Dan Foley
As the election season has ended, and it is now time for those who won the elections to govern, I must applaud Governor-elect Martinez for quickly addressing the need to keep education and Medicaid in the discussion. Now that the actual amount of the financial tsunami hitting New Mexico is clearer, the governor-elect is making real decisions about real issues. It is refreshing to see her put politics aside to do what is right.
I am not sure how this breath of fresh air is going to be received by the folks in Santa Fe who put us into this mess in the first place. It is clear that Governor-elect Martinez is not looking for anyone to rubber stamp her policies but is hopeful that a fair, open, public dialogue can be had.
Maybe the very folks who are responsible for rubber stamping the policies that put us into this dilemma will learn from their past mistakes and, instead of sending all the legislation the governor-elect wants to four or five committees, which means a certain death, will allow dialogue that will benefit all New Mexicans.
Governor-elect Martinez has made the transition from campaigning to governing; hopefully, the legislative Leadership, specifically the Democrats in the New Mexico House of Representatives, can do the same for the betterment of all New Mexicans.
Kudos, Governor-elect Martinez, in addressing the real issues facing our state, the budget! Thank you for doing something politicians everywhere, especially in Santa Fe, seem reluctant to do, and that is stand willing to change when new information is presented to you.
For far too long, the Legislature has acted in a manner the screams “forget the facts” and allowed things like the investment in a Rail Runner that is costing the state millions to maintain and operate, not to mention the potential cost of the environmental mess we have on our hands with the “extra” track we purchased and cannot use. Let us not forget the hundreds of millions spent on a spaceport so the richest people in the world can pay to travel into space at the expense of the New Mexico taxpayer.
Don’t get me started on the far left, non-science-based decisions that have come from the non-elected Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) on cap and trade regulation or the Oil Conservation Division (OCD) doing all they can to run oil and gas production out of New Mexico to neighboring states.
I am so thankful the citizens of this state saw through the smoke and mirrors of the past and elected the right person for the job. My next prayer is that, hopefully, the Democrat leadership in the House of Representatives understands the election results like I do, and maybe, just maybe, they will allow Governor-elect Martinez do the very thing the citizens of this state have asked her to do: govern.
Foley is a former House minority whip.