It's Crazy Time in Santa Fe.

January every year brings around the crazy season in Santa Fe as the state legislature is back in session.

Big news this session is that longtime Speaker of the House Ben Lujan will not see re-election in the fall because he is battling lung cancer.

Second biggest news seems to be the complete impasse between the Democrats who control the legislature, and Governor Susana Martinez who governs the state from the executive branch. The impasse hurts all of us, as nothing is being accomplished in getting good legislation passed.

A side story during this session was that a group of Republican legislators who were attending a private dinner at the Eldorado Hotel were surrounded by an unruly crowd of Occupy Santa Fe protestors who draped yellow crime tape over the diners, and injured a guest of State Rep. Bill Rehm, hitting her with a menu and injuring her eye.

On the opening day of the session on Jan. 17, tea party groups from all over the state assembled for a rally at the west entrance of the Roundhouse, and Occupy protestors had their own rally on the east steps.

Here are some pictures I took of the tea party rally:

Yep. Crazy days in Santa Fe.



Dax Contreras of Los Hispanos Unidos:



Santa Fe TEA Party table:


Santa Fe TEA Party activists Orlando Baca and Sherry Morrison:


Lt. Gov. John Sanchez:


State Representative Jim Smith:


Energy guru Marita Noon:


Honoring our military vets:

Scenes from the Roundhouse

We spent quite a few hours this past week at the New Mexico state capitol building attending hearings on the Photo Voter ID bill, which Republicans felt strongly is needed in the state, but the Democrats rejected Thursday in a party line vote. I think our strong presence was noted though, and another similar bill is waiting on the schedule to be debated in the coming week.

Anyway..... while we were there, I wandered around and got some pictures of the artwork at the Roundhouse. All four floors are full of New Mexican art, and I will get more pictures in the future.


Looking down at the rotunda floor from above:



Committee Room 307 - where the hearings were held:



Some of the art work in the capitol:




Painting by R.C. Gorman, noted New Mexico artist: