happy to pay more for bread and milk if it allowed their brothers and sisters to get out of poverty.  There were several senior citizens who responded, also to the Chamber guy's warning that a wage hike would hurt senior citizens on fixed incomes, that they'd happily pay more for groceries to help lift people out of poverty.  There was one wonderful older woman who said, "I don't have any degrees or statistics, but I'm 80 years old and what I do have is a lot of experience, and tonight I am experiencing deja vue.  Business people have never met a minimum wage they liked.  I heard all these same arguments beginning in the 1940's when the minimum wage was being raised and when safety regulations were being imposed and when the 8-hour day was enacted and...None of their dire predictions have ever come to pass."   She was just terrific.  One older man pointed out that the business argument that a wage hike would cause price increases and inflation was also bogus because the evidence clearly shows that price increases have ALWAYS preceded wage increases.  A public health physician, the same one who spoke at the County meeting saying that no one should be called a "charity case" noted that Presbyterian works to cure illness, but doesn't do a very good job at preventing it, and that the stats show that higher income and better health are clearly connected.

In the end, they put off voting until June 6, at Heinrich's request, I think because Debbie O'Malley wasn't there.  Good old Sally objected, claiming that, "these people who've been here so long tonight have a right to have an answer," as though she gave one little shit about the people who were there.  Rather, a vote last night would have tied or lost, depending on what Cadigan did, and she was pushing for that result.  Still, ACORN is going forward with petitions, calling for a $7.50/hour wage floor, indexed to the cost of living, and Bill Jordan said, when he spoke, that the people were out in front of the so-called political leaders on this, and that we'd get this done with or without them.  Eric Griego and Miguel Gomez both spoke with passion and eloquence.  Michael Cadigan is clearly still a swing voter and asked some not-so-friendly questions of Kay Monaco from Voices for Children.  Judy Espinosa showed up late and addressed the Council, calling for them to pass this ordinance, which pleased me enormously.   Ann and Melinda were there and a good time was had by most.

JOIN UP: League of Conservation Voters Days of Action on Energy Bill

From NM League of Conservation Voters:
In the next couple of weeks we are embarking on a big public campaign to hold our elected officials accountable on the controversial Energy Bill that is working its way through Congress.

The House has already cast their votes and now it's up to our own Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman to craft a bill that helps solve America's energy problems - not give more money to big oil and corporate ruin of our environment.

Please join us for these important upcoming events and help us hold our Congressional delegation accountable! (See below.)

Saturday, May 28 - 10 AM; 12 PM; and 2 PM: Canvass
LCV New Mexico Office: 400 Gold Ave. SW (4th & Gold), Suite 110 (ground floor - 4th St. entrance)

We will be talking to voters in Albuquerque to let them know about the upcoming energy bill vote, to inform them of Congresswoman Wilson's votes on the issue, and to urge them to contact Senator Domenici to craft a bill that is smart, clean, and conservationist.

Please come for a shift at 10 AM, 12 PM, or 2 PM - whichever fits your schedule best.

Saturday, May 28 - 10 AM - 2 PM: Letter Writing
LCV New Mexico Office: 400 Gold Ave. SW (4th & Gold), Suite 110 (ground floor - 4th St. entrance)

If you cannot canvass or if you only have a short period of time to help, please stop by the office on Saturday and help us write letters to voters we cannot contact at the door. Having a personal letter delivered will have a strong effect on voters' desire to take action and contact their congressional representative.

Thursday, June 2 - 10 AM: Press Conference and Protest against Congresswoman Heather Wilson
Galeria Building (Heather's office) - 2nd and Copper - Downtown

We will be staging a protest against Congresswoman Wilson's vote to allow corporations to poison groundwater - including the Edgewood water supply in her home district - with the toxic substance MTBE, a gasoline additive. This vote would allow corporations to poison ground water with MTBE and not be responsible for cleaning up a polluted supply.

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Night - 5:30 - 8 PM: Volunteer Outreach and Office Work

We need your help contacting and scheduling volunteers as well as help with various office needs such as data entry. We can also use general office help whenever your schedule permits - just let us know when you are available.

As always, if you have any questions regarding the above-listed events, please call us at 505-244-1077 or e-mail us! Thank you, and see you all soon!

Maggie Toulouse
SW Region Campaign Manager
League of Conservation Voters
400 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 110
Albuquerque, NM 87120
(505) 244-1077

REMINDER: ABQ Fair Wage Initiative Hearing Wednesday

I put together some links to articles and sites that lay out the case for a living wage (see below). Hope you'll use them to create your testimony on behalf of Councilor Martin Heinrich's Fair Wage Inititative for Wednesday's hearing on the bill. The council session starts at 4:00 PM, May 25, at City Council Chambers.

I read in the Albuquerque Journal that the Council will first deal with a postponed discussion about the City budget before it gets to the Fair Wage Initiative Wednesday. Although this meeting was originally deemed a Special Hearing on the Fair Wage bill, I guess the powers that be decided not to follow through on this concept entirely. Too bad. Let's hope they don't leave supporters of the measure hanging again. Regardless, we need a LARGE turnout on this so please try to be there if you possibly can!

I believe you must be there by 5:30 PM in order to sign up to testify. It might be best to call the City Council before you go, however, to make sure last-minute changes in the agenda or sign-up procedures haven't occurred: 768-3100.

Click for an agenda for the Council meeting.

Talking point resources:

Living Wage Politics (Tom Paine)

Many Minimum Wage Workers Ages 25 to 54 Trapped in Low-Wage Jobs (Center for Economic and Policy Research)

Living Wage Issue Guide (Center for Economic and Policy Research)

Business Leaders and Investors for a Living Wage (Responsible Wealth)

Living Wage Resource Center (ACORN)

Human Needs Coordinating Council to Hold Fundraising Celebration

Save the Date – Join the Human Needs Coordinating Council for Fun, Food, Dancing, Celebration, and Silent Auction from 4 to 7 PM, Sunday, June 12, 2005.

The fundraiser will be held at the Outpost Performance Space at 210 Yale SE, 2 blocks south of Central Ave. The band, “Nosotros” will play.  “Nosotros” received the 2004 New Mexico Music Industry Album of the Year Award. Proceeds will go towards rural organizing and education to increase health care access and coverage for all New Mexicans. 

Requested minimum donation of $25 per person.  RSVP today!  Send a check to:  HNCC, PO Box 16737, Abq, NM 87191.   For more information, call Anita at 899-0392.  Event hosted by: HNCC Steering Committee Members, Charlotte Roybal, and Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino.   

NEW MEXICO HUMAN NEEDS COORDINATING COUNCIL
PO Box 16737 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87191
Phone:  (505) 265-5005 Fax:  (505) 265-4677
Website: www.hncc.org   E-mail:  hncc@hncc.org

Ecumenical Voices for Democracy Launches Religion and Politics Series

From Tom Solomon:
Ecumenical Voices for Democracy held their first forum yesterday May 22nd at TVI on ‘The Use and Abuse of Religion and Politics’. Before an audience of 163, the moderated panel (composed of 2 members of the clergy, a lawyer/ACLU member and a UNM professor) conducted a spirited, sometimes humorous, but thoughtful conversation around two of the topics you should not discuss in polite company! The panelists had profound comments to make on religion, morality, conscience, politics and the law and moderator Reese Fullerton maintained a sense of mutual respect and equanimity throughout.

My favorite quote was from Rev. Brian Taylor, on how we lessen the current levels of hostility:

“ I think there is a cultural divide… But I don’t think it is between conservative and liberal, it is between those who, out of fear, are settling for black and white answers, and those who are willing to admit that ultimately life is a mystery and that there are a lot of grey areas even within our own religious traditions…. even within the Bible. This is not moral relativism. It is humility about our ability to understand life, or even, as I say, our own religious tradition. So how do we lessen hostility? By developing curiosity about how ‘the other’ comes to the conclusions that they do, especially when they come from a religious perspective.”

The event went as well as we could have hoped … the audience was clearly engaged, and over two thirds stayed for the reception afterward to continue the discussion. A rousing success! So don’t forget to come to the next Religion and Politics forum July 31st. The topic: Religion, Civil Rights and Individual Liberty. Editor's Note: The local website and blog, Defend New Mexico, has an excellent piece on the Forum with an abundance of quotes from the panel discussion. Well worth a look.

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.

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

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.

An Interview with Greg Palast

Just in time for investigative journalist Greg Palast's appearances in Albuquerque and Santa Fe Friday and Saturday:

The Last Iconoclast: An Interview with Greg Palast, by Tim McGivern, alibi.

Click on the event links under Coming Events on the right-hand sidebar of this page for more info on Palast's events to benefit Voter Action NM.