The Students Have a Point

By Darrell Allen It is easy to make fun of the student protesters who have vociferously made their voices heard in support of the Palestinian people, pretty much across the whole country.  Even here in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico.  The front page of the May 16 Albuquerque Journal, perhaps inadvertently, did just […]

New Mexico’s Lucky Day

In New Mexico one of our best kept secrets is former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris. It was a lucky day in 1976 when Sen. Harris and his family moved to New Mexico. The move came after two terms as U.S. senator from Oklahoma and two runs for president in 1972 and 1976.  On May 21 […]

Marjorie Taylor Greene jumps the shark

May 8 could have been another low point for U.S. House Republicans. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), after weeks of threats, finally pulled the pin on the grenade she’d been carrying around since March and officially filed her motion for Speaker Mike Johnson to vacate his leadership position, forcing a vote on the measure. Greene […]

Affordable Internet Access is a Critical Election Year Issue

In the digital age, access to reliable internet is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. This truth has become even more evident as we’ve navigated through recent global challenges that pushed us towards remote work, online schooling, and telehealth services. Yet, for many in rural New Mexico, high-speed internet remains out of reach due […]

Lawmakers Should Weigh Burdens to Smallest Businesses

The man was said to be the only electrician in Mora, and my agency forced him out of business. This was around 20 years ago. I learned about it in a staff meeting. The assistant general counsel who told us about it had tears in her eyes and a quiver in her voice, but she […]

The High Cost of Self-checkout

If you do grocery shopping for your family, you have undoubtedly used self-checkout. That’s what I was doing recently when shopping for two items in a nearby store. I noticed a new sign had been posted: “Self-check-out restricted to 15 items or less.” I had not seen that before.  On the contrary, there were times […]

Apodaca Wants to Help Moderates

Democrats’ notion of their party as the big tent is suffering as hard line progressives target moderates in the primary. It’s been widely reported that progressives have primaried every state representative who voted against the family and medical leave bill. They’ve reportedly raised millions to help their candidates. Jeff Apodaca, son of late Gov. Jerry […]

Why You Should Care About the Federal Debt

Does everyone in your household have a spare $102,000 lying around? Because that’s what it will take to clear our federal debt: $102,000 from every woman, man and child in the United States. The debt currently stands at $34 trillion, is rising by a trillion dollars every 100 days or so and projected to reach […]

Trail Mix: Adventure to Cabezon Peak

Trail Mix is a monthly column featuring off-the-beaten-path adventures in New Mexico. Rising over 1,100 feet from the Rio Puerco Valley, Cabezon Peak dominates this remote and rugged valley just west of Albuquerque. Despite its relative isolation, it’s just over an hour’s drive from Albuquerque and an easy stop to cooler temperatures in the higher […]