Crisis in State Spending!
Wanted: Legislators
in New Mexico that Can Control the Outrageous Spending Spree!
By M. Gene Aldridge, NMIRI
ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) has just released its study of
the outrageous spending habits of state governments. New Mexico ranks 17th in
the big spending crowd by increasing the state general funding by 86 percent
over the pas ten years! Texas ranked highest in spending at 283 percent while
Alaska was lowest at minus 8 percent. In 1990 New MexicoÕs general fund expenditure
was spent $1,820,000,000, while in 2000 it was $3,390,000,000. All of this is
occurring at a time when the federal government was paring down government at
unprecedented rates!
New Mexico citizens need to elect legislators that will abide by the ten
commandants on taxation as outlined by ALEC. Here they are:
- Thou shall keep taxes low. In NM this means lowering income tax to
3 percent, ridding NM of capital gains taxes and compensatory taxes on business,
and throwing out the gross receipts tax as an unfairly administered tax in
favor of a sales tax.
- Thou shall reduce taxes on income and wealth as a statewide policy for
economic growth of the state of New Mexico.
- Thou shall keep marginal tax rates low and relatively uniform.
- Thou shall stop the unfair corporate welfare programs that allows for
special tax programs for some while the rest of business in the state has
to pay higher taxes. This is stupid economic development policy and is
blatantly unfair to everyone.
- Thou shall limit taxes constitutionally and create a Tax Payers Bill
of Rights that does not allow any new taxation without going back to the people
for the increases that are proposed. Since legislators in NM have demonstrated
that they cannot control our purse strings, it is time to control them directly
with ceilings on spending while only increasing taxes at the behest of those
of us who pay them.
- Thou shall be diligent and moderate in spending rainy day funding.
Hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been conserved by our legislators
for the past four years, was spent willy-nilly on pet projects for this state.
When they have it, they will spend it like some teenager on a binge.
- Thou shall protect employees from extortion of their funds for political
purposes. Labor groups like teacherÕs unions are taking money from teachers
and using for political purposes without getting their specific permission
to do so. NM must act to stop this practice like the state of Washington has
done with legal action if necessary. The teacherÕs unions in Washington state
got caught with their fingers in the cookie jar.
- Thou shall privatize the majority of funds from current expenditures.
This makes good policy sense in most cases and should be instituted and accounted
for annually in NMl.
- Thou shall provide help to children, not schools or teacherÕs unions,
to promote learning and education that will make a difference for the future
of NM.
- Thou shall pay public servants according to their contribution to economic
prosperity in NM. No prosperity, no pay for elected officials at all levels
of government in NM.
Please seek to ask your candidates who are running for office this year the
following question: "To what extent and in what ways do you support the NMIRI
ten commandments on fiscal and taxation policy in NM?"
If they cannot adhere to better fiscal policy in NM, then you will get what
you deserve, undisturbed continuance with respect to taxation and fiscal spending.
For more information on this study go to: www.alec.org