OP-ED: Governor has done much to diversify economy
Albuquerque Journal
By: Rep. Nate Gentry
June 12th, 2014

http://www.abqjournal.com/414268/opinion/governor-has-done-much-to-diversify-economhy.html

A recent column by Winthrop Quigley hit the nail on the head: We need to diversify our state’s economy and wean ourselves off the reliance on federal spending if we want to create better job opportunities for New Mexico families.

For decades, New Mexico has heavily relied on federal dollars to keep its economy afloat. Unfortunately, this reliance ties our state’s economic security to the whims of Washington, D.C. – clearly a place we do not want to be. Without a diversification of our economy, we are ill prepared for the time when that source of federal revenue runs out.

Like most states, New Mexico felt the squeeze with the national recession. Mom-and-pop businesses closed their doors. Many of our friends and neighbors lost their jobs.

Then our state was dealt a second blow – this time from crippling federal budget cuts, sequestration and the dysfunction in Washington, D.C.

Fortunately, Gov. Susana Martinez, working closely with legislators from both parties, is fighting to diversify our economy. She has encouraged growth in our private sector, allowed us to be more competitive with neighboring states and is working to make New Mexico less reliant on the unreliable federal government.

And Martinez is doing it in a way that will benefit all of New Mexico families – by cutting taxes to make it easier for businesses to set up shop or hire more employees.

For many years, New Mexico had a reputation for being a state that was high-tax and unfriendly to business. Not anymore. Martinez and business-friendly legislators, in just three years, have begun to change that negative image.

She has cut taxes 24 times, eliminated red tape that strangled our small businesses and opened New Mexico for business.

Perhaps her greatest achievement, working with the legislature, is the historic tax relief she championed in 2013. In a show of bipartisanship, the governor worked across the aisle to cut the business tax by 22 percent. Sen. John Arthur Smith, Democratic Senate Finance Chairman, called it “the closest thing we’ve had since I’ve been here to true, total tax reform.”

These tax cuts are already having an impact.

Since she took office, exports have hit record numbers. Manufacturing is on the rise. A nonpartisan taxpayer group gave our state a “B” for its tax reforms – a significant improvement over the dismal “D” the state received prior to her efforts.

And recently, Ernst & Young rated our state No. 1 in the West for manufacturing.

Because of Martinez’s efforts, we are on the way to economic independence from Washington, D.C.

We are fortunate to have such a tremendous leader as our governor. Let’s re-elect her so she can finish the job of turning New Mexico around.

Rep. Nate Gentry is the Republican Whip in the New Mexico House.