voting machines and health care reform

From the New Mexico Independent this morning:

New Mexico elections officials voice dissatisfaction over voting equipment:

SANTA FE – New Mexico spent $18 million on a new paper ballot system just three years ago.

But state and county elections officials are so frustrated with the cost of maintaining New Mexico’s fleet of new voting tabulators and voting machines for the disabled that they’re considering scrapping the equipment in favor of leasing new machines.

The stories are no longer online, but a couple of years ago, I wrote two stories for the Santa Fe Reporter about problems with ES&S. County elections staff were complaining about maintenance problems with the machines, as well as costs, voting watchdogs were pointing out problems and irregularities with the machines--and state elections officials (as well as folks from Santa Fe County) insisted the machines were fine, that people were making a big deal out of nothing.

Now, as Trip Jennings points out, $18 million later, the state is now looking at switching to a new company, Premier.

And just in case you missed Donna Smith's piece on Common Dreams the other day, I thought I'd drop in a note about the health care debate. Smith is a community organizer for the California Nurses Association. This is what she had to say about New Mexico's senior senator:

But the other Senators on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee didn't want to support the amendment to the health reform legislation. Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico was perhaps the most vocal in his opposition to the state single payer enabling amendment as he argued that he felt those Americans happy with their coverage through private or some of the public plans would not want to face a change to a single payer system.

Sen. Sanders offered clarification that answered the concern, but Sen. Bingaman did not budge. That made me mildly sad, though didn't surprise me. Many people in New Mexico have been working on a state healthcare reform bill that would allow citizens of the state to pool together to "self insure" in their single payer system. It is an innovative and interesting answer to a crisis that looms as large in Santa Fe and Albuquerque as it does anywhere else in the nation.

She adds this later in her piece:

I wonder how many more dead New Mexicans will be required before those losses are felt in Washington, DC. And how many more Californians dead? New Yorkers? How about closed recreation centers and unfilled pot holes and underfunded schools?

You can read the entire commentary here: Four Voices in the Senate for Healthcare Justice.

Remembering Church Rock

Thirty years ago today, 90 million gallons of radioactive waste spilled from behind a tailings pond and poured down the Rio Puerco. It was the largest scale release of radioactive waste in the United States, and people today still live with the effects of that huge mess. Never heard about it? That's probably because it occured on the Navajo reservation.

You can read a piece on Daily Kos here, and in the Gallup Independent here.

UPDATE: And more here from the Southwest Information and Research Center.

wolves in the wild

For a few months now, I've had wolves on the brain. Here's the beginning of one of the stories I've been working on:

By all rights, he should have been executed; it was his fourth killing within a year.

But in June, federal officials gave a male wolf a rare reprieve.

In Catron County’s Canyon del Buey—outside the town of Aragon—Alpha Male 1114, a Mexican gray wolf, had killed and eaten a calf. His mate, Alpha Female 903, was likely involved as well.

Under the Mexican gray wolf reintroduction project’s current rules—which include a three-strikes-you’re-out rule for cattle-killing lobos—such a transgression is punishable by death.

You can read the rest of the story over at the Santa Fe Reporter's website.

By the way, there is a mistake in the story that is 100 percent my fault: Wolves were extirpated by the middle of the 20th century, not the nineteenth.

climate change and biology

There's an interesting story in today's Miller-McCune Magazine about how scientists are for the first time incorporating biology into their climate models.

Here's an excerpt; read the whole thing here.

For the first time, researchers at the premier climate-modeling institute in the United States are explicitly incorporating the complexities of marine life into their computer simulations. The first of these next-generation models was initiated last month, and while final data won't be available until next year, their approach is already promising the most accurate climate simulations ever. More accurate climate models will help to inform and guide world leaders, policy makers and everyday people who seek to avoid potentially irreversible harm to the planet due to climate change caused by mankind. Understanding why — and why it took so long - to incorporate biology into climate models means taking a closer look not just at the computers but at the microscopic life of the oceans.

"coming collapse of civilisation"--and my pet peeve with calling for an Apollo project

There is a story in yesterday's Guardian (h/t ESG) about the forthcoming report from Unesco, the World Bank, the US army and the Rockefeller Foundation about climate change and the coming collapse of civilization.

Here's the beginning of the story:

An effort on the scale of the Apollo mission that sent men to the Moon is needed if humanity is to have a fighting chance of surviving the ravages of climate change. The stakes are high, as, without sustainable growth, "billions of people will be condemned to poverty and much of civilisation will collapse".

And here's an excerpt:

The impact of the global recession is a key theme, with researchers warning that global clean energy, food availability, poverty and the growth of democracy around the world are at "risk of getting worse due to the recession". The report adds: "Too many greedy and deceitful decisions led to a world recession and demonstrated the international interdependence of economics and ethics."

As an aside...on the Apollo project analogy: I realize that environmentalists love to use that phrase because it's evocative. But really? I wouldn't call the space program all that great a success--or a particularly great use of gabillions of dollars. So, I wish we could all move beyond the whole Apollo project thing and recognize that dealing with a changing planet is actually a way bigger deal than blasting off to the moon.

Inspiring change?

So, I know the questions are supposed to come from Dr. P. but I've really enjoyed reading all of your comments...And I'm curious what you all think about a few different things:

Does the knowledge of how we're affecting the planet (in adverse ways) actually lead to changes in behavior? Do you all think that individual humans will change their behavior as they (we) learn about what we're doing -- Will you? Have you?

A few years ago, I was at the drought summit in Albuquerque and there was a water manager or someone like that from Las Vegas, Nevada. He spoke about the importance of municipal programs and controls. He used the example of car washes. You can tell people not to wash their cars at home--you know, don't leave the hose running, don't wash on these days, etc.--but most likely, folks will do it anyway (It's that sort of mentality that leads each of us to think that our little impacts aren't that big and helps us each avoid thinking about the cumulative impacts).

His point was that rather than shut down all the car washes in town, it is more effective for the city to instead make sure that the car washes are conserving water as best they can. As long as they can, people are going to sneak a wash at home. (There's also the issue of enforcement; it's a lot easier to monitor what's going on at a number of businesses, rather than trying to police an entire city of residents.)

So what do you all think--Can we individuals restrain ourselves and act responsibly, or do we need controls enforced upon us?

Also, in terms of becoming educated on environmental issues, and how we are affecting the planet and future generations of humans, what are the most effective means of education you've experienced? What has influenced you to think more critically about these issues? (For example: Newspaper articles, documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth, internet vidoes such as The Story of Stuff, education in schools or among peers, or other things altogether.)

PS. You don't have to be a student to answer these questions, by the way.

Mt Taylor fight turns violent?

There was a story in a recent issue of the Cibola Beacon about something so sad that I'm actually writing with tears in my eyes right now (and no, I'm not ashamed to admit that.) Here's an excerpt:

Five Native American men reported severe beatings between June 9 and June 18, according to Grants Police Department reports. Another known beating was not reported by the victim and details are unknown, except that it follows a similar pattern to the other racial violence.

Shawn Longoria, 22, has been charged with six counts of aggravated battery, third degree felony charges; robbery and aggravated burglary, both second-degree felony charges. He could face up to 36 years imprisonment and up to $50,000 in fines.

Officers said they have other suspects in the case and expect to make more arrests by the end of this week.

“We made a report to the FBI for hate crimes,” said GPD Detective Kevin Dobbs, “and they'll get back to us.”

According to reports, an anonymous caller told officers that Longoria was boasting of “beating up the men because the Native Americans had got Mount Taylor and now they owned him.”

As a former tribal consultant--as well as someone who just finished reporting the Mt Taylor story for the August issue of New Mexico Magazine--I can assure everyone out there that the designation of Mount Taylor as a traditional cultural property does not mean that development is halted nor that people can't visit the area. That's complete and utter bullshit.

Longorio is innocent until proven otherwise--and the cases are all still under investigation--so I'm not going to jump yet to conclusions or judgments, but if it's true that someone would justify violence by citing protection of a sacred mountain, that honestly makes me unbelievably sad.

Read the entire Cibola Beacon story here.

"a nation of consumers"--all right, students get to work

Today marks the start of something new (and hopefully really wonderful). Sociology students of Suzanne Prescott's will post comments as part of their coursework.

They are currently watching The Story of Stuff about consumerism in America. If you haven't seen this video, subtitled, "How to Blow That Paycheck Fast" check it out here.

In the back of mind, I'm always vaguely aware of how wasteful we Americans are (as I type away on my new computer...) but it's still shocking to hear how much we consume and waste in comparison with people living in other counties. Sitting on the far end of a holiday weekend, I'm also wondering today why we spend so much time and energy working, working working--to the detriment of our health, our families and our communities--just so we can buy more stuff.

I'm really interested to hear what students--and others--have to say about the issue of consumerism and waste. What new did you learn? Do you feel compelled in any way to change your personal consumer habits? Moreover, how carefully do we think about our purchases--not just in terms of need (or rather, desire) and cost--but in terms of how it was produced, where the raw materials came from, how workers were treated and under what conditions they toiled and what happens to the product when we inevitably toss it in the trash can a few years down the road?

I'm also curious about what students think about finding solutions to the problem. Obviously, this tale of American "quality of life" isn't going to last forever, not only because our real incomes are shrinking (so consumers aren't going to be able to carry this economy forever) but also because we're going to deplete our natural resources if we keep consuming this way. So what are some of the personal steps we can each take to reduce this emotional reliance on consumerism? And what do we as a society need to do?

Along with that video, Prescott's students are reading this piece from Dr. John Fogerty in the New Mexico Independent, titled, Polluters are pushing for their own massive bailout.

All right, let's get talking...

Wash Post sells out. Literally.

As someone who loves to read--and has a fierce obsession with democracy--what is happening to the media landscape makes me unbelievably sad.

As someone who makes a living writing, what's happening makes me worry late at night.

Reading this story in Politico this morning makes me feel enraged.

Here's an excerpt, but you need to read the whole thing to believe it:

For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post has offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record, nonconfrontational access to "those powerful few": Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and — at first — even the paper’s own reporters and editors.

The astonishing offer was detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter because the lobbyist said he felt it was a conflict for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its “health care reporting and editorial staff."

With the newsroom in an uproar after POLITICO reported the solicitation, Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli said this morning that he was "appalled" by the plan and said the newsroom will not participate.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24441.html#ixzz0K7XPq5HU&D

Note to the mainstream media/print newspapers: Don't blame your downfall on the Internet and bloggers. It's shite like this that makes you fail as an institution. Shame.

I anxiously await an update to the story, which promises to include comment from folks at the Post.

UPDATE: here's an update from Politico, which includes a memo from Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli.

UPDATE 2: From the Post itself: Publisher cancels policy dinners. And that's why newspapers should spend less money on their marketing staff and more money on their reporters and photographers. How about a business model that focused on funding investigative projects, paying reporters a living wage, having on-staff photographers and just doing great work? If newspapers consistently put out quality products--instead of investing in stupid ideas like this one--maybe they wouldn't be disappearing.

incredibly cool website, plus a funny local food video

Today is supposed to be a no-goofing-off-on-the-Internet day...So, a quick interlude only.

First up, definitely check out this really amazing website: It's the New Mexico Humanity Council's Atlas of New Mexico Maps. I love it.

And if you haven't seen episode #1 of the The Hungry Intern, check it out on the High Country News website. It's really funny--and you'll learn something along the way, too. I'm biased, having worked with about ten sets of HCN interns, but they're among the smartest, most interesting people in the West. (And thank heavens they come to Paonia throughout the year and shake things up around town.)

Tuesday pm reading

A few quick links toward the end of a busy day:

Now, Exelon Corporation has decided not to build its nuclear power plant in Texas as planned.

Also, check out this interesting story in the New York Times about ancient migration patterns in the Southwest.

And there are three stories worth reading through and through in Miller-McCune, one on touring the contaminated Hanford reservation in Washington, another on why the media isn't linking wildfires and climate change and a third from Craig Childs on seeking quiet in our loud world.

Arizona hosts nine of the EPA's 44 "high hazard potential" coal ash ponds

Remember that coal ash disaster in Tennessee about six months ago?

Today the EPA finally released a list of coal ash ponds nationwide that are ranked with "high hazard potential." There are 44 on the list. There aren't any in New Mexico, but Arizona hosts nine of the 44 hazardous sites.

These include six in Cochise and two in Joseph City:

Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Ash Pond 4	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Ash Pond 1	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Ash Pond 3	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Scrubber Pond 2	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Scrubber Pond 1	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Evaporation 1	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc	Apache Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility	Ash Pond 2	Cochise, AZ
Arizona Public Service Co	Cholla	Bottom Ash Pond	Joseph City AZ
Arizona Public Service Co	Cholla	Fly Ash Pond	Joseph City AZ

To see the entire list, visit the EPA site.