The economic notion of "opportunity cost" is one with which Gov. Susana Martinez and her team of advisers should become acquainted. State legislators might look into the concept as well. Simply put, opportunity cost is what people give up by choosing one activity over another.

By making the repeal of driver's licenses for undocumented workers her signature goal, Martinez has given up much. Hours of hearings spent rehashing the same arguments, for example, meant that other legislation could not be heard. Who knows? Without the fight over driver's licenses during last year's special session, legislators might have passed a bill the governor would have signed and saved taxpayers millions in lawyers' fees spent on redistricting in the courts.

Not only did presenting the license repeal legislation eat up precious time, the debate also has sparked rancor between supporters and opponents, the kind of ill will that makes it harder to work together on other legislation.

This session, the debate over licenses once again is falling along predictable lines. The state Senate most likely will still kill driver's license repeal for undocumented residents of the state. The House likely will pass something. Yet without agreement between the House and Senate, or even with a compromise agreement the governor will not sign, the work spent on licenses will be wasted. Those hours could have been spent passing economic stimulus bills, working on a better tax system, and best of all, voting on a sound state budget and finishing the people's business without the usual crazed rush at the end. Those opportunities, with less than two weeks remaining in the 30-day session, rapidly are slipping away.

We appreciate the governor's work ethic and her focus on getting much accomplished. But by keeping so much on the table, and by ruling out compromise, she is risking leaving another session with the most important work unfinished, or done badly.


Vote today for schools

Starting at 7 a.m. and continuing through 7 p.m., voters will turn out Tuesday to decide whether to continue the current mill levy for Santa Fe Public Schools. The money will be spent on technology, improving campus safety and other projects, with dollars spent at every campus and charter school in Santa Fe. Property taxes will not go up, and by law these dollars cannot be spent on salaries.

We recommend a "yes" vote on the question of whether to continue the tax, but most of all, we encourage citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. A list of polling locations can be found in Tuesday's New Mexican. Or, visit the Santa Fe County Clerk's website, www.santafecounty.org/clerk. And please, make sure to vote.