Steve MacDonald

Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, an award-winning blogger, and a member of the Board of Directors of The 603 Alliance and the National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor, Executive Editor, assistant editor, Editor, content curator, and more (yes, there's more) at GraniteGrok.com. Steve is also a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, the Republican Volunteer Coalition, and has worked for or with many state and local campaigns and grassroots groups, and is a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

NH Bill to Nullify Indefinite Detention Passes Committee Vote 16-0

The Tenth Amendment Center Blog is reporting that Dan Itse’s HB 399 has come out of committee slightly amended–stricter than when it went in–and is heading to the House floor with a recommendation to pass. Rep. Dan Itse’s original bill provided for class A misdemeanor penalties on any state agent cooperating with indefinite detention. An amendment … Read more

Is Ann Kuster Happy We Violated the US Constitution?

Ann Kuster is excited that the House Republicans decided not to change the Senate version of the Violence Against Women’s act.    I’m not sure what the House had in mind but Tax dodger Ann Kuster is happy to assume it’s because they hate women.

What a difference a day makes! On Wednesday, Speaker Boehner had big plans to limit the protections for women who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. Apparently, House Republicans believe that some women – namely lesbians, immigrants and Native Americans – do not deserve equal protection under the law.

Problem.  This bill violates the US constitution in it’s effort to protect women from domestic and sexual violence.

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Gambling Study Says Not Big Money For State

Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenu
Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenue

The Union Leader is reporting on a much anticipated study about the future of gambling Revenue for New Hampshire.

The news is not good for proponents.

According to the study done by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies (NHCPPS), because of the social costs of gambling, the state would not receive a net benefit if the gambling income is taxed at 30 percent or less. 

Taxed at 40%, it’s supporters claimed we could see $152 million per year but,  NHCPPS says that number is less than 50 million per year for the $425 million dollar casino in the plan.   Off by 100 million.  Sounds about right.

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Where Ann “Onward” McKluster Pretends She’s Obama

Ann Kuster wasn’t around to vote for the sequestration, or any continuing resolutions, nor was she there to watch as Democrats refused to send a

Ann Kuster
Ann Kuster

budget to their Democrat president, but she already knows it’s not her fault.

Here’s most of the turd of an email she left in my in-box (I took out all the links and bold text formatting.)

Just 2 days to go until March Madness ensues. The annual ritual of congressional dysfunction is unfolding once again in Washington and Americans across the country are feeling the impact.

But this time, the wheels of the bus are falling off – cuts to transportation and infrastructure, to air travel security and aviation safety, to Head Start, homeland security, and the list goes on and on.

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Open Letter to Republican Members of the New Hampshire House

Emailed to the entire caucus, Wednesday Morning, 2-27-2013

Honorable Republican Representatives,


In the wake of the errant email in which NH Gas tax sponsor David Campbell (D-Nashua) reveals the true nature of his proposal, I wanted to take a moment to offer up some relevant observations.

Mr. Campbell remarked that his gas tax will provide a bounty (I’m paraphrasing) of revenue (taxation) for other purposes.  It matters not whether he was being glib or just honest.  The facts are these.

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Smartest President Ever…[updated]

Haven’t even cut a fraction of his massive 3.8 trillion dollar budget (cuts he passed into law)…only place to cut at DHS requires Barack Obama to let hundreds of criminals out of prison. What? Is this what DHS needed billions of rounds of ammunition for? [update] White House denies knowledge.  Theories that the release may … Read more

Smartest President Ever….part 2

Throws billions at high risk bankrupt green energy companies year after year….slight decrease in increased spending (sequester) will mean firing air traffic controllers, TSA,  first responders, public safety personnel, border patrol, crumbling infrastructure…

Smartest President Ever…Part 3

King of executive orders, master of spending and debt, willing to by-pass congress if he has too….but no power to decide what spending increases get cut from his own Sequester bill.

Democrats Always Lie About Taxes and Spending

Democrats lie about taxes, spending, and caring about the middle class, and two opportunities to prove that have recently NH Democrats fleece taxpayers againpresented themselves.

First, Nashua Democrat David Campbell, from whose progressive womb sprang the 15 cent per gallon gas tax, recently remarked in an email to Democrat party leadership that the Democrat gas tax was…

…”the gift that keeps on giving”

…

“As my father used to say, ‘Don’t spend it all in one place!” Rep. David Campbell, D-Nashua, chairman of the House Public Works and Highways Committee, wrote on Friday in explaining that his gas tax hike bill will generate “bonus monies” for purposes not directly associated with highways, roads and bridges.

Not directly associated is right.

The gas tax will screw you, your family, your small business, and the entire  state economy out of millions more annually once fully implemented, money that will not go to wages, jobs, or anything but the Democrats government-first addiction.

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Will Beretta Leave Maryland?

Moving costs money but the owners of Beretta are thinking it might be time.Beretta-Px4-Storm

Beretta is weighing whether the rifle line (which would now be illegal if proposed legislation becomes law), and perhaps the company itself, should stay in a place increasingly hostile toward its products. Its iconic 9mm pistol — carried by every U.S. soldier and scores of police departments — would also be banned with its high capacity, 13-bullet magazine.

“Why expand in a place where the people who built the gun couldn’t buy it?” said Jeffrey Reh, general counsel for Beretta.

It looks like Beretta already moved part of their business out of Maryland after a previous game of chicken with state lawmakers, one the legislature and Governor lost.

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Report Claims: Manchester NH one of Ten Least Taxed Cities in US

There is a good deal of couched language in this article, but a few things stand out. According to Edward Wyatt, fiscal analyst for the Office of Revenue Analysis, while tax rates are certainly a factor in the tax burden on families, it is more the existence of certain kinds of taxes that determines whether … Read more

Isn’t John Kerry’s Own Success Proof Of What He Says?

Is this the pot calling the kettle black?John kerry

“In America, you have a right to be stupid, if you want to be, and you have a right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be. And we tolerate that – we somehow make it through that.”  –John Kerry

And were it not for stupid people, we would not have professional politicians like…John Forbes Kerry (who served in Vietnam, by the way).

I’m not sure about that last part though–making it through?

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Notable Quote – C.S.Lewis

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good … Read more

I Got Nothing (Except This)

It has been one of those days when I have been both very busy and completely uninspired by anything that is happening in the world  (even though I now appear inspired–at least–by my lack of inspiration).

Lions and tigers and bloggers block oh my

It is not exactly writer’s block–how could it be I am writing–but more like bloggers block.  When you blog to blog, no pay, no freight, scant praise, and nothing to motivate you but the desire to share your opinion or to start a conversation, (or wind up some progressive), you never know what might get you motivated.   Most days it doesn’t take much.  Other days nothing, and I mean nothing, appeals.   And if it is not interesting, you might as well try to coax an actual tax cut out of a Democrat for all the good it will do you.

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Big Money Equals Access To Obama

It’s the Clinton Coffees and the Lincoln Bedroom writ large but with a bit more daylight.  (Who says history doth not repeat?) OFA, Organizing For A**H***s,  is stating right up front that you can buy access to the President.  Just give them a big bucket of cash and they can get you in touch with the people who run … Read more

I,________, do solemnly swear, that I will bear faith and true allegiance to the ‘Guidelines?’

Law outside the lines or guidelinesHas ignorance reared its ugly head again in the New Hampshire Legislature   Yeah, yeah, more times per day than we could count with all those people there.  Actually, I’m referring to Debra DeSimone, Rockingham 14 who seems to have a questionable view of her relationship to the constitution. According to Ms. De Simone, the constitution is really just a guideline and we have House Rep George Lambert (Hills – 44) to thank for sharing that news with us.

From Facebook.

“House quote of the day “the constitution is a guideline” not a requirement. – and yes she said “I swore to uphold the guideline” if it is just a guideline, how will it’s protections actually defend you…”

And an inch is just a guideline when building a house.  So what if you are off a few inches or bits of inches here and there.  A foot here, a yard there.  (as long as it doesn’t fall down while you’re standing next to it, right?)

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