Haaland touts left wing policies (with an admission about the minimum wage)

Without a doubt Deb Haaland will be pushing all manner of discredited left wing policies that have kept New Mexico poor (despite its massive untapped wealth) for generations. You can read about her plans to raise the statewide minimum wage, ban rent fixing and spend more money renewable energy in the Albuquerque Journal. While the Rio Grande foundation has fully analyzed her plans here and found them to be deeply lacking, she makes a tacit admission in her statement to the Journal.

Among her plans Haaland wants to raise New Mexico’s minimum wage “from $12 to $14.50, with incremental increases over time.” We certainly disagree with that policy, but what Haaland said about that plan is the biggest “tell.” Haaland told the Journal, “We obviously can’t raise it to what it should be, right?” Haaland said. “Because it would be very high.”

So, Haaland is saying that the wage SHOULD be higher, but there might be issues with raising the wage to that level (so she’ll settle for $14.50 an hour).

The problem with minimum wages has been known for a long time. They push low-skilled workers out of the workforce by making them too expensive to hire. The Congressional Budget Office has said the same thing so it is great to see Deb Haaland acknowledging economic reality in at least this one case.

Of course getting the government involved in setting rent prices and forcing New Mexicans to use even more “renewable” energy will have their own negative impacts.