Legislators are a bit more than halfway through the 2012 legislative session. While they meet, they (and their constituents) need to keep in mind that policies now in place — enacted over the years in Santa Fe — have led to New Mexico being among the most impoverished states in the nation. This poverty has been driven by an abject lack of economic freedom.
According to the Fraser Institute’s (the are the Canadian national equivalent of the Rio Grande Foundation) 2011 report “Economic Freedom of North America,” New Mexico is the 49th-freest state in the nation (check page 2 of the report). Or, put another way, we’re less economically free than any state besides West Virginia.
What makes a state free? Small government, limited or no arbitrary takings and discriminatory taxation, and labor freedom, are the main factors.
States performing well on the economic freedom report include Delaware, Texas, Colorado, and Nevada. A quick video explaining the importance of economic freedom can be found below:
NM democrats continue to study at the Hugo Chavez/Fidel Castro school of Political Cronyism and Control.
I’ve always believed that the Democratic party of NM bears more resemblance to Mexico’s PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) than many would care admit. The PRI began ruling Mexico in 1930 – the Democratic party of NM in 1932. The PRI’s stranglehold was finally broken in the 1990’s with the election of a PAN president. We’re still waiting here in NM.
And we soon will be the ONLY state that issues driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, which means when the national ID rules become effective, we will need some other form of positive identification to go aboard aircraft. Do not look to the Feds doing anything about this until after the election, as NM is a swing state.
As a lifelong Democrat, I am appalled by this state’s ruling cabal’s inability and unwillingness to do anything positive for its residents, forcing people into poverty and working to keep them there.
Chalk up another evil of the Kennedy years: encouraging unionization of public employees. Following Indiana with Right-to-Work would be a very smart, competitive move. As would removing state income tax from military retirement pay: people with excellent health care services, whose child-rearing days are over would be living here, paying real estate taxes and spending money for goods and services. And these moves would help better balance the political landscape
We are a “poor state” because we keep on voting for these idiots that keep us poor. Please, will the good people of this state wake up. Stop following the Democratic, Progressive mantra. Long live the Santa Fe Ring. Lets vote these morans out in November.
Paul, thanks for the video.
Indeed, regulations can and do hurt businesses in a variety of ways and often do not achieve the desired result for which they are enacted. The imposition of a cost-benefit analysis that forces regulatory agencies to analyze the effects of a regulation may go along way in improving New Mexico’s regulatory environment.