Author Archives: merilee

How do we fix our prisons?

Posted on July 28, 2015 by merilee

  New Mexico’s “three strikes” law may be due for an update, because, says Governor Susana Martinez, the current law does not take enough violent criminals off the street. I’m all for protecting us from violent criminals. But I find … Continue reading →

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Literacy is more than reading

Posted on July 28, 2015 by merilee

Almost half of the adults in New Mexico can’t read. According to the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy, 46 percent of New Mexico adults are functionally illiterate. Of those, 20 percent have literacy skills at the lowest level, meaning — … Continue reading →

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Ambiguous policies affect workers’ comp

Posted on June 12, 2015 by merilee

The workers’ compensation system, we sometimes observe, is a patchwork of contradictory and inconsistent rules that are hard to understand and even harder to live with. Our courts don’t make this any easier. We were reminded of this recently at … Continue reading →

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Cruelty to wild animals doesn’t benefit the state

Posted on June 12, 2015 by merilee

When somebody’s dog gets caught in a leghold trap meant for a wild animal, the incident gets publicity.   Meanwhile, out of sight and unreported, wild animals are getting caught in those traps. Suddenly, in response to an alleged need that … Continue reading →

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Health care is changing, not necessarily for the better

Posted on June 12, 2015 by merilee

Whatever you think of Obamacare, the U.S. health care system before Obamacare was a mess. Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, is an attempt to straighten it out. So said Dr. Michael Richards, speaking to the New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Association. … Continue reading →

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Veto of hemp bill was a lost opportunity

Posted on May 8, 2015 by merilee

I’m a natural fiber kind of person. Whenever I can, I prefer to purchase and wear clothing that is 100 percent cotton. I have learned recently about the pollution involved in the growing of my favorite fiber. Conventional cotton is … Continue reading →

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How should NM generate power?

Posted on May 8, 2015 by merilee

What does New Mexico want from an electric power company? The debate over PNM’s proposed long-term plan is raising questions that go beyond the plan itself, if New Mexicans are willing to engage in that discussion. Though most of the … Continue reading →

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Still no dental therapy for rural New Mexico

Posted on May 3, 2015 by merilee

How are legislators supposed to decide on the relative competencies of health care practitioners? In these matters, we are asking lawmakers to make a tough decision on topics outside their expertise. In some cases, it’s not the public that’s asking … Continue reading →

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Combining subjects in one bill is bad lawmaking

Posted on May 3, 2015 by merilee

I checked my New Mexico constitution the other day, and the provision is right there where I left it: Article IV, Section 16,  “Subject of bill in title; appropriation bills.” “The subject of every bill shall be clearly expressed in … Continue reading →

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Finally, the behavioral health audit

Posted on March 14, 2015 by merilee

The now-infamous 2013 audit of 15 nonprofit New Mexico behavioral health providers has finally been released to the public by our new Attorney General, Hector Balderas. You remember: that’s the audit that led the Human Services Department to accuse all … Continue reading →

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