Errors of Enchantment » jsmith

Commuter Rail: 1. Dig Hole. 2. Pour In Money 3. Repeat

jsmith — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:49:50 +0000

Our spiritual friend in Arizona, Coyote Blog, takes a look at the Rail Runner following this article about it in the AZ Republic, which brushes off the RGF as an ‘anti-tax foundation.’
Give it a read.

Education from the Top Down

jsmith — Fri, 25 May 2007 15:52:27 +0000

Yesterday, the US Census Bureau released its latest report on the public financing of elementary-secondary education. The data itself is also available.
On average, $8,701 of taxpayer money was spent on each student nationwide in 2005. New Mexico ranks at #35 in spending, $7,580 per K-12 student. Compared to its neighbors, New Mexico collects more revenue per student, but only Colorado spends more ($7,730 per student). Interestingly, Arizona and Utah are at the bottom of the list, spending just $6,261 and $5,257 per student. The problems with New Mexico’s public schools are not due to a lack of funding.
Where New Mexico really stands out is in the large imbalance in revenue for its public school system. Only two states (Arkansas and North Dakota) and the District of Columbia receive more federal funding per student, and we rank #10 in state funding. When it comes to local funding, however, New Mexico ranks #48, one of only 4 states where local sources provide less than $2,000 per student. Only 13.4% of public school funding in New Mexico comes from local sources, versus 43.9% average nation-wide.
What is the result of this displacement of local education funding by state and federal money? New Mexico ranks #42 in spending on classroom instruction, including teacher salaries and benefits, while landing much higher at #25 and #26 for spending on school and general administration respectively. Only 56.5% of public education spending in New Mexico goes to actual instruction, compared to 61% in the country as a whole.
When local communities, parents and property-owners, are directly funding their schools, they have a much stronger incentive to see their money spent where it counts. Clearly, this is a weakness in the financing of New Mexico’s public schools.

Pluto Planet Day?

jsmith — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:34:28 +0000

The New Mexico House of Representatives will vote tomorrow on a resolution that declares Pluto be a planet, and tomorrow, March 13, 2007, as “Pluto Planet Day”. The bill’s sponsor, Doña Ana County Democrat and landscape architect Joni Marie Gutierrez, must have a vastly over-inflated sense of government power. The State of New Mexico has no jurisdiction over the heavens, and might as well attach an amendment declaring the moon be made of blue cheese.
The text of the resolution recognizes that “the state of New Mexico is a global center for astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science” and that we host “world class astronomical observing facilities.” The state government interfering in this regard, denying the scientific definition of ‘planet’ and controverting the International Astronomical Union, is an insult to this scientific tradition. Let’s hope that representatives who do respect science and astronomy vote against this stunning piece of anti-intellectualism.

Math APS Style

jsmith — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:18:02 +0000

Yesterday, the state Senate passed a bill that would force the split up of Albuquerque Public Schools into smaller districts. Remarkably, only two Senators opposed the bill, which would work by prohibiting school districts larger than 35,000 students. Currently, APS has more than 90,000 students in captivity, so simple division implies a partitioning into at least three independent districts.
Yet APS Superintendent Elizabeth Everitt, as quoted by the Albuquerque Journal and in her Call to Action posted on the APS website, has responded as if APS would be split in two along the river, posing a false dichotomy between “a wealthy district east of the Rio Grande” and a “less affluent district” across the river.
If the state Senate’s move is carried into law and Dr. Everitt ’s fiefdom is reduced in size, at least some Albuquerque schools might be overseen by a superintendent capable of elementary school math.

The Numbers Behind DWI Arrests

jsmith — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:47:26 +0000

Last night’s fascinating report by KRQE’s Larry Barker on the trends (or lack thereof) behind DWI arrests in Bernalillo County should be required viewing for New Mexico politicians. Barker’s DWI timeline displays monthly arrests since 1991, highlighting key events in our ongoing battle against drunk driving. Barker’s conclusion? Tighter enforcement and stricter penalties are not reducing the number of drunk drivers arrested.

The DWI Resource Center and Steven Flint’s accountablegovernment.org have compiled and posted on the web a treasure trove of traffic safety data from NM Motor Vehicle Division records. Looking at yearly data over a twenty year period, 1985-2005, we can take a more thorough look at any trends, not just for Bernalillo County but also state-wide, and hopefully offer a more conclusive analysis than eye-balling a graph.
Applying some basic statistical tools, Larry Barker’s conclusion is affirmed. There has been no statistically significant change in the number of DWI arrests over the past two decades, not in Bernalillo County and not in the state as a whole. Statewide, DWI arrests have simply fluctuated up and down around a mean of 20,300 per year, a third of those (6,782 on average) in Bernalillo County.
Why are we making the same number of DWI arrests every year despite increasing penalties, banning drive-up windows, installing ignition interlocks, and saturating the airwaves with public education campaigns? Unfortunately, another key variable is showing a significant downward trend–the DWI conviction rate. Though the number of arrests has remained relatively stable, the number of convictions based on those arrests has dropped on average by a startling 129 per year statewide. In 1985, 74.8% of those busted for DWI in New Mexico were convicted, down to 62.5% in 2005. The problem is even more severe in state’s most populous county. Bernalillo County had 22 more DWI arrests in 2005 compared to 1988, but in 1988 we followed through on those arrests with 752 more convictions. Bernalillo County’s DWI conviction rate fell from 67.3% in 1985 to a shameful 55% in 2005, bottoming out (hopefully) at 49% in 2003.
Thinking about driving drunk in Bernalillo County? Why worry about harsher penalties if you’ve got even odds of getting off scot-free?
Another significant trend emerges that might help explain this pathetic conviction rate. While the number of DWI arrests has remained relatively stable, the number getting hearings has tripled, 30.2% statewide in 2005 up from 10% 1985, while in Bernalillo County the percentage granted hearings rose from 11.3% to 44.3%. Tougher penalties lead more people to seek hearings rather than simply paying a fine, and it seems our courts (and arresting officers) are being overwhelmed. Tougher penalties are only as good as our ability to dish them out, and in this we are failing. We shouldn’t have to wait for drunk drivers to become murderers for the justice system to treat them seriously.
But there is some good news in the DWI statistics. As Rachel O’Conner, New Mexico’s DWI Czar, pointed out in Larry Barker’s report, drunk driving is killing fewer New Mexicans than before. This is due to a significant overall reduction in the number of alcohol-related crashes. The percentage of DWI arrests made after accidents has fallen steadily from a statewide peak of 21.3% in 1988 to 15.4% in 2005, a trend mirrored in Bernalillo County. Although we’re making roughly the same number of DWI arrests per year, there has been an important shift in the timing of those arrests–New Mexico’s law enforcement officers, with the help of vigilant civilians, are catching more and more drunk drivers before they hurt people. Checkpoints and other measures on this front appear to be working. The result is nearly 1,100 fewer alcohol-related crashes annually in the state, nearly 400 fewer in Bernalillo County.
If our goal is simply to pull drunk drivers out of their cars before they maim and kill, we’re making progress, though we still have a long way to go. But if our goal is to stop drunks from getting on the road in the first place, it’s time to reevaluate our approach. Doing more to make sure those arrested for DWI face the consequences of their actions seems like a good place to start. The data suggests that making sure arresting officers show up at the courthouse will do more to solve our DWI problem then siccing those officers on bartenders and gas stations.

A Glimpse into Our Future

jsmith — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:55:58 +0000

Recently, Albuquerque became the fourth city in the nation to impose its own local minimum wage, following the lead of Santa Fe despite the well-documented harm to The City Different’s low-skilled workers. Before we can begin to measure the effects of this mandate on the state’s largest economy, Governor Richardson is set on imposing this scheme on the entire state, and the state Legislature has been happy to comply.
For a glimpse of what this policy holds for New Mexico’s future, all we need do is look to our neighbors to the west. Arizona’s state-wide minimum wage of $6.75 per hour has been in effect for just six weeks, but already the negative, yet foreseen consequences are beginning to show themselves: “cutting hours, instituting hiring freezes and laying off employees,” preventing inexperienced and low-skilled workers from gaining the experience and skills they need to move up in the labor market and earn higher wages.
Some of us learn this lesson the hard way. For me, the 1996 increase in the Federal minimum wage meant fewer hours flipping burgers at Dairy Queen in high school, the evening shift trimmed from three cooks to two. And some of us never learn–it wasn’t the minimum wage that kept a young Bill Richardson from being drafted to play professional baseball. But hey, he’s doing “what’s right for the working men and women who drive our economy.” Even if that means putting them out of work.

A Picture Is Worth…

jsmith — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 19:33:51 +0000

As Harry pointed out, New Mexico’s ranking for economic freedom among US states and Canadian provinces is quite dismal. New Mexico always seems to stand out on a map:

Not so pretty, is it?

Is APS Worth It?

jsmith — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:42:26 +0000

Before heading off to the polls, it’s always wise to take a look at the sample ballot, you know, so you don’t end up accidentally voting for Pat Buchanan. Preparing for tomorrow’s APS special election, we find, in English and Spanish:

“Shall the Albuquerque Public School District issue $351,000,000 of general obligation bonds to erect, remodel, make additions to and furnish; school buildings within the district, to purchase or improve school grounds, to purchase computer software and hardware for student use in public schools, and to provide matching funds for capital outlay projects funded pursuant to the Public School Capital Outlay Act?”

This language was erected by someone clearly interested in the bond measure’s passge–plenty of detail of all the good things that will be done for the children, but nary a word on who is going to pay or how much. Who will own this ‘obligation’? How will this obligation be repaid?
Expand on the benefits, obfuscate the costs, and any deal sounds sweeter. The ballot measure should state in plain terms that passage would raise property tax rates by 5.6%, forcing the owner of a $100,000 house to pay an additional $71.32 per year in taxes.
Given that APS only graduates 52.8% of the students who enter its schools, and of those who enroll at New Mexico’s institutions of higher learning, 44.1% need remedial classes, it seems unlikely that APS is adequately preparing its students to face this kind of decision as educated adults.
But this is no surprise coming from a school district better known for its conflicts of interest, for paying huge settlements to administrators with substance abuse problems, and for blaming failing schools on the ‘diversity’ of its own students, than for any success in actually educating.
$351 million that actually improves the education received by APS students might very well be worth the increase in property taxes. But what worth is $351 million in the hands of Albuquerque Public Schools? $351 million dollars breaks out to about $3884.29 for each and every one of APS’s 90,364 students, most of the average private school tuition in this country.
If you were going to spend $3884.29 on your child’s education, would you make out the check to APS?

NM’s Interior Design Cartel

jsmith — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 19:13:24 +0000

New Mexico is one of five states which license the phrases “Interior Design,” “Interior Designer,” and “Designer.” Anyone can practice interior design in New Mexico, licensed or not, but you need the state’s permission to in any way indicate that you do such work. The law clearly isn’t designed to protect consumers, since anyone can offer such services regardless of professional training and experience. Instead, the law is designed to protect a small cartel of state-favored businesses against competition.
Government-approved businesses have the privilege of paying the state an initial $300 plus $250 per year in fees to “license” the above terms and buy protection from competitors. We’ve even got a “New Mexico Board of Interior Design” to manage the program–if there was ever a useless bureaucrat jobs program, this is it.
The Institute for Justice has taken up the case of two New Mexico “interior designers” who are suing the state on first amendment grounds. The IJ has a good report on Interior Design licensing here.
In the meantime, the members of the New Mexico Interior Design Cartel can be identified, even avoided if so desired. There are plenty of other talented and experienced “Designers” out there, but good luck finding them in the Yellow Pages.
Hat tip: Coyote Blog

A Government Shopping List

jsmith — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 21:46:14 +0000

Out enjoying the gross receipts tax holiday this weekend, but confused about which items are exempt? Be sure to bring a shopping list–in this case, the state’s 7-page list of taxable and nontaxable items.
You’re going to need it…
Belts aren’t taxed, but the buckles are if sold separately. Bowling shirts aren’t taxed, but bowling shoes are. Sweat suiits and sweatpants are tax free, but forget about the sweatbands. Golf clothing isn’t taxed, and neither are most gloves, except for golf gloves which are still taxed. If you’re cold, ear muffs aren’t taxed but hand muffs are. Neckware such as ties and scarves are tax free, but you’ll pay taxes to tie a new bandana or handkerchief around your neck. Antique clothing will be taxed if you don’t wear it, but won’t be if you do. I could go on like this forever.
This would all be so much simpler if the tax holiday was applied across the board to all goods and services.