I saw the headline and wondered if he wanted to take our temperature too:
Burton takes public’s pulse
I thought– "Has the eternal Executive Councilor taken a position at the county nursing home?" You know, to help pitch in. Or, has he fallen on hard times and decided to take a second job in the medical field? That would be odd, given he’s everybody’s favorite politician in these parts (Which, after the mess with his pedophile "campaign worker", is nothing short of amazing… ).
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No, Executive Councilor Ray Burton was simply in the area to take input from the district’s residents as to what they want from "their" government. And what do you suppose the man whose face epitomizes "government" in this part of the state heard from his constituents? Would you believe, less of what his number one offering to the people is– government! Last Sunday’s Citizen reports the story that followed under the headline that caught my eye:
Throughout the day Friday, Executive Councilor Ray Burton hosted a series of economic outreach meetings to get a feel for what his constituents want from state government in the weeks and months ahead.
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Among the biggest issues on people’s minds was that there is too much government, he said.
What’s a seasoned politician to do? If your power is derived from the very government you yourself impose on the people, what happens when they wake up and decide enough is enough? Well, you could watch the Master himself as he offers, yes, you guessed it, HIMSELF as the very answer to the problem of government growth.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing the state’s economy is that of overregulation, he said. Burton reported that currently New Hampshire has 33 regulatory boards in operation.
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Burton suggested one way to reduce this problem and bring it back under control is to, "pay more attention to the experience and background of the people the governor puts on these boards." As an elected member of the Executive Council, Burton works on directly on this issue, and said he plans to pay closer attention to it..
WHEW! Good news indeed! After all those years sitting in the Executive Council seat like some old aunt that has been around (and old) for longer than anyone can remember, NOW he "plans to pay closer attention to it!?" Or is this a confession? Has one of the chief co-conspirators of government growth here in NH finally decided to come clean?
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Will he now work to reduce government growth in NH in any way he can, thereby helping to preserve the "NH advantage?" Naah! Come on now, it’s faux- Republican Ray Burton we’re talkin’ about here! "Yeah, but at least he opposes an income tax and favors preserving our old Yankee way of life." Not so fast… Again from the Citizen:
The larger issue with retention deals with affordable housing and property taxes associated with owning a home or piece of land, he said, as more people are finding it harder to pay the taxes on their property, which has caused many to leave the state.
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Some legislators are now looking to introduce an income tax, which is something Burton says he hopes the Legislature looks long and hard at before coming to a decision. There are other options, he said.
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"The expansion of gaming is slowly getting some traction, because after all it is a source of new cash," said Burton.
I’m sure that at the end of the day, he’s really not opposed to an income tax, because he’ll go along with whatever sustains his precious position of power, which comes from the dispension of tax dollars. Let nothing staunch the flow! Reducing spending and the overall size of government is never an option with politicians and "leaders" of Burton’s ilk.