The New Mexico Freedom Hour is presented by the Rio Grande Foundation. It next airs on Saturday, September 12, 2014 from 12pm to 1pm on 770 KKOB AM. This week we’ll take on two important subjects relating to New Mexico’s economy:
• In the first half hour, host Paul Gessing will talk about New Mexico’s underfunded government employee pension system which was found to be the most underfunded system among any of the 50 states according to a new report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). We’ll discuss the report, what makes New Mexico’s pension system so dire, and what needs to remedy the problem with Aloysius Hogan, a Senior Fellow with CEI.
• In the second half hour, Gessing will interview site selection expert John Boyd about the Tesla decision, why he thinks Tesla chose Nevada over New Mexico, and what New Mexico should consider doing to make it more attractive as a business destination in the future.
Listeners are encouraged not only to tune in and listen, but to call in with questions: 505-243-3333.
Regarding the enormous public sector pension liability in N.M., one of the reasons is that we have 45% more public sector employees than the national average ( 25 per 100 jobs vs. national average of 17 per 100).
An additional sword of Damocles hanging over N.M.’s head is the fact that there is no provision in the bankruptcy code for states to file bankruptcy. Detroit can file a municipal bankruptcy and reorganize its pension liabilities. But if ERB or PERA run out of money, are they considered to be part of the state and therefore unable to file for bankruptcy? Perhaps you could ask Mr. Hogan this question on Saturday.