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| Securing Our Nation, Our Jobs, and Our Future |
January 11, 2002 |
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Dear Friends,
When I`m out around town these days, I ask people, "How`s business?" I ask the baggage checkers at the airport, the restaurant owners, the real estate agents and the clerks at Foley`s. I`m worried about our economy.
In New Mexico we`ve felt the economic slowdown, made so much worse by terrorism. Nationwide we`ve lost 700,000 jobs since the attacks on September 11th. We were on the verge of a recession in August and, with the help of the summer tax rebates and low interest rates, we were all looking for a "soft landing."
September 11th changed all that.
 Heather recently visited with employees at Plastic Supply Inc. about legislation to create jobs.
We got knocked down. People are worried about losing their jobs. Now we have to do everything we can to keep the jobs we have, grow the jobs we need and help families who are hurting because Mom or Dad are out of work through no fault of their own.
That`s why I supported and we passed an economic security bill through the House of Representatives.
It would change the tax code to encourage small businesses to buy new equipment and create jobs. It would give tax rebates to low income workers and reduce tax rates for middle class families starting January 1st. And it would extend unemployment benefits another 13 weeks and give people help paying for health insurance while they are out of work.
"I`m working in Congress to keep our country safe from terrorism, to strengthen our economy, and to improve education for every child."
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The best security we can give people is a job while we fight and win the war on terrorism.
I first met Mason (age 9) and Emily (age 4) at dinner out at Kirtland. They are wonderful kids who miss their dad. He`s deployed with the Air Guard supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Our men and women in uniform are doing a great job in Afghanistan. They`re rooting out the terrorists responsible for the most devastating attack on America we`ve ever experienced. Their mission is just and our nation is united and resolved.
Whether it takes two weeks, two months, or two years, we will prevail. Some actions in this war on terrorism we will see. Some of it we may never know about. But we are doing everything we can to protect Americans from another terrorist attack.
That`s why I`ve worked to pass legislation that strengthens security at our airports, improves our public health system to combat bioterrorism, and beefs up law enforcement and intelligence. We have made great strides since September 11th doing all of these things. We`ll keep at it.
Over the long haul our greatest challenge as a state continues to be the education of our children. Just this week, President Bush signed into law the most important federal education bill we have seen in 20 years.
Heather chooses a bracelet made by students to raise money for September 11 victims. She visited the class of middle-schoolers to answer questions about Congress` efforts to combat terrorism.
The Leave No Child Behind Act provides the most funding Congress has ever allocated for education. We tripled funds for reading so that every child learns to read by the third grade. We gave unprecedented flexibility to principals and school districts so that they can meet their own unique needs. And, when a school fails to meet state standards, parents are given options, including money for tutoring and summer school so that their children are not left behind.
Great teachers in the classroom take us a long way toward having great schools. For the second year in a row, UNM will be able to continue its Math and Science Teacher Academy with federal funds.
We cannot afford to leave any child behind. I`ll keep working to make sure that we don`t.
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