Taxpayer-funded virtue signaling

Regardless of your politics, whether you love or hate the president of the United States, New Mexico has chosen to sign the taxpayers up for an extremely expensive fight. We will all now pay for the state legislature to feel good about standing up to “the man”.

I’m referring to the United States Department of Justice this week deciding to pursue legal action against the State of New Mexico for House Bill 9, which eliminated the ability for municipalities and counties in the state to have contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for detention facilities in New Mexico.

Once passed, the state legislature exchanged high-fives with one another, proud that they put New Mexicans who worked at the facilities on unemployment. The state attempted to flex against the federal government and now we will all pay the price in legal fees to fight it.

Otero County already told the state to pound sand, proceeding with an emergency declaration to maintain the contract with ICE and keep their people employed. Taxpayers in Otero County would pay twice — for their county to fight their state. Now, they will fight on three fronts, adding federal lawsuits to the bill.

Now that DOJ has stepped in, we are all on the hook. Albuquerque residents now also pay three times, as they are being sued for their Sanctuary City statute. No mention of Las Cruces (yet), since they word-smithed and chose a Welcoming City proclamation, although it holds true to most similar proclamations across the nation that are deemed Sanctuary Cities.

Similarly, the governor faces a battle in the courts over her universal childcare program. In a recent ruling, a court will hear the case brought by a current gubernatorial candidate against the program. Recent reports have found the program to be insolvent and already well over-budget, having provided everyone in New Mexico, regardless of income, access to free childcare.

In my opinion, the program was unnecessary, as there were already provisions in place for those struggling financially to access free child care funded by the state, but now we will pay for even the richest in the state to send their kids to daycare for free.

Actions have consequences. Usually, the consequences fall directly on those who choose the action, whether good or bad. In the case of our state legislature and the governor, taxpayers will pay the consequences of their actions, as the federal government sets its sights on New Mexico thumbing their nose at them, and court battles begin over expensive policies.

In these cases, taxpayers will foot the bill for headlines that really did nothing to help New Mexicans overall. And in a state where the taxpayer is squeezed more than most other states, while remaining last or near last in all of the metrics that matter, that is an especially bitter pill.

Shawna Pfeiffer is a life-long Dona Ana County Resident, graduate of NMSU, small business owner, hobby farmer, dog-lover, outdoor enthusiast and mother to two young children. She can be reached at srpfeiffer1@gmail.com.