Commentary: We need Merrie Lee Soules as our District 2 congressional representative. She’ll represent all the people of the district, not just a privileged few. Southern New Mexico needs jobs, livable wages and better infrastructure. Addressing these in Congress provides opportunities benefiting all of us.
Merrie Lee is an accomplished business leader from the big leagues with a degree in electrical engineering, and she understands there are two sides to business: Profit, yes, but do our people earn enough to cover basic household expenses? That isn’t happening, as New Mexico hasn’t participated in the national economic recovery. New Mexico’s record is an overall failure. Our state’s economy and population are both declining, as predicted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in 2010. Our unemployment rate, at 6.6 percent, beats just Alaska and Nevada. New Mexico’s poverty rate has ranked 50th since at least 2012. Where has Congressman Steve Pearce been?
We must alter our government priorities and refocus to the needs of everyday people, not only those of large corporations, political donors and the rich. At the national level, Soules wants to increase infrastructure development, promote an increase in the federal minimum wage, transition to green energy, confront climate change, protect reproductive rights for women and ensure equal pay for equal work. She fought for a minimum wage increase here in 2013-14.
Simply, Representative Pearce supports just wealthy special interests. He is against raising the minimum wage; against better infrastructure development, against capping payday loans and unsupportive of both a good green energy transition and immigration reform.
What else is there to say? Merrie Lee Soules is the sensible choice. Please vote for her Nov. 8or during early voting — our new Congress person for southern New Mexico. It’s time for the people.