DAILY LOBO new mexico
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The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
wednesday October 10, 2012
Coffee with a Kennedy by Elizabeth Cleary
editorinchief@dailylobo.com @elizcleary In the United States, the Kennedys are revered as some of the most powerful political actors in modern history, but Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy Jr. said he rarely gets recognized in public. Kennedy attracted no attention from the morning crowd at the Satellite Coffee on Central Avenue and Harvard Drive on Tuesday. The 51-year-old, who embodies his family archetype in both looks and cadence, introduced himself as “Ted” to reporters and had two Obama campaign staffers with him but neither security nor bodyguards. The businessman and long-standing advocate for people with disabilities is in New Mexico for a few days campaigning for the president and promoting early voting. Ted, who
by Alexandra Swanberg news@dailylobo.com @alexSwanberg
Last week’s installment of the 2012 Election Voter Guide featured two out of 16 opposing candidates
comes from a distinguished line of diehard Democrats, will make appearances in Santa Fe and Española, and spoke fondly of New Mexico and the people he’s met here on past visits. “I think my family has always been really welcomed by the people of New Mexico, and one of the reasons I was excited about coming here is a lot of the friendship that people have shown,” he said. Kennedy is the son of Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy Sr., who died in 2009. Kennedy was a child when his uncles, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, were assassinated in 1963 and 1968, respectively. The Kennedy family timeline is rife with stories of untimely death, “proof” of the socalled “Kennedy Family Curse.” And when Kennedy was 12, he lost his leg to cancer. On Thursday, The Daily Lobo published an article about UNM’s
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Adria Malcolm / @adriamalcolm / Daily Lobo Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy Jr. laughs with a reporter during an interview at Satellite Coffee on Central Avenue and Harvard Drive on Tuesday morning. The 51-year-old son of the late Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy is in New Mexico campaigning for the reelection of President Obama.
2012 ELECTION VOTER GUIDE for state senator. This week’s guide features six state senate candidates, running for districts 10, 17 and 21. Next week’s installment will include the remaining candidates for state senator.
Incumbent Sen. John Christopher Ryan (R-10) Republican candidate for state Senate, district 10 Ryan does not have a public Facebook page or a campaign website. 1020 Salamanca St. N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87107, (505) 343-1400 Ryan has served as state senator since 2005. Of the 88 bills Ryan has sponsored or co-sponsored, 16 passed. One bill he sponsored in 2010, “Encourage Bicycle Riding and ‘Complete Streets,’” responded to health and environmental issues in the state. According to its final wording, more than half of New Mexicans were overweight and about 80 percent of the state’s population owned registered vehicles. To encourage New Mexicans to improve their health and transport themselves in an environmentally responsible way, the legislation proposed participating in “Complete Streets,” a national movement dedicated to ensuring that transportation planners and engineers consistently
struggle to secure funding to increase on-campus accessibility. Kennedy said accessibility at universities is crucial to ensure people with disabilities are able to contribute to society. “If people can’t get an education, they’re just going to sit, and they’re not going to be productive members of society,” he said. Kennedy has been campaigning for President Obama’s re-election since Labor Day and was careful not to let the conversation stray too far off topic during Tuesday’s interview. He stressed the importance of the student vote in this year’s elections, and said lowering the unemployment and student loan rates are two of Obama’s primary goals. “(President Obama) has ended the abuses of the student loan industry, and taken that money and put it into Pell grants, which I think
design and operate roadways with all users, including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, in mind. View the final wording at ow.ly/ ehavy. In August 2011, Sen. Ryan showed his support for the high-wage tax credit that Gov. Susana Martinez added to the September 2011 special legislative session agenda. The high-wage tax credit came into effect in 2004 and allowed employers to claim a tax exemption according to the wages and benefits of their high-wage employees. The language needed to be clarified, as the IRS discovered a loophole in 2010 that excluded some employee benefits from the calculation, according to the
press release from Martinez’s office on the matter. “We simply cannot afford to lose the high-wage tax credit as we know it. Companies like Hewlett Packard rely on this tool to provide permanent, well-paying jobs to New Mexicans,” Ryan said. “We must make sure that it remains in place so these companies have the stability they need to thrive.” View the press release at ow.ly/ eh9cL. Another piece he sponsored that passed was “Albuquerque Public Schools Audit,” introduced in the 2007 legislative session. The final wording indicates that APS hired four superintendents between 1997 and 2007, all receiving more than $100,000 in salaries plus benefits. However, the district did not report an increase in administration subfund expenditures, the designated funding source for the new superintendents. The legislation called for an audit to make sure APS was reporting its costs in the right categories, and to see how much of the district’s budget went to support services functions such as general administration and operation and maintenance. View the final wording at ow.ly/ehabW. View Ryan’s voting record at ow.ly/ei0HX.
Former Sen. Joseph Carraro (R-23) Independent candidate for state Senate, district 10 Facebook.com/pages/Senator-Joe-Carraro/283447315089981, SenatorCarraro.com, 10216 Carraro Place N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87114 ,(505) 898-9369 Carraro served as a state senator from 1985 to 1988 and from 1993 to 2008. From 1996 to 2008, Carraro sponsored or co-sponsored 299 bills, 12 of which passed. NMLegis.gov lists only the legislation he sponsored since 1996. One piece he sponsored in 2005 that passed was “Iraq Oil Production and War Costs.” The final wording, which was to be sent to then-President Bush, asked that Bush “request the Iraqi parliament to increase oil production in the country of Iraq and to use the revenue generated to reimburse the United States for costs associated with the war.” It cites as justification that the war in Iraq was, at the time, the most expensive military effort in the past 60 years and cost about $5.6 billion per month. It also states that at that point, the United States had spent $2 billion rebuilding Iraq’s oil industry. View the final wording at ow.ly/ehb7g.
Incumbent Sen. Timothy Keller (D-17) Democratic candidate for state Senate, district 17 TimKellerForNewMexico.com, 11023 Vistazo Place S.E., Albuquerque, NM 87123, (505) 332-9441 Keller has served as state senator In 2009, Keller sponsored legissince 2009. Of the 119 bills Keller has lation that requests a team be apsponsored or co-sponsored during pointed to discover renewable enhis term, 19 passed. ergy zones in the state. The team One of the bills he sponsored would recommend zones that in 2011 that passed was the “Film “have potential to support indusProduction Tax Credit.” This al- try development among renewlowed film companies to receive a able energy developers,” and find 25 percent tax credit on applicable “the best viable options for potenproduction expenses, with a few tial transmissions corridors” so exceptions. the renewable energy can be exView the final wording at ported from New Mexico, accordow.ly/eiadE. ing to the final wording.
Albuquerque boundary Rio Rancho boundary Corrales boundary Los Ranchos boundary District 10 District 21 District 17
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View the final wording at ow.ly/elsX3. Keller sponsored an act that officially recognized the International District as such, rather than “the war zone.” The act was in response to input from “hundreds of residents, business operators and local officials” who unanimously decided to create awareness of and leverage the area’s positive image. View the final wording at ow.ly/eib3o. View Keller’s voting record at ow.ly/elwet.
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In 1999, Carraro sponsored “New Mexico and Venezuela Country Compact,” which invited Venezuela to enter a compact of “shared endeavors” and to “create closer ties” between New Mexico and Venezuela. The final wording cites mutual interest between the two governments, including agriculture, economics, energy and social policy, and similar interests with their oil and gas industries. Because of these ties, it states that shared technologies would be mutually beneficial. As the legislation indicates, Carraro was a member of the executive committee for the National Energy Council at the time. Along with then-chairperson for the NEC Manny Aragon, Carraro developed a close working relationship with the Venezuelan government through the NEC. View the final wording at ow.ly/ehcxO. View Carraro’s voting record at ow.ly/ehYsY.
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