As you go to the polls…

While much of the attention this November has been focused on the presidential races and the race for Congress, it is worth keeping a few facts in mind as you head out to vote in early voting (which begins this Saturday, October 20).

New Mexico’s Legislature makes a vast majority of the economic development and educational policies in the state. According to the US Census Bureau, our state has the highest poverty rate in the nation. According to Diplomas Count, New Mexico has the 2nd-lowest graduation rate in the nation. The New Mexico Legislature has been a monopoly for decades, with one party having controlled New Mexico’s House since the first-term of US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Bonds may not raise taxes, but they do cost real money that could otherwise remain in your pockets. If a project is indeed a priority like the Paseo del Norte Interchange, by all means vote for it, but also realize that higher education in New Mexico is bloated and recently handed out a $453,093 parting gift to departing NMSU President Barbara Couture.

According to the US Chamber of Commerce, New Mexico has one of the worst legal climates in America (44th). New Mexico’s judiciary is ripe for new blood.

New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission is extremely powerful and scandal-plagued. Reforms on the ballot are modest, but should be considered a starting point for more dramatic reforms.

Lastly, there is no such thing as a “free lunch.” Leftists who support raising the minimum wage (as is on the ballot in Albuquerque) claim that mandating a higher wage for low-income employees will create jobs and wealth. What they don’t say is where the money will come from. Will it be manifest out of thin air? (that seems to be their prevailing theory); or, will it come as a result of price increases, increased automation, or staff reductions elsewhere? They don’t want to acknowledge these, far more likely, possibilities.

Keep these facts in mind as you head to the polls. Oh, and don’t keep this knowledge to yourself. Send this information to your friends and family. They’ll thank you for sharing factual information as opposed to rhetoric.