(So awesome. Thanks for running, Jennifer. - promoted by Dean Barker)
Well. today I went down to the town clerk and filed to be a candidate for state representative, Hillsborough District 4. This includes the towns of Temple, Wilton,Lyndeborough, Mont Vernon and New Boston. It will be a tough, but winnable election. I want to keep New Hampshire blue. It is not a luxury that Democrats keep the majority in the state house and senate, but a necessity.
The Democratic majority has done a great deal to improve things for New Hampshire citizens. As I write this they are dealing with a severe budget crisis, the fallout of the most fiscally irresponsible government of all time, that of President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The damage done in eight years cannot be undone in two. We've held the majority in Concord for a mere four years, and in that time have instituted environmental programs such as the Regional Green House Gas Initiative (RGGI), ended the wait list for services for the developmentally
disabled, and brought the state into compliance with the Claremont Decisions, something the Republicans couldn't do in 16 years. In addition New Hampshire can stand proud as one of a handful of states to have full marriage equality for all citizens.
If we don't keep the majority, then bills such as HB 1590 (repealing marriage equality) and CACR28 (a Constitutional Amendment to ban marriage equality) could very well pass. What is now a side-show could very well be the power structure of state government. Can we risk that? One of my present state reps put forward legislation to not only nullify health insurance reform in New Hampshire, but make it a felony for any public official to carry it out. It lost, but a few more Republican seats, and it passes. With a Republican majority, the person who introduced this could become the next Speaker.
Remember that it wasn't too long ago that an unconstitutional anti-choice bill was signed into law by Craig Benson, then taken all the way to the Supreme Court before Democratic majorities and a Democratic governor repealed it. It can and will happen again of the state does not stay blue.
Because New Hampshire is not a referendum state, and also considered a "swing state", boatloads of money from out of state groups, heady from their victories with referenda in California and Maine, will head to Republican coffers in the hope of taking away people's rights and freedom.
We all have to work harder than ever to keep this state moving in the right direction. I've decided that I can contribute best by running for office, one I held from 2006-2008. During that time I served on the Health and Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee, where I worked to close a gap in the Healthy Kids Program and on issues of privacy concerning electronic medical records. While the latter are a good thing, and a boon to health care, we have to be vigilant about how information is shared, and with whom. I tend to work on the small details of policy that can improve people's day to day lives.
I hope you will support me in this effort. Contributions can be made via my Act Blue page, and you can join my Face Book group for campaign events and updates as they happen.
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