Soon to be former NH House Speaker Teri Norelli’s (D- Taxenspend) greatest achievement could have been leaving New Hampshire with an $800 million dollar structural deficit. It was a huge hole, intentionally created with irresponsible spending, budgetary gymnastics (fraud), and one-time money, meant to force consideration of a broad based tax. But the Republican majority that followed cut the budget and closed the hole, saving taxpayers, and New Hampshire from Norelli and companies machinations to devolve the Granite State into a corrupt (overly-large) northern county of Taxachusetts.
That could have been her greatest achievement after 18 years in the NH House but it was not. What is? What does the Norelli legacy look like?
According to Seacoast online they are gay marriage (an effort funded heavily by out of state money that failed to pass a Democrat majority House until legislators were strong-armed into not voting against it so it might pass); public Kindergarten–a program that mandated millions in downshifted annual costs on every SAU in the state; and helping usher in the largest entitlement expansion in New Hampshire history (Medicaid Expansion–which could not have passed without Republicans) propped up by promises of one-time money that everyone knows will not be kept.
This last ‘accomplishment’ is shifting thousands who had private insurance off it to the taxpayer funded state program. It also guarantees us the risk of an economy crushing broad based tax when the money runs out (if it ever shows up as promised) without any regard for stranding thousands without any insurance if taxpayers would rather the thing sunset instead of being forced to pay for it.
These are accomplishments of which one should be proud?
Why is she not proud of lowering business taxes so employers can hire or pay more.? How about pride in reducing top down costs or improving revenue sharing so towns could lighten the property tax load? There’s the disentangling bureaucratic interference, cutting a regulatory state, or forcing efficiencies that save tax payers millions annually. How about fighting the medieval guild system of cartels that use political pressure to control commerce and increase the cost of entry for entrepreneurs in NH? Or lowering the cost of a college education–making it more accessible to all? Securing electoral integrity, or improving public access to documents, or defending the state from Federal overreach?
Teri Norelli cannot be proud of those things because she has spent 18 years working against them.
Her legacy is in trying to advance a partisan party agenda that seeks to reduce New Hampshire to a political arm of the DC client-state; a vassal of the Federal government and its political machine.
So what’s next? She isn’t interested in another elective office so my money is on paid lobbyist – so outside influencers can get even closer to your elected officials.
