In yesterday's Albuquerque Journal, Christine Trujillo
President, American Federation of Teachers-N.M, made the case for a government "bailout" of education. While I couldn't disagree more with her overall point, the truth is that she makes no factual argument for the "bailout." Rather, she makes some pointless statements about societal changes that she argues make educating children next to impossible.

The biggest red-herring is that education suffers from inadequate spending. This is the argument some are making for a major gross receipts tax hike for additional education spending, even in these tough economic times. As Dr. Harry Messenheimer has pointed out, education spending per-capita has increased dramatically in recent years. Check page 6 of this study.

There is no need to bail out education with a tax hike of any kind. Instead, like the Big 3 automakers, education will be forced to improve and become more efficient with competition and by giving consumers greater freedom of choice.

Yes, we at the Rio Grande Foundation oppose the taxpayer-financed Albuquerque streetcar, the taxpayer-financed Rail Runner, and the taxpayer-financed Albuquerque arena. But does that mean we oppose "everything?" I believe the evidence points elsewhere.

For example, we support the Heritage Marketplace development which has been killed by the City of Albuquerque. Also, we'd support the parishioners at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church who were outlined on the front page of today's Albuquerque Journal. It turns out that the churchgoers would like to cook home-made food (tamales, menudo and homemade goodies like bread pudding and bizcochitosfor), but the City health regulators are forcing them to buy food instead.

The fact is that we at the Rio Grande Foundation support private sector efforts and realize that those who use and abuse government power by forcibly taking other people's hard-earned money via taxation are pushing ideas that would otherwise not garner financial (as opposed to political) support from enough people to be viable.

Well, Albuquerque's political establishment is considering the construction of a brand new taxpayer-financed arena in downtown Albuquerque. Possible anchor tenants include an arena football team and a WNBA franchise. While studies are done with an eye towards justifying the expenditure, despite difficult economic times, the real question is "If you build it, will they come?" After all, Lobo Football is a Division I, "major league" product. If fans won't support them, will they support women's professional basketball?

The record is mixed. Fans turn out for the Isotopes and Lobo basketball, but not for the Thunderbirds minor league basketball, not for Lobo Football (at least not enough to make the team as successful as its /">Mountain West peers, and not for the Scorpions hockey team.

It is hard to say what makes the teams that succeed do so and why other teams lack fan support, but I don't trust our City Council and Mayor to spend a bunch of our money to figure it out, do you?

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Also, if the current fiscal crisis has any silver lining it is that Congress, according to New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Energy Committee, says that Congress will not act until 2010 on global warming legislation. At least Congress recognizes that the American people view purported climate change as far less of a problem than the economy. Of course, whether government at any level has the right solutions is an even better question.

I wrote about this problem in this week's edition of The Taos News.

The Albuquerque Downs are moving to Moriarty, and the city's major hopes extra funding will come with it.

Mayor Adan Encinias is asking the state for $4.5 million to help cover infrastructure costs for the new racino. Plans for the track are complete, and this is the only issue standing in the way of breaking ground. The Downs president hopes to begin racing by the summer of 2010.

While I am completely agnostic as to whether or not the Downs should move, I find it hard to believe that Moriarty deserves $4.5 million of our tax dollars for the privilege of hosting the Downs. After all, isn't state-sanctioned legalized gambling and horse racing supposed to be an economic boon for the area?

Rather than asking taxpayers in the rest of New Mexico to foot the bill for Moriarty's infrastructure, perhaps they could leverage some of those future tax revenues in the form of bonds in order to pay for the needed roads etc. In the best of economic times, Moriarty's case for $4.5 million of our tax dollars would be on shaky footing at best. In current, tough times when cutbacks are being made across the state, Moriarty should be asked to come up with something a bit more creative than fleecing the rest of us for their Racino.

Albuquerque's Sunport is owned by the City of Albuquerque and receives taxpayer funding. There is no doubt, however, that a private, profit-making company could do a better job while also providing resources in the form of lease payments to the City. With impending belt-tightening including recent cuts of $15 million, Albuquerque's elected leadership should consider painless ways to access needed funding.

The win-win for taxpayers is that they get a better-run airport and save money at the same time.

I FIND THAT the blatant bias of Leslie Linthicum's (columns) is becoming more and more intolerable. Her editorial comments do not belong on the front page where a portrait of the (columnist) becomes more noticeable than the actual content. ...

“Run on Guns,” was full of tongue-in-cheek gloating. She selected to scold the fringe of conservative thought such as religious bigotry and gun loving. She does not take into account the heart of conservatism that has been broken by people who “just don't get it.”

Then she closed by preaching to us worried conservatives to stop wasting our time by being sore losers, closing with the admonition for us all to get along. Who selected her to be the conscious of the public?

I know she once said she could do as well as Sarah Palin, but I would like to see her credentials before I take her front-page grandstanding seriously.

I humbly recommend that you either put her on the editorial page where she belongs or you give equal front page time to Paul Gessing, who is one of the most thoughtful expositors of conservative thought that I have read in your newspaper.

SONJA BAUM Albuquerque

The Albuquerque Journal has apparently been receiving feedback to the effect that they have been carrying too much of our work. I'd like nothing more -- and I think it would be great for the paper -- if we did regular pro/con pieces with leftist organizations. Until then, keep those pro-RGF letters coming!

As Jim Scarantino has pointed out, if/when Eclipse goes under, taxpayers will be out $20 million. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope that Governor Richardson and our "economic development" gurus don't decide to double-down on this taxpayer loss by bailing out the failing company.

While it is sad that so many people will likely lose their jobs and New Mexico's economy will take another body blow, the lesson learned must be that government's role in economic development should be to create an economically-viable and equitable tax structure rather than attempting to pick and choose "winners" of government largesse. Those "winners," like Eclipse, often are engaged in risky businesses that would otherwise not attract private investment and when times are tough, they are unable to survive.

Perhaps Eclipse will pull through on its own. It would be great if it does. Unfortunately, it is not looking good right now.

Rather, Obama is thought to be leaning towards sending his girls to a tony private school, perhaps the same one that the Clintons sent Chelsea to. It would be nice if all Americans had the same (or at least some) choice over educational opportunities.

Since May 30, 2008, less than six months ago, the United States has added a stunning $1.2 trillion dollars to its already bloated public debt. Total debt now stands at $10.6 trillion while that portion held by the public and foreigners is up 20.6% in less than half a year.

"Since the time George Washington was president until Bill Clinton assumed the office, we had managed to accumulate $4.2 trillion in debt. President Clinton added $1.6 trillion and George Bush has increased the total by another $4.8 trillion" said Sheila Weinberg Founder of the independent Institute for Truth in Accounting.

"Beginning in the middle of the year, the federal government's existing annual deficit has been increased by bank bail outs, insurance company rescues and by coming to the aid to automobile manufacturers and their unions." Weinberg continued. "For the sixty million households that pay taxes, these government programs add more than $20,000 in future liabilities."

Weinberg reminds us that the public debt is only a small part of the fiscal challenges that face Americans. "The real problems are the promises we have made to ourselves without a way to pay for them. These unfunded obligations are a consequence of Social Security and Medicare entitlements, primarily and they are nearly five times larger that the "official" debt. The total combination of debt and promises is a whopping $57 trillion or more than $188,000 for every man, woman and child. For taxpaying households, this is an obligation of nearly $900,000!"

For more information about the Institute please visit: www.truthinaccounting.org and www.truthin2008.org

Perhaps Exxon and BP will get a bailout too if prices continue their recent declines?

Now, SunCal, a company that has been involved in the fights over TIDD's, has experienced the wrath of an Albuquerque government that seems to not care about jobs or economic growth at a time in which both are at a real premium. The New Mexico Business Weekly has an interesting article about SunCal’s Heritage Marketplace project, a 12-building, 20-acre, mixed-use development at Ladera and Unser NW.

According to the article:

SunCal and said two anchors were lined up for the project as designed by SunCal. To make the changes the city requires, it will add 15 percent to 20 percent to the project’s construction costs.

City planners had a different vision. They wanted the plan to conform to the city’s design guidelines, which call for open plazas with pedestrian and bicycle amenities in new shopping center developments. Strip center development is viewed unfavorably. The commission saw a more urban project with less parking and didn’t want the center to face heavily trafficked Unser Boulevard. SunCal argued it couldn’t attract retailers if their stores didn’t face Unser. Unser is a state road, Route 435, and new turn lanes are an issue.

So, we have a company, SunCal, that is looking to invest millions of dollars (without demanding subsidies) by building a new commercial development in Albuquerque and the City says "thanks, but no thanks" because the development doesn't fit the hopes and dreams of a few bureaucrats....don't you just love government?

At the top of that list has to be a recommitment to limited government. After eight years of profligate spending and soaring deficits, voters can be forgiven for not knowing that limited government has long been the first article of faith for Republicans.

Of course, it's not the level of spending that gets the most attention; it's the manner in which the spending is allocated. The proliferation of earmarks is largely a product of the Gingrich-DeLay years, and it's no surprise that some of the most ardent practitioners were earmarked by the voters for retirement yesterday. Few Americans will take seriously Republican speeches on limited government if we Republicans can't wean ourselves from this insidious practice. But if we can go clean, it will offer a stark contrast to the Democrats, who, after two years in training, already have their own earmark favor factory running at full tilt.

Second, we need to recommit to our belief in economic freedom. Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" may be on the discount rack this year, but the free market is still the most efficient means to allocate capital and human resources in an economy, and Americans know it. Now that we've inserted government deeply into the private sector by bailing out banks and businesses, the temptation will be for government to overstay its welcome and force the distribution of resources to serve political ends. Substituting political for economic incentives is not the recipe for economic recovery.

Most House Republicans opposed the recent bailout and will be in a strong position to promote economic freedom over central planning as the Obama administration stumbles from industry to industry trying to determine which is small enough to be allowed to fail and which is not. Since timetables will be in vogue, perhaps Republicans could even insist on a timetable for getting the government out of the private sector.

Republicans here in New Mexico and nationally should heed Flake's call for real change towards fiscal responsibility. Otherwise, they'll be in the wilderness for a long time.