On this week’s interview Paul sits down with former Las Cruces mayor and Democrat for Gov. of New Mexico Ken Miyagishima. Paul and Ken discuss his leadership during COVID as well as the numerous issues facing New Mexico’s next governor including the medical provider shortage, the 2nd amendment, and education reform, and the economy writ large. Ken shares how he would approach each of these issues and more. For more information on Ken’s campaign for Gov. check out his website.

With early voting starting on Monday for the runoff election between challenger Darren White and incumbent Mayor Tim Keller looking for an unprecedented third consecutive 4 year term, we noticed hundreds of homeless were running around Albuquerque’s “war zone” (with the politically-correct name “International District”) with yellow sweatshirts on.

But these yellow sweatshirts have the unlikely message “I ♡ Tim Keller.” We’re not sure where the homeless were able to get sweatshirts supporting Mayor Keller who has mayor has certainly done his “best” to worsen the homeless situation in Albuquerque.  Our favorite photo is of the top-left individual standing next to a burning pile of debris on the sidewalk.

Sam Bregman proposes term limits, pay for legislators.

Santa Fe New Mexican hits the road issue in a series over the weekend.

Virgin Galactic sets a launch goal of Q4 2026.

CEO and former ambassador: NM is not a poor state.

New Mexico’s data center frenzy.

Rep. Leger Fernandez claims teachers have more work ethic in their pinky than Elon Musk.

RGF luncheon on December 3 with Connor Boyack.

Happy Thanksgiving! Early voting begins Monday, December 1

With early voting for Albuquerque runoff elections starting on Monday, December 1, we believe the following information is extremely important for voters to consider about two of the so-called “progressive” candidates running in Districts 1 and 3.

The following relates to Teresa Garcia (formerly Williams) who is running against incumbent Klraissa Peña  was arrested back in 2015 with the following information and mugshot. The charge was aggravated battery and she seems to have neglected to mention this tidbit to the Albuquerque Journal: 

An equally troubled candidate Stephanie Tellez is running in District 1 (against Joshua Neal). We’re not sure what the occasion for the following photo was, but “Mutha’s Day” is NOT in June.

While crime and homelessness along with the City’s “immigrant friendly” policies will undoubtedly be at the top of the agenda for whoever wins the runoff election in Albuquerque set for December 9 (with in-person early voting running the week before), there are other issues that could hinge on the election outcome (mayor’s race combined with city council). Here are a few of the big ones that we see depending on the outcome of the runoff:

1. Ranked Choice Voting: This arcane and confusing voting tool where votes is a darling of left wing activists who dominate the Democratic Party. We believe that a third Keller term and a more progressive council would likely adopt it with Keller’s blessing.
2. Plastic bag ban: City Council including Klarissa Peña voted in March of 2022 to overturn the City’s plastic bag ban. These bans have failed elsewhere including New Jersey where plastic consumption rose in the wake of the ban, but a more “progressive” council (in the absence of opponents like Klarissa Peña and Louie Sanchez  will likely work to reinstate such a ban.
3. “Free” buses: Albuquerque’s “free” buses have been a touchstone for ill-conceived socialist policies across the nation including New York’s Zohran Mamdani. They have also failed miserably. Darren White has said he wishes to eliminate them. A more centrist council would likely be willing to act, Keller and a more “progressive” council won’t.
4. Taxes and the economy: Within a few months of being elected to his first term in office Mayor Tim Keller signed a $50 million tax increase. Keller had previously claimed he’d have the people decide, but decided against it. White not only opposes tax hikes but says he’d change the City’s charter to ensure that voters ALWAYS have a say on tax hikes. Future tax hikes will hinge on the political composition of city council and this mayor’s race.

These may not be THE hot button issues of the campaign, but they are likely as impactful. Be sure to VOTE! 

The importance of the runoff election for the future of the City of Albuquerque cannot be underestimated. The City COULD move significantly to the center with the election of Darren White as mayor combined with council candidates Joshua Neal and Klarissa Peña. The election of so-called “progressive” Keller for a third term along with one or both candidates Telles and Garcia would move the City dramatically to the left. Turnout is THE key to this election. Typically turnout in runoff elections is much less than on Election Day.

Here’s what you need to know:

Election Day is Tuesday, December 9. Early voting which we URGE you to take advantage of will last from Monday, December 1 – Saturday, December 6, 2025
10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Early voting is especially important as we head into the teeth of winter and you just never know what the weather will be like on the 9th of December.

Below is a list of locations for early voting which will ALSO be open on Election Day:

Early Voting Site Addresses

98th & Central Shopping Center
120 98th St NW, 87121
Suite B101 & B102

Andalucia Shopping Center
5600 Coors Blvd NW, 87120
Suite C-5

Bernalillo County Visitor and Cultural Center
6080 Isleta Blvd SW, 87105

Caracol Plaza
12500 Montgomery Blvd NE, 87111
Suite 101

Central Mercado
301 San Pedro Dr SE, 87108
Suites B, C, D, E

Clerk’s Annex
1500 Lomas Blvd NW, 87104
Suite A

Cottonwood West
10131 Coors Blvd NW, 87114
Suite C-02

Daskalos Center
5339 Menaul Blvd NE, 87110

Four Hills Shopping Center
13140 Central Ave SE, 87123
Suite 1420

Holly Plaza
6600 Holly Ave NE, 87113
Suite B-6

Los Altos Plaza
4200 Wyoming Blvd NE, 87111
Suite B-3

Los Ranchos Villa
6601 4th St NW, 87107
Suite U

Petroglyph Plaza
8201 Golf Course Rd NW, 87120
Suite D-1

South Valley Multi-Purpose Senior Center
2008 Larrazolo Rd SW, 87105

The Shoppes at 6001 San Mateo
6001 San Mateo Blvd NE, 87109
Suite B-3

University of New Mexico
Student Union Building, 87106
Louie’s Lounge

West Bluff Center
5211 Ouray Rd NW, 87120
Suite B

Democrat gubernatorial candidate Sam Bregman has called for term limits and salaries for New Mexico’s Legislature. For the record, we’d support both. Ideally, legislator pay would replace the outrageous legislative pension system thus compensating legislators for their actual work in real time, not their longevity and promises of generous checks for the rest of their lives.

While Bregman MAY be pandering, we’re not opposed to this kind of pandering. But, it is true that the Legislature would have to act to support term limits which is the toughest problem. That’s like letting the chickens vote for Colonel Sanders! While 16 states have legislative term limits a vast majority (perhaps all) were adopted by voters in the form of a ballot initiative, not legislators themselves. New Mexico has no such process in place realistically. So, this is an exceedingly unlikely thing to happen.

But, New Mexico’s legislative body is an abject failure (even relative to the failed MLG administration). It is time for dramatic measures to bring new blood and thinking into the body. Ideally voters would do this themselves in the elections, but they haven’t done a very good job over the years. It is worth having a debate about term limits and broader legislative reforms.

The Santa Fe New Mexican had a series of articles on roads over the weekend. There was some new information and a lot of info that we already know. Here’s a quick rundown:

• New Mexico’s percentage of “acceptable” roads is the third worst among US states (only Rhode Island and Hawaii are worse). 
• The estimated cost of getting our roads into shape is $5.6 billion. You can find out how much is needed by region here.
• The New Mexican discussed this topic with legislators of both parties and nearly everyone agrees New Mexico’s roads are bad. House Tax Committee Chair Derrick Lente says they are good.
• Most Democrats in the Legislature WANT to raise the gas tax to pay for roads, but are afraid of the political consequences of doing that. The Gov. plans to support a bill to let the Transportation Department bond $1.5 billion for projects. This would improve the roads by adding more debt .

The Rio Grande Foundation has outlined a few ways which the Legislature COULD work to improve the roads.

• Free up some of the unspent $7.2 billion in unspent capital outlay money that is typically used for “pork” projects for roads.
• Make electric vehicle owners pay a fee for road maintenance (they currently do not).
• Repeal New Mexico’s “mini” Davis-Bacon law that allows unions rather than market forces to set construction wages.
• Tax gas “at the rack” to capture gas taxes on tribal lands (they currently do not remit state gas tax).

Like so many of New Mexico’s issues these run up against (in order) the interests of: legislators themselves, environmental groups, unions, and tribes, each of which are core Democrat interest groups. Nonetheless, the condition of our roads is a real drag on New Mexico’s economy (costing motorists $2,074 annually, for vehicle maintenance, congestion and safety costs). This is why they don’t get done and are unlikely to be done unless or until the political winds shift and voters realize what is happening and vote accordingly.

Virgin Galactic has gone 16 months without a launch. They also haven’t had test flights of their new Delta “spacecraft” which they hope will be financially viable in a way that their original craft was not. Recently Virgin Galactic pledged that they’d be launching by the 4th quarter of 2026, about a year from now.

It is worth the reminder that Virgin Galactic is the flagship tenant at New Mexico’s taxpayer-funded (thanks to then-Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat). Advocates for the Spaceport continue to claim the facility is financially viable, but we have serious questions about those calculations. 

Virgin Galactic has often made bold predictions about their launch schedules. As space analyst Doug Messier notes,

Virgin Galactic has been on track to achieve one goal after another since Richard Branson announced plans to fly tourists to space in September 2004. In 21 years the company has seldom met its schedule.

Delays are quite common in big space projects. The problem is Virgin Galactic’s delays have been epic in scale. The company has exhibited a unique brand of excessive optimism coupled with a chronic inability to deliver.

Will Virgin Galactic succeed in returning paying customers to near-space before the end of 2026? We’d bet not. Will the company ever truly make money given the fact that competing private space companies (like Blue Origin) are racing ahead with more and better launches?

Are you concerned that America has run out of big ideas and can’t carry big projects (or even basic government programs) to fruition in a successful way? Philip K. Howard is a return guest on Tipping Point NM. Philip and Paul discuss his latest book “Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America.” The book amounts to a critique of overregulation and red tape and outlines ideas for how we can get regulatory bodies and attorneys out of the way of essential government services and projects.

Among Paul’s numerous questions for Philip is to compare his book with the popular book “Abundance” which addresses several similar issues albeit from an explicitly “Democrat” or liberal angle. You don’t want to miss this conversation!

At the Rio Grande Foundation we remain philosophically opposed to government-funded media. That includes federal tax dollars AND state dollars. In the wake of the federal “Big Beautiful Bill” which eliminated federal $$ for PBS and NPR New Mexico’s Democrats led by Gov. MLG rammed $5.6 million worth of state taxpayer funding for government media outlets through during a recent (the first) special session.

Assuming that federal funding for government media is not restored next year this will become an annual line item in New Mexico’s already bloated annual budget.

As part of our efforts to increase transparency in New Mexico government here are the salaries of employees of KNME (the Albuquerque area PBS station). Keeping in mind generous government benefits like a state pension and health care benefits (as UNM employees KNME employees are eligible for PERA), are these salaries in line with the private sector? We don’t know (we believe they are inflated), but we’d love to have your take and will publish well founded comments at this site. Send us your thoughts at: info@riograndefoundation.org

Certainly, neither our federal nor our state level tax dollars should be used to fund the operations of media outlets.

A recent speaker and former ambassador/CEO who now lives in New Mexico, Meg Whitman, recently spoke to a business luncheon. She pointed out one big obvious point: “New Mexico is NOT a poor state.” She’s definitely right about that as we’ve discussed numerous times.

She even has some more solid ideas like saying she “would work with Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and with the state Legislature to “optimize the business climate,” by changing taxes and regulations, making New Mexico a competitive place for business, tourism and manufacturing. This is bigger step than most are willing to take. Most economists hired at New Mexico’s universities or even those who come to speak at big events keep things so general as to be completely useless.

Whitman strongly implies that she is calling for: lower taxes, especially on productive activity (like the GRT, income, and corporations). She also sees regulations as an issue in New Mexico’s competitiveness. Thirdly, Whitman says, “Something needs to be done about your K-12 education system here,” Whitman said. “This is not good. Being 50th out of 50 states is not the place you want to be.”

What that “something” is in her mind is obviously open to interpretation, but both school choice and Mississippi’s reforms are ideas recommended by Rio Grande Foundation. We haven’t seen any other ideas that have produced real results.

Whitman may be an outsider and seems to be fairly conservative, both of which seem to scare many New Mexicans, but she is also clearly aware at more than a surface level of New Mexico’s potential and challenges.

Wall Street is bullish about Artificial Intelligence (AI). And, while the author perhaps watched Terminator 2 too many times and is skeptical about humanity’s desire to press forward with AI, this post is about the rising industry’s economic impact on New Mexico While there are certainly some concerns about aspects of these projects, MLG’s new Economic Development Secretary Rob Black has definitely ramped up the Administration’s efforts to bring in businesses.

Project Jupiter: Backed by Oracle Project Jupiter is a $165 BILLION investment in southern New Mexico. It will also require construction of a 1 gigawatt natural gas plant JUST for the facility.

Project Zenith: This data center amounts to a $11.7 billion in capital investment in Roswell. It will also require massive amounts of electricity ($1.3 gigawatts) although the plan includes some combination of batteries, solar, and natural gas generators along with geothermal cooling systems.

New Era Energy & Digital, Inc.: This facility will require up to 7 gigawatts (GW) in total, with an initial 2 GW of natural gas generation and a planned 5+ GW of nuclear power. Initial power delivery is expected in 2028.

All of this new power, much of which is from traditional sources, will be “off grid” and tied to the facility. It is impossible to imagine any scenario in which these facilities operate solely on wind, solar, and even battery. It is interesting that MLG is pushing so hard to bring these facilities here when they highlight the fact that the ETA is truly unworkable.

A great deal of water is necessary for Project Jupiter and this kind of facility in general. Ideally that would include the use of “Produced Water” as has been discussed.

We don’t love the generous subsidies handed to these projects either. Industrial Revenue Bonds and numerous other tax incentives and other inducements seem unnecessary when New Mexico brings geological stability and lack of tornadoes and hurricanes to the mix (in addition to the self-contained electricity source which skirt the States Energy Transition Act).

Overall, these are solid economic developments. Rod Black seems to have finally jumpstarted economic development efforts during this Administration as MLG’s time in office wanes.

Santa Fe recently raised its minimum wage from an already high $15 an hour to $17.50, but the calculation for future increases cause even more concerns.

The Tax Foundation recently released its Tax Competitiveness Index. Despite ample oil and gas revenues New Mexico has dropped from 20th to 28th since 2020. While taxes are not the ONLY important factor in driving economic decisions, they are key. We discuss why New Mexico has lost ground in recent years.

According to The Economist magazine “free universal child care harms children.” We discuss the issues.

New Mexico’s workforce participation rate is still lower than it was at the start of COVID.

Former State Sen. Bill Tallman, a Democrat, recently wrote an article highlighting the fact that the Keller Administration is diverting funds for studying a downtown arena to United Soccer stadium.

New Mexico House GOP secured a full audit of SNAP in the recent special session.

KRQE reported recently that SNAP benefits are being traded for fentanyl.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that lifted tariffs on a wide range of imported food products, including beef, coffee and tea, bananas, oranges, tropical fruits and fruit juice, cocoa, spices, and tomatoes, as well as certain fertilizers.

As of August of 2025 New Mexico’s workforce participation rate, as tracked by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, is 57.4 percent.  That’s the last number we have due to the federal shutdown.

Notably, in February 2020, right before the COVID shutdowns, New Mexico was at 58.1 percent. New Mexico has long suffered from abysmally-low workforce participation. The State remains at the very bottom nationwide. What our Gov. and Legislature want to avoid discussing is how programs like SNAP and Medicaid (which New Mexico is the MOST dependent on among all US states) encourage people to NOT work.

But, for New Mexico to not even be able to achieve the levels of workforce participation that were seen at the onset of COVID-19 is problematic. Getting more New Mexicans off welfare and into jobs should be a goal of ALL New Mexicans.

Luncheon: Connor Boyack, Author of the “Tuttle Twins”

How do current generations pass down the ideas of liberty to future generations? A recent survey by the Cato Institute and YouGov paints a troubling picture: 62 percent of Americans aged 18–29 say they hold a “favorable view” of socialism, and 34 percent say the same of communism.

Like you, we at the Rio Grande Foundation are concerned about the future of freedom. That’s why we’re hosting a luncheon with Connor Boyack, author of the Tuttle Twins book series.

December 3, 2025
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Silver Room
2401 12th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
11:45 – 1:15PM

Haven’t heard about the Tuttle Twins? The Tuttle Twins are a series of children’s books and an animated show that aims to teach kids about principles of economics, government, and individual liberty through the adventures of twin siblings, Ethan and Emily Tuttle. RGF president Paul Gessing has kids and can share that his daughters enjoyed the books immensely.

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About the Speaker:
Connor Boyack founded Libertas Institute in 2011 and serves as its president. Named one of Utah’s most politically influential people by The Salt Lake Tribune, Connor’s leadership has led to dozens of legislative victories spanning a wide range of areas such as privacy, government transparency, property rights, drug policy, education, personal freedom, and more.

A public speaker and author of over 40 books, he is best known for The Tuttle Twins books, a children’s series introducing young readers to economic, political, and civic principles. A California native and Brigham Young University graduate, Connor lives in Lehi, Utah, with his wife and two children.

Early bird pricing ends on November 19, 2025. Ticket prices will increase by $5 after November 19, 2025.

Cancellation policy: The Rio Grande Foundation will honor cancellation requests until November 19, 2025 at 12:00PM MT, minus a 15% transaction fee.

Event Details

Date and Time

Wednesday, December 3, 2025
12:00 PM, (MST)

Location

2401 12th Street Northwest, Silver Room
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104

Click Below to Reserve Your Seat Today!

The “City Different” is making headlines again with its minimum wage law. Recently, it became obvious that the extremely progressive city was going to raise its minimum wage from $15.00 to $17.50 an hour. That’s a near 17% increase which comes on top of annual increases based on annual inflation (CPI) adjustments.

But, what came out of City Council comes with a twist. Now, the wage will rise to $17.50 AND increases will be tied to a combination of rent increases and annual inflation growth of up to 5%. Not surprisingly, there is no downward ratchet if prices or rents drop.

The biggest issue is that Santa Fe rents are way more volatile than CPI. The good news is that in recent years Santa Fe has done a much better job of increasing its rents have begun to stabilize due to new apartment constructions that are helping to slow rent growth, but many factors can impact rents. If rents rise to the point where you get a few years of 5% minimum wage growth in a row wages will become a real problem for local businesses.

Take a starting point of $17.50 and raise it by 5% which gets you: $18.38. Do it again and $18.38 rises to: $19.30.

Again, CPI typically increases at a 2 to 3% annual rate. Growth got out of control during the Biden Administration in 2021 and 2022, but the trend is far more restrained.

One report found that Santa Fe rents grew by 40% on average over a recent 5 year period between 2016 and 2021. That’s before the worst of inflation of the Biden years. Can Santa Fe builders keep enough apartments and other rental properties available to prevent minimum wage sticker shock? We’re about to find out, but it is unfortunate that this wage increase is now adding new and unrelated factors into the formula.

On this week’s interview Paul sits down with New Mexico Senator Antonio “Moe” Maestas. Moe is a Democrat representing Albuquerque’s West Side. He and Paul discuss road funding issues in New Mexico. Specifically, they address whether the gas tax should be increased and other approaches to increasing road funding. Paul and Sen. Maestas then move on to discuss the housing crisis facing New Mexico and some specific policy ideas he plans to introduce in the upcoming 30 day session. You don’t want to miss this conversation!

What do you call 175 freedom loving New Mexicans gathered in one place? A good start! In all seriousness the Rio Grande Foundation hosted its 25th anniversary Laissez Faire Soiree this past Saturday night and we are pleased to report  the event was a smashing success with 175 attendees and lots of fun. Thanks to everyone who sponsored the event and attended making it a big success.

Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform keynoted the evening and did a marvelous job highlighting the importance of federalism and state-based organizations like Rio Grande Foundation:

RGF’s board of directors can be seen below along with RGF president Paul Gessing:

And, none of this would have been possible without Hal Stratton, former New Mexico Attorney General and State Rep. who co-founded RGF back in 2000.

To Gov. Lujan Grisham success is simply one more government program away. It always involves spending more taxpayer money for a new government program. It does not mean that taxes should be reduced and New Mexico government should be limited in any way or that it should analyze whether those government programs succeed or fail in achieving what they purport to. This is certainly nothing new but a recent article from The Economist magazine, “Universal Child Care can Harm Children” makes the argument that MLG’s so-called “free” child care scheme could do more harm than good. The article is behind a paywall, but some of the most important parts are pasted below:

But, one of the most salient points: “Shifting to universal child care appeared to lead to a rise in aggression, anxiety and hyperactivity… as well as a fall in motor and social skills. The effects were large: anxiety rates doubled; roughly a third more kids were reported to be hyperactive. Indeed, the difference in hyperactivity rates was larger than is typically reported between boys and girls.”

Will the Legislature simply go along with MLG and her scheme or will they take a close look at the potential harms of this latest desperate scheme to cover for her failures in our K-12 schools and CYFD (to name just two).

RGF holds successful 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday with Grover Norquist keynoting. Wally provided the welcome. They discuss the event.

Government shutdown will finally end soon. Thankfully the filibuster remains intact. Paul and Wally discuss.

New Mexico’s Legislature convened on Monday for a special session. What happened?

What happened in the recent elections? Paul and Wally made some predictions last week.

EV sales plummet in the wake of expiring federal subsidies.

New Mexico’s population has grown stagnant under MLG.

We know that New Mexico’s overall economic competitiveness is lacking due to an overall lack of economic freedom. But, what about JUST tax policy? How does New Mexico fare when ranked against other US states?

The Tax Foundation produces an annual tax competitiveness index which can be found here. The good news is that New Mexico is ranked 28th overall which is just mediocre, not our usual dead last. The bad news is that with the state running massive budget surpluses due to the ongoing oil and gas boom New Mexico COULD be doing so much better. 

So, according to the Tax Foundation New Mexico’s tax code is less competitive than any of its neighbors besides Colorado.

Worse, as the chart below shows, New Mexico’s tax competitiveness has actually gotten worse under Gov. Lujan Grisham with the state has seen a significant decline in its ranking since 2020 dropping from 20th to 28th during that time period. It’s not the biggest drop in the report, but again, with New Mexico flush with cash why are our politicians enacting policies to make the state less competitive?

The map below is an interactive map showing how the states stack up nationwide.

The following are the Senate Democrats who voted to reopen the federal government. Obviously this group does not include Sens. Heinrich or Ben Ray Lujan. Both of New Mexico’s senators wished to keep the government shut down even longer while claiming that they were not responsible for the shutdown. The House will have an opportunity to vote to reopen the government soon and we’ll keep an eye out for how our house delegation votes, but since there is no filibuster it will pass easily.

The Democrat Party base activists and funders are VERY upset with those who voted to reopen the government again highlighting just who was invested in shutting down the government in the first place. While it is in many ways a victory for President Trump and the Republicans Trump’s willingness to eliminate the filibuster remains concerning.

Overall, this was an ugly chapter in American politics. Both Trump AND the Democrats should learn lessons from it. Trump should have worked through Congress all along to pass a fiscally-responsible budget. This continuing resolution is Biden’s last budget. It is NOT fiscally responsible and does NOT reflect the priorities of the Trump Administration or Republicans. Democrats, on the other hand, were simply throwing a tantrum over the failures of ObamaCare and the need for massive subsidies to keep that failed law from being exposed as a costly boondoggle.

Gov. Lujan Grisham is calling yet another special session for Monday to pour New Mexico tax dollars into the SNAP program (food stamps) that Democrats in the US Senate are keeping the federal government shut down. This is yet another opportunity for the majority to ram through more spending and put it into a welfare program that is open to abuse and allows far too many in New Mexico to avoid work.

We understand that fundamental reform of SNAP is necessary. Ideally SNAP would be a state program funded by state dollars which would limit the incentive for abuse. New Mexico needs to use its considerable oil and gas largesse to diversify its economy and move more New Mexicans into the workforce (our participation rate is deplorable) and off welfare.

But, MLG and her party seems to prefer to keep New Mexicans dependent on the government (and thus willing to reelect them).

Votes on spending New Mexico tax dollars to prop up SNAP will be included in the Foundation’s Freedom Index and will receive negative scores.