LOCAL COLUMN
OPINION: Voters should shake-up the Legislature this election
We have a terrific opportunity in New Mexico this year. From top to bottom there are amazing candidates on the ballot for this year鈥檚 general election.
That鈥檚 good because we find ourselves at a turning point and we have to make a decision. Do we stay the course and allow this state to continue its slide into disaster? Or do we take this unique opportunity to elect people who will address our serious concerns and restore some common sense to our state. If we get this choice wrong, it will be very hard to recover in the future.
Currently, we find ourselves in a state that seems to be more concerned with criminals than with victims. Attempts to address our crime problems continually fail in the Legislature as the majority wants to coddle the criminals.
More than half our young students cannot read at grade level or do basic math, making it difficult for them to find good jobs when they grow up. We spend amazing amounts of money on education, but the results don鈥檛 change. Many of our current legislators are beholden to the teachers unions that don鈥檛 seem all that interested in actual education results.
We have an incredible amount of money (over $70 billion) locked up in permanent funds and billions of dollars in surplus revenue every year and yet we still make our citizens pay an unnecessary personal income tax. The current majority in our Legislature can鈥檛 seem to understand that the citizens of this state would help boost the economy by using that money themselves.
Our medical community is struggling and it鈥檚 getting harder to find doctors. That鈥檚 because the Legislature cares more about protecting high malpractice payouts for state lawyers than ensuring you can see a doctor. Yes, there was a little progress on this, but there鈥檚 more to do.
Over the last eight years our government has grown with boards and committees that can create requirements that cost taxpayers鈥� money, yet are unaccountable to those same taxpayers. Our Legislature refuses to address this growth of government.
The list goes on with examples of our state government鈥檚 unfathomable attempts to destroy the state.
That brings us back to the terrific opportunity we have this year. We have some very good people in the Legislature who are trying to address our problems. But, we also have some who refuse to make the hard decisions that would move our state in the right direction. When you look at your ballot, ask yourself: 鈥淚s this candidate part of the solution or have they been part of the problem?鈥� 鈥淒o these candidates represent solutions to the problems I see, or have they been the ones obstructing improvement?鈥�
Bob Mason is a Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 21, which represents Southeast Albuquerque.
