Steve MacDonald

On page A2 of the “Manchester Paper” there is a long write up about the nearly unanimous support for the new state budget.  If you read it with a discerning eye and ear, however, something becomes obvious.   While Republicans are quoted as happy with the results and view the budget as a responsible reflection of spending growth relative to things like inflation and actual need, the Democrats are using it as an opportunity to poke Republicans in the eye to promote their grow government first tax and spend agenda.

While everyone agrees that a bi-partisan budget was achieved and that it should serve the state well (or well enough), leading Democrats had to pepper their comments with modifiers and remarks like this…

“After the deep cuts and radical ideology of the last legislature…” – Democrat Governor Maggie Hassan

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Tired of the endless spending and debt. Worried about the interest on that debt swallowing up the budget?  Concerned about the cost of government your kids or grand-kids are inheriting?  Worried that big government is prying too much into your private life and that its gotten so big no one will ever be held to account; and that all the lack of accountability just costs you more an more every year?  Have you been taxed enough already.  Well that makes  you a member of the TEA party, even if it’s in absentia.   TEA, Taxed Enough Already.  You think government should slow down, maybe even back off a bit.

But thinking that makes you a domestic terrorist.

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New Hampshire Democrats, in their race to the bottom with other New England States, like to raise taxes here–on items like tobacco–so they can grow government but still claim to have a slightly lower tax than those other Democrat run cesspools.

This, of course, does not work.

Three or four years ago, after NH Democrats raised the tobacco tax in the state several times, the end result was a 20% increase in cigarette sales in Maine, as people stopped coming to NH to save money because the difference in taxes did not amount to savings that were worth the trip.   A likely decline in traffic from VT and MA was not reported but can be presumed.   The left’s tax increase “race to the bottom” inevitably cost us long term sales, secondary sales, tax revenue, jobs, and so on.

But Democrats never learn.

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I guess some author at BuzzFeed regurgitated a list from a book by a health food goo-roo and added some scary CAPS; “Eight foods that we eat in the US that are banned in other countries.”  

Derek Lowe, a Biochemist, who himself has a blog, notes that…

Many science-oriented bloggers have taken on what’s been called “chemophobia”, and they’ve done some great work tearing into some some really uninformed stuff out there. But nonsense does not obey any conservation law. It keeps on coming. It’s always been in long supply, and it looks like it always will be.

It’s not just food, Derek.  It’s not just food.

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It appears the reports of good news from last Monday, that attempts to gut the new voter ID law had failed, were premature.  The Republican

controlled Senate seems poised to give in to Democrat efforts to weaken the law which requires voters to prove who they are before they can vote.

legislature worked for over a decade to pass a law requiring voters to show a photo ID when seeking to vote in NH.  Last term, we finally passed a law that was carefully crafted to phase in over two years so the implementation would be as trouble free as humanly possible.  To the surprise of all the naysayers who predicted massive chaos at the polls, there was essentially no problem with the new ID requirement and not a single person was denied the right to vote as a result of it.

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Updated

Breaking News – in a 5-4 decision the US Supreme Court has struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act as unconstitutional.

Striking down an Act of Congress “is the gravest and most delicate duty that this Court is called on to perform.”  Blodgett v. Holden, 275 U. S. 142, 148 (1927) (Holmes, J., concurring). We do not do so lightly. That is why, in 2009, we took care to avoid ruling on the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act when asked to do so, and instead resolved the case then before us on statutory grounds. But in issuing that decision, we expressed our broader concerns about the constitutionality of the Act. Congress could have updated the coverage formula at that time, but did not do so. Its failure to act leaves us today with no choice but to declare §4(b) unconstitutional. The formula in that section can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to preclearance.

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If you’re going to perpetrate a serial fraud to intimidate legislators to impose failed laws New Hampshire does not need, you’d best be thorough.  So having read the names of these folks you are going to have to add this guy as well.

Patrons had been lining up all week — at least of them one since last Monday — to get the new Nike LeBron X EXT shoes. …

Reports indicate the crook used a gun to try and rob everyone one in line. But one person wasn’t having it. An armed citizen in line used his own gun to fight back — he opened fire on the man and hit him. The crook ran a little ways before collapsing and dying.

“He really stood up for all of us,” Taylor White — a fellow patron — told WSB. “And I salute him, to the homie that did that.”

So a line of patrons is being robbed at gun point…

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I got a great email from a reader who was a bit confused about my position, the NRA/Pro-gun position on background checks with a keen interest in where to learn more that might help them understand how I obtained or sustain my worldview.  They are from out of state and looking for perspective.  One point that was of most concern was why we (pro-gun folks) would be against background checks?  I don’t actually know any that are against them in total, just the latest ones, for reasons explained in my reply, so I tried to stick to what drives me.  The Second amendemnt’s purpose, the effect of law abiding gun owners on crime, and a side of check this and that out to expand your world a bit.

Here’s my reply.

Hey xxxxxxxxx,

First, thanks for reading.  I appreciate it.  Second, I get insulted, called names (from Democrats and Republicans), receive implied death threats…you are very polite, and thanks for writing to me.  So….

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J. Christian Adams has a revealing piece over at PJ media–hat tip to reader for sending me the link–in which he informs us that PJ Media has sued US Attorney General Eric Holder for failing to comply with a Freedom of Information Request.  What does that have to do with New Hampshire?

After James O’Keefe’s voter ID sting during the last presidential primary the NH AG’s office apparently coordinated with the US Attorney General’s office, to investigate the matter (and James O’Keefe) at great length, with many public employees getting involved.  PJM contends that given the scope the recent release of documents in response to..

...A Freedom of Information Act request for these documents was made on May 10, 2012.  New Hampshire did not comply with the request until June 13, 2013.  Associate Attorney General Richard Head said that the request was delayed because “there was an open investigation regarding Project Veritas and Mr. O’Keefe.”

The documents were only provided after O’Keefe conducted an ambush interview of Richard Head at his office in New Hampshire and asked Head why he did not comply with the public records request.  

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