Gallup Sun

On Jan. 1,  we marked the end of four decades of predatory lending in New Mexico, thanks to a new law that reduces the maximum annual interest rate on small loans from 175%, one of the highest rates allowed anywhere in the nation, to 36%.

As Think New Mexico explained in our 2020 policy report making the case for this reform, the 36% interest rate cap is actually a return to a highly effective consumer protection law that was in effect from the mid-1950s through the early-1980s.

In the 1950s, the New Mexico legislature and governor capped the annual interest rates of loans at no more than 36%. This law protected consumers while still allowing plenty of access to credit...

I didn’t wear glasses until I was 19. As an up-and-coming visionary word nerd, I had never thought I needed corrective lenses. Of course, I always fancied monocles, although I didn’t know how to keep one in place.

As it turned out, I was near-sighted. I learned this by attending a large lecture hall-format class in college. I found myself squinting to see the professor’s handwritten notes scrawled on the chalkboard. I began to get headaches from the eyestrain.

Soon enough, I went to an optometrist and got my first prescription glasses. Now I look 17% smarter!

You knew a grammar tie-in was coming, and here it is: the headache caused by a squinting modifier. Yes, squinting (or...

Dear Gallup Sun,

Your informative Top Five stories of 2022 made me ponder on the “Top Five or Six Elephants in the Room” – those enormous and difficult issues which are obvious yet ignored due to the discomfort or political embarrassment of those in power.

1. Duplication of services Your “RMCH still facing problems” seems to have been an annual story for some 50 years, before the Rehoboth-McKinley General merge when we had three hospitals. Many of us wonder why there are multiple hospitals in a region which should require only one.

We are perplexed that there is a need to segregate non-Indians from Indians. Whether you have a Medicare, Medicaid, VA, ACA, Indian Health ID, or...

Welcome to the year of AI content creation. From writing to artwork created by artificial intelligence software, the internet is embracing this “make the computer do it for me” approach.

Soon after OpenAI launched ChatGPT at the end of November 2022, the company was valued at a cool $29 billion. But my question is: will AI chatbots replace human writers? Not anytime soon.

As a content manager for a robotics startup, my day job involves writing relevant and interesting articles, case studies and thought leadership on my industry. It takes time to do this well, but quantity of content is simultaneously as important as the quality of the work.

For website articles, search engine...