Of course, this will get very little mainstream media coverage. I've gone to a few restaurants in the last 2 weeks and, while dining, asked if they're ready for our full state-wide reopening July 1st. The response is "we don't have enough help for the business we have now". One fellow (Applebee's) said he worked to cover the kitchen, tended bar and waited tables because they were so short staffed. Again, the lavish unemployment benefits are misguided. I ran a bunch of errands yesterday and was going to have ice cream for supper. Dairy Queen in my neighborhood is not allowing customers inside. Their business is drive-up only. They don't have enough staff to man the counter. I was not going to wait in that line, so just kept driving and got my ice cream fix at Freddy's. The Hyatt hotel in downtown Albuquerque is closed! No convention business - that's our biggest, best, newest, big hotel. MLG has absolutely annihilated businesses - big and small.
Gov. Lujan Grisham killed 40% of New Mexico small businesses with her lockdowns
According to the “Economic Recovery Dashboard” on the New Mexico Tourism Department website,
embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s harsh lockdown during the
pandemic resulted in an economic catastrophe, including the permanent
closure of 40% of New Mexico’s small businesses, a devastating figure.
The
figures show that in the foodservice and accommodations industry,
nearly 60% of small businesses in that sector have been killed for good
by Lujan Grisham’s lockdowns.
My industry means everything to me,” Kate Gerwin, the owner of the Nob Hill bar Happy Accidents in Albuquerque, told KRQE 13 News. “Knowing independent businesses are suffering kills us.”
But with the Governor’s slow reopening, even though she claims it is now at 100%, mask mandates are still in place and restrictions remain in certain areas.
During
the pandemic, the Governor locked the state down completely, which
crippled countless small businesses across the board. The few businesses
and religious organizations that defied Lujan Grisham were plunged into
even further financial ruin with fines of up to $60,000 and State Police ordered to shut businesses down.
While ruling during the pandemic, Lujan Grisham constantly bashed people across the state, even publicly shaming people in places like Española and Hobbs who she saw did not wear masks driving or eating at a restaurant.
During the holidays, Lujan Grisham forced
New Mexicans to stand in cold lines to buy food and basic goods, with
elderly, disabled, and children forced to face the cold while the
Governor feasted on taxpayer-funded $200/lb Wagyu steaks and skirted her pandemic orders to buy luxury jewelry.
