HEAT

January 2009

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The LIHEAP program helps low income families pay heating or cooling costs with a once-a-year benefit. The benefit can be used to help pay gas; electric; or bulk fuels, such as propane, firewood or wood pellet bills. This year’s average benefit per family is $309. A family of three earning up to $26,400 can qualify for this program. There are 65,960 families participating in this program. (From a New Mexico Human Services publication entitled "Human Services Department is Prepared to Help New Mexicans During Difficult Economic Times."

For about $2000 a homeowner can dramatically reduce their heating bills by installing a solar-powered heat collector on their roof or the south side of their dwelling. The annual savings would likely be more than a LIHEAP allocation (50-75% of fuel costs, more in sunny locations). This would be a great starting place to use solar power in your home if you live in a state where there are sunny days in winter. Obama’s Recovery program SHOULD get behind this.

My HOT PROPOSAL is that homeowners on fixed limited incomes, perhaps not quite a low as LIHEAP demands, should be allocated very low interest loans to install these charming recirculating air collectors on their homes. I have it on good authority that with these air collectors on your roof or a south-facing wall you won’t need other heat from 9 am til perhaps 7pm in a home that is properly insulated, and that the technology is simple and low to no maintenance. These collectors don’t even need power to help circulate the air, a small solar panel is all that is needed to run a fan. They even provide heat when there is a power outage as long as there is partial sun on the panel.

In New Mexico, where the percentage of "poor" folks who own their own homes is higher than many states (48% of "poor children" live in owner occupied housing in New Mexico, as opposed to 34% in Maryland) , this proposal is particularly relevant, especially since earned income figures are much lower in this state than the national average.

A contractor I interviewed recently to get quotes on a number of minor renovations for my home testified that his home, where the previous homeowner had spent substantial money on solar devices, has these “air-to-air” heat collectors. The other systems, water heating solar devices, have been abandoned because of leakage. But the air-to-air devices work like a charm. He says he pays $140 per year to heat a 2000+ square foot home. This really prompted my interest!

People on fixed incomes, as huge proportion of our population will be with the “retirement” of the baby boomers, need to utilize every option to reduce fixed expenses. If we were given encouragement, and tax rebates won’t do it because we have so little taxable income in the first place, we would be the pioneers in adopting solar power in our homes. A fundamental truth about technological innovation is that the MORE folks who get on board, the more bang for the buck. We have all watched the declining price of personal computers.

The benefits of moving away from everyday use of our scarce non-replenishable natural resources, and particularly petroleum and coal combustion with its nefarious impact on our environment (natural, social and political), are so vast as to be incalculable. This piece of the puzzle is virtually “shovel ready.” Let’s provide the means to implement it now!!!

Let’s also enact legislative changes to all federal, city and state subsidies towards the construction of new housing to ensure that effective and economical solar heat collectors are part of the development package. This proposal we might want to enforce a few years out from the loans I mention above. We need to allow time for the manufacturing segment to catch up, because to date there are only a handful of companies manufacturing these devices and the larger population doesn’t even have a clue that this alternative exists.

If you are among them, I urge you to visit this website. After much research it’s the most informative site I’ve found. http://home.att.net/~cleardomesolar/BISFAheatingpanels.html

I encourage my readers to forward this blog to their local and federal legislators. Let’s stop throwing good money after bad by our expenditures on LIHEAP. Let’s move on to a more rational use of our resources. And, let’s STAY WARM!

Synergy

Forward Thinking for Boomers and the Disabled:
Job Share for the Public Sector

Synergy means creating energy by bringing together a new paradigm by combining action or functioning of energy. In brief, it’s a useful way to look for tools for change.

We know that this country needs change. And our minds return to the same old ruts when searching for the mechanisms to accomplish that change, particularly the minds of the folks who enact most of our legislation. If you don’t believe me, just try reading the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/arra_public_review/. Most of the proposals are couched in terms that reference previous legislation; governmental shorthand that demands such expertise that one has to wonder how the legislators knew what they were voting for.

We, as ordinary citizens, have to figure that our elected officials were just trying to give our President some tools to craft change in our country, as quickly as they could because of the urgency of the need.

As a simple-minded member of this citizenry, I worry. And while there are many things one could worry about, I choose to be simple minded and worry about my own interests, because I feel they are representative of a segment of concerns that are not being met. My concerns and the synergist approach I have developed to create a personal and a segmental solution for economic survival and benefit to the nation may constitute just a small piece of the jigsaw puzzle of how to reassemble this country and I want them heard and addressed.

I believe that my ideas are important keys to solving some of the problems we as a nation seem to grapple with only in the privacy of our homes, with dread, in our sleepless nights. I am searching for others who see these problems and are interested in the solutions I am proposing because THIS IS THE TIME to get these issues on the table, before the opportunity presented by the ARRA is lost.

So I welcome all response to this blog, whether private (live.wire2@comcast.net) or public.

I read with great interest an article in the Washington Post published this day, March 3, 2009, “Many Hires Needed for Budget Goals.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/02/AR2009030202935.html?wpisrc=newsletter

My thoughts as I read this article were simple:“What about me?”

More and more today the aging and disabled population needs to work, and would relish viable part-time employment. The nation needs us too. Many thought they had enough salted away, or enough forthcoming in pensions to retire comfortably and find that these funds have vanished. Others are still working full time into their seventies.

For many of us, a part time job would make a huge difference. Our society regards us as a “burden,” when many of us would leap at the opportunity to be useful, and have years of expertise to contribute in just those areas where workers are overwhelmed by low pay and staggering workloads, like teaching and social services. If only someone would agitate to make a portion of those jobs part-time! Then they could be filled by people who find it physically overwhelming to work a full day, but who would come to their jobs with a sense of gratitude and the desire to serve.

It would not be too hard to find a mechanism to reserve a portion of the new need for governmental workers this segment of the population. Our numbers are known: relative to the larger population and by income levels. We count. We have skills. We even have medical insurance. Nonetheless, we find it a tremendous challenge to find the part-time employment that would fulfill the yearning we have to be useful and create the small piece of income we need to survive with greater choices.

There is such a crying need skilled service workers of every stripe–particularly in today’s economy. But there is no one negotiating on behalf of a solution.

Personally, I have been searching for year-round stable part time employment for 3 years. The best solution I have been able to patch together is seasonal and fragmented and doesn’t allow me to use my skills in a consistent fashion. I am always worrying about the next job. During the last year I have worked as a tutor in the public schools, a great job for my tutees, and me but only funded for 23 hours per student per year. I have also scored “No Child Left Behind” tests –even though this work is also seasonal and the only option for part of the season is to work full-time, which depletes my small fund of “ticket to work” months. I have no comment about the nature of this work other than to say I would not do it if I had other options. Next, I registered 500 voters for Acorn at minimum wage. I could only do this because most of the time I could sit, and I could stop when my pain made me cross. I only did this because in order to work for the most dynamic Presidential campaign of my lifetime I needed to have financial support, minimal though it was. Next, I worked for the Board of Elections for a month and a half, until the full-time plus workload shot me down. Then, in November, I resumed work as a tutor. Put plainly, while I performed valuable service and learned a lot, this scatter-brained approach to obtaining some semblance of economic survival really sucks! Do you hear me???

Please join me or help me find allies in bringing this idea to the attention of the pertinent state and federal legislators and agency administrators. The need of the boomers and the disabled (who are not infrequently the same population) for part-time employment has, in my view great potential as an untapped source of public sector skills.

Counting to Three

Yes, I know it’s been a while since I had anything to say in this space. I offer no excuses. I haven’t been ill, far from it: just listening, and digesting, thinking about what I see and what I want to see on the new political landscape. Now I find I do have something to say.

I am a boomer and disabled. These two facts are very pertinent to my perspective. I know I am not alone in facing our current economic challenges and I know that “I COUNT!”

I also like to think of myself as a person who, as my dear sister wrote in her revision of my current resume, has “a broad perspective, with knowledge of community resources.”

I have skills and life experience that marks me as a survivor and a peaceful warrior. I know “more than the average bear” about such things as health care, disability, welfare, bankruptcy, divorce, single parenthood, the struggles of people with AIDS and veterans with PTSD, the impact of war on young and old and civilian populations, and what it is like to live in a country that is radically different from ours and deeply impoverished. I have engaged the “system” head on most of my 61 years with my eyes wide open, on my own behalf and for others I have encountered along the way. My mind, as yet, refuses to blink.

My deepest desire is participate meaningfully in the rest of my journey.

Every morning at five my bedside radio wakes me up with NPR news. My typical week at present finds me tutoring public school children, trying to joggle my next month’s budget, and providing a free taxi service to a friend who otherwise wouldn’t be able to keep to a minimum wage job at a fast food venue. I have searched and searched for a permanent part time job that will supplement my disability income. The best I have come up with is a series of short-term jobs that somehow manage to pull the ends together – just by the hair of my chinny chin chin. I realize I am one of the “lucky ones!”

I also realize that there is a looming shortfall of “experienced” workers, as boomers retire, and that increasing numbers of my age mates are finding themselves underutilized and unable to keep up with the cost of living. Some of us, like my sister and her husband, are still working full time into their seventies. This is just a little silly for most of us, not to mention frightening, debilitating, and just plain unsustainable. Our senior population should be valued for what they are able to contribute, and should be able to live with a modicum of security, not abused and misused and abandoned to cope with ever increasing costs, some of which have been “fostered” by our own government.

We are hearing a lot these days about “smart” policy. We need to take another look at what “smart retirement” might be. This need is urgent and creative thinking on the part of the Obama administration will serve them well and benefit the entire society. There is much more to “smart retirement” than financial planning, as multitudes are witnessing their plans go up in smoke.

Three Smart Policies

ONE: On an EMERGENCY level, we need to negotiate drug prices for Medicare. We have the clout, now we need the will. We even have a system in place to borrow from, the Veteran’s administration.

A study for seven Chicago-area Members of Congress, New Medicare Drug Plans Fail to Provide Meaningful Drug Price Discounts in Chicago (Feb. 2006) found that the cost paid for the ten drugs most commonly prescribed to Medicare beneficiaries under Part D was 79% higher than that paid under government negotiated prices. This is patently absurd.

The big scare that the pharmaceutical companies raise, that negotiated prices would lessen the monies they spend on research and development, is mostly a lot of bullpucky. Most scientific research is funded by government grants (e.g., from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, etc.), companies doing research and development, and non-profit foundations (e.g., the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, etc.). And the self-funding by the pharmaceutical companies tends towards bias, as we have seen repeatedly in recent years. We do not research the cheapest solutions.

This granny is a fond advocate of vinegar, garlic and fish oil. Not to mention subsidized exercise and time paid for “meditation” at work sites. But hey, negotiated drug prices are a mandatory first step.

TWO: A mandatory policy for job sharing. This is the wave of the future. Why not start now? Why not mandate that a percentage of any jobs created under the stimulus package be shared jobs, so that greater numbers and folks who find it impossible or extremely challenging to take a full-time job be allowed the security of a part-time stable employment?

I can think of a dozen or more jobs I could perform on a half-time basis. Under present policies they would be cheaper for my employer as well, since I am covered by a single payer health plan—Medicare. Personally, I have no doubt I would be more efficient and get more done than I did as a full-time employee, because I would have more time outside of employment to care for myself. And, if I were absent, my job would have a fallback person to cover essential services.

Since it seems we need less and less people to produce the same amount of goods, and more and more people to perform physically demanding (fast food/sales) and emotionally burdening (social services/medical delivery) service-related jobs, why not share the load? If we start with the folks who already have some income and medical care – like the people who receive social security or disability and Medicare, we are creating a viable pathway to future solutions for a younger, more able employment force.

“Shovels in the ground” doesn’t sound like it offers much future planning. Nor does it address my issues. Remember – I COUNT!

Almost anyone who, like myself, has a lifetime of experience in working in business, can rapidly fill an administrative/outreach position in education, medical care, or social services. We have had years of keeping our bosses and co-workers abreast of the functional aspects of our work. We are mature: we appreciate viable work.

So, it is with a certain measure of astonishment that I hear that the State of New Mexico is planning to hire twenty full-time emergency workers to try to cope with the fresh needs of an overburdened unemployment insurance system. Why not forty half timers?

I imagine it would be remarkably easy to determine what percentage of the population that is disabled could effectively perform shared jobs. Likewise, it should be relatively easy to determine what percentage of folks who are on social security and have no other means of income are able and willing to job-share. My proposal for Obama is that an appropriate percentage of government jobs created to service the stimulus package should be created as job shares.

Likewise, I was dismayed to hear that the Federal Aviation Agency hasn’t applied a solution such as this to the problem of the aging population of traffic controllers.

What are we waiting for?

THREE: Get out of the oil business. Manage natural resources so that we don’t commit global suicide (whether piecemeal or catastrophically). This is a more long-term goal, in fact a mission that will probably never cease. While my first two suggestions are not that difficult to accomplish, if we don’t work on this one, we might as well give up.

Petroleum is our present most pressing issue. The lowered gas prices of the past few months are a mirage and we know it. I am pleased to see many more pundits and members of the mainstream media talking “green.” And we need to put our money where our mouth is.

Endless war over increasingly scarce resources is NOT an acceptable solution even if we as Americans can manage to stay on top of the food chain.

Bearing in mind that we COUNT, and that numbers sway market forces and drive technology and invention, and that we will bear the brunt of being unable to keep up with rising utility costs, it would be SMART to help those who own homes and have limited incomes to re-organize their energy budget.

If I could afford it I would gladly pay for solar power or hot water on my home through a government subsidized low-interest rate loan and connection to the grid. Today, it seems like this idea may have shortcomings in itself. But I have no doubt that we have the technologically innovative ability to pull it off, if we put our best brains to work. Maybe we should recycle all those computer chips filling up landfills to make solar panels? Clearly, we DO need to think synergistically, because my experience with my own culture is that substitution will be much easier to achieve than using less power, having less mobility, or lowering our communication expectations. Not to mention the fact that we really do need to PRODUCE something.

Likewise, I don’t understand why there is a huge apartment complex going up a few blocks from my home in sunny New Mexico, with partial government subsidy, that has NO solar amenities.

We also need to resist development that does NOT plan for smart resource allocation. We need to evaluate future needs for fresh water, viable transportation and power systems to service planned population growth.Growth for growth’s sake, without proper constraints and safeguards is just not smart policy.

Let change honor all my relations!

Mitakuye Oyasin! Ho!

Two for the Road

When we first met, we toiled together in Industrial Academia. I am not sure how else to describe the regimented setting where we worked last spring scoring No Child Left Behind tests. Hundreds of persons privileged enough to have a bachelor's degree and poor enough, many because of disabilities or other systematic failures (like trying to live on teacher's salaries, or job loss and displacement and ageism combined with a spiralling cost of living) took on this temporary job in order to help make ends meet. I know I was not alone in serving this early 21st century experiment in quantitative measurement of a failing educational system in spite of deep reservations about the value of my work. My daughter, who has a penchant for redefining things in her own words--one wonders where she acquired this talent (grin)--calls Bush's grammar and spelling and creativity (did I mention handwriting?) don't count approach to leveling the educational playing field One Child Left Alone. But enough of this! I'm not 'spozed' to talk about this job according to non-disclosure rules. I'll leave you free to determine what that means for yourselves (applying duct tape).

It was a great place to meet like-minded people of my own age group in Albuquerque, and it wasn't long before I made friends with Ruth. After the job finished, we kept in touch. She was knocking on doors for Obama, I was registering voters for Acorn. As the convention loomed, we began working out a way to get to Denver to hear the acceptance speech. Just because it felt like an event we wanted to witness first hand. What a "wonderful adventure" it was, too!

Since we are both on fixed incomes, the first step was to wrangle a place to stay. I often say the Raging Grannies have my back and this was no exception. We were wonderfully hosted by Granny Natalie of Denver and her family. I signed up early for my ticket to the acceptance speech, but Ruth left for Denver without one. Fortunately, not everyone who signed up in advance claimed their tickets in Denver and we were able to get a pass for Ruth from the New Mexico delegation there.

It's difficult to pick and choose the best moments of this trip, there were so many "bests." Among them the fact that Ruth actually joined me. Two days before departure she called to say she regretted that she wouldn't be able to travel with me. Her elder sister was critically ill in Cleveland. Fifteen minutes later she called again, her sister had told her that is was more important that she go to the convention than hover around her sickbed! I was deeply touched by just how significant this candidate was to this family. So on Wednesday morning the 27th we loaded up my faithful "Purple" car and started on our mission. (Actually the car is an opalesque silver, but in the spirit of inspiring her to longevity, I always call it Purple.)

Google driving directions being somewhat obscure we ended up taking a 75 mile detour through beautiful country on the way. Doncha wish they would tell you what town you are in when you come to a critical turnoff??? We went west when we should have gone east. What else is new?

Stopping to get directions at a tiny Chevron station in a tiny town near Alamoso, NM, we spoke with the Hispanic owner manager. Told him our mission. He clarified our route and encouraged us by saying that he had watched both Michelle Obama's and Hillary's speeches and been really impressed. And, yes, I did say a Chevron station.

Ruth and I had both been concerned, in our political activities over the summer, that the Hispanic New Mexicans would help turn the tide against Obama in this swing state. One of the reasons American reform and union organizing has been so challenging over the years is that the bosses have fanned the fires of internecine jealousy amongst the folks at the bottom of the heap of the American economy. Today, with the widening gap between the minority of super rich and the rest of us, the folks at the bottom of the heap form a vast majority if they will only work together for change, and recognize that their common economic challenges make them more alike than racial, linguistic or cultural differences. It's critically important that Hispanic voters don't sit out this election.

We were delayed further by a fall roundup in a mountain pass, where we observed real live cowboys on horseback moving cattle down the middle of the road, coordinating their efforts on cellphones! Truth is stranger than fiction.

In the town of Walsenburg, Co, where we finally reconnected with our route, we met two middle aged women outside a 7-Eleven where we refilled our tank. They were so excited to encounter the two of us on our pilgrimage to Denver that we had a hard time moving on without them! One was quite toothless, in the tradition of a government that does not acknowledge that elders might have teeth if they had adequate medical care. They other was just plain voluble. She said, "Ya know, when people tell me they are worried about Obama and his strange name and his Muslim Grandfather, I tell them this. Well, gee, one of my grandfathers was a Protestant, the other a Catholic, and my great grandmother, well she came from Sicily! Remember that!" Duly recorded.

Gotta love this country.

We worried that we wouldn't make Denver in time to catch the Wednesday evening performance by the Denver Raging Grannies at the Mercury Cafe...a wonderful venue with three large gathering places and great food run by an aging hippy. But, with race driver Ruth taking over the wheel, we got there in ample time.

We even had time to catch a meal before the performance -- I might add that our culinary experience in Denver was altogether fabulous, and refreshing after living in Albuquerque where New Mexican cooking is pretty much the norm. Not that New Mexican cooking is bad, it just gets monotonous sometimes, and the fact that the sidewalks fold up at 8pm just makes the problem worse. As we were awaiting our check a young lady came by our table and offered us an Impeach Mint! That was refreshing indeed!

Code Pink had the room next to the bar. They had a lovely table full of goodies, including pink bikinis bearing the imprint "No peace, no pussy," in honor of Lysistrata.

The mood and energy all around this establishment was festive and vibrant -- as we found Denver during our entire stay. The energy of youth was evident, and it's been a long time since I have felt this. (Democracy -- use it or lose it!)

It was great to meet the Denver Grannies -- though I didn't sing with them. They meet every week to rehearse, memorize their lyrics, and have an organized choreography for many of their songs! I was impressed. Amongst them was a Granny from Tacoma, WA, who, like us, had come for the party. I enjoyed their rendition of "Good-bye, Dubya" (to the tune of Hello Dolly) and will post lyrics to several of their songs under Granny Links in the near future.

Here in Albuquerque we seldom memorize lyrics, but we are developing some real punch now that we are participating in several campaign appearances. One day I hope to add a video of our performance of my current favorite number -- Yes, we do not use torture!" to the old tune "yes, we have no bananas." This one is written by one of our grannies who comes from a military family, who as a child met General Westmoreland as a guest in her family home. Not surprising that someone who was imbued with a deep sense of "honor" would find the practices of our current regime embarrassing.

On Thursday we began our long trek to the stadium at about 10:30 in the morning. Once again, fate smiled on us when we parked Purple in a corner parking lot across from the Hotel housing the New Mexico delegation. A woman appeared at my side as I was locking up the car and handed me an all day parking pass. "I bought this and won't be using all of it," she explained.

Finding our way into the room where the passes were being distributed I encountered several folks I had met earlier in Albuquerque at the town meeting to send up planks to the convention. Right away, as I got my pass, we were told that there were likely to be enough passes for all New Mexicans who wanted them to be released at 2pm. Yay for Ruth!!

We spent a couple of hours waiting for her pass by cruising the "mall", getting buttons and bumper stickers and other gear. New Mexico has been pretty "dry", only two "lawn" signs have been stuck in the gravel in my neighborhood, which as I mentioned before is the historic black neighborhood of Albuquerque, and there is no lack of support for Obama amongst these folks, just a lack of signage and bumper stickers. For over a month all the signage in the main campaign headquarters in down town Albuquerque has been hand painted. I stopped by several times in search of buttons and bumper tickers to be told that they went out faster than they came in.

I remember times when campaign paraphernalia was free and went begging. Here on the Mall in Denver people were gobbling up buttons at 3/$10, likewise bumper stickers. We looked, and laughed, and bought a few mementos for family and friends. I am particularly proud of a cartoon of W pissing on the nation, my WAR bumper sticker (Want Another Republican?), and the pin I bought for my daughter "Women 'Shoes' Obama," where his portrait is surrounded by an array of shoes.

(My daughter, reflecting her Egyptian heritage in some mysterious way, is a shoe-aholic. This makes me laugh, and I accuse her of being in competition with Ismelda Marcos. It probably remains true to this day that if there is a crowd gathered around a shop window it Egypt it's likely a shoe store...I guess when you must refrain from a public display of body parts, shoes acquire special significance.)

The mall was jammed with people, riding the free shuttles and espousing various causes, but for the most part, other than the Jesus freaks telling us the end of the world was at hand, and several truckloads of police in riot gear that we ran into on three or four occasions, the crowd was simply jubilant and celebratory. By this time I was beginning to feel that if in fact we do manage to elect Obama, the resulting empowerment of youth and grassroots politics might actually really open the floodgates of change in this country. Be still, my heart.

After we got Ruth's pass, and instructions from the delegation for getting to the stadium, which turned out to be erroneous, we went back to the car to put away our purchases and regroup. According to the sheet we were given about security at the stadium, it appeared that canes were to be prohibited as potential weapons at the stadium. Somewhat disgruntled I exchanged my good cane for my "second." "Sounds like that would be illegal in light of the ADA," I grumbled, "but if I am going to have to leave it somewhere, at least it won't be my best cane."

So off we went..first to try to catch buses that were reputed to be going directly to the stadium...this was the instructions we were given by the NM delegation, but it turned out these buses were only for folks with floor passes for the convention.

After several blocks of struggling with crowds we finally were directed to the Mall Shuttles and pointed in the right direction to catch the light rail. Denver seems to be ahead of many Western cities in public transportation, by the way. The light rail was jammin' with the same folks of many colors and ages you all saw if you tuned into the acceptance speech...and we were all excited that we were finally approaching our destination... so we thought:)

Only thing was that the light rail wasn't running the whole route to the stadium. Everyone was dumped off about 2 miles from the final stop for some sort of "security" rationale. We followed the huge crowd, crossing a huge empty parking lot about the length of two football fields where we could see literally thousands of people on foot in the broiling heat, walking down the middle of I-25 (a six lane divided highway that had been shut down for five miles for the occasion). We sat for a breather and I began to cry. "I just don't think I can do this!", I said. I already had sciatica in both throbbing legs from all the standing we had done that day. "So close, and so far away!" And yet, with the enthusiasm of the crowd continuing to press forward in the heat, in my heart I was willing to crawl.

Fortunately, and a critically important lesson for all Americans who are inculcated daily to believe that they must be self reliant, I was not alone in my dilemma.

Next week, I will continue the saga, inside the stadium and returning home. Hopefully by that time I will have received the pics from Ruth and can share those as well.

In the meanwhile, don't let McPOW and Pawkiller get you down!! My (male) roomie made the mistake of trying to tell me that thousands of feminists who had been supporting Hillary would be voting for McCain/Palin. Feminists! Not any I know. "No Way, No How, No McCain!" The woman is an embarrassment to the female gender.

Three Blind Mice

(If you click on the Title, you will see an interesting Video of the Three Blind Mice as Safety Mice from 1945)

Last weekend I decided to treat myself to lunch out. I went to Winning Coffee Shop, near Central on Harvard here in Albuquerque. I frequent this place for the simple reason it reminds me of Berkeley coffee houses in the 1960's. The food is decent, sometimes even quite excellent, the prices are friendly and so is the company. And, it ain't Starbucks, there's nothing franchise about it.

As I was sitting and reading three middle aged men congregated at an adjacent table. Since I was a girl, when my sister and I used to practice this nefarious habit at fancy restaurants accompanying our parents, I have been an inveterate eavesdropper. These gents dismounted bicycles, garbed in spandex. They sat, removed headgear and foot gear, and took a breather in the shade of the umbrella near me. They got cold drinks. I was all ears.

I was especially attentive when they began talking finance. Just that very morning had been researching how to get a loan to cover putting solar production on my roof--a difficult accomplishment when living on disability. Course, it's equally difficult to imagine how I am going to power my life into the future without some sort of adjustment.

One of them talked about getting a good deal on a loan -- a rather sizable amount of money at 4% on just his signature. Then they all compared internet and cell phone services, at their multiple homes. All in all, I gathered they were "successful", fairly current, and just hip enough to be riding bikes instead of going to fat. I wondered just how smart they were?

As they got up to leave, putting on my mildest demeanor, I asked them a question. "I have been sitting here dying to ask you one question, if I may." They nodded consent. "It's rather obvious that you gentlemen have a comfortable economic life, unlike some of us, like myself, who live on stringent budgets and fixed incomes. In light of that, I was wondering, what do you see as the single most significant task that the next administration can undertake to improve the economy?"

Two of them checked out their fancy bike shoes, obviously a little flummoxed and chagrined. The third raised his hand, like in school, and said "Lower taxes?"

"Wow!" I replied. "That's really disappointing...and here I've been hoping that the 'smart money' would be on rapid energy conversion. I see that as essential to getting America back into production, to creating jobs, to saving the earth."

When I explained that I had spent the morning looking into the cost of putting solar panels on my roof, the one who had responded said, "I'd be careful with that, word is out that those systems may not last as long as they claim. It's more expensive than it seems."

"My niece and her husband have had solar panels on their rehabilitated ruin in the south of France for about twenty years now. I haven't heard them complain."

"Well, in Europe they may be doing a better job of manufacturing solar panels than here," he replied. "Europeans demand quality." (There must be something really wrong with us if we don't, I thought.)

"It just seems to me to be the most hopeful way to right our economy, not have to fight dismal and costly wars for petroleum for the rest of our lives, and, as a side benefit, save the earth.."

"That's why we ride bicycles," ventured another, lacing up his shoes for takeoff.

"Have a safe and pleasant day gentlemen!" I demurred. I wonder how they negotiate, being so blind??? I also wonder just how "lowering taxes" would benefit me, or 85% of the folks who patronize Winning for that matter??? I never felt bad about paying taxes when I was earning enough money to have it be a substantial issue. My only concern was how those monies were being spent.

Sheesh! Maybe Albuquerque is not as enlightened as I thought?

Meanwhile, I continue registering voters alongside my buddy, a fifty-eight year old woman of spunk who speaks Spanish and English with equal fluency and seems to know at least half of Albuquerque. She also speaks some Navaho, having grown up in Taos and Shiprock. She has two sons, one who is studying and working at the community college, the other who is in prison. Lives hand to mouth, works with a will and a friendliness that garners her three registrants to my one. Is studying Judaism (though raised Catholic) because she has recently discovered that her mother's family, who immigrated to New Mexico from Spain, were Sephardic Jews. She continues to revive my faith, not only in the value of our work, but in open minded humanity.

She disses tattoes, even though she admires some of them for their beauty, because to her they represent gang culture, and all the damage done. Yet, she engages with people of all stripes so naturally! She works to see changes happen in this land.

If she ruled the world there would be no "ObamaNation," no nervous nellies concerned about terrorists under the bed. Just people, trying to survive, helping others when they could, trying to "do the right thing." I salute her as I sit here at my desk, ruminating.

May she be the Farmer's Wife! Though, knowing her, she'd probably prefer they would just tuck their tails between their legs and get out of the way. Better yet, she'd sell them a solar system.




My eldest sister, who is 75, just completed a Swimming Master's Competition making her the fifth fastest competitor for her age group in the 200 meter swim in the Nation. Bravo! (I sure hope her aerobics will keep my heart pumping for a few more years! She's also my favorite writing consultant.)

Political Reflexes

In the center of my family in DC, 1956

I wouldn't have anyone believe I don't reflect on my own views, I do, sometimes painfully.

There's this "stew" I make several times every winter. Each time it's a slightly different variation on a French Provincial stew. That because it invariably has garlic and onions, tomatoes and red wine. But each time it's a little different from the last, depending on mood and what is at hand. My politics are similar. In essence they have remained the same over the years, though my positions and issue advocacy might vary.

This year, I have decided to go up to Denver and be a part of the audience for Obama's acceptance speech. For me, it's an extravagance, a gift to myself. It's been a long, long time since I have had an iota of hope for our national politics, and I want to celebrate before it dissipates.


The last time I participated in a political convention was during the 1960 convention in Los Angeles. You know, the one that nominated Kennedy. Looking this up on Google I found some interesting notes on conventions and the political process by Eleanor Roosevelt, whom I was honored to meet at that event. The thought still brings chills to my spine.Chapter Forty-two, "The Democratic Convention of 1960" of The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt.



My mother was State Women's Chairman of the Democratic Party in California at that time, and I was 12. Within the year my mother died of a botched hysterectomy, when a young surgeon decided to remove her healthy appendix just because he had her open. This convention was formative for me because it was the last time I got to be with my mother when she was acting in her public role.


Her courage,her principles, and her rhetorical skills impressed me at the time, and have stuck with me throughout my life. She was a "knock 'em dead" speaker who honed her skills by listening to radio broadcasts of Amee Semple McPherson (would you believe?).

My mother had been sitting on the committee that selected the California delegates to the convention, and had slyly injected many ardent Stevenson supporters into the California delegation. She admired Stevenson for his eloquence and commitment to grassroots politics and international diplomacy. She felt that it was finally "his time," and that the Democratic party owed him a real shot at the Presidency.

One night during the convention my family was seated at a table in the bar of the Biltmore Hotel, which at the time was the grand old hotel of LA, when Jessie Unruh, then running for Speaker of the House in California and a major player in "old style" politics, dropped by our table to inform my mother that she had "slit her political throat." With an aplomb that I have always cherished my mother replied, "Jessie, I don't think you understand why I am involved in politics."

Ironic, isn't it, for someone to be involved in politics, without compensation, for years, just because they were dedicated to making the world a better place? All through my growing up years, I was abashed and disheartened to learn that most people thought "politics" was a dirty word. I retain this naive prejudice proudly, that politics should be the arena of leadership and change for the better, as do the old ladies I work with in the Raging Grannies. Grassroots politics.

As I wrote in the early nineties:

If my father had not given me
Visions of progress and plenty,
Icing from the cake of his own baking
Made from scratch, created to satisfy the omnivorous
appetite of a child of immigrants for a place to call home:
His vagabond sense of rootedness, in his country,
This earth, its people and his time,

If my mother had not suckled me,
Nor rocked me as she sang
Of love's sweet pain, of endurance,
Of connection, of protection
Of solidarity and wit.
If she had been a quieter woman,
With less juice.
A dry woman with less comfort in her fleshy breast.
A cautious woman?
A worn-out woman?

If they had not given me these
Gifts of significance,
Each new year would not come with
These expectations, this sense of flailing arms against
A fierce and grinding tide.

In my last blog, I wrote about felons working to register voters. Afterwards, I mused on why I feel so strongly about the plight of felons, and about second chances. Once again, my reflexes are part of the very warp of my life.

My "dad," who was actually my stepfather, was a handful. He always had been a species of “wild man,” recklessly passionate and stubborn by turns. He had a lifelong penchant, fueled by alcohol, for throwing himself upon the world with his tender parts exposed. He was also, in his younger years, a bootlegger and a bookmaker.

This man, who found a way to support his family during the depression by taking bets on the ponies, was so much more than a lawbreaker and a drunk. In his youth he jumped trains across the country, and shared a lot of the sentiments of the late U. Utah Philipps. As a boy, he had been a devout Catholic, but with the outbreak of WWI, when the pope could not prevent French and German Catholics from slaughtering each other, he lost respect for the Church, but he always thought of Christ as "Jerusalem Slim," a people's Messiah. He was self educated, read newspapers voraciously, and taught me to read before I even started school by reading news articles out loud, with me on his lap, as his finger traced the printed words.

He was a great Dad, when sober. Running home from school in tears in the fifties, where for some reason I will never fathom, they had just done a presentation on bomb shelters -- shoot, I must have been nine or so, I sought him out first. He was always the most available emotional resource for us as kids. His response to my panic and distress was simple and comforting. "Remember, the Russians have kids too!"

In his forties, he started a new life in the central valley as a farmer. The old timers scratched their heads and doubtless whispered amongst themselves that this "new kid" next door would fail when he ruthlessly chopped the tops off his Valencias (he knew, because he studied the market, that California Valencias would never be a good cash crop again, because Florida was getting into the massive planting of juice oranges), and recreated his Valencias as lemons, via grafting. Within ten years the old timers were begging him to sit on the Boards of the local packing houses, because he understood the market. They were aping his innovations in farming, from drilling lateral water wells, to developing new varietals of avocadoes. They admired him as much for his ability to listen and understand as to produce results as a farmer.

He "would have been" the politician in the family, perhaps, he certainly was obsessed with political thinking. Then again, my mother was damned good at it! But he taught me to look beyond the letter of the law, to consider justice and compassion before self-righteousness.

Between the two of them, they gave me a belief system that informs me to this day. "Don't be afraid" to engage, to think, to learn, to grow. "Live fully and passionately." Be a part of your time!

So, I act, and sing, and remember, and look forward as fearlessly as I can manage. With passion and hope, despite setbacks and aging.

On aging: my great friend Rhi recently was babysitting her Mom in Cleveland, and she sent me this snippet of an email I found too amusing not to share....

The apartments mom is in are Wesleyan Village - which is run by the Methodists. I've been blessed, prayed to, and treated to more choruses than I can count of more songs than I can list extolling the virtues of Jesus. Not counting, of course, public grace at all meals. I've played old-lady bingo, done old-lady exercises and eaten old-lady chow. Yes, I think it IS made by Purina.

I console myself with my own mental pictures of what these places are gonna be like in another 20 years.

Instead of baked chicken, spaghetti and stuffed cabbage on the menu, they'll have to be serving Pad Thai, Sushi, and Veggie Burgers. Instead of "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" and "Red River Valley" we'll all be singing "Cocaine" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Bring on Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and 80's Hair Bands. Instead of helping us put our clip-on earring on just right, some poor aid is gonna be helping us adjust our genital piercings. Blue hair? I don't think so! How about pink, green, or purple! And instead of playing pass the beanbag, we'll be playing pass the bong. Milk and cookies my ass, croissants and wine, or deep-fried candy bars and Budweiser.

Keep on Truckin'!

Not White Enough

A friend and fellow Raging Granny dropped by to visit me at my home recently. It was only the second time she had been to my house and she wasn't 100% sure that she had the correct address. She pulled over, poked her head out the window and asked two teenage girls if Nel lived here, pointing to my house. One of the girls approached her and in a whisper enquired, "She White?"

My friend, smiling, replied, "Duh!"

You see, I live in the most well known historic black neighborhood in Albuquerque. My friend is Afro-American, nay EBONY! And the girls were also.

I repeat this story because one of the articles I was reading this morning talks about Obama and John McCain in these terms:

It would be splendid if the man could simply just be in the same way as presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. (No one's asking if he's too white or not white enough.) But we have not arrived at that mountaintop yet and so, in the meantime, Obama must serve as symbol and trope. He must represent his multiethnic constituency and he must represent.

(Washington Post: "Plunging into Blackness",by Robin Givhan Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, July 20, 2008) If you don't know the word "trope," look it up...everyone deserves a new word once in awhile!

My very own daughter, while working in Subway in Baltimore, encountered racism in it's most flagrant form. People were confused by the color of her skin: and in Baltimore that's asking for abuse. Some people didn't want her to prepare their sandwiches because she was too white, other's because she was too dark.

Actually, she's half Egyptian, and could be a citizen of most of the world's countries if you were simply to judge by appearances. Now, working at Subway in Albuquerque on the Air Force Base, she has a crew of fellows she calls her "men", who ask for her by name when they order their sandwiches. One of the reasons she likes living here is because people in Albuquerque are less racist than in the "provinces" of Baltimore.

Yup, racism is very much alive in our twisted world -- along with multiple other forms of prejudice. What a great opportunity to fight these undercurrents in the dark belly of the beast this presidential campaign offers!

I have been writing about registering folks to vote, and ACORN in this blog. Yesterday, we received a body blow from the media (another of my favorite whipping boys)."Criminals Signing up Voters" is the title KRQE (Channel 13 here in Albuquerque) assigned to this portion of their news on August 5. (To see the video of this news segment, just click the title.) Our registrars were immediately chastised as we attempted to register voters the following day, and our numbers were down dramatically. This is a pity, since ACORN has registered 60,000 voters here in New Mexico, which is, as I tell people daily, a swing state, where each vote really counts.

One of the issues we encounter every day here in New Mexico is the factionalism that divides poor folks in this country so frequently. Hispanics who don't want blacks to get a "leg up." Now, granted, if I had lived and worked in this country for many years and noted that while blacks who were brought here as slaves were citizens and I wasn't in the club, I would be pissed off myself. Nonetheless poor blacks and Hispanics have more common ground than not, and Acorn is actively encouraging both groups here in New Mexico to participate in the political process.

I may lose my job unless this smear can be effectively countered -- and that's virtually impossible given that people do not have much voice in the media. What follows is my response to this piece of journalism.

Open letter to KRQE, Chief Schultz and anyone else who is concerned about voter registration:


I am outraged by your story about Acorn.

I am a 60 year old disabled individual who has a background clearance from Albuquerque Public Schools, and I resent your implication that I am a baby raper! I also think that you make Acorn sound like a scam organization when this is not the case. Acorn performs many valuable community services, including the most extensive voter registration drive we've seen anywhere this year. 60,000 voters registered in New Mexico is no mean feat. Some two years ago Acorn helped me to prevent a foreclosure on a property I owned in Baltimore. It appears your reporter doesn't know the whole story about this organization.

Chief Schultz also should perhaps investigate the situation more thoroughly before smearing the efforts of this organization. All those FELONS employed by Acorn are referred by their parole officers who are supposed to inform Acorn if applicants present a threat of violence in the community, such as rape or child molestation. Identity theft is a risk in some limited instances, and I suppose it would be in any situation where poor people are actually being allowed to work in the election process, which is why I proudly show my certificate from the Board of Elections when anyone has questions about the security of the information we process. But the risk is exceptionally small...Acorn does not retain employees who don't turn in voter registration cards, and those that are turned in identify the registrar.

If anyone needs to perform additional security checks, it should fall on the Board of Elections, which certifies registrars. They have this capacity, and perform this function as a normal part of eliminating felons from the voter rolls. Acorn is, like many other non-profits, financially strapped, as are most of their employees. A $35 per head security check would likely put a damper on their registration activities.

Acorn sorts out the bad apples rapidly, and they give many an opportunity to participate in the political process who otherwise would not. Poor people don't have the time to volunteer their services to organizations like the League of Women Voters, but some of us, with clean hearts and very positive intentions, are eager to work for systematic change in our world.

One of the most alarming things about our society is that prisons are a growth industry. Unless felons are given a chance to work when they are released, the prison population will simply continue to expand.

Maybe it's just this. Your piece is trying to stop the political action and self-empowerment of poor people, like much of our media, who can't seem to cover many things that people do to try to reach out to the larger population about the problems our society faces with the ever widening gap between the rich (advertisers) and the poor???

I for one, will be watching you! And continuing to work for change.

GrannyNel