Just in time for the upcoming election, the Rio Grande Foundation has put together its own guide to the ballot measures that voters will have the final say on. It is safe to say that the so-called “quality of life” tax hike is not the only vote likely to have a significant impact on taxpayers’ pocket books.
Although it is nice that politicians allow citizens to have the final say over some of these issues, it would be even better if New Mexicans could actually put items like constitutional tax and spending limits on the ballot rather than even more spending as the politicians seem to prefer.
If our ballot guide is not enough for you or you are interested in what voters in other states are voting on — four states will be voting on tax and spending limits — then be sure to check out the ballot guide put together by the National Taxpayaers Union,

Recently, on the pages of the Albuquerque Journal, there has been a debate over whether or not the law school at the University of New Mexico is biased to the left of the political spectrum. Asserting that there is rampant bias at UNM was Christina Hoff-Summers of the American Enterprise Institute while the Dean of UNM’s law school weighed in to assert that there is no bias at the school.
Unfortunately, conservatives who complain about bias at NPR, on PBS, and in the universities should realize that bias is inevitable at institutions that depend on government largesse for their existence. These people are not going to bite the big-government hand that feeds them and when it comes down to it, unless they say or do soemthing truly outrageous as the University of Colorado’s Ward Churchill did a while back, these people are pretty secure in their rather cushy jobs.
Perhaps then, libertarians and conservatives should agree to work together not to change the party identifications of those who are hired and fired at these government-supported institutions, but to privatize them entirely. Michigan and Virginia law schools are de facto privatized and even Berkely is considering the idea. How about it UNM?

The Rio Grande Foundation of New Mexico today published a study that once-and-for-all shatters the myth that Bill Richardson is a fiscal conservative and makes the case for Colorado-style tax and spending limits.
Among other facts brought to light:
Governor Richardson is not just a bigger-spender than former-Governor Gary Johnson, but he is the biggest spender relative to the growth of inflation and population among the last four New Mexico governors (2 Republicans and 2 Democrats);
The average personal income of a New Mexican is approximately $10,000 less than that of the average Coloradoan;
New Mexico not only receives more taxpayer dollars from Washington relative to what its citizens pay in taxes than any other state (yes, we even beat out Alaska), but New Mexico also has more state and local employees per capita than any state but Alaska and Wyoming.
Only by giving taxpayers greater control over tax and spending decisions can New Mexico achieve its full potential.