Advertise on podcast: Tipping Point New Mexico

On this week's interview Paul sits down w/ former New Mexico Rep. Bob Perls and current chair of the NM Forward Party for a friendly conversation/debate on Amendment 4 which will be on ballots this November. If passed the amendment would pay legislators an annual salary of approximately $68,000 annually. Bob and Paul agree about many reforms needed for New Mexico's Legislature and electoral system, but disagree on the merits of Amendment 4 and paying legislators. Don't miss this important conversation about one of the most important issues on this fall's ballot!

On this week's Tipping Point conversation. Paul and Wally discuss the polling numbers in the Hull/Haaland gubernatorial race. They also discuss the numbers in the Greg Cunningham/Gabe Vazquez numbers from the Albuquerque Journal. Paul and Wally discuss the Haaland/Hull "debate" Hull's simple plan for eliminating the personal income tax is eminently reasonable. The "plan" for this November is for the Legislature to get massive pay raises, but for us to get nothing. A hilariously bad article in the Santa Fe New Mexican highlights the terrible arguments against reducing taxes.  According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank prices would've dropped in the absence of tariffs.

On this week's interview episode Paul sits down with former Reps. Janice Arnold Jones and Robert Aragon. Both are longtime Republican activists who have served in many roles over the years and are now on the Executive Committee of the Bernalillo County GOP. The County Party just released a rather detailed "Affordability Agenda" which includes numerous detailed proposals, mostly relating to taxes and economic policy that could be enacted at the state level.  Paul and his guests discuss WHY the County party has taken this on and they go through each proposal and discuss their pros and cons.

MLG's "free" childcare program won't be "free" for everyone after all. Federal school choice regs have been published. MLG is on the clock. ABQ's electric buses haven't been on the roads since December. More issues with Amendment 4 on this Fall's ballots. Paul and Wally take a closer look at the ballot. The cost of Ozempic for Medicaid patients doubled between 2023 and 2025. New Mexico Senate Democrats have made a few leadership changes. Linda Trujillo will be the new Senate Majority Leader and Cindy Nava the new majority Whip.

This week's interview is with Jonathan Williams, President and Chief Economist of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). They begin with a conversation about the organization's "Rich States, Poor States" report which measures how all 50 states fare on various economic indicators. New Mexico ranks 35th. What would happen if New Mexico eliminated its personal income tax? In the second part of the interview Paul and Jonathan discuss the federal budget situation and offer some concrete ideas for how to get the federal debt under control.

Slight poverty improvement is hardly an accomplishment. The most interesting of New Mexico's legislative races this fall is between trial attorney Lisa Curtis and Nicole Chavez. RGF opinion piece in ABQ Journal: Amendment 4 is a cash grab, not reform. Guest column: gluttony thy name is NM pension plan. Poll: New Mexicans overwhelmingly support school choice. Free Childcare will soon require copays for some. NM education department asks for a record $5.9 billion for fiscal year 2028, a 2.9% increase from the year prior (despite dropping enrollment). A federal film tax credit is a terrible idea.

There have been bills introduced and ample discussion in the media over the possibility of some kind of takeover of the utility known as PNM by the State of New Mexico. Shanley is sympathetic to the idea and certainly opposed to Blackstone as the next potential owner. Paul and Jaemes have a cordial but pointed conversation about these plans.

Deb Haaland proposes a data center moratorium while taking $87,000 from folks behind Project Jupiter. Hull has received nothing. NM's Supreme Court has allowed Project Jupiter permitting to continue. Did they dodge the environmental groups' best shot? Deb Haaland has seemingly backed out of the October 8 KOB TV debate. What's next?  Paul sat down w/ KOAT Channel 7 to discuss our opposition to Amendment 4 (paying legislators). Also, if adopted the amendment would allow APS employees like former Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton to triple dip. Paul recently sat down w/ Daniel Chacon of the New Mexican to discuss tax hikes for roads and other tax issues facing NM:  APS is (finally) talking about closing schools. Paul Has some ideas for how to address the issue, even belatedly. Left wing author Nikole Hanna Jones sent their daughter to a "bad" school in NY. Their experience offers insights for policymakers.

Paul talks with Peter Rice, editor of Downtown Albuquerque News, about the challenges and issues facing the area's businesses and residents.  They also address proposed projects including the Rail Trail and the Rail Yard.

Gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull was recently criticized (unfairly) for his remarks, but Paul believes Hull is 100% correct on NM's dependency problem. The Tax Foundation recently ranked New Mexico 7th highest for tax collections. It's new information, but the data is from four years ago (FY 2023). New Mexico is likely close to number 1 now.  Trump's plan to give every adult American $5,000 IF he and Republicans get elected in both houses is not a good one.  Land Commissioner Garcia Richard bans uranium mining on state lands. Paul and Wally discuss what it means to be a fiduciary and whether New Mexico can go "zero carbon" without nuclear energy.  A new report says $7.5 billion is needed to address NM's roads problem. It just so happens that NM has $7.6 billion in unspent capital outlay $$$. Paul discusses the options and whether the Legislature will try for a gas tax increase.

On this week's Tipping Point NM interview Paul sits down with Stephanie Slade. Slade is a journalist and author who works for Reason, a libertarian publication. Slade discusses her new book "Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right" which highlights the need for virtue and liberty.  Stephanie was recently in Albuquerque for a Rio Grande Foundation sponsored event.

Trump floats changing New Mexico's name to "New America." A business poll shows how businesses feel about gross receipts tax (they really don't like it).  ABQ Journal polling finds plurality of New Mexicans support paying legislators. New Mexicans don't think the economy is very good. Inflation, cost of living, are top concerns for New Mexicans. Overwhelmingly New Mexicans support a data center moratorium. Haaland finally agrees to debate Hull on October 8. National report says New Mexico teachers have 2nd-highest morale in the nation. Paul shares a bit about his own experiences on 9/11 and the 25th anniversary.

Paul interviews Larry Marker, a candidate for a United States Senate seat representing New Mexico.  Larry answers a series of tough questions related to the problems he will address if elected to the Senate.

According to the Albuquerque Journal's poll by Brian Sanderoff gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull is within 6 points of Haaland. What are the implications? What does Hull need to do to win?  As expected New Mexico has nearly $1 billion in unexpected money. Paul believes that figure will rise to over a billion by the time the session rolls around. Despite the oil and gas boom New Mexico's economy isn't particularly strong which highlights the failure of MLG and the Democrats' policies.  New Mexico is a big spender on K-12 education with more $$ per student than the national average or any of its neighbors, by far. The Trump Administration is suing New Mexico for providing "free" college to illegal immigrants. New Mexico's subsidies for (former) ObamaCare subsidy recipients is proving

On this week's interview Paul talks to Bob Perls. Perls is a former Democrat state legislator and also ran  New Mexico Open Elections, and the current chair and a candidate for US Senate from the New Mexico Forward Party. Paul and Bob discuss semi-open primaries along with a wide variety of election issues facing New Mexico. Check it out!