roundtable

Bryan blogged about Tom's Gas Price Roundtable on Friday, and here is Tom speaking directly to reporters about solutions to the gas situation. Most of the time in campaigns, you don't get more than 30 seconds of time to talk, so we thought it made sense to post Tom's whole statement. You can see it after the flip and please let us know what you think in the comments below.

Today Tom Udall was in Albuquerque meeting with New Mexicans affected by rising gas prices, including individuals from education, law enforcement, a local charity program, an Albuquerque working mother, postal workers, and more. He met them for a roundtable discussion at Ever-Ready Oil Co. to hear their concerns and discuss the causes, effects, and possible solutions for skyrocketing fuel costs.

It was an eyeopening experience. They told their personal stories about the various ways prices at the pump forced them to alter their lifestyles, such as having to scale back on taking their children to extracurricular activities. They also spoke about the ways it effected other aspects of our lives on a grander scale, such as the rising cost of busing children to school cutting into other educational programs (especially in rural New Mexico where bus rides can be a half an hour or more each way) and a hiring freeze on new postal workers causing mail to arrive late.