Author Archives: merilee

Some things simply should not be done by a for-profit business. It’s inconsistent.     It’s illogical. One of those things is running a prison. If you are in business for profit, your job is making money for the owners of the … Continue reading →

Some years ago, New Mexico’s Senate Judiciary Committee had the nickname Fernando’s Hideaway. The nickname came from a song called “Hernando’s Hideaway,” published in 1954, from a Broadway musical comedy called “The Pajama Game.” The song, with an enticing tango … Continue reading →

“Pre-existing condition.” Remember that term? Fifteen years ago, you heard it all the time on the news. It was the issue that scared the daylights out of millions of Americans who couldn’t get health insurance, or whose insurance was impossibly … Continue reading →

DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has been disbanded as of late November. What a relief. DOGE was supposed to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in government. It may have fired as many as 260,000 federal employees, although many … Continue reading →

One of her projects, said the recently hired legislative aide, is to track the capital outlay projects for her district that were passed before her senator was in office. This legislative aide works for a first-term senator. The project is … Continue reading →

The doctor is thinking seriously about leaving New Mexico. He is not willing to risk losing his home, his life savings, or everything else he owns. He is an emergency room doctor. His wife is a family practice doctor. He … Continue reading →

New Mexicans, it’s time to focus attention on your own local community. Statewide local elections are coming in a few weeks: November 4, the first Tuesday in November. Local elections are usually more important than most of us realize, especially … Continue reading →

Many New Mexicans watched with emotions from concern to dismay as the 900-plus page federal budget reconciliation bill – what the president called the One Big Beautiful Bill — was passed a few weeks ago. We knew provisions of that … Continue reading →