Tipping Point New Mexico

On this week's interview Paul sits down with New Mexico State Senator Steve Lanier. Lanier, a Republican from the Four Corners, is running for Governor of New Mexico in the GOP primary. He and Paul discuss Lanier's personal story which includes varied experiences in business and as a teacher. Who is Lanier? Why is he running for Gov.? Find out more: Check out this conversation!

On this week's Tipping Point conversation Paul and Wally discuss the latest on "hoodie gate" including an ethics complaint from Mayor Keller. New Mexico's political leadership is refusing to assist the Trump Administration in rooting out SNAP fraud. But a recent report from the LFC specifically calls out the need to "New Mexico needs to change program administration to address SNAP error rates and monitor food program outcomes." Paul and Wally further discuss the problems of these government welfare programs and how the Legislature and Gov. care more about the $1 billion annually spent by the federal government on SNAP in New Mexico than really improving the lives of New Mexicans. New Mexico has fallen to dead last in economic freedom. Why? What needs to be done? Paul and Wally discuss the latest findings and also the new budget data from LFC which show somewhat slower revenue growth from oil and gas but which remain extremely strong.

On this week's Tipping Point interview Paul sits down with Sarah Hetemi, State Director of New Mexico's chapter of Americans for Prosperity. Paul and Sarah discuss her group's recent series of events as part of their Prosperity Tour. They also give an early preview of what might be on the table in the upcoming 30 day New Mexico legislative session.

On this week's Tipping Point conversation Paul and Wally discuss: RGF's recent opinion piece which highlights issues w/ New Mexico's federal dependency. Why is NM so dependent on DC? What is the harm of this dependence and what can we do about it? RGF fights for donor privacy with amicus (friend of the court) brief: Early voting is underway in Albuquerque City elections. Paul and Wally urge city residents to get out and vote. Many of Albuquerque's homeless have been outfitted with new hoodies that say I heart Tim Keller. What's going on? Two "progressive" council candidates have some interesting parts of their backgrounds (including one of them being arrested) that they've covered up. We don't like runoffs but they are better than ranked choice voting. The experience with ranked choice voting in Santa Fe is a perfect example of the problems with "ranked choice."

On this week's interview Paul sits down with former Las Cruces mayor and Democrat for Gov. of New Mexico Ken Miyagishima. Paul and Ken discuss his leadership during COVID as well as the numerous issues facing New Mexico's next governor including the medical provider shortage, the 2nd amendment, and education reform, and the economy writ large. Ken shares how he would approach each of these issues and more. For more information on Ken's campaign for Gov. check out his website.

Sam Bregman proposes term limits, pay for legislators. Santa Fe New Mexican hits the road issue in a series over the weekend. Virgin Galactic sets a launch goal of Q4 2026. CEO and former ambassador: NM is not a poor state. New Mexico's data center frenzy. Rep. Leger Fernandez claims teachers have more work ethic in their pinky than Elon Musk. RGF luncheon on December 3 with Connor Boyack. Happy Thanksgiving! Early voting begins Monday, December 1

Are you concerned that America has run out of big ideas and can't carry big projects (or even basic government programs) to fruition in a successful way? Philip K. Howard is a return guest on Tipping Point NM. Philip and Paul discuss his latest book "Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America." The book amounts to a critique of overregulation and red tape and outlines ideas for how we can get regulatory bodies and attorneys out of the way of essential government services and projects. Among Paul's numerous questions for Philip is to compare his book with the popular book "Abundance" which addresses several similar issues albeit from an explicitly "Democrat" or liberal angle. You don't want to miss this conversation!

Santa Fe recently raised its minimum wage from an already high $15 an hour to $17.50, but the calculation for future increases cause even more concerns. The Tax Foundation recently released its Tax Competitiveness Index. Despite ample oil and gas revenues New Mexico has dropped from 20th to 28th since 2020. While taxes are not the ONLY important factor in driving economic decisions, they are key. We discuss why New Mexico has lost ground in recent years. According to The Economist magazine "free universal child care harms children." We discuss the issues. New Mexico's workforce participation rate is still lower than it was at the start of COVID. Former State Sen. Bill Tallman, a Democrat, recently wrote an article highlighting the fact that the Keller Administration is diverting funds for studying a downtown arena to United Soccer stadium. New Mexico House GOP secured a full audit of SNAP in the recent special session. KRQE reported recently that SNAP benefits are being traded for fentanyl. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that lifted tariffs on a wide range of imported food products, including beef, coffee and tea, bananas, oranges, tropical fruits and fruit juice, cocoa, spices, and tomatoes, as well as certain fertilizers.

On this week's interview Paul sits down with New Mexico Senator Antonio "Moe" Maestas. Moe is a Democrat representing Albuquerque's West Side. He and Paul discuss road funding issues in New Mexico. Specifically, they address whether the gas tax should be increased and other approaches to increasing road funding. Paul and Sen. Maestas then move on to discuss the housing crisis facing New Mexico and some specific policy ideas he plans to introduce in the upcoming 30 day session. You don't want to miss this conversation!

RGF holds successful 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday with Grover Norquist keynoting. Wally provided the welcome. They discuss the event. Government shutdown will finally end soon. Thankfully the filibuster remains intact. Paul and Wally discuss. New Mexico's Legislature convened on Monday for a special session. What happened? What happened in the recent elections? Paul and Wally made some predictions last week. EV sales plummet in the wake of expiring federal subsidies. New Mexico's population has grown stagnant under MLG.

On this week's episode Paul sits down with Joe DiGangi. Joe is the guy behind the billboards that went up during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta which called out leadership of the state and city for New Mexico's poor education outcomes and high crime. What's Joe's story? What caused him to spend the money to put up these signs? What does he think our political leadership should do? Does Joe have plans for more billboards? Tune in to find out more about the man behind the billboards!

It's election day. Be sure to vote if you are able to! Paul and Wally discuss and make predictions about some of the important national races including NYC's and Albuquerque's races for mayor. Socialist Mamdani would love New Mexico's policies. RGF in National Review on MLG's "free child care." A recent KOAT story includes an interview with a seemingly healthy woman who has been on food stamps for 30 years. MLG is right: Poverty IS a Policy choice and for too long she and other New Mexico politicians have chosen poverty. New Mexico's SNAP embarrassment.

On this week's interview Paul talks to Jonathan Lesser, PhD. Jonathan is President of Continental Economics, Inc. and Senior Fellow, National Center for Energy Analytics. They discuss the proposed purchase of PNM by a private equity firm. They discuss the so-called "Energy Transition" in New Mexico, especially the SunZia power lines and rising demand for electricity in NM and nationwide.

Paul and Wally begin their conversation with numerous current topics including the World Series, the hurricane hitting Jamaica, and a reminder of the Foundation's upcoming 25th anniversary gala. Health care costs continue to skyrocket. The problem transcends New Mexico's medical provider shortage, but can't be solved by socialist "single payer" plans. : MLG is right about exporting LNG to Japan, We applaud that, but will anything happen? MLG and the Legislature provide a loophole for major Southern NM data center. A left wing group is suing to stop the facility. A new article discusses Maxeon Solar so we can discuss that, but what about Ebon? A previously overturned Santa Fe mansion tax has been reinstated by an appeals court. Unfortunately a judge has ruled against us in our court fight over the City of ABQ's "donation" of our tax dollars to Planned Parenthood.

On this week's interview Paul talks to Pete Dinelli. Dinelli has run for mayor of Albuquerque and has a long track record of service in city government. He currently runs a blog that covers city government and elections. Dinelli and Gessing discuss the ongoing city elections, the candidates involved, and issues in play. With early voting in full swing you don't want to miss this conversation!

On this week's Tipping Point conversation Paul and Wally discuss a recent Wallethub report that places New Mexico as the 2nd most impacted state by the federal shutdown: SNAP benefits, on which New Mexicans are disproportionately reliant, could be discontinued as soon as November 1. Another fantastic Trever cartoon highlights the manifest failure of New Mexico government. MLG has announced that she'll opt New Mexico out of the Big Beautiful Bill school choice tax credit program despite the fact that New Mexico is dead-last in education. RGF provided public comment on treating and using "produced" water. New Mexico's sovereign wealth fund has now hit $66 billion in value. A new lawsuit targets MLG's line-item-vetoes of a recent appropriations bill.

On this week's interview Paul talks to Dr. Jason Lucas an orthopedic surgeon from Farmington, NM. Dr. Lucas is a self-described fan of Tipping Point NM and we welcome his unique perspective on New Mexico's medical provider shortage, especially his attempts to recruit other doctors to Farmington and the proximity of his practice to the Navajo Nation. Don't miss this unique perspective on New Mexico's medical provider shortage!

On this week's conversation Paul and Wally discuss the Foundation's recent media relating to the Albuquerque Public Schools $350 million bond. You can see the ABQ Journal article here and the KOAT 7 story here. An update on the billboard campaign and state’s response. Among the topics EDD has posted on is NM's growth in manufacturing. Another data point being touted by MLG's administration is on the drop in child poverty. There is indeed good news albeit it is also a tacit admission that MLG's prior statements have been misleading. A pumpkin patch located near Albuquerque was attacked recently. Here's more on the McCall’s attack by a local teacher union. MLG is supporting a planned nuclear fusion facility and offering big subsidies for it. That contrasts sharply with her reaction to a nuclear waste storage facility's decision to abandon New Mexico. RGF releases Freedom Index scores for the recent special session.

On this week's interview Paul talks to Jennifer Bradfute and Matthias Sayer about the Water Access Treatment and Reuse (WATR) Alliance and ways they are working to increase the supply of water in New Mexico. Ironically, the effort is being opposed by well-funded radical environmentalists. Agua es vida and this effort will bring more needed water to New Mexico. Find out more and how you can help on this episode.

On this week's Tipping Point NM Paul and Wally discuss: What happened during the special session? The federal budget shutdown and NM's recent special session are connected in some pretty profound ways. APS is asking for a $350 million bond. New Mexico resident puts up billboards discussing New Mexico's problems. Fusion company plans to invest $1 billion in New Mexico research and manufacturing facility.