Monday, April 4, 2011

The Lie Behind the False Truth—Cutting Government Spending does not Create Jobs!

Governor Susana Martinez refused to raise taxes and instead cut from education in this year’s legislative session. How does that affect New Mexico? First by cutting back teacher’s pay they managed to take that much more money out of the pockets of small businesses in this state. You can’t spend what you don’t have people.

Every time Martinez reduces government it means that other public sector jobs will also go away because those government workers will no longer have the money to spend in their local neighborhoods. Small town New Mexico is being hit the hardest because there are even fewer jobs in those areas to begin with in the first place.

So what should the governor of New Mexico be doing to fix the unemployment problem in this state? First close tax loopholes so that the money stays in the state. Second stop giving money to big oil and gas because their profits are already obscene.

Once we have that money how do we invest it back into the state to create jobs? First fix education so that the funding goes directly to teachers and support staff in the classrooms. Next we spend money on improving the classrooms with new textbooks, computers and supplies. We should spend some of it on educating our local teachers so that they can in turn improve their skills that they use in the classrooms.

Next we can start supporting small business growth in this state. Educate anyone and everyone who is willing to go out and start a small business. Encourage and promote new projects that are developed locally such as at the business park just outside Kirkland Air force base. Work with and encourage our National Labs to provide research and develop for local businesses.

All of this will put New Mexicans back to work and improve our economy.

Cutting funding to education and local government while keeping corporate taxes low is a sure way to cause our state to enter a second recession also referred to as a double dip recession which is something no one in this state wants to see happen. Not even the rich.