Saturday, September 6, 2008

Teague stresses jobs, health care and school

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter, aduncan@dchieftain.com

The Democrat candidate for the U.S. Representative District 2 seat in New Mexico wants to see local control of schools and health care for all employees.

Small-business owner Harry Teague said his campaign was going well because of his message of change.

"People are tired of the same old things that have been going on," he said.

Also, Teague feels he relates well to the people in the district because he has worked for a living since age 17.

Teague believes jobs, opportunities for education and health care are important. He provides health insurance and scholarship opportunities for his more than 250 employees.

"I think we've got to bring education back to the local level," Teague said.

Local school boards and administrators choose curriculum, "not some bureaucrat in Washington, D.C.," he said. The people who run education from Washington, Teague said, don't understand that in places like Socorro, schools don't stop at the walls, but instead the community revolves around them.

Teague believes the country needs to scrap the No Child Left Behind Act and start over, although he said it's unclear if it would have worked, since it was never funded.

As for health care, Teague wants everyone to have insurance through more organizations joining together to get a better deal on insurance.

"I'd enlarge the pools and be sure all employees, employers and state governments participated in them," he said.

Under Teague's plan, people who already have health insurance they like wouldn't have to change, and others could join pools that already exist. Also, businesses could pay for the insurance with money or in-kind donations.

Teague's press secretary Michael Huerta said the federal government would offer incentives for employers already providing health insurance.

On jobs, Teague said the nation could use part of the $3 billion per week being spent on the Iraq war to build schools, hospitals, highways and other infrastructure at home.

"We need to make the Second Congressional District the alternative and renewable energy leader in the United States," Teague said. "With wind and solar being in such abundance we could use that to create thousands and thousands of good-paying jobs here in New Mexico."

That action would not only boost the economy, he said, but also help national security by making the country less dependent on foreign oil.

Over the long term, alternative and renewable energy would also help with the price of gas, Teague said. He also supports domestic oil drilling and better fuel economy standards in vehicles.

"We need conservation," Teague continued.

However, with work, he said, the nation can decrease prices at the pump and dependence on foreign oil. Teague believes the efforts would also help with greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs for American farmers.

On the war in Iraq, Teague thinks it's time to recognize the service members have done everything the country has asked them to do.

"And I think it's time we brought them home with honor, and showed them the respect and honor they deserve," he continued.

Teague supports letting the Iraqis govern their nation and spend some of their $79 billion surplus from oil sales to do so.

The troops would have to be phased out so everything would be done honorably, correctly and successfully, he said.

Teague also takes a stance on immigration.

"I think we've got to make it harder to get into our country illegally," he said. "We've got to make it easier to get in legally."

The nation must secure borders for protection, Teague said, while allowing in the same number of immigrants as jobs for them.

On abortion, Teague said he personally believes in life, but he thinks a woman and her family, doctor and God should make the decision rather than government.

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version