The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Here we go, wrapping up another year. While there’s still the possibility of something significant happening in the final days of December, there’s an even better chance nothing significant will...

I’m in favor of solar energy. I’m not in favor of city commissions spending money on it, or on anything else. The news that the Clovis city commissioners want to spend your money for land on...

Occasionally I’m asked what I write about. It’s a hard question to answer. Some would say I write about politics, but this isn’t quite right. I don’t care about politics. I want to encourage p...

For decades I’ve had my doubts about whether America is still the land of the free. With rules and enforcers everywhere you look, it doesn’t seem so. I’ve been wrong. Most Americans are free...

I love the free market. The market, liberated from government rules, subject only to the choices of individuals. One of my choices is to not shop on major holidays. If I knew for certain the store...

In those moments when my skepticism falters, the recent midterm elections threaten to give me a little hope. It doesn’t last long. A Congress divided between Republicans and Democrats brings the...

I want you to be safe. I hope you don't do things to endanger yourself and others, and I want you prepared — everywhere you go — in case someone else means you harm. In the past couple of weeks...

Emotions are running hot on the topic of immigration these days, both for and against, with most of the current drama surrounding birthright citizenship and migrant caravans. Immigration is a governme...

Those who play politics are asking people to vote for or against the racino. Some say it will help the economy. Others say it will bankrupt people, both morally and financially. I say such things...

Social media gets a lot of well-deserved criticism. It’s presented as a service, but with the vast majority of social media platforms, you and your information are the products being sold. Even...

A badge doesn’t grant extra rights. When the law acts as though it does by treating people differently based on whether or not they wear a badge, the law undermines its appearance of legitimacy. No...

I have leaned libertarian most of my life. I didn’t know what that word meant until I went to work for Freedom Communications in 2001 and they sent me to “freedom school.” That’s when I found...

When most people use the word “government” they are talking about the collective more accurately called “the state.” Not in the sense of the 50 familiar shapes making up maps of the United...

Have you seen there are people who are blaming their health problems on the results of the most recent presidential election? Not just their mental health and happiness, as with the widespread...

I don’t want to be cynical, but the emergence of a market in politically convenient accusations of sexual misconduct, made at just the right moment, is making me cynical. It’s as though people...

Instead of worrying about who someone is, it seems smarter to focus on what they do. Anything other than their actions is none of your business and can’t harm you, and not many of their actions are...

Every time there’s an open spot on the Supreme Court, a political free-for-all erupts to fill it. Those who believe they have a claim on your life, liberty, and property take the nomination of a Sup...

If you build a house in certain neighborhoods in Hawaii, you run the risk of having your house swallowed by lava. Along most coasts, hurricanes and tsunamis are looming dangers. In mountains,...

Over the next few years you’re going to be tested. Socialism — the politics of envy, parasitism, and entitlement — is growing in popularity again. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have...

When you imagine solving some problem, what kind of solution do you envision: permanent or political? Win-win or win-lose? How would you rather fix things? Permanently and where everyone wins, or...

Last week, some of the biggest social media corporations colluded to silence a voice they didn’t like. No matter how you feel about Alex Jones and his Infowars media brand, this wasn’t good for...

Why all the uproar over 3D printed guns? It has always been fairly easy to make guns at home. Having the computer code available online won’t change anything. People enjoy weeping, wailing, and...

Some American workers are cheering President Trump’s new tariffs. They know not what they cheer. Tariffs are as bad for you and me — economically — as taxing corporations. It’s a great plan...

The political left, and much of the political right, keeps putting me in an uncomfortable position where I almost feel the need to defend President Trump. Almost. It’s not a position I enjoy. I see...

It’s more important to do the right thing than to obey laws, and it’s wrong to obey laws that violate life, liberty, or property. Even if you agree with them or believe they are necessary. When...