Author: Podcast Producer

Dowd and Paul discuss the Albuquerque Journal’s recently-released polling data for various New Mexico races. Is the data reliable? What does it mean for this fall’s elections? 
 
The Rio Grande Foundation recently hosted a series of events around Southern New Mexico. Paul and Dowd discuss their trip. KOB TV did an excellent story on an important issue (Medicaid and its problems) and Paul was able to sit down with them. Dowd has been tracking the development of data centers that may or may not be coming to New Mexico since Facebook’s facility here got off the ground. 
 
Dowd has some Bureaucrats Behaving Badly and the Foundation is hosting an upcoming event on Bail Reform on October 4.

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Paul and Dowd interview Deborah Burns of Invest US LLC. Deborah was involved in bringing the US/China business matchmaking conference to Albuquerque in October of 2017. What is happening these days with some of those businesses and job creation? Deborah has spent 6 weeks during the past year in China. How are the recent political controversies over trade perceived there? What additional opportunities exist between New Mexico and China and what other investment efforts can New Mexico take advantage of right now?
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Paul and Dowd address why now is the time to reform New Mexico’s gross receipts tax. They also address numerous other policies that are negatively impacting New Mexico’s economy. Topics include a right to work update, education reform, sick leave proposals and more.
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Dowd and Paul discuss important historical points and the way they are often misrepresented by historians with Dr. Larry Schweikart. Schweikart is the Foundation’s upcoming speaker at a series of luncheon talks to be given statewide during the week of September 10-14.
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On this week’s episode of Tipping Point New Mexico Dowd and Paul discuss Albuquerque Mayor Keller’s economic development plans. What IS the plan? Will it be effective? What is left out of the plan? In another, related story, Keller has hired the City’s “poet laureate” Hakim Bellamy as an employee. He’s working for the taxpayers of the City now. What’s he doing? He has a new video out about the City. Dowd and Paul discuss the situation.
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Paul and Dowd interview Lucas Puente of Thumbtack.com regarding their recent survey of small business owners around the nation. New Mexico ranks a disappointing 47th and the City of Albuquerque rates a “D+” up slightly from “D” last year. Aside from our own results, there are interesting data points to consider with regard to city performance and its correlation to the respective states in which those cities are located.
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Dowd and Paul discuss New Mexico’s $1.2 billion surplus and what should be done with the largess. That shifts into a conversation about the Cato Institute’s Freedom In the 50 States report which gave New Mexico high marks on personal freedom, but found the State sorely lacking in fiscal restraint and the size of its government bureaucracy.

Dowd shared some “exciting” information about recent activity at the New Mexico Spaceport and both of them addressed the recent infusion of federal dollars for several wasteful New Mexico transit projects. Finally, the Trump Administration has announced that NAFTA has been “renegotiated.” What does that mean? Lastly, Dowd highlights some Bureaucrats Behaving Badly.

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Paul and Dowd talk free trade with George Mason University economist and prominent blogger Donald Boudreaux. Among the issues discussed are how to think about international trade? What are the benefits to trade? What could happen to the US economy and stock markets if trade is reduced?
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On this week’s podcast Dowd and Paul discuss the “tiny homes” proposal being considered for the homeless in the Albuquerque area. Is this a good idea? What has happened elsewhere this has been tried? Dowd and Paul then briefly discuss the property tax vote in Las Cruces, diversion of state 911 funds during 2016 (while film subsidies and support for the Rail Runner continued), and the latest Thumbtack survey on small business friendliness in Albuquerque.

Finally, Dowd and Paul have a detailed discussion about the situation at the Taos “compound” and how the judge came to her decision to release the group.
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Paul and Dowd discuss the details of both New Mexico gubernatorial candidates education reform ideas. Not surprisingly, there are big differences between Lujan-Grisham’s and Pearce’s plans. Paul and Dowd offer their analysis and insights on the plans presented as well as ideas about what true reform might look like.
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