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The news was particularly depressing this morning. I'm not sure why I continue to read it actually. But I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or just put my head down and run into a wall when I saw this mini-headline in the Union Liar this a.m.:
Man sleeping in Concord Dumpster dumped into trash truck
The article describes the man as "apparently homeless" as if one might choose to sleep in a dumpster to grow as a person. In a commentary that speaks more about where we are as a society than as a personal indictment on the rescue workers, the Fire Chief described the 15' fall into the empty trash truck as "not so good for him. There was nothing there to cushion his fall." Had the trash truck been half full of rancid debris, all would have ended well and there would have been no news story.
But, fortunately for me, and now you, dear readers, this story put me into a space. And in that space I saw some horizontal connections between this and a couple of other stories that makes me believe that we don't have enough dumpster homes. Right above the story of the dumpster foreclosure was this headline:
(Who assigns DEMOCRATIC committee members? Why, Bill O'Brien, when he isn't busy being Governor or Chief Justice... - promoted by elwood)
A few days ago, there was a routine request to fill a temporary slot from the minority on Finance, and Minority Leader Norelli tapped newly-(re)elected Peter Leishman for the gig; Landrigan tells the tale - scroll down to "Committee machinations":
Right after Leishman's solid victory over Peterborough Republican David Simpson, House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli, of Portsmouth, asked O'Brien to let Leishman fill in for an ill Democrat on the House Finance Committee.
After all, Leishman not only served four years on the House budget panel, he was subcommittee chairman of a third of the budget during 2009-10, before he lost re-election that year.
O'Brien turned down the request, and then concluded in writing that Leishman was "unqualified'' to step in, since he hadn't played any part in the current state budget process.
Read the full piece for the details, but it's just one more typically vindictive and capricious act to add to the evidence of O'Brien's poor leadership.
From email received from the PickUpPatriots:
Burning Questions about HB527 and Speaker Bill O'Brien
The New Hampshire Democratic Party is accusing House Speaker William O'Brien of a publicity stunt after he filed a $1.2 million lawsuit against the party. http://www.concordmonitor.com/...
The Concord Monitor reported that "In O'Brien's lawsuit, filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court, his attorney cites a state statute that says a person "injured by another's violation" of the law can sue for "the amount of actual damages or $1,000, whichever is greater."
We have several burning questions:
Is it possible that Speaker O'Brien wants to waste court resources?
Not only was the Speaker not harmed, he won his seat, and became Speaker to boot! Now he claims that voters were harmed. How?
And if so, why don't they sue on their own behalf unless the Speaker has decreed that he will use the Royal "we" and proclaim his paternalistic dominion over all things and people in Hillsborough's 4th District?
Further, we were wondering if the Speaker is aware of HB527, especially in light of this "frivoulous-like" lawsuit?
Or do the laws proposed by the representatives in his party only apply to the "little" people?
Peter Leishman needs your help in the fight for rational government, and against the O'Brien slash-and-burn, let-them-eat-cake, job-killing, family-destroying, antisocial agenda. The GOP is pouring resources from who knows where into these races left and right in the attempt to install O'Brien puppets who will represent only O'Brien and not the constituents of the districts they should be representing.
Put simply, for the sake of New Hampshire, we cannot afford to lose this special election on September 20 to another O'Brien clone.
Please take a look at the campaign website, http://peterleishman.org, and especially consider taking action on the Volunteer page, the Donate page or both.
If you'd like to cut to the chase with a donation, please feel free to be transported directly to ActBlue at this time.
Many thanks on behalf of Friends of Peter Leishman.
My latest op-ed, in today's edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper:
The NH Dept. of Transportation (DOT) announced this week that due to cuts budget cuts, they are going to cut back on plowing some roads between the hours of 9pm and 4am, and allow the snow to accumulate to between 5-7 inches before sending some crews out to plow. DOT spokesman Bill Boynton pointed out that the legislature cut the DOT budget by 11.5 percent. They lost 42 employees. The budget for sand and salt was cut 25 percent.
This story sparked a huge outcry, and one of the loudest voices of outrage came from Rep. Gene Chandler, who called the DOT plan "unacceptable." If it weren't so tragic, this kind of magical thinking would be hilarious. When you cut revenue and spending, there will be consequences. Apparently he thought that those consequences would happen in some other guy's district.
Governor Lynch vetoed some bills this week. One was a bill to expand the use of deadly force. From the Monitor
In the House, where the bill passed 283-89, Speaker William O'Brien and Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt characterized the veto as a rejection of the rights of gun owners.
Oh?
The leaders of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association asked Lynch to veto the bill in a letter last week. They said the legislation would alter a careful balance between the right to use deadly force in self-defense and the safety of innocent bystanders.
Because O'Brien and Deej know more than the state's law enforcement agencies.
Thank you Senator for standing up for the voiceless.
You ask us to have a conscience, something that the other team seems to have not. This budget and the Speaker who pushed it and passed it are mean and extreme.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/... State budget victims cannot be forgotten
By Maggie Hassan / For the Monitor
June 29, 2011
Last week, New Hampshire House Finance Chairman Ken Weyler said the shortcomings in the state budget are like minor annoyances in a new car that disappoint at first but in a month, we "forget about them."
But for thousands of Granite Staters there is nothing forgettable about this budget - a budget that gives more money to tobacco companies while cutting half the state contribution to the university system, eliminating private- and public-sector jobs, hurting our economy and devastating the lives of our most vulnerable.
And it's not just what they want you to forget - it's what they want you to believe. According to Speaker Bill O'Brien, those who need services should turn first to their families and churches for help, as if families, churches and charities don't already play an important role and as if the things cut in this budget were unnecessary in the first place.
As the mother of an adult son with severe disabilities, I know that no one is forgettable. As a part of a family that has worked for two decades to include our son in our home and in the community, I know that the services he has received have been necessary and effective. And as a state senator, I learned from hundreds of our state's citizens that families, churches and charities cannot by themselves provide the kind of sustained and specialized help that some of our friends and neighbors need.
full article at link
http://www.concordmonitor.com/...
"...no one is forgettable." A hurt to one is a hurt to all.
Update: Dem momentum continues as Speaker O'Brien refuse to call for override vote. House meets again June 1.
Will Speaker O'Brien have the courage of his conviction today and call for the override vote? Has he convinced enough Republicans to go AWOL on Democracy? I think we will add to the Surging Dem Narrative today.
Granite State Progress will be doing video as they can. Embed Below and I will also embed a Twitter stream of the #nhhouse hashtag.
The New Hampshire Business Review's Flotsam and Jetsam column has an interesting quote from the Speakah at a meeting of the Belknap County Republicans:
The reason to back RTW, according to O'Brien: The bill "is good for our party." He then claimed that 10 of the 12 largest contributors to Democrats in the 2010 election cycle were unions.
(Tribunal in the General Court? - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
Fearless Leader O'Brien, not being content with running the legislature into the ground, has taken on another job. An Epping father claimed that a teacher issued a death threat to his son. "The case was heard before the House Redress of Grievances Committee, a special panel created by House Speaker William O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon, after he learned that the complaint process spelled out in the Constitution hadn't been used by the state Legislature since the mid-1800s...local officials condemned the legislative committee for holding a public proceeding about a private personnel matter."
So Fearless Leader is conducting star chamber-type hearings in his off-time from handing out punishments to recalcitrant legislators.
This is an op-ed, appearing in the April 15 edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper. Hamsters, of course, already know this stuff, but my readers up north do not - and my hope is that seeing all this (and this is not all!) in one place is an eye opener for folks who don't live and breathe NH politics the way we do.
The current NH legislature has a GOP majority, comprised of a few old-school Republicans, mixed in with Free Staters (who moved to NH with the stated goal of dismantling our state government), Tea Partiers, and John Birchers. Thus far, they've caused our state more negative national attention than we've gotten since Pat Buchanan won the NH primary.
O'Brien's latest attempts at damage control. What does he mean by "our legislative accomplishments?" Per PickUp Patriots:
From: O'Brien, William
Sent: Wed 4/6/2011 12:21 PM
To: ~Republican House Members
Subject: Concerns on Current Tone
Recent comments are distracting from all of our legislative accomplishments. Please, no more emails, comments, interviews, discussions or any of the like concerning the Catholic Church, priests, church scandals, etc.
If you feel you must make a comment, contact me first. My cell number is XXX-XXXX.
William L. O'Brien
Speaker
New Hampshire House of Representatives
Tel. (603) 271-3377
(Maybe it's Speaker O'Brien and his heartless henchmen who are the RINO's - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
There's a wonderful article in the Monitor today, I would recommend everyone reading:
Moderates in the GOP Lose Clout
http://www.concordmonitor.com/...
The article is a treasure trove of insanity.
Rindge Rep Susan Emerson (R) regarding O'Brien the thug:
He threatened to kick me out of the Republican caucus, said I wasn't a Republican.
Emerson apparently made the mistake of offering an amendment to restore funding to various Health & Human Services agencies that O'Brien had cut. Oops.
O'Brien spokeswoman Shannon Shutts:
Leadership made very clear they would oppose all floor amendments to the budget
Normally when bills are on the House floor, amendments ensue. It's just the American way. Our Reps think of ways to improve what came out of committee, debate ensues, and votes are taken. Apparently not on planet O'Brien. This goes right along with stacking subcommittees with 'friendlies' that vote his way - At least he's consistent, right?
Rep. Peter Bolster (R) Alton:
The Republicans of today are people that Republicans of 20 years ago wouldn't even recognize.
In a WMUR interview, NH Speaker (more like ring master) Bill O'Brien said:
"We can't let outside parties influence our work. We have to be strong..."
Rather interesting and ironic coming from him. In the same interview he also said that he may call the vote on the budget bill tomorrow instead of Thursday in an effort to avoid the protests scheduled for that day.
This week's House Calendar (a thick one which will be published in 2 volumes) began as always with a message from the current Speaker. (This is still Bill O'Brien.)
The usual series of routine announcements (telling us when we are meeting next, reminding us that the budget bills are coming up, urging us to be courteous on the floor of the House, etc.) climaxed with this odd little item:
The Secretary of State of Arizona has reported State Senate enactment of a resolution affirming that state's Tenth Amendment rights. Arizona Senate Resolution 1001 is on file with the House Clerk.
It would be strange to even mention a New Hampshire Senate resolution in this space, let alone one from a state 2500 miles away- even if that distant state happens to be Arizona.
(Because "Facts" have a well known liberal bias... - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
The House GOP's 'big idea' for the budget this term is to underestimate revenues, cut a whole range of taxes, reject federal aid, and at the same time maintain all funding support for the cities and towns and increase some costs with silly mean-spirited bills. They will square all this with cost cuts elsewhere and somehow end up with a balanced budget.
As Rep. Foose said in the Concord Monitor, with two weeks to go the majority party hasn't even presented their budget plan to the Finance Committee. And they can't, because the plan they want to propose doesn't add up. You can't lower revenue estimates, cut taxes, maintain local revenues, cut costs responsibly, and still be balanced. GOP leadership is trying to figure out how to cut enough programs to make up the shortfall in their revenues, but it's pretty clear what will work financially is politically unacceptable.
Way, way back in the dim recesses of time... in January, Boss O'Brien changed House rules to allow committees to 'exec' (i.e. vote) on bills without providing specific advance notice to the public. All they had to do was put a notice in the house jounal that Executive session may follow. There was a hue and cry from all sides about this lack of transparency, and rightfully so. Even his underling, Bettencourt, criticized O'Brien for this, claiming he'd never heard of the change and saying we need to
ensure that we conduct ourselves with the greatest degree of openness, transparency, fairness and are in accordance with our constitutional rights.
Under pressure, O'Brien walked his rule change back, explaining he was misunderstood and exec sessions without a specific notice would only be done in unusual circumstances.
For example, a bill in which the sponsor has asked that his or her legislation be killed or a memorial bridge naming or a motion to simply retain a bill in the committee for further work will be permitted immediately following a public hearing.
I took a look at this week's House calendar and guess what? There are more than 45 committee meeting listed with the dreaded words Executive session may follow. No other details about what bills or why. So in effect, any of more than 150 bill can be voted on with no one watching, because 'notice' has been given. And surprising, none of these bills is for naming a bridge.
Thanks for the transparency, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for keeping your word.
