Las Cruces Bulletin

Drawing inspiration from angry Canadians

On Jan. 29, a convoy of ticked-off truckers rolling across Canada reached its final destination, Parliament Hill in the capital city of Ottawa. They used their trucks to shut down the core of the downtown area to all incoming traffic. more

By Walt Rubel | 3/8/22

Go back to the basics on city spending

The inability of the Las Cruces City Council to allocate federal relief funding in a way that is fair, efficient and transparent is concerning. more

By Walt Rubel | 3/2/22

Delay tactics sink voting bill for this year

State Sen. Willliam Sharer is a marvelous storyteller with the ability to go on at length on a wide variety of subjects. Last week, he regaled his restless Senate colleagues on the final day of the session, as time ran out on a voting rights bill that had been one of the top priorities for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. more

By Walt Rubel | 2/23/22

We the People: Civic engagement important to healthy democracy

“WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and … more

By Kathy Brook and Eileen VanWie Co-Presidents League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico | 2/15/22

You could have seen this tax loophole from space

From the day in 2005 when the agreement between Bill Richardson and Richard Branson for what would later become Spaceport America was first announced, the business model for southern New Mexico has always been to separate wealthy tourists from their not-so-hard-earned vacation money. more

By Walt Rubel | 2/8/22

Open government advocacy group urges legislators to remember transparency

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG) reminds the state Legislature that Article IV, Section 12 of the New Mexico Constitution requires that all sessions of each house of the Legislature be open to the public. more

By Shannon Kunkel | 2/2/22

State needs to end tax on Social Security, but replace the lost funds

When former Gov. Bill Richardson ended the gross receipts tax on food in 2005, I thought it was a no-brainer. Food and water are the two things we can’t live without, so of course they shouldn’t be taxed. more

By Walt Rubel | 1/26/22

Tune out bogus claims of rampant voter fraud

Republican lawmakers in New Mexico have alleged for years that our elections are plagued by massive voter fraud. They finally had their chance to prove it in 2011, with Susana Martinez as governor … more

By Walt Rubel | 1/20/22

Lack of transparency doomed NMSU plan

Watching Montana State play in the Football Championship Subdivision national title game Jan. 8, I wondered if Waded Cruzado was still the president there. more

By Walt Rubel | 1/12/22

Final score: Facemasks 12, plastic bags 1

The other morning, as I walked for 30 minutes along parts of several streets between B & G Automotive and the Bulletin, I counted 12 discarded facemasks and one plastic bag, which was clinging to a dead weed. more

By Mike Cook | 1/12/22

Pay increases for teachers will help, but public needs to advocate for education

The League of Women Voters of New Mexico (LWVSNM) believes that education is the foundation for a strong and viable representative democracy. more

By Kathy Brook and Eileen VanWie | 12/17/21

A cat’s meow: Finding fallacy in the news

I was reading the paper to the cat last week. She tries to keep up on current events, particularly stories about politics and alien landings. more

By Baxter Black | 12/17/21

State government is rolling in the dough, but needs to plan ahead

New Mexico has the third-highest poverty rate in the nation, ahead of only Mississippi and Louisiana, according to the state Department of Workforce Solutions. But, while families throughout the state are struggling, the state government is more than flush. more

By Walt Rubel | 12/9/21

NMSU football: Invest or drop down

Plenty of good seats were still available at kickoff Saturday for the Aggies’ final game of the football season, which was unfortunate but not surprising. more

By Walt Rubel | 12/2/21

Seeing some familiar faces during trip to museum

I took a trip to the museum of natural history. It was a fascinating place: a taxidermist’s showcase. A dog heaven, what with all the prehistoric bones. more

By Baxter Black | 12/2/21

Gun ban must be extended to local boards

The New Mexico Legislature has finally passed a rule banning guns in the state Capitol building. Now, they need to provide that same common-sense protection for local school boards and city councils. more

By Walt Rubel | 11/23/21

Something always comes up when it comes time to fixin’ things

Most would admit it was an unusual location to put a chain in the first place. Not that it didn’t look at home amongst the rotting posts and rusty headgate, but there it was. more

By Baxter Black | 11/23/21

State needs better plan on how to spend federal funds

Worried that federal spending was getting out of control, Sen. Everett Dirksen warned in 1973 that, “a billion here, and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” more

By Walt Rubel | 11/12/21

Rodeo finals a match made in near-heaven for cowboys, ranch types

“Twas a matchup made in Elko for the cowboys in the know Called the Rough and Ready Knock Down Finals All Ranch Rodeo. more

By Baxter Black | 11/12/21

Few things create more dread than the big blue box

I had just finished loading 184 7-foot steel T-posts, old ones, by the way, in my pickup and was unloading a mere 24 bales of hay from the front section of my gooseneck stock trailer. more

By Baxter Black | 11/4/21