12/24/2021

[As previously published in the Edgewood Independent]

I'm pausing my Christmas preparation to write this column. It's a different celebration this year. It's my first Christmas without my mother. My brother texted me just before he left Flagstaff to let me know he and his wife had just tested negative for Covid. And I have paper towels, not pretty guest linens, in my powder room, next to the hand soap and a big bottle of Purell.

Is it possible we are heading into a third year of Covid-19? It's not only possible, it's happening. Our pandemic is becoming endemic. Covid-19 is the Spanish Flu for the 21st century and it's changing society at every level. Personal hygiene is still a public health matter and perhaps we are all learning the etiquette behind it.

Politics remain stubbornly the same despite a change of power in the White House. We are a nation divided; Congress is unable to pass meaningful legislation, much less a budget; and The same motivations drive both political parties: consolidate power and gain a majority at all costs. The goals of improving the country or the lives of Americans seem lost.

Back in New Mexico, the "Groundhog Day" effect seems even more profound. We've been hit especially hard by the Delta variant of the virus, despite some of the most stringent public health mandates in the country, and Omicron is here. Our political climate is more toxic than ever after especially partisan rounds of redistricting at the state and county levels.

Our economy, never strong, remains weak from the pandemic. And our old nemesis, public corruption continues to nip at our heels as the number two Democrat in the State House of Representatives now faces criminal charges of embezzlement.

Why am I bringing this up in a Christmas column? Because Christmas marks the end of Advent, a season of waiting, of penance, of preparation. Because it coincides with the winter solstice, which to our ancestors could well have been the bleakest day of the year.

But our wise predecessors knew from experience that after the shortest day of the year, the days would eventually grow longer. And for those of the Christian faith, Christmas is a celebration of the hope of redemption of mankind that comes with the birth of Christ.

We have learned a new normal with the pandemic and as it becomes endemic, as I previously noted, we have learned a sort of etiquette around it. We can't continue to yell and scream about personal choices. We can respect others' decisions and inquire politely about them to make our own in turn.

We have several basic opportunities on the horizon to change the political dialogue as it currently stands. Of course, the midterm elections present the greatest opportunity for change. In New Mexico, the governor will also stand for re-election.

I also encourage you to consider upcoming legislation that would allow independent voters to vote in primary elections. Nearly a third of New Mexico voters are DTS, or "decline to state," meaning that they do not choose to join a major party. Including them in primaries would change the tone of those elections, forcing candidates to come to the center, rather than campaigning only to the "true believers" in their respective party's base.

We have to support our local economy, and all our businesses. We have tremendous opportunity from the continued growth of the film industry, and the space industry offers tremendous new promise. But we cannot turn our backs on the extractive industry that has carried our state for so many decades and continues to be in demand globally. If we could develop a business-friendly climate here, we could do so much more for our residents. More businesses = more taxes = more services. It's that simple.

There's also a great deal of hope for the state from the State Ethics Commission. They have already done a tremendous amount of important work to bring state agencies, employees and elected officials into compliance. To continue to meet the workload, the agency has put in a request for the next fiscal year for an additional million dollars to their budget (The SEC has a staff of six. I am not making this up.). Considering the billions flooding the state in federal spending and additional oil and gas tax revenue, this paltry request should be a no-brainer for the Legislature.

I wish I could say, "Next year will be better!" But as I return to tending to the family's Roast Beast amidst my four Christmas trees, I end with this: New Mexico has all the raw materials for greatness. My hope for 2022 is that each of us find some way to extract a part of that for our betterment.

Merry, Merry Christmas.

Merritt Hamilton Allen is a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appears regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican, she lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run two head of dog, and two of cat. She can be reached at news.ind.merritt@gmail.com.