During the Republican candidate forum last week, the message was clear: Our systems are in debt, and uncontrolled government spending is the culprit.
“Almost 25 percent of all people that work (in New Mexico) … are public employees. If you look at the national average, it’s more like 15 percent,” lieutenant governor candidate John Sanchez said. “I hope that one of the first things Susana Martinez does as the next governor is to fire every single appointee by Bill Richardson.”
Sanchez was one of three republican candidates who spoke at Thursday’s forum hosted by the UNM Conservative Republicans. Tom Mullins, district three congressional candidate, and Antoinette Baca, candidate for state house district 21 seat, also participated.
Each candidate suggested that tax cuts for businesses and smaller government were solutions to solving the state’s economic woes.
“The Democrats’ answer to these problems is to continue to raise taxes, to penalize businesses and to continue to spend wildly,” Sanchez said. “We can’t continue to tax New Mexico into success. We must create private sector jobs.”
The candidates also discussed government funding for education. Mullins said the government should play less of a role in education, and families should play more of a role.
“The Constitution of the United States is not involved in the higher education aspect, or the high school and elementary school level of education in this
country,” Mullins said. “When we have a problem in education, I don’t think it relates to dollars; it relates to parenting.”
Mullins said students need to achieve certain goals before advancing to higher grades.
“I think we need to ensure that our children read by the third-grade level, and if they don’t read by the third grade, they shouldn’t be pushed beyond that point,” Mullins said.
Sanchez said state education expectations should be raised.
“From the state’s perspective, we need to end this culture of low expectations,” Sanchez said. “Let’s be real. There are some people who are not going to go to college, and we need to identify who those children are and find out what traits and talents they may possess so that we can prepare those kids for jobs.”
The candidates also slammed government services like the Environmental Protection Agency for bloating the deficit. Mullins said the agency should have less power.
“I’d like to see the EPA reined in. I think they’ve gone too far and I think the National Environmental Policy Act is being interpreted as the ‘national environmental protection act,’” Mullins said. “We need to get back to allowing our businesses to function, specifically in oil and gas.”
Mullins, a petroleum engineer, said global warming was being overplayed and the Cap and Trade bill would also increase the nation’s deficit.
“The carbon dioxide that comes out of your mouth is not a pollutant. In my opinion, it’s plant food,” Mullins said. “The Cap and Trade bill, if it goes through, is equivalent on a cost basis to all existing environmental legislation.”
Sanchez said the energy industry, particularly oil and gas, would create many jobs for New Mexicans and bring in tax dollars.
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“Common sense when it comes to protecting the environment — we need to have that,” Sanchez said. “But, at the same time, let’s go out there and take advantage of what New Mexico has to offer: oil and gas, coal, uranium. And we have great opportunities for wind and solar.”
A representative of UNM Conservative Republicans said another forum will be held in two weeks.
