Guest Post - Tim Corbett - Granite Grok

Guest Post – Tim Corbett

Letter to the Editors of the Union Leader, Concord Monitor, and SeacoastOnline.

“To the Editor:

This past week while watching public testimony on a variety of gun bill before the House Criminal Justice Committee something struck me. We had paid State employees there during public testimony advocating on behalf of the Department of Safety to kill or support certain bills.  Now, whether you support or oppose these bills is not the point here.  What we have are unelected bureaucrats weighing in on pending legislation, at our expense.  When questioned, the State Police told me that they had to go to advocate on behalf of the Department of Safety and also because they are “experts”.  That brings up more questions.

Why is the Department of Safety taking positions on pending legislation; where is that authority granted in the General Laws?  The Department of Safety, and more specifically the State Police, are to uphold the law, not help write it.  Secondly, if they are the “experts”, then I want my money back. The utter nonsense written by former Deputy Commissioner Earl Sweeny (now retired and a paid consultant to the State), and the testimony of Col. Quinn and Sgt. Haggerty was embarrassing.  The language used by Sweeney was derogatory towards lawful citizens of the State and those who travel here.  Haggerty’s testimony was equally as embarrassing.  He is more concerned about the loss of revenue to his budget as upholding the oath he took. He denies 1% of applicants for a concealed carry license now; somehow doing away with that requirement will turn New Hampshire into the Wild West?  The content of their testimony aside, why are we paying them to advocate one way or another?  At the Federal level we have the Hatch Act that protects tax payers from such abuse; apparently we need the same here.  Police are paid to uphold the law, not try to write it and spending my tax dollars to do so is highly offensive.

Tim Corbett

Candia, NH”

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