Democracy for New Mexico

Santa Fe Precinct & Ward Election Training Set for Tuesday

*WHAT: Training on the Ward and County Election Process

*Purpose of this training is to familiarize yourself with the process, rules and procedures associated with ward elections and county elections. Training will feature a “mock” ward election.

WHO: All registered Democrats in Santa Fe County

WHEN: Tuesday Evening, March 15, 2005 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.

WHERE: Democratic Party of Santa Fe County HQ
907 W. Alameda
Santa Fe, NM 87501

There will be 25 slots open and they will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis by contacting the DPSFC (through Doug Schocke) at 982.5727 or sfdparty@qwest.net

Death Penalty Repeal Stopped by "Democrat" Richard Martinez

From the Santa Fe New Mexican blog:

R.I.P. DEATH PENALTY BILL

The effort to repeal the death penalty this year apparently has died.

The Senate Judiciary Committee by a 5-4 vote tabled House Bill 576.

As suggested in the post below, Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Espanola was the deciding vote. Yesterday Martinez, who voted in 2001 for a similar bill, said he was undecided. Today he decided.

Voting to table were Martinez, and Republican Sens. Rod Adair, Kent Cravens, Clinton Hardin and Bill Payne.

Voting against tabling were Sens. John Grubesic, Linda Lopez, Cisco McSorley and Michael Sanchez.

For complete coverage, read Saturday's New Mexican.
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Editor's Note: Senator Richard Martinez is the same so-called "Democrat" who voted against the domestic partnership bill and for the "Defense of Marriage Act." I really need to research what his votes have been on other issues important to real Democrats. Why have the Democratic Party support a guy if he apparently votes with the Republicans so much of the time? Only the DLC Republicans-lite know .... You can check out the Senator here.

Equality Action Day at Roundhouse Monday

Monday, March 14, is ACTION DAY at the Roundhouse.  Here's a schedule:

9:30  Meet on the East Side of the Roundhouse: Make t-shirts (bring your old white shirt).  Silent Action Inside.

10:30  Interfaith Service: New Mexico Religious Alliance for Inclusion and Non-Discrimination (NM RAIN).

11:30  Love Snacks (FREE FOOD!)

12:00  RALLY for Rights Around the Roundhouse: We will encircle the Roundhouse with rights that many in our community are denied.  Opportunity for civil disobediance INSIDE!

Endorsed by Equality New Mexico, Lambda Legal, and the New Mexico Religious Alliance and Non-Discrimination (NM RAIN), Code Red, New Mexico Voices for Children, UNM LGBTQQI Alliance

For more information: arich@lambdalegal.org

Bingaman Votes to Pass Unfair Bankruptcy Bill

It was very disheartening to read the paper this morning and discover that our own Democratic Senator, Jeff Bingaman, voted FOR the federal bankruptcy bill, created by the credit card industry. This is the bill that makes discharging debts like massive medical bills almost impossible for the middle class. Meanwhile, it allows wealthy debtors to hide their assets via complex trust agreements and permits them to retain ownership of their expensive homes and other property.

Here's some of what Arianna Huffington has to say about this bill in a :

Instead of cracking down on predatory lending practices, closing loopholes that favor the wealthy, and strengthening the safety net for working people, single mothers and elderly Americans struggling to recover from a financial setback, the Senate put together a nasty little bill that reads like a credit industry wish list. Rubbing salt in the wound, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), the bill's chief sponsor, labeled it the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005—even though it does nothing to prevent bankruptcy abuse or protect consumers.

So what does the bill do? It makes it harder for average people to file for bankruptcy protection; it makes it easier for landlords to evict a bankrupt tenant; it endangers child support payments by giving a wider array of creditors a shot at post-bankruptcy income; it allows millionaires to shield an unlimited amount of value in homes and asset protection trusts; it makes it more difficult for small businesses to reorganize, while opening new loopholes for the Enrons of the world; it allows creditors to provide misleading information; and it does nothing to reign in lending abuses that frequently turn manageable debt into unmanageable crises. Even in failure, ordinary Americans do not get a level playing field.

[. . .]
Make no mistake, the inequitable nature of the bill—bending over backwards to help the credit card industry while sticking it to American working people who fall on hard times—is no accident. Time and again over the last week, the Senate shot down amendments that would have made the bill a bit less mean-spirited. They denied proposals that would have made it easier for military veterans, the sick and the elderly to qualify for bankruptcy protection. They even rejected an amendment that would have put a 30 percent ceiling on the interest rates credit card companies can charge. Thirty percent—that's more than Paulie Walnuts charges. But 74 U.S. senators—including John Kerry, Harry Reid, Barack Obama and Dick Durbin—clearly thought that wasn't high enough. Quick, somebody send those guys a Bible bookmarked to Deuteronomy 23:19: "Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother."For years, credit-card companies have been claiming that tougher laws are needed to reign in high-flying customers using bankruptcy to game the system. But the truth is that the vast majority of people who file for bankruptcy are middle-class folks who can't pay their bills because they've lost their jobs or been hit with high medical bills or gone through a divorce.

Indeed, a recent study by Harvard University found that half of last year's 1.6 million bankruptcies were the result of crushing medical bills. Put another way: Every 30 seconds, someone in this country files for bankruptcy in the wake of a serious illness. How's that for a shocking stat? Here's another: Three-quarters of the so-called medically bankrupt had health insurance. It just wasn't enough to cover the dramatic rise in health-care costs.

But instead of adapting to this harsh new reality, where hardworking, college-educated, middle-class folks can be financially destroyed by a sudden illness, the Senate is about to approve a one-size-fits-all law that treats a family man who has sunk into debt because of a heart attack the same as a con artist who maxes out his MasterCard, then refuses to pay up.
[. . .]
There has also been an explosion in the fees that credit card companies charge: late fees, balance transfer fees, cash-advance fees, over-the-limit fees. Such fees bring in billions and are partly responsible for the fact that, even as personal bankruptcies in America have steadily increased, so have the profits of credit card companies--which reached a whopping $30 billion last year.

The Dem's yeas for the Act:
  Baucus (D-MT)
  Bayh (D-IN)
  Biden (D-DE)
  Bingaman (D-NM)
  Byrd (D-WV)
  Carper (D-DE)
  Conrad (D-ND)
  Inouye (D-HI)
  Jeffords (I-VT)
  Johnson (D-SD)
  Kohl (D-WI)
  Landrieu (D-LA)
  Lincoln (D-AR)
  Nelson (D-FL)
  Nelson (D-NE)
  Pryor (D-AR)
  Reid (D-NV)
  Salazar (D-CO)
  Stabenow (D-MI)

Click if you'd like to let Senator Bingaman know your thoughts on his vote for this terrible bill.

Status of Key Election Reform Bills

From Bob Walsh of United Voters of NM:

With little more than a week to go,

HB742, Speaker Lujan's bill creating an Election Reform Task Force, was amended on the House floor to increase the membership to 16 and to provide for two county clerks from different parties.  It was passed by the House as amended and is now in the Senate Rules Committee.  The SRC agenda already has 47 items, but HB742 is not yet on that agenda.  Nevertheless, I expect that it will pass the Senate.

The moratorium of Ken Martinez (HB1003) was amended on the floor of the house so that it does not apply to purchases under the HAVA for persons covered by the Americans With Disabilites Act DA (alas!).  Like HB742, it passed the House as amended and is now in the SRC, but not yet on that agenda.

The Senate ominbus bill, the committee substitute for SB678 that is now being carried by Linda Lopez, is among many items that have been on the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee for a few days.  That committee's calendar is not on the website as of 2:30 a.m., but they are expected to meet at 2:30 p.m. or after the session today (Fri.).

The House omnibus bill, HB1063, has been referred to a subcommittee headed by Ken Martinez for creation of a committee substitute.  The House Voters and Elections Committee has it on the agenda for Saturday at 8:30 a.m. 

SB1065 (McSorley) is among the 47 items on the SRC agenda for this morning (Fri.) at 8:30 a.m. If you go, bring a book to read.  This is the idealists' bill, which has many technical problems.

I will be surprised if any bill passes that keeps the Secretary of State from authorizing the HAVA money for non-voter verifiable paper ballot machines.  We may have to work on the county clerks and county commissions, arguing that the money (and the training) will be wasted.
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Editor's Note: Click to check the frequently updated calendars for Legislative Committees, and their meeting agendas.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Wildlife Privatization in NM

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE MADE CALLS!!!
Let's Keep the Pressure Up!
NM Senate Bill 337, will be voted on this Saturday.

If you have not already, please take a moment out of your day to call the Chair and Vice-Chair of the committee, plus any representatives from your area. The future of New Mexico’s wildlife depends on defeating Senate Bill 337.

Senate Bill 337 would allow the “super-sizing” of canned-hunting areas in New Mexico, expanding the maximum size of “game parks” from 3,200 up to 15,000 acres.

This bill would allow the fencing-in and confiscation of New Mexico’s publicly owned wildlife, where no hunting seasons and no hunting limits would apply inside the tall fences. If this bill passes, the tall fences would also block free-movement of New Mexico’s wildlife across the landscape, and would block access to food, water and cover.

To top it all off, the captive animals shipped in to stock the Game Farms would bring with them the risk of diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease, tuberculosis and brucellosis. The economic impact of infecting New Mexico’s wild elk herds with CWD would be devastating.

(Click to the continuation page for legislator contact info.)

House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee
Gail C. Beam, Chair (D), Albuquerque: 986-4844
Irvin Harrison, Vice Chair (D), Gallup: 986-4464
Thomas A. Anderson (R), Albuquerque: 986-4452
Keith J. Gardner (R), Roswell: 986-4211
Joni Marie Gutierrez (D), Las Cruces: 986-4234
Dianne Miller Hamilton (R), Silver City: 986-4221
Al Park (D), Albuquerque: 986-4234

Election Reform Bill Hearing in Senate Judiciary Postponed to Friday

From Bob Stearns at Verified Voting NM:
Hi All, Wayne reports that the Senate Judiciary Committee will not meet today (THURSDAY). It lost its quorum due to member absence. Regrettable since our bill was #1 on the agenda.

Committee is expected to meet tomorrow afternoon (FRIDAY) after the Senate floor session. Best to call the Legislature's During Session Number 986-4300 early FRIDAY afternoon and ask if the Senate is still in session.

Dean & Reid on MoveOn Calls Tonight

As I'm sure you know by now, MoveOn house parties will be held all over the country this evening. Today it was announced that DNC Chair Howard Dean and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid will be participating in the conference calls during the parties.

Click for a list of gatherings tonight in the Albuquerque area.

Update on Election Reform Bill Hearings

From Bob Stearns of Verified Voting NM:

NM House Voters & Elections Committee met an hour late this morning(THURSDAY) and Chair Ed Sandoval announced that Substitute SB1063 and 1064 would not be heard. An HVEC subcommittee is discussing the bills and will report later. HVEC will hold a special meeting on the two bills on SATURDAY, time to be announced. Sen. McSorley said there has been a compromise in wording for Sen Judiciary Substitute Bill for SB678. Senate Judiciary met this morning.

Charlotte reports that Senate Judiciary plans to meet after the Senate floor session this afternoon and may consider Substitute Bill SB678. Committee hearings usually start 1/2 hour after the floor session ends, which is usually in mid or late afternoon. You can call the Legislature During Session number 986-4300 to find out if the Senate is still in floor session or has finished.

Editor's Note: Please remember that hearings on bill at this point in the Legislative Session are subject to abrupt changes. Always try to check the Committee agendas and/or call the Legislature to check for last-minute changes.

ACTION ALERT: Call These Legislators on Election Reform

From Bob, Charlotte, Wayne, Leland and all the Other Roundhouse Activists:

Hello Activists, NOW IS THE TIME, only 9 days left for the session,  to BARRAGE key lawmakers with phone calls from citizens (be sure to say it if you're a constituent), urging them to support legislation mandating voter verifiable paper ballots and automatic random audits. This will not happen without strong public pressure immediately. The key bills now are Senate Judiciary Substitute Bill for SB678 and House Bill 1063.

(Click to the continuation page for the list of legislators and phone numbers.)

Leadership lawmakers to call are Senate:
President Pro Tem Sen Ben Altamirano of Silver City 986-4733; 
Dem Majority Leader Sen Michael Sanchez of Belen at 986-4727;
Repub Majority Leader Sen Stuart Ingle of Portales at 986-4702.

House Side:
Speaker Ben Lujan of Santa Fe 986-4782;
Dem Majority Leader Rep Ken Martinez of Grants 986-4777;
Repub Majority Leader Rep Ted Hobbs at 986-4757.

Senate Judiciary Committee  Members:
Chair Cisco McSorley of Albuq at 986-4485;
Richard Martinez of Espanola at 986-4389;
Rod Adair of Roswell at 986-4385;
Kent Cravens of Albuq at 986-4391;
John Grubesic of SF at 986-4260;
Clinton Harden of Clovis at 986-4369;
Linda Lopez of Albuq at 986-4737 (she is a strong VVPB supporter);
William Payne of Albuq at 986-4276;
Lidio Rainaldi of Gallup 986-4310;
Michael Sanchez of Belen at 986-4727.

House Voter & Elections Committee Members:
Chair Rep Ed Sandoval of Albuq 986-4840;
Rep Mary Helen Garcia of Las Cruces 986-4435;
Rep Janice Arnold-Jones of Albuq at 986-4451;
Rep Donald Bratton of Hobbs at 986-4451;
Rep Kandy Cordova of Belen at 986-4243;
Rep. Jimmie Hall of Albuq at 986-4215;
Rep Ted Hobbs of Albuq at 986-4757;
Rep. Ben Lujan of SF at 986-4782;
Rep James Madalena of Jemez Pueblo 986-4417;
Rep Ken Martinez of Grants 986-4777;
Rep Kathy McCoy of Cedar Crest 986-4214;
Rep Danice Picraux of Albuq 986-4438;
Rep Debbie Rodella of San Juan Pueblo 986-4248;
Rep Eric Youngberg of Albuq 986-4226.

Ours is a non-partisan appeal because our issues affect all parties, all candidates, all voters. Please make as many calls as you can as soon as you can. Every one has an effect.