New Mexico Legislature: Proof that not all western legislators are nuts

This actually came out late last week, but it's definitely worth worth a mention -

From Reuters -

New Mexico state lawmakers voted on Friday to repeal the death penalty and replace it with a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

The bill is HB 285. It passed the New Mexico House 40 -28 and it passed the NM Senate 24 - 18. It awaits the signature of Governor Bill Richardson, long a supporter of capital punishment.

How is it that the elected officials in a state that is very similar to AZ...just a few significant urban areas, lots of rural areas, large Native American population, a heavily Hispanic-influenced culture (both historically and present-day), a dry climate, a drier sense of humor, and more...how is it that a state legislature faced with many of the same issues as AZ's legislature can find the time to help move their state into modern society while ours offers up guns in restaurants?

BTW - in case you couldn't tell from the rest of the post, I oppose capital punishment. Our system of justice is good, but it is far from perfect. The death penalty is the one punishment in our society that cannot be undone if a mistake is made.

Anyway, kudos the the New Mexican state senators and representatives who voted for their HB 285. I hope that Governor Richardson sees fit to take his state out of the taxpayer-funded murder business.