Richardson proposes New Mexico budget

The governor detailed his proposed six billion dollar budget for New Mexico yesterday. It is heavily focused on education and health care. Among the highlights:

$119 million increase for "public schools, the Department of Education and other education programs." Included is a 3% pay raise for teachers. An additional $9.3 million was set aside to "expand pre-kindergarten programs across the state."

$110 million increase in Medicaid aimed at providing "medical services for children in lower income families." $9 million of this appropriation will go toward providing "health care coverage for an addition 9,000 children."

"2% pay raises for state employees."

$39 million increase for "the state's higher education network." This includes a 2% pay increase for "faculty and staff at [state] colleges and universities."

--Wyndam

Some Christmas Videos

Merry Christmas, everyone!

At The Richardson Campus, we are devoted to getting student views on Governor Richardson out to the public. I have scoured the web (all right, YouTube) to find a few videos of students in action, supporting the campaign with their creativity, intelligence and initiative. And, in the holiday spirit of giving, here are three of the best clips for your enjoyment.

Drake student Max Maher tells why he is going to caucus for Gov. Bill Richardson.



Students from Dartmouth College and Tufts University show their support for Gov. Bill Richardson.



I'm not sure if this student made, but I like the ingenuity of this video. It was originally created for the Genius Rocket primary, where movies are made in support of each candidate. This clip combines the two entries for Governor Richardson.

--Wyndam

Notes on the final Democratic debate before the Iowa caucus

I've read too much about "who won" each debate. Allow me to express my impressions of each candidate after what I watched the other night. Richardson was there, this time.

Biden: The guy has guts. He is pushing for a partition of Iraq, which may be our best policy option but is a tough sell. He's the only candidate who spoke honestly about how lost Iraq really is. He gets riled up when he sees injustice, and he speaks his mind when he disagrees with anyone. The man will not back down even from his friends. I worry that his passion may undermine his ability to work with a legislature.

Clinton: The line the press is making a big deal about really did hit me hard. She's all about the details – all about banging out policy after meeting with a bunch of people. But with her I still can't shake the feeling that she doesn't have a stronger conviction than simply wanting to do a good job at whichever job she does. That said, her push for healthcare back in the day showed plenty. In Clinton, I see a hard worker who's very willing to adapt to any political climate in order to be successful.

Dodd: His speech on his commitment to public service impressed me. His crisp explanations of the limitations on the President made good retorts to both Edwards' promises and Richardson's bragging. Also, Dodd is the only candidate who supports a carbon tax, which I find bold and admirable.

Edwards: All the Democrats were anti-trade, but Edwards took it to another level. He promised voters to fight all the bad guys, and this apparently has won him some support. I think his trade policies would undermine our economy's strength – for some reason, Edwards does not accept that we must lose some jobs in order to create new ones. But I do not doubt his conviction or his morals.

Obama: My favorite moment was the specificity with which he laid out his top priorities for the first year of his presidency. Right at the top of his list was reviewing, with his attorney general, every single executive order that W. Bush has made. The top is where that belongs. On foreign policy, he takes more flack than he deserves. Yet I was disappointed by his willingness to pander in regards to trade. Standing for change should mean more than standing with the Democratic Party's base on every issue.

Richardson: I usually laugh and hurt at how hard he has to try to smile, but this night was different. He's the only candidate, he finally showed, that's capable of not always taking himself seriously (and I'm not just talking about the weight joke). To me, his ability to subtly make fun of himself shows his confidence. His policy on Iraq is bold, clear, and unique among the candidates'. Energy (independence) and education (teacher pay) are his next highest priorities.

I wish with all my heart that Richardson hadn't pandered to all the anti-China guys, but no Democrat didn't. Richardson dwelled on human rights record longest, so of all things, I'll take that. I sure would have preferred he left out the currency "issue," but I can't have everything. We have real choices in front of us.

I think Joe Biden said it best: "This debate isn't about change or experience. It's about action."

You look at these guys and you tell me who's the most capable of taking meaningful positive action. I've made my choice, and I'm sticking with it. Bill Richardson for President.

--Alex

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Salon.com had this to say about Governor Richardson's peformance:

Former Democratic Rep. Dave Nagle, who is neutral in the presidential race, offered an intriguing theater review of the debate. "The second tier beat the first tier," Nagle said, boosting Richardson, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd...Richardson did deserve plaudits for what may have been his best debate performance of the long theatrical season...

Taking Care of Our Teachers

A new piece from Michael Lipkin, a student at the University of Chicago.

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The New York Times just published an article about education, quoting a study that found that the current crop of teachers scored higher in high school and college than those awarded teaching licenses in the mid ‘90s. This points to a heartening trend: America’s public schools are attracting more and more qualified applicants.

It helps to keep things in perspective though. Our public teachers still come from the bottom third of the nation’s graduates, in stark contrast to the top ranked education systems in the world—like Singapore and Finland—who draw on the top third. Adding to our unlucky lot is that fact that many qualified teachers leave the profession in just a few years. What needs to be done, all candidates agree, is make teaching a more attractive profession in order to net the best and brightest possible candidates.

But Bill Richardson’s is by far the most concrete and sensible plan. The governor proved in New Mexico that by raising teacher pay, more qualified teachers are hired and they stay on the job longer and produce better results with students. On a national scale, Richardson plans to institute a minimum salary of $40,000 for K-12 teachers.

This makes intrinsic sense, just from my personal experience. In high school, one math teacher stood out as the most dedicated and hard-working teachers in the department. But due to his looming grad school debt, he was forced to tutor privately to make up the difference between his salary and his bills. With all the extra work, he was frazzled some days and you could see his performance suffer. Had his salary better reflected his responsibilities, his performance could have been even greater.

Another thing newspapers have been harping on in the past couple of years is America’s lagging math and science standing. Much has been made about the decreased flow of international students coming for college and the rise of schools in China, Japan and India with stellar graduates. With Richardson’s plan for 250 new math and science institutes in the next 5 years, each staffed by 400 teachers, we could see resurgence in America’s supreme competence in the science industry. These would be public high schools that offer intense instruction in the math and sciences that would also help train math and science teachers. To top it all off, Richardson would devote billions to art and music education to counter-act the growing phenomenon of “teaching to the test”, or only instructing our students on what will help them get a better grade on standardized tests.

At my school, I’ve met people from all across the country, and I’ve noticed something about their education. Either they “escaped” public school by going to a private institution, moved to find a better public school, or “lucked out” by finding a specialized public school, or special program within their zoned school. What this adds up to is a look of disdain on the public education system. This is the worst thing our undergraduates could think; these talented people are the ones we want eventually education our children. Bill Richardson knows all this and is doing—and will do—his best to fix the problem.

On Veterans' Affairs...

Soldiers go off to war zones around the world to fight for our country and our freedom. They risk their lives for us everyday, and ask little in return. Yet when they come home, there are few initiatives in place to help and thank them. It's time to right this wrong and give something back to these brave men and women. Bill Richardson has a detailed outline for how to do just that, which includes better health care, and a new G.I. Bill.

In this clip, Wyndam and Alex discuss the intricacies of this plan, and why it is necessary.