Paul Gessing's Archive
Minimum Wage Passes US Senate
This just in: the US Senate has voted to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. The only kicker is that the Senate version, unlike the House version, contains some tax breaks and other benefits for small businesses and others that will be disproportionately (and negatively) impacted by the higher mandated wage.
Assuming that this [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Errors Elsewhere
Big Bill Sez: Raise Taxes!
Bill Richardson has a lot invested in the Spaceport that has been proposed for southern New Mexico. That’s why he traveled to Las Cruces recently to make the pitch that voters should raise taxes to fund the project. As shaky as the economics of the spaceport really are — did you know that Richard Branson [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Economics in Focus
Big-Spender Bill Part deux
Reporters affiliated with both major Albuquerque newspapers picked up on my have picked up on my recent National Review Online article on Richardson’s spending record. The Albuquerque Journal and Tribune have both highlighted the story in recent days.
Richardson’s record will provide the Foundation with some great fodder as he runs for the nation’s highest [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Decidedly New Mexican
Big-Spender Bill
In case you missed the Rio Grande Foundation’s most recent commentary, I discussed Governor Richardson’s record in a recent article on National Review Online. Richardson’s run for the White House is a great opportunity for the Foundation and for those concerned about the very real political and economic problems facing New Mexico to expose them [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Decidedly New Mexican
Something in the Agua Fria
Our good friend Troy Williamson over at Educate New Mexico had a nice piece in the Albuquerque Tribune yesterday. For some reason, rather than fighting education choice tooth and nail, it appears that the education establishment in Agua Fria actually supports giving students and parents educational choices. I’m not sure if the best thing to [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Education
Don’t think taxation matters?
Here at the Rio Grande Foundation, we talk a lot about tax policy and the fact that New Mexico’s policies tend to be relatively unfriendly to entreprenuers and business activity in general. Unfortunately, while New Mexico trails its neighbors in most economic indicators, the average person often does not make the connection between overall economic [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Economics in Focus
The Economics of New Mexico’s Gross Receipts Tax
The Rio Grande Foundation will be releasing a new paper in a matter of days that thoroughly analyzes New Mexico’s gross receipts tax and both the economic and political issues associated with dramatically broadening the tax base as New Mexico has done. Our first take on the issue was done for a national audience in [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Decidedly New Mexican
Bush’s SOTU Address: Health Care and More
It looks like the first good thing to come out of the Bush Administration in the long term will be his proposal on health care. Basically, he is removing some of the incentives inherent in today’s employer-sponsored system and giving incentives to those who must purchase their own insurance because they are unemployed, their employer [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Economics in Focus
Richardson Joins the Race
Finally, the worst-kept secret in New Mexico is out of the bag nationally — Governor Richardson is running for President. Although the Rio Grande Foundation definitely has concerns about Richardson’s credentials as a fiscal conservative, not to mention his plan to expand Medicaid without needed refom, we do welcome the attention Richardson’s run will generate [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Decidedly New Mexican
To take or not to take, that is the question
On Wednesday, Albuquerque City Council Member Michael Cadigan (and Water Authority board member) and Bob Gay of New Mexico Utilities faced off in the west side edition of the Albuquerque Journal over whether it makes more sense for a government agency or a private company, to manage the provision of water services to a large [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Economic Freedom

