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Co-founder of GraniteGrok, my concern is around Individual Liberty and Freedom and how the Government is taking that away. As an evangelical Christian and Conservative with small "L" libertarian leanings, my fight is with Progressives forcing a collectivized, secular humanistic future upon us. As a TEA Party activist, citizen journalist, and pundit!, my goal is to use the New Media to advance the radical notions of America's Founders back into our culture.

Gunstock Ski Area is not a Proper Role of Government

Nor is the State of NH’s monopoly on alcohol either that’s for another post.  What is said below by a senior member of the Belknap County Delegation that oversees the financial aspect of the County owned Gunstock Ski Area is part of the reason why Government should stick to doing things that Govt (which should be a rather small subset of what they actually do today) and shouldn’t be running and in charge of businesses.  The backstory is that Gunstock, located in and owned by Belknap County, wanted things to be “as usual” and in this case, a $600,000 loan.  The county delegation said enough was enough and voted no.  We see an example of  “the local swamp” which mirrors not only the mindset of DC (“business as usual – don’t disturb us!”) but at other local levels as well:

Rep. Frank Tilton, R-Laconia, said the decision not to authorize the revenue anticipation note was short-sighted. “This is basically earth shaking and interfering with how they do business,” he said. “They’ve been working without it this summer and are in bad shape. “Six people are undercutting Gunstock. Their whole mindset is, ‘Don’t spend a penny,’ but businesses have to invest.”

Best comeback:

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Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be? A deterrent? – Part 2

Earlier I pointed out that the high penalty for violating SB3 is $5000 which is being used as an argument against allowing the law to come into force (“The $5,000 fine is financially crushing to college students“).  This was pointed out as part of the Democrat testimony against SB3 (reformatted, emphasis mine):

Recent UNH graduate Doug Marino, now working as a volunteer in the Congressional campaign of Democrat Chris Pappas, testified as to his experience in recruiting student voters on campus.  “I believe it (SB3) will deter students from voting. College students as it is are extremely busy, particularly first-year students, who are in a new place or on their own for the first time,” he said. “Even those who may want to register to vote may be wary of doing so if they have to sign a document that could potentially carry legal penalties.”

Especially if they are lying?

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Data Point – U.S. Workers Report Highest Job Satisfaction Since 2005

Just more than half of U.S. workers—51%—said they were satisfied with their jobs in 2017, the highest level since 2005, according to a new report from The Conference Board, a business-research group. Over the past seven years, Americans report feeling better about their pay along with a greater sense of job security, both features of an … Read more

Alan Bershtein – candidate for NH State House, Rockingham County 2 (Candia, Deerfield, Nottingham)

Having spent my entire career in the private sector, I finally have the honor of seeking public office. I have never run for public office before, so this is my first rodeo! I have reached a point in my life where I can devote the time and energy to something for which I truly have great passion. My wife Deirdre and I are empty-nesters. Our home is in the beautiful and bucolic town of Nottingham. I am seeking to represent Candia, Deerfield, and Nottingham in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. My goal is to earn your vote in the September 11th Republican primary and then in the November 6th general election. As I have campaigned door-to-door daily, so many of you have graciously invited me into your homes. It is inspiring to listen to your issues and concerns and this continues to motivate me to be the best representative of our communities.

Professional Career
After earning my bachelor’s degree in

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Data Point – 2nd Quarter GDP revised upwards

Economists expect growth to slow to a still solid 3 percent annual rate the rest of the year, resulting in full-year growth of 3 percent for 2018. It would be the best performance since 2005, two years before the Great Recession began. The 4.2 percent annual growth that the government estimated for last quarter is the … Read more

Just a regular guy – but the Left hates him

Used to think I was a regular guyI used to think I was just a regular guy, but . . .

I was born white, which now, whether I like it or not, makes me a racist.
I am a fiscal and moral conservative, which by today’s standards, makes me a fascist.
I am heterosexual, which according to gay folks, now makes me a homophobic.

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The Democrat agenda of Personal Destruction promulgated by Elizabeth Ruediger

To the Editor:
The argument for being “pro-choice” was redefined last week when Randolph’s Kathleen Kelley announced her candidacy for State Senate in a write-in campaign against embattled incumbent, Jeff Woodburn. Now, for those of you living under the proverbial rock, Mr. Woodburn has been “accused” of some “nefarious” actions in his intimate relationship with the “Tonya Harding of politics”. Woodburn’s accuser has filed a formal, legal complaint alleging he kicked her clothes dryer and broke her door jam during an altercation. The complaint further alleges that Woodburn bit her twice over the course of a two day period. My experience with “biters” is that why are generally under the age of eight and it is not the predominant defense or offense mechanism for adult males of Woodburn’s size. Lastly, bites are intimate.

Bites are intimate because THEY ARE HAPPENING TO YOUR SKIN! And underlying tissue.  And worse case – bones.  Bites HURT and the writer of this snippet taken from the Caledonian Record is Elizabeth Ruediger of Dummer, NH.  She obviously hasn’t been in a real fight where there are no rules.  Sure, little kids do bite and will bite but if the opportunity affords itself in a fit of rage, anger, offense, or defense, biting is an effective tool for any age.

But what I wanted to call your attention is the affirmation of the supposition in Steve’s post: Berlin NH Mayor Names Victim of Woodburn Domestic Violence – It’s Not Who You Think

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Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be? A deterrent?

In an article on the Democrats using Lawfare to make sure ANYONE can vote here in NH (and probably feel that NH residents shouldn’t), this caught my eye:

The provisions of SB 3, however, require new voters to prove they either live in New Hampshire, or are domiciled in New Hampshire. Domicility is the concept used in New Hampshire law to describe out-of-state college students who attend school in New Hampshire, and are legally allowed to vote in Granite State elections. If those new voters lack the required documents, such as a utility bill or a letter from their college stating where they live for the school year, they will have 10 days after the election to provide the documents to avoid potential criminal penalties.

Meyer testified that the bill seemed designed to keep college students from voting, especially due to the potential fines of up to $5,000.

“The $5,000 fine is financially crushing to college students,” he said.

ISN’T THAT THE POINT!  Make the consequence of a stupid decision really, really bad?  Maybe keep them from the abject perp-walk of shame for sticking it to the Republicans (on a lark, even)?

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Quick Thought – Electrical deregulation in NH isn’t that

Customers who buy energy through Eversource should expect to see lower energy prices by Eversource buying power at a lower price in the wholesale electric market, Eversource said last October when the deals were announced. An affiliate of Hull Street Energy now owns the hydroelectric stations: Amoskeag Hydro in Manchester, Ayers Island Hydro in Bristol, Canaan Hydro in West Stewartstown, Eastman Falls Hydro in Franklin, Garvins Falls Hydro in Bow, Gorham Hydro in Gorham, Hooksett Hydro in Hooksett, Jackman Hydro in Hillsborough and Smith Hydro in Berlin.

Both sales were auctions approved by the state Public Utilities Commission. “With this final sale, we are honoring the commitments made to employees and communities where the facilities are located, and we will maintain close communication with the towns to ensure a smooth transition,” Quinlan said.

Under the sale agreements, the new owners must keep the plants in service for at least 18 months, and

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Data Point – “US Consumer Confidence rises to 18 year high”

Americans’ consumer confidence rose in August to the highest level in nearly 18 years as their assessment of current conditions improved further and their expectations about the future rebounded. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 133.4 in August, up from a reading 127.9 in July. It was the highest reading … Read more

Tales from the BudComm – Another Budcomm Member’s Memories of Dealing with their School Board. It ain’t pretty

…from Steve’s ‘New Hampshire Needs an Income Tax” as it is SO true in my dealings with them and the same thing appears to be the same State wide. It’s almost, like, well, er…they’ve formed a group and they all collude together to screw the taxpayers (oh WAIT, there IS such a group!):

I served on my town’s Budget Committee for several years, and a couple of years as Chairman. While we struggled with individual departments in the town over their practices and requests, the town itself — even under some bad leadership — was still pretty even keeled, budget wise. But the struggles we had with the town were nothing compared to the annual struggle with the school district.

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I’ll never cancel MY Professorial office hours for such a scaredycat reason

Given that my second go round at being an adjunct Professor starts tomorrow, my interest was piqued when I saw this over at Instapundit (full story from The College Fix after the jump):

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: My professor canceled office hours because KU allows concealed carry, says he ‘no longer feels safe.’

What a wuss – and a failure on the part of a College Professor that is supposed to base themselves on known facts and not on emotions and “feelz”. The fact is that someone who has a CCW (State paperwork allowing concealed carry) is FAR more law-abiding than police. 

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GrokMeetup – a fun time at the first event

I didn’t know what to expect – would people show up? Would there just be a lot of awkward silence? Would the venue at the  Area 23 Pub in Concord be too loud, rendering the event moot? Yup – they did, nope – hey it’s part of the blogging community here in NH , and nope – … Read more

GrokMeetup – #1!!!! TODAY, 2pm, Area 23 Pub in Concord NH

Yup, it’s time for our first Grokster / Readers Meetup.  The schedule is set – we will be holding it at the Area 23 Pub in Concord, NH. I visited it yesterday – not the largest of places but certainly a relaxed area for us all to meet and greet.  Several Groksters have already said they’ll be attending so I’m hoping y’all will join us.  It will be, as you all told me, “lightly agenda’d”. $5 cover charge and we’ll get some light snacks out for you (liquids to imbibe will be on you. Their root beer is to die for but remember, its a pub (obligatory: drink responsibly).  Let us know if you’re planning on attending so I know how much to order.

A goodly number of Groksters are planning on attending. I am really looking forward to it – I’ve met some of you over the years but

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Conversation with ‘Grok – Jay Lucas and “American Sunshine”

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Jay Lucas (who ran as the conservative alternative in the Republican Primary for Governor back in the 1990s) about his new book “American Sunshine: Rays of Hope and Opportunity” (which is available in both Kindle and hardcopy versions. I found him very pleasant to talk with (again, we do “conversations” rather than interviews) and we discussed his other volunteer projects as well.

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Quick Thought: Not so much “free market”, eh Tom, when you want others to pay for “weeding your garden”?

So, Tom Thomson (son of Gov. Thomson of “low spending yields low taxes” fame) who for years was the honorary chair of AFP-NH which argues for Free Markets, has decided to go the Full Monty and arguing that electric rate payers (that would be you and I) should pay for his timber to be cut (e.g., override the biomass vetoes by Gov Sununu on SB 446 and SB 365 which would promulgate the over $2 Billion overcharges to keep the North Country Biomass subsidies for electrical generation plants that turn crap wood into overpriced electricity).  Sure, Free Market until it comes to be “get me some” and have Government continue to institute a undeserved and mandated “tax” on the rest of us:

Tom Thomson, a timberland owner of 2,600 acres and the conservative son of former Gov. Mel Thomson, spoke at the event in favor of overriding the veto. “You have to weed your garden if you want healthy vegetables,” Thomson said. “It’s the same thing with forests.”

Hey, go weed your own dang garden, Tom, and leave my wallet alone.  If you have any intellectual honesty at all, stop privatizing your profits and socializing your risk.  You can’t find folks to buy your timber?  Too bad – that’s the risk of being in business: reward AND failure. To paraphrase the line in your Op-Ed in the Concord Monitor:

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