By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton hosted Congress Woman Theresa Ledger-Fernandez as she brought good new to Raton in the form of a $1 million check to begin the I-27 alignment study which is the first step in the design and preparations for the construction project that will require several billions of dollars to complete over the next several years noted Lauren Garduño the SEO of the Ports to Plains Alliance.
Fernandez explained that this funding is in cooperation with other federal legislative officials. It is the beginning to help products move across the country from the gulf coast to inland destinations.
When asked about bringing the splintered far left democrats back to the center she began with explaining what democrats need to work on affordability and then went on to talk about other economic issues and then saving the VA clinic here in Raton.
She was asked about protecting Medicare for those who have paid into the system for all their work life and not allowing illegal immigrants access to those benefits that they haven’t paid into. She stressed that even though some of them have paid into the system but never get to use those benefits. She noted that both the Medicare and social security systems should be improved. She did agree that both Republican and Democrats both need to work to fix these systems.
She went on to talk about the radiation exposure compensation bill as a bipartisan bill. The radiation exposure bill allows people who have developed or you parents have developed cancer that was caused by the bomb explosion or uranium mining.
After the immigration debacle that happened during the last administration can the Democrats and Republicans come together and work on immigration reform that needs to be done. They need to work together to simplify the system and make it easier to become a citizen. Fernandez noted that there were over 660 American citizens that had been arrested because they looked Latino. She noted one truck driver was stopped because their truck looked Mexican.
Less than a month away from the November elections Americans by 70+% are wanting election reform including Voter ID and to have better control over election integrity. Her explanation about the Save American bill would have required a much stronger id requirement than our driver’s license and for women would be more difficult especially with needing her name to match another form of documentation after they were married.
Voting by mail was another topic that can be looked at in many ways and Fernandez noted that New Mexico has some of the best voter mail in controls. New Mexico is second in voter integrity and mail in voter integrity. Voter convivence center is another way that the state has made it easier to vote and is something the state controls as well.
State highway work is a state issue but many roads in the northeastern corner are in horrible shape and can the state ask the federal government. She noted that there has been funding redirected to other things away from infrastructure needs by the states. There is a lot of truck traffic going north from Dumas up through Oklahoma and into Colorado and over to the Colorado Springs Denver areas. She noted that the I-27 project could be one way to get more of the traffic up through Raton.
Amtrak was another topic of discussion about no longer federally supported and having to be more self-supporting. Amtrak is also part of the transportation network and an important part of the area.
Recreation was also talked about and how it can bring economic stability into the area. Philmont and Vermejo have expanded their operations to include family adventure tours. It has been noted that come to Raton and you can fish a different lake or stream for entire week. Fernandez noted that her office is the WD-40 of the government that they will help with all matters government including helping municipalities find grant money to help with outdoor recreation projects.
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