Reacting to Richardson

Governor Bill Richardson delivered an ambitious State of the State address this afternoon: text available here. Among the many plans for your tax dollars and the money paid to the state by the oil and gas industries is a massive Medicaid expansion, a 7.4 percent hike in teacher salaries, and lots of new spending on solar and wind power. He did propose some modest tax cuts, but an 11 percent spending increase is the order of the day.
Conspicuously absent from the Governor’s remarks was any mention of eminent domain reform. Although he claims to be supportive of his task force’s findings on the issue, his failure to mention eminent domain during his speech is a troubling sign indeed for property rights activists.
There is no doubt that Richardson has an ambitious agenda. It will be an interesting session.