Monthly Archives: June 2005

loco

Don’t Cry for the Beach

ABQjournal: All Dried Up: Beach Waterpark shuttered and for saleBy Charlotte Balcomb Lane, Journal Staff Writer

Every June since 1987, the lines snaking up the big blue slide at The Beach Waterpark have been a symbol of summer in Albuquerque.

Not this June.

The 17-acre water park located at Montaño and Interstate 25 is closed, and the property is for sale. Weeds are growing through cracks in the sidewalk, and the pools are empty and bleached in the sun.

Actually, the Beach has from the beginning been a symbol of our inability to accept we live in a desert with limited water.

When the Beach was announced 18 years ago, I sent a letter to the editor about the insanity. A client of mines scoffed, “we have an aquifer under the city that will last 1,000 years.” Now, he’s gone and so are the aquifer and the Beach.

By the way, I hope someone is doing a study of skin cancer rates among Beach patrons. mjh

Dump Duhbya

Republican Pirates

(washingtonpost.com)

Which president submitted the first Supreme Court justice nomination to be filibustered by the Senate?

In June 1968, Chief Justice Earl Warren announced his plans to retire before the end of Lyndon Johnson’s administration, to ensure that Richard Nixon would not be able to appoint Warren’s successor if Nixon won the November election. Johnson nominated Associate Justice Abe Fortas to the position in the hopes that the liberal judge could garner enough votes for a confirmation. However, a filibuster resulted and when the Senate failed to invoke cloture in October, Johnson withdrew the nomination.

The first filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee was by REPUBLICANS stalling to let a conservative Republican President appoint the next Justice. Remind them of this when they sputter and fume in the next couple of years. mjh

[filibuster: From Spanish filibustero, freebooter, from French flibustier, from Dutch vrijbuiter, pirate. from vrijbuit, plunder : vrij, free; see pr- in Indo-European Roots + buit, booty (from Middle Dutch bte, of Middle Low German origin).]

loco

Oppose Secret Meetings to Expand the Unamerican Patriot Act

This week. Tuesday, June 7, 2005, the Senate Intelligence Committee will be voting behind closed doors on a bill to expand the Patriot Act?s secret search powers. No matter the outcome in that Committee, your outreach in the coming weeks will be absolutely essential. Together, we can stop expansion, add new sunsets, and reform the Patriot Act.

There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.

Some of these flawed provisions are set to expire at the end of the year. But President Bush wants to make them permanent, and the House and Senate have been holding hearings in preparation for votes that are expected this June and July.

The Patriot Act doesn?t have to be a fact of life. We have an opportunity to stop Congress from expanding government surveillance and removing proper checks and balances.

Take action today at: http://action.aclu.org/patriotactsunsets

Go to our website blog at www.aclu-nm-blog.org for New Mexico specific Patriot Act fact sheets.

Together we can make a difference and help keep America safe and free.

Residents of New Mexico are represented in Congress by 2 Senators and 3 Representatives.

Member Name
DC Phone
DC FAX
Email

Senator Pete V. Domenici (R- NM)
202-224-6621
202-228-0900
http://domenici.senate.gov/resources/contactform.cfm

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D- NM)
202-224-5521
202-224-2852
senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov

Representative Heather A. Wilson (R – 01)
202-225-6316
202-225-4975
http://wilson.house.gov/Contact.asp

Representative Steve Pearce (R – 02)
202-225-2365
202-225-9599
http://www.house.gov/pearce/contact.shtml

Representative Thomas Udall (D – 03)
202-225-6190
202-226-1331
http://www.tomudall.house.gov/feedback.cfm?campaign=Udall&type=Helping%20You

Dump Duhbya

the Senate’s political math

Centrist Democrat a Test of GOP Hold By Charles Babington, Washington Post Staff Writer

As in recent elections, Democrats anxiously ponder the Senate’s political math, which does not favor them. The more Senate races tend to reflect presidential outcomes, the stronger it makes the GOP in the Senate. For example, Bush won 31 states last year. If Republicans hold all the Senate seats from those states, they will command the chamber 62 to 38, even if they lose their eight members from states that Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry won last November.

Last fall, Republicans won all five southern seats from which Democrats retired, and Democrats are desperate to reelect their incumbents in tough states next year. Topping the GOP’s target list are Nelson and Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, where Bush took 63 percent of the vote last fall, only slightly lower than his 66 percent majority in Nebraska. …

Republicans say they have outside chances of ousting Democratic Sens. Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) if they recruit the right challengers. Likewise, Democrats say they see vulnerability in Republican Sens. Mike DeWine (Ohio), Conrad Burns (Mont.) and James M. Talent (Mo.).

Mine

Shrinking Bargains are Stealth Price Increases

Around Christmas time 2004, my neighborhood Smith’s grocery put out displays of large Hershey’s candy bars. A table appeared by the entrance, the first thing one saw, covered with stacks of various bars, including my favorite bar with almonds. The price was 10 for $10. Why not just $1 each? They probably sell more the way they were priced — I know I bought more than I should (and loved every one).

I would call the marketing of these bars a little aggressive, with the front door placement and also because they appeared in several places around the store for weeks. Soon there were no more almond bars — hey, it wasn’t all my doing — and, after what seemed a long time, the big bars disappeared. I remember thinking Hershey must be dumping the bars and discontinuing them.

Yesterday, to my delight, they were back. Same prominent table by the door, same great price. It wasn’t until I got one home that I realized the nasty truth. The old bars were 6 ounces; these bars are only 5 ounces. Funny, they don’t say “now much smaller!” on the package. This is, in effect, a hidden 20% price increase. A sweet deal has become a sour rip-off. Nice going, Smith’s and Hershey. mjh

PS- As one would expect, the serving size has shrunk with the bar and, so too, the calories per serving (it costs more to eat healthier). Mysteriously, the calories from fat per serving have not declined. Are these even the same treat I’m now paying more for less? What next? “Now with fewer almonds!”

loco

just on too many radar screens politically = we’ll be back when folks are distracted

ABQjournal: Developers Drop Rezoning Effort; Mobile Home Park Stays Put for Now By Debra Dominguez, Journal Staff Writer

After forming a neighborhood association, holding several meetings and pleading to various public officials, Del Rey Mobile Home Park residents are calling it a victory.

Interstate Development Co. has decided to withdraw its application to rezone the residents’ 59-acre mobile home park into a 209-lot residential subdivision — at least for now, said William Nelson, a partner with the development company.

“The property was just on too many radar screens politically,” Nelson said. “Too many city councilors and legislators were aware of the issue and involved.

“I’m not sure I would have gotten what I wanted right now if I pursued rezoning the property …” Nelson said. “But I’m still considering and planning on buying the property and will probably rezone it later when I’m sure it won’t be a mission impossible.”

About 400 park households would have been forced to move their mobile homes in August if the rezoning application were approved by the Environmental Planning Commission later this month.

Congratulations to the residents of Del Rey Mobile Home Park. They proved that people can stand up to corporations and save their homes. They need to remember this victory may be temporary. mjh

loco

Profits vs Living

ABQjournal: Firms Seek Revision In Living Wage By Laura Banish, Journal Staff Writer

Hundreds of people in Santa Fe County could lose their home health care services because of the city of Santa Fe’s “living wage” ordinance, according to two local home health care providers who are asking the city for an exemption to the city-mandated minimum wage.

Businesses with 25 or more employees must pay workers at least $8.50 per hour. The only exemption is nonprofit organizations whose primary source of funds comes from Medicaid waivers.

The two home health care providers, which are for-profit businesses, would like to see the word “nonprofit” struck from the ordinance so the exemption includes all businesses that receive their primary source of funds from Medicaid. The two companies say for-profit providers account for 90 percent of home health care services in Santa Fe County.

Representatives from Heritage Home Healthcare and Professional Home Health Care said they are losing between 7 cents and 39 cents per hour at the living wage hourly rate of $8.50 and will lose between $1.43 and $1.69 per hour once the living wage rate rises to $9.50 per hour in January 2006.

Heritage Home Healthcare president Lee Trainor told the city Finance Committee on Tuesday that he is ready to tell the state in August that his company will no longer be able to provide home health care services such as bathing and food preparation to roughly 200 patients if the exemption is not approved.

“We’ve been busting our butts to keep these patients cared for so they can continue living in their homes, but we just can’t continue to do it if something doesn’t give,” Trainor said later.

Professional Home Health Care director of operations Kevin Enslin said his company would also have to discontinue home care services to a similar number of people. His company anticipates losing $67,600 per month once the living wage increases in 2006.

I have two thoughts on this. First, isn’t a willingness to bathe a strange worth more than $6 per hour? Don’t these workers deserve a living wage?

Second, how the hell are these two companies making a profit now if they will lose so much money through the increase — are they that unprofitable already?

By 2006, PHHC expects to lose $67,600 per month. That’s an impressive figure. But it means nothing without some indication of their other costs and their actual net. Sure, as the owner or stockholder in that company, I don’t want to lose any money. But, should the owner and stockholders prosper if they cannot pay people a fair wage? And “fair” is not defined as it so often has been by what you can get away with paying. Fair means people who work for you can actually live on what you pay them. mjh