I’ve written plenty of stories for the Eastern New Mexico News, and sometimes the “Our People” segment. I’m going to do one on myself today. Why? I thought it would be fun, and David Stevens beat me to the column I was planning to write. So...

The government shutdown has no end in sight because our leaders in Washington don’t seem to want an end that doesn’t amount to political humiliation of the opposition. But imagine for a moment that President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy...

The walls supposedly are always closing in on Donald Trump. The end is always beginning. He’s going to quit. He’s going to be impeached and removed. He’s going to decide not to run again. Somehow or other, he’s going to relieve everyone of...

The partial federal government shutdown has been the main focus in Washington over the past few weeks. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats have struggled to reach an agreement over the president’s campaign promise to build a wall on...

I’m always hoping things will turn out better than they appear to be headed. Take our future as a species as an example. Climate change and the polluting of our air, soil and water suggests that catastrophe is bearing down on us, and it doesn’t...

We asked Facebook readers what they think about the possibility of legalizing recreational marijuana. Some responses: • John Pallaschke: I understand the struggle. I don’t drink and drive, nor should we smoke and drive. We just can’t afford to...

Discussions about how government can and should work for the people almost always come down to measuring the distance between one point of view and another. Especially these days. But when the system works like it ought to, debate and discussion ...

Forty years ago, military veterans made up roughly three-quarters of Congress. By 2017, the proportion had dwindled to fewer than one in five. The number of veterans on Capitol Hill will dip slightly again next year, because of retirements — but...

I should probably assert my Fifth Amendment privilege at this point. But I need a column, so here goes. A little more than nine years ago, I bought a new car. It had around 40 miles on it, thanks to prior test drives, but it was mine for a few years...

President Donald Trump is playing with the idea of declaring a national emergency to build a border fence despite congressional opposition. This would make Trump the second president in a row willing to cut Congress out of the legislative process if...

For years, Jeanne Calment has reigned as the oldest documented person to have lived. She supposedly died in 1997 at age 122. But now Russian mathematician Nikolay Zak has exhumed that claim and startled researchers with a challenge: He argues that...

It’s been over a year since I started writing this column. Tom McDonald, the publisher and editor of The New Mexico News Exchange (and my brother), went from agreeing to let me write a few to letting me write a weekly column. Now I am told I have...

I’ll tell you what no one wants to talk about: their toes. I could get people to discuss intimate details of their financial or their love lives before they would open up about their feet. Oh, sure, there are exceptions. “I just had my first...

As the stalemate and partial government shutdown over $5 billion for a border wall/fence/barrier grinds on, the tragedies associated with illegal immigration continue to mount. Unfortunately, both sides are focused on photo ops and talking points...

Suit up, New Mexicans. Big changes are about to take place. That’s what a commanding majority of New Mexicans voted for — but that doesn’t mean we’re all going to like it. Take gun control as an example. In a rural western state such as...

Congratulations, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, on the beginning of your journey leading the state. You certainly have the political chops and smarts for the job. We agree with so much of what you talked about in your inaugural speech Jan. 1 as you...