Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Back to Work

I was gone for a little more than a week, but I'm back in the saddle again.

It appears that I didn't miss that much while I was gone.

No huge scandals broke. Nobody new announced they were running for governor.

But here's a few tidbits to ponder.

* The Nation, a national progressive publication, did a glowing piece on U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich.


Heinrich, aged 41, isn’t typical Senatorial material. In a Congress whose members have an average net worth of almost one million dollars, according to an article published in U.S. News and World Report in January, New Mexico’s junior senator, who was the first member of his family to attend college, has a net worth of a little over $50,000, making him the fifth-poorest Senator on the Hill.


The article also points out that Heinrich is the third youngest member of the Senate.

* Common Cause New Mexico is working on a report on lobbying in the state legislature. The full report is due in July, but this week the organization released figures on the total amount that lobbyists and their employers spent to "influence, entertain and feed New Mexico legislators" was $488,296.74.

Former state Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, who is one of the people working on the Common Cause report has more on her blog.

* The state Republican Party seems nervous about Sen. Tim Keller, who hasn't announced he's running for governor, but isn't discouraging his supporters from making noises about a possible run.

This video identifies Keller as an "extreme left-wing radical."



This could get fun. New Mexico Watchdog has more.