Home   News   Schools   Sports   Biz   Opinion   Health   Scitech  Arts   Dining   Movies   Outdoors   Weather   Comics   Archives  NM Jobs Cars Real Estate

          Front Page  opinion  guest_columns

Friday, October 30, 2009

Poverty Takes Its Toll Everywhere

By Moises Venegas
Director, Quinto Sol
      In the present economy, most states are struggling with the issues of jobs, unemployment and the increase in poverty. The recent special legislative session attempted to make adjustments for the fiscal year. What about the next l00 years?
       In a September op-ed column the Journal published, I looked at poverty in New Mexico in comparison with other states. New Mexico ranked 48th, ahead of Mississippi and Louisiana. New Mexico's 2007 poverty rate had improved from 18.1 percent to 17.1 percent. Spelled out, approximately 336,855 people out of our population of 1.9 million were living in poverty.
       But a September report by CNN Money.com shows that nationally New Mexico has the highest poverty rate of any state: 19.3 percent, followed by Louisiana (18.2 percent) and Mississippi (18.1 percent).
       If we see ourselves as a family, how do we help those who are struggling? Just like our own family, we may be happy with the college graduate who is doing great but concerned with our other children who might be looking for jobs.
       According to 2007 data, the highest household incomes are in Los Alamos County with $92,422. Colfax County is lowest at $35,970.
       In the public sector there is a pattern of federal installations starting in Los Alamos and moving to the southeast part of our state. We find Sandia Labs, Kirtland, Holloman, White Sands, MacGregor, Cannon in Clovis and the old Walker Air Force base in Roswell. As I was driving back from Colorado, I stopped for a rest on the historical site of Ft. Union between Raton and Las Vegas on the old Santa Fe Trail. I wondered whatever happened to other federal posts in New Mexico, forts near Socorro, Santa Fe, Taos and Gallup?
       The northeast and northwest parts of the state do not have those types of federal employers, and therefore struggle economically to provide jobs.
       State policies must adjust to poverty rates by geographic locale. Some areas of the state have as much as 50 percent unemployment. As we continue with the issue of poverty in New Mexico, there are certain questions that perhaps many of you can help answer.
       Why are we so poor in New Mexico? Are we too dependent on the public sector (federal, state and local governments) for jobs? What would you do to bring jobs to northern New Mexico? How can we create job opportunities for our Native American residents?
       As we look at our state for areas that need public and private economic investments, we also need to look closer to home. Look at your city or town. Where do you find poverty at its worst? Whether it is Albuquerque's Central Avenue corridor, West Las Vegas or San Jose Nuevo in Carlsbad, we know where poverty exists.
       I leave you with two thoughts. The first, by James Baldwin, an African American writer, is “anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.”And the second by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who lived about 2,500 years ago: “In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of.”
       In New Mexico, we must all care.
       

---