Opinion

New Mexico’s rising spending has not improved poor outcomes in child well-being or education, argues Rep. Mark Duncan. He says the state’s welfare “snare net” penalizes families for earning more through benefit cliffs, while administrative waste and weak accountability persist. Duncan calls for work-focused reforms, expanded career programs, and electing Gregg Hull governor.

An opinion column argues that past successes and failures should not dictate future expectations. Rather than relying on “in my experience” to predict outcomes, readers should recognize how new skills, patience, and resilience have changed them. The most valuable lessons are the coping mechanisms gained through failure, which can fuel fresh attempts.

Using lessons from his sons’ rodeo careers, Steven V. McCutcheon argues that accountability—not excuses—is what the New Mexico Republican Party needs.

This opinion column examines politically motivated name changes, from Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico to Virginia’s Lee Highway, military forts, sports teams and brands such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s. It argues that revising language and symbols to address historical or cultural concerns can become inconsistent, confusing and performative, raising questions about who decides what names mean.

This opinion column supports the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would require greater financial transparency from members of Congress, and questions Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez’s opposition to it. The writer also critiques her positions on student debt, college tuition and immigration, arguing that Republican candidate Martin Zamora would better represent New Mexico’s Third Congressional District.

National parks draw hundreds of millions of visitors and billions in economic activity, yet face a $24 billion maintenance backlog and severe staffing cuts. Sherry Robinson argues that diverting National Park Service recreation fees to presidential “beautification” projects, while reducing park operations funding, threatens safety, accessibility, conservation, and the rangers who protect America’s shared heritage.

After sharing his prostate cancer diagnosis and successful radiation and hormone treatment, Cal Thomas urges men over 50—and younger people at higher risk—to schedule regular checkups and PSA screenings. Highlighting survival rates, risk disparities, and the importance of early detection, he argues that overcoming embarrassment and denial can save lives.

The 1945 atomic bombings remain morally controversial, but this opinion argues they were neither demonic nor primarily a warning to Stalin. It examines fears of a costly invasion, Japan’s continued resistance, and proposed conventional alternatives, concluding Truman’s administration used Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force surrender quickly and potentially save many more lives, despite lasting ethical questions.

God puts us on this earth for reasons that lie on the other side of understanding. We do not know the who, the where or the what of the world.

“Free” universal childcare is estimated to cost taxpayers $850 million annually with the price tag rising quickly over time according to the Legislative Finance Committee.

The news about Democrat Deb Haaland, the stealth candidate, is more about where she’s not than where she is. Republican Gregg Hull, still trying to introduce himself to voters outside of Rio Rancho, kneecapped himself in public comments sure to alienate the disaffected Dems and Independents he needs to win.

Insurance companies are offering utilities less coverage at ever-increasing premiums. Meanwhile, wildfire costs are skyrocketing across the West, and electric cooperatives are facing billions in liability. That means most electric co-op providers face an existential risk from litigation after a wildfire.