According to the Census Bureau, 20% of New Mexicans are on welfare, the highest percentage of any state in the nation. This is measured by families on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), General Assistance or SNAP and does not include Medicaid, Medicare, housing vouchers, school lunch programs, unemployment insurance or tax credits. According to the state Medicaid website, 702,063 New Mexicans were enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP assistance as of May 2025. That’s 33% of our population.
Why are New Mexicans so poor? A lack of a good education may be one answer. A lack of a good job could be another, but few businesses are willing to move to New Mexico. Health care is a large-sector employer, but the Legislature refuses to buck the tort lawyer’s lobby and cap malpractice suits. Medicare reimbursements have not risen much in 20 years and many of our citizens are elderly.
So, where do you go to get a good job? The answer is, another state or go to work for the government, our largest employer. But that doesn’t solve the education problem, nor child welfare or homelessness and most state employees received only a 4% raise this year, which didn’t cover inflation – except for some who were fortunate enough to work for the governor, like her chief of staff Daniel Schlegel who received a 16% raise, to $234,000. The governor’s general counsel is now paid $208,000, a 19% increase. Our chief investment officer, Vince Smith, received a 40% raise and now makes $455,000, according to the Sunshine Portal. Not bad pay, for our top executives. Some lower-level goslings only received 10%.
But Mayor Alan Webber to the rescue. He wants the minimum wage in Santa Fe to move from $15 per hour to $17.50. Politicians would rather pass what I will call “hero legislation” than reduce the cost of living through deregulation of construction requirements and tax cuts. Our state has billions in permanent funds that are sitting idle. Our state collects taxes on our Social Security and the Gross Receipts Tax could be lowered and amended.
Our legislators half-try and fail every year to correct the problems at the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department. Educational outcomes remain at the bottom nationally. Crime in Albuquerque makes it one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Española is close behind. The National Guard has been deployed to Albuquerque to help the police.
We have a drug problem and we spend millions to deal with the homeless, but it is mostly about housing and little about treatment.
If you have been to Santa Fe lately, you will notice a plethora of new apartment buildings, all in the name of affordable housing. A 900-square-foot, two-bedroom unit runs $1,800 per month. Is that affordable?
With all the high-paid government executives, you would think one of them would come up with suggestions to address the real problems. Maybe our legislators could or should.
Alas, politicians had rather make a big show and collect the lobbyists’ campaign donations to maintain status quo. Nothing ever changes until we, the real people, change out our politicians when we vote.
Tom Wright is a Santa Fe columnist and an El Rito Media investor.