|
I
saw it in New Mexico.
The families I spoke
with saw the American
dream slipping away from
them and their children.
They wanted to see
families and people put
first and they wanted
change.
The desire for change
spanned generations and
ethnicities. As I
campaigned, it was
reinforced that Latino
issues are American
issues, we all worry
about providing for our
families, sending our
children to college and
securing accessible
affordable health care.
The crumbling economy,
two wars, the health
care crisis and the
unpredictable future of
energy united voters
rather than dividing
voters. America wanted
change, and on November
4 we made our voices
heard.
It's true that our
country faces tough
challenges, but
challenges present an
opportunity to build a
stronger, better future
for America. We must end
the war in Iraq and
bring our brave men and
women home to their
families. It's time to
restore our standing in
the world. And when our
soldiers return home
they should get the
benefits they have
earned and deserve.
It's time to end our
dependence on foreign
oil, and start building
a clean energy economy
in America. We must
provide incentives for
companies that create
jobs here at home, many
of which can be created
in a new, renewable
energy industry that
will end our dependence
on foreign oil.
To
build this future, we
must invest in our
children's education at
every level. We must
close the achievement
gap for young children
from disadvantaged
families with early
education, and we must
close the financial gap
for those young men and
women with the passion
and ambition to go to
college.
We
need a national service
for scholarship program
that pays for college in
exchange for public
service. This is one
program that will grow
the next generation of
young dedicated Latino
leaders.
Perhaps most importantly,
we can make affordable,
quality universal health
care a reality,
providing care for all
those who need it,
reducing the burden on
working families who
struggle everyday to pay
these high health care
costs. It's a lot of
work. But we have a new
Congress and a new
administration dedicated
to achieving these goals
and bringing change to
America. It's an
ambitious goal to change
the direction of our
country and put people
first, but by focusing
on our own capacity to
affect change, we can
and will achieve these
goals.
I've always remembered
the lessons I learned
during my childhood, the
lessons of hard work,
tradition, family and
public service. It's
important that as we
move our country forward
that we don't forget who
we are, where we come
from, and the people
that have entrusted us
to make important
decisions to bring the
change that these United
States deserve.
By
Congressman-elect Ben
Ray Luján (D) |
