The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Peter St. Cyr)
Sen. Eric Griego was right on in a recent commentary to criticize state lawmakers who refused to discuss, debate and vote on raising revenues during the 2011 legislative session.
Why did these senators and representatives take their stand against raising revenues? Because their agenda is to protect the richest New Mexicans and corporations. More progressives like Sen. Griego will win N.M. Senate and House seats in 2012, and the Land of Enchantment will start moving again.
As for New Mexico being on the take, as Sen. Griego’s critics blogged on NMPolitics.net, well, ever since conquistadors crossed the Rio Grande back in the day, that’s been the case. But, let’s take a closer look at what’s happening now.
First things first: Read the N.M. State Constitution, Article 12, Section 2. The Permanent School Fund is a savings account mandated by the U.S. Federal Government in 1910 as a condition for statehood in 1912. Today, the School Fund is worth $9 billion. It’s one of the world’s largest public education endowments.
But, it’s not invested in New Mexico’s public schools, colleges and universities. Instead, New Mexico’s lawmakers transfer the fund to New York City’s Wall Street for investment in the “free” market (AKA capitalism).
A very small percentage of the fund’s return on investment is folded into the general fund, and mixed by these conservative Democrats and right-wing Republicans with other income tax and sales tax revenues. Then, lawmakers dump the result into the state equalization education funding formula, and distribute dollars equally to K-12 school districts in the form of student-unit values.
But these conservative Dems and right-wing Republicans continue to defund the student-unit value. How come? Because they voted to reduce revenues for education by cutting state income taxes in 2003, by refusing to close out-of-state corporate income tax loopholes, by voting to give corporations incentives worth millions of dollars, and by failing to supplement the student-unit value decline with money from the $9 billion Permanent School Fund.
Falsely claiming to be friends of education
These lawmakers falsely claim to be friends of education. In fact, they defunded the student-unit value again during the 2011, 60-day session completed in mid-March. NMPolitics.net readers and bloggers can see the 2011 voting record of their state senators and representatives for themselves:
“Yes” votes in Senate and House were votes to cut the state budget and defund the student-unit value by $126.
Most, if not all, right-wing Republicans in the House voted no on HB 2, but not because they opposed defunding student-unit values. They said they voted no because the HB 2 cuts weren’t deep enough.
Indeed, New Mexico may be poor, as these conservative Dems and right-wing Republicans argue. But, if that’s true, it’s only because the people’s resources are exploited by private, out-of-state interests, which are aided and abetted by these politicians who were so aptly criticized by Sen. Griego in his recent NMPolitics.net commentary.
The interests of these conservatives and right-wing lawmakers are feeding state funds to out-of-state capital markets (AKA “free” market). They don’t give a hoot about sufficiently funding public education with public dollars. Their record of public school funding since 1983 proves it.
Not all of us are fooled all of the time
Conservative Dems and right-wing Republicans are the biggest problem facing New Mexico. When the 2012 primary elections roll around, most voters will have figured this out. By then, the people will have gotten President Lincoln’s comment about how some of us are fooled some of the time, but not all of us are fooled all of the time.
Consistent with the political economy of feeding out-of-state capital interests with New Mexico’s public funds, these conservative Dems and right-wing Republicans in the N.M. Senate and House also oppose restoring personal state income tax rates on the wealthiest New Mexicans. They oppose closing out-of-state corporate income tax loopholes, too.
In 2003, when these lawmakers cut income tax rates for the richest New Mexicans from 8 percent to 4 percent, they told the people that the rich would use their savings to create jobs in New Mexico. Ha! The joke’s on us: New Mexico has the highest unemployment rates since the 1940s.
Conservative Democratic Sens. Phil Griego, George Muñoz and John Sapien joined with right-wing Republican lawmakers and voted against requiring out-of-state corporations to pay taxes on profits made in New Mexico (SB 6) in committee. They falsely claim out-of-state corporations like Wal Mart will leave New Mexico if they’re required to pay state income taxes on profits made in the Land of Enchantment. Phil Griego, Muñoz, and Sapien should be fired for this committee vote alone.
In Texas, Arizona, Colorado and California – where state lawmakers closed the same income tax loopholes for their out-of-state corporations – Wal Mart, Target, Lowes, and Home Depot didn’t leave, and they’re still racking-up profits in those states.
Adding more salt to the wound, conservative Dems and right-wing Republicans in Congress also voted during the Bush presidency to cut federal personal income tax rates for the richest Americans. The rich were supposed to create jobs in America with their federal tax savings. Ha! The joke’s on us again: 14 million Americans are now unemployed, and U.S. corporations are creating jobs, but in Red China.
Voter have come to our senses
We voters have come to our senses, finally. We’re no longer fooled by conservative, right-wing spin about how the rich and the corporations create jobs in New Mexico and the United States with state and federal tax benefits, incentives and tax revenue giveaways. Recent polls show a majority wants state and federal lawmakers to restore tax rates on the rich (right-wingers falsely label it soaking the rich) and make corporations (General Electric and Yates Petroleum) pay taxes on profits.
The most startling Marist poll finding is that a majority of Republicans and tea party members say the richest and corporations must tighten their belts and pay their share of taxes, too.
What do New Mexicans think about income tax cuts for the rich and tax loopholes for out-of-state corporations? Look here.
“John Adams,” with Red Chili Revolution Productions, is a native New Mexican born in Roosevelt County. He works in the north. He is a public employee union member with 44 years teaching experience at university and secondary levels. For now, “John Adams” conceals his full identity due to retaliatory threats to “cease and desist” from using social media as a means for organizing, advocating and pressuring our state lawmakers to raise revenues.