Palin and McCain

Here is what women can expect from a McCain/Palin Administration.

OBAMA VS. McCAIN: RECORD ON WOMEN

ISSUE	OBAMA	MCCAIN
STANDING UP FOR A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE	Obama Has A 100% Pro-Choice Voting Record. Obama has received a voting record of 100% from NARAL Pro-Choice America. [NARAL, 5/14/07] Obama Passed A Law Requiring That Emergency Medical Services For Sexual Assault Survivors Include Coverage For Emergency Contraception. Obama was the chief co-sponsor of a bill requiring that hospitals providing emergency services for sexual assault victims provide medically accurate information about emergency contraception. [Vote 110, 4/23/08] [92nd GA; SB 0114; 2001; Signed into law 7/25/01, PA 92-0156] Obama: “It’s Never Been More Important To Protect A Woman’s Right To Choose.” On the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Obama said "it's never been more important to protect a woman's right to choose.” [Obama Press Release, 1/22/08]	McCain Bragged About His Anti-Choice Record And Wants To Overturn Roe v. Wade. McCain has a long anti-choice record and he even bragged about the consistent “zero” score he had received from NARAL Pro-Choice America. [NARAL, 8/11/08] His campaign website says he “believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned.” [Vote 110, 4/23/08] [McCain Website, “Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life,” 8/11/08] McCain Opposed Requiring Insurers To Provide The Same Level of Coverage For Birth Control That They Do For Other Prescription Drugs. McCain voted against requiring health insurers to provide the same level of coverage for contraception as they do for other prescription drugs.[Salon, 3/24/08; Vote 75, 3/17/05; Vote 45, 3/11/03; Vote 180, 5/16/03; Vote 231, 7/23/96; Vote 28, 2/8/94]
EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK	Obama Helped Protect 330,000 More Illinois Women From Pay Discrimination. Obama co-sponsored the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which provided that no employer may discriminate by paying different wages solely on the basis of gender. The AP says the bill gave “about 330,000 more women in the state protection from gender-based discrimination in pay.” [93rd GA, SB 0002, 5/11/03, PA 93-0006; AP, 5/11/03; Chicago Tribune, 5/8/03; Chicago Tribune, 5/12/03] Obama Cosponsored The Federal Fair Pay Restoration Act And Describes Equal Pay For Equal Work As “Fundamental.” Obama co-sponsored legislation to overturn a Supreme Court decision making it harder for women to challenge pay discrimination. Obama said “we've got to use all the power at our disposal to make sure that women are treated equally. The idea of equal pay for equal work is something that I think is fundamental to the American ideal.” [ABC Good Morning America Interview, 7/9/08; U.S. Census, 8/30/05][Obama Senate Press Release, 4/23/08]	McCain Opposed Legislation That Would Help Women Achieve Pay Equity. McCain opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which sought to overturn a recent Supreme Court decision making it harder for women to challenge pay discrimination. McCain even suggested that women get paid less because they need more education and training. In addition, McCain voted against a proposal that would have provided more effective remedies to victims of sex discrimination in the payment of wages. [New York Times, 4/30/08; Factcheck.org, 5/1/08]
PROTECTING WOMEN’S HEALTH	Obama Has Fought To Increase Education And Awareness Of Cancers that Affect Women. Obama passed a law in the Illinois State Senate to require coverage of breast and cervical cancer screenings, and he helped pass a law ensuring that women and minorities are included in state-funded clinical research. Obama was an original sponsor of “Johanna’s Law”, which launched a national campaign to increase awareness of gynecological cancers like ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers. [PL 109-475, 1/12/07; PA 93-0514, 8/12/03]	McCain Voted Against Extending Insurance Coverage To Pregnant Women And Infants And Opposed $214 Million For Breast Cancer Research. McCain voted against extending Medicaid coverage to pregnant women and infants up to one year of age with incomes below the Federal poverty line. He also voted against transferring $214 million from the Defense Department to fund breast cancer research. [1988 Senate Vote #170, 6/8/88; 1992 Senate Vote #211, 9/17/92]
FIGHTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE	Obama Supported More Domestic Violence And Abuse Prevention Funding And Passed Laws Protecting Victims. Obama voted for funding to prevent domestic violence and abuse, including increased funding for the Office of Violence Against Women, and passed numerous laws protecting victims of domestic violence. [PA 92-0827, Signed 8/22/02; PA 90-0136, Signed 7/22/97; PA 91-0163, Signed 4/16/99; PA 92-0162, Signed 7/25/01; Vote 226, 9/13/05] Obama Cosponsored Legislation To Reauthorize The Violence Against Women Act. Obama co-sponsored the legislation reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, which provides funds to help communities, nonprofit organizations and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The VAWA also establishes a sexual assault services program and provides education grants to prevent domestic violence. As president, Obama will fully fund and implement VAWA. Obama Authored The Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act. In Illinois, Obama introduced and passed the Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) – one of the most comprehensive sets of employment protections in the nation - which ensures that victims of domestic violence can seek treatment without losing their jobs.	McCain Repeatedly Voted Against Funding To Fight And Prevent Domestic Violence. McCain has repeatedly voted against funding to fight and prevent domestic violence, including a $9 million increase for the Office of Violence Against Women. McCain even opposed authorizing grants to aid children who have witnessed domestic violence. [Vote 226, 9/13/05; 205, 5/25/95; Vote 295, 8/25/94]
CHILD CARE	Obama Helped to Dramatically Expand Day-Care Services. In Illinois, Obama fought to create Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which included a six-fold increase in day care funding. Obama Will Expand The Child And Dependent Care Tax Credit. Obama will expand the Child and Dependent Care tax credit to 7.5 million more working women, double funding for afterschool programs to serve 1 million more children, and provide summer learning opportunities to an additional 1 million young people [90th GA, HB 204, 5/31/97, PA 90-0017, 6/19/97; State Journal Register, 6/1/97; HR 3010, Vote 272, 10/26/05]	McCain Has Repeatedly Voted Against Increased Funding For Child Care. McCain repeatedly voted against providing billions in additional funding for child care services. McCain even voted against a proposal to expand tax credits for businesses that provide quality child care centers. [Senate CQ Vote #613, 12/22/95; 2003 Senate Vote #90, 3/25/03; 1997 Senate Vote #153, 6/27/97]
PAID LEAVE	Obama Will Expand Sick Leave To 22 Million Working Women, Expand The Child And Dependent Care Tax Credit. Obama will work to guarantee seven days of paid sick leave to the 22 million working women who currently have none.	McCain Does Not Have A Real Plan To Expand Paid And Sick Leave. McCain doesn’t have a real plan to help parents juggle work and family, and has no plan to expand paid leave and sick leave for working Americans. [Mother Jones, 6/23/08]

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Consumer Rage-Hertz This Time.

One of the things that I like about having a blog is being able to rage about bad service. This time it is my long time rental car agency, Hertz, that has me upset. I think they are a good company that is sinking fast when it comes to service. I have used them exclusively for a decade but now they are off my A-Team list. The last three times I have used them they have screwed up. First it was a car so dirty I had to stop and get it vacuumed out. Then in Hawaii we had reserved a seven passenger vehicle and they gave us a five passenger vehicle. This trip to Baltimore over the weekend was also ruined by a car that had been the scene of a cigar smoking contest with numerous holes burned in the seat and a stench that could be smelled outside the car. Of course, we are supposed to get non smoking cars.

Every time they mess up they offer a $25 dollar coupon for your next rental. Screw that. I want a clean car and good service. Besides, I always lose the coupon.

When I called them to complain today I was notified that it would be 23 minutes before someone could help me on the phone.

I wonder if Avis is still trying harder.

Southwest Airlines service to Baltimore and back was great. Hertz could learn something about service from them.

Saved by a Natural Disaster

Hurricane Gustav is a gift to the Republican Party. It gives a reason to pare down expectations of the convention by canceling part of it. There was no way they could match the Obama spectacle last week in Denver. Yes, it is the right thing to do, but it is also a God send for McCain and his new VP pick Governor Palin. When I first saw her on TV she looked interesting. Then they started listing her positions on the issues. She is a right wing ultra conservative in soccer mom camoflauge.

My good friend Steve Cobble and I talked about this during a long coffee Sunday morning here in Washington, DC where we are visiting our son Justin and his wife Karly. We decided that the crucial issue that will wipe out Palin and then McCain in her wake is her position that bears in Alaska should be killed.

Think of it, a campaign to kill bears who are already running out of time since there is less and less flow ice to live on. Some smart Democrat has to get this information along with cute bear cub photos into every third grade classroom in the country. The sooner the better.

Here is a nice picture of Justin and Karly. Justin now works at the Solar Energy Industry Association and he is having a great time. Karly now will start looking for work too. They both have their Master's degrees from Syracuse University.

Home Run

Obama's speech was a home run in a football stadium. I thought a lot about our kids when he was speaking, wondering if they might have the feelings we did when we were listening to Kennedy back in the 60's. Tomorrow we will ask Justin and his Wife Karly what they felt. We are leaving in the early morning for Washington, DC to see them. I leave with a good feeling for the country and know that if we can elect Obama then things can only get better.

Carnivale

One of the nice things about going to Denver is the rest stop near Watrous, NM. You can always get a good picture there. Always.

The scene in Downtown Denver is like Carnivale. It is a mass of humanity with most people, like me, just showing up there for the momentous nomination of an Barack Obama. It really is historic.

A guy dressed as a Toilet Seat was there. I didn't figure out why.
My friend Jim King, CEO of a high tech networking business was there, conducting business as usual.
Even the Hare Krishnas showed up on the 16th St. Mall. I didn't even know they still were around.

Seriously, there is a real air of hope here in Denver.

Downtown

We are going to try and make our way downtown in a little while. They say it is pretty much chaos in the core area of Denver. We are going to take the light rail into the city as there is no place to park down there.

The West Teeters?

I will be heading up to Denver late Tuesday for the Convention. I am not a delegate but I will stay with friends up there and crash a party or two on Wednesday. It will surely increase my angst over what is happening right now on the campaign though. Here is my concern with the admonition that only someone like Governor Bill Richardson can save the day.

Are we heading for a rerun of the Kerry Presidential campaign? I am getting an uneasy feeling that may be the case. With Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden, both Eastern U.S. Senators, we have a case building that they don't understand the west, and especially the inter mountain west. Like Kerry and Edwards four years ago it will be difficult for them to hit western themes effectively if they don't get some practice in. It is not simply going to be pretending to love the Cowboys and the myth of the west.

Here are a few words for them that will show they at least understand some of the salient issues here. 1. Watersheds 2. Urban sprawl 3. Wilderness 4. Solar Energy 5. Oil and Gas pollution 6. Adequate clean water 7. Modern transportation systems 8. Humane Immigration Reform..........well, the list goes on but these few issues should be at least mentioned as Obama and Biden roll through our state which is being touted as a must win! Kerry never hit these themes which are so important to our region. There was no emotional connection on the issues that affect our quality of life. Bill Richardson could help big time in securing the west. I hope they put his knowledge of these issues to good use.

I am sure that McCain will hit on these issues occasionally just because he is from the west and knows of our concerns. He will just be on the wrong side of these issues. If you liked cheney's stands of western issues, (drill, drill, drill) then you will like McCains.

Law Enforcement

The Journal Editorial Board did a critical endorsement of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office for ripping that guy off of his $11,000 the other day. It was a really good editorial, except for the fact that they never mentioned Republican Sheriff Darren White's name. That bush loving Sheriff will probably get an endorsement from them for his congressional run against Martin Heinrich, and they just don't want to use his name in vain! But, it was a spot on editorial about abuses of our law enforcement officers.

Usually, the Sheriff's office keeps its embarrassments kind of quiet compared to APD. The recent revelations on APD's problems once again begs the question of when they will change their 'boot camp' techniques. There is currently a recruiting billboard up on I-40 for APD that shows a guy in full camouflage repelling down a building in full battle gear. This should be a US Marine ad, not an APD one. Cops should be public servants, well trained and tough yes, but not trained as assault troops with an "us versus them" philosophy and culture. That view certainly showed itself when APD minions were called to Valencia County after the suspicious death of an APD officer's wife. They allegedly destroyed evidence.

The City Council should review the training courses given APD recruits to make sure they are being trained properly. I hope they have better luck at it than when I was Mayor and attempted the same thing. I got no where because of the culture there.

Whither the West

It is unlikely that Barack Obama will choose a westerner as a running mate. My support for him is still 100%, but this bothers me a little when it comes to my main domestic issues. That is the protection of western landscapes and watersheds. Of course, having a VP from the west doesn't automatically mean good things will happen on these issues. Just look and the rape and pillage westerner we now have as VP, cheney.

But, we will have a team in place in the White House, if Obama wins, that will most likely not know what the Bureau of Land Management is or what the issues are on over half the lands in the inter-mountain west. So, the importance of an Interior Department Secretary who is influential with Obama and knows the issues is paramount. Certainly, Bill Richardson could do it, but I think he is moving on to other possibilities.

The real vigilance on this predicament should come in the transition process between election day and inauguration day. That is when the Interior Secretary will be vetted and selected and the fate of the west and its dominance by the oil and gas industry will be decided. Pay attention then for sure.

As for McCain, he is from the west but would be only slightly better than bush and cheney.

Ned

My friend Ned Farquhar sent me this writeup on The Club for Growth. He was writing a regular column for the Albuquerque Journal that was recently discontinued because Ned is named in the lawsuit by three legislators about their primary loss - Ned chairs the Conservation Voters in New Mexico which has met all the registration, reporting and other requirements for its political activity. The lawsuit is obviously an attempt to chill and harass the Conservation Voters. Their activities were not conducted under general nonprofit law but under the political and election laws. It is an abuse of the legal process for these legislators to file against the Conservation Voters and say to the courts that they didn't file and report and register - when they did. You can contact Ned at inthewest@comcast.net.

Here is the column you didn't see in the newspaper this morning.

The broadcast of the XXIXth Games of the Olympiad has been rudely interrupted by political commercials stating that offshore drilling will “get us off foreign oil.” The ads were placed by a Washington, D.C., organization opposing a New Mexico candidate for the United States Senate who hasn’t supported massive new offshore drilling.

That organization - the Club for Growth - features an article titled “Drill, Drill, Drill is Working” on its website. Here’s a quote: “As Sen. John McCain and the GOP leadership nationalize the drill, drill, drill message, the Republican party might conceivably be riding a summer political rally. The question of offshore drilling, along with expanded domestic energy production, has suddenly become the biggest political and economic wedge issue of this election.”

Great! In ten years when offshore drilling still hasn’t dented our foreign oil dependence, barely replacing the domestic oil we are already using up, what are they going to do? Explain it all away and blame the Democrats? There couldn’t be a clearer indication that the drill, drill, drill message is about politics, not about solving America’s oil addiction or its energy crisis.

Here’s what I have to say to the Club for Growth:

“Offshore drilling won’t ‘get us off foreign oil.’ It won’t even produce much oil, at least compared to our demand. A huge investment in offshore oil would produce 5% of our projected demand - way less than the 60-65% we import today.

“Offshore drilling isn’t just a massively incomplete solution, it’s also a temporary solution. Maybe it buys us a few more years of energy insecurity and high prices and economic uncertainty. But U.S. oil production peaked in the early 1970’s. We don’t have limitless oil resources. They WILL run out.

“Offshore drilling won’t reduce gasoline prices. It will take ten or fifteen years to get offshore oil into the marketplace. Offshore oil will be expensive oil. The platforms cost billions and billions of dollars, the drilling is more and more expensive. This is no solution to high energy prices.

“Offshore drilling is a ridiculous answer to a serious question: What are we going to do about our nation’s overdependence on oil? We need to diversify our energy supply and transportation technology, not concentrate more on oil.”

Now I will quit addressing the faceless moneybags in Washington and industry boardrooms who paid for this ad campaign in New Mexico. Back to the reader!

Your eyes deceive you. Gasoline isn’t really $3.75 per gallon right now. It’s much more expensive than that. A true accounting would include the taxpayer-paid costs of defending world oil fields and transportation routes, as well as the costs of multiple military interventions in the oil-rich Middle East, and the human and economic costs of enriching oil despots from Iraq’s Saddam Hussein to Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Sudan’s Bashir Al Assad. These costs will rise as we stay dependent on oil.

I don’t oppose offshore drilling as a matter of ideology. What I oppose is political gamesmanship obviously oriented at preventing needed energy dialogue and investment in energy alternatives. We need to undo our addiction. Congress and presidential candidates should discuss the alternatives that could “produce” oil equivalents much faster, from energy efficiency to electric cars to renewable energy.

I also don’t hate “Big Oil.” What I hate is that the United States has set its energy policies in the interests of this particular industry rather than in its own national interest. Even the biggest oil companies are now straws in the wind of world energy demand. They brought us oil for 100 years often at an affordable price, but they can’t do it anymore. We need to push forcefully for affordable, sensible alternatives.

The folks who are dragging energy policy into a ditch - offshore oil as the solution to our energy problems - are doing this nation a major disservice. National interest, and national security, clearly demand that the United States immediately and purposefully enact policies to cut back on our oil addiction, which is so costly to people and businesses around the country. Competition and choice in energy markets and technology, such as the electric car, are going to “produce” vastly more oil than all the offshore drilling the Club for Growth could ever dream up.

The nation is 97% dependent on petroleum to run an inefficient transportation system. That must change. It won’t as long as the energy dialogue is focused on offshore drilling.

--

Dangerous Enough

It has always been risky carrying a lot of cash around, but there is no law against it. If you get robbed by a drug addict or strong arm thief then that is a loss. But, now comes the Sheriff Darren White's Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office not to protect you but to also rob you of your money. The story of the man who was stopped for going 67mph in a 75mph zone by a deputy and was then cited for driving slow is astounding in itself. But then after finding a small amount of marijuana, which was apparently prescribed for illness, the officer seized $11,000 in cash from the Californian. So, what do you do to avoid being caught in the same predicament. Well, don't carry cash. Don't drive under the speed limit. Don't carry your prescriptions with you. Don't run into Sheriff Darren White's Deputies.

There is some meat on the bone for the way Sheriff White is running his office. (Martin Heinrich take note.)

All of this comes on the heels of reports of Albuquerque Police Officers responding to a death of an APD's officers wife in Los Lunas which is certainly not in their jurisdiction. Charges of coverups and evidence tampering are now out in the open because of a civil law suit brought against the city. These abuses by officers and departments should concern us all. I give credit to the Albuquerque Journal for reporting on them.

At the same time, given current issues, wouldn't it be great if the Journal had reporters on the energy and environment beats like they used to have. I think the reason that they don't is the general malaise in the newspaper industry right now. It is hard to replace staff when revenues and readership are stagnant or falling.

Angst

I am having one of my angst attacks. It started first thing this morning after reading fellow blogger Joe Monahan's blog and the Albuquerque Journal's stories on the ruling by the Secretary of State that non profit educational organizations will now have to register as Political Action Committees in New Mexico. This is a profound action that will definitely have a chilling effect on being able to expose to the public the voting records of legislators. This wont apply, I assume, to for profit groups who expose voting records. Like the Albuquerque Journal who dutifully, and in an act of public service, show the voting records of our Congressional Delegation on a regular basis.

So, the Journal prints 110k copies on weekdays and 150k copies on weekends with the voting records on issues of importance. The non profits send out 20k mailers, and they are evil. But, they don't endorse candidates or say who the recipients should vote for. However the Albuquerque Journal does tell us who to vote for every election cycle and does numerous editorials bitching about the way politicians vote.

Yes, I know, they are journalists and I understand all of their importance , however waning, and their provisions under the Constitution. But if you really stop and think about it, it is all amazing. It is basically an uneven playing field where a powerful and wealthy family that owns a newspaper can do this, but non profits can not do it. So, maybe the nonprofits should open newspapers!

In the meantime, I would like to see someone start exposing the group that is doing a smear campaign on Democratic candidate for US Senate Tom Udall. This right wing "Club for Growth" is spending a lot of money doing what the right wing does best. Lying.

Fascinating

This is a fascinating poll of how people are getting their news. It comes from Pew Research and it is both frightening and invigorating in some ways.

Cheating

Since religious fundamentalists are so good at calling the shots in this presidential election you might think they would be at least fair in their approach about it. Barack Obama and John McCain were trotted out in separate Q&A sessions out by a religious sect for a candidates forum. The ground rules were that neither would be able to hear the questions put before the other candidate before making their appearance. The fundamentalist leader said that John McCain who went second would be in a 'cone of silence' while Obama answered the questions. NBC news executives are now saying that didn't happen and that McCain wasn't monitored and wasn't even in the building while Obama was on the stage.

That is cheating I think. But putting aside all of that, what part of our constitution does America not understand when it comes to separation of church and state. This religious intrusion into our political system has given us the worst president in history, bush, and it has put us into an immoral war as a result.

I am not so naive as to think this will end any time soon and that we can stop influence of radical fundamentalists from swaying people who fear the wrath of God. I would however hope that these fearful people could at least look at reality for a few moments. Or, maybe I am naive.

More Embarassment

The St. Petersburg Times has another story on the lack of due diligence practiced at the State Land Office. Read it and weep.

When will the legislature start looking at this? When the real estate, oil and gas, mining and livestock industry give them permission I guess. There needs to be some due diligence on the careless business deals the land office gets involved in.

Beliefs

There is one born every minute. I just read a short poll that says 43% of Americans believe that "Bigfoot" type creatures exist. That is a lot of people who believe a myth and about three times as many as I would have assumed. These kinds of numbers really are scary. Bigfoot, if it existed, would certainly have been discovered and studied by now. Just about every square inch of earth, other than the oceans, have been looked at and studied and yet many people still believe in stuff like this.

That is why you can really get many folks to believe anything I guess. The "Swift Boat" jerks pulled it off in the last election against John Kerry and they are now trying the same thing against Barrack Obama. These folks are made up of ultra right wing crazies who hire two bit authors to write lies. But, many people will believe it and so it is one of those things in life that we just have to deal with.

They only way to fight this is with facts and truths and I am hopeful that Obama's campaign will expose this crap. No, I haven't read the book, "Obamanation" and I wont because if the Swift Boat crowd is behind it you can bet it is nothing but falsehoods.

Liquor

This flap over the club in Albuquerque that was busted this weekend should get the legislature thinking real hard. As long as the current liquor licensing system is in place this kind of thing will continue to happen. The license owner will fight in court to keep his license because it is worth so much money on the open market. If it were not then the state could more easily enforce its laws. I have some experience in this since I was Director of the old Alcohol Beverage Control Department from 1978-1982. We reformed the laws to take away the value of the licenses over a ten year period. The legislature backed down on the tenth year after pressure from the liquor industry. Now the values of licenses are starting to skyrocket again in the metropolitan areas and the industry will fight like hell to keep it that way.

One of the reforms we initiated in 1982 was the creation of the beer and wine license. It can not be sold on the open market. It is issued by the state for a set fee every year. If a beer and wine license owner is cited, it is much easier to revoke the license, if necessary.

One interesting aside on this busted club is the Sheriff's office publicly saying the Department of Public Safety Liquor Agents were kept out of the bust because they couldn't be trusted. That should make for some interesting developments on future cooperation in crime fighting! Sheriff Darren White has stepped in it again. I think the DPS agents and Alcohol and Gaming Division have done a pretty good job under the Richardson Administration.

Invisible County Government

It never ceases to amaze me how Bernalillo County Government flies under the radar. They just committed the taxpayers to a 42 million dollar purchase of an upscale office building downtown which they will use to house county government as it grows. That growth will also be under the radar.

The County Commissioners get away with this because there is no one single person to lean on or to accept responsibility for the government's actions. The City has the Mayor, who is always a target, but the county gleefully gets away with major decisions that have little or no input by the taxpayer. It astonishes me.

Here are a few questions we should all ask about this deal. Who gets the real estate commission? Was there more than one appraisal? What will the operating costs be versus other possible solutions? What will this do to our tax rates? What were the alternatives?

Remember the baseball stadium we built for $25 million? That project was worked over with a fine tooth comb and debated for months. This county purchase dwarfs the cost of the stadium, which turns a profit, and yet it is all announced and the deal closed within a week!

Credible?

We got back from Hawaii without any problems. Bobbi and I were a little slow in getting up but we will acclimate soon enough. We watched the Olympics last night, or should I say the commercials on NBC which were interrupted by competition once in a while. Tonight we record and skip, if you know what I mean. I understand NBC needs to make money to do this, but they are overkilling with commercials and schmaltzy bios!

Before we left Hawaii I got to thinking how hollow bush sounds in condemning putin in Russia for his invasion of Georgia. It is a terrible thing putin has done, just like bush did in Iraq. It is like a little boys club, these leaders who wage war and destruction to show how tough they are. But it is especially ironic that bush is now making America even less credible by criticizing another country for doing exactly what we have done. What is the old saying? "Do as I say, not as I do."

Last Morning

We are spending our day in Hawaii. It has been great to get away to a totally different environment.

We are sitting out on the Lanai drinking coffee and watching outriggers race by. I perused the Journal and noticed more ink on the non profit group's voter education programs being questionable. There is certainly nothing wrong with looking them over and Attorney General Gary King says he is doing so. While he is at it I wish he would look closer at the money flow from the NRA and the Oil and Gas Industry into New Mexico politics. That is much more clear cut and much more damaging than a group that simply exposes how legislators vote.

If you stop and think about it, why has no one ever done a full analysis on those two special interest groups money influence on New Mexico Politics? Probably because it would take a gargantuan effort to really trace the money.

The Picture

Here is the picture I wanted to take of Noelle in Hawaii. She is in her triatholon suit and was just getting ready to go on a 30 mile bike ride along the coast. She already did a swimming course of a couple of miles. This afternoon she will run.

One more night here in Hawaii before taking the red eye back Sunday night. We have had a good time.

Dolphins

Yesterday we went snorkeling and saw fish that looked like colorful neon signs.We got up early this morning to watch a bunch of dolphins jumping around just off the back porch. That kind of thing makes you think about what freedom really means. They just do what they want to do and they are really a wonder to watch.

I finally got around to reading the Journal story from yesterday on Senate candidate Steven Pearce. His rant on Tom Udall as not being a good American borders on psychopathic. I thank the Journal for just letting him say it and then printing it. I think it shows Pearce hates people who disagree with the Government, especially when it comes to waging war. That makes many of us a target. Can you imagine him moving up to the Senate with this kind of philosophy and/or psychosis?

Now back to watching Dolphins.

Noelle Sees Hawaii

You will recall a few days ago I showed a picture of Noelle on her first visit to Hawaii. She didn't see much since Bobbi was still growing her. Well, here she is again!
I also took this picture of a beheaded space alien looking at some pretty blossoms.(click on the photo) Speaking of blossoms, I am reading onc of the best scifi books in years by James Hogan. It is named "Moon Blossom" and I highly recommend it to anyone who still believes in truth and justice.

Give Me a Break!

Even from Hawaii I am still aghast that so many legislators are complaining that non profit groups are exposing their voting records through public education mailers. They seem to think no one should know what their records are. Three legislators are even suing saying it was unfair that they lost their elections because people found out what their voting records are. Damn, this is really funny. Think about it. It is being spun so strongly that some people might forget that these same legislators take money for their campaigns from the NRA, the oil and gas industry and the pharmacuetical boys. Then, these same legislators vote for these guy's issues. Life is too short.

We are headed off for the Volcanoes this morning which have been spewing lava since last March.

Erik and Canoe

We spent some time with our good friends Erik Pfeiffer and his wonderful wife Canoe. They have been living in Kona for four years with their dog, Auctung! the Fourth. It's reason for living is to carry coconuts on the beach all day. Really. As you recall, Erik was the head of Economic development for the city for many years and he retired after I left the Mayor's office.


Erik and Canoe took me on a stroll across the lava beds for a mile or so. That is hard stuff to navigate. I only fell once.


Noelle found a great rock to read on in the back yard of the house we rented. She is glued to a SciFi book I gave her. Tomorrow---The Volcanoes!

Kona Back Yard

Bobbi and Noelle were looking over our back yard for the next week early Monday morning Hawaii time. We plan on relaxing and seeing the Volcanos, the observatories on Mauna Loa, and the insides of a few good sea food joints.

Incredulous Sour Grapes

I have seen it all. Three veteran legislators who lost their primary races in June have sued in District court to get the election overturned. They say some non profit groups illegally used money to defeat them. The non profit groups are allowed under law to do 'voter education' on various candidates, but they can not expend money in favor of one candidate or another. I know who these groups are and they are very intelligently run outfits. They are not going to break any laws.

The three veteran Democratic legislators who bit the dust were Senator Shannon Robinson, Senator James Taylor and Representative Dan Silva. They all pretty much made their livings as part time legislators. Dan Silva retired as a city employee some years ago and was a good guy until his son became a lobbyist and Dan started voting differently. Now, some enterprising reporter should check out where they raised their money and which industry groups stand to lose now that they are gone.

None of them had faced serious opposition in years and frankly they just got their butts kicked because they had lost touch with their constituents. They all lost by huge margins. So, why not just walk into the sunset? Well, I have always said that some legislators feel they are much more popular and well known than they are. They are not used to opposition and get to feel they are invincible. Just look at the number of legislators that never draw opponents. These folks are also fawned over and cared for by lobbyists and losing that adoration is hard. But, suing to overturn elections that were blowouts seem kind of incredulous and desperate. Oh, and it seems silly too.

We are heading to Kona, Hawaii on Monday for a week of hiking, snorkeling and beach time. I will blog from the road.

Oops on the Journal

I am getting a bunch of comments from Albuquerque Journal staffers who say they have been on the story big time about State Land Commissioner Pat Lyon's land deals in Las Cruces. They have done some good work on it and my note of two days ago failed to mention it.

Hawaii!

We are going on vacation for a week to Kona, Hawaii. Bobbi, our daughter Noelle, Brother-In-Law Dave, Sister-In Law Caryl and her husband Wayne will make the trip. We rented this great looking place on the beach. We will see our good friends Eric and Canoe Pfeiffer who now live in Kona and probably can lead us to the best Kona Coffee joints and snorkeling locales. Also, we can go for a ride in Eric's big boat!

We haven't been to Hawaii since 1984. We were in Kona when Bobbi was pregnant with Noelle. Now Noelle will get a better view. Time marches on.

As usual my heavily armed house sitter and attack Beagles will be guarding the house.

MRGCD Deconstruction

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which I served as General Manager for a year back in the late 1980's just stuck a stick in the eye of its constituents. After three years of work on planning to systematically build a trail system along its ditches it pulled out of the agreement with other governmental agencies. They only reason I can see in the action is one of arrogance.

I did a little research on the Bernalillo County website yesterday to see how much taxes my north valley neighborhood pays to the MRGCD. Our 320 homes in the Thomas Village/Meadows on Rio Grande pay approximately $150,000 to the irrigation district and we receive absolutely no services other than some questionable drainage and flood protection. In fact, I wish some enterprising reporter would go start some research on what portion of the District's budget the non irrigators are paying. I will bet it is 75%. You would think that those irrigation canals that run through the urban areas could be spruced up a bit and then improved as trails. But no, the Board told everyone to take a hike. There attitude is, "Give us your money and leave us alone."

Every one of those board members should be voted out of office and replaced with more imaginative and cooperative members. Most of the senior staff, who control the board with favors, should also go out the door.

I know of some legislators this morning that are upset. They just might be planning a final solution for the District that includes the dissolution of the agency into another more responsible level of government. Maybe the State should take it over and let the legislature carry out the responsibility of the Board. Or maybe the Middle Rio Grande Council of Governments along with representation of the Tribes could set up a new governance system. The time to act is nearing.

State Land Office

This is another story that I wish everyone could see in the Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican. The only place you will see it is on the New Mexico Independant Web Site.

The mainstream media's hubris at following up on these gems is astounding.

MRGCD

As a taxpayer in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District I would like to say their proposal to request the arming of employees who patrol the Bosque is a really stupid idea. We taxpayers in the district already pay quite a bit that other taxpayers don't shoulder, even though the Bosque and trails along MRGCD ditches are used by everyone who wishes. There is nothing wrong with that.

I do think that there needs to be some law enforcement presence in the Bosque and that having them armed is okay. Doesn't it make sense to fund the Sheriff's offices in the four counties the District serves to carry out the work? They are qualified to do this kind of work and the District is not. You wouldn't want the Sheriff's offices doing field wildlife and conservation work and irrigation and flood control work along the river so why ask the District tax payers to fund its own police force when others can be paid to do it professionally?

The thinking over at MRGCD must be muddled due to the fact that the board and management is somewhat dysfunctional. Still, the rank and file employees have improved the place over the years.

Eclipse

I first met Verne Rayburn, who was just forced out as CEO of Eclipse Aviation, back in 1999 or so. My good friend Eric Pfeiffer, who was Economic Development Director for the City set up a great reception for Verne to try and entice him to move his fledgling aircraft company to Albuquerque. Rayburn was familiar with New Mexico and said he loved to go to the Albuquerque Dukes game when he was young. So, he ultimately decided to locate his new Light Jet Manufacturing and Design facilities for the Eclipse 500, to our city.

We owe him a debt of thanks for the vision of his company and his providing so many jobs here. He will now continue to do some work with Eclipse in Europe. But be assured that this man was the heart and soul of Eclipse.

He has fallen victim to something that is normal in the business world. His enterprise just outgrew him and moved to a new level. People should not think this is a bad thing because it isn't. His legacy will prove that.

Traffic

So, isn't it a little counter intuitive to close down lanes on both Alemeda and Paseo del Norte at the same time? This is the kind of thing that used to drive me crazy when I was Mayor. The engineers and schedulers in the Public Works Department may always have some good logic behind plans like these, but such logic rarely works in the real world.

Now apparently there are not enough bike racks on city buses. That probably is a good sign that more people are taking time off from cars to commute. This lack of racks won't be to easy to solve but I bet someone, somewhere in the world has figured it out.

Speaking of bikes, I am an avid walker on the trails along the bosque. Five or six time a week I am out there with the Beagles. I have noticed a lot more bike traffic on the bike trail and I stay off of it with the dogs as much as possible. The trail is narrow and needs some work and widening. Usually I will walk the dogs along side the trail on the road along the ditches but they are beginning to sprout goat head weeds at an alarming rate. That will force legions of dog walkers back onto the paved trail. The city sprays the goat heads along side the pavement, but the MRGCD does not spray them along the road. The other day I saw one guy walking five dogs kicking the little immature weeds out of the soil, but with in a week the roots sent up new shoots. So it causes congestion on the paved trail as those little painful stickers mature in August. If those folks and board members at the MRGCD would stop suing each other and spend just a little effort at fixing this problem I would feel the $500 a year I pay to them as a taxpayer that doesn't use irrigation water would be easier to handle.

Good Bye Big Red

Former Albuquerque newsman "Big Red" Ed Pennybacker has moved to that great news room on the other side.  He died Wednesday.

I remember when I was in the eighth grade that I idolized him as he ran around town reporting on the news from his KQUE Big Red News Car.  We all had little transistor radios and would try to spot him as he drove to his next 'on the scene' report.  That usually meant a car wreck.  We actually caught up to him on our bicycles one time and he gave us an autograph. 

Flash forward about ten years.  I am a brand new news photographer/reporter for Channel 7, KOAT.  I am on the way to one of my first assignments as an on the scene reporter with a 16mm Bell and Howell camera.  It is a car/motorcycle wreck on Rio Grande Blvd. at that big jog in road near Los Ranchos.  There is one person there before me and it is Ed Pennybacker.  He beckons me over to see somebody's gray matter stuck in a headlight.  

Well, I didn't shoot that particular picture but I got a kick out of being there with a guy I thought so much of.   He worked for many more years as a consumer reporter and TV personality.

On another note, I am cracking up over the McCain camp's reaction to Obama's visit overseas. The news coverage of the trip is dramatic and the whining about it by the republicans is pathetic.  You cant argue that the 200K Berliners who showed up to see him are sincere about seeing a new kind of smart and articulate leader that we all need so badly.

Wing Nuts Hone Knives

I got a call from a polling organization on Wednesday night. It was a political poll and after ten minutes into the poll it became obvious that it was a Republican right wing "push poll" being done for none other than our rooster chasing Republican Congressional Sheriff Darren White.(bush loves him and he loves bush.) The 'push poll' sounds legitimate for the first ten minutes and then the zinger comes. All sorts of negative statements about Democrat Martin Heinrich. They test these statements to see if they would be a good lie to put on a TV Commercial.

Here is what you might see on TV in September. Martin Heinrich has never held a full time job. That is false. Martin Heinrich tried to get a $300 million dollar Trolley car just for his city council district when he served as city councilor. That is false.

Well, you get the picture. This is what we are in for as the right wing crazies try to keep power in this country. One thing we know for sure is that this sometimes works and Heinrich really needs to shoot back with both barrels.

Wilson

Lame duck Heather Wilson is saying Barrack Obama is 'frighteningly inexperienced.' And yet she is a big supporter of John McCain who thinks that Iraq shares a border with Pakistan. It will be so nice to be rid of this kind of double talk. Of course, we are liable to get it right back again in a couple of years when Wilson will probably run for Governor.


Of course many people right now in this country have no idea where Iraq is on the map, or very many other countries. But it would be nice to have a president who knows where these places are. McCain is old enough that the education he got probably did include geography classes. We all had at least a few years of that along with Civics courses where we were expected to learn about our form of government. Right now, any naturalized citizen knows more about or Democracy and its history than most Americans. It is a wonder.

So, if McCain did take Geography why doesn't he know where country's borders are. Especially when we are in a war in those countries? Has he got a memory problem? Of course he does, just like most of us over the age of 60. But this is one part of the world he should really be knowledgeable about since he wants to keep our troops at war there.

More on New Mexico

Here is a link that profiles Northern New Mexico's "megapolitan' status as seen by the Brookings Institution. It is predicting that this area will grow by another half million people in the next 30 years. It leaves hope that we can make the right choices to protect our quality of life.

It would really be interesting to know how many political leaders will take the time to read this document. How many legislators? How many county commissioners or city councillors? How many Congressmen and Senators? Because Congress will play a role too, and an important one.

Frankly, many will not read it because they are involved in the crisis of the day. There is no unified planning organization on the New Mexico State government level that can run with this in a sustained way. It is remarkable really, that State Government still has no "Planning Department." I have always felt that it doesn't have one because it could be the undoing of the pork barrel spending system so coveted by the lawmakers. A good planning process would certainly jeopardize that system.

New American Heartland

This is an executive summary from the upcoming report that will be issued on the growing Intermountain West 'megapolitan' communities. It is a fascinating report that was first reported on Saturday by John Fleck of the Albuquerque Journal. It was authored by The Brookings Institution.(Click to read entire report)

It was a solid story and I hope that New Mexico leaders will read the report in its entirety. Click on the images to enlarge.

July 20, 2008 —

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Rapid change is enveloping the American West.

States in the southern Intermountain West—Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah—are experiencing some of the fastest population growth and economic and demographic transition anywhere in the country.

The region is growing up, flexing its muscles, and distancing itself from California, which historically has had an outsized impact on the West’s development.

In fact, thanks to such maturation, the southern Intermountain West is well on its way to earning itself the title of the New American Heartland as its economy, people, and politics become more central to the nation. Politically, the Intermountain West could be home to several swing states in the 2008 election and in time play the storied “kingmaking” role the Midwest does now.

With its growth, the southern Intermountain West is also rapidly pioneering new urban forms. Most notably, the region is home to five emerging “megapolitan” areas—vast, newly recognized “super regions” that often combine two or more metropolitan areas into a single economic, social, and urban system. In the 1960s, Dallas and Fort Worth were clearly colliding, as were Washington and Baltimore by the 1980s. Now regions with more far-flung urban cores such as Phoenix and Tucson are exhibiting the same pattern, as are the urban spaces extending around Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque.

In short, an extraordinary new settlement pattern has come to characterize growth in the nation’s fastest-growing region.

Which is where this document begins: Prepared as part of the Brookings Institution’s Blueprint for American Prosperity initiative, “Mountain Megas: America’s Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper” describes and assesses the new supersized reality of the Intermountain West and proposes a more helpful role for the federal government in empowering regional leaders’ efforts to build a uniquely Western brand of prosperity that is at once more sustainable, productive, and inclusive than past eras of boom and bust.

Along these lines, “Mountain Megas” assumes that true prosperity is actually based on achieving those three interrelated dimensions of prosperity—sustainable, productive, and inclusive growth—all at once. Such balanced growth depends on the region assembling in its megapolitan areas sufficient stocks of the crucial assets that contribute to such prosperity: topnotch infrastructure, world-class innovation inputs, vital human capital, strong quality-of-place, and the necessary effective regional governance to put it all together:

Leadership

The Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board did it again. Their editorials on energy are like a loop doubling back on itself every few days. Again today, they called for drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Contrast that stand with Al Gore's speech today on energy and climate. He is showing leadership. I don't honestly know if his solutions will work 100%. But truthfully, if it just works at 30% I am okay.

White Shows Old

Darren White, the handpicked bush candidate for Congress in Albuquerque, is showing tired old campaign slogans by putting up ads saying, "Its the Gas Stupid." In looking at this approach to winning votes one has to wonder if bush's handlers for White really do think everyone is stupid. We have eight years of stupidity for sure but we all know where that responsibility rests.

Of course, some people will fall for that kind of rhetoric. White wants to drill Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge and other valuable landscapes in the Inter-Mountain west. There are places that are appropriate to drill and places that aren't. He seems to want to go into delicate ecosystems on the basis that it will make gas cheaper. He really does think we are stupid if we take that one for a truth. Maybe he should insist on drilling the 1.2 million acres under lease in our state that have not been drilled and are being held back by big oil.

White is being strung along by his bush mascots and it is sad. He hasn't done a bad job as Sheriff, but now he is showing his real lack of independence by signing on to big oil and the GOP's tired old approach to energy issues.

Rant

The Albuquerque Journal Editorial Page is on a rant about drilling for domestic oil. Today they have many letters to the editor published by oil company toadies. The Journal itself has editorialized on their belief that opening the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge would do some good. Even though there are tens of millions of acres already leased but not drilled. John Trever, their creative and funny cartoonist is also on the band wagon for more domestic drilling. It makes me think that Yates Petroleum has bought a controlling interest in the paper.

I would direct the editorial writers to the web page opened by Texas Oilman turned renewable energy proponent Boone Pickens. He is a guy from the oil industry that really gets it and is looking further than the next quarter's bottom line. He is looking towards the good of the country.

I urge everyone to check this page out. Especially my good friends at the Journal Editorial Page.

Bad to Worse

Things really are going in the crapper. Lines of people waiting to get their money out of failing banks is somewhat scary to me. Afghanistan blowing up because we took our eye off of it to wage bush's war in Iraq. This country's leadership in the White House doing absolutely nothing on climate change.

All this made me think of a silly idea. It is just three and half months until this country elects a new President and Congress. It is five and a half months until they take office. Seeing as things are going so badly wouldn't it be great if bush would just resign along with his VP and cabinet the day after the election?. That would give us an extra 11 weeks to try and sort things out and put this country on the right track.

Okay, this is silly but my point is there is absolutely no time to waste on setting things right. Things can get progressively worse in a very short amount of time as events snowball downhill. Every day counts.

Beagles Worry

Healing

My face, which I won't show you right now for fear of my enemies getting the photo, is healing. It now just looks like it was in a gasoline fire. But, I am actually seeing some progress here. People look at me however and you can just see the 'that poor guy' look on their face.

Meanwhile, Bobbi is off for three days to a Jazzercise convention in New Orleans. She and 5000 other people will exercise together in the convention center four times a day. Then they will all go to places like Brennan's for the Bananas Foster. (The worlds best dessert.)

Questions for Pearce

There are a few questions I would like to ask Steve Pearce. This comes on the heels of the not so surprising revelation that the oil and gas industry is supporting him heavily against Tom Udall for the Senate seat being given up by another good friend of Oil, Pete Domenici.

Pearce is heavily involved in the Oil and Gas industry so he wants them to keep their subsidies and access to public lands. Even wilderness quality lands. Pearce wants everything opened for drilling. So, here are my questions.

Steve, do you or any of the companies you are involved with have any public land leases for oil and gas? If so, where are they and are they being produced or held for speculation?

Why do you want to open wilderness and conservation quality lands for development when there are over 1.2 million acres in New Mexico that are leased right now but have never been developed? Can you give me the reasoning on this?

Let's hope someone in the media asks Pearce these questions.

Yes, I know that Oil and Gas businessman Harry Teague, who is running for Congress as a Democrat in the oil patch, might be asked the same thing. So lets ask him too!

First Polls in CD and Those Oil Guys

The first public poll that I know of has been released showing Martin Heinrich beating that rooster chasing and bush loving opponent of his, Sheriff Darren White. The poll, by the respected firm of Greenburg, Rosner, Quinlan Research shows Martin with a 3% lead at this point in time. That is better than I would have expected this early on.

Meanwhile, the republicans and the oil and gas industry are putting on a full court press saying that more drilling should be allowed everywhere to bring down gas prices. Of course more drilling will not bring down prices because demand worldwide will set the price and demand will always outstrip production in the future, as Texas Oilman turned renewable supporter Boone Pickens knows. Even so, the call for more drilling makes no sense when it is already known that the oil and gas boys have millions of acres of land leased that they have not drilled yet. Maybe they are just trying to lock up supplies to drive up the price even further for their bonus packages.

Yeah, I sound like a conspiracy theorist but that might at least get some traction with the generally uninformed public about how this all works.

1001

I just noticed that this is my 1001st Blog posting. Hard to believe I could pump out that much drivel over the past three years.

I noticed that the bush hand picked Congressional Candidate, Sheriff Darren White, is getting some criticism for spending money on rooster patrols rather than DUI patrols. The criticism is coming from other law enforcement officers. I had predicted that White would do the rooster patrols because the sucker media would cover that instead of the real pressing issues. Now, maybe White will understand that his real job is to protect residents from drunk drivers and worse.

Meanwhile, Martin Heinrich, White's Democratic opponent, is continuing a great fund raising quarter. He will be getting more of a boost from national donors since he has made the top 12 list for important and winnable Congressional races. We will be holding a little fundraiser for Martin on July 17th at our home. Send an email if you need more information.