I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
A spokesman for Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., told The Independent that Udall is on board with a letter that calls for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to use reconciliation to pass the public option on health care reform.
“We respectfully ask that you bring for a vote before the full Senate a public health insurance option under budget reconciliation rules,” the letter by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., reads.
A spokesperson for Sen. Jeff Bingaman says that Bingaman is a strong supporter of the public option, but has not yet had a chance to review the letter because of a busy schedule traveling around New Mexico.
According to the liberal blog Firedoglake, 28 Senators have signed onto the letter, including Sen. Tom Udall.
Update:
The official count is located at WhipCongress.com and currently has 16 Senators signed on. Reps. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan also support the idea according to Whip Congress.
Udall sent out an official release to the media half an hour ago.
“I believe a strong public option will insert honest competition into the health insurance market, and is essential to our efforts if we hope to achieve substantive reform that makes quality, affordable health insurance available to the nearly half million New Mexicans without coverage today,” Udall said. “I hope Senator Reid will consider this effort as negotiations on a final health reform package continue.”
