Stay apprised of the Legislature and more

By John Buchser, Chapter Chair

Radio has been my college course over the last year—with a quiz every Friday. Chris Diestler interviews me every Friday morning on local rock ’n’ roll station 101.5 FM.
click here for 101.5 FM. A steady diet of hikes from leaders in the Northern New Mexico Group is complemented by updates on our activism. As a volunteer, campaign finance rules don’t stop me from providing a very candid view of politics and endorsements. Some of the listener base is from the dawn of rock in the ’60s, but I am sure much of the audience is much younger, and not one the Club traditionally reaches.

The weather is always a factor in our discussions, as it has an impact on the suitability of outdoor events over the weekend. Global warming and the predicted variability of weather is upon us. The arctic oscillation is providing the weatherman a wild ride this winter. But for now I need to keep focused every Friday on things I can have an impact on, like reporting on the Legislature.

This legislative session will require primarily a defensive stance for us. We know that one of the dynamics of this session will be an increasing presence of bills that come from the

American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a national conservative coalition with many members that are large corporations. The Club endorses candidates with ideas that protect the environment. ALEC promotes candidates and ideas that support business as usual. We don’t want business as usual. We want to stop the risky business of modifying our planet’s weather. We want to provide the opportunity for those companies who will create products based on collecting today’s solar energy and transitioning our economy.

A primary focus this year for the Rio Grande Chapter will be assisting our endorsed candidates. In Washington, it has been the most negative legislative session in history for environmental issues. Although this underscores the need for progressive candidates, it is next to impossible to get things done. In many respects the best thing that has happened to national politics is the Occupy Wall Street protests. The shift in concentration of wealth over the last decade to the top 1 percent does not benefit our workers or our environment.

Our website offers you the opportunity to get engaged and stay apprised of our latest endorsements. The Legislature starts slowly and picks up quickly. Joining our online community will give us the chance to alert you when the need arises to help. You can contribute online now too. You don’t have to be in the Santa Fe area at 9:20 a.m. Friday to hear me; a link on our website to Project 101.5 will send you to both the live stream or past recordings of the weekly interview.