On Saturday morning, New Mexico Attorney General Gary King told Bernalillo County Democrats, at a monthly pancake breakfast in downtown Albuquerque, that his office is preparing to appeal a recent District Court ruling exempting two nonprofit groups from New Mexico's campaign reporting laws.Let’s start with the false claim that illegal immigrants will get health insurance under reform. That’s not true. Illegal immigrants would not be covered. That idea has never even been on the table. Some are also saying that coverage for abortions would be mandated under reform. Also false.The President stressed:
When it comes to the current ban on using tax dollars for abortions, nothing will change under reform. And as every credible person who has looked into it has said, there are no so-called “death panels” – an offensive notion to me and to the American people. These are phony claims meant to divide us.And we’ve all heard the charge that reform will somehow bring about a government takeover of health care. I know that sounds scary to many folks. It sounds scary to me, too. But here’s the thing: it’s not true. I no sooner want government to get between you and your doctor than I want insurance companies to make arbitrary decisions about what medical care is best for you, as they do today. As I’ve said from the beginning, under the reform we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep your plan. Period.
Now, the source of a lot of these fears about government-run health care is confusion over what’s called the public option. This is one idea among many to provide more competition and choice, especially in the many places around the country where just one insurer thoroughly dominates the marketplace. This alternative would have to operate as any other insurer, on the basis of the premiums it collects. And let me repeat – it would be just an option; those who prefer their private insurer would be under no obligation to shift to a public plan.
The insurance companies and their allies don’t like this idea, or any that would promote greater competition. I get that. And I expect there will be a lot of discussion about it when Congress returns.
But this one aspect of the health care debate shouldn’t overshadow the other important steps we can and must take to reduce the increasing burdens families and businesses face.
If you don’t have insurance, you will finally have access to quality coverage you can afford. If you do have coverage, you will benefit from more security and more stability when it comes to your insurance. If you move, lose your job, or change jobs, you will not have to worry about losing health coverage. And we will set up tough consumer protections that will hold insurance companies accountable and stop them from exploiting you with unfair practices.We’ll prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage because of a person’s medical history. They will not be able to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. We’ll place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because no one in America should go broke because they get sick.
And we will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer on the front end. That makes sense, it saves lives, and it will also save money over the long-run. Taken together, the reforms we’re seeking will help bring down skyrocketing costs, which will mean real savings for families, businesses, and government.We know what a failure to act would bring: More of the same. More of the same exploding costs. More of the same diminished coverage. If we fail to act, the crisis will grow. More families will go without coverage. More businesses will be forced to drop or water down their plans.
So we can push off the day of reckoning and fail to deal with the flaws in the system, just as Washington has done, year after year, decade after decade. Or we can take steps that will provide every American family and business a measure of security and stability they lack today.
There are always those who oppose it, and those who use fear to block change. But what has always distinguished America is that when all the arguments have been heard, and all the concerns have been voiced, and the time comes to do what must be done, we rise above our differences, grasp each others’ hands, and march forward as one nation and one people, some of us Democrats, some of us Republicans, all of us Americans.Obama says he can't promise the reforms will be perfect or make a difference overnight:
I can promise you this: if we pass health insurance reform, we will look back many years from now and say, this was the moment we summoned what’s best in each of us to make life better for all of us. This was the moment when we built a health care system worthy of the nation and the people we love. This was the moment we earned our place alongside the greatest generations. And that is what our generation of Americans is called to do right now.
Guest Commentary by Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish:
There may be those who believe that New Mexico state government has come close to losing both. There is no doubt that we have seen instances where some elected officials and state employees have valued privileges above principles in the past few years. It must stop. These individuals have weakened the public trust and that is unacceptable. The question is what's to be done?
Photo: MG Bralley
There is no doubt that some New Mexicans have lost faith in their state government and the burden is on all of us in elected office to earn it back. We must create in Santa Fe a culture of duty, a culture of transparency. A culture of responsibility.
First, we must establish a Governmental Standards Commission. This will be an independent commission, similar to the judiciary's Judicial Standards Commission. The Governmental Standards Commission will have the authority to investigate ethics complaints and will be armed with subpoena power to get straight answers from government officials. It will have the authority to impose stiff penalties on those found guilty of wrongdoing.
But in addition to investigating complaints and punishing those who abuse the public's trust, we must also make sure that everyone who works on the taxpayers' dime understands the responsibility they assume as a public servant. New Mexico state employees must agree not only to always obey the law – but to always conduct themselves in an open, honest and transparent manner. In order to earn the trust of the people they serve, public employees must be held to the highest standard.
Second, this Governmental Standards Commission will be responsible for establishing a Uniform Code of Governmental Standards that will apply to all state officials, state employees and appointees. The Commission will develop a mandatory training programs on the Governmental Standards so all state employees understand these ethical standards.
The great majority of people in government want to do the right thing but there may be times when they are unsure of what is the right thing. Education and training can help provide the foundation needed to deal with difficult situations.
The New Mexico Supreme Court will nominate a pool of candidates from which members of the Commission will be selected by the Executive and Legislative branches. This non-partisan pool of candidates, selected by the Court, will help take politics out of the selection process – and eliminate some the problems confronted by establishing such a commission in the past.
The third step in the process is to establish a state Sunshine Portal, an online command center to ensure that state government is open and transparent. The Sunshine Portal will:
* Allow the press and public to see how tax dollars are spent by agencies;
* Track capital outlay projects from appropriation to expenditure;
* List all scheduled open meetings;
* Include an accessible contractor database;
* Allow the press and public to review all state issued contracts;
* Include a Statebook networking site where all state employees with decision making capacity will have a page including their responsibilities and contact information;
* Include a salary database for exempt employee salary database;
* Include a section for constituents to voice opinions.
Justice Lewis Brandeis said Sunshine is the best disinfectant and I believe we need to take that statement to heart and apply it here in the land of enchantment.
Like most New Mexico families, our state government is experiencing challenging economic times, and some may say now is not the time to consider such new initiatives. But in order for the Government to effectively create new jobs, reduce the cost of health care, strengthen our education system – or provide any of the services we count on government to provide – it must have the trust of New Mexicans.
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Unfortunately, yesterday's indictment of a Richardson-Denish administration political appointee and former elected Democrat official, along with more mainstays of the Democrat political machine, is this month’s reminder that this state is headed in the wrong direction.Chairman Yates said political corruption in the state needs to be stopped:
The pattern of corrupt behavior and inept management exhibited by prominent Democrat public servants, while becoming routine, has got to stop. I congratulate the attorney general for joining the fight against corruption; it is not easy to take on one’s own party.
Along with New Mexicans statewide, we look forward to the Democrats’ account of ‘every last nickel that was spent’ of voter education funding entrusted to the former secretary of state.NM GOP Candidate for Governor, Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, also responded to the fraud, embezzlement and money laundering indictments:
[This is] a sad reminder that for too long public officials in New Mexico have used elected office to serve themselves as opposed to serving the public who entrusted them to lead our state. Corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars and public funds are simply inexcusable and those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. As we move forward in examining the records of candidates seeking our state’s highest-elected office, it is critically important voters match rhetoric with action, and support someone who has a track record of identifying fraud and corruption and rooting it out. New Mexicans deserve to have faith and confidence that elected officials in state government are conducting themselves with integrity and honesty.Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, who is also running for Governor, has not issued a public statement, although she did talk to our blogging colleague Heath Haussamen.
Updated: 7:30pm [Link to state indictments]I pray every day that my Lord and my God will forgive those individuals who so willingly, callously and wrongfully accuse me of unsubstantiated wrongdoing for the purpose of furthering their own personal and political ambitions. This witch-hunt must cease and desist. It has been going on since I left office almost three years ago and no wrong doing on my part has been uncovered.Earlier in the day Vigil-Giron said that she “can account for every last nickel that was spent” and said all contracts over $200,000 were reviewed by officials in the attorney general’s office. She said she “relied on the Attorney General to always counsel me in the right direction legally.”
I got a sense that temperatures have really cooled down since President Clinton's visit. The delegation indicated that North Korea is ready for a new dialogue with the United States regarding the nuclear issue. The question is whether to proceed with face-to-face bilateral talks, as the North Korea prefer, or to utilize the six-party framework that the United States has advocated. The North Koreans clearly want bilateral talks and not the six-party framework.
On Wednesday, the Governor also met with Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of the Dalai Lama at their request. The two men had a private meeting and then Governor Richardson hosted a small luncheon in honor of the Special Envoy at the mansion, including Greg Kruglak, President of the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture, Stuart Ashman, Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and Paljor Thondup, President of Project Tibet. Lodi Gyari is the special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington, DC and currently serves as the Tibetan's lead negotiator with the Chinese Government. Mr. Gyari formerly served as Senior Cabinet Minister for the Department of Information and International Relations.
A source said during this visit Richardson will be in a listening mode. He wants to find out what the North Koreans have to say. He is not doing any kind of negotiating.
CNN reports a discussion of renewable energy will be on the agenda because the state is recognized as a leader in the U.S. in exploring renewable energy technologies.
The visit comes on the heels of a trip to North Korea by former President Bill Clinton to gain the release of two American journalists held in Pyongyang.
I entered this race for west side city councilor because I believe our families and community have been in desperate need for a new, collaborative approach to meeting the needs of our neighborhoods and our City. My heart still holds fast to those ideals and aspirations.
Sometimes, however, it becomes clear that our desire to achieve such honorable goals, and our role in that process, can change but yet still contribute to the ongoing effort to achieve great progress for our community.
That is why I have decided to alter my role in this important city council race and withdraw my candidacy for west side councilor.
My family and I have thought long and hard about this decision and after seeking input from many people, we believe the best avenue to successfully bringing the overdue change that our district is in need of will be by working for a candidate who shares with me many of the goals I have been pursuing. That candidate is Dan Lewis.
Albuquerque City Councilor Sally Mayer who was running for a third term in District 7 has decided to call it quits. 770KKOB learned Monday night, just before the city council meeting, that she has removed her name from this Fall's ballot. Around 4pm, Mayer notified City Clerk Randy Autio that she is withdrawing from the race.
Mayer told me she's moving to Chicago in January to help her daughter's family.
Financial advisor Mike Cook, who had served on the police oversight commission will become the districts councilor in October.
Mayer said that she's proud of the work she did on the animal control measure which is better known as the Heart ordinance.
Photo: MG Bralley
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