Dear Editor;
Representative Alcon is fighting for everyday New Mexicans. His opponents rely on nonsense.
I was disappointed to read the letter to the editor published in last week’s paper criticizing Representative Eliseo Alcon. That letter written by Harry Hall was full of enough nonsense about politics and absentee ballots to make Donald Trump and his lawyers jealous. It was very telling that the letter writer had nothing to say about Representative Alcon’s actual work and values.
Mr. Hall should stop hiding behind speculation and start living in the real world. As a frontline worker, I see the challenges families face every day, and I know that Rep. Alcon does too. Right now, New Mexican families are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. They’re worried about the health of their families, paying rent, getting back to work safely, and keeping their small business open. Rep. Alcon supported emergency loans for New Mexico small businesses and everyday New Mexicans are counting on him to keep fighting for us in the next legislative session.
With Representative Alcon, Cibola County has a voice that believes the next generation can be successful right here, in New Mexico. His support for the Local Economic Development Act has supported hundreds of up and coming small businesses and created thousands of jobs in rural New Mexico. He is connected to the concerns of real people. He has supported investments in our schools and classrooms and voted to protect health care for people living with pre-existing conditions.
Frontline workers like me recognize Rep. Alcon’s commitment to bringing down the barriers that are squeezing the middle-class. That’s why we support him. And he delivers by voting to raise the state’s minimum wage, ensure prevailing wages on job sites, invest millions to improve roads and infrastructure, and starting to reforming our tax code so it’s fairer for hardworking New Mexicans and small businesses while making sure big out-of-state corporations to pay their fair share.
Mr. Hall’s letter also attacked Representative Alcon for accepting campaign contributions from organized labor. I’m someone who works for a living. I have worked at a local grocery store for the past 25 years and I’m a proud union member. I won’t let politicians try to make me feel ashamed for being part of the union. Workers deserve a voice and we deserve elected leaders who fight for working families. If the letter writer has a problem with raising the minimum wage, the 40-hour workweek, workplace safety standards, or preventing wage theft, he should just come out and say it.
Our unions advocate for working New Mexicans whether it’s supporting policy, negotiating at the worksite, or supporting elected officials that are on the side of everyday people instead of big corporations and their lobbyists. That’s our right as workers and it’s critically important in the lives of working people and our families.
The letter to the editor last week was just paragraph after paragraph of speculation and inaccuracy. It was out of touch. Representative Alcon believes in New Mexico’s small businesses, our working families, our children, and our future. He delivers and he’s always been on our side. That’s why he was re-elected.
Victoria Bustos
Grants, NM
Editor’s notes: The Cibola Citizen seeks and welcomes letters to the editor on any and all topics. All letters must be no longer than 500 words (one full page, single spaced) and contain the writer’s name and contact phone number for verification. Unsigned letters will not be printed. The Cibola Citizen reserves the right to edit any and all submissions.