Santa Fe Democrats recently celebrated a new $1 billion (with $0.6 billion incentives) solar panel plant built in Albuquerque by Singapore’s Maxeon Solar. Meanwhile, Phoenix Republicans celebrated a $30 billion (no report of incentives) computer chip plant being built outside of Phoenix by American Intel/Brookfield. Why do the hardworking people of New Mexico have to pay companies to come to New Mexico?
New Mexico is ranked fiftieth in educating its youth. State Senate President Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), indicted Ex-New Mexico House Majority Floor Leader Sheryl William Stapleton (D-Bernalillo), and their fellow Santa Fe Democrats put and kept New Mexico at the bottom of all fifty states for education.
New Mexico is ranked forty-fourth in keeping our youth and ourselves safe. Santa Fe Democrats misled New Mexicans to believe eliminating cash bonds would save our child. Instead, our youth are dying violently at the highest rates ever.
New Mexico is ranked forty-fourth economically. Santa Fe Democrats have created an environment that is only friendly to Big Labor and Addiction industries (legal and illegal drug trade, sex trafficking trade, gambling trade, liquor, and alcohol trade). All other sectors have to be subsidized to come to New Mexico or unable to leave (military bases and government laboratories) our state.
New Mexico is ranked forty-seventh for rural internet and road infrastructure. Santa Fe Democrats are stuck in the past with land-based rural internet. Rural New Mexicans could have internet within thirty days if they did not politically oppose Elon Musk’s Starlink network. Santa Fe Democrats would instead put NM tax dollars into Spaceport America, RailRunner, and Albuquerque’s ART than our highway network.
New Mexico is ranked forty-first for opportunity and equality. I understand why our state ranked low for the chance; Santa Fe Democrats’ policies have created tremendous job growth in the addiction industries (see definition above), historically low-paying jobs that fail to provide a path out of poverty. I don’t understand how our state can be a minority-majority state, run by Santa Fe Democrats for decades, and rank low for equality. How are Santa Fe Democrats perpetuating inequality?
Santa Fe Democrats’ failure to educate our youth to provide safe communities, a lack of economic opportunities, a crumbling highways network, and the continued struggles of our “minority-majority” is why Maxeon Solar did not initially consider New Mexico. Once Santa Fe Democrats offset those failures with 0.6 billion dollars in subsidies, Albuquerque was chosen. 0.6 billion dollars is the value one company places on the shortcomings of the Santa Fe Democrats.
Maxeon Solar may be as desperate as Santa Fe Democrats. The Motley Fool website listed three reasons Maxeon Solar stocks recently dropped precipitately,” … missed badly on revenue; management forecasts continued weak sales in Q3, and probably Q4. At the same time, Maxeon is building even more production capacity in a fragile demand environment.” With NM’s 0.6-billion-dollar contribution and Albuquerque’s Industrial Revenue Bonds (guaranteed by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act), Maxeon has almost zero investment in New Mexico.
Maxeon will need tremendous luck to avoid the fate of other bankrupt American solar panel manufacturers. Albuquerque’s Schott Solar (our company was one of several companies that built the Schott Solar Albuquerque plant, which went up in flames this past week). Tucson’s Global Solar (I chose not to invest in purchasing the assets out of bankruptcy) ended in bankruptcy. Even Obama’s Solyndra ended in bankruptcy despite hundreds of millions in subsidies. The only winners in these endeavors were Chinese companies that purchased the equipment from the bankrupt companies.
A recent Foreign Policy magazine headline, “The state (Arizona) will remain a destination for foreign investment due to a skilled workforce, leadership in water conservation, and low tax burdens.” Three critical factors that entice businesses to move to Arizona. Assume that is why Virgin Galactic built their aerospace manufacturing facility in the Phoenix area and not the Albuquerque area.
The CEO of a well-respected architect firm shared with me that an Arizona developer flew into Albuquerque to meet at the site for their new forty-acre mixed-use development near I-40 and Unser Boulevard. A young man stumbled into the group as they listened to the developer’s vision for the site. He was clutching his stomach from a gunshot wound, asking for help. After the ambulance left with the wounded young man, the developer turned to the group and said he did not want to be associated with “this.” He ended with I am leaving, and I am done with New Mexico.
Maxeon is a Singapore-based company. Singapore is a city/state/country that does not tolerate crime—mandatory canning for vandalism. Sexual assault and prostitution sentences are up to five years in prison; additional years are added if a person under 16 is involved. Outrage of modesty crimes may result in prison sentences. Lastly, the mandatory death penalty for many narcotic crimes. What will happen when Singapore Business Leaders realize what Santa Fe Democrats sold them?
Once New Mexicans elect individuals committed to solving our state’s challenges and not protecting Santa Fe Democrats’ political contributors, we will not have to bribe companies to come to New Mexico.
Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick Rich at MickRich.substack.com.
Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.
With so many solar companies failing, often taking customer’s money with them, this certainly doesn’t look like a wise investment. Of course the money could have been spent to improve on all of Gov. Lujan and the democrats failure when it come to education. The fact that this is a Singapore company leads me to believe it’s a Chinese company. If it is there is no way New Mexico should have invested a penny in the company. Of course Lujan is a big fan of the Chinese. The state continues to make poor investment choices.
How do these scumbags get away with this stuff?
When they control they just do it; Republicans, where they are in charge should do the same. But they don’t. They follow the rules and will suffer for it. In the end, it is the people who suffer.
How are we going to get people to move here if we won’t educate our children? Why would you move your family here where the schools are at the very bottom of the national barrel? There is no salary good enough to relocate here for if your kids are going to be as poorly educated as NM’s children are.
Obama gave millions to a California solar company whose output was 0 zero!
Of course they did.. They always manage to get kickbacks from projects they promote..
Democrats love white elephant scams as long as the politicians and their families get their kickback. Billionaire eco-nut Tom Steyer is running NM as a personal fiefdom.
What else do is New Mexicans expect. Nothing fir we the people. Only the investors!
Us (sorry)
We complain and then Republicans sit on their hands. Here is an idea let the dems make NM the “house the illegals all 7million+” since the people running this state are so stupid, a billion dollars would take care of many of them, why LG could charge all the other states to take them in.
They are so religious on their Solar energy, that they neglect to give you the negative side of these ugly panels!
https://departingearth.com/10-negative-effects-of-solar-panels-they-dont-tell-you/. Now if we contract with China, once again we get crappy stuff that will cost more in the end. Lord will they never learn??