HB 628: The NH RINOS that help NH Dems institute yet another Progressive Social program - Granite Grok

HB 628: The NH RINOS that help NH Dems institute yet another Progressive Social program

NH GOP Email Logo2This would be the Paid Family Leave Act – something that a few companies have put into action on their own thinking that it was the right thing to do and would possibly given them a competitive advantage a strictly voluntary program.  Well with HB628, we now have a CLASSIC example of a Progressive Govt crowd-out in which Democrats just love themselves a new revenue source, co-opt a private sector idea, and shove the nose of the Govt camel not just under the tent but through the other side. The vote was 183 YEAS to 151 NAYS – with 33 RINOS voting with the Dems to put this on the back of the private sector.  Sure, there were the usual suspects like Karel Crawford, Carolyn Gargasz et al, but there was one name that stuck out like a sore thumb:

Party County District Vote
Crawford, Karel Republican Carroll 4 Yea
Marsh, William Republican Carroll 8 Yea
Umberger, Karen Republican Carroll 2 Yea
Sterling, Franklin Republican Cheshire 14 Yea
Fothergill, John Republican Coos 1 Yea
Merner, Troy Republican Coos 7 Yea
Richardson, Herbert Republican Coos 4 Yea
Boutin, Skylar Republican Grafton 2 Yea
Darrow, Stephen Republican Grafton 17 Yea

Hennessey, Erin Republican Grafton 1 Yea
Schwaegler, Vicki Republican Grafton 3 Yea
Gargasz, Carolyn Republican Hillsborough 27 Yea
L’Heureux, Robert Republican Hillsborough 21 Yea
MacKay, Mariellen Republican Hillsborough 30 Yea
McCarthy, Michael Republican Hillsborough 29 Yea
Proulx, Mark Republican Hillsborough 44 Yea
Bean, Philip Republican Rockingham 21 Yea
Bove, Martin Republican Rockingham 5 Yea
Cook, Allen Republican Rockingham 11 Yea
Elliott, Robert Republican Rockingham 8 Yea
Gay, Betty Republican Rockingham 8 Yea
Griffin, Mary Republican Rockingham 7 Yea
Guthrie, Joseph Republican Rockingham 13 Yea
Janigian, John Republican Rockingham 8 Yea
Janvrin, Jason Republican Rockingham 20 Yea
Manning, John Republican Rockingham 8 Yea
McMahon, Charles Republican Rockingham 7 Yea
Morrison, Sean Republican Rockingham 9 Yea
Stone, Brian Republican Rockingham 1 Yea
Tilton, Rio Republican Rockingham 37 Yea
Willis, Brenda Republican Rockingham 6 Yea
Scruton, Matthew Republican Strafford 12 Yea
Grenier, James Republican Sullivan 7 Yea

And that would be Vicki Schwaegler but first, a reminder of some bits about the bill:

The New Hampshire House on Tuesday voted 183-151 to create a paid family leave insurance plan, in the hope of retaining young working families and as a new tool in the battle against opioid addiction.

Sidenote: are you getting as tired as I am that ANYTHING that has a higher Govt price tag is going to help “against opioid addiction”?  It’s like “it’s for the children” – EVERYTHING is a panacea if you’ll only let us take more money from you, take our cut, and then return it to you.

 

And this dunderheaded RINO economist has drunk the lobotomy inducing Kool-aid:

Brian Stone, R-Northwood, said the state is facing major workforce and demographic challenges, which a family leave program could help to address. “We have a major demographic problem in our state; young people aren’t staying here,” he said. “This bill is a win-win. It creates a voluntary program and it costs the employers nothing. Let’s show the country that New Hampshire has a family-friendly economy.”

Sure thing, bozo.  Any time a govt program is put into place, it is NOT voluntary – go back to third grade and learn to read the dictionary.  Govt generally doesn’t do voluntary at all as there are always strings attached, like for this program to give you money, we have to take it from you in the first place

The bill, HB 628, calls for a 0.5 percent wage contribution from employees,

Doesn’t that language sound so special and soul-warmingContribution – you get to offer it up for free (but we’ll set how MUCH we’ll take from you – nothing voluntary about that.  After all, we’re in the actuarial govt business – we already know how many of you have to give us that amount to make the program go.

Just like our Retirement System, right?  No problems there, are there, eh?  But I digress.  SURE, you can make it voluntary – but first we rope ALL of you into this and then force you to take time off from work to do the get-out-of-jail work for us:

who can choose to opt-out of the program by filling out a form and having it notarized.

 

Yep, just a coupla little details.  Hey, that notarized form – can we adopt for if you want to vote here in NH?  Wouldn’t that establish that you are you and where you’re from?  And for even more warm-and-fuzzies, just pay attention to “Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, a big proponent of the bill”:

“I think the chances are reasonably good,” he said. “This is a strong bipartisan vote recognizing that finally moving forward with family medical leave insurance is critical to combating our opioid epidemic and attracting a younger workforce.”

Yeah, that’ll draw them in, Dan – “Hey, NH is a great place to work – and we’re about to pass another tax on you to make sure you understand how much we value you!”  After all, aren’t paying taxes patriotic, according to Dems (even though they’re the ones often not paying them)?

Wonder if this is going to end up biting the NH GOP in the butt if too many workers opt out and leaving the State to hold the bag.  Again.

OH, back to Vicki.  She was, for a few years, an NH GOP Area Vice Chair – up there in the hierarchy.  It seems, however, that she is now suffering a “platform dearth” upon which we have written on for years.  That would be those that upon stating they were Republicans, nodding their heads towards the platform, and then speaking, acting, or voting contrary to the Republican philosophy.  Like this tenet from the NH GOP Party Platform:

We, the people of the New Hampshire Republican Party, do stand united in our dedication to preserving freedom, limited government and unlimited opportunity for all.

We believe, above all else, in the founding principle that all people are created equal, endowed by our Creator with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, unimpeded by intrusive government regulation and control.

We believe that the New Hampshire and United States Constitutions were written by our forefathers to limit our government, not our freedom.

We believe that individual liberty is guaranteed under the Constitutions of the United States and New Hampshire, that the liberty of the people must be protected above the power of the government, and that it is only through an adherence to our founding documents that we will continue to grow as a free, Constitutional Republic.

We believe in free people, free markets and free enterprise.

We believe that economies flourish when all people retain as much of their hard earned income as possible, to spend and invest as they see fit

We believe that economies flourish when all people retain as much of their hard earned income as possible, to spend and invest as they see fit

We, the people of the New Hampshire Republican Party, pledge to our neighbors across our great, beautiful and proud state, that we remain dedicated to maintaining a limited, affordable government, to lead with integrity, character and compassion, and to forever defend the freedom that has made the United States of America a beacon of hope for all people.

Yeah, I’ll stop there.  Do I really need to point out what parts of these tenets that she and the other RINOs just trampled up?  I’ll do so if you happen to be a blind donkey – just let me know and I’ll be happy to lead you around by a nose bit…

…because everytime you grow Govt, you end up fitting the rest of us with one.

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