What's going on, Albuquerque?

Morning Fix: Aarrgh! Huffing and Puffing Make Me Tired

    •   Governor Martinez makes Huffington Post! Proposed policy change specifies "forcible rape."
   •   KOAT's Dr. Barry Ramo states that marijuana's effect on youngsters' IQ hard to prove.
   •   Missing Rio Rancho 7th grader says he fell asleep in school nurse's office. At least that's what he told his mom.
   •   APS teachers got some more bad news last night: their health insurance is going up $520 per year.
   •   Construction starts on 16-screen Regal IMAX Cinema at Winrock. It's supposed to open next fall.
   •   What's so hard about spelling it C-H-I-L-E?. Sucking spill chucker!
   •   Well blow me down! I missed International Talk Like a Pirate Day yesterday. But we still got booty!
       So this pirate walks into a bar and sits next to a drunken wench.
       The wench looks him over and says, "Nice pirate outfit. Where'd you get your earrings?"
       The pirate says, "Arr, I bought one from the dollar store on the other side of town and I got the other from the dollar store across the street."
       So the wench exclaims, "Wow! Not bad for a buck-an-ear!"

4 members like this

Comment by Johnny_Mango on September 20, 2012 at 6:53pm: Teachers get paid biweekly, which works out to 26 paydays during the year. Hence the $520. Another question is whether this is the rate increase for all or for a single individual. Family and spousal coverage costs more, a lot more.

And, as Krista alluded to, teachers have not had a raise in 5 years. Plus for the last two years they had to pay both their own contributions to the ERA, and the state's as well. Paychecks are shrinking while the job is getting harder. My wife is a teacher and works 6 or 7 days a week. She is at school from 8 to 6, spends an hour or so every night on paperwork, and still goes to school on Saturdays and Sundays. Teachers are the best! We need to quit blaming them for everything that is wrong with growing up in this country. Anyone whose spouse or child is a teacher knows what I'm talking about.

Comment by ramon t on September 20, 2012 at 7:53pm: So, they haven't had an increase in three years unlike most every other working person? Oh, cry me a river.

Comment by Princess Peussie on September 20, 2012 at 9:04pm: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

Comment by hettie on September 20, 2012 at 9:36pm: I'm surprised no one has commented on the proposed changes to the application for childcare assistance. The system works to pay childcare costs directly to a provider if the mother is going to work or attending school and the father isn't contributing to the child's care. Under the changes, a woman who had a child that was the result of a rape would have to contact her rapist about child support for daycare or prove she was "forcibly raped" in order to receive assistance.

How on earth does one prove that the rape one suffered was forcible enough?! And what on earth is a non-forcible rape? What's the difference between woman being violated by a stranger or by her husband in a domestic abuse situation? It's all rape. If a child results and the woman qualifies for access to childcare support to go to school or work, why in the world would anyone want to put more hurdles in the way of her earning a living or improving her ability to do so?

This language isn't new, as it's been part of Republican legislative efforts for a while now (think Todd Akin and "legitimate rape"). The goal is to cut off this avenue to safe abortion care for victims of rape under the premise that women will lie about being raped in order to gain access to abortions. And now Martinez's administration is inserting this kind of language into NM law, to the detriment of NM families.

Comment by ramon t on September 20, 2012 at 9:40pm: Hettie, read the other link provided in the comments.

Comment by hettie on September 20, 2012 at 9:58pm: Thanks, Ramon--I missed that link originally. I read about this elsewhere online today and have been thinking "Well, that's just stupid!" Glad to know Martinez's administration agrees.

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