New Mexico State Senator Dede Feldman's Blog

Sen. Feldman to Not Seek Re-Election but Will Write about Politics Here & Elsewhere

February 24, 2012  Dear Friends, Neighbors and Constituents,     Sixteen years ago I ran for the New Mexico Senate using a theme, “A Passion for the Possible.” I have worked hard to keep that passion alive and push the envelope when it comes to affordable health care, good government, consumer and environmental protection.  I’ve had my share of victories and defeats.  I count my successes by the scores—a Do-Not-Call bill, a Fund for People with Brain Injuries, a Nurse Advice Line, lower prescription drug prices, controls on health insurance companies, a statewide water plan, and several laws to control campaign spending and provide open government.      Now it is time for me to move on into new fields, and clear the way for someone new to carry the torch for Senate District 13 in Santa Fe. I have been honored and humbled to serve the people of the North Valley—and beyond.  Some of my most satisfying moments have come in partnership with my constituents, working on common problems and giving you an opportunity to participate in important decisions that should be decided by citizens, not just office holders.  In a democracy, after all, citizens are the highest office holders.  And so, I am not stepping down as much as branching out into the real world outside of the Roundhouse.      But don’t expect me to keep quiet or vanish from the scene.  Much has yet to be done.      I believe that every person has a project whether they are conscious of it or not.  It’s the thing that drives you, that defines you and gives your life meaning.  My project has been to give ordinary people a voice in what goes on in this country, to leave things a little better than I found them and to give back, to make available to others some of the economic opportunities, some of the educational benefits that this country has offered to me.         I have focused on what I considered to be the greatest injustice: Health Care.  Martin Luther King said it best: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”      I will continue this focus in writing and journalism projects, a renewal of my communications company, and support for the causes I hold dear. I will still be walking the streets and talking the talk for candidates I believe in, and who knows, someday I may become one again. But now I must move on.   I will be on the job throughout the remainder of my term, which ends in Jan. 2013.  You will hear from me regularly with updates about state and local issues, campaigns and opportunities for action.  I will step up myblog and continue my e-mail newsletter. And stay tuned.  I am working ona book, hopefully out next year, on how the New Mexico legislature reallyworks.                           After the Dust Has Settled Wrap-Up     It wasn’t just me who thought things were a bit slow.  Only 77 bills passed the legislature this time—the fewest for a short session since 1976.      Among the good ones were several Memorials that don’t require the Gov.’s signature. One to recommend that the US Constitution be amended to overturn Citizens’ United, another for a study of a basic health care plan for low-income folks.      Three constitutional amendments will be on the ballot to clean up the PRC by removing the insurance division and the corporations’ registry, and requiring commissioners to meet basic educational standards.      Two good bills are now on the Governor’s desk—call 505-476-2200 to urge her to sign them.      1) SB 9 closes tax loopholes enjoyed by out-of-state “big-box” stores and levels the playing field for small businesses. It also actually lowers the corporate income tax rate slightly.      2) HB 74 stops the Conservancy District from requiring absentee ballots to be notarized to be valid in their elections. The practice has discouraged voters and depressed turnout in elections that fly below the radar screen.       Good bills that died: Sen. Jennings’ compromise on Drivers’ Licenses; Sen. Wirth’s measure to require transparency for “Super Pac” contributions; my bill to ban fireworks in time of extreme fire danger; Sen. Bernadette Sanchez’ bill to stem the rising tide of heroin and prescription drug overdoses; a bill banning legislators from immediately becoming lobbyists; Sen. Michael Sanchez’ bill to make home foreclosures fairer, and Rep. Brian Egoff’s tax credit for energy efficient home purchases and green renovations of foreclosed properties.      Thank you once again for the opportunity to serve you.  It has been a high point of my life.      With a heavy heart—but confidence in our community,        Sen. Dede Feldman

 

Last year’s Fire Season May Only be a Warm-Up for this Summer, says Valles Caldera Chief Scientist

Bob Parmenter, Chief Scientist for the Valles Caldera Preserve in the Jemez, where the largest fire in the state’s history burned over 30,000 acres last June, says that we may just be in “half time” before another devastating fire season.

New research shows that we’re in a two-year drought cycle, he says, and La Nina is now setting us up perfectly for more major fires.

 

I hope we can use this “halftime” to give us another tool to fight fires: the ability for the Governor and local governments to ban and restrict the sale and use of fireworks in times of extreme fire danger. If you agree, sign the petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/new-mexico-legislators-ban-the-sale-and-use-of-fireworks-in-times-of-drought.

A September 2001 Letter to My Constituents-- Ten Years Later

Bloggers Note: Ten years ago, the New Mexico Legislature was in a special session to do redistricting, as we are now. Here, for history's sake, is a letter that I wrote my constituents at that sad time to tell them how we reacted to 9/11 in Santa Fe. 

Sept. 25, 2001

 Dear Friends, Neighbors and Constituents,

 I set out to write this letter to you two weeks ago to bring you up to date on the special redistricting session which started earlier this month. On that very day, September. 11, our session was shaken by the unbelievable events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.  Shortly after the first reports came in, a bomb threat forced evacuation of the Capitol.  Precinct boundaries and district lines quickly fell by the wayside. As the State Police circled the building, many of the Senators and Representatives gathered outside, listening to car radios, wondering, like all Americans, what was next. 

I got a rare telephone call from my teenage daughter.  She wanted to know what was happening to our country.  Throughout that terrible day, I remember how the New Mexico sky remained heartbreakingly blue, a reminder of just how far we were from the chaotic scene of death and destruction to the East. 

 Within the space of a few hours, the Governor and leaders of the House and Senate decided that while safety might dictate adjournment or recess, duty and honor demanded that we conduct business as usual, without bowing to intimidation.  We quickly met in joint session, a small show of solidarity and courage in the face of the unknown.

 The outpouring of food, financial aid, and blood donations from New Mexicans in the days that followed is now well known.  In short order, clergy from the Santa Fe area organized a ceremony of prayer and remembrance in the Capitol rotunda on Friday Sept. 14, which drew Santa Feans of all stripes.  There were Sikhs from Northern New Mexico, young Native American drummers, Catholic bishops, Jewish rabbis, plaza vendors, and many who simply walked in from the street.  Secretaries and state office workers, many of them waving small flags, packed the balconies overlooking the rotunda.   The tremendous display of unity amidst all of our differences—here at the Capitol and later in Yankee Stadium-- reaffirmed my deep belief that our diversity is our greatest strength.

 We now stand in the difficult position of insisting on justice at the same time as demanding that the rule of law be maintained.  I hope that we can transcend the urge to unleash the fury of our military power upon the world, and become the thing that we hate. Our country must set an example—of judicious wisdom, firm solidarity, and determination that we will not allow any rogue nation or group to determine our behavior. But we must also choose the way of humanity and peace.  I am very proud of the rescue workers from Albuquerque who went to New York and the Pentagon last week, as well as the firefighters and emergency medical technicians who stand ready to do the unthinkable here in New Mexico.  They are our local heroes

 Please call, write or e-mail me to find out about the results of our redistricting session.  In brief, the Senate plan we sent to the Governor created a new seat on the West Side of Albuquerque and in the Torrance County area, where population has grown.  My own district grew to the North and East to approach the ideal population for a Senate District, approximately 43,000.  However, because the plan did not create new Republican seats,  it will likely be vetoed by the Governor.  There is already court action, and I anticipate more.

 Meanwhile, I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to those who lost loved ones on September 11 and especially to our children who will remember this day long after we adults are gone.  We must all work very hard to make sure that hatred and bitterness do not have the last word.

 With great pride and gratitude for being a part of this caring community, I send my warmest regards. 

 Sen. Dede Feldman

 

 

 

 

 

Sen. Feldman's Top Ten Moments at the Door

     Last week I was honored to receive an award from the Democratic training organization, Emerge New Mexico, as the Democratic Woman Leader of the Year.  To encourage grassroots campaigning, I gave this acceptance speech, which I am posting here, by request. It includes my Top Ten Moments at the Door.              

            August 26. 2011...Thank you so much Randi McGinn.  It’s a very special honor tonight to be sharing the time with one of my role models, Celinda Lake.   Emergistas, I am really touched by this award, coming as it is, from an organization designed to put more Democratic Pro-choice Women in office at every level.  Campaigning for women is how I started It’s how I started back in the 1980s, working with the Women’s Political Caucus in the wake of the Equal Rights Amendment… campaigning first for Dr. Suzanne Brown, a pediatrician who literally recruited me to be her campaign manager for the School Board just minutes after I gave birth. I campaigned for Judy Pratt, the first woman to run for the US Senate in NM and was there when Geradine Ferraro, broke the glass ceiling for women when she was nominated for VP in 1984. 

         I look around this room and realize how far we have come. So many women in office, so many policy advances for women and children.... But we could not have gotten here without campaigns. And Emerge recognizes this.  Campaigns are the foundation of our work, in one way or another.  As I hope you know, campaigns are more than an exercise in list building and phone calling.  They are not just something you have to get through.  Campaigns give us the opportunity to create and celebrate community, to connect and reconnect. 

        Campaigns take on a life of their own.  The personalities become larger than life; the decisions are agonizing, conflicts are magnified, the pace is grueling and your heart is beating.  There are real things at stake. Beyond the issues and beyond the results.

         I don’t know about you, but I can date the period of my life by the political campaign I was working on and the people I encountered.

         Campaigns are where we met our husbands, our best friends, where we decided what to do with our lives, whether to go to school or move to another town.  They're where we formed a support system-- a network-- long before the word became trendy. 

         And there is nothing like a New Mexico campaign. In this day of twitter, electronic newsletters, blogs and u-tube, we still go door to door. Even in rural areas.  We practice politics up close and personal on a retail level…   where we still try to make the sale one by one, where voters want to see and touch the candidate, not just see the video.  And women are different-- they actually listen to people at the door, not just cover territory.

And when you do that, in New Mexico, you never know what will happen next.  When you're campaigning at the street level, you open you self to anything, to danger, to incoherent conversations, to argument, to miracles.

         Just to give you a feeling of what can happen, I'd like to leave you will some moments from my own door to door campaign in Albuquerque's North Valley, where I’ve been knocking on doors for 16 years                                   

Top Ten Moments at the Door-- Letterman Style

        10. When you arrive at the door ready to give your pitch at the same time as a life insurance salesman.

         9. When a young couple greets you at the door, you ask for Alfred Martinez and Lydia Brown, and the woman says.... " Who's Lydia Brown, and the man says, oh, I forgot to tell you... that's my former wife."

         8. When you notice that there's a pig in the yard, and you don't quite know how to proceed.

         7. When you talk to a bare-chested tough guy with lots of tatoos out working on his car, and can't help but be distracted by the huge red lipstick mark on his cheek.

         6. When you are circulating nominating petitions to get on the ballot and, as you hand the petition to the person at the door, you accidently drool on it.

            5. When, after a prolonged discussion about No Child Left Behind, you suddenly realize that you have been talking to someone who has no pants on.

            4. When you encounter a family that speaks only Spanish, and smelling a wonderful cake baking in the oven, and wanting to be really simpatico, you ask about the “Caca Chocolate..Muy Bueno Aqui”… and when, an English speaking relative gently explains the mistake, you say, “Oh, soy muy embarazada,” which means of course, I’m so pregnant.

            3. When a dripping young man, clad only in a towel, opens the door, kindly reaches for your brochure, and drops the towel by mistake.

            2. When you kock at the wrong time, during a family argument and one party makes an obscene gesture at the other and asks, “don’t you think he’s a jerk?”

         1. When you knock on the door of a Jehovah's Witness and come out with more literature than you drop off.

            Thanks Again, and see you on the Campaign Trail. 

 

 

 

 

Justifying the Unjustifiable, Looking into the Abyss

            The current standoff in Washington has seniors, retirees and many others here in the North Valley worried.  A few days ago, a checker at my local supermarket, John Brooks, at 12^th and Candelaria, called me over as I was buying some fruit for a potluck I was going to that afternoon.

            She recognized me from my campaign walks through her neighborhood. 

            “Senator Dede, What are you doing to us?” asked Maria Soderstadt, a cashier who has been working at John Brooks for as long as I can remember.  “Retirees can’t take this anxiety. Social Security---that’s our money.  We paid it and now we depend on it. 

            “I am 70 years old,” she continued. “ I work everyday.  Every part of my body hurts, but I work.  I’m not so much worried about me, but my sister…she gets $500 a month I Social Security and she lives on that.  It’s not fair to take it away. “

            There are millions of Maria Soderstadts out there across the country wondering how their leaders deserted them, and how they could possibly play this risky game with the lives of America’s most fragile citizens.

            And I had a tough time explaining. I am often called upon these days to justify the unjustifiable.

            I’ve always believed  (and I’m in the Democratic mainstream here) that the greatness of any society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.  So it’s a particular affront to me, too, to see huge program cuts going forward, with nothing gained in return, except maybe a temporary hike in the debt ceiling.

            I hope that’s not where we end up—and so do the majority of the American people.  Polling data from almost every source shows a majority people want a balanced approach, with tax increases on the wealthy along with program cuts, and that a plurality will blame the Republicans for any default.  But no matter, that still leaves seniors, people with disabilities, children, as well as ordinary folks like you and me with checking and savings accounts holding the bag. 

     Federal Medicaid Cuts Loom

            If we use the Ryan budget as a guide, the biggest bite may come out of the hides of Medicaid recipients—and states who would have to pick up the pieces for nursing home residents and the disabled, especially.  Rep. Christopher Van Hollen, of Maryland, has a good take on this at in yesterday's Baltimore Sun at http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-medicaid-20110725,0,1063569.story             

Families USA recently put out a report, which quantifies the jobs, lost in New Mexico with federal Medicaid cuts.  It is not a pretty picture.  They even have a Medicaid calculator where you can calculate the economic loss to the state at www.familiesusa.org.  

 

This Week--and Next-- in the NM Legislature

Joint Sessions Mark First Weeks of Legislature

The first two weeks of the legislature were marked by huge joint sessions featuring speeches from our Senators and Congressmen, and on Friday, from tribal officials. The speeches ranged from a Ross Perot-like lecture from Rep. Steve Pearce, complete with white board and magic markers, to Navajo Tribal Chairman Ben Shelly delivering his remarks off of an I-Pad.  All most all of the speeches focused on jobs.  The “Dems” were largely on message, showcasing the federal investments they’ve brought to the state, and the thousands of jobs that they created-- and saved.    Pearce, the lone Republican, attributed the loss of jobs to the Spotted Owl.  I guess, by this he meant environmental regulations, since the last time I looked spotted owls don’t live in New Mexico.   Anti-regulation fever has hit the Roundhouse this year, with many singing Pearce’s tune.  I don’t hear much mention of how the lack of financial regulation is what got us into this mess in the first place.

 

 
Native American leaders pledging alliegance to the US as Miss Navajo sings the National Anthem in Navajo.  Only in New Mexico.

Two Important Health Care Bills up in Senate Public Affairs This Week

            The two most important pieces of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are insurance regulation and the establishment of state exchanges.  I have bills on both, and they will be heard this week in the Senate Public Affairs Committee.  If you’re supportive (and according to the recent district survey, you are) please contact members to support SB 208, an insurance measure that provides transparency, public hearings and a more robust rate review process in the Department of Insurance. According to the bill, proposed rates must be “reasonable, not excessive or inadequate, and not unfairly discriminatory” and the companies must prove that they are based on reasonable administrative expenses and medical cost increases.   The hearing will be on Tuesday Feb. 8 in Room 321.  For more information on the bill go to http://senatorfeldman.typepad.com.

The other bill, SB 38 establishes a state health insurance exchange as a non-profit governmental group to act as a clearinghouse for the sale of insurance policies.  The exchange will be more transparent and consumer-friendly than the current system, which is a nightmare for small businesses and individuals.  And it will pool purchasers together to buy policies, which can mean lower prices. The exchange must be up and running by 2014, and it is fully funded through the new act through 2015, when it must become self-sufficient. Failure to set up a state exchange will result in the federal government doing it for us. This bill will be heard on Thursday Feb. 10.

Contact Senators on both bills by calling 505-986-4300 and asking for their office; then leave a message. Or you can e-mail them at the addresses below

Sen. Tim Eichenberg (tim@eichenbergfornewmexico.com)

Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (maryjane.garcia@nmlegis.gov)

Sen. Cynthia Nava (cnava@gisd.K12.nm.us)

Sen. Eric Griego (egriego@yahoo.com)

Sen. Mark Boitano (boitanom@aol.com)

Sen. Vernon Asbill (vernon@asbillforsenate.com)

Sen. Bill Burt (bill.burt@nmlegis.gov)

 

Conservancy District Elections

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District elections were the subject of a Task Force this interim, charged with increasing participation in district elections, which currently garner about 5% of small universe eligible to vote (property owners in the valley areas of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia and Socorro Counties). Trouble is, the Task Force didn’t recommend any major moves toward more voter participation, as I had hoped.  They did recommend that candidates publicly report their contributions and expenditures, which I have proposed in Senate Bill 312, now before the Senate Rules Committee. Also included in the bill is a requirement that candidates be subject to the same contribution limits that all other state elected officials are-- $2,300 from an individual or organization. 

But the real news here is that Rep. Miguel Garcia from the South Valley has proposed that the District use mail-in ballots, which would vastly improve turnout.  His HB 260 will be presented Tuesday Feb. 8 in the House Voters and Elections Committee in Room 305, the State Capitol Building and he is asking for you presence or your emails to committee members. They include:  Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, Rep. Danice Picraux, Rep.Tom Anderson, Rep. Nate Gentry, Rep. Conrad James, Rep. Ben Lujan, Rep. Roger Madalena, Rep. Ken Martinez, Rep. Bill Rehm, Rep. Debbie Rodella, Rep. Ed Sandoval, Rep. James Smith and Rep. Shirley Tyler. You can call their offices through the main switchboard at 505-986-4300.

 

            Transparency:  Is the Shoe Now on the Other Foot?

            I was surprised last week when the Republicans on the Senate Rules Committee opposed a transparency bill I sponsored (SB 31) that would require contractors with the state to disclose contributions over $250 made to the elected officials who can influence the selection process in the two years prior to the procurement period, and ban them altogether while the state is deciding which contractor to pick. This “Pay-to-Play” bill got widespread support last year, but it may be different now.  The Republicans felt this would discourage contractors from bidding at all, and be too much paperwork. Another committee member said this was “a boondoggle.” Still others feared that it would apply to the community boards upon which they sit.  In spite of the objections, the measure received a do pass.  Last year, the very same bill was handily passed by both the Senate and the House, but got caught up in a delay on the last day of the session.  The bill, supported by the both AG and the Courts and Corrections Committee, next goes to the Senate Judiciary committee, which its fate will be determined.

 

 

2011 Session Opening, Feldman's Constituent Survey Results

    Emotions ran high on opening day of the 2011 legislature, with a new Governor delivering a state-of-the-state address that proposed continued cuts in state programs, rejection of any tax increases, a repeal of the death penalty ban, more DNA testing and a rollback of credits to the film industry.  It was hard not to see the address as a line drawn in the sand rather than a call for bipartisan cooperation with the Democratically controlled legislature.  But of course, elections do have consequences.    

     A record response to my constituent survey will help me make some hard choices at a time when the state’s revenue falls about $400 million short of what’s necessary to balance the state budget.  In the past few weeks, over 800 responses have come pouring in, over the Internet as well as through the mail. You can still respond, here.  

    Thanks again for your input.  It’s important to me! I’ll be chairing the Public Affairs Committee again where many of the health, pension and restructuring bills will be heard.  Contact me while I’m in Santa Fe at 1-505-986-4482, e-mail me at dede.feldman@nmlegis.gov or drop by my office in Room 300.  Information on bills, schedules and committees is available at www.nmlegis.gov. Senate floor sessions are now broadcast there as well.  I’ll be sending out periodic e-newsletters and encourage you to sign up if you're not on the list.

     Here's the news release that I sent out when a team of great volunteers finished compiling most of  the returns(no small task). 

     Constituents to Feldman: Don’t Cut Medicaid and Education Further; Close Tax Loopholes and Review Rates

             Sen. Dede Feldman (D-Bernalillo) today released the results of her annual constituent survey, which was sent in late December to 6,500 of her voting constituents.  Also, for the second time, the survey was sent via e-mail to an additional 1000 constituents.  Feldman represents District 13, which covers the North Valley of Albuquerque from Old Town to Los Ranchos, parts of the West Side and near-Heights.  

 

            As of Sunday Jan. 16^th,  462 constituents responded to the hard copy survey and 328 responded on line for a total of 790 responses.  Results are still coming in. 

            “This is not a scientific survey,” says Feldman, “ but it gives me a good idea of what people are thinking and it gives them a good picture of the hard choices that we are facing this session.”

            “This is the biggest response I’ve had in a long time.” she added

            Facing a budget shortfall for the third time in three years, constituents were asked whether to continue cutting programs or consider tax increases.  78% favored maintaining current benefits and eligibility for Medicaid and 56% did not want to cut education further.  However, 94% want to review tax incentives to see whether they are working to create jobs and economic activity, and 94% want to close tax  loopholes like the “combined reporting” provisions which allow out-of-state corporations to avoid full state taxes.

            Asked about specific cuts on the table at the upcoming session, 97% wanted to reduce the number of governor-appointed state employees, 73% wanted to eliminate funding for the spaceport and 74% wanted to close selected higher educational institutions and branch colleges.  On the other hand, constituents did not want to shorten the school year (82% said no), enlarge class sizes (72% said no) or raise tuition at colleges and universities (62% said no).  79.5% did not want to eliminate the Rail Runner.

                     On other tax matters, 88% said they wanted to increase taxes on smokeless tobacco products, 85% wanted to increase alcohol taxes, 77% wanted taxes on soda and soft drinks and 80% said they wanted to eliminate the 2003 income tax cuts for top earners. 53% favored a reduction in tax credits for the film industry. 

 

Among other results:

 •56.7% do not want the state to borrow against our permanent funds

 •52.4% favor repeal of drivers’ licenses for undocumented residents

•61% support a constitutional amendment that would abolish the PRC and replace

it with another entity that 43% say should be a combination of appointed and elected

•58% feel environmental regulations on oil, gas and mining are too lax

 

Regarding Education:

•77% believe that charter school offer a needed alternative to public school

•82% want them evaluated for effectiveness

•53% favor a moratorium on the construction of charters

•92% want to limit charter school principals’ salaries

•64% want to eliminate less popular academic programs at universities

•62% support continued increased contributions from teachers and staff for benefits

•49.9% want a temporary elimination of college athletics

•49% favor hiring freezes

 

Regarding Health Care

•90% favor taking advantage of grants through the federal health care bill

•84% a state-run health insurance exchange

•93% want a more stringent process for reviewing health insurance rate increases

•91% want strict enforcement of new federal insurance requirements on preexisting conditions and coverage limitations

•63% support a mandate that everyone carry health insurance

•52% support a Medicare-for-All approach

•83 % favor a program to allow donation of unused prescription drugs

 

       Let the Games Begin! Sen.Feldman signs in for the session, with Senate Chief Clerk (and Wonder Woman) Lenore Naranjo.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change Takes Time

 

 

    Nov. 4, the day after the day after.....Earlier this week, walking the North Valley for Rep. Martin Heinrich, I came across this sign.  It reminded me that we are all on a windy path, with fits and starts, reversals, then sudden accelerations. And we can’t give up hope just because it’s taking a long time.

 

One reason I supported Martin Heinrich was that he didn’t back down from the sudden accelerations that the Obama administration started in the past two years.  These are not just the big-ticket items like health care and financial reform.  They are long-delayed items like the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which makes it harder to discriminate against women in the workplace, and a law making it harder for credit card companies to surprise you with sudden interest rate increases.  They are laws that give our college students hope and opportunities like the revamp of the student loan program and the increase in size of AmeriCorps and other service projects.  

Rachel Maddow mentioned these on her TV program the night before the election and I agree.  The Democrats could easily have kept their power dry, hoping not to offend anyone, but instead they chose to go for it. They used the political opening created by the 2006 & 2008 elections to enact some truly landmark legislation.  The impact of that legislation will not be felt for years from now—but if we can hold the line—there will be a tremendous benefit.

The same is true at the state level.  I’ve often fought official opponents to children’s’ and public health protection who say that state regulation won’t do anything but enlarge government and impede individual freedom.  That was the argument against changing the system of licensing young drivers back in 1999, when I and a number of traffic safety advocates (including the Automobile Association) said that the way to bring down the high crash rate for teens was to make them spend more time behind the wheel –practicing with an adult-- before giving them a full license.  With much difficulty, we prevailed, and even got then Gov. Garry Johnson to sign the bill.   

And now it’s beginning to pay off, eleven years later. Even the SF New Mexican, which railed against the “Nanny State" (I was the chief Nanny), now admits it was wrong in this article from a few days ago. Here’s the article…

 Graduated-license laws help cut teen driving fatalities

The New Mexican

Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 10/28/10

   
We're not major proponents of nanny government — and we're longtime supporters of teenagers' rights and responsibilities. But turn-of-the-century proposals to make teens work their way into adult driving privileges had plenty of appeal — the biggest being the chance that such an approach would save lives.

And it has: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the people who keep all kinds of grim statistics, reported recently that fatalities among teen drivers are down by a long ways: Between 2004 and 2008, they had fallen by one-third.

There might be other reasons for that encouraging news: safer cars, maybe even sky-high gas prices. But the feds give most of the credit to what are now known as graduated-license laws.

New Mexico was among the earlier states to impose rules on under-18 drivers. We made licensing a three-stage process:

• Six-month instructional permits, for which youngsters 15 and older, and their parents, must apply, and which involve tests and state-approved driver instruction, as well as 50 hours of supervised driving practice, among other requirements — including driving only when there's someone 21 or older on board.
• Provisional licenses, which depend on compliance with the instruction-period rules and passing a road-skills exam. For the next year, unless there's someone 21 or older along for the ride, the holder can't have more than one other kid in the car who isn't an immediate family member. And, with few exceptions, no driving between midnight and 5 a.m.
• Full licenses come only after completion of the two earlier stages — with clean driving records.

That's a far cry from what middle-aged Americans had to do for a driver's license — and for the many super-responsible teens we know, the requirements might be onerous.

But they're working — in fact, in places like New York and New Jersey, where the rules are even stricter, the fatality rates are lower. And in Wyoming, where kids are behind the wheel earlier than nearly anywhere, the teen fatality rate is highest.

That makes graduated licenses look pretty good — and makes a strong argument for demanding 'em nationally.

Politically, they might not be popular — and who wants to be the spoil-sport who ramrods them through a legislature?...

 The moral of the story is —like the sign says—Don’t Give up….Change Takes Time in Santa Fe as in Washington.  We might look like “spoil sports” now, but give it a few years.

           And as the leadership changes in the Statehouse, we hope that some common sense will prevail and not all reforms will be thrown out the window.  Some of them might save lives and money in the long run.

 

 

 

Public Hearing on Conservancy Election Process Wednesday Sept. 22 6 p.m. at the Isleta Hard Rock Hotel

                Almost a dozen legislative measures have been introduced in the past few years to change the way that the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy Board runs its elections.  To attack the problem of low voter turnout  (about 12% of eligible voters vote) for this specialized local government, legislators have sought to change the date of the election so that it conformed with the regular election cycle, use mail in ballots, or turn the process over to the county clerks, just to name a few of the proposals.  Each time, the Conservancy District has beaten back the reform efforts, contending that as a special water district they can restrict the franchise to property owners only, and can set their own rules for balloting and campaign finance reporting, even if they do not conform to state statues. 

                  On Wednesday Sept. 22 at 6pm the public will get a chance to weigh in on the election process used by the MRGCD in the Bosque-Manzano Room of the Isleta Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 11000 Broadway SE.  The hearing is sponsored by an elections task force set up through a 2010 Senate Memorial sponsored by Sen. Dede Feldman and virtually all of the Senators who represent the areas included in the district from Socorro to Santo Domingo Pueblo. The Task Force has been meeting throughout the summer to examine:

• Whether it might be desirable to combine the elections with the general or primary elections in order to increase participation

•Whether affected non-property owners in the valley area should be able to vote since they are affected by the districts flood control, irrigation, recreation and water use policies

•Whether campaign contributions and expenditures should be publicly reported with the Secretary of State as they are in other state and county races

•Whether the process for absentee and early voting should be changed

•Whether paper ballots should replace voting machines now used by the district but outlawed for state and local races

•Whether a mail-in ballot might be a good option

• Whether to introduce a registration process to reduce fraud

 

The Task Force is required to report back and recommend any changes to the Legislature and the MRGCD Board later this year.  For more information and preliminary recommendations made by the MRGCD go to www.mrgcd.com or call Sen. Feldman at 220-5958. 

 

New Mexico Tribes Tackle Huge Obesity, Diabetes Epidemic

  Blogger's Note: Here's an article I wrote recently, which appeared in the Gallup Independent.
 Isleta Pueblo, NM…. Anselm Roanhorse’s eyes grow large when he talks about his childhood onthe Navajo reservation, herding sheep.  “As a boy, I was out there for days, by myself, chasing sheep, protecting them, covering miles and miles of terrain,” he recalls.  Now the Director of the Navajo Division of Health, Roanhorse explained to an obesity summit here in June that exercise was part of the traditional Navajo lifestyle, not an “add-on.”

“Our grandparents were not recreationally-oriented,” said Paul Pino, the chair of the health committee at Laguna Pueblo, a smaller settlement of Native Americans near Albuquerque.  “But they were active, digging ditches for irrigation, plastering adobe walls or putting a new floor in the kiva, the center of traditional ceremonies. “

In as little as fifteen years, all that has changed.

For Native American youth, digging ditches and herding sheep has been replaced by video games and chillin’ in front of the TV.  Double Whoppers and Big Gulps, sold at local fast food outlets, have replaced fresh fruits and vegetables.  The results of the cultural shift are dramatic.

“We’re seeing teens with kidney failure and heart attacks, and families struggling with dialysis and amputations,” says Dr. Alfredo Vigil, who was a family physician in Northern New Mexico before he became Secretary of the NM Department of Health.

“It is shocking and unacceptable,” Vigil says, “and the death and suffering is right here in front of us.”

On the sprawling Navajo reservation, for example, Roanhorse says 23,000  (out of approximately 250,000) Navajos are now affected by diabetes; in 1940 there was only one documented case.

         In Jemez pueblo one in two children is overweight or obese, according to Kristyn Yepa, a registered nurse at the pueblo, which has just obtained a grant from the Center for Disease Control to tackle the obesity problem.

Overall in New Mexico, Native Americans have two to three times the rate of obesity and diabetes than the overall population.  Indian youth are consistently more overweight than young people in the US.  And most alarmingly, Native Americans here have the highest death rate from diabetes-- over three times the rate for Whites. The high death rate is particularly perplexing since American Indians are more likely to receive recommended screenings through the Indian Health Service.

 Fighting Back

 Step by step, tribal community by tribal community, Native Americans are tackling these chronic diseases that seem so overwhelming.  They are creating school and community programs to increase physical activity, encourage a return to traditional agriculture, and promote healthy food choices instead of junk foods and soda pop.  Their efforts are boosted by the cohesiveness of their communities and the commitment of their leaders.

At San Ildefonzo Pueblo, outside of Santa Fe, the Pueblo’s Governor, Perry Martinez, has issued at 5-2-1-0 challenge that has tribal members eating 5 fruits or vegetables per day, logging less than 2 hours of screen time, 1 or more hour of physical activity and 0 sweetened drinks.   It’s part of “Keeping Po Woh Healthy—One Child at a Time.”   The program uses garden mentors, walking trails and native language to deliver the message to children and their parents.

Felice Lucero of San Felipe Pueblo has started a growers market near the tribe’s Casino Hollywood that attracts tourists on the way to Santa Fe as well as 154 tribal farmers.  

At Santa Clara Pueblo elders are teaching kids how to identify medicinal plants, as well as edible ones.  There’s a running club, and lessons on how to prepare nutritious food.  Fry bread, a native favorite, is not included. A mobile health clinic out of the University of New Mexico brings health screening opportunities, and diabetes monitoring is done via cell phone.  A wellness center is on the drawing board.

“Most important,” says Chris Tafoya, Lieutenant Governor of Santa Clara, “I can tell the kids what not to do, and how I am trying to change. “ Tafoya, himself a diabetic, holds up his glucose monitor, which hangs around his neck on a cord, along with his turquoise beads. “It’s not too late for them.”

“We have to lead by example,” he tells the crowd of health advocates and tribal leaders assembled at the Isleta Casino by the Milbank Memorial Fund June 28-29.

A more massive assault on problem is underway on the Navajo reservation where approximately 10,000 participated last year in “Just Move It,” a series of runs and walks that depart each week from chapter houses spread out through New Mexico and Arizona.  Between 30 to 150 participate in each event.  The fun-runs complement a more coordinated approach to school health in Northern Navajo schools.

Shaundale Gamboa, a health promotion specialist with the Navajo program, says it is important to remember the emotional aspect of obesity, which, for kids can involve bullying, stress, substance abuse and even suicide.  (Native Americans have the highest suicide rate in NM, a state that consistently ranks among the highest for this problem nationwide) 

Gamboa’s own daughter is obese, she said, a fact that she copes with on a daily basis.

With fast food and high sugar drinks immensely popular in New Mexico (the country’s number one Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet is in Shiprock NM, in Gamboa’s home town) native American leaders know it takes strength to combat what some feel has become a new addiction to high-salt, high-sugar fast food. 

“Our resilience, our faith and the strength of our communities has brought us thus far, “ said one of the tribal leader, “and we will continue.”

For Native Americans and others confronting the obesity problem, it may require more than faith.  Citing escalating health care costs for the public, a number of states and local governments have attempted to use the same tactics against the junk food lobby that were used against Big Tobacco. New York and California now require food labeling for fat and sugar content echoing FDA’s warning label on cigarettes.

In the past few years, Arkansas and Washington state have taxed soda pop.  Earlier this year, New York  was the scene of a battle between health advocates and the industry over a soda tax. After a huge advertising campaign, the industry won, citing a fear of overregulation, unfair penalties for fat people, and the need for personal responsibility.

In New Mexico, beverage taxes present a particular challenge due to tribal sovereignty issues, which can cause a dual tax structure on and off reservations. It’s a challenge that the state and tribes overcame when the state raised tobacco taxes by 75 cents per pack starting in July. The new tax applies both on and off the reservation. It could serve as a model for a sweetened beverage tax.

Meanwhile, tribal and community efforts continue, with friends in high places. First Lady Michelle Obama has taken up the obesity cause, encouraging community gardens and even planting heirloom Native American seeds in the White House garden.