Author Archives: merilee

“We are going to back off extremist political rhetoric, encourage our supporters to follow our example, and ask the opposing party to do the same,” said nobody, after the March 31 fire at New Mexico Republican state party headquarters. In … Continue reading →

When the medical malpractice bill, Senate Bill 176, was killed in its first Senate committee, after more than 40 days of delay in that committee, I wondered whether that failure by itself would be enough to trigger a crisis response. … Continue reading →

NOTE: since this column was written, a replacement for the hospital oversight bill was introduced and passed. In New Mexico, there aren’t enough doctors. There aren’t enough nurses. There aren’t enough hospitals, especially in small towns. There aren’t enough patients … Continue reading →

When Donald Trump was elected to his second term, it was a foregone conclusion that he would attempt to make radical changes to our federal government. But we didn’t know what he would do first or how it would affect … Continue reading →

We remember the murder of a five-year-old girl in 2023, shot in a drive-by incident that was motivated by a dispute between the shooter and another teenager. It still breaks our hearts. That is partly because the little girl, Galilea … Continue reading →

We can’t take action on the medical malpractice issue, said Rep. Liz Thomson, because we don’t have data. You’ve got to be kidding, I muttered. Thomson made this comment to a standing-room-only audience at a pre-legislature town hall where she … Continue reading →

The anti-donation season has started in New Mexico. What a great way to start a new year! Starting January 1, leading up to the legislative session, New Mexico law prohibits legislators, several other public officials, candidates for those offices and … Continue reading →

The patient was all set for surgery. The insurance company had approved the surgery and the patient was in the hospital’s administrative office to settle last-minute details. Two days before the surgery was scheduled, the hospital received a notice from … Continue reading →