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Holt Baker in New Mexico: Protect the Most Vulnerable |
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Around the country, states are getting squeezed by the economic crisis, and state budgets are feeling the pressure. It’s imperative that we fight to make sure state budgets are not balanced at the expense of children and the services they need.
Today, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker is in New Mexico, leading a rally of more than 2,800 people to ensure a just budget that protects children and vital public services.
Standing with New Mexico Federation of Labor president Christine Trujillo, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss and four state legislators, Holt Baker said the proposal for big cuts in the education budget will cost the state jobs and competitiveness in the future.
New Mexico’s schools, universities and state agencies could face 3.5 percent cuts in funding, and employees could face pay cuts as well, as legislators seek to avoid a $650 million deficit. Holt Baker said the cuts to education will fall most heavily on families already reeling from the economic crisis.
New Mexico legislators are expected to begin a special session on the budget Oct. 17, so nearly 3,000 teachers and workers from around the state are rallying today at the capitol to let lawmakers know they need to put schools and families first.
Holt Baker said that if the state follows through with these deep cuts, it will cripple social services and educational programs that are needed now, more than ever, to protect New Mexico’s children and prepare them for the future. Not only does this not make sense economically, she said, it makes no sense morally:
State leaders are telling us there’s no choice. We have to accept overcrowded classrooms, lack of basic school supplies, cuts in health care for needy children and a shrinking public workforce.
A strong public education system is the best fuel for economic development and for a robust democracy. And to learn, children must have their basic health care needs met. I don’t know what benefit value we can place on a child’s education in dollar terms. I do know that nothing else we do for a child will yield benefits if we don’t provide basic health and education.
New Mexico’s Native American children, Latino children and African American children are bearing the largest burden of cuts to education and health care. They are paying for the tax breaks for the rich and corporations. New Mexico’s poor families are carrying the load for tax cuts they haven’t seen so much as a penny from.
Holt Baker said we need to build state budgets that keep our promises to the next generation, not just reward the wealthy few.
The challenge of maintaining a strong public sector is critical to making sure we have an economy that works for everyone, she said. States like New Mexico need to make sure that education and health care are at the top of the list of priorities.
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“The challenge of maintaining a strong public sector is critical to making sure we have an economy that works for everyone, she said. States like New Mexico need to make sure that education and health care are at the top of the list of priorities.”
Let’s clarify this statement. “The challenge of maintaining a strong public sector is critical to making sure we have an economy that works for everyone” Everyone, that is, EXCEPT illegals!