Dear Editor,

Seemingly sympathetic to communist doctrine, your columnist Michael Daly speaks of the U.S. “allergy to communism” yet fails to identify collectivism’s essence (and the rest of Marxism’s grotesque offspring) which is forced bondage/slavery and in the case of socialism, voluntary bondage for those who fear the responsibilities of freedom. Marxism can be summed up in two directives:

1. Covet thy neighbor’s goods.

2. Envy the man that is better off than you.

Daly also notes that “communism is commonly a stage in the growth of a nation” without mentioning that the people of those nations suffered dearly in that brutal plantation process which the U.S. abolished...

Dear Editor,

The New Mexico legislature will adjourn at 12 pm March 18.

Both the House of Representatives and State Senate are still debating bills and may also do so the morning of Feb. 18, so a few more bills may yet pass this Legislative Session.

See all the movement of our AFT NM-supported bills below:

MARCH 16

State Senate

House Bill 533, carried by Rep. Ray Lara and Natalie Figueroa, would codify the levels of insurance coverage for educators which are currently provided for in House Bill 2, the FY ’24 budget.

House Bill 533 also achieves another long-standing goal of AFT New Mexico – as it is currently written, it removes the insurance coverage cap that a district...

Dear Editor,

The House Appropriations and Finance Committee has voted to table House Bill 51 - the Prescription Drug Affordability Board Act. With just a week left in the legislative session, tabling the bill effectively blocks the legislation from moving forward.

While we are disappointed in the result, we are more committed than ever to enacting meaningful reform. Too many New Mexicans are struggling to afford the medication they need, and we are heartened by the thousands of people across the state who have stood up to say ENOUGH, it is time to stop the profiteering of the big drug companies and ensure all of us have access to affordable medication.

We would also like to take a...

Dear Editor,

To close out the week, two important bills have made critical advances on their legislative path.

House Bill 127 now heads to Gov. Lujan Grisham for her signature and Senate Bill 521 heads to the N.M. House of Representatives for consideration.

MARCH 9

State Senate

Senate Bill 521, carried by Sens. Muñoz and Stewart, would add an additional 1% to the proposed salary increases to the FY ’24 budget. This would represent a 6% average increase in salary for the FY ’24 fiscal year. SB 521 explicitly states this additional 1% is an attempt to acknowledge both inflation and anticipated increased to healthcare costs.Senate Bill 521, carried by Sens. Muñoz and Stewart...