This is the time of year that the pilgrimages to Santa Fe begin. Every town and city, every county, all types of government agencies have their hands out trying to get what they believe is their fair share of the State’s money. It’s not a great system that we have in New Mexico, but it is the system…so you either play or you lose.
That said, there are many issues that come up each year during the legislative session. No doubt there are some really hot potatoes this year. Gun Control changes, changes to abortion laws, environmental issues, sanctuary state, maybe recreational marijuana and definitely increasing the minimum wage law…these will be “hot button” issues that will probably stir emotions as much as debate.
Minimum Wage: I’m always amazed to hear state politicians howling at the moon that our people can never move forward if we don’t raise the state’s minimum wage. The sad thing is that some of these politicians have never owned or managed a regular small business…they have always been in the political industry. Well we shouldn’t bow down to these folks. We should work with them to educate them on what their decisions mean to real New Mexico. Literally, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t have a discussion about New Mexico’s minimum wage with a local business owner/manager. These folks are worried. They are frightened. They have invested their life savings into a small business and they are terribly uncertain of the future. They understand that they can probably make their business still work with a bump from $7.50 to $8.50. However, if state politicians vote to raise the minimum wage to $10.00 an hour or $12.00 an hour immediately with provisions to go higher maybe in a year or two…frankly, it scares the hell out of them. If you are a small business owner or manager and you haven’t started working on a plan of how you are going to make your business work with these higher expenses…well you need to begin now. One restaurant owner stated he was told there was a bill that would end tip employees and everyone would fall under the same minimum wage law. He explained how if his dishwasher got an increase, then the waitresses would want more…and the cooks would want more…and the ripple effect would kill his ability to have menu items priced at a rate that make his customers happy. It would be the beginning of the end.
It's called a minimum wage for a reason. It’s not a living wage. Most businesses think of it as a starter’s wage. Cut your teeth on it, do a good job, then move up to a better position with a better hourly rate.
Moving on… we have a ribbon cutting scheduled this Friday morning at 10 a.m. for the new Hidalgo Medical Services “Bridges to Care” located at 1000 Hudson Street in Silver City, New Mexico. The new facility will house comprehensive care coordination and integration services that includes Care Link NM, Bridges 2 Wellness and Family Support Services. Everyone is invited to attend and learn more about this new healthcare facility for Grant County.
If you want to make a comment, it’s okay to stop me at stores, restaurants and the Post Office. It happens all the time. I enjoy the banter whether you like what I write or not. I will respect your opinion, if you will respect mine. It’s kind of a give and take. Sure wish they knew how to do that in Washington, DC!