My Sister Made New Hampshire’s Top 40 Under 40
The New Hampshire Union Leader named my little sister to the New Hampshire Top 40 Under 40. She is only 20 years old. You can see the article and her picture here (you’ll have to click through the other winners to find her, unfortunately- her name is Katie Rose). Her website can be seen here. I encourage people to visit and listen to her song samples. Then, of course, buy her CDs. Her first published CD is full of covers from other singers, including Garth Brooks, the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and Jewel. Her second is all of her own music, including one she sang last year at a Breast Cancer walk and she will sing this year at Breast Cancer walks all over New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Republican Doesn’t Understand The Role of Government
The New Hampshire Union Leader editorial today explained New Hampshire Senate Bill 365, which would require the following: “No animal shelter facility licensed in accordance with this chapter shall sell, give away, adopt, or otherwise transfer ownership of any dog or cat that has not been permanently sexually sterilized.”
There are many economically-based reasons to be against this bill, and the editorial handles them nicely. It even touches on a sentimental note at one point. However, even beyond those reasons, one has to ask the following two basic questions: does the bill’s sponsor, one State Senator Sheila Roberge, R-Bedford, understand the role of government? Furthermore, why is she sponsoring this bill?
Regarding the first question, there may be some disagreement even among conservatives. I think, however, that even a liberal would agree that the role of government does not include “sexually sterilizing,” by requirement, every cat or dog that leaves a shelter. To what purpose is it being done? Does it help increase public health, or public security? Will it improve public safety, or help the environment because fewer animals are eating food that is made and canned by machines? Roberge’s bill is ridiculous on this level, which is really the only level necessary to look at.
For the sake of expanding the size of this post, I’ll keep going- and ask again, why is Roberge sponsoring this bill? Is she being bought by the animal shelter lobbying in New Hampshire? Or perhaps she would like to be remembered for passing a bill, no matter how inconsequential and in violation of basic first principles of government? After all, she only targets cats and dogs. Why not target fish, or gerbils, or any other animal?
I suspect Roberge has had a bad experience in adopting an animal from a shelter, and wants to protect the people from something happening to them. That seems to be the case in the bills I’ve seen that are as petty, and stupid, as this one. Let’s hope the rest of the New Hampshire legislative branch laughs her bill into the trash.
Merry Christmas
To our fans and followers, as well as everyone else,
Merry Christmas, and God Bless. May He watch over you, your families and loved ones, those who cannot be with their families today and those who are otherwise struggling with difficulties.
I stole the following from The New Hampshire Union Leader:
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following editorial, first published in The New York Sun in 1897, has become a Christmas favorite for its poetic defense of faith. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Merry Christmas.
DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.”
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?Virginia O’Hanlon
115 West Ninety-Fifth St.Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except (what) they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
New Hampshire Businesses Are In Trouble
Being a former New Hampshireite, I try to follow state news fairly regularly. This past Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to see a column by former State Commissioner of Health and Human Services John Stephen of Manchester, a health care and government solutions consultant, regarding the state budget, which the majority Democrats have grown outrageously in the last few years, and apparently plan to do again next year.
Unfortunately, being Democrats, Governor Lynch and his friends in the state house aren’t going to seriously cut budgets, though to Lynch’s credit he did stand up to the state employees union, which rejected a compromise with the governor to save jobs. Instead, they want to, and have passed, a five percent tax on LLCs in the state, according to Stephen.
This is really bad- there are over 10,000 businesses that fall under this category, including my father’s general contracting business (soon to be my brother’s). When former Governor Benson held strong on a budget veto, he also created a state budget surplus. Lynch, meanwhile, proposed to raise taxes his first year in office. That has not stopped, and continues with this bill, HB 2.
Fortunately, the people can still voice their opinion. Thanks to the New Hampshire chapter of the Americans for Prosperity, this information was sent to me: “Mark your calendar for December 16, 2009 and promise yourself that you and others will take the time to testify at the only public hearing for the 5% Tax on LLC?s and Partnerships which the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) plans to hold at 10:00am at their Concord office on 109 Pleasant Street.”
The New Hampshire Advantage is at risk, and so are thousands of small businesses. I say small businesses because Wal-Mart and other big businesses will not be hit by this tax, as they are not LLCs. Thus, the party of the little guy is showing its true colors as the party of Big Business- note, not free markets- and is willing to crush the backbone of New Hampshire’s economy to brown nose to Big Business. Realtors, restaurants, and many other industries are going to be hit hard by this. Of course, given how the Democratic-controlled New Hampshire government passed a minimum wage raise in 2007, something Big Business loves, and passed a law essentially banning payday lenders in the state, this is no surprise.
New Hampshire citizens, this is on your shoulders. Make your voices heard. Good luck.
New Hampshire Looks Strong For Republicans
This was originally published at http://race42008.com/
New Hampshire, which has been bragged about by Democrats for its 2004-2008 elections of Democrat, has a very good chance of switching to red in 2010 in all three of its very wide open races.
The First District’s Representative is in enough trouble that on October 20 Politico highlighted difficulties Representative Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) is having back home with her reputation. As a New Hampshire native I remember her initial campaign in 2006, which was a truly impressive grassroots effort first against a favored primary opponent and then a general election victory over incumbent Jeb Bradley. Of particular import to her campaign was her very liberal anti-war stance and her radical behavior towards Bradley. Politico focused on concerns that she had “gone native,” something that New Hampshireites despise in our elected officials. This was highlighted during the 2009 August recess, where it took several weeks of bi-partisan pressure for Shea-Porter to finally hold an open town hall meeting- and where she kicked out a retired policeman from one of the town halls. The video of the expulsion can be seen here. She is also expected to face a tough Republican in Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta.
The Second District’s Representative, Democrat Paul Hodes, is going for retiring Republican Senator Judd Gregg’s seat. He is a two-time elected representative, but suffers from a lack of statewide recognition, being behind in the very preliminary polls and a slight lack of fundraising this quarter compared to his only announced opponent, former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte.
Lastly, the Second District is wide open. 2008 Republican nominee Jennifer Horn has declared her candidacy, and there are many Republicans and Democrats showing interest daily or already in the race (of particular interest are rumors that former Second District Representative Charles Bass, a Republican who lost to Hodes in 2006, may run for the seat). This is a wide open race on both sides, though Democrat Ann McLane Kuster did raise a fair amount of money in the second quarter of this year.
Of course, all Republican candidates are likely to pick up the nomination of the conservative Union Leader, the state’s largest newspaper.
This early in the races, there are many weaknesses on the Republican side of things. These include Horn’s lack of grasp on the issues, something I saw firsthand in a Republican candidate forum I sponsored at Plymouth State University last year. Also, according to numerous sources in New Hampshire (I’ve always wanted to say that), Ayotte’s unpopular choice of bringing in an out-of-state campaign manager and her inability to take strong stances on several issues thus far are hurting her. Thirdly, of course, the simple fact that there are so many Republicans running or expected to run that we could very well end up with a bad candidate in the general election.
Whatever happens over the next eleven months before the primary elections, and no matter who the general election candidates are in these races for Republicans, party activists should keep New Hampshire in their minds as they choose states and campaigns to donate their time, money and other resources. This will be a truly wide-open election, and one that could begin a Republican resurgence in the Northeast.
It’s (Almost) A Race In New Hampshire
Good news for New Hampshire Republicans has come out of the New Hampshire Union Leader today- Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, known in the state for her tough law enforcement views and nationally for Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, has resigned “to explore a campaign for the United States Senate.”
This throws a whole new twist into the race- since former Senator John Sununu decided not to run for the seat last week, hope has been pinned primarily on Ayotte, since businessman Fred Tausch is not well-known in the state and supported President Obama last year, and former Representative Charlie Bass has been very careful in describing where he would prefer to return to national politics, whether in the House or Senate. Bass does poll well against Hodes, and the anti-Republican mentality won’t be the same in 2010 as it was in 2006, but I think the fresh face of Kelly Ayotte would be a welcome one for New Hampshire. If Bass were to run for his old House seat again, I think he would destroy all opposition- it’s an incredibly open race on both sides, and Bass is known to be a moderate, which is an advantage in the more liberal of the two districts- which would be a great start to a Republican reboot in New Hampshire and New England.
Hodes has more money than Ayotte- over a million dollars, according to Politico, and over 80% of that since the end of the first quarter- and a more obvious track record to boast about than does Ayotte. The former Attorney General, however, seems to be fairly canny, and can easily shape herself however she wishes, since her track record politically is practically unknown. Furthermore, New Hampshire Union Leader has written glowingly of her since she took the Attorney General position. Given their status as the state’s largest newspaper, and their conservative bent, that will be of great benefit to Ayotte. Lastly, on the negative side of being a public office holder, Hodes has a lot of dirty laundry to bring up, not the least of which is his alleged support of PayGo in 2007- he supported the stimulus package this year, and he supported the Bear Stearns bailout last year, despite telling myself and other Plymouth State University students that he felt conflicted about because of PayGo. Furthermore, Hodes has also broken New Hampshire campaign laws, and that should be easy fodder for any candidate.
While I have never met Attorney General Ayotte, it is my hope that she will run, and her campaign will be based upon her very strong support for law enforcement, her representation of New Hampshire to the Supreme Court and making clear the differences between herself and the very liberal voting record Hodes has amassed while in Congress on issues such as abortion, spending and immigration. With this campaign, and with the support of the NH GOP- which is finally out from under the bumbling leadership of Fergus Cullen and in the hands of former New Hampshire governor and Bush I Chief of Staff John Sununu, Sr.- Ayotte should give Hodes one heck of a fight.
- dustin
