Emphasis mine, reformatted:
Sununu presses Trump officials for continued funding of NH programs
In a series of meetings with top Trump administration officials on Monday, Gov. Chris Sununu pressed for continued funding of environmental and education programs that are targeted for cuts in the President’s budget, but considered essential for New Hampshire. “
Essential, eh?
absolutely necessary; extremely important.
So let me get this straight…
If something is “essential” for our Live Free or Die State, why are you allowing us to be beholden to others to provide money for it? Isn’t that kinda backwards – THIS must be funded but unwilling to make NH taxpayers pay for it? If something is “essential”, shouldn’t we make sure “it” can be done or obtained ourselves? It is one thing if something requires a very scarce skill set or capability for limited amount of time(s) – then outsourcing it may make sense.
You know, the “Live Free” part really is speaking to be self-sufficient. Without being self-reliant, you now live on the vagarities of others (in this case, the politics of DC). Chris, if it is “essential”, why are we outsourcing it to the Feds? Especially with a new President that realizes that a $20 Trillion debt is a clear and present (near future) danger? And But as this UL article shows, this is not the case:
…At a meeting with EPA senior administrators, Sununu described how the state relies on EPA grants for programs that face cutbacks or complete elimination in the Trump budget. “About half a dozen programs in the state that rely completely on federal funding would be gone,” said Sununu, including groundwater sampling and monitoring.”
…In meetings with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Sununu urged the administration to reconsider budget provisions that eliminate popular after-school programs. “I believe very strongly in a lot of these after-school programs, especially in the summer, which provide depth to kids who don’t have a whole lot between June and September,” he said. “
…Sununu also met with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, and pressed him on the state’s need for expansion of high-speed internet access, particularly in its more rural regions. He followed up with a letter to Pai on Tuesday, calling for more investment from the Universal Service Fund to finance broadband expansion in New Hampshire. “New Hampshire receives only 44 cents for every dollar our residents paid into the USF,” Sununu wrote. “Because such large portions of my state are rural, a continuing disparity … will exacerbate the digital divide in our state.”
…In meetings with DOT Secretary Elaine Chao, Sununu said he promoted the state’s needs at the Port of New Hampshire and the I-95 expansion project.
Everything in life is a trade-off. While we often look at State and Federal budgets, while they may appear to be “unlimited” with such large bottom lines, they aren’t; they are as much trade-offs as the family budget. We all decide what are the most important parts of the kitchen table budgeting – mortgages/rent, utilities, groceries, insurance, taxes, clothes, medical….you get the picture.
We ALL prioritize our budgets and they tell us what’s important to us. That’s why my umbrage with Chris’s remarks – if those things were THAT important, why didn’t he put them in his budget? Instead of all day kindergarten, why not the after-school? And if after-school was that important as well as one of your “signature” programs, why not just pitch a much lower priority program and sub that in? And what kinds of strings attached come with those Federal funds, Chris?
Nope, he didn’t do it. In this, he proves one thing – you want it all but not willing to pay for it. By beseeching and pleading on bended knee, he’s just another Special Interest Group, albeit with “Governor” at the front end of his name.
You know, the folks that determine our kitchen table are adults. Sure, there’s lots of stuff we think is essential but at the end of the spreadsheet time, we don’t have the money to pay for them. We don’t go to the neighbors pleading for their money. NH shouldn’t be doing it either.
Part of “Live Free” is also living within one’s means. It’s unfortunate, but NH hasn’t lived within its means for a long, long time.
Time to quit the habit?
