New Mexico Business Weekly - October 27, 2008
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Friday, October 24, 2008 | Modified: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 6:00 AM
Dan East
Republican for U.S. House, Third District
New Mexico Business Weekly - NMBW Staff

East
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Dan East received his bachelor of science degree in construction management from Colorado State University. He owns and operates Cone Construction Corp. an Albuquerque small business specializing in water treatment projects.

1. National laboratories:

I am a strong supporter of the National Labs and their current mission, but the labs are the perfect place to develop renewable energy sources. The brain trust we have at the labs have developed amazing technology in the past, and they can do the same for our future.

2. Poverty:

Corruption and poverty go hand-in-hand, as this question points out. The corruption of New Mexico’s government at the state level is a direct result of 73 years of Democratic control and the patron system our state has adopted. Poverty affects everything, from education to nutrition, and enables our welfare system to thrive, making generations of New Mexicans dependent on the government. I would reform the welfare system so that New Mexicans can once again take pride in their own ingenuity. I will fight to lower taxes so that New Mexicans can keep more of their hard-earned money. I will work to lower the cost of health care so that rural communities can access and afford preventive care and basic services. I will reinvest in America to put New Mexicans back to work.

3. Small businesses:

The biggest threat is the current spending trend in Congress that is raising our taxes and preventing growth in small business. I will fight to keep our taxes low, reduce the rampant spending in Congress, eliminate the AMT, capital gains tax and the death tax. As a small business owner, if I keep more of my money, I can then hire more employees, purchase new equipment and grow my business, which puts people back to work and increases our tax base because you have more people employed who are paying taxes.

4. Oil:

I absolutely advocate more drilling, especially in my district. The San Juan Basin has some of the largest oil reserves in the state. I think that current oil companies are doing a great job of maintaining our environment. I don’t believe anyone wants to go out and tear up the land. I also want to renew the tax credits for renewable energy in this state and utilize the amazing brain trust we have at Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs to develop new technologies that can be turned over to the market for use. All across the northern half of this state, there are many small businesses that are working on renewable energies and energy efficient products and technologies. Those industries need to be supported and fostered so that we can move from an oil-based society to an alternative energy base.

5. Jobs:

I will create jobs by investing in infrastructure in this state. Not only are new roads and bridges badly needed, the repair and construction will create thousands of jobs that cannot be outsourced overseas. For every $1 billion invested in infrastructure, 40,000 new jobs are created. Those jobs are not just in construction, but they encompass retail, transportation and marketing. I like to challenge people to find an occupation that will not positively benefit from having strong roads and bridges. I will also fight to cut overspending in Congress and allow tax dollars to remain in the hands of the taxpayers. This way, more jobs will be created in the long run by companies and small businesses being able to grow and put people to work.

6. Casinos/Racinos:

I don’t believe we should push for more, the system is working as the law was written. The positives have been the job creation and revenue that the tribes now have. The state has benefitted through the tourism that they bring in. The new racino in Raton will revitalize the economy of that town, draw in tons of out-of-state tourism dollars and put people back to work. The negative is the gambling addiction that we have seen, but as long as the casinos continue to fund the addiction programs, that problem will remain minimal.

7. Bailout:

No, I don’t support the bailout. That bill was too hastily written to have the oversight and accountability measures needed to prevent a relapse of the crisis. We still have not had a thorough investigation into what caused this in the first place, and without knowing how we got here, it will be hard to prevent in the future. One of my first actions in Congress will be to enact the Grassley-Baucus Act that will put $4 Billion back into the Highway Trust Fund. That money can then be invested in America’s infrastructure to create 120,000 new jobs. Those jobs are badly needed during this crisis.

8. Tax policy:

I don’t advocate any federal tax policies. Every tax policy that is currently on the books needs to be looked at closely to ensure that tax dollars are being spent in a way that provides a clear value back to the taxpayer.

9. Immigration:

The other huge threat to employers is the lack of a tamper- proof employment verification system. It is unfair to make the employer the border agent. As employers, we have no way of knowing if a document is genuine. We need to concentrate on prevention of illegal immigration through better funding and equipment for our Border Patrol and through streamlining the process to get a work visa or citizenship.

10.Nuclear energy:
Nuclear energy is the only currently available, economically viable, proven source of alternative energy at our disposal today. We need to reduce the redundancy in the regulations to cut down the 10 years to site and build a plant and we need a strong advocate in Congress who will push to get new plants built.

11. Priorities:

Energy, job creation and repairing our ailing and aging infrastructure are my top three priorities.




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