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.

Colorado Ammo Mag Company says “You Pass that Bill and We’re Gone.”

September 26, 2018February 18, 2013 Steve MacDonald

News from the world of ‘How bad did you really want that‘ and “reap what you sow“…(Michelle Malkin.com)

On Friday, liberal lawmakers in the Colorado state House passed legislation requiring background checks on private gun sales and placing limits on ammo magazines. A final vote may come today before the bills move on to the state Senate. Dems now hold majorities in both chambers and the governor’s mansion is occupied by Democrat John Hickenlooper.

…

Colorado’s largest and most profitable manufacturer of high-capacity ammunition magazines has vowed to leave the state if lawmakers pass a measure banning the devices — a move officials with the company say could cost hundreds of jobs and upward of $85 million in potential spending this year

Most of Magpul’s materials vendors are in Colorado and it looks like some of them may follow Magpul wherever they go, taking jobs, revenues…all of it with them.

So is Magpul that serious?

“Chase” That Chill Away – HB 307 is Dead.

September 26, 2018February 18, 2013 Steve MacDonald

Last Wednesday the New Hampshire House voted on HB 307, an act relative to government being a big pain in the ass. Wait…that would be most of the bills and all of the ones written by Democrats. I’ll be more specific.

HB 307 – AN ACT relative to the removal of certain wood stoves upon the sale of a home and notification of such removal to the department of environmental services.

While that might keep someone at DES from wasting your tax dollars surfing the Internet, the committee released it to the House as Inexpedient to legislate. (From the House record)

The purpose of the bill was relative to the removal and destruction of certain woodstoves not certified for sale as new after July 1, 1986 by the government protection agency. The reason given was to reduce excessive particulate discharge from certain inefficient wood burning stoves. The committee had questions about enforcement, and financial reimbursement of the owner’s property, hence the ITL motion. Vote 13-6.

When it came time for the floor vote to put an end the HB 307 nine legislators voted to try and save it.

NH Listens? No They Don’t. They Tell!

September 26, 2018February 17, 2013 Steve MacDonald

NH Listens is running around the state training “facilitators” to advance a decidedly left wing agenda. And why not? The ‘interim’ directer of the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire–which runs NH Listens–is not only a well connected left winger, he doesn’t even live in the granite State.

He lives in Maine.

And have you seen who he donates to politically?

About Merrimack’s Town Tax Rate

September 26, 2018February 17, 2013 Steve MacDonald

Town of Merrimack NH More than a few folks in Merrimack probably had heart attacks when they saw the front page article “Council OKs 23.5 million budget” in the Merrimack ~~Telegraph~~ Journal. In the second paragraph, right below the front page fold, it claimed this new budget would mean a $5.25 increase per $1000.00 of assessed value.

That would be an increase of approximately $1,312.00 per year for a home valued at $250,000.00 and a new town rate of $10.50/1000 –the sorts of numbers typically reserved as the low end of a school budget that still can’t manage to teach math adequately.

Those are torch and pitchfork numbers.

What Ever Happened to The Inductive Method?

September 26, 2018February 16, 2013 Steve MacDonald

Another great video on education destined to make the public school union folks bleed out their eyes. Here’s the blurb from PJTV and Next Generation TV. Victor Davis Hanson joins Col. Allen B. West to discuss our modern system of education. In the zero sum game of educating our children, Dr. Hanson asks, who is … Read more

Notable Quote – Democrats Are A Spending And A Revenue Problem

September 26, 2018February 15, 2013 Steve MacDonald

“Ask a democrat and they will tell you “we have a revenue problem.” But the only reason you could ever have a revenue problem is if you first have a spending problem. But if you have elected Democrats, you will always have a spending problem. And you will always have a spending problem because … Read more

Video of Meteor Exploding Over Russia

September 26, 2018February 15, 2013 Steve MacDonald

There are reports from Russia that as many as 900 people have been injured, and many windows shattered (see possible effect and then cause relationship there) after a meteor(s) exploded just above the ground in the Ural region.

DHS Tries to Explain Why It Needs 1.6 Billion More Rounds of Ammo

September 26, 2018February 15, 2013 Steve MacDonald

The speculation about why the US Department of Homeland Security would want to buy another 1.6 billion (with a b) rounds of ammunition over the next few years as been ‘enthusiastic’-if not just creepy at times, but worry not, they have put the issue to rest.

The Homeland Security Department wants to buy more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition in the next four or five years. It says it needs them — roughly the equivalent of five bullets for every person in the United States — for law enforcement agents in training and on duty.

The article goes on to tell us that they spend about 15 million rounds annually on training. Just for perspective during the Iraq war the US military used about 70 million if the rumors are true. It looks like the pre-Obama military (in response to the needs of the global war on terror) were placing its orders in the 100 million rounds a year range, though I suspect that figure is a bit soft. And if you want more perspective, even if DHS and its associated agencies used up 20 million rounds a year on practice fun and friends it would take them 80 years to use up the 1.6 billion rounds they’ve requested.

Democrats can’t even write a budget for the next 12 months, why is Obama’s DHS contracting ammo purchases to cover the rest of the century?

About That Charter Schools Funding

September 26, 2018February 14, 2013 Steve MacDonald

From the Daily Caller. A charter schools advocacy organization in New Hampshire has captured video showing (New Hampshire) Democrat Mary Stuart Gile, who chairs the education committee in the state’s House of Representatives, apparently changing her position on charter schools in a four-minute flash. Opponents of the bill want to see the bill fail because … Read more

Maybe You Can’t Keep Your Doctor?

September 26, 2018February 14, 2013 Steve MacDonald

Doctor's leaving parctice because of government regulations

California has always thought of itself as the Earth Mother of cultural fads. But what about the socialized health care fad?

Remember when Mr. Obama and any Democrat worth their talking points was telling us that with their Health Care Plan we could keep our doctor? If that were true then why is California planning for a shortage of Doctors because of Obama-Care? Their population growth is anemic, dropping to about 1% a year, and that includes immigration. (OK. Maybe not illegal immigration.) So the only reason to need more doctors, or in this case more people with a name tag that says they are a ‘doctor’ is if real doctors are doing the boot scoot boogie away from the new regime?

The Bill Wouldn’t Cover Bloggers, He Said.

September 26, 2018February 14, 2013 Steve MacDonald

SB 120 will increase the need for lobbyists so Lobbyists Please enter in the rear.. — Lobbyists Please enter in the rear…

Jeb Bradley is a primary sponsor of New Hampshire Senate Bill 120.

Senate Republican Leader Jeb Bradley is proposing changes to New Hampshire’s election laws so voters will know who is paying for negative television campaign ads and material mailed to their homes.

That’s the sell for the low information voter, but the Boston.com article even had a bone for the blogosphere.

Bradley said he set the $5,000 threshold for the independent groups to protect the free speech rights of those spending a small amount. The bill wouldn’t cover bloggers, he said.

‘‘They are not intended to be caught in the net,’’ he said.

I wonder why he felt it necessary to add that point?

America’s Incubators of Social Pathology

September 26, 2018February 14, 2013 Steve MacDonald

How does this grab you? So first of all, can it be denied that the vast bulk of violent crime and murder occurs in large urban cities in states that are commonly referred to as Blue? Additionally, even in the so called Red States, the large population centers that exhibit inordinate amounts of crime trend … Read more