Advance warning: This might be the most depressing post in the history of Errors of Enchantment.
The Wall Street Journal, examining data from a report by IHS Global Insight prepared for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, documented annual wage growth, adjusted for inflation, between 2009 and 2015 for America’s cities.
Just 30 communities — 10 percent of the total — saw declines over the period. Three of New Mexico’s four metro regions were among the 30. Annual real wage growth fell by 0.4 percent in both Santa Fe and Las Cruces. Albuquerque dropped by 0.2 percent.
Happily, the figure for Farmington was a positive 0.4 percent — although the gain has surely been reversed recently, with northwest New Mexico facing devastating layoffs.
The Great Recession was brutal to the Land of Enchantment, and we’ve got a long way to go before we climb our way back to zero. A radical overhaul of economic-development policy is required, pronto.
Sorry but this isn’t the Great Recession, it’s the Obama/Democrat/RINO Depression. May not meet the bureaucratic definition of depression BUT with 90 million people out of the workforce, with real unemployment arguably well above 10-11% and maybe MUCH higher in the 20-25% range, with income growth and wealth growth both negative for the formerly vast middle income group I’d say we’re in a depression.
Progressive reasoning: If we pave the dirt roads with fiat, fools gold we will divert more golden wagons to our emerald city.
Conservative reasoning: If we build better roads we will attract more golden wagons, so we will then have enough gold left over to pave the roads with gold after we have built up our golden city.
The voters have the power to fix the things that are wrong with New Mexico’s economy, education system and political corruption but they will have to think for themselves and stop believing the politicians who are urinating down their backs and telling them it is raining. Moving NM forward economically should be a minimum requirement for reelection and anyone who is blocking progress should be summarily unelected!
The local media (TV and print) does a poor job of informing the public and comes to ridiculous conclusions as to the cause of NM’s failure to perform even at a mediocre level (usually the recommended solution is to raise taxes). A great example of a stupid conclusion is when Channel 4 News concluded that the reason people with college degrees leave NM is because we don’t spend enough on education. Of course, the real reason is that they can’t find jobs! Logic escapes them because it doesn’t fit their agenda.
Most people will not keep hiring someone who always comes in over budget and always delivers an inferior product. The same rule should apply to the public servants (there is a misnomer) and when they don’t perform they get fired by the voters. Come on voters; wise up and remove the non performers!
It’s the Land of Entitlement, not Enchantment.
Generations have learned to live off others, i.e. Government.
50 plus years of social engineering by the liberal socialists have turned this State into the least educated, uninformed lazy group of people you’ll find anywhere. They really do believe you owe them something. While the GPA’s go down the crime rate goes up and nothing is done about either. I moved here in 1985 and have watched it go down hill ever since. If you don’t want illegals to be given a drivers license you’re a racist. If you want the border protected you’re a racist. It won’t be long before myself and other decent and reasonable thinking people flee this high desert for a better way of life.
Any success by a child growing to adulthood in New Mexico is proof that a useful education happens in spite of the institutions, not because of them. Education is unsuccessful here because parents are unsuccessful, especially the single ones, those who read poorly, and those instructed by the marginal and worse, of which we have a surfeit.
A rising tide does not raise or float all ships, only the seaworthy ones. Many have years of poor maintenance, are full of holes, piloted by the incompetent, or are moored to immovable piers and docks. All these will sink, or be held under.