In Sunday’s Albuquerque Journal the “usual suspects” Reps. Moe Maestas and Javier Martinez teamed up to argue (for the umpteenth time) that New Mexico can solve ALL its problems if it JUST tapped into its Land Grant Permanent Fund.
We’ve heard their arguments before over the span of the past decade. The only new wrinkle thrown in is that THIS TIME we are facing an unprecedented financial crisis so, as the authors write, tapping the fund is a two-fer, “By accessing this additional funding we not only avoid cutting existing programs, but we can actually expand ECE programing. It will also free up valuable resources that we can use for a stimulus package for small businesses.”
The fundamental problem that Maestas and Martinez simply refuse to come to grips with is that after decades of Democrat rule New Mexico’s government spends more than nearly any other state in the nation (as a percent of GDP) while ranking 44th for “return on investment” according to Wallethub.
Maesta and Martinez can’t see fit to even consider cutting spending like costly film subsidies. It is ALWAYS about MORE spending for these people even if the data justifying their precious PreK programs are not what they think they are.
California is often and rightfully seen as a “progressive” State and model for wannabe “progressive” political leaders like Michelle Lujan Grisham. Remember her pledge to mandate a massive increase in vehicle miles per gallon? And of course there was the Energy Transition Act to shut down coal as an electricity source in New Mexico.
These are just some of the policies that New Mexico (and other states) have taken cues on from California. Now, the liberal Gov. of California Gavin Newsom has introduced a plan to cut pay for ALL government workers in California by 10%.
So far Gov. Lujan Grisham has simply refused to seriously discuss the economy as an issue here in New Mexico despite the economic shutdown AND the drop in oil prices which are expected to have profound impacts on the State economy.
On this week’s podcast, Paul interviews David Holt of the Consumer Energy Alliance. The organization bills itself as “The Voice of Energy Consumers.” The group has a presence in New Mexico, especially the Permian Basin.
With everything happening in today’s economy and with regard to energy issues, Paul and David discuss the big-picture energy situation, but also comment on the drastic changes likely to occur in the supply chain and whether/how a shift away from China might impact New Mexico.
David is an optimist when it comes to the US economy and energy especially in the area of “re-shoring” a variety of manufacturing activities, but Paul asks him some hard questions about the economic recovery and challenges, especially as they relate to New Mexico.
As Dan McKay of the Albuquerque Journal noted in today’s paper, “In this year’s legislative session, he had the second-highest score issued by the libertarian-leaning Rio Grande Foundation, which examined all 112 legislators’ votes on matters of “individual liberty and economic freedom.”
This is an accurate statement, but the differences between Rep. Gregg Schmedes and Sen. James White when it comes to policy issues could not be greater. The following are some of the most important votes tracked in our Freedom Index the last few years:
In 2019 White voted FOR the Energy Transition Act (also known as New Mexico’s “Green New Deal” SB 489 (Schmedes voted NO). This bill imposes a costly 50% “renewable” mandate on New Mexico utilities and their customers and bails PNM out of its San Juan Generating Station;
In 2019 White voted FOR HB 6 (Schmedes voted NO) which was a major tax hike on all New Mexicans. This tax hike was passed despite the existence at the time of a budget surplus in excess of $1 billion;
Also in 2019 White voted for HB 2 (Schmedes again voted NO). HB 2 was the budget. It boosted spending by an unsustainable 11% in a single year. While no one could have predicted the collapse in oil and gas revenues or the New Mexico economy in general, there was no doubt that 11% budget growth was unsustainable. White AGAIN voted for a bloated budget in 2020 (also HB 2). The total spending increase in two years was 21% and White voted for all of it (Schmedes voted against it).
White is a very nice man. He has done some great work in opposing film subsidies, but he has not signed the Rio Grande Foundation’s pledge against raising taxes in response to the Virus-induced downturn. He has also not signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to raise taxes more generally.
There is a clear difference in the philosophical outlook on government between Republicans in Senate District 19. That’s why Rio Grande Foundation sent the postcards below to ALL GOP voters
Whether it’s projected tax revenues or emails from constituents to County Commissioners, the Rio Grande Foundation is passionate about open government and regularly files public records requests. New Mexico has solid sunshine laws on the books and good case law to support our right to know: “Recognizing that a representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate, the intent of the […] Inspection of Public Records Act is to ensure […] that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government.”
The Coronavirus Pandemic has us all acclimating to abnormal working conditions and different environments. That includes both public records custodians and the team here at the Foundation. However, the state of open government and transparency in government is troubling. Normally, public records requests are responded to in a lethargic fashion regardless of the public body the records are sought from.
This pandemic has added remarkable delays to already delayed requests, directly impacting our ability to seek and obtain public records related to our work here at the Foundation. Public officers and employees of our government have either forgotten the importance of our sunshine or are using the Virus to circumvent transparency.
The Rio Grande Foundation has numerous open public records requests, to put it mildly:
The Foundation can’t even obtain the Gross Receipts Tax revenue figures without jumping over bureaucratic red tape. Simple requests for public records are being met with “extensions” because our requests for emails are “unnecessarily broad and burdensome”. This ongoing Coronavirus pandemic is a real and serious public health and economic crisis, which is now creating a transparency crisis, enabling our government to cite the health crisis as the reason for not providing properly requested emails and text messages.
If a government employee is working from home, why does the Coronavirus give them an excuse to not provide public records? What is the actual cause for the delay? I am frustrated, and it seems that the only path forward in obtaining public records is litigation. Is this the “new normal”?
On this week’s podcast, Paul and Wally give an update on the Virus situation. NM’s shutdown ends on the 15th at least in theory. Paul and Wally discuss what they expect to happen. Gallup is on lockdown. Eddy County sues Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for unfair emergency orders. Gov. (quietly) releases her plan for reopening New Mexico. A scary op-ed in the ABQ Journal urges her to keep NM shut down until at least June 15.
Economically, Gov. Lujan Grisham floats tapping the permanent fund to address the budget situation. Sen. John Arthur Smith pushes back. The new budget info is troubling. The latest projections show NM is facing a $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion gap. Looking at revenues of $5.5 billion to $6.1 billion.
The Santa Fe New Mexican editorial board argues we “Can’t Cut Way Out of Mess” Former Rep. Miera’s makes a facile case for not cutting K-12education.
Paul reminds listeners, especially legislators, of RGF’s pledge not to raise taxes.
Finally, Paul offers an update on the grocery tax situation, KOB TV did a story on it; the MLG Administration has applied for a waiver in response.
Finally, Paul offers a brief “Liberty on Quarantine” update.
On May 15 New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham will decide whether or not to continue her “stay-at-home” order or whether to continue relaxing restrictions as laid out in her plan for reopening New Mexico.
According to Wallethub, New Mexico has restrictions in place that place it among the 15 most-restrictive states in the nation. While the Gov. has (unwisely in our view per the “Fairly Open” plan we put together) placed the entire state in one “basket” in terms of reopening, she has placed further restrictions on the Four Corners/Gallup areas which have seen severe problems mostly centered around the Navajo Reservation (an area that undoubtedly deserves special treatment and help).
If the Gov. continues the shutdown for another month (as some would like) I believe the trickle of announcements of business closures will become more of a flood and that the damage to New Mexico’s economy will be multiplied in severity.
We STILL don’t have a serious economic response from the Gov. Tapping the Land Grant Permanent Fund is a cop-out and an effort to avoid responsibility and pass the buck, not a leadership response.
Friday is a VERY big day for New Mexico.
Former Rep. Rick Miera was in New Mexico’s Legislature for 21 years. Much of that time he chaired the House Education Committee and his fellow Democrats were in control of both the Senate and the Governor’s mansion. Yet, in his recent opinion piece he acknowledges that “education in New Mexico has been in crisis for decades.” This, despite the fact that New Mexico spends more per pupil than any of its neighbors, and has for years.
One might think that he would have done something about it in his decades of involvement. But, that’s not really my point here.
Miera is basically saying that policymakers shouldn’t cut education spending due to the ongoing Virus crisis and swoon in oil prices.
His approach is not very helpful. K-12 spending is about 46% of our budget while higher education consumes another 12% of the budget. It is hard to see how policymakers could balance the budget without touching 58% of the spending.
Miera offers no prioritization of education spending (early childhood, K-12, or higher ed) and he offers no details on what else he might cut out of the budget or even whether taxes should be raised.
At the Rio Grande Foundation we understand something that Miera and too many in the New Mexico Legislature have not understood for too long: trade-offs are real and they can be difficult and painful.
The Rio Grande Foundation recently called attention to some quirks in New Mexico’s gross receipts tax law with regard to grocery taxation. This drew the attention of KOB TV reporter Patrick Hayes.
Hayes not only put together the story below but in his work he confirmed that the Lujan Grisham Administration very recently applied to the federal government for a waiver that would make delivered groceries non-taxable.
Whether you think groceries should be taxed or not, the tax should be applied fairly and simply. With more New Mexicans than ever getting groceries delivered, we wanted to make sure people are not caught off guard.
On this week’s interview podcast, Paul sits down with Robert Graboyes a health policy expert with the Mercatus Center. Paul and Robert discuss the response to the Coronavirus epidemic by various health care systems. They also consider the impact on our health care of the Coronavirus and the potential positive as well as negative impacts the reaction to the Virus will have on our system.
Finally, Paul and Robert discuss Robert’s new “Healthcare and Openness Project” which gives New Mexico a solid overall ranking of 21 among US states.
You can see the map of results below:
UPDATE: According to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s spokesperson Nora Meyers Sackett, this plan was made available on May 1. We had obviously not seen it.
Among the many concerns that the Rio Grande Foundation has with the Gov.’s ongoing response to the Virus and economic crises facing New Mexico is the abject lack of transparency.
The Rio Grande Foundation obtained this document today. It is dated April 30 and it lays out some pretty specific plans for moving New Mexico’s economy forward beyond the Covid19 issue. Specifically, it addresses how businesses and regions will be treated.
As we at the Rio Grande Foundation have noted repeatedly, the Gov. has been AWOL when it comes to discussing the very significant budget issues facing our State due both to the oil and gas downturn (which could be a problem for years to come) and the shutdown-driven budget crisis.
The Rio Grande Foundation has been working to cement legislative opposition to tax hikes with its legislator/candidate pledge not to raise taxes.
In her first real discussion of the economy the Gov. discussed the idea of tapping into the permanent fund in an effort to avoid making any difficult decisions such as spending cuts or tax hikes. Because it requires votes of the Legislature AND a referendum, not to mention some Congressional action, the timing of tapping this money would be critical.
And, while he DOES face a primary, Sen. John Arthur Smith has been opposed to efforts to tap into the Permanent Fund in the past (for early childhood spending).
New Mexico has plenty of spending to cut, but New Mexico government didn’t get as bloated as it is through prudent fiscal management. If MLG were serious about addressing budget issues in a proactive manner she wouldn’t have waited nearly 2 months to get started. You can bet the debates over the Permanent Fund, spending cuts, and tax hikes are just getting started.
Gov. Lujan Grisham has named her Economic Recovery Council. Paul and Wally have a lot of thoughts about this Council, the lack of openness in terms of their work, how to contact them, and what their role is in terms of policy analysis/ideas.
At least a few folks (legislators) are discussing the budget publicly. Paul and Wally discuss what these legislative leaders are saying.
MLG begins loosening restrictions along the lines of our original 8 points (except in the Four Corners);
Gov. MLG shuts down Gallup upon what authority? Turns out she has EXTREMELY broad power under New Mexico law.
Grocery deliveries are taxed under NM’s Gross Receipts Tax. The issues behind it are complex, but it could cost you money if you have groceries delivered.
Finally, Paul and Wally discuss the importance of (and misuse of) data in the Coronavirus epidemic. The situation shows how data are misused in public policy discussions and how our education system fails to educate average Americans in the use of basic data.
With a primary election occurring in New Mexico in less than a month and the world having changed dramatically since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, we at the Rio Grande Foundation wanted to get Republican candidates for the US Senate in the primary to discuss the “new” world which we find ourselves in.
The Foundation has interviews lined up with all three candidates. The first interview happened on April 30, 2020 and was with Gavin Clarkson. You can find out more about Mr. Clarkson’s campaign here.
The Rio Grande Foundation does NOT endorse any candidate of ANY party. These interviews are an attempt to find out more about the views of each Senate candidate in a rapidly-changing economic and political environment.
Never let a crisis go to waste. That has been the mantra on the left for decades although former Obama advisor Rahm Emmanuel was among the most notable to actually utter it publicly.
There can be no doubt that the current crisis presents both peril and opportunity for New Mexico’s political leaders. The left led by Voices for Children (as illustrated in the tweets below) shows what they are thinking: Raise taxes!
New Mexico Republicans have largely been out of power for 90 years. They had virtually nothing to do with the recent overspending from “progressive” Democrat Gov. and Legislature. They didn’t shut down the economy. The GOP has a rare chance to push back against likely efforts to raise taxes by actually shrinking New Mexico’s bloated government.
Signing the Rio Grande Foundation’s pledge not to raise taxes due to this crisis would seem to be an obvious opportunity to differentiate the GOP in particular from the opposition. We have collected signatures from Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians, but for a GOP which has been out of power for so long it is surprising that some remain unwilling to publicly and emphatically state that tax hikes are NOT the answer to the current crisis. You can reach your legislators here. Ask them to sign the pledge.
ALL candidates for the Legislature have received this pledge and we will be publishing the list of signatories before New Mexico’s special session of the Legislature happens this summer.
He’ll be discussing the Rio Grande Foundation’s efforts to open New Mexico and the economic impact this situation is having.
Tune in!
The following letter was sent to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Economic Recovery Council by the Rio Grande Foundation and Power the Future New Mexico under the banner of their combined effort FairlyOpen New Mexico. PDF with logos is posted here.
Dear Council Members:
Thank you all for stepping up in this difficult time for our State and Nation to serve to help Gov. Lujan Grisham open New Mexico’s economy. None of you need reminding of the devastation wreaked upon New Mexico’s business community and budget during the last few months.
With that, the groups behind an initiative called “Fairly Open New Mexico” (The Rio Grande Foundation and Power the Future NM) would like to call your attention to the recommendations that we have made as to how we/you can help our State get going again.
First and foremost, opening New Mexico as soon as possible is critical to ANY effort to get our State moving. We know that this Virus has not been evenly distributed across our Nation or our State.
We applaud the recent moves to slightly open various businesses on May 1, 2020. That said, a lot more can and should be done to get New Mexico moving again.
For starters, it would seem that areas that have been relatively free of the Virus can and should be allowed to open up businesses and their local economies as long as basic guidelines are followed. Everything from golf courses to dog groomers would seem to fit this category, but the focus should be on obeying State guidelines, not on “essential” vs. “non-essential.”
Local officials in areas with limited/no virus impact should also be allowed to open right away but they DO need specific guidance and help from State officials. Social distancing seems to be the watchword. Let’s allow those areas to open up right away as long as they can comply with simple guidelines issued by the State. And if there are detailed, scientifically-sound rules to be followed, local governments can be sure to appropriately follow them.
The same concept should be applied to businesses. We believe that ALL small businesses should be allowed to reopen at the same standards applied to box stores. Detailed plans for reopening including health criteria to be used for businesses to reopen should be made available. This should be a public document.
Finally, we need transparency. We have urged the Gov. to be as open and transparent as possible in her use of models relating to the spread of the Virus. The Economic Recovery Council, while it meets in private, must issue detailed reports to the public explaining what assumptions are being made about the economy, tax revenues, job losses and who is losing them, budget deficit projections, and other basic economic data.
Absent a clear reporting of both the data being used as well as the recommendations being made (and by whom) we fear that the work of this Council will be for naught.
We ALL want to defeat the Virus AND restore New Mexico’s economic health.
Thank you for your time and attention. If you would like further information about our efforts and concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Paul J. Gessing Larry Behrens
President Western States Director
Rio Grande Foundation Power The Future
Better late than never. It has been more than two weeks since the Rio Grande Foundation put forth “Eight shutdown decisions the Gov. should reverse immediately.” The good news is that the Gov. has acted and opened a handful of businesses we recommended be opened including gun stores, golf courses, state parks, and certain medical providers.
The medical portion was NOT included in the Gov.’s press conference yesterday, but the announcement linked to above contains the gist of the loosening restriction although the language is not particularly clear.
We STILL believe strongly that churches should be reopened in a reasonable manner and same with liquor stores.
Overall, the Gov. needs to move beyond (and she has somewhat with her order giving additional freedom to retailers) picking and choosing various industries as “essential” or “non-essential.” Implementing clear, broad guidelines both in terms of local governments as well as businesses as outlined in our FairlyOpen.com petition is the direction that she must go.
On this week’s interview podcast, Paul talks to Corey DeAngelis. Corey is Director of School Choice at Reason Foundation. Corey is also prolific in the field of writing about and discussing the issue of school choice both in an academic context as well as on social media. Corey is especially active on Twitter and Facebook.
Corey and Paul discuss various choice options and how the pandemic situation has made us all homeschoolers while also giving virtual learning a shot in the arm. The two discuss how education SHOULD be funded in a sensible world and numerous other public policy issues in K-12.
You can listen to the show below:
You can watch a video recording done by the Cato Institute here:
As we move forward during and hopefully past this Virus epidemic, how do we assess the job done by Gov. Lujan Grisham (and indeed any governor)? The New York Times recently praised her response and at least one poll shows strong support among New Mexicans for her efforts in halting the outbreak. Notably, polling data can change quickly as President George HW Bush saw for himself as he went from 90% in the polls during the Iraq War to losing his re-election 18 months later.
Of course, we are still IN this crisis. We don’t know when it will end. But, eventually opinions will be formed. Here are some thoughts on that process:
The first step to coming to an understanding of the situation using statistics. This data must be used collected accurately and relayed clearly and honestly.
Here is the best information we’ve seen in terms of state by state data on COVID 19. It is critical that data be adjusted for population size. Some data including that from New Mexico’s Department of Health are presented without adjusting for population. That is a problem, but so is the fact that testing is uneven. The best available data are deaths per million. On this metric the data are as follows for NM and some relevant states:
Colorado: 138
Oklahoma: 57
New Mexico: 54
Arizona: 46
Texas: 27
South Dakota: 20
Utah: 15
Wyoming: 12
There are many factors impacting the spread of this Virus and New Mexico’s outbreaks have been concentrated in Navajo areas (not necessarily other tribes or pueblos). You could add various western states to the mix above (or subtract them), but New Mexico is on the high side when it comes to deaths per million.
As will be discussed in a follow-up post, New Mexico as been relatively strict in its “lockdown” approach to businesses and individual activity. South Dakota which has had relatively few deaths has famously remained relatively open (despite the Gov. Kristi Noem being heavily criticized for this).
South Dakota also happens to be sparsely populated like New Mexico and has a Native American population that is similar in size to New Mexico’s.
The Rio Grande Foundation and Power the Future have launched a new website, FairlyOpen NM. New Mexicans can sign the petition urging Gov. Lujan Grisham to create a clearly administered fair and open process for opening up New Mexico’s economy. If a Home Depot or Lowe’s can be opened, how about a nursery, church, or other business? Decisions should be based on clear data presented openly not broad assertions of government power.
MLG places NM on lockdown until May 15, Grants Mayor, where is the economic plan? Great editorials in ABQ Journal the past few days on ABQ BernCo fairy tale budgets and reopening NM.
One business owner’s challenge in opening her business: https://errorsofenchantment.com/guest-column-madelyn-jones-on-saving-her-bridal-store-in-the-age-of-corona-virus/
Egolf, “We face ‘the most significant budget deficit in state history.”
https://www.abqjournal.com/1447718/we-face-the-most-significant-budget-deficit-in-state-history.html
NY Times cascade of bad journalism leads us to appear in another article: https://errorsofenchantment.com/plastics-wont-save-oil-and-gas-sector/
A Michael Moore film worth watching makes a devastating case against so-called “green energy”: https://errorsofenchantment.com/a-michael-moore-film-worth-watching/
Under NM State law it is actually illegal for stores to limit purchases of individual items by customers.
Liberty on Quarantine our new effort will involve US Senate candidates starting with Gavin Clarkson this Thursday evening.
As per the media reports, the Gov. has named her economic recovery council. You can find all the members listed here.
Our initial reaction at the Rio Grande Foundation is “it’s about time.” New Mexico’s economy has been in lock-down mode for nearly 2 months. Oil and gas prices/revenues have plummeted and New Mexico faces unprecedented budget and economic issues per Speaker Egolf.
At RGF we are not overly concerned that the group will meet in private, but the reports issued to the public in a timely fashion and MUST be clear and concise. We the people MUST be given thorough reports on the topics being discussed and what the various people are advocating.
Which leads to our third major point: several of the task force members are directly involved in businesses that receive funding/special favors from New Mexico Government and her Administration.
The film industry is the most notable example and major recipient (according to the LFC they’ll get $750 million over 5 years) so Brian O’Leary will be able to defend those subsidies from the inside. Peter Trevisani of the NM United will be on as well. His team got $4.1 million for a proposed stadium in the 2020 session. Finally, Jeremy Turner runs a company that is involved in “renewable” energy particularly in the transmission field. While it is hard to discern exactly how much in the way of government subsidies and favors his company received, it is clear that the Gov.’s policies have favored his industry from the Energy Transition Act to the reinstatement of solar incentives.
We at the RGF don’t know ALL of the members, but have worked with Brian Moore and Carri Phillis, both of whom will carry the weight of advocating for fiscally-conservative and economically-open policies. It will be interesting to see if they are able to influence the group and its (and the Gov.’s) decisions.
Aside from Sen. Finance Committee Chair John Arthur Smith (the “adult in the room” in Santa Fe when it comes to budget issues) virtually no prominent Democrat had made any significant public statement about New Mexico’s dire budget situation. To his credit Speaker Egolf changed that when he penned the following op-ed in the Albuquerque Journal.
He makes a number of broad statements in the article, most of which are uncontroversial, but there are a few dubious statements worth calling into question.
Most troubling is the lack of solutions we’ve seen so far. Gov. Lujan Grisham and the Legislature need to put forth some detailed ideas on how they plan to address what will undoubtedly be a VERY serious budget situation in our State.
The following article appeared in the Las Cruces Sun-News on April 26, 2020.
For all intents and purposes New Mexico is closed for business until at least April 30 per the Governor’s recent orders. Whether you agree with the way the Gov. has handled the COVID 19 crisis or if (like me) you think some of her measures have been unnecessary and heavy-handed, the fact is that New Mexico has done better than most other states in terms of preventing the spread of the virus.
The Gov. deserves credit for that.
But, every day that goes by the budget and economic state of New Mexico worsen. In addition to her focus on “flattening the curve” the Gov. needs to begin focusing more attention on the economy and State budget even prior to a potential special session when the worst of the virus has passed.
For the past two years with abundant revenues, the Gov. played the role of “Santa Clause” to her left-wing base. She benefited politically from the record amounts of oil and gas money flowing into the State’s coffers. With the Legislature’s help she created new programs like a modified “free college” program and a new pre-K entitlement. She also placated environmental groups by shutting down the San Juan Generating Station coal plant. She rewarded those in government by giving out 17% raises to members of her cabinet and spreading generous raises throughout the rest of New Mexico government.
The Santa Claus routine was fun I’m sure. But if Sen. Finance Committee Chair John Arthur Smith is right, and New Mexico faces a $2 billion shortfall, this could leave New Mexico with a smaller budget than the one signed by Susana Martinez ($6.3 billion). In other words, Santa Claus will have to become the Grinch very soon.
The fact is that spending must be cut dramatically and starting now. New Mexicans just can’t afford higher taxes. In fact, they couldn’t afford higher taxes even before the economic downturn and collapse in oil prices. A 2018 report by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University ranked all US states on their fiscal (overall financial) conditions.
New Mexico ranked a dismal 45th overall, but in the area of “service-level solvency” New Mexico ranked dead-last in 50th place. According to the report, this metric measured “If spending commitments demand more revenues, are states in a good position to increase taxes without harming the economy?” In other words, tax burdens in this State are already heavy. Raising them in this difficult time will inflict significant pain on an already reeling economy.
No politician enjoys cutting budgets or reducing funding for cherished programs. But the alternative of raising taxes in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is far worse.
Businesses, especially small ones, are struggling to keep the lights on. For the sake of our society and the continuation of News Mexico’s unique culture, we need as many of those businesses to reopen after this crisis is over.
There seems to be agreement that a special legislative session is coming in June. We understand the Gov. may want to wait for the Legislature and (potentially) additional stimulus money. But, she needs to start explaining to the people of New Mexico the serious budget issues facing our State and outlining a plan of action.
The Virus may remain her top priority, but New Mexicans, especially those who own and work for small businesses, are scared for their economic futures. We want to hear her plans for minimizing the economic pain and maximizing the speed of the economic recovery.
The Rio Grande Foundation is asking all New Mexico legislators and candidates for the Legislature to sign a petition we’re circulating at https://riograndefoundation.org/pledge/ not to raise taxes until at least one year from now (after the 2021 session). Now is the time for fiscal restraint, not forcing hard-working New Mexicans and businesses to bear the burden of past overspending.
Gessing is president of the Rio Grande Foundation an independent, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and educational organization dedicated to promoting prosperity for New Mexico based on principles of limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility.
