Errors of Enchantment

• RGF President Paul Gessing to appear on Channel 24

  I'll be discussing our recently-released local tax burden study with a particular focus on tax lightning and property tax burdens. Airtimes include: Tuesday, Dec 1st at 1:30am Thursday, Dec 3rd at 1:30am Friday, Dec 4th at 11:00am Saturday, Dec 5th at 1:30am The segment will last about 15 minutes if you choose to ...' [...]
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  Fetched: November 30, 2009, 3:26pm EST
  

• Energy Makes the Holidays Happen

  After a week off visiting RGF co-founder and former president Harry Messenheimer in Hawaii (The Big Island) I'm back in the blogosphere. I know, someone has to do it! Having just flown to Hawaii and back, the opinion piece in today's Albuquerque Journal from my friend Marita Noon ...' [...]
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  Fetched: November 30, 2009, 10:23am EST
  

• Cut Spending, Don’t Raise Taxes

  In case you missed it, New Mexico should take a cue from Louisiana of all places. [...]
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  Fetched: November 23, 2009, 7:24pm EST
  

• The AP Fact Checks (and confirms) Jim Scarantino’s Phantom Stimulus Story

  The headline is pretty self-explanatory, so here is the article. If you have been living under a rock and don't know about Obama's phantom Congressional districts and our role in exposing them, check out the story here. If you want to support and continue these efforts, click here. ...' [...]
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  Fetched: November 20, 2009, 11:19am EST
  

• Denish Records: False Vouchers and Irregularities in Political Worker Payments

  Jim Scarantino's latest report on how Lt. Governor Diane Denish spent stimulus funds is now available at New Mexico Watchdog. [...]
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  Fetched: November 20, 2009, 11:19am EST
  

• Mammograms and Government Health Care

  If you've been listening to the news recently, you probably heard of the controversy regarding the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force relating to mammograms. The gist of the recommendations was to state that women in their 40s no longer need to have annual mammograms. So far, so' [...]
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  Fetched: November 20, 2009, 10:16pm EST
  

• Surprise, Surprise, Richardson Hooks Up Old Friends/Studio Beneficiaries

  I'm positively shocked that Governor Richardson has been a long time friend of the Hool brothers who are behind the Santa Fe Studios. The project, which I wrote about a few months ago, is being subsidized to the tune of $10 million by state taxpayers with taxpayers in Santa Fe' [...]
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  Fetched: November 18, 2009, 2:20pm EST
  

• Heard about Soros and his anti-free market think tank?

  Sometimes I am a bit jealous of liberals. The Rio Grande Foundation is one of the leanest and most effective organizations around. Just google our name and read through the reams of news articles and data and understand that our budget is sub-$500,000. Then there is left-wing billionaire George Soros [...]
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  Fetched: November 17, 2009, 3:22pm EST
  

• Obama Administration Spends Millions in Nonexistent NM Congressional Districts

  I am not making this up. See my new report at New Mexico Watchdog. The Obama Administration is claiming to have created jobs and spent tens of millions of dollars in ten New Mexico Congressional districts that do not exist. I repeat: I am not making ... [...]
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  Fetched: November 16, 2009, 1:27pm EST
  

• RGF Releases New Mexico Tax Friendliness Report, Tax Calculator

  New Mexico’s free market think tank, the Rio Grande Foundation, has made public on its website a revised and updated tool for families to calculate their property and gross receipts tax burdens in New Mexico’s 10 largest cities. Using publicly-available property tax and gross receipts tax (GRT) data for each city [...]
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  Fetched: November 16, 2009, 1:27pm EST
  

• New Mexico Education Above Average, Really?

  I love these studies that come out on education and particularly the headlines like "N.M. Education Above Average in Report." This story ran in the Albuquerque Journal on Friday and is called "Leaders and Laggards." So, what does "above average really mean? Well, last year, the study focused on test" [...]
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  Fetched: November 14, 2009, 12:19pm EST
  

• Specific Market-based Medical Alternatives that Work

  The debate in Congress has focused almost entirely on government solutions and while market advocates have brought ideas to bear, like purchasing health insurance across state lines, that have not really been applied at least in the medical sector in the United States. This article from "The American" which is [...]
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  Fetched: November 13, 2009, 1:21pm EST
  

• Watchdog Round-Up ‘Round the Nation

  The Rio Grande Foundation's New Mexico Watchdog, though it stands on its own, is part of a national network of Watchdog investigative reporting projects in other states. Jim Scarantino, who edits and reports for New Mexico Watchdog, is a former attorney. The Watchdogs in other states are run ... [...]
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  Fetched: November 13, 2009, 10:22am EST
  

• Cute Video on FedEx/UPS Fight

  Awhile back I blogged about the ongoing fight in Congress over FedEx and UPS. Our friends over at Reason have put together this new video loosely based on the UPS whiteboard commercials to explain the situation. [...]
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  Fetched: November 12, 2009, 4:22pm EST
  

• Abortion and the Health Care Bill

  As a state-level economic policy organization, the Rio Grande Foundation does not take a position on social issues like abortion. But With narrow passage of the House health care bill made possible by strict limits on taxpayer subsidies for abortion under the plan, the debate over abortion policy has moved [...]
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  Fetched: November 12, 2009, 9:25am EST
  

• Prisons as “Economic Development” Tools

  Rarely do opinion pieces get it as wrong as this one which appeared in the ABQ Journal on Monday. Essentially, the folks at the CCA-New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility argued that because of the facility's contributions to this community, which the writer notes include "employing almost 150 people and paying" [...]
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  Fetched: November 10, 2009, 2:20pm EST
  

• Jim Scarantino on Denish and the Broken Windows Theory

  The little stuff matters. Details count. NYPD proved it with their application of the Broken Windows Theory. I think that approach applies equally to how we hold government and politicians accountable. Combing through records showing how the Lt. Governor spent $225,000 is a good case study ... [...]
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  Fetched: November 10, 2009, 11:20am EST
  

• Pfizer abandons site of infamous Kelo eminent domain taking

  Amazing how corporate welfare backfires. Remember the Kelo v. New London decision on eminent domain? The Supreme Court's decision in that case essentially gave governments across the nation a green light to take any American's property for any reason so long as the public received some benefit from the taking. [...]
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  Fetched: November 10, 2009, 9:24am EST
  

• Did Denish Use Fed Stimulus $$ for Work on Kerry Campaign?

  A Denish worker paid with public funds was paid for what appears to be the Kerry train rally and visit to Albuquerque. There are questions about the invoices themselves, too. They appear to have been approved before the work was done. Read my latest report at New Mexico Watchdog. [...]
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  Fetched: November 09, 2009, 2:22pm EST
  

• Rep. Heinrich and the Health Care Bill

  Rep. Martin Heinrich voted in favor of the health care bill that narrowly passed the House over the weekend. He also wrote an opinion piece in the Albuquerque Journal defending the bill and his decision to support it. He points to six principles that he wanted included in the legislation: 1) [...]
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  Fetched: November 09, 2009, 11:20am EST
  

• Upcoming RGF Events!

  The Rio Grande Foundation has announced two upcoming events. The first is an Albuquerque showing of "Not Evil Just Wrong." The showing will take place on November 21 and we will be co-sponsoring the event with the Citizens Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) and the Albuquerque Tea Party. The showing [...]
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  Fetched: November 07, 2009, 4:22pm EST
  

• House to Vote on Government-Run Health Care Tomorrow

  In case you haven't already heard, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a massive federal takeover of the nation's health care system tomorrow. While Nancy Pelosi and many in the Democratic Party leadership have put forward a confident face saying that they have the 218 votes necessary' [...]
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  Fetched: November 06, 2009, 11:23am EST
  

• Denish Used Federal Funds for Personal Driver, Christmas Cards

  On New Mexico Watchdog. Read it all and related reports. [...]
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  Fetched: November 04, 2009, 12:22pm EST
  

• Join My Facebook Friends For News Updates from New Mexico Watchdog.org

  You can get instant news updates from our work over at New Mexico Watchdog (http://newmexico.watchdog.org) if you join our Facebook pages. For Jim Scarantino sign up as a friend at Facebook by searching for James R. Scarantino. For New Mexico Watchdog, search for New Mexico Watchdog and sign up as a fan. Spread [...]
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  Fetched: November 03, 2009, 3:23pm EST
  

• Economics 101: Private Goods, Public Goods Explained

  I've been away from the blogosphere (and New Mexico) for a few days because I'm attending the State Policy Network annual Conference in lovely Asheville, North Carolina. Needless to say, I've been busy, but learning alot. Anyway, one thing I just found out about is this excellent, interactive website which helps' [...]
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  Fetched: November 03, 2009, 1:28pm EST
  

• Millions Hiding in Unencumbered Accounts

  Instead of rushing to cut services or raise taxes to find millions to plug budget holes, the Legislature might root around musty accounts held by boards, commissions, agencies and school districts. A recent report by Kansas Watchdog found billions--billions--in unencumbered or carryover accounts held by nearly 2,000 government agencies. ... [...]
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  Fetched: November 02, 2009, 2:27pm EST