Skip, Author at Granite Grok

Facebook Doodlings – So, Greg Carson, Secretary of the NH GOP is demanding “unity” – Part I?

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

And yes, once again, I decide to weigh in. His opening remark – well, I can’t quote it from FB because he decided to take himself out of the thread and erased all traces of himself, but it started with someone asking the simple question of “Who for Republican Minority Leader in the NH House?”. Fortunately, I keep all my emails which now provides a nice little trail of breadcrumbs from the NH GOP Secretary on “Party Unity” and other sundry bon mots:

…I’m not a House member any more so its none of my business as to who Rep’s vote for but …

…If anyone wants my opinion about selecting a Minority Leader I would be glad to give it…off-line. This is an issue for House members, not the peanut gallery, the State Committee or anyone else.

And took a slap at a Libertarian leaning guy on that thread as well:

this is a conversation regarding Republican Leader not Libertarian Leader or do you have a recommendation for the Dem’s too. LoL!

And continued to state that one is “either a Republican or is a Libertarian…not both.”

Ah-hemm. Nobody else’s business as to who our “elected employees / representatives” vote for? And my impression about the “LoL!” was not so much the “Laugh”. My response ( translated from FB to be more bloggish and correctly some typo / grammer stupidities):

Wanna be miserable? RingWingNews has the recipe fer ya!

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

John Hawkins of RightWingNews is known for “lists”. Lists of what not to do, lists of what to do, interesting stuff lists, advice lists….this one is a good read. A seven-step process to keep you in the bottom quarter of the misery index (success at being sad?):

1) Don’t pursue your ideal self

Abraham Maslow once said, “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.”

2) Isolate yourself.

People are flighty, they go away, they let you down…

3) Make other people responsible for your happiness.

Do you know who cares as much as you do about your happiness?…

4) Spend a lot of time focused on things you can’t control.

Worrying will wear you down under the best of circumstances, but if you really want to ramp your frustration level up to 11, spend your time worrying about things you can’t control…

5) Think short term all the time.

Guest Post by Ken Eyring – Why the Henniker Zoning Board believes it owns your property

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

“If someone else controls your private property, you do not own it.” – Skip Murphy. Six days ago, Steve had this post concerning the trouble that Stephen Forster (Forster’s Christmas Tree Farm) is in with the local zoning members concerning the way he wishes to use his own property (to hold weddings as “Agro-Tourism”, a perfectly legal use of his private property with respect to State law). He asked, in that post, that you go support Stephen keep his innate freedom to use his own land for his own purposes. Well, a bunch of people showed up with their virtual flashlights to show their support – and made the Henniker Zoning Board rather uncomfortable. You see, when we, the citizens, hold elected and unelected officials to account, they become very uncomfortable – they hate being held to account for things that they are not allowed to do. Here is the message from Ken concerning that meeting (emphasis mine):

Dear Friends,

Here is a link (at GovernmentOversite) to the Henniker Zoning Board meeting on Nov. 15th — and I urge you to watch and pass it onto others.

[Note from Skip – watch the closeups very carefully; see how uncomfortable they are, knowing that they are being watched because of their actions?]

Why? Because it represents the type of attack on our property rights that will be coming from elected people that don’t respect our Constitution — but have unfortunately been empowered to make decisions as to what we can and can’t do on our property.

As you view this video, you will find that it is painful to listen to the Zoning Board search for a reason to justify how they can place a restriction on Steve Forster regarding the usage of his farm property. The board’s struggle occurs after it is clear they agree that holding weddings on a farm (the issue at hand) is considered to be agri-tourism… and that agri-tourism is included in the definition of agriculture. The board also agreed that the practice of agriculture is allowed on a farm under state statute.

So where is the problem you ask? They wanted to overturn the citation that was issued — which threatened fines if Mr. Forster held any events, but at the same time… they wanted to attach restrictions even though the activity in question has been occurring on Mr. Forster’s farm since the early 80’s.

Notable Quote – Thomas Jefferson via Noble Cunningham

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

He [Jefferson] then considered the general phrase of the Constitution that identified the purpose of the taxing power as “to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”* Congress, he said, was to levy taxes only for these purposes, not for any purpose they pleased. ”In like … Read more

The Art of War

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

Notable Quote – George Will

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

On yesterday “This Week”, George Will had this to say in a retort to Dem stratgist Donna Brazile concerning the “Fiscal Cliff” that our “elected employees” have created for all of us with automatic spending cuts across the board, especially on the military, and Obama tax hikes (after all, if 10 year old tax cuts … Read more

Facebook Doodlings – really, Christian Shariah?

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

There’s a whole lot of yakking going on in the Right side of politics – what went wrong and “what went wrong” but really different. And of course, the various nostrums of what to fix and what to leave alone will be as numerous (at the least) as the number of folks yakking (EVERYbody’s got to get their two cents in, dontcha know?). For me, the standard of “never less speech but MORE speech always applies. Especially when this popped up from a Libertarian:

There also needs to be a question of “which conservative”? Conservatism as in “God hates Gays” and Christian Shiara law, or Conservatism as in small government and leaving the people alone. There is a huge difference between Westboro Conservatism and actual Conservatism.

Now, did you really think I’d leave that hanging in mid-metaphysical space? Hah!

Another shadow of “DoubleThink, DoubleSpeak”:

September 26, 2018November 19, 2012 Skip

(H/T: Liberal Logic 101)

Quick riff off Scott: Secession By Atrophy

September 26, 2018November 18, 2012 Skip

He is right – we are seeing patches of America that are degenerating into some kind of ThunderDome dystopia. We do have places, especially in our urban areas, that rival any banana republic or third world nation landscape. Victor Davis Hanson, a professor of the Classics and military history in the California university system, has been chronicling how the parts of California ignored by the elites have been degenerating into geography indistinguishable from parts of Mexico, where a lot of the illegal aliens are coming from. Assimiliation? Not even a concept to these Johnnie-come-latelies; what’s worse, many of the American citizens there don’t have a clue as to their history and the underpinnings of what made America great – they wait only on the monthly check and hope that the roving bands leave them alone.

Democrats are like Feminists in believing that they can have it all – all it takes is a bit more money from those, as Obama has famously declared “who don’t need it”. Really, Mr. President – you win election to be our head employee and that gives you the right to say who needs what just on your say so? How unAmerican is that? Yet, we see from many on the Left that same message; from the rafters, they scream “America is a wealthy nation – why should the poor suffer when these few have more than they should have”?

Problem is, Democrats / Progressives have made three fundamental errors:

Data Point – Government Benefits

September 26, 2018November 17, 2012 Skip

(H/T: The Blaze)

Who killed the Twinkies??

September 26, 2018November 16, 2012 Skip

Yep, Twinkies are about join the dodo birds and the woolly mammoths in the great waste can of history – and we have greedy union bosses to blame for all of the panic looks that the stoners are about to start getting when they realize that Twinkies are gone (not to mention a staple and major food group of State farm attendees everywhere – deep fried Twinkies!).

Yup, that favorite of kids everywhere and an adult guilty pleasure, has met its match. The Left’s boots on the ground have decided that they will stick with the principle that they are owed the whole loaf and won’t settle for the half loaf (yeah, intentional, as Wonder bread will never get sliced again either).

When you put the cross-hairs on yourself, Alida….

September 26, 2018November 16, 2012 Skip

From the Laconia Daily Sun:

Millham declines nomination to GOP committee amid criticism of her endorsements of Dems

Yep. This headline pretty much sums it up, eh? This could have fit as well: “Milham finally dropkicks herself out of bounds“.

…However, later she recalled that conservatives targeted moderates in GOP primaries and, describing herself as “one of the targeted people,” urged her listeners “to take a look at how people in the partite [sic] are treated. ” Quoting economist Paul Romer, she remarked “a crisis s a terrible thing to waste” before taking her seat to scattered applause.

And I chose not to waste it, Alida. Regular readers of the ‘Grok know that she has graced (disgraced?) the pages of the ‘Grok multiple times – I have followed her votes and made sure that she (along with others in my formerly larger district like Peter Bolster and Doc Pilliod) were well recognized for their votes that enlarged (and never lessened) the size and scope Government, and showed the arrogance of the State making decisions where individuals should be making them instead. Her philosophy is not that of govt as umpire…but as ruler.

Sure she was targeted – but she was far from being the innocent victim that she wants people to believe she was. She wanted to be able to vote the way she wanted (pretty much against party principles and platform) without having that dreaded word “accountable” dragged out of the dictionary. Sorry, Alida, but decisions (and votes) have consequences and you manufactured this one all by your lonesome – I merely shined a flashlight on it.

Notable Quote – Thomas Paine

June 9, 2018November 15, 2012 Skip

Another thought worth remembering; Thomas Paine wrote in his Revolutionary pamphlet, The American Crisis: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” … Read more

Notable Quote – T.S. Eliot

September 26, 2018November 14, 2012 Skip

“If we take the widest and wisest view of a Cause, there is no such thing as a Lost Cause, because there is no such thing as a Gained Cause. We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the preface to our successors’ victory, though that victory itself … Read more

“I’m with Stupid”

September 26, 2018November 14, 2012 Skip

(H/T: Lucianne.com)

“What is moral about the free market?”

September 26, 2018November 13, 2012 Skip

One of my favorite economists is Dr. Walter E. Williams, Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He is always able to take the complicated, boil it down, and make it easy to understand. Given that the whole notion of what capitalism and the free marketplace can do (versus the socialistic turn we seem to … Read more

The real cost of Obamacare – one individual’s lament at being hurt, not helped

September 26, 2018November 13, 2012 Skip

Emphasis mine – and I thought that “Progressive Government” is supposed to solve problems – not make things worse? It’s like I have said for years: The Bigger the Government, the smaller the citizen. In this case, my friend sees himself getting smaller thanks to Government decisions “for him”. Skip, The numbers were posted yesterday. … Read more

“Less take-home pay” – Well, THAT didn’t take long now, did it?

September 26, 2018November 13, 2012 Skip

“Less take-home pay”; Tim listed another things that the Democrats now “own” based on their election results. Here in NH, Maggie “The Red” Hassan (the NH Governor-elect) is about to be sorely tempted to immediately sign a bill to institute a broad-based income tax. NH Families for Education (“dedicated to advocating family involvement in education”) (emphasis mine):

House Democrat Introduces Legislation for an Income Tax

Remember when Democratic candidates were pledging not to pass an income tax? Well, forget that promise! They now want an income tax to pay for education.

INCOME TAX FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS (2013-H-0191-L)

Title: establishing a one percent personal income tax to fund chartered public schools. Sponsors: (Prime) Peter Sullivan

Education Tax Credits (2013-H-0190-L) Title: relative to education tax credits Sponsor: (Prime) Peter Sullivan

Give a man a fish…

September 26, 2018November 13, 2012 Skip

…and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and he feeds himself forever.

Here’s a bit of a reality check for the expanded ObamaUSA welfareland that wants everyone to be equal in income and that you, Mr. / Mrs. / Ms Obama Voter decided to have over the alternative. Enjoy that social justice – fish for everyone! Progressives surely want to give you that daily fish. All you have to do is go to their welfare office, fill out the forms in triplicate, bring in verifying documentation (that you forg0t – go home and get it), have a social worker come out and visit to verify things, and they will allocate you a fish as soon as possible. Once the computer system has been updated and the government logistics (er, the same logistics system that FEMA has been using for the last two weeks in NY and NJ – you know, that Obama department that closed down during the Nor’easter as it was too dangerous to help the folks that have lost their homes, lost their power, and don’t know where their next meal is coming from?) has you in its system, you will start to get your daily fish. Just remember, we either use the politically connected or the lowest bidder as the supplier.

And you may well have to to qualify again – no fair getting the Government issued fish if your “life circumstances” lifestyle changes.

Summary: Sure, you get the fish at no expense to you BUT

You have to go to Government for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
You have to comply their requirements for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
You have to follow their rules for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
You have to settle for what they give you for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
There is no upside to receiving a single, solitary fish for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
You have little or no control for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)

You are the ward of the State – they will make sure you get the fish from the union fishermen just like the folks on Staten Island are getting their electrical wires replaced by union electrical workers (and no non-union help allow even if you still are hungry and there’s lots of fish in that warehouse).

Guest post – Merrimack school district – salary portion of the budget

September 26, 2018November 13, 2012 Skip

It can be fun when you see what you might have thought was a passing comment turn into a real outcome. Gary Krupp writes:

Ever since we spoke at the Defending the American Dream Summit down in D.C. [sponsord by American for Prosperity -Skip] and you mentioned that InfoGraphics were all the rage, I had been trying to make one to convey some school policy stuff. I didn’t like any of them until I spent a couple of weeks making the attached one. It goes along with my education blog entry for this week (http://schoolboard.ggkrupp.net/). I wanted to thank you for puting the splinter in my brain to head down a new path.

I love infographics – we are visual beings and a well done one tells an enormous story in a short pithy picture! Brilliant! Gary kept going – more after the jump!