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We have all heard over and over how the government doesn't create jobs from our NH Republicans. Well, the NH Business Review has an article about the current crop of candidates and what sort of jobs they have had before their current endeavors to be employed by we the people.
I see no reason why this report should not apply just as well to NH government as to the federal government. The American people appear to want government that works for them. They may be confused after hearing for years the "government is the problem" (a la St. Ronnie), they may have forgotten that we have always pooled our money to get the services that we cannot efficiently and effectively get all by ourselves, one at a time, but beneath all the chatter, they just want a government that works for all of us, not just the rich, not just the white, not just the men, not just the Christians.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up when one of Kelly Ayotte's ads come up on my TV. Or Sean Mahoney, those seem to be the ones I see most of. So I was interested to find a link to an editorial from Kentucky that I thought you all might find interesting.
In fairness, many of us are guilty of wanting the benefits of something - whether it's board certification or full campaign coffers - without paying the price.
Like the Gulf Coast residents who want government off their backs, until a hurricane or oil spill comes along.
Or the Farm Bureau that wants government off the farm, except for the mailbox which is always open to subsidy checks.
Or politicians who rail against out-of-control spending but show up to take credit when a ribbon is cut or oversized check presented.
Being involved on the local level for a number of years now, again and again I find myself up against the infamous quote from St. Ronnie about government being the problem. He, in effect, stole the government from the people and sold it to the highest bidder, and we are now reaping the bitter harvest.
My favorite Daily Kos blogger, teacherken, has a new diary this morning titled "I am from the government and I am here to help you." As someone who is contemplating a run for the NH house, it strikes me that this would be a good platform to run on. At least, it would engage all MY energy.
Well, just got back from the City Council meeting. I made a point to go because I saw a revised agenda that had a tax cap review. "Huh?" I said to myself. "What the f*ck is this doing here?"
Apparently, behind the scenes the City manager and his staff have been orchestrating the effort to get signatures and figure out a time line to get it on the November ballot.
Hopefully this will make the Valley News tomorrow.
More (Dean, 8/13): And indeed it did, via John Gregg, thought not on the web:
Meanwhile, 396 Claremont residents submitted certified signatures to change the city charter so that a tax cap would be in place, limiting increases to the rate of inflation unless two-thirds of the City Council votes otherwise.
The charter change would require approval by two-thirds of voters. Santagate showed a picture of himself signing the petition and said he supported it, and City Solicitor Jane Taylor said it had more than the 375 signatures needed to make the ballot. "I think it's the right thing for the city," Santagate said.
The council agreed to hold a public hearing on Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. to determine putting it on the municipal election ballot for Nov. 3.
Is it just me, or does John Edwards sometimes remind anyone else of your typical superhero? You know, fighting for the little guy, saving democracy, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Well, OK, maybe not that last one, but the man is inspiring.
Today, John gave a speech in New Hampshire that was all about saving democracy. After years of having politicians tell us that the best we can expect is incremental change within our broken system, it is quite astounding to hear someone actually tell the truth about what is wrong with our system, and propose major reforms to fix it. To me, having the courage to confront our big problems and offer real solutions makes John a real hero, despite the conspicuous lack of spandex in his wardrobe.
