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It’s time for a new vision for our state
Tim Keller
In New Mexico, times have been tough. The Land of Enchantment has been gripped by economic uncertainty for over three years now. But, after almost half a decade living year-to-year (and sometimes month-to-month), New Mexico may be turning a corner, and it’s time we got serious about a new, long-term vision for the Land of Enchantment.
We must stop rehashing the same old issues and put forth some bold new initiatives.
That’s why the Senate unveiled a comprehensive economic development and job creation program. The bills included in the Senate’s Helping Incentivize Real Employment (HIRE) Initiative offer solid strategies to getting New Mexico on the right track. The time is right to rebuild our economic foundations, starting with a level playing field for every New Mexico business.
The Senate Democrat’s proposal encourages every business, not just those in special industries, to hire New Mexican graduates, thereby making our education system stronger and our communities more viable. Additionally, new investments in a state entrepreneurial fund will give all startups with a good idea a chance to develop into solid New Mexico businesses and employers.
Let’s build a long-term commonsense plan
Over the years, our state has been guided by incremental ideas and spending triage that have left us adrift without a long-term, commonsense plan for our future. It is time to abandon the notion that a tax giveaway to a single company or long-established industry will create across the board growth from Chama to Catron County. Instead, it is time we build up new industries, small businesses and our education system reward those who play by the rules.
By leveraging our strengths in energy technology potential, laboratory research and development and unparalleled cultural diversity, we must align bold, meaningful changes and encourage businesses to do the same. This is how we will grow New Mexico’s workforce.
Instead of offering token tax cuts to just a handful of businesses, let’s create a tax system that gives every business the help it needs and ensures they are playing on a level field. We can broaden our tax base and lower the overall tax rate so that all New Mexicans are better off.
Instead of piecemeal education reform, let’s promote a system that prioritizes early education and generates pathways to jobs being created right here in New Mexico.
Every day we’re distracted is a day lost
Our state government must get down to the work that moves us forward, and do so quickly. Every day we are distracted by menial education reforms or grandstanding on driver’s licenses is another day lost. It is during these lost, distracted days that we should be bringing together business, labor, teachers, parents and communities to build new infrastructure, encourage innovative research and care for those in need.
As our Legislature enters our final few weeks, the question now is how quickly we will get there and how far we will go.
Keller, a Democrat, represents the Albuquerque-area District 17 in the New Mexico Senate.
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Those jobs are never coming back. Manufacturing has been irreversibly out sourced. Our only hope is to localize our economy as much as possible.
Friday, February 10, 2012 minute marker 29.
http://www.democracynow.org/
Very true frustrated, and remember the biggest employer of college grads in NM is for the federal or state doles, and they don’t care about tax credits.
Most eveyrone seemed to have gotten it right. Keller and other legislators may mean well, but they don’t have the money or the focus to do anything that useful about our current situationm but they do have the power to make it worse. The reason some of our grads go out of state is because there aren’t enough jobs. Some want more opportunity, as there isn’t that much unless you’re in healthcare, social work or education. Some credit won’t create a job, and unless it’s a really low-end position, won’t likely encourage me to hire someone less qualifed just so I can get a tax ccredit. It’s perverse protectionism that’s also ineffective… although a few employers will get small bags of cash dropped on them, just for doing what they’re doing anyway. The only result – an inequitable reward system like he seemed to be complaining about in the article, although his targets weren’t clear – and tax dollars lost that could have better spent or given back. Intentionally or not, this is just another shiny object to dangle at our uninformed and uneducated voters. Please keep trying, but try again on this one.
Dr. J. I am usually on the same page with you..but not this time. There is important legislation. Ex. PRC redo, drivers licence issue, education issues etc. But not much can get addressed when the House and Senate leadership take the position of lets put the lead boots on everything and let the clock run out. I am tired of watching state government be margenalized by petty bickering etc. It comes from both sides of the fence.
Luckily MJM, the legislature only really had to do one thing, pass a budget. They did that, so now they may as well all go home and keep from messing up the state any worse than they already have and get off our dime while doing nothing.
Senator Keleher, This may make sense, but like most legislation it provides smoke..no fire and little heat.. Sounds great…does little.
Have you explained to the rest of the other Senators ( a large majority Democrats but Republicans too) that much work could be done in Santa Fe if not for the big ego’s and political grandstanding of many of your colleagues.
By now most of the citizens in NM have figured out that the NM Legislature is beeng margenzlized by an ever growing Federal system that pumps lots of $$$ into NM. Keep in mind 40% of that is borrowed money. I have heard next to nothing in the press about this session. Probably because nothing important has got done.
The continual bickering and grandstanding in Santa Fe over a whole host of issues by the legislative branch on issues from drivers licences to HIRE legislation makes you look like bafoons and inept politicians.
This “wait till the last minute to get anything done approach is not doing any of us any good.” And both parties constipate the system. So much good legislation dies. In this 30 day session you all wasted the first 60% of the time. All your interim meetings are for what if you can’t pass legislation during the regular session?
So far this year we have watched a special session on redistricting where you and your colleagues did nothing, and passed the responsibility to a bunch of attorneys and a judge (all highly paid).. to complete the job.
I bet you will do nothing again this session and we will need another session sometime this summer..
Dear oliver,
So we are to be assured that Tim’s ideas and initiatives will save NM and bring us up from #38 in the nation? Such an incredible legislator, where has he been all these years?
Making cutesy-sounding acronyms and putting them on less than stellar programs that will do next to nothing to spur economic growth is … so politician-like.
Since I am not running for anything, and don’t have to worry about upsetting some segment of the population, I can go ahead and say: this “incentivizing” businesses to hire New Mexicans (as opposed to people from outside the state, I guess?) will not spur the economy, and is flawed thinking at its worst.
First of all, incentivizing doesn’t mean a thing if there are no jobs to offer. It’s not like businesses are going to make up new jobs just to get whatever incentive the government is offering. There has to be real economic growth before businesses are going to be offering new jobs.
Then, if the economy was actually growing, hiring only New Mexicans would be the best way to stall that economic growth. We need to attract people from outside the state the come, live and work here for the economy to truly grow.
These politicians’ nice-sounding programs are designed to try to convince people that they are doing something, anything, when they never really do as they are advertised, and nine times out of ten end up doing harm.
Dear Dr. J.
Senator Keller’s ideas are anything but “tiny.” He has sponsored responsible bi-partisan pro-business initiatives during his tenure: the Regulatory Reform Act (Governor Martinez’s bill), Local procurement preference for NM business, targets for local food production, tax expenditure reports and tax incentive tracking so the public actually knows what tax incentives are working, and which ones are not. His bills have been unique, as they generally pass and with significant bi-partisan support. His ability to reach across the aisle and accomplish reform that benefits all New Mexicans is exactly what we need more of in the legislature, and the current rancor and partisanship is what we need a lot less of.
Mr. Keller, if you really wanted to improve NM’s economy and business climate, and move us up from 38th in the nation in that measure, you would work on the real problem, regulations that strangle new businesses from coming here and make established ones leave or reduce employment and operations. These little things you and your liberal associates in the Senate introduced are like putting a band-aid on a gun shot wound to the head. The recent good work of the new EIB has gone further to improve our economy in one step than all your tiny ideas.