CEO and former ambassador: New Mexico is NOT a poor state (and she has ideas)

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.