NM still suffers from an age-old colonial model

(WINTHROP) QUIGLEY’S column on why New Mexico’s economy is so poor (“NM culture an economic hurdle,” Oct. 17) is a classic example of a colonial practice that exploits local peoples and then blames them for their poverty. This story has been repeated over and over across the globe to justify the extreme exploitation of Africa, South America and other parts of the world by the colonial European powers beginning in the 15th and 16th centuries and continuing to this day.

Almost all of our extracted wealth — oil and gas, mining and other industries — sends our raw materials out of state for processing. The overwhelming majority of the shareholders in these industries are outof-state residents. This is also true of health care, food, transportation, etc. These out-of-state residents earn the rewards of the money New Mexicans spend on consumer goods, while our raw materials are used to make outof-staters rich.

For example, New Mexico spends about $5 billion annually on food and we import 97 percent of all the food we consume here. In comparison, look at Hawaii. Even though they are an island state located nearly 2,500 miles from the West Coast, Hawaii imports 90 percent of its food. That is, Hawaii has to import food because of its isolated physical location.

But the only reason New Mexico is forced to import 97 percent of its food is because a colonial model in place for 170 years has ensured we continue to suffer at the hands of a colonial power.

Shame on Quigley for parroting this classic colonial lie! ARTURO SANDOVAL Albuquerque