Category Archives: Articles

The quiet influence of legislative committee chairs

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

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Affordable Care Act benefits must be preserved

“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

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Where are all the government employees?

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

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A little help for small business

Note to readers:  This column was published in April 2025 but accidentally not posted here until several months later.   You probably have never heard of the New Mexico Small Business Regulatory Advisory Commission. That’s okay. Nobody else has heard of … Continue reading

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At last, legislators have in-district aides

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

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The price of punitive damages in malpractice

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

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Get ready for local elections

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

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Congressional contradiction underlies passage of RECA

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

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Work comp law changes increase attorney fees

It has been quite a while since New Mexico has done anything substantive to make life better for injured workers covered by the workers’ compensation system. Instead, we’re making it easier for them to hire lawyers. Three different actions, a … Continue reading

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The future of undeveloped land

President Joe Biden proposed to protect 30% of all the land in America from development. The proposal was expressed as an executive order, but it was more like a goal, because the intention was to reach the goal by the … Continue reading

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