New Mexico State Senator Dede Feldman's Blog

Heather Wilson and Her Iraq War Voting Record: Evidence Be Dammed, Full Speed Ahead

Last week, amidst the replay of all the 9-11 anguish, an article appeared in the Albuquerque Tribune under the headline “Wilson: I questioned Iraq evidence.”  I wonder if any of you saw it.  Wilson was trying to distance herself from the disastrous lead-up to the war, but a closer reading of the excellent article, which included a chronology of all her Iraq votes, left me angrier than I was to begin with. 

It seems that, before she announced her intention to vote to give the President authority to go to war on Oct. 8, 2002, she was privy to information from the Department of Energy that cast doubt on the administration’s assertion that Hussein had attempted to buy aluminum tubes to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.  In spite of that information, she not only voted to go to war on Oct. 11, but became a key advocate of the war, responding to the President’s state of the union speech on Jan 29, 2003 that “the evidence that Iraq has, and is, further developing weapons of mass destruction becomes ever more convincing.” 

In the weeks and months that follow, Wilson continues rallying support for the war-- in spite of testimony and evidence to the contrary before the House Armed Services Committee where she is a member.  She follows up Colin Powell’s presentation to the UN in February, 2003, with the statement that Iraq is deceiving the UN and avoiding its obligation to get rid of its chemical and biological weapons. In April, she organizes a series of remarks on the floor to praise US troops.

In November 2005, when it becomes clear that the doubts of the DOE and many others in the government about the justification for the war were right, she votes against a troop withdrawal.  And on June 15 of 2006— as the civil war deepens and the American death toll rises to over 2,600-- she says “it is important to stay the course because the terrorists made Iraq a central front and they could thrive in the chaos of civil war.”

Is this a case of the evidence be dammed, full speed ahead?  That’s the way it looks to me.  As a lawmaker and someone often asked to make important decisions that involve conflicting, changing facts, I find it prudent to refrain from cheerleading a cause that I know may be seriously flawed.  Even if, under duress, I had voted for the measure, I wouldn’t get out in front of the parade if I had any doubts, and I’d reserve the right to change my mind later as the situation evolved.  I guess that’s because I believe that the evidence—and common sense—can trump both personal and party loyalty.   Wilson’s actions—and her speeches—show that she has a different idea. 

The whole sad story, I believe, underlines the importance of Congressional oversight.  The Republican Congress has utterly failed in this area—and we are now paying the price.  If Republicans continue in the majority in the House, I find it difficult to believe that it will be any different for the next few years.  Didn’t Dick Cheney just say that if he had known in 2003 that the claims about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction were false, “we’d do exactly the same thing?”  I think it safe to assume that, despite any nagging questions, so would Heather Wilson. 
 

New Mexico's Task Force to End Hunger testified to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee that more than 237,000 New Mexicans saught assistance from emergency food banks in 2005

By AVELINO MAESTAS
Daily Press Staff

More than 237,000 New Mexicans sought assistance from emergency food banks in 2005, according to members of the state’s Task Force to End Hunger.

The figures were presented to the state Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, meeting at Western New Mexico University this week. Mary Oleske, task force co-chair, said the members are working to define the breadth and depth of hunger in the state.

Clark DeSchweinitz, also co-chair, outlined four goals for the next five years. He said the task force wants to 1. decrease food insecurity and hunger, 2. improve New Mexico’s national ranking in those categories: No. 2 and 3 in the nation, respectively, 3. increase the number of fruits and vegetables consumed by 300,000 school children, and 4. increase New Mexico’s family farm income by $1 million annually.

Rosella Kennedy, hunger coordinator for the state Human Services Department, presented an overview of hunger issues in the state. “The thing to keep in mind,” Kennedy said, “is that hunger is closer than you think.” According to Kennedy, hunger is difficult to recognize. “People will do all sorts of juggling and hiding and tricky things to hide their hunger,” she said.

The state defines hunger as the uneasy or painful sensation caused by a lack of food, and a recurrent and involuntary lack of access to food. Food insecurity is uncertain or limited access to enough food for an active, healthy life.

Kennedy said that many New Mexicans are often one catastrophe away from experiencing hunger. An emergency hospital visit, loss of a job, unexpected car repair or natural disaster can lead to food insecurity.

“Some of the people in Hatch are being served by the food bank network in New Mexico,” she said. “We want to hammer home that it’s not always the person’s fault they’re hungry.

Kennedy told the committee members that low wages, fixed income, a lack of education and financial management skills, and limited access to child care and health care can lead to hunger. Rural residents are sometimes more susceptible, because food costs increase outside of urban centers. Of New Mexicans, she said, 41 percent are working families, and more than half own their own home. In addition, 34 percent are children, and 9 percent are seniors.

Oleske said that hunger is a symptom of poverty. “One in three children and one in eight seniors live in poverty,” she said. Kathy Komoll, board president of Roadrunner Foodbank, said children and seniors are among the most vulnerable populations. She said some programs that serve children are sporadic, and may not reach all areas of the state.

“Children may not have access to food in the evenings,” Komoll said, “and weekends are a critical time for children.” Komoll’s testimony before the committee was at times tearful. “I cry when I get angry, and I cry when I’m sad,” she said. “And this makes me both.”

More than 133,500 children live in poverty, and 54 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced price lunches.  “School programs have success during the school year,” she said, “but less so in summer.”

According to Komoll, 25,735 New Mexico seniors live on fixed incomes of less than $700 per month. She said that one leading cause of hunger is the increasing number of seniors caring for their grandchildren. “We’re seeing frequently that the only time they’re going to ask for help is for their grandchildren.”

Komoll told the committee that hunger and food insecurity makes it harder for seniors to recover from illness and surgery. “It also increases disability at an alarming rate,” she said. In addition, Kennedy said, one day of hospitalization costs more than one year’s supply of food for a senior. “When you talk about where to put the money,” she said, “feeding seniors is a definite priority for New Mexico.”

Ruth Hoffman, of the Lutheran office of governmental ministry, said that addressing hunger and poverty is a complicated issue.  “It involves income, health care, housing, child care and education,” she said. According to Hoffman, the food bank network is doing a “tremendous job, but they’re supposed to be doing emergency food,” she said. “It should not be the kind of thing folks have to depend on every month.”

Pam Roy, of the New Mexico Food and Agricultural Policy Council, said that work is being done to create a base of healthy-food systems in the state.
“We want to significantly decrease food insecurity,” she said, “and why can’t we if we have a very viable agriculture industry?”

Roy said that efforts are under way to use more locally grown fruits and vegetables. She said that potatoes grown in New Mexico are traded for vegetables, such as broccoli, grown in Arizona. Because of rising fuel costs, the state cannot transport donated foodstuffs from California.

Commodities arrive at the Roadrunner Foodbank in Albuquerque, and, from there, are distributed to seven other regional food banks. Those locations then make distributions to more than 650 emergency food providers throughout the state.

State Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-Bernalillo) asked about budget impacts on programs funded by the federal government. Roy said several of the programs — including one that allows residents using food stamps to purchase produce at farmers’ markets — are part of a farm reauthorization bill. Maria Najera, a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, told the Daily Press this morning the bill will be debated next year.

New Mexico Sen. Dede Feldman (D-Bernalillo) asked about the Women, Infants and Children program, and allocations families can receive for purchases at farmers’ markets. “Some of the moms I spoke to said that they only get $10 a month,” Feldman said. “Is that the norm?”

Roy said that families should get $20 per season, per participant, which includes mothers and children.  “I think it’s a good program that’s really working,” Feldman said. “At the markets I’ve traveled to, the kids are with their moms, and they’re eating carrots. “That’s a step forward.”

Rep. William Boykin (R-Doña Ana) said he was glad to see that faith-based programs are working well with state government to combat hunger.  “I’ve noticed the emphasis on faith-based institutions that we’re so dependent upon,” Boykin said. “I find it refreshing we’re giving them credit.”

Boykin said that education should play a major role in fighting hunger and foods insecurity, and in increasing the number of eligible people who actually receive services.  “We’ve discussed the pride factor,” he said, “and I also know, given the demographics of southern Doña Ana County, there’s a certain fear of authority too.”  “We have to get the word out to people: ‘Come in; we’re trying to help you.’”

Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-Bernalillo) said the state should wage a “poverty revolution.”  “I think there’s still this sort of handout initiative,” he said. “We should see more programs where we give them a rake, and a shovel, and some seed.” “It’s that old adage: You give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you give a man a net, he eats for a lifetime.”

Garcia said that there should be a restorative-justice approach to egalitarian areas.  “If there are initiatives out there that restore integrity, that restore skills, that benefit the community,” he said, “I think people will move in that direction.”

The task force made several recommendations to the committee, and highlighted legislative priorities for 2007. The first was $1.4 million for a Healthy Kids & Healthy Economy initiative. The program, established in 2001, provides fresh fruit and vegetables from New Mexico farmers to schoolchildren. The task force hopes to see the program — now serving more than 100 schools — implemented statewide.

The second priority outlined by the task force focuses on the food bank network. Members are seeking $500,000 in new funding for the network, an 83 percent increase, to provide New Mexico-grown produce and food products to low-income households. In addition, the money would be used to fund Food for Kids backpacks.

The third priority would directly benefit seniors in Silver City and five other communities, by giving 2,000 New Mexico seniors $60 to spend at farmers’ markets. Another 9,000 seniors would benefit from the Senior Food Stamp Supplement program, the task force’s fourth priority. Those seniors would see an additional $20 per month, tripling their buying power.

The fifth priority is full funding for the Universal School Breakfast Program, which, with $1.5 million, serves 37,800 children. The task force will seek an additional $2.7 million to take the program statewide.

Avelino Maestas may be reached at [email protected]