The Governor has made it official: We are going into a special session in early April, less than two months after we adjourned our regular 30-day session.
The reason? To spend money on the very same pork projects she vetoed last month and to give away more money to help citizens deal with the sky rocketing energy prices affecting us daily.
I have opposed us going into a special session from the beginning. It has become increasingly clear that this Governor realizes her agenda has failed and is now looking to shore up support by giving money away. Never mind the fact that we just passed a round of rebates two months ago that have not even gone out yet, now we are going to go back to authorize more checks, and right before an election. It is hard
to argue that the reason she is giving money away is purely political, hoping that people will forget that her horrible energy policies are resulting in these energy spikes in the first place.
I am rarely ever opposed to giving taxpayers their money back. Th
e state budget is bloated to say the least, and New Mexico families would be better suited if they could spend more of their hard earned money rather than Santa Fe bureaucrats. I supported the rebates during the 30-day session for that very reason. However, in this case, the Governor wants to give everyone $300 additional dollars to help with the increased gas prices. That $300 will fill up your tank a couple of times, sure, but does nothing to address her failed green agenda that is causing prices to spike.
It’s almost laughable that Democrats, who just two months ago, nearly passed a massive gas tax increase on every person in this state, are now worried about rising gas prices. It is as if they think we are not paying attention.
As you know, it is not just gas prices people are concerned with. Bad energy policies are leading to spikes on everything, from food, to construction, to travel and to everything else that we rely on to live our lives. We may be approaching an unsustainable situation that could have horrible consequences to you and your family if we do not quickly change course and address our energy needs.
Until we get serious about being energy independent, the price spikes we are dealing with will not go away. I cannot support an effort that throws money at a problem while simultaneously ignoring the very problem that is leading us to have to send money in the first place, it just doesn’t make sense.
We need to do this right and spend the interim focusing on a comprehensive plan that addresses our energy systems and that results in the ability to deliver cheap and reliable energy across New Mexico. The 60-day session is the perfect opportunity to course correct, because what we are doing right now is clearly not working, and what the Governor is proposing is akin to putting a Band-Aid on a gushing wound; delaying the inevitable to buy votes in June and November.
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