(Santa Fe, New Mexico) – Today at the New Mexico State Capitol Building, the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), in collaboration with the nation’s premiere national taxpayer watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), released the 2011 New Mexico Piglet:  The Book Santa Fe Doesn’t Want You to Read.  This exposé follows the success of CAGW’s Pork Reports for the past two years.  This year’s report reveals more than $500 million in wasteful, abusive, and often downright silly mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.  Examples of frivolous spending include:

• $19,000,000 in Rail Runner operating losses;
• $13,900,000 for the New Mexico State Fair;
• $5,300,000 for Albuquerque’s bicycle-only bridge;
• $5,043,556 in losses at state-owned golf courses;
• $1,750,000 for Los Luceros, Robert Redford’s film institute; and
• $1,200,000 for "Spaceport,” a takeoff and landing site for private spacecraft.

“The 2011 New Mexico Piglet is a stark reminder to taxpayers that government spending is out of control,” said Paul Gessing, President of the Rio Grande Foundation.  “RGF continues to provide specific examples for policy makers of ways to cut spending, eliminate deficits, and make New Mexico government more efficient.”

The report recommends curbing government spending and returning surplus funds to taxpayers; implementing a cap to prevent wasteful spending by preventing the General Assembly from increasing spending at a faster rate than personal income growth; and creating a state Grace Commission to go through every nook and cranny in the budget. 

“The 2011 New Mexico Piglet just scratches the surface on the amount of taxpayer dollars wasted by New Mexico’s state and local governments,” said CAGW Vice President for Policy David Williams.  “Now that these wasteful expenditures are exposed, elected officials should take action to put a stop to their free-spending practices.  From $8 million for the Institute of Mining and Technology to a Transportation Department $38 million over budget, New Mexico taxpayers deserve a smarter, more accountable government.”

The Rio Grande Foundation is a research institute dedicated to increasing liberty and prosperity for all of New Mexico's citizens.  Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  The 2011 New Mexico Piglet can be found at www.riograndefoundation.org and www.cagw.org.