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The annual report card on state infrastructure has just come out. From Fosters:
"There's wasn't a lot of great news today," said Darren Benoit, government relations chairman of the New Hampshire Section and chairman of the report card.
Benoit spoke to a group of state transportation and legislative officials in Concord Wednesday morning, outlining the contents of the report card and accompanying documents. The report looked at all aspects of the state's infrastructure, including its roads, bridges, aviation, railroads, mass transit, ports and navigable waters, dams, drinking water, wastewater, schools, hazardous waste, solid waste, and energy.
Today's Concord Monitor has a lovely piece about the current Committee of Conference going on about the NH budget. Once again, the House Republican members are trying to drop amendments into the budget at the last minute. Well, Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Morse took great exception to this under-the-table method,
I spent months putting this budget together in a sophisticated manner," Morse said in a raised voice. "And you offer an amendment that could affect everybody in this state and we haven't debated it. This is absolutely wrong.
Never thought I'd see the day where I'd agree with Chuck Morse, but he's absolutely right. And he didn't let Rep. Ken Weyler try to spin-doctor why the Republican House members were doing this either. Weyler tried to say that it was the only opportunity they could get the provisions in the budget. Morse didn't buy it one bit,
You could have drafted them and you could have had them to the Senate in time to read them all. This is absolutely wrong.
Weyler, of course, continued to try and spin his way though the amendments while Morse continued to get louder and angrier, "This is the wrong way to govern in the state of New Hampshire."
I guess they placed a deadline of today to hammer out a deal both chambers could agree to. As much as I don't want to see a shutdown, part of me really hopes Morse can stick to his guns and prolong this.
Reading this post on Balloon Juice about the latest plan by the GOP legislature in Wisconsin to get rid of collective bargaining, I wondered who was copying who. Not that the Wisconsin legislature is using the same tactics as NH, but that the strategy is the same: eff the traditional process.
So much for transparency, so much for sunshine laws, and so much for the much-ballyhooed conservative respect for state tradition and norms.
National conservatives want collective bargaining rights stripped in Wisconsin and other states, they want that demand met now, today, and the only question Wisconsin Republicans had when given the directive to jump was "how high?"
Pindell is reporting that Palin will be starting a bus tour in DC and, referencing Politico, says that she may be coming to NH
The tour will take her up the East Coast, and she will make visit important historical spots along the way.
Hopefully she has a better grasp of geography and history than Michelle Bachmann did on her recent visit. I can just see it now... Palin in the North Country asking Obama to "Tear down this Wall!"
BTW... how many NH Hockey Mom's do you think have a five car garage?
Tom Fahey's column this week is full of interesting items to chew on and discuss. Dean takes on the new revelations on the Ingbretson/O'Brien star kangaroo court.
On the topic of this week's right to work vote:
Democrats and unions are fighting hard to keep people in line to back the veto. Republicans and conservatives are trying to pull enough votes over to their side. By O'Brien's reckoning, he needs to persuade about 15 people to reach the two-thirds majority it would take to override the veto.
Those Republicans who won't come along are being asked to "take a walk" when the vote is taken. The more lawmakers who wander away during the vote, the fewer votes O'Brien needs to get to two-thirds.
In other words, the O'Brien junta is (instructing..oops) asking those GOP caucus members who won't toe the line to take a walk, rather than represent the voters they were elected to represent.
Fahey goes on to mention our own Jennifer Daler's election, and points out that she'll be sworn in in time to vote - meaning O'Brien has to (make more threats..oops) find more votes.
Fahey spoke to some Nashua reps on the topic of the newly elected Rep. Daler:
Sen. Jim Luther and Sen. Gary Lambert, both of Nashua, said they felt voters were sending a message to throttle back on extraneous issues and focus on taxes and the economy.
"We've had a lot of discussion about it," Luther said. "You've got to have the sense that something is going on out there. And right in Bill O'Brien's back yard? That's an issue."
Dean's been asking when the House Republicans would realize they have an O'Brien problem. It sounds as if they're starting to.
Economist Dennis Delay, forecast manager for the New England Economic Partnership addressed the new state unemployment numbers in the Telegraph:
The state's unemployment rate fell below 5 percent in April for the first time in 2.5 years.
However, Delay said one-third of the drop in unemployment over the past year is because of a decline in the overall labor force, not job creation. Usually, there are two reasons for that: People move out of the state or just give up on looking for jobs, he said.
"It's something that economists refer to as the discouraged worker factor," Delay said.
If the labor force hadn't declined, he said, the unemployment rate would still be about 5.3 percent.
Rachel Maddow took a look at the GOP voter fraud scare - and mentioned what happened yesterday in NH with the "pending legislation" signs in New Boston. Here's a link to the clip:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26...
After the show she tweeted:
maddow Rachel Maddow MSNBC
Credit to Blue Hampshire@bh for the illegal "must show photo ID" sign we showed tonight at NH polling place:
That's right - she mentioned and linked to BH. You'll have to take my word for it, but she linked to Harrell Kirstein's blog yesterday about the incident in New Boston. I just couldn't make her link work with our software, and I finally got too irritated by it and gave up.
But anyhow - Rachel Maddow tweeted about BH! w00t!
Well, now we see where the press gets some of its bad information from.
Rep. Frank Guinta holds public office hours
Saturday, April 16, 2011
U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta announced that his Senior Projects Director David Tille will hold public office hours Tuesday, April 19.
"As part of our efforts to serve the constituents of the First Congressional District, I encourage anyone who has a problem with the federal government, or who would like to share their concerns about issues being addressed in Congress, to talk with David during these public office hours," Guinta said in a press release.
The office hours will take place at Bedford town offices, 24 N. Amherst St., on Tuesday, April 19, at 11 a.m.
Guinta also encourages any constituent who needs assistance on the federal level to contact his Manchester office at 33 Lowell St., Manchester or call 641-9536.
Arrangements have been made to host Vice President Joe Biden on the UNH campus on Monday, April 4, 2011. Presumably, he'll give a speech.
Perhaps this would be an opportunity to inquire about the ramifications of having transferred higher education loans away from local banks to the Department of Education and how much money will be saved by not giving this subsidy (in the form of interest payments) to the lending institutions.
Is this an example of what the bankster from Arkansas, Warren Stephens, calls the "federal government allocating credit"?
Nancy Altman, former aide to Alan Greenspan, spoke in Concord, NH last night. From the Concord Monitor:
"I object to the idea of fixing it, because Social Security isn't broken," she told the Monitor, adding that long-term projections show "a manageable but significant shortfall" that is one of the challenges to be addressed.
"We should address them, but not in a climate where young people don't think they're going to get benefits, that people don't think it's affordable. . . . It's a political question," she said.
The Social Security program, created in 1935, is expected to cost more than it takes in from taxes from 2015 onward. In 2037, the program's trustees said last year, its trust funds will be exhausted. At that point, tax revenue is expected to cover only about 78 percent of benefits.
A crisis is when you see a moose running out in front of your car. A crisis isn't something that's over 25 years away. There's plenty of time to tweak Social Security.
Because I cannot come up with a more eloquent way to describe why it is important for all Americans to remember the Civil War, I choose to use a poem from one of its own veterans. John Hendricks was the last living Veteran of the 89th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The poem expresses his concern that the Union Soldiers, the "Boys in Blue", not be forgotten by future generations.
When the comrades have departed,
When the veterans are no more,
When the bugle call is sounded
On that everlasting shore.
When life's weary march is ended,
When campfires slumber long;
Who will tell the world the story,
When the boys in Blue are gone?
Who will tell about their marching,
From Atlanta to the Sea?
Who will halt, and wait, and listen,
When they hear the reveille?
Who will join to swell the chorus,
Of some old, Grand Army song?
Who will tell the world the story,
When the boys in Blue are gone?
Sons and daughters of this nation,
You must tell of triumphs won;
When on earth our work is ended,
And the Veteran claims his own.
You must all cherish Old Glory,
And its teachings pass along.
You must tell the world the story,
When the boys in Blue are gone.
To that flag, our country's emblem,
You must pledge allegiance, too.
To that flag, our nation's emblem,
May your hearts be ever true.
That the nation be protected,
'Gainst injustice, and all wrong;
You must tell the world the story,
When the boys in Blue are gone.
You must keep your country's honor,
From each stripe withhold all stain;
You must take the Veteran's places,
And repeat the roll of fame.
You must keep your country's honor,
And your flag above all wrong,
Then we'll trust you with the story,
When the boys in Blue are gone.
MoJo takes a look at "This Week in Sharia," and NH is at the top of the list.
New Hampshire heard arguments from citizens about a bill to ban gay marriage. Concerned citizen Howard Kaufman took to the floor of the state house to float the second-wackiest conspiracy theory of the week: Gay marriage is a secret gateway to Islamic law.
This was published as an op-ed in the Jan. 21 edition of the Conway Daily Sun. I know that all this is not news to political junkies, but it is to my readers up north.
The new, GOP dominated NH legislature has been sworn in, and begun to act. As you will recall, they campaigned on "cut spending, cut taxes, jobs, jobs, jobs." These newly minted legislators intended to focus "like a laser" on spending cuts and job creation. A look at the priorities thus far could give one the impression that they need a new laser. For those readers who are musically inclined, it would not be inappropriate to sing, "Send in the Clowns" as you read.
This was published as an op-ed in the November 26, 2010 edition of the Conway Daily Sun:
Thanksgiving is the time for giving thanks, and showing compassion, or so tradition dictates. The natives helped the struggling Pilgrims so that they didn't starve to death during their first winter in New England. Their crops had failed, and they relied upon socialist Indian handouts to survive. Of course we know how the Indians were repaid for their generosity. The voters who enthusiastically supported the recent red tide are likely to have a similar experience.
(The following is a letter written by my daughter, Ariana, which I wanted to share with all of you)
You may know Paul Hodes as a public servant, a lawyer, or perhaps as a musician. I know him as something entirely different and unique. With less than a week left to go before New Hampshire decides who they'll send down to the US Senate, I want to tell you what I know about my father.
My father is a man of integrity, thoughtfulness, and strength of character who can stand behind any decision he makes because it's his own. He's smart, kind, and genuinely sensitive to the needs of his constituents; the combination of which allows him to weigh different outcomes of a situation, see the big picture, and understand how individuals might be affected by different decisions.
Out of everything I know about my father, the one thing that proves his earnest desire to do good is a simple choice he made many years ago: the decision he and my mom made to raise their family in New Hampshire.
The Tea Party is coming to town. Yesterday, Sarah Palin--Kelly Ayotte's biggest supporter--kicked off the Tea Party Express' national tour.
The Tea Party's final stop on their tour will be on the steps of our state house in Concord the night before the election.
Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, Glenn Beck and their friends on the Tea Party Express are working hard on Kelly Ayotte's behalf. Ayotte proudly accepted Palin's endorsement and groups like Karl Rove's American Crossroads and the Glenn Beck-backed Chamber of Commerce have spent millions of dollars to boost her campaign
(Imagine the positive impact of having both Paul Hodes and Jeanne Shaheen in the Senate... now go make some phone calls or knock on some doors. - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
Yesterday, I stood with environmental leaders in New Hampshire to talk about my dedication to a national renewable energy standard. I challenged my global-warming denying opponent, Kelly Ayotte, to take a position on the issue. She responded that she would look at the proposal.
It's puzzling. Why would someone who doesn't think global warming exists think that we need to enact a proposal aimed at reducing carbon emissions? Why would someone who supports things like drilling off the coast of New Hampshire all of a sudden try to convince us she'd be supportive of renewable energy efforts in the US Senate?
In her competitive primary, we watched Ms. Ayotte move to the far-right wing of her party. Now, with the general election less than a month away, she's trying to have it both ways. She's hoping New Hampshire won't notice that big oil and coal companies continue to fill her campaign coffers as she talks about drilling off the coast of New Hampshire.
The bottom line is that Kelly Ayotte has as many doubts about global warming as I have about her ability to stand up to her special interest donors in the oil and coal industry.
