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.

How About a Cocktail Tax?

Binge_Drinking_College_Students_HAPPIER_Study_A social services advocacy group called New Futures recently promoted a study that suggested a cost recovery tax per drink on all cocktails in New Hampshire.  They (or the study they promoted) claim that excessive drinking costs the state as much as 1.15 billion per year.  The tax could/would, help offset those costs.

New Hampshire has a large percentage of the population that drinks alcohol but the primary source of the expense appears to be binge drinking, which I have discovered is another moving target on the social sciences spectrum.  According to the CDC, binge drinking (for women) was recently changed–for reporting purposes–to four or more drinks on any one occasion.

That’s like calling binge-shopping visiting four or more stores on any one occasion.  Women can sit and talk for hours making four drinks more like one per hour, which in the real world is called “nursing.”

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Piers Morgan and The Cunning Brits, a 21st Century Lesson

Okay, raise your hand if you want to punch this guy? I know I’m not alone.

I’m not a big TV culture guy. I don’t know who’s on American Idol, I don’t know if members of Jersey Shore are still jiggling in camera shot down the sodden crumbling Jersey boardwalk (I’ve seen pictures of the actresses) or not, and I’m not sure if BJ replacing Trapper was a good move and if the series will last. So, if some living TV canker sore is irritating me, it must be irritating millions.

This particular crusty irritant is Piers Morgan. A Brit expatriate that found himself on our shores and decided to “entertain” us with his insight, opinions, and malodorous smuggery.

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Busy Day…

Just a shout out to the busy day.  I am having one, and will not be available to post until perhaps this evening. As you were.    

Another Day With NH Democrats….Two More Taxes…or is it Six?

NH Roads and bridges - NH Democrats look to raise gas taxThe Concord Monitor is reporting on a  plan by New Hampshire Democrat David Campbell (D- Nashua), that would eventually extract $115,000,000.00 million more dollars per year out of the pockets of struggling New Hampshire families.  He’d like to raise the gas tax and the increase the cost to register your vehicles every year.

His ‘plan’ would raise the price you pay for gas five cents a year for three years.  At the same time the cost of your vehicle registration would also increase five dollars a year for three years.  So you’d’ see two separate tax increases every year for three years; is that two new taxes of six?

The promise, and given past experience this means nothing coming from a New Hampshire Democrat, is that they will use this additional tax money exclusively for road and bridge work.

We obviously need money for roads and bridges but I don’t think we need any new taxes and fees–so I have a better idea.

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Notable Quotes: Wayne LaPierre

  “There is not a national, one-size-fits-all solution to protecting our children,” he said. “But do know this – President [Obama] zeroed out school emergency planning grants in last year’s budget and scrapped “Secure Our Schools” policing grants in next year’s budget.” Washington Times Related: Washington Guardian

Proposed NHGOP Bylaw amendment number 9

Having repeatedly suggested something like this as essential for the New Hampshire State Rpublican Party moving forward, I thought it appropriate that I post it.  The proposed amendment text is in red. Proposed NHGOP Bylaw amendment number 9. Amendment #9 Summary: The Chairman can be compensated based on a recommendation by the Executive Committee Author: Chris Buda … Read more

More Scared Shurtleff: “Guns for me but not for thee!’

In response to one of my Scared Shurtleff posts, a reader sent me an email.  In it, he writes “Recently Rep. Stephen Shurtleff, D, Merrick District 11, introduced  HB 113’.  He goes on to say “I find no comfort from Rep. Stephen Shurtleff’s self-centered approach to gun control, because he is exempt from his own … Read more

Lung Association Says Hike Cigarette Tax $1.00/Pack…for the Children

Problems with youth smoking
Does taxing cigarette’s actually reduce youth smoking in NH?

The American Lung Association would like New Hampshire legislators to increase the state’s tobacco tax by $1.00/pack.   It is their opinion that this will reduce youth smoking and…they’d be more inclined to give us better grades.

The Lung Association gave the Granite State some of the lowest rankings in the Northeast in categories dealing with the cigarette tax, spending on tobacco prevention, smoke-free air and cessation programs.

It also noted that New Hampshire has the highest youth smoking rate in the region — 19.8 percent compared to 12.5 percent nationally — and that no state tax dollars are spent on programs to discourage smoking.

-Union Leader

Is the lung association prepared to compensate us for the 20% loss in sales revenue and secondary commerce to neighboring states as a result because the last time I checked, regardless of what the American Lung Association has to say about their special interest issue, New Hampshire is still consistently one of the top three healthiest states in the nation, year after year.

Oh, and then there’s this inconvenient truth…

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Cultural Marxism and the Origins of ‘Modern’ Sexual Morality

Here’s some “light viewing” to go with the morning coffee (eeeee), courtesy of Blogger Adam Cahn. Adam has this posted on his site and provides some bulleted highlights (can I still use the word ‘bulleted?’)  Go check them out whether you think you have time to watch this or not.  Odds are good you’ll make … Read more

NH Politics with John Burt – John Interviews Bill O’Brien

New Hampshire House Representative John Burt interviews NH House Rep and former New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O’Brien about the new session, proposed laws, Rule 63, and more…(Links to all the discussion topics available here.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HySDVvtN9WU

No Labels is Now New And Improved!!!

No labels new and improved
Now With Even More Bi-partisan BS!

No Labels has grown tired of being No Body, of No Interest, and having No point, so they are “shedding their centrist label.”

For those of you who slept through the first part of this ‘movie,’ No Labels started out under the assumption that we could get a lot more done if we left our political labels at the door.  “Not Left.  Not Right.  Forward.”  That was their slogan.

“Forward,” being a the same historical buzz word for left-leaning progressive socialist publications, should have clued everyone in as to the true purpose of a group founded by progressives from both the right and the left.

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US Environmentalists Caught ‘Doping’ – Stripped of “2012 Hottest Year on Record” Title.

chicken littlePeople who want or need to believe that human activity makes the earth warmer (so their sad, pathetic lives have meaning?) were excited to ‘hear’ that 2012 was the hottest year on record.  It was in the news, I’m sure you must have heard it.

So was it?  Hot?  The hottest year on record? It was hot in the continental US.

But if you defer to the full definition of the term typically used by the Chicken Little Climate Alarmist Community (which is not Anthropogenic “Continental United States” Warming), it was only the 9th hottest year out of the last 34.

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Planned Parenthood to Abort ‘Pro-Choice’ Label

Who says you can’t teach old abortionists new tricks? It took years for Planned Parenthood to realize that “pro-choice’ wasn’t holding water for the majority of Americans because in the vast majority of cases, those advocating the “pro-choice” position showed disdain for those “choosing” NOT to have an abortion and they did nothing to encourage … Read more

Notable Quote: Their Faith is in The Legislator, Ours is in Mankind

Bastiat, Frederic BastiatI am, I confess, one of those who think that choice and impulse ought to come from below and not from above, from the citizen and not from the legislator; and the opposite doctrine appears to me to tend to the destruction of liberty and of human dignity.

But by a deduction as false as it is unjust, do you know what economists* are accused of?  It is, that when we disapprove of government support, we are supposed to disapprove of the thing itself whose support is discussed;

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Irony?

If you gave Exxon Mobil an army, the ability to print their own currency, the power of taxation, the ability to set national energy policy, and executive authority to enforce it, what do you think might happen? If Democrats are to be believed they would do with oil and gas what Barack Obama and the … Read more

New Hampshire Democrats Propose Passing the Highest Beer Tax in New England

NH Democrats look to make New Hampshire Highest Beer tax in New England
NH Democrats have goals. One of them is having the highest beer tax in New England

Whenever you are sitting with ‘friends,” talking about what you could do to help create jobs and improve the economy in New Hampshire, I bet one of the first things you think of is instituting the highest beer tax in all of New England, right?

Well if you happen to be a New Hampshire Democrat that is exactly what you do.

HB 168 …would increase the excise tax on any beer that’s sold in New Hampshire to 40 cents per gallon, a 33% increase.

CBS Boston reports (WBZ) that this would surpass Maine’s 35 cents per gallon, making New Hampshire’s tax the highest in New England.

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