Susana Martinez
It is not the role of government to create jobs. It is the role of government to create an environment that facilitates business and commerce so that the people who do create jobs — small business owners — can grow and hire.
Unfortunately, this basic understanding of the role government can play in helping make New Mexico a place where businesses are started and expanded has been lost on the current administration.
With a huge budget deficit on the books, Santa Fe is awash in runaway spending reflected in the waste, fraud and abuse running rampant in state government. The Richardson/Denish administration has not been able to assist workers or small businesses in our state; in reality, they have done just the opposite. Chances for growth and expansion have been stymied with talk of additional taxes and regulation — the exact wrong prescription in a down economy.
It is shocking to think that under the Richardson/Denish administration, government has grown by more than 50 percent — and now several groups are asking New Mexicans to bail them out with increased taxes, which in effect, discourages growth and investment in our economy.
The imprudent and reckless actions of the Richardson/Denish Administration were confirmed the other day when Forbes Magazine reported that New Mexico has fallen in its ranking of “The Best States for Business.” According to the report, New Mexico is the 27th “best” state for business. The ranking measures what it calls “vital categories” including “costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life.”
To make matters worse, New Mexico’s standing has not improved, in fact, it has deteriorated. In 2008, Forbes reported our rank as being No. 15, meaning we have fallen significantly in the last year alone.
I do not believe business owners are working any less; in fact, I know they are working harder during a historic recession and doing more with less. Shouldn’t government do the same?
Instead of making that kind of commitment, the Richardson/Denish administration has chosen to grow the size of government, mismanaging the spending in state government. As a result, New Mexico is a place where fewer businesses will be able to survive the current economic climate and fewer employers will choose to open up shop here.
We need a change in our approach so we do not continue to see reports showing our state losing ground instead of making progress.
Demanding that government work as hard as small businesses
New Mexico’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They create the jobs, develop the technologies and produce the opportunities for greater employment and growth. As governor, the small business owner in New Mexico will have no better partner than the state’s chief executive officer.
I will work from sunrise to sunset to ensure New Mexico is a place that is friendly to those who have decided to open their doors in our state, while working to entice others to do the same.
I will not penalize the taxpayer for the poor decisions made by state government and its representatives. I will examine each and every program in the budget and the prosecutor in me will ask tough questions about why they are relevant, demanding each one is measured for effectiveness, while looking for savings and efficiencies so we can get our books in order, store some capital away and pass on savings to the folks who pay the bills.
My economic experience comes in part from my time working in my family’s small business. My dad started a security guard business with $400 in his pocket. He built his business with my mom in the kitchen doing the paperwork and with me working as a security guard on the weekends.
Furthermore, I have operated an office with 28 attorneys and a total staff of 85 and have had to balance the budget each year, justify my budget every year and manage through measured effectiveness several federal grants.
As governor, I will demand the bureaucracy work as hard as our small businesses and do more with less. Gone will be the days of runaway spending and government serving as a deterrent to investment and job creation. I will make sure our workers and businesses are able to operate in an environment that improves their ability to hire and grow, getting New Mexico back on track.
Martinez is a Republican candidate for governor.