Above photo: Reflecting on Current Affairs (Source: AP)
Weather Check for the Week Ahead:
Sunday, Jan. 21 - Dateline: Albuquerque
The second annual Women's March, celebrated around the world this past Saturday and Sunday, was a clarion call for cultural and political change. In Albuquerque, the day of the March was switched to Sunday, to avoid a conflict with Saturday's ProgressNowNM 2nd Annual Summit - which too included an agenda of speakers pushing for positive change.
It is interesting to note that it is the Progressives and NM Democrats who appear to be the voices of change, amidst an eerily quiet GOP presence. As the poorest state in the Union, with the highest rate of children living in poverty, and the worst schools in the US, with 471,000 New Mexicans depending on SNAP, and a vibrant DREAMER and Immigrant community - it's surpriising that we, as a State, cannot join together to support issues of common interest, protect our communities, and have all our voices heard at the close of a year, described by one speaker at the Sunday Women's March as "a long year of deception, immorality and cruelty." Regardless of our political affiliation, can't we be united in our denunciation of policies that harm the poorest and most vulnerable of our fellow citizens?
Neither party is without blame, so this isn't meant as a partisan comment. Together we are BETTER. And I think that is the message, above the noise and distraction of Beltway politcs, that our new mayor and first lady are doing their best to broadcast. To that end, the Mayor's Transition Team has scheduled a TRANSITION CAPSTONE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENT for Saturday, February 3rd, from 1pm - 5pm at the Convention Center.
"The purpose of the event is to engage our community in solution-oriented dialogue to address the issues that our city faces, including crime, environmental issues, job creation, and access to educational opportunities. We want to prioritize solutions that city government can implement. In other words, if an issue involves state, federal, or other local government engagement—including City Council—we want to ensure that those discussions are happening at the appropriate level of government."
Space is limited, so please RSVP by Monday, January 22nd by providing your name and “RSVP” in the SUBJECT LINE using the email link below.
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"Close your eyes and imagine April 1, 2019––bills that have died in committee for years are suddenly law: the Health Security Act, a predatory lending bill capping lending rates at 36%, a significant funding increase for K-12 education,etc."
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE
Moving beyond the city limits, year old retakeourdemocracy.org has launched a new initiative to facilitate the passage of bills at the Roundhouse that get stuck in committee, vetoed by the governor in spite of wide bipartisan support. This new initiative was kicked off at the ProgressNowNM Summit on Saturday. For details and to participate in a statewide survey, so that important issues can be prioritized by We, the People, please check out the following links:
It is time for good bills to become laws in NM
Voice your NM legislative Priorities for 2019- Start Here
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Save the Date
This Saturday, January 27th - Soup's On!
PURCHASE TIX HERE at RRFB Website
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Mark your calendars and GET YOUR Tickets Here - one of our great local events!
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This Week's Movie Suggestion
Released 9 mos after Spielberg was handed the script,read the backstory here.
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What's for Dinner?
SIZZLED FIVE-SPICE SHRIMP in 45 minutes - CLICK HERE for recipe
Easy and impressive, bright and spicy - what's not to like?
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When Diamond's Aren't a Girl's Best Friend - this week's Warm Puppy
Famous Amos - pictured here with his human, the Field Director for CD1 candidate Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, Amos is a political animal.
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Parting Shot
Philadelphia on Saturday - my kind of town