The opportunity to get something for nearly nothing is rare indeed. It is even rarer when one is talking about government, an entity that known more for turning something into nothing than the other way around.

But there was recently some good news on the government efficiency front in this country. Not in Washington where the monopolistic federal monolith continues to grow unabated, but at the state level where Americans can vote with their feet, in search of economic freedom and sound economic policies.

The glimmer of hope comes from Rhode Island, the smallest state in the nation and a state controlled by relatively liberal Democrats at the legislative level and a moderate governor who labels himself “Independent.” Politically, we’re not talking about Texas here. Nor are we talking about Wisconsin where Gov. Scott Walker took the government unions on directly and demanded concessions, thus generating a national debate that is still under way. But we are talking about a state, Rhode Island, which had the steepest population decline last year, a factor that undoubtedly spurred legislative action. 

Originally marketed at a price of $122 million and as possibly being “high-speed,” the Rail Runner shuttles (mostly) tourists and government employees from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe and from Albuquerque south to the bedroom community of Belen. 

Only recently have New Mexico taxpayers been made aware of the full scale of spending that this project entails. The issue has exploded onto the pages of the Albuquerque Journal and other papers. According to newspaper reports, the train will cost a total of $1.3 billion over the next 20 years.

(Albuquerque) The Rio Grande Foundation has long been critical of the Rail Runner and its finances. A new report from the Foundation outlines the top “Ten Reasons to Shut the Rail Runner Down Now.” The report is available here.

Originally marketed at a price of $122 million and as possibly being “high-speed,” the Rail Runner shuttles (mostly) tourists and government employees from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe and from Albuquerque south to the bedroom community of Belen.

Regardless of whether you think the Rail Runner is worth the money or not, there is no doubt that the process that created the train is rotten to the core. For starters, the train has been operational for five years, but only recently have the system’s true finances been explained in any detail.

Bernalillo County is still not posting employee names with their salary information online. Therefore, the Rio Grande Foundation has taken upon itself the task of collecting and posting the information online. Of course, as with any major enterprise, the payroll constantly changes, so we re-requested the information and have posted it here.

As you'll see in looking at the data, the annual salary figure is not directly found in the document. To calculate that, multiply the number by 8*5*52 (8 hours per day, 5 days per week, and 52 weeks in the year). So, someone at a rate of 17.4337 is making $36, 262 annually.

(Albuquerque) Expensive studies are in the works and much discussion is taking place on the best ways to develop New Mexico’s economy. This is great news to advocates of the free market. For too long, economic development in New Mexico meant waiting for the federal government or the Labs to bring more jobs and money to the area.

Of course, some politicians and economic development “experts” are hoping to promote their own visions of targeted economic incentives, tax giveaways, training programs, and other methods of bringing jobs to New Mexico. At best, these methods are unproven in terms of generating net, long-term growth. Rather, the new plant or business may be “seen,” but the businesses and investments that would have happened absent those taxes is the unseen and untold story.

In an effort to steer the debate towards proven, pro-free-market policies, the Rio Grande Foundation has released its own study, “A Roadmap for a More Economically-Competitive New Mexico” that bases its findings on “tried and true” principles of taxation, spending, and regulation as a path forward for New Mexico’s economy. The study is available at the Foundation’s website.

I recently sat down with Jeremy Jojola, the investigative reporter at Channel 4, KOB, to discuss some expenditures made by state workers on out of state travel. While legal, the purchases certainly seemed unnecessary at times. Check out the full report here:

Jon Barela, Gov. Martinez's Secretary of Economic Development, doesn't use the state's car fleet and has actually sold off large number of state vehicles. Channel 4 took a look at the story and found that Barela's efforts are fiscally-responsible and saving taxpayers money. They asked me for comment as well, so check out the video below:

The intersection between government policy and food has been a hot topic these days. At the same time, President Obama and Republicans in Washington are engaged in a struggle over how to resolve trillion-dollar annual deficits. The two are connected.