Analyzing the NM GOP’s “Fair Deal”

Admittedly, when we at the Rio Grande Foundation first heard of the Fair Deal, a raft of public policies proposed by Republican candidates for the New Mexico Legislature,  we were pretty skeptical.

After all, the original Fair Deal was a 21 point plan proposed by President Harry Truman that would have resulted in a massive expansion of the federal government. Then it was reported in the media that the plan was a “moderate agenda.” The term “moderate” is not necessarily a bad, but it doesn’t mean anything. So, what IS the Fair Deal agenda? We looked and it is actually pretty good. Here are the most substantive parts:

ECONOMY: Protect people’s right to retain more of what they earn (presumably by holding the line on or reducing taxes). Eliminate taxes on Social Security, stop unfair double and triple taxation of small business (presumably by reforming the GRT), and reduce or eliminate the income tax on working families.

Professional licensure reform, streamline mandatory disclosure requirements (unclear what these are or this means in practice), regular and mandatory review of all regulations, and the elimination of at least one old regulation for each new one added.

CRIME: Protect the 2nd amendment; redo bail reform, ensure mandatory sentencing, and require short-term confinement and counseling for drug criminals.

There are other policies discussed in the plan which can be found here. Some of them are written vaguely more as statements of principle than as specific agenda items. We’d like to see issues like “right to work” and New Mexico’s “prevailing wage” laws addressed and “school choice” or “education $$ follow the student.” Also, it is imperative that New Mexico’s laws governing public emergencies be addressed in order to restore balance of power.

Overall, as far as they go, the specific policy proposals laid out in this “Fair Deal” would definitely move New Mexico in the right direction.