Ben Ray Luján
These have been times of challenge and controversy for our state and our nation, but these trials show the steps we need to take to get our economy back on track.
As we continue to dig ourselves out of the mess created through eight years of debilitating economic policies that left middle-class families out on the streets, fearing for their jobs and security and without hope, we cannot forget the resilience of our nation and the great swell of dedication and excitement to the political process two years ago.
Then, we came together to put the focus back on the middle class. This year, we must not lose the momentum captured then. This election is too important for apathy to take hold. These have been tough times for people in New Mexico and throughout the country, and it is in the hands of every citizen to get out and vote.
Anyone who was kicked off their health care coverage, or was denied due to a preexisting condition, has a reason to vote.
Anyone who had outlandish credit card rates that changed for reasons they didn’t understand has a reason to vote.
Anyone with a parent or grandparent on Social Security has a reason to vote.
Anyone who has served in the military and receives veterans benefits has a reason to vote.
Anyone who has a child in the public school system, or a teenager who wants to go to college, has a reason to vote.
Anyone who has had a hard time in the economic downturn has a reason to vote.
Contrast with my opponent
I have been standing up for working families here in New Mexico because I don’t believe people should be kicked off their health insurance just because they got sick. My opponent wants to repeal the protections against the insurance companies.
I worked to stop the credit card companies from their unfair practices that were hurting New Mexico families.
I stood up to the Republicans, including my opponent, who want to privatize social security.
I worked to make sure that if veterans want to go to college, they have access to it. I want to make sure that veterans can always access health care and benefits the way they always have, while my opponent wants to dismantle the VA as we know it.
I made sure that New Mexico has teachers in the classroom by saving 1,100 jobs in the state. The next generation deserves access to a good education. My opponent wants to get rid of the Department of Education and pull all federal funding for our schools, including the Pell Grants that are supporting over 58,000 New Mexicans in colleges and vocational schools across our state.
There is progress to be made
These last few years have been hard on working families, and that’s why I fought for the largest middle class tax cut in the history of the nation. I know that our families are struggling, and the answer is not to leave them out in the cold, it is to cut their taxes, give the small businesses an opportunity to grow, so that they can employ more people.
As we see the state of the nation, there are irrefutable facts that have to be addressed. We cannot go back to the failed policies of the past that took the economy down with them. This election is not about blame, but, instead, it’s about preventing recession and making sure that families can always pursue the American dream – that families can stay in their homes, parents can keep their jobs and savings and that we can all hold onto hope.
People in New Mexico are frustrated, and that is a frustration that I share. And I know that you and I may not always agree, but as a state and as a nation we cannot afford to let that frustration take hold in our hearts and in our common sense.
There is progress to be made – and we need to stand up for it. If we forget the causes of this recession, the nation may be doomed to repeat it.
Luján is the Democrat representing New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District seat in Congress.