For starters, if you haven’t already voted, please do. Election Day is Tuesday November 6, 2023. You can find out where to vote here.

Starting with some important National issues to watch:

Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear has been leading GOP Attorney General Daniel Cameron, but Beshear’s opposition to school choice and COVID lockdowns during his term have become late issues.

In Mississippi, GOP Governor Tate Reeves is hoping his recent income tax cuts overcome negative stories about scandals with state grants.

In Virginia, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has an approval rating of 56 percent and hopes voters will give him a mandate for conservative governance by giving the GOP a legislative majority.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has become one of the most partisan in the country, approving a Democratic gerrymander for Congress, ruling a voter ID law unconstitutional, and changing the state’s election law during COVID in a way that encouraged fraud. An election for the court is on Tuesday’s ballot. Unions have poured in millions for the Democratic candidate.

Ohio Issue 1 could be a harbinger of things to come on the abortion issue. If voters in a trending “red” state vote in support of abortion rights it could have profound impacts on post-Dobbs abortion politics.

If adopted Issue 1 would establish a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy.^[1]

Colorado HH: would undermine Colorado’s best-in-the nation taxpayer protections by allowing the state to retain and spend revenues that it would otherwise be required to refund to residents.

Closer to home in New Mexico

Santa Fe is voting on proposals to target taxes on the wealthy to fund housing construction for low income residents. Santa Fe’s proposed excise tax measure would result in a new 3% tax levied on home sales of more than $1 million.

Albuquerque: City Council races

There are 4 total races, 3 of them have significant ideological implications for city governance. City council could be a more robust ideological opponent of Mayor Keller’s “progressive” agenda or it could become more of a “rubber stamp.”

Albuquerque Public Schools board: APS school board which has been a moderate board could become more union dominated or could be more conservative than it has been.

7 candidates running for Mayor of Las Cruces.  The City is electing a new mayor for the first time since 2007. The race along with city council races will involve ranked choice voting.

Las Cruces school board is up for election as well.

The case (brought by RGF President Paul Gessing) (with legal representation from the Liberty Justice Center) over Albuquerque City Council’s “donation” of your tax dollars to Planned Parenthood will move forward. A Bernalillo County Court denied the City of Albuquerque and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains’ motions to dismiss Gessing v. Yara, a case challenging the City’s illegal donation of taxpayer funds to the private organization.

City Councilwoman Tammy Fiebelkorn explained that she sponsored the $250,000 donation “to provide vital support for Planned Parenthood.”

In a ruling issued November 1, the Court found that the plaintiffs have made a creditable case that the “agreement” between the city and the organization is essentially a sham, purporting to purchase services from Planned Parenthood while in fact paying out taxpayer money to a politically favored group.

The primary issue at stake is New Mexico’s “anti-donation clause” and whether a government body can simply “donate” taxpayer dollars to a private, political organization.

Home schooling is often forgotten about in the political debate over school choice. There are good reasons for that here in New Mexico as (despite our State’s myriad educational problems, it is reasonable when it comes to home schooling regulations), ranked “B” in one recent report.

The home school community generally prefers to stay out of the limelight in Santa Fe unless politicians start regulating them heavily (even MLG has not attacked them so far).

But, as you can see below thanks to a recent story from the Washington Post in terms of growth home schooling is growing quickly thanks in part to the Pandemic. And, while numbers have fallen off a bit from the peak, numbers remain quite high.

Surprisingly, given New Mexico’s relatively light regulatory touch, New Mexico didn’t see a particularly large increase in the wake of COVID (see below). Nor is New Mexico a particular hotbed of home schooling (so far as the available data indicate).

On this week’s conversation Paul talks to Carlos Garcia of Garcia Automotive. Garcia is one of the State’s largest car dealership networks. Paul even purchased his car from them!

New Mexicans (like all Americans) have been buffeted by rising costs in recent years. According to a new report from Marketwatch notes that insurance rose 34.1% in 2023 alone. According to the report, “New Mexico saw a steeper increase in auto premiums over the last year than most states in the U.S” which saw an overall increase of 16%.

Why is that? Again, from the report: Claims payouts are the single biggest expense for insurance companies, representing 70%-80% of auto insurers’ expenses in a given year. Medical claims are a significant portion of those payouts, meaning that increases in healthcare expenses result in increased payouts for individual medical claims.

The Cost of Car Repairs and Replacements Is Up

Finally, New Mexico has one of the highest rates of auto theft in the country. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB), New Mexico saw 475.5 car thefts per 100,000 residents in 2021. That rate is the fourth-highest of all states and the District of Columbia.

The authors of the report don’t see insurance costs coming down and, if Gov. Lujan gets her way with the forced shift to electric vehicles insurance prices could rise further as EV’s are more expensive to insure than are gas vehicles.

Below are some comparisons for the EV vs. gas powered models of similar cars. In the meantime, you can share your opposition to the forced move toward EV’s here. 

While MLG and others talk a big game about “green” energy, wind and especially solar receive massive subsidies.

Toyota’s chairman “I told you so” about EV’s while alarm bells ring over slowing sales.

The most ridiculous government job in New Mexico? Also, here are details on the $6 million in “economic development for the Four Corners.” 

RGF supports the Senate Finance Committee Chair’s effort to better understand film subsidy impact.

Albuquerque ranked 8th on a new list of retail theft hotspots.

MLG flies to Australia and brings back a hydrogen company.

It’s hardly surprising to anyone who follows the news and has seen stores such as Wal Mart, CVS, and Allsups shut their doors along Central that Albuquerque would find itself on a “bad list” when it comes to shoplifting. Data from the National Retail Federation confirm that assessment with a lousy #8 out of the 11 worst cities.

All of the cities ranked with the exception of Miami are governed by Democrats. Miami and Houston are both in “red” states. Only Sacramento has a smaller population than Albuquerque. 

If Albuquerque is going to ever be a great place to live it’s citizens and politicians must make crime and fighting retail theft a priority. Ending “free” bus service would be a step in that direction.

Over the weekend the Santa Fe New Mexican had an article in which RGF’s president was quoted (alongside numerous other policymakers and policy experts) which documented Senate Finance Committee Chair George Muñoz’s efforts to better understand the impact of New Mexico’s most generous “economic development” program.

We believe the recent LFC report which basically called the program a wasteful boondoggle is the definitive word on the issue as it says what numerous other national reports have found. While we certainly disagree with Sen. Maestas’ assertion that the program has “proven itself,” it will be an uphill battle to rein in the program at a time of flush revenues.

You can reach out to Sen. Muñoz here. He is undoubtedly receiving pressure from film’s well-heeled and subsidized proponents.

The Rio Grande Foundation has always cast a critical eye at New Mexico government for its waste, incompetence, and outright corruption. Now, we have what we believe may be the most wasteful single job in all of State government.

According to a press release from the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the Agency has just hired a “Just Transition Advisor to spearhead the state’s initiatives in support of a thriving low-carbon economy.”

The release further goes on to say, “Operating within the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office (JEDI Office) of the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD), the individual will help ensure marginalized communities are consulted and prioritized throughout the transition to renewable energy sources.”

The whole release is fully of PC gobbledygook and non-sequiturs. Ultimately, the entire JEDI office and the “just transition” of New Mexico, a state whose economy becomes more reliant on oil and gas by the day is yet another waste of resources that could be better left in the pockets of average New Mexicans. That would be more just.

On this week’s interview Paul sits down with Tom Clifford to discuss New Mexico’s hidden pots of money and billions of dollars in unspent funds sitting around, often not  generating a return. Tom Clifford was cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration under Gov. Susana Martinez. He now works as Research Director with New Mexico Tax Research Institute.

While Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham continues her headlong push to mandate EV’s and we continue our Keep your Cars NM campaign which allows you to push back, news stories run in the national media nearly daily highlighting serious issues with MLG’s policies.

The first story here involves the Chairman of Toyota beinig confirmed correct in having skepticism about EV’s. According to the story from Carscoops.com,

Slowing sales vindicate his resistance to EVs, and that “people are finally seeing reality” about the technology.

The CEO pointed to slowing growth in the U.S. as proof that his company’s reticence towards EVs was correct. “There are many ways to climb the mountain that is achieving carbon neutrality,” he told reporters at the Japan Mobility Show this week.

MLG OBVIOUSLY knows more about the car industry than the Chairman of Toyota, so we’re sure she will not be deterred in her push for EV’s.

And then there’s this story via Reuters, the headline of which is “More alarm bells sound on slowing demand for electric vehicles.” Here are a few  notable highlights, “We’re taking immediate steps to enhance the profitability of our EV portfolio and adjust to slowing near-term growth,” GM CEO Mary Barra told analysts.

“U.S. automaker Ford earlier this month said it would temporarily cut one of three shifts at the plant that builds its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck, and in July slowed its EV ramp-up, shifting investment to commercial vehicles and hybrids.”

There is an effort  underway at Albuquerque City Council to make some necessary improvements in governance and accountability at the unelected (and unaccountable) Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Board. A resolution and ordinance will be voted on as soon as this Monday, October 30. You can contact your councilors to lend your support to this resolution and ordinance here.

Resolution  23-176 Ensures the board follows the Air Quality Control Act and operates with accountability when creating regulations.

Ordinance 23-88 Removes the current Air Quality Control Board ordinance and replaces it with a board that establishes the Joint Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board.

You can read more information from Councilor Lewis here. Here are some reasons why this needs to be undertaken:

The resolution and ordinance put forth by Councilor Dan Lewis is an attempt to  ensure that the Board that currently sees itself as autonomous and that is not subject to control or answerable to the council, the commission, city administration or the governor. That means they do not feel they are accountable to the public. If they are not accountable to elected public offices that created the board, they are not accountable to the electorate.

The board has continued to work on issues that the courts have said are not allowed under current law. Lewis’s resolution prohibits them from doing what the courts have already said they can’t do.

The ordinance was drafted to correct these and a few other problems that are the result of the board’s actions.

Plenty to discuss on the EV front. I had an opinion piece that ran in numerous papers statewide on the Gov’s EV mandate.

The City of Albuquerque is buying electric buses from a company favored by the Biden Administration which is also bankrupt. A bus service in Wyoming can’t even get spare parts.

In yet another EV debacle the City of Albuquerque installed an electric shuttle (replacing the train from the Zoo to the Biopark). Apparently the shuttle doesn’t work very well in the cold or heat and it likely won’t be ready for River of Lights. 

According to a story from Yahoo Finance an EV could cost $13,000 MORE than the cost of a gas-powered vehicle to own over its lifetime.

A British columnist wrote this week: “We must put a stop to the electric vehicle revolution – before someone gets hurt.” One fire took 20,000 gallons of water to put out.

People are sending thousands of emails to the EIB through our new site: KeepyourcarsNM.com

A new report ranks New Mexico a mediocre 35th in school choice.

An Albuquerque city council candidate faked HAVING a felony conviction.

The following chart provided from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity is just the latest in a long series of charts which highlight the massive disparity between the massive subsidies provided for solar (and geothermal, wind, and biomass, mostly ethanol) and the relatively tiny subsidies handed to traditional energy sources.

So-called “environmentalists” like to claim that all forms of energy receive subsidies or that oil and gas are somehow the recipients of the bulk of subsidies, but the reality could not be more different once the amount of energy produced by each source is actually considered.

Dating back (at least) to Sen. Mimi Stewart’s infamous quote that “We don’t know how to teach kids from poverty” and more recent reporting about New Mexico’s high rates of absenteeism.  You’d think there might be more self-reflection on the failure of a “free” school system to successfully encourage students to attend school.

Unlike New Mexico, Arizona is actually doing something to help poor kids stay in and succeed in school. As the chart below shows, the State’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program is disproportionately benefiting poor families. Will allowing students to attend a school of their choice improve student outcomes in Arizona? Their past record of being a leader in school choice would seem to bode well, (certainly better than New Mexico’s track record) but only time will tell.

Back in January we reported on the Albuquerque BioPark’s challenging transition to an electric shuttle. Sadly, as Downtown Albuquerque News points out in a recent story (the news source is available by email subscription only but relevant items have been posted below), there are STILL issues with the shuttle. And, with River of Lights fast approaching, there is “no timeline for putting it back in service.”

Notably, as is so often the case with EV’s, problems have arisen with service on both warm and cold days.

On this week’s conversation Paul sits down with energy journalist and commentator Robert Bryce. Bryce is the author of 6 books on energy and writes regularly at his substack. We discuss various energy issues, but especially focus on Gov. Lujan Grisham’s headlong push for electric vehicle mandates and subsidies and why they are so flawed. You don’t want to miss this timely conversation!

New Mexico’s poor educational performance is well-known, but according to a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) the State has failed to empower parents to choose the educational options that make sense for their children.

The report called the State Education Freedom Index ranks all 50 states on various and comprehensive measurements of school choice. New Mexico ranked a mediocre 35th out of 50 in the report. You can click on the map below to read the report.

RGF launches “Keep Your Cars”initiative. According to a new poll Americans are not ready to buy EV’s.

New Mexico fails to win race for “hydrogen hub.”

Big-spenders in Santa Fe are looking for massive spending growth.

New Mexico has a welfare problem.

NY Times story highlights New Mexico’s education woes.

In the wake of his post on Sen. Tallman’s opinion piece in ABQ Journal he had a lengthy conversation with the Senator. Paul shares a bit about the article and his conversation.

New Mexico is an exporter of college graduates.

Arizona’s ESA’s are being taken up by those in disadvantaged communities:

Amid service cuts some at ABQ City Council want to make”free” bus fares permanent.

Local elections are very important in New Mexico and early voting begins in earnest on October 21st (click for a list of locations). Turnout  in these races tends to be very low, so it is  critical to  get to the polls and vote.

There are city council races in some areas of the City. While RGF cannot endorse candidates we have worked with the HELP coalition which does that here. HELP is a coalition of businesses and pro-economic growth people who want to move Albuquerque forward on crime and the economy. You can listen to a podcast with Carol Wight of the NM Restaurant Association (with HELP)  about important issues in the City. 

Here is a list of candidates for APS school board. The union DID endorse candidates and you can bet that anyone endorsed by the union is NOT an education reformer. 

Sample ballots for Bernalillo County are available here.

RGF has consistently advocated for “no” votes on bonds because your property taxes WILL go down if a bond is voted down. Rarely in recent memory have bonds been voted down.

Santa Fe voters will face a proposal to levy a 3% tax on the sale of homes in the City sold for over $1 million. As RGF has explained previously this is a terrible idea that will not solve or even seriously address the City’s housing situation.

The City of Albuquerque’s troubled bus system is (like the State) in the process of “electrifying its fleet. After they failed with “Build Your Dreams” the City went with fossil fueled buses, but Mayor Keller hasn’t given up on his dreams of “electrifying” the City’s bus fleet.

The City has 5 buses in its fleet and is planning to purchase another 20 from the bankrupt Proterra bus company by 2026. There are inherent risks involved with buying expensive and complicated products from bankrupt companies. According to a report from the Heartland Institute the bus manufacturing company has caused serious problems in Wyoming:

Eight electric buses purchased by Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (START) have broken down, and when any of the vehicles will be up and running again is anyone’s guess. Help is not going to be on its way anytime soon because California-based Proterra, the company that manufactured the defective buses, has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Once a darling of the Biden administration’s vaunted “energy transition,” the company cannot say when – if ever – spare parts will come to the rescue.

It would seem that the City might want to find another company to provide its buses (electric or not). Perhaps Proterra’s sorry track record will convince them?

New Mexico politicians have a conflict of interest. Generous welfare benefits get them votes and buy political loyalty, but as the LFC notes (indirectly), these generous benefits also hold our State by reducing workforce participation. The LFC doesn’t come out and say it, but how else do people who don’t work support themselves?

As the chart below from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity highlights (though its purpose is to highlight differences between California and Florida), New Mexico’s welfare spending is higher than any state besides New York (which has a much higher cost of living).

RGF has certainly criticized New Mexico’s failing education system. We stand by that but also note that if there is a culture of welfare dependency backed up by generous welfare benefits, the perceived need to get an education is reduced. 

Reducing the generosity of NM’s welfare benefits is a hard conversation that needs to be had.