Baby doesn't get what he wants from his nanny (state). - Granite Grok

Baby doesn’t get what he wants from his nanny (state).

nanny state
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I was most amused by the news of the most recent tantrum thrown by one of the Lakes Region’s biggest crybabies, socialist David Stamps. "GASP! Doug– you just called him a…. socialist! That’s pretty harsh." Maybe, but here in these parts, he is the classic case study of a socialist in action. Before you move along, thinking this to be a local story, which it certainly is, keep in mind that there’s people just like this in every town, city, and hamlet in America (unfortunately).
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First, the news– Mr. Stamps was among the founders of one of these taxpayer black holes known as the "Main Street" program that cropped up in many locales some years back. You know the drill– taxpayers $$ used to fund more bureacratic positions and "gimme jobs" under the guise of "marketing". In Laconia, (which kicked in twenty grand a year of local property taxes raised on top of the "grant" monies) it was used mostly in the promotion of events that always seemed to have underlying, liberal social engineering themes like "multicultural day." When the city wanted Harley Davidson Corp. to set up shop in the downtown area during the annual Race & Rally Week, guaranteed to bring folks in for a visit, the Main Street group, for all intents and purposes, opposed it. Better to have the gay, lesbian, and transgendered crowd and antiwar peaceniks than a bunch of bikers with wallets full of money in town for Motorcycle Week…
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Well, the gig is up. Whoever was pushing the "Main Street Program" up the foodchain for some reason has pulled the plug on the free ride. Local groups, instead of recieving a good deal of taxpayer largesse from on high, must now reverse direction and PAY to belong. Probably some politicians started really paying attention to the bloated system that could not possibly justify its existence much longer, and figured they might face some heat from the taxpayers. Heh! It was good while it lasted.
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Apparently, Mr. Stamps didn’t get the memo. As if on cue, Stamps, like all good socialists, thinks it can be made to work, if only the pesky unbelievers would just let them be. More time. More people. MORE MONEY!!! The Citizen (Laconia, NH) has the details:
Less than six years ago, the Laconia Main Street program was launched amid great hopes for revitalizing the downtown economically while preserving its past.
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But now, short of volunteers, money and with accusations that some city officials do not support it, the program is in an uncertain place that became even more undefined on Wednesday when David Stamps, its co-founder and president, said he is stepping down from the program’s Board of Directors.
While the paper is somewhat kind, what happened is that Mr. Stamps submitted his resignation by e-mail, berating Laconia’s elected and hired leaders. Why? Cuz he didn’t get his way… poor baby! The powers that be in Laconia, liberal as they are, don’t hold a candle to Stamps when it comes to the pro-socialist positions. To the absolute horror of Mr. Stamps and others of his ilk, the city has decided, rather than spend the bucks on hired apparatchiks to hold events nobody would possibly want to attend, that promoting capitalism is instead the way to go. Bwahahaha!
 

I say, "Bravo!" to the leaders of the city. After six years of forking over taxpayer dough to the Main Street Program with no strings attached, Laconia has decided that the time has come for them to have a say in how the monies get spent. Again, according to the Citizen story, the city will continue to supply funds…
Mayor Matt Lahey, Ward 3 Councilor Henry Lipman and City Manager Eileen Cabanel — say Main Street still has a future in Laconia and that the city would continue to fund it but on the condition, however, that the city has greater oversight of how public moneys are spent.
And then comes the arrow through the socialist Stamps’ heart:

Philosophically, Lahey would like Laconia Main Street to get more into the business of economic development.

Heh! Click here to  read the entire piece. Pardon me if I sound like I am enjoying all of this because, well, I am! Almost every socialistic endeavor collapses under its own inefficient weight after time. Hopefully we can kill these things at the local level before we’re talking about a socialist NATION (Dave Stamps & his comrades’ desire) that is collapsing.
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Oh, and as to my openly calling Mr. Stamps a socialist, well, I can back that claim up with proof. Here is a column I wrote for tha Laconia Daily Sun back in 2003 when he was pondering a run for the state senate. He didn’t end up running, as he figured out that open socialism never wins at the ballot box. He instead opted to continue doing his dirty work in various committees and boards below the radar screen of the citizenry at large…

Exercising The First

by Doug Lambert
Takin’ A Dip in ‘Political Waters’
The Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun “socialist” as “One who advocates or practices the doctrines of socialism.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the adjective, “socialist” as “Of, promoting, or practicing socialism.” Obviously, if one were to understand what a socialist actually is, one must first define “socialism.”
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Before I go further, I probably should explain where I am headed with this train of thought. The June 9th edition of The Laconia Daily Sun contained an article headlined, “Stamps weighing run against Boyce.” This, of course, refers to the local NH Senate seat currently held by Republican Rob Boyce of Alton. The article states that Stamps is “testing the political waters for a potential run.” As a person who has been quietly observing Mr. Stamps’ local activities for some time now, I must admit that the thought of this person occupying a Senate seat gives me pause.
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As a conservative, I have always believed that the free market system (capitalism), while by no means perfect, tends to provide the best path to freedom and liberty, by allowing us, as Americans, to generally reap a sizeable portion of the fruits of our labors. I have also always believed that the works and efforts of individuals, within their families, are best able to sustain a productive and quality life. A nation of self-sufficient people, aided by a limited amount of government, could not help but be great.
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Who saved the world in WWII? America. What nation purged itself, with much bloodshed, of the scourge of slavery? America. What nation put a man on the moon? America. What nation leads the way in the battle against deadly diseases and afflictions? America. Panama Canal? America. You get the point. America has always been a “can do” place. From almost the very beginning of its existence, America has been the leader, as the rest of the world follows.
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The same can be said, on a smaller scale, of our great State of New Hampshire. Ask anybody anywhere in our country about our State, and you will almost always hear positive responses. Low taxes. The first in the nation presidential primary. Heck, even our state motto boasts of our tendency towards independence and freedom: “Live Free or Die.” Again, you get the picture. A “Granite State” is not made of marsh mellow.
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The aforementioned Sun article reveals Dave Stamps as “Fed up with what he describes as the lack of effective representation in Concord,” as well as having a “level of frustration” “with how Republicans are currently governing the state.” Says Stamps: “It’s about leadership. There is no leadership in Concord.” Representation, governing, and leadership- these three words make up the bulk of what troubles Mr. Stamps.
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What would be the cure for Mr. Stamps’ frustrations? Says the Sun: “Stamps believes the area’s representatives in Concord should be doing everything possible to secure funds for their constituencies. Instead, he said, ‘no one is advocating for Laconia.’” You see folks; it’s really just about THE MONEY! Not just any money, however. Monies, which he says, we “need the state to invest in education and in health care- that’s where Laconia needs help from Concord.” Mr. Stamps describes spending state monies on highway infrastructure is “disastrous” for Laconia. Who needs good roads, anyway? How, indeed, CAN we pave roads while the children are ill educated and of such poor health?
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In 1976, F.A. Hayek wrote “socialism has come to mean chiefly the extensive redistribution of incomes through taxation and the institutions of the welfare state.” All taxes come from someplace. All of those wonderful “grants” which we always read and hear about come from someplace. A grant, of course, is nothing more than money given to somebody or some form of entity. Mostly, it is “given” by the government- in most cases either state or local.
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The Laconia Main Street Program. Government-run and funded daycare (“early childhood learning”). Education (public). Health care. Anti-smoking jihads. All directed by the government, and paid for with somebody’s money. This is Mr. Stamps’ world. The Sun notes that Stamps has “been a key advocate of early childhood learning.” “It’s so important to reach them while their young.” Who needs families and parents, anyway? Doesn’t it “just take a village” to raise a child? Wouldn’t it just be best to take “from each, according to his abilities and give to each, according to their needs?” Indeed, without help, we are all marsh mellows.
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Why does a person like myself seem to fear and loathe socialism with such open disdain and contempt? Doesn’t socialism simply seek to HELP people? Won’t it work if it’s simply practiced by the RIGHT KIND OF PEOPLE?  Says F.A Hayek, “the rise of fascism and nazism was not a reaction against the socialist trends of the preceding period but a necessary outcome of those tendencies.”  Add Stalinism and Baathism to the list.
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The reason that people don’t like to be called “socialists” is because it is always taken to mean something having negative connotations. But hey, what else would one call a person who “advocates or practices the doctrines of socialism”? How&
rsquo;s the water, Dave?
Doug Lambert is a Gilford businessman. He has an opinion on practically everything. His column appears every Thursday.
(originally printed in the Laconia Daily Sun on June 19th, 2003)
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socialism's result
Soviets in Siberian gulag. This is what history shows is ALWAYS the end result of socialism.
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