Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.net
A statue outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.
COMMENTARY: As Democrats prepare to take total control of state government in January, a report released Wednesday serves as a reminder of what’s at stake.
New Mexico has the highest percentage of working adults who suffer from food insecurity, 15.6 percent, according to the group Hunger Free America. We also have the second-highest rate of food-insecure children, 27.1 percent.
We’re coming off eight years in which Republicans held greater control of state government than at any previous time. Years of cutting budgets and leaving government jobs vacant didn’t help New Mexico rise from the bottom the most important lists.
Eight years of Democratic control before that also didn’t help. We were in an oil boom. We spent lots of money. We lowered income taxes. We remained at the bottom of the lists.
Heath Haussamen
We have to break our dependence on the boom-and-bust cycle of the oil and gas industry. As we head into an historic boom — incoming Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will have an estimated budget surplus of $1.2 billion or more — I hope Democrats focus on the economy.
They’re likely to raise the minimum wage. That will help working folks put food on the table. But we must also do more for the local businesses that will be paying higher wages and to attract new industry. We must redesign our economy to benefit all, not just a few.
For example, we need to revise archaic laws that limit the number of liquor licenses, making them expensive and available only to people with money or connections. We’ve seen new drinking establishments help revitalize downtown economies in places like Truth or Consequences. Let’s open the market.
We must reform the state’s gross receipts tax, which unfairly taxes goods at multiple points. In addition, its hundreds of exemptions mean that many businesses pay extra so others can pay nothing. We need a fair tax system.
Policymakers must change the way they spend capital outlay dollars. Some money should go to playgrounds and roads. But instead of being a slush fund for vote-seeking lawmakers, our system should encourage collaboration on big projects. Years ago Las Cruces legislators pooled money to build a regional aquatic center. The facility serves residents and draws tourism. It’s a model for what’s possible.
Our state’s film industry is flourishing. We should build on that. Democrats are also likely to legalize recreational marijuana, which has a demonstrated economic benefit in other states.
We must expand efforts to increase renewable energy production in New Mexico — not only to diversify our economy, but in the interest of saving our planet.
Finally, the state’s two most expensive economic development projects are near Las Cruces — the cross-border industrial park at Santa Teresa and Spaceport America. Our state has spent decades developing the border park. It’s finally paying off. We must continue to grow it.
Given the spaceport’s poor transparency record and rising costs, I’d withhold additional money until we see Virgin Galactic fly people into space or the facility land another major tenant. If one of those happens, the spaceport might deserve additional investment.
Oh, and I have to mention New Mexico’s senseless legal battle with Texas and the feds over water. There’s a good chance we’ll lose a fight we picked that Texas didn’t want. Southern New Mexico’s water is at risk, along with economic projects and the people who live in and around Las Cruces. Democrats, led by Attorney General Hector Balderas, should do everything in their power to settle this lawsuit.
Expect lots of policy changes and spending in the coming years. I hope Democrats’ decisions help people eat.
Heath Haussamen is NMPolitics.net’s editor and publisher. Agree with his opinion? Disagree? NMPolitics.net welcomes your views. Learn about submitting your own commentary here.