“There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.”- MLK, Jr.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, while respectful and important, is less important than honoring his commitment to eliminating the inequities of New Mexico’s economic policies by making the historical resources available during the Legislative Session, which begins tomorrow, go to work for the most vulnerable of the state.

Legislative leaders and the Governor need to do more than cite the words of a man who placed others before himself, they need to direct spending to the needs of the people, not use the so-called “new money” and ARPA funds to advance their political careers.

In the coming thirty days, New Mexico’s policymakers should remember these words Dr. King left them to think about:

“The rich nations must use their vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped, school the unschooled, and feed the unfed. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for ‘the least of these.’”