The NH Advantage! (Only for the Richest 1%, That Is)

by: Dean Barker

Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 18:29:15 PM EST

Poorer people pay more in New Hampshire.

...According to the study, New Hampshire families earning less than $25,000 pay 8.3 percent of their income in state and local taxes.

...The top 1 percent of earners, making more than $480,000, pay 2 percent.

Layoffs = Fewer Kids Tested for Lead Poisoning

by: Dean Barker

Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 07:29:33 AM EDT

New Hampshire's lead-poison prevention program is being cut back as part of state government layoffs.

The program run by the state's Public Health Department inspects properties for the presence of lead paint and tests children who are exposed to it.

...He said three inspectors and two lab workers were let go. The program will continue to operate on federal funds, Montero said, "But that only gets us so far."

But I pin it squarely on William Loeb, Mel Thomson, and the pledge politics that have poisoned all thinking about state revenue.

What They're Saying About Kelly Ayotte…

by: VABBY

Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 13:57:50 PM EDT

NH Political Report: "Before Democratic Gov. John Lynch re-appointed Republican Kelly Ayotte to a full second term as state Attorney General he had an understanding that she would serve the entire term, the governor's spokesman says."  (James Pindell, 7/3/09)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Kelly Ayotte: "Clearly the intent was to continue serving."  (Tom Fahey, 7/7/09)

Politico:  Ayotte "uninterested in running for public office."  (Politico, 2/3/09)

Nashua Telegraph:  "Ayotte said she never promised to serve out the full term, and alluded to the wild changes in New Hampshire politics in 2009."  (Kevin Landrigan, 7/8/09)

Concord Monitor: Executive Councilor Bev Hollingworth: "never entered my mind that she would be considering not staying.  I thought certainly she would be staying on. I'm sure (Gov. Lynch) asked. At least I'm pretty sure he asked what her intentions were."  (Lauren Dorgan, 7/12/09)

Concord Monitor: Councilor Deb Pignatelli of Nashua said that Ayotte's potential departure "occurred to me, but then we were reassured that she intended to fill out her term."  (Lauren Dorgan, 7/12/09)

Kelly Ayotte: untested, unproven, unprepared

The Hill: Former Republican National Committeeman Tom Rath: "There's always a question when you go from one role to another role.  It's never as smooth as people think, and politics is a rough business. ... Until you actually get out there, you just don't know."  (Aaron Blake, 7/7/09)

The Laconia Citizen: "Whether she will prevail in her bid for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, Kelly Ayotte is a powerful political force, say local observers who differ, however, on whether she has crossover appeal or is just a GOP "maverick" long on ambition but short on legislative experience."  (John Koziol, 7/8/09)

The Hill: "When it becomes official, Republicans will have a Senate candidate with no elective experience who has never run a campaign before. (In New Hampshire, attorneys general are appointed by the governor, not elected.)  That can be a blessing, or it can be a disaster. Only time will tell."  (Aaron Blake, 7/7/09)

The Hill: University of New Hampshire Survey Center Director Andrew Smith: "She's got very positive favorability numbers, but that's largely because if you're attorney general, you're arresting people and putting them in jail and not in a position to annoy people.  Her big potential negative is the fact that she hasn't run before."  (Aaron Blake, 7/7/09)

Kelly Ayotte: faces prospect of bitter, contentious primary

The Hill: "GOPers not yielding to Ayotte yet."  (Aaron Blake, 7/7/09)

Nashua Telegraph: University of New Hampshire Survey Center Director Andrew Smith: ""A lot remains to be seen, she certainly isn't a slam-dunk to winning that race."  (Kevin Landrigan, 7/8/09)

Nashua Telegraph: American Research Group President Dick Bennett: ""It may be a good year for Republicans, but this kind of race opens it up for primaries and I don't think she's strong enough to guarantee there won't be one."  (Kevin Landrigan, 7/8/09)

Nashua Telegraph: Doug Lambert: ""This could spell trouble in lost enthusiasm for a base seeing little difference between a squishy moderate in the mold of a Susan Collins versus a Paul Hodes.  I know I would rather vote for nobody, given that option. Why endure the heartache and heartburn of entrenching such a Republican empowered with incumbency status forever? Is it not better to work on the up-and-coming prospects for the next opportunity.''  (Kevin Landrigan, 7/12/09)

Wall Street Journal: Op-Ed from Brendan Miniter "Mr. Sununu has been mulling a run, as has been up-and-comer Kelly Ayotte, the state's attorney general. But the candidate making the most convincing effort to position himself for a race so far is the neophyte Mr. Tausch."  (Brendan Miniter, 6/30/09)

Washington Post: Chris Cillizza "Enter businessman Fred Tausch, who, as we wrote last week, is a near-lock to run."  (Chris Cillizza, 7/2/09)

Kelly Ayotte: hard-right candidate who opposes a woman's right to choose

Politico: New Hampshire GOP Party Chairman John Sununu: "I think she's much more conservative than the press has made her out to be. She's pretty conservative on the social issues, and she's extremely conservative on the fiscal issues," Sununu said in an interview with POLITICO...Asked if she opposed abortion rights, Sununu said: "I believe so. I don't think I've ever seen a formal statement on her part, but having known her over the years, that's my perception." (Josh Kraushaar, 7/13/09)

Kelly, how long has this been going on? [NHDP UNVEILS NEW WEB VIDEO]

by: VABBY

Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 14:14:16 PM EDT

Less than 100 days after pledging to serve out her four-year term as NH Attorney General, Kelly Ayotte announced that she would throw in the towel to explore a run for the U.S. Senate. Her abrupt announcement had people wondering how long she'd been planning to run for higher office and if she sought reappointment only to raise her profile for a statewide campaign.

According to the Union Leader, Kelly Ayotte had been "arranging discussions with strategists" to plot a run for higher office as far back as November, 2006.   So, why did Kelly ask to be reappointed?  Was her plan to use the state's top attorney post for political gain? Did her friends in the GOP advise her to use her reappointment to score cheap political points?

(Posted by Victoria Bonney, Communications Director at the New Hampshire Democratic Party)

A Dramatic Rethinking of State Government

by: Dean Barker

Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 07:32:15 AM EDT

That budget will start out with a $550 million hole, estimates Steve Norton of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Research, who gets to that number by tallying up about $450 million in federal stimulus money, primarily for education programs and Medicaid, plus the $110 million the state plans to seize from a state-established medical malpractice fund.

...The next budget, Norton said, may require a dramatic rethinking of state government.

Or... we put a mega-prison in Berlin instead.  

No - wait! How about a combo mega-prison racino?

Or...a North Country that isn't a dumping ground for unpleasant sources of revenue in hard times.  A North Country that is the Northeast's magnet for sustainable organic farming and alternative energy sources like wind and wood pellet. A North Country that is the driver's seat of the state's economy instead of the spare tire. A North Country folks want to move to, not away from.

VNews Editorial on "The New Hampshire Disadvantage"

by: Dean Barker

Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 10:17:26 AM EDT

The $11.5 billion two-year spending plan, which takes effect July 1, exemplifies what happens when a state has no place to turn for revenue because it refuses to adopt an equitable, broad-based tax. Not only do programs and services suffer; the hunt for alternative revenue sources becomes an exercise in desperation, bordering at times on absurdity. Call it the New Hampshire Disadvantage.

...The bottom line: Even with new fees and taxes, the 2010-2011 budget relies heavily on non-tax revenue to pay for vital programs, including K-12 education...

...The use of one-time revenue sources is an old trick. But old tricks won't solve the state's structural deficit. What will lawmakers do next time around?

Locked in Pandora's Box

by: Douglas E. Lindner

Thu Apr 17, 2008 at 02:27:34 AM EDT

But we in New Hampshire have plenty of experience with pledges, by candidates for every level of government

I hate pledges.  Not because I'm against the policy every pledge advocates, but because a pledge puts candidates in a box whether or not they take them.  If a politician takes a pledge and reneges, they're called a liar.  If a politician refuses to take a pledge, they're not to be trusted on the issue.  If a politician refuses to give one-word answers on every issue, they're a wishy-washy flip-flopper.

Some things are more complicated than binary commitments whose parameters are decided by TV producers.  This watered-down politics of sound bites is a cancer on our national debate.

Progressive Group Pledges to Dump the Pledge

by: Dean Barker

Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 20:32:22 PM EST

Members of the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition argue that the pledge prevents open political debate about the state's revenue options and places even more of a burden on the backs of those who pay property taxes.

Damn straight it does.  That pledge is like an out of date chunk of right wing framed granite.  Welcome to New Hampshire, the Live Free or Die Except When Disucssing Funding state. It paralyzes honesty and openness in the interests of personal selfishness.  I for one would much rather it have crumbled than the Old Man of the Mountain. More:

"The pledge is old. It is tired. It is lazy. It is also just plain morally bankrupt," said the Rev. William Exner, chairman of the outreach commission for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire and the coalition's vice president.

..."We take no position -- period -- on any particular resolution," [Coalition president David Lamarre-Vincent said. "We are not asking to spend an extra dime. We're asking only that the New Hampshire advantage be an advantage for all the people of New Hampshire, not just the wealthy."

I admit that I like this development as much as Peterson's creative new plan.  With the new Democratic majority, does this group have a chance of getting this conversation to spread?  Or is the  tradition too strong?