Our friend former NH Sen Rob Boyce (Oh, the good ‘ole days…) submits the following in response to an op-ed in Sunday’s Union Leader. Judging by it and Ed’s post below this one, the Union Leader (to which I am and have been a subscriber for roughly 19 years) take on the failure (thankfully) of the latest ed funding amendment is going over like the proverbial flatulence in a wetsuit…
The Union Leader is criticizing the Republicans in the legislature for not voting for a “compromise” constitutional amendment. My question is what compromise amendment?.In the House, there was a Democrat written and proposed amendment pushed by the Governor. Only a few less than half the Democrats voted for it. Before a Republican written amendment could be brought forward a Rino (not coincidentally the son of the last Governor to be elected without taking the anti income tax pledge – the “Union Leader” pledge) made a motion that killed the ability of the Republicans to even be heard!.So there certainly was not a “compromise” there – if only one side of an argument is heard – what is there to compromise. Maybe in the old Soviet Union or in current Iran a one voice debate can be called a compromise. Very Orwellian don’t you think!.Then the Senate Democrats put forward the same Democrat amendment in the Senate. After a Republican amendment was proposed and voted down the Democrats’ was voted but did not receive enough votes to proceed and was tabled. Again where is that considered a compromise?.The fact is that Gov. Lynch and the Democrats in the House and Senate do not really want to fix the problem of the Supreme Court redefining simple words to suit their own convoluted ideas of education and taxation. The Democrats see the current situation as a way to force an income tax upon the people of New Hampshire – people who have consistently voted NO! in every way they have been allowed. They voted Governor Peterson from office at the war cry of “Axe The tax” from Mel Thompson. They demolished every gubernatorial candidate who even suggested that such a tax might be acceptable..The Democrats have now passed HB 927 which is purported to be a definition of an adequate education – the price tag for which they are craftily not revealing until after this quagmire bill is signed into law. The few estimates that have been put forward are for an increase in state spending on the order of over $800 million a year. There of course is no extra $800 million in the state treasury and that means a new tax – and there is only one that can be quickly implemented for that amount – the income tax..So Union Leader, where is your leadership on that bill? Where is your outcry on that road map to an income tax?
Hon. Rob Boyce. Visit his Blog www.robboyce.com/blog and his web site www.robboyce.com
BY DOUG