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Notable News RailRunner RGF Events Top Issues Transportation

Free event: An Evening With Transportation Expert Randal O’Toole

An Evening With Transportation Expert
Randal O’Toole

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Like many Americans, Randal O’Toole loves passenger trains, yet he acknowledges that intercity passenger trains and – outside of the New York region – urban rail transit play little role in American life today. The replacement of passenger trains with cars, buses, and airplanes is similar to many other recent technological replacements: word processors replacing typewriters, calculators replacing slide rules, telephones replacing telegraphs, and cell phones replacing land lines.

However, only for passenger trains has the government spent billions of dollars a year attempting to turn back the clock and slow that replacement. O’Toole’s book Romance of the Rails asks why this is so and whether passenger rail has a significant role to play in the future.

Randal O’Toole will be discussing his book and some New Mexico-specific boondoggles like the Rail Runner and Albuquerque Rapid Transit (as well as potential boondoggles) at a reception held at the Rio Grande Foundation offices on Friday, November 9th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

Location: “The Liberty Hub” 4301 The 25 Way, Suite B (Americans for Prosperity signage) at Jefferson and I-25 across from Panera.

This is a free event open to the public. Pre-regisrations are appreciated. Light snacks will be available.

Romance of the Rails is the culmination of Randal O’Toole’s lifetime of research and experience as an enthusiast of the rails and as a transportation expert.

American transportation has undergone many technological revolutions: from sailing ships to steamships; canals to railroads; steam to diesel; horse-drawn to electric streetcars; passenger trains and urban rail transit to airplanes and automobiles. The government has allowed and encouraged most of these revolutions, but it spends billions of dollars a year attempting to turn back the clock for rail transit and intercity passenger trains.

To show why, O’Toole provides a detailed history of rail in America leading to the present, when federally subsidized efforts to return to rail’s golden age are doing more harm than good.

O’Toole examines the costly allure of high-speed trains and light rail, demonstrating that passenger rail doesn’t even work well in Europe and Asia, much less here. Far from being backward, America’s railroads are the envy of the world, moving freight efficiently and profitably while leaving passengers to other modes of travel that are faster, less expensive, and more convenient.

The book concludes that the passenger transportation of the future will rely on America’s 4 million miles of roads and on air travel. As Romance of the Rails thoroughly chronicles, Americans love passenger trains, but given the vast resources inexplicably being poured into them, we are being taken for a ride.

About the speaker:

Randal O’Toole is a Cato Institute Senior Fellow working on urban growth, public land, and transportation issues. His analysis of urban land-use and transportation issues, brought together in his 2001 book, The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths, has influenced decisions in cities across the country. In his book The Best-Laid Plans, O’Toole calls for repealing federal, state, and local planning laws and proposes reforms that can help solve social and environmental problems without heavy-handed government regulation.Romance of the Rails is the culmination of Randal O’Toole’s lifetime of research and experience as an enthusiast of the rails and as a transportation expert.

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Categories
Constitution and Criminal Justice Notable News RGF Events Top Issues

Putting Public Safety First in Pretrial: Reception and Discussion

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Crime and criminal justice issues remain a central feature of public policy debates in New Mexico, especially in Albuquerque. Though bail reform was passed by more than 85 percent of New Mexico’s voters via constitutional amendment, confusion has surrounded the implementation of reforms, the results of the policies, and where New Mexico must go from here.

In order to further discussion of this important issue, the Rio Grande Foundation is hosting a panel discussion and public reception on the topic.

Panelists include:


Brett Tolman
former U.S. Attorney for
the District of Utah

David Iglesias
former U.S. Attorney for
the District of New Mexico

Daniel Ivey-Soto
New Mexico Senator
(D-Bernalillo)

Paul Gessing, President of Rio Grande Foundation, will provide introductory remarks, and Lauren Krisai, Senior Policy Analyst at Justice Action Network, will serve as the moderator.

Topics and potential questions for this interactive panel include:

What does an ideal pretrial system look like? How can we prioritize public safety in pretrial decision making? Is reform working in New Mexico? Could it be improved? What does the national landscape look like when it comes to pretrial and bail reform? Are there any lessons to be learned from elsewhere?

  • Location: Marriott Pyramid Hotel located at: 5151 San Francisco Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.
  • When: Thursday, October 4, 2018, 6:00 to 7:30pm.
  • Cost: There is NO COST for this event. Heavy appetizers and beverages will be served and there will be a cash bar.

This event is sponsored by the Rio Grande Foundation with the help of the Justice Action Network.

 

Categories
Economy Education Notable News RGF Events Tax and Budget Taxes Top Issues

RGF luncheon event w/ leading free market economist/author Donald Boudreaux: The Case for Free Trade

Albuquerque Event Notice

Donald Boudreaux, One of America’s
Leading Free Market Economists:
The Case for Free Trade

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Free trade has emerged as one of the most controversial issues in the Trump Administration and American economic policy these days, but Trump is by no means the first American President to levy tariffs or to attack free trade or trade agreements themselves.

Nonetheless, the Trump Administration has pulled the United States out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), he has imposed tariffs on a variety of products from steel and aluminum to washing machines and lumber while threatening to “tear up” the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

What does free trade really mean? How does it differ from “fair trade?” Which one is more beneficial to Americans? Is the world on the verge of a trade war? If so, how would that impact average Americans?

Finally, how should we just “free trade” as opposed to “managed trade?” Should we support both?

  • Location: Marriott Pyramid Hotel located at: 5151 San Francisco Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.
  • When: Friday, July 27, 2018, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm.
  • Cost: Seating is limited and can be purchased at the discounted price of $30 until Friday, July 20, 2018; $40 after the 20th. Price includes plated lunch.

Donald J. Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow with the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a Mercatus Center Board Member, and a professor of economics and former economics-department chair at George Mason University. He holds the Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center. He specializes in globalization and trade, law and previously, he was president of the Foundation for Economic Education and an associate professor of legal studies and economics at Clemson University. He also serves as an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and at Canada’s Fraser Institute.

Boudreaux earned his B.A. at Nicholls State University, a PhD in economics from Auburn University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

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Categories
Economy Notable News RGF Events Tax and Budget Taxes Top Issues

RGF president to discuss the need for state-level tax reform in New Mexico

On Saturday, April 14, Rio Grande Foundation president Paul Gessing will be speaking at an event on tax reform being sponsored by the Libre Initiative. Some panelists will discuss the recently-passed federal tax reforms, but Gessing will be discussing New Mexico’s growth-hindering tax system and what the Legislature needs to do to unleash our State’s economic potential.

Sign up for this FREE event here!

Sign up here.

Categories
Health Care Notable News RGF Events Tax and Budget Taxes Top Issues

Dr. Roger Stark Physician and Free Market Health Care Reformer: How States Can Make Health Care Better For Patients and Taxpayers

Albuquerque Event Notice

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With the (tentative) failure of Congress and the Trump Administration to completely repeal ObamaCare, the states continue to grapple with ways to make the Law work better for them.

The good news is that states still have some leeway within the law in order to make it work better and cost less. And, with an Administration in office that is more amenable to reform, now is the time for conservatives in governor’s mansions and state houses to make much-needed reforms to improve the deeply-flawed law.

Dr. Roger Stark is is the health care policy analyst at Washington Policy Center and a retired physician. He is the author of two books including The Patient-Centered Solution: Our Health Care Crisis, How It Happened, and How We Can Fix It.

Under the auspices of the Rio Grande Foundation and the Washington Policy Center, Stark’s paper “Federal administrative improvements to the Affordable Care Act and state options for health care reform” has been released in New Mexico.

He’ll be sharing his thoughts on the American health care system now as the Trump Administration’s initial reform efforts have failed. He’ll offer ideas on what, if anything might happen next in Washington on the health care reform front and offer insights into what might happen if needed reforms are not undertaken.

  • Location: Marriott Pyramid 5151 San Francisco Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109
  • When: Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm
  • Cost: Seating is limited and can be purchased at the discounted price of $30 until Friday, April 13, 2018; $40 after the 13th

Stark graduated from the University of Nebraska’s College of Medicine and he completed his general surgery residency in Seattle and his cardiothoracic residency at the University of Utah. After practicing in Tacoma he moved to Bellevue and was one of the co-founders of the open heart surgery program at Overlake Hospital. He has served on the hospital’s governing board. He retired from private practice in 2001 and became actively involved in the hospital’s Foundation, serving as Board Chair and Executive Director. He currently serves on the Board of the Washington Liability Reform Coalition and is an active member of the Woodinville Rotary. He and his wife live on the Eastside and have children and grandchildren in the area.

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Categories
Notable News RGF Events Top Issues

Rio Grande Foundation Luncheon event: “Are We Rome?”

 

Lawrence Reed Wonders “Are We Rome?”
at Rio Grande Foundation Luncheon

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Monumental sums for bailouts. Staggering increases in public debt. Concentration of power in the central government. A mad scramble by interest groups with endless claims on the treasury. Mushrooming regulations on enterprise. Demagogic class warfare appeals. Higher taxes on the productive. Decline of virtues once widely embraced as essential for strong character.

These things ring familiar in 21st century America just as surely as they dominated the ill-fated Roman welfare state of two millennia ago. Lawrence W. Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), discusses 21st Century America and how familiar it is to the ill-fated Roman welfare state of two millennia ago.

Reed is the author of a free book (complimentary copies of which will be available at the event) detailing the parallels and differences between the United State and Rome. He has traveled the country discussing the subject.

  • Location: Albuquerque Marriott Uptown located at: 2101 Louisiana Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
  • When: Friday, October 6, 2017, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm
  • Cost: Seating is limited and can be purchased at the discounted price of $30 until Monday, October 2, 2017; $40 after that. Price includes plated lunch.

Lawrence W. (“Larry”) Reed became president of FEE in 2008 after serving as chairman of its board of trustees in the 1990s and both writing and speaking for FEE since the late 1970s. Prior to becoming FEE’s president, he served for 20 years as president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. He also taught economics full-time from 1977 to 1984 at Northwood University in Michigan and chaired its department of economics from 1982 to 1984.

He holds a B.A. in economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. degree in history from Slippery Rock State University (1978), both in Pennsylvania. He holds two honorary doctorates, one from Central Michigan University (public administration, 1993) and Northwood University (laws, 2008).

A champion for liberty, Reed has authored over 1,000 newspaper columns and articles and dozens of articles in magazines and journals in the United States and abroad.

Co-sponsored by:

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Categories
Education Notable News RGF Events Top Issues

KrisAnne Hall: Attorney, former prosecutor, and Constitutional Scholar to highlight “Forgotten Patriots” at Rio Grande Foundation Luncheon

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KrisAnne Hall is an attorney and former prosecutor who travels the country teaching the Constitution and the history that gave us our founding documents. KrisAnne will connect the dots for you like no one else can! Host of The KrisAnne Hall Show, she pulls no punches, puts Liberty First and gives no quarter to those who hide behind party labels. Like no other host, KrisAnne will tell you what the founders had to say on today’s relevant issues and will share with you some stories about important patriots at the time of our nation’s founding that you may not know or may not fully appreciate their stories.

  • Location: Marriott Pyramid Hotel located at: 5151 San Francisco Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.
  • When: Tuesday, July 25, 2017, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm.
  • Cost: Seating is limited and can be purchased at the discounted price of $30 until Wednesday, July 19, 2017; $40 after that. Price includes plated lunch.

KrisAnne is a disabled Army veteran, a Russian linguist, a mother, a pastor’s wife and a patriot. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, she received her undergraduate degree in Bio-Chemistry from Blackburn College in 1991 and her J.D. from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law and is a former Russian Linguist for the US Army. KrisAnne worked as a state prosecutor and with a prominent law firm defending religious liberty and First Amendment rights. KrisAnne lives in North Florida with her husband JC, a pastor and former Russian instructor for the US Navy, and their adopted son Colton.

KrisAnne has been awarded the Freedom Fighter award by Americans for Prosperity, the Certificate of Achievement from the Sons of the Revolution for her defense of Liberty, and Congressman James Blair Award for Defending the Constitution.

KrisAnne is an incredibly passionate speaker – a true Patrick Henry of our time. She speaks to audiences all across the country on Constitutional History, American Exceptionalism, and the Fight for Liberty. Her passion and enthusiasm is contagious and she is able to inspire any group. She is a steadfast warrior in the Tea Party battle.

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Image result for unsung american patriots tricorn hat

Categories
Notable News RGF Events Top Issues

Trump and the Effort to Restore Property Rights in the American West

Rio Grande Foundation Speaker Series Event:
Author and Legal Reformer William Perry Pendley
to Discuss Trump and the Effort to Restore
Property Rights in the American West

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William Perry Pendley is the president and Chief Operating Officer at Mountain States Legal Foundation. He is also author of five books: It Takes a Hero (1994); War on the West (1995); Warriors for the West (2006); Sagebrush Rebel (2013), and Summary Judgment (2015).

Mountain States Legal Foundation is a public interest law firm with a special emphasis on the American West and land use/property rights issues. Its mission is to provide high-quality, effective legal representation for those fighting to own and use property, limited and ethical government, individual liberty, and the free enterprise system.

Pendley in particular is knowledgeable and passionate about land-use issues in the West. After eight years of President Obama and his efforts – along with the radical environmental movement – to lock up ever larger swaths of land, President Donald Trump is moving in the opposite direction.

What are some of the issues with federal land management and how does the ever-increasing federal estate impact private property rights? What can New Mexicans do to support their President? What are the legal ramifications of this battle? Lastly, how can we fundamentally reform the system of lands ownership in the West to prevent future abuses?

  • Location:  Marriott Pyramid Hotel located at: 5151 San Francisco Road NE, Albuquerque, NM  87109.
  • When:  Monday, June 12, 2017, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm.
  • Cost:  Seating is limited and can be purchased at the discounted price of $30 until Monday, June 5, 2017; $40 after that.

This event is co-sponsored by the Rio Grande Foundation and New Mexico Business Coalition.

 

Click here for registration form.

 

Categories
Economy Notable News RGF Events Tax and Budget Taxes Top Issues

Tax Reform Activist Grover Norquist to Keynote Rio Grande Foundation Luncheon: What President Trump and Congress Mean for Healthcare and Tax Reform

Rio Grande Foundation Speaker Series Event:
Tax Reform Activist Grover Norquist to Keynote
Rio Grande Foundation Luncheon:
What President Trump and Congress Mean
for Healthcare and Tax Reform

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Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan’s request. ATR works to limit the size and cost of government and opposes higher taxes at the federal, state, and local levels and supports tax reform that moves towards taxing consumed income one time at one rate.

ATR organizes the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to the American people to oppose all net tax increases. In the 115th Congress, 212 House members and 45 Senators have taken the pledge.

Grover is one of the most influential voices for free markets and limited government in Washington. What agreements will President Donald Trump and Congress come to on the all-important issues of healthcare and tax reform? How good/bad will these reforms be for taxpayers and the U.S. economy?

  • Location: Marriott Pyramid located at: 5151 San Francisco Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.
  • When: Monday, April 10, 2017, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm.
  • Cost: Seating is limited and can be purchased at the discounted price of $30 until Wednesday, April 5, 2017; $40 after that.

More about Grover Norquist: He chairs the Washington, DC-based Wednesday Meeting, a weekly gathering of more than 150 elected officials, political activists, and movement leaders. The meeting started in 1993 and takes place in ATR’s conference room. There are now 60 similar center-right meetings in 48 states including New Mexico.

He also:

  • Serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America, the American Conservative Union, the Parental Rights Organization and Center for the National Interest (formerly The Nixon Center.)
  • Serves as a Contributing Editor to the American Spectator Magazine.
  • Serves as president of the American Society of Competitiveness.
  • Authored four books: Rock the House; Leave Us Alone – Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives; Debacle: Obama’s War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future (with co-author John Lott) and End the IRS Before it Ends Us – How to Restore a Low Tax, High Growth, Wealthy America – published April 7, 2015.

Click here for registration form.

Categories
Economy Education Notable News RGF Events Top Issues

Gessing to offer “Crash Course in Free Market Economics” through OASIS

OASIS is a great organization that puts on a variety of classes for older folks and “seasoned citizens.” If you want to find out more information and useful data to understand economic issues facing our nation, state, and community, sign up now for an OASIS class this Tuesday, August 2. The class will go from 1:00 to 2:30pm.

You can sign up here. It is class 11.

The “syllabus” notes and location are as follows:

New Mexico never quite made it out of the Great Recession of 2008. Our economy faces numerous challenges including high unemployment, low workforce participation, high government indebtedness, and low graduation rates. Paul Gessing believes the solution requires a transformation in New Mexico’s economy — away from reliance on federal spending and toward a larger private sector economy. He shares details on how a healthy dose of free market policies can turn our state around.

American Square Shopping Center
3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18
Albuquerque 87107 NM

We are just west of Carlisle NE in the building facing the American Home Furniture store.