Roadmap to Recovery Commitments Met in New Mexico

In June, the President and Vice President announced their "Roadmap to Recovery," summer initiative. It was designed to accelerate the Administration’s economy recovery efforts, and included ten major projects – from putting more cops on our streets to keeping more teachers in our classrooms to giving more people access to health care – were announced.

Now we're getting updated reports on program efforts in New Meixco just 200 days after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was rolled out.

Here are a few highlights:

• 14 health centers are providing expanded services to residents throughout the state.
• 2,000 new education jobs were funded in the second 100 days of the Recovery Act.
• Over $6 million was awarded to the state for summer employment programs. The goal nationally was to create 125,000 youth jobs during summer break.
• Over $5 million was awarded to 8 different law enforcement agencies, hiring or keeping on the street 28 law enforcement officers. Albuquerque did not receive any grant money to hire officers because of audit results with past awards.
• over $99 million was awarded to begin 3 airport and 4 highway projects at locations throughout the state.
• Work was begun on 81 different DoD construction and rehabilitation projects at locations throughout the state.

To view the national Roadmap to Recovery results and to see a project map click here.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009 as the country faced the greatest economic crisis in a generation. The Recovery Act is providing needed tax relief and financial assistance for hard-hit families and businesses, delivering aid to states facing record budget shortfalls and making hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in technology and infrastructure that create jobs and lay a new foundation for the U.S. economy.

Vice President Says American Recovery Act Creates Business Opportunities

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009 as the nation faced the greatest economic crisis in half a century. Just over 100 days in, over 150,000 jobs have been created or saved by the Recovery Act and over $126 billion has been obligated to stimulative programs and projects.

Yesterday, Tripp Jennings at the New Mexico Independent reported, in this story, that the Feds have already 41 contracts and more than $150 million dollars is flowing into the state already.

Tripp, who reviewed the federal procurement database, wrote:

The database gives a glimpse into how much money is flowing into the state three months after the federal stimulus act was signed into law in February.

Eventually money from the federal stimulus package will flow to hundreds of different organizations and firms across the state.

Tripp revealed who's getting the money so far:

By far the biggest winner in New Mexico’s stimulus jackpot is Washington Tru Solutions LLC, the operator of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant outside Carlsbad, New Mexico. The firm won a $121 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contract in mid-April to help clean-up of the site.

But more money, up to $3 billion dollars is expected to impact the local economy. Additional money will be awarded from community grants.

Today, Vice President Joe Biden hosted a round table with business leaders from across the country highlighting how the Recovery Act is not just creating and saving jobs, but also creating new business opportunities just 100 day into the two-year program.

The Vice President says the Recovery Act is putting people to work.

Our business leaders here today are a testament to that. They are on the front lines of hiring folks for new jobs and preventing lay-offs. They have first-hand knowledge of how this economy – and our policies – are working. We’re looking to those in the business community to be creative, to be innovative and really take advantage of the new opportunities made possible by this Recovery Act.

Biden was joined by New York Governor David Paterson, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin and business leaders ranging from small business owners to CEOs.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin said:

The Treasury Department is implementing Recovery Act provisions swiftly and efficiently, which is helping to stabilize the housing market, provide tax relief to working Americans, and give economic assistance to state and local governments. The Recovery Act, together with our efforts to stabilize the financial system, is starting to make a difference. The national economy is showing some initial signs of stability with confidence improving and credit starting to ease. We still have a long way to go towards rebuilding our economy and ensuring that Americans are back at work, but all Americans should know that this Administration is absolutely committed to getting us there.

Among the group of business leaders participating in today’s event was Christian Zimmerman, President of Pike Industries, Inc. Before Pike Industries won its first stimulus construction project this spring, Mr. Zimmerman was planning to lay off 100 employees, in addition to another 150 employees who he had been forced to cut since 2006 as a result of decreased construction in the economic downturn. But when Pike won a stimulus contract repaving Rt. 101 along New Hampshire’s seacoast this spring, not only was Mr. Zimmerman able to retain those 100 employees, he was able to hire 100 more.

“Enactment of the Recovery Act, followed by quick action by federal and state governments to get highway money out into the economy, came at a critical time for our industry. Our company not only avoided significant layoffs, but we have hired many new employees, engaged subcontractors, contracted for new equipment and we are purchasing various materials and services to support the stimulus projects we have been awarded. Clearly, the positive effects of the Recovery Act will be felt throughout our economy,” said Christian Zimmerman, President of Pike Industries, Inc.

In addition to the immediate direct benefits business owners like Mr. Zimmerman are seeing as a result of Recovery Act contracts, the law also includes a number of tax credits that are driving new product demand and indirectly benefiting companies across a variety of sectors. The Recovery Act includes over a dozen energy-efficiency and renewable energy tax credits that are creating new opportunities for companies like Standard Renewable Energy, a Houston-based company that helps homeowners, businesses and government entities reduce their energy consumption, and Crystal Window and Door Systems, Ltd., a manufacturer of energy-efficient window products.

"The Recovery Act provides innovative ways for businesses and consumers to save money while also investing in energy efficiency," said John Berger, Founder and CEO of Standard Renewable Energy, in Houston, Texas. "Because of the Recovery Act, our business is growing, not shrinking. We just opened a new office in Phoenix, and by year's end, our workforce will have grown over 70 percent."

“Because of the Recovery Act’s emphasis on Energy-star rated products and our ability to promote our products as energy efficient, our business has improved,” said Steve Chen, Executive Vice President of Crystal Window & Door Systems, Ltd. Flushing, New York. “The Recovery Act is not just an injection of cash into the economy; it goes a long way in educating the public and changing perceptions about Energy-star and greener products – how homeowners can invest in their homes, the environment and the economy at the same time.”

Home Buyers Get Tax Break

The Recovery Act also includes an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyer that has turned out to be a bright spot for the hard-hit housing industry. We just found out that includes mobile home purchases.

“The $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit is stimulating nearly 200,000 additional home sales across the nation and will result in over 73,000 new jobs. Last week at NAHB’s spring board meeting, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced new rules that will enable buyers to access the credit at closing, which will make it even more effective. While this is a good start, we still have a long way to go before returning to a healthy housing market,” said Joe Robson, President of the Robson Company in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.


On a much larger scale, the billions of dollars allocated in the Recovery Act to develop and commercialize renewable energy sources like wind, solar, geothermal and biomass have spurred companies like Braemar Energy Ventures to make new targeted venture capital investments in companies that are developing the technology that will serve as the foundation for our economic recovery.


"Many of the companies in which we invest can benefit enormously from support from our government provided by the ARRA to scale up and provide jobs in both new and emerging energy areas as well as newly skilled jobs in the existing energy sectors. The capital intensity of the global energy business is a major challenge for emerging companies with new technologies and therefore loan guarantees and grants can help bridge the gap to building the large scale facilities and factories needed in the early days to deploy their products and hire a skilled workforce," said Neil S. Suslak, Founding Partner of Braemar Energy Ventures.

Former NM Health Secretary Rebukes John McCain's Plan to Tax Healthcare!

With all the talk about economic bailout plans, falling stock prices, and rising energy costs it is easy to lose site of some of the other top issues in this year's election.

One that we've focused on is health care for all Americans. We thought we'd re-visit this important issue before the election.

Last week jobless claims rose 15,000 to 478,000 according to government reports. While the number of people collecting regular state unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.72 million in the week ended Oct. 11, the four-week average of continuing claims rose by 44,250 to 3.68 million, the highest in more than five years.

The government's October employment survey was conducted last week, with the results to be released on Nov. 7. Compared with September's survey week, initial claims are up about 8%, while continuing claims are up about 6%.

While states may increase the length of their wage benefits, these hard-working Americans, many who oppose national or universal health care, are about to find out what many people have been talking about for years, and they won't be able to afford the short-term Cobra benefits. Once they land a new job, if economic conditions improve, they'll find out any of their pre-existing conditions won't be covered.

Last Monday, we attended a health care townhall meeting with U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, former NM Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham, and UNM Doctor Don Dirkson. They talked to a crowd of about 50 people about exactly what they can expect if Barack Obama is elected president next week.

Essentially, all three VIP's advocated for more access. Each one said that health care isn't about insurance it's about access to quality health care.

Grisham tells us she's been busy since losing to Martin Heinrick in the first congressional district primary in June. In August, she formerd a consulting group with Deborah Armstrong (another former Health Secretary). Grisham told me their new group, Delta Consulting Group, incorpated this summer. We invited her to write a guest column and she responded with this thoughtful piece.

Photo from: MG Bralley

Guest Opinion - John McCain's Plan to Tax our Healthcare!

Our health care system is broken. Barack Obama has a plan to fix it and ensure that every New Mexican has access to quality, affordable healthcare. John McCain will only make it worse by pursuing his policy of deregulation.

New Mexico has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country with an uninsured population of more than 400,000, including about 64,000 children. Currently, one out of every four people in New Mexico does not have the ability to regularly visit a doctor or a health care provider due to lack of health insurance. This is unacceptable.

Since President Bush has taken office, health care costs have risen 4.6 times faster than average wages in New Mexico. And, rather than standing up to health insurance companies to reduce health care costs, John McCain's plan will tax your health care benefits for the first time in history, and lead 20 million workers to lose the coverage they get from their employers, including 98,000 New Mexicans. McCain will pay for his health care plan with a massive tax increase on middle class families, and with costs skyrocketing, that'll mean even more pain and even worse access for your family down the road.

Under New Mexico state law, insurance providers must provide coverage of diabetes care, mammograms, home health care, and immunizations, to name a few. However, the McCain plan will put these services at risk by deregulating the insurance industry and removing the protections state legislatures pass for their constituents. Additionally, the McCain plan won't do anything to stop insurance companies from discriminating against you if you've got a pre-existing condition like asthma or diabetes and require the provision of preventive health care.

McCain's plan to deregulate the health care industry – just like he and his allies have done with our financial markets – would be catastrophic for New Mexicans. We can't afford four more years of deregulation and New Mexicans to fend for themselves.

In an Obama administration, we're going to finally stand up to the big drug and insurance companies and provide affordable, accessible health care for every single New Mexican. Obama will work with employers who are providing health care for their employees and lower premiums by up to $2,500 per family per year, and he'll reduce costs for business and their workers by picking up the tab for some of the most expensive illnesses and conditions. He will create a Small Business Health Tax Credit to provide small businesses with a refundable tax credit of up to 50% on premiums paid by small businesses on behalf of their employees.

Obama will make sure no American is turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions. And he will have Medicare negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies so that prescription drugs are not cost prohibitive for those seniors.

Taxing middle class families to receive health care is not the answer. Senator Obama will fight for middle class families so that all New Mexicans have a health plan that's as good as the one he has as a Member of Congress.

Michelle Lujan Grisham, J.D.

Former Secretary NM Department of Health

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Health Care Plan is Available for Review here.

or watch this video.

Last August, Charlie Rose interviewed John McCain on his health care ideas.

Navajo Nation Council Endorses Obama!

On Tuesday, Yesterday, Senator Barack Obama accepted the endorsement of the Navajo Nation Council. The Council endorsed Obama and Senator Joe Biden on a vote of 59 to 21 at their fall legislative meeting. This endorsement is the latest of more than 100 tribal leaders, tribal organization and tribes that have endorsed Senators Obama and Biden. Senator Obama said, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Navajo Nation. I look forward to partnering with Indian tribes, including the Navajo Nation, on a government-to-government basis, to address the special challenges facing tribes today, including access to affordable healthcare, economic development, energy independence, and education. Joe Biden and I look forward to working with the Navajo Nation and all of Indian Country to bring about the change we need.” The Navajo Nation is comprised of over 250,000 members on the largest federally recognized Native American Nation, located around Southeastern Utah, Northeastern Arizona and Northwestern New Mexico.

Debate Word Cloud and Palin Debate Flow Chart

Joe Biden's Word Cloud from Debate Transcript

Here are word clouds featuring text from last night's VP debate transcripts.

You can create your own word clouds on wordle with text from anything.








Sara Palin's Debate Word Cloud









A secret flow chart from Sarah Palin's debate planning meetings:

Biden Really Wants to be in the Executive Branch!

U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released its latest television ad, entitled "Biden."

As the ad highlights, before he was selected to run on the Democratic ticket, Sen. Joe Biden questioned Barack Obama's lack of experience. Earlier in the presidential race Biden told Comedy Central host Jon Stewart that he'd be honored to run with or against McCain!



The ad will air in key battleground states. It's unclear if it's scheduled to run in New Mexico.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who was on the short list for Vice President is taking the high road. Perhaps with Biden in the number two position he'll have a better chance at being appointed Secretary of State, a job he's said he'd love to have.

Richardson says he likes Obama's pick for Vice President:

"Joe Biden brings seasoned judgment, foreign policy expertise, and a great sense of humor to the ticket. Joe has paid his dues as a public servant and the Vice Presidential spot is a deserved capstone to a great career. Barack Obama has shown solid judgment by selecting Joe Biden as his running mate. Joe is someone that Senator Obama and our country can trust."

Check out Mark Bralley's photo essay on the Dem's trip to ABQ on Monday.