Austin, TX looking to New Mexico for economic advice?

Check out this article from the Austin American-Statesman. I was quoted in the story. It looks like the movers-and-shakers in Austin are looking to get the city into the space industry game. Of course, no state has spent as much of taxpayers’ meager resources on such projects as New Mexico.

Notably, Austin is, while similar in some ways to Albuquerque, the polar opposite of Albuquerque economically. Forbes even recently named Austin America’s number one “boomtown” while Albuquerque was recently found to be in a “double-dip” recession. Texas as a whole is also doing well while New Mexico is not. Notably, Austin, a notably liberal city is located in a right to work, zero-income-tax state.

So, why would business leaders in Austin want to emulate New Mexico’s crappy economy? Beats me. Space is cool. It may be the next “big thing.” My quote from the article clearly states what Austin’s leaders might wish to do and what they might to avoid:

“There are opportunities in commercial space, but taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for a speculative investment in a competitive market.”

“New Mexico went all-in on space tourism,” Gessing said. “It was like building an airport before the Wright Brothers.”