Sunday Columns: Benson Protege Ayotte, Taxes, Vetoes, and More!

by: Jennifer Daler

Sun Oct 25, 2009 at 08:26:57 AM EDT

Fahey opens with a report on unemployment benefits. The amount the state pays out will be higher, due to higher unemployment. Employers will also have to pay more into the system in 2010, while laid off employees will have to wait a week to collect.

Landrigan was following the money this morning. The link between Kelly Ayotte and the epic-failure- as-Governor Craig Benson was brought into focus. Well, he did give her her start as AG, which is her platform for her Senate run.

Reporting that most of Ayotte's money was raised from out of state political PACS, many donors have already maxed out, and much of her money can only be used in the general (optimistic!), Landrigan writes:

There was barely a member of the extended Benson-allied family (read campaign $$$) whom Ayotte missed in her maiden fundraising voyage.

Landrigan goes on to list them.

This goes back to an infamous handshake agreement Benson thought he had with the Bush administration - New Hampshire would get the disputed DSSH cash in exchange for trimming back its legal windfall money scheme going forward.

Landrigan doesn't explain the details, but they seem sketchy from the wording he uses. In any event, the US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has given the state $98 million. But this shows how under Republican rule, some "deals" involving money (taxpayer money, of course) weren't quite legit.

Then he goes on to say medical marijuana will be law, but not now. IIRC, he wasn't correct on some other things; marriage equality comes to mind. We'll see how this prediction goes.

Also a "shout out" (shout at?) to BH for uh-citing historical antecedents to present issues (how dare we!)

The cop-out of the week award goes to the Blue Hampshire blog that blamed not Lynch nor the SEA for the layoffs, but two long-dead people - New Hampshire Union Leader publisher William Loeb and ex-Gov. Meldrim Thomson, who saddled the state with the anti-broad-based tax pledge.

Yeah, those guys had no influence on this state. At all.

Fahey reported on the recent tax forum held by the state House Ways and Means Committee. Much was discussed, nothing decided.

Conservative economists advised us to nibble at the edges of what we have in place now, but cut business taxes. Liberals said pass an income test. Others said a sales tax. Or a carbon tax. Or a pollution tax. Or a general wealth tax. Or a higher business tax. Or ... You get the idea.

In general, most speakers acknowledged that New Hampshire has a good thing; it just needs to be better. According to the claims: The rich pay a lower share of their income in taxes than the poor and lower-income residents. The state taxes businesses at close to the highest rate in the nation, and is losing high-growth jobs. Its share of patents and engineers is declining. The state is also aging more quickly than most states.

And, of course,

Republicans, who panned the sessions even before they started, announced plans to hold a "Stop the Spending Summit" this Tuesday to look at what they say is the other half of the equation that was missed at Ways and Means.

Let's see: because of present cuts, we'll have lead poisoned kids, who have a good chance of being disabled for life, the inability of the state to handle its mandatory sentencing laws vis a vis drunk drivers...and much more, I'm sure. We'll have to see what and where else the Republicans want to cut.

Fahey ends his column with a congratulations to Caitlin Dainuk and  Rep Mike Rollo, who were married this weekend. I'll second that, adding: Much luck and love to you both!