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.

Political Incivility is Not the New Hampshire Way

“Political Incivility is Not the New Hampshire Way” is the title of Jeanne Shaheen’s Op-Ed in the Morning Sunday News. I can only assume she is not familiar with her own State Democrat Party leadership, some of the people who have helped her get elected like Kathy Sullivan, and others; people who are on the record saying any number of uncivil things.

Democrats, Frat Boys, And Pimps, Oh My!

So the democrats were prepared to shut it all down to defend one big, international rent seeker. To pigeonhole women’s health issues to sex parts and intercourse. And to defend a major campaign contributor (the abortion industry) at all costs? Using women’s vagina’s for cash? Doesn’t that make them a bunch of pimps?

Save HB 540 – Biannual Auto Inspections [updated]

It’s not unsafe.  It will not turn into a short film titled ‘Death on The Highway II,’ but it will save everyone a few hours and a few bucks.  It’s HB 540, the bill to move New Hampshire from annual auto inspections to every other year.

Opponents have come up with all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t do this but my favorite was this; that an inspector might have to let something go that was not yet in violation but that could become a violation before the next inspection.  So we’re all unsafe, irresponsible dopes?  No sense of self preservation apparently either.  We just drive along until the next inspection….I don’t think so but nice try.  The other classes of opponents are bureaucrats and rent seeking mechanics who enjoy state mandated visits to their repair shops.  I’ve no time for them either. 

Then there is this.  It is testimony from Rep Steve Vaillancourt, a fellow Blogger at NH Insider, and a guy who can post more content than me on a good day.  He’s also someone with whom I disagree on most social issues, but we see eye to eye on taxes and spending (as far as I can tell), and on HB 540.

Here is Steve’s testimony before the Senate Committee, courtesy of BikerBill (on the jump).  It’s only three plus minutes so check it out.   Then check out Steve’s Blog at NHI and Bill’s Youtube Channel, both worthy excursions across the New Hampshire Political Landscape.

And don’t forget to contact the committee to tell them you support HB 540.  And remember to be polite.

Email

james.rausch@leg.state.nh.us

dboutin1465@comcast.net

james.forsythe@leg.state.nh.us

molly.kelly@leg.state.nh.us

nancy.stiles@leg.state.nh.us

Phone

Senator Jim Rausch (R-Derry) (Senate District 19) 271-8630.

Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett) (Senate District 16) 271-2709

Senator James Forsythe (R-Strafford) (Senate District 4) 271-3096

Senator Molly Kelly (D-Keene) (Senate District 10) 271-2166

Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton) (Senate District 24) 271-6933

 

 

 

Update: Removed Senator Jim Luthur who is not on this committee; added the correct email for Senator Jim Rausch who is. Thanks to our commenters below for the correction.

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Republican Change In New Hampshire

NH State SealH/T to Patricia Wulfson for sending me this first.

“The New Hampshire House of Representatives received a mandate from the voters of this state to cut state spending; reduce taxes and fees; return fiscal sanity to the state; promote economic development and create jobs; mend a state retirement system that was nearing insolvency; provide our children with an education based on excellence; protect the personal rights and freedoms of its citizens; and maintain transparency in state government. Listed here is a compilation of legislation passed by the 2011 New Hampshire House of Representatives in response to that message that they received in November from the voters.

 

Trans-formative Change:

• Passed a constitutional amendment to require a super-majority in the House and Senate to raise taxes or borrowing. (CACR 6)

• For the first time in NH history, that included more that 50 attempts in the legislature, the House passed a constitutional amendment to expand local control of education funding by returning authority to elected officials, not unelected judges. (CACR 12) Setting an example for our citizens by “living within our means:”

• Passed a fiscally responsible budget that, (1) was balanced by using realistic revenue figures; (2) did not increase taxes or fees; (3) does not downshift onto local property taxpayers; and (4) does not increase borrowing, setting New Hampshire on a financially sustainable path will allow our economy to grow and create more jobs. (HB 1 & 2)

• Passed an education funding formula that maintains existing levels of aid to communities and allows additional targeted aid to needy cities and towns. (HB 337)

• Passed a bill to allow local communities to enact tax and spending caps. (HB 341) Moving our economy forward, creating more jobs and putting out the “Open for Business sign” in New Hampshire once again.

• Passed a small business tax cut to protect reasonable compensation from the business profits tax. (HB 557)

(more on the jump…)

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A Silber In The Minds Eye

So in the face of this economic catastrophe, which the democrats happily sold as a disaster not unlike a Biblical plague, what did NH Democrats do? They decided that despite that we were going to take in 23% more revenue than we did when times were “good” and went on a grow government spending spree. You could call that a revenue problem, but I think it is really more of a democrats are selfish, ideological, tax and spend A-holes problem.

Picture of the Day 4-6-11

From Patriot Post, (a few years back) this graphic was created for a T-Shirt commemorating another Clinton lie, this one from Hillary, about coming under fire in Bosnia. No one could corroborate the story, and at least one reporter contradicted it completely, as does the historical record outside the Clinton Library. At least she didn’t claim to be a veteran afterward

Body Of Proof

I watched ABC’s ‘Body of Proof’ the other night Tuesdays at 10pm and if you would like the worlds quickest synopsis here it is.
“House” meets “Quincy” with a touch of the Mentalist.

Ask Ray & Kathy…About Incest

Question: If consensual sex (without coercion) between any two adults is a protected right, (gay sex is defended on these grounds) does the state have a right to prohibit sex between adult relatives, regardless of how closely related?

RLCNH Report for April 3, 2011

The RLCNH Report  | subscribe to this list ACTION ALERT! Stand up for worker’s freedomOn Tuesday, April 5 at 9:00AM, the will hear HB 474, the Right To Work (RTW) bill, in Representatives Hall at the State House. If you can make it there for a show of support, that would be very helpful since the opposition … Read more

Picture of The Day (Red Sox Season Starts Today!)

A few people may be offended by this display of Kinetic Digital Action, especially from such a young fan, but who can argue that this is not a familiar pose to Red Sox fans of all ages; even when the Yankees are not in town? Boston is regularly placed at or near the top of most ‘obnoxious fan’ lists and here’s why–they start training them early. That finger comes with the hot dog and the beer.

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