You know, Doug has been doing yeoman’s work on his posts on Willard “Bathroom Bud” Martin. Not having a heck of a lot of time, but not wishing to miss any of the fun, I figured that I’d go back through some of my "Recountings from the County" posts, as Mr. Martin was directly or indirectly responsible for many of them. While my original intent was showing Republican actions, it was he that almost single handedly, with his political theatrics, raised my taxes.
And he doesn’t even live in my NH Senate District or my County (he lives in Carroll County)! So ask yourself – if he was willing to come into Belknap County to advocated (nay, demand) for higher spending than the Commissioners wanted to spend, what will he do at the NH Senate level? Can he toe the line at a reasonable budget? I think not. Can he hold fast against the ever-present flood of well intentioned people always asking for money for their pet projects that will “save the citizens X amount of money later if we spend Y amount now?” knowing that the State is already broke? I think not.
How DO we know how Mr. Martin will vote? The answer is, we don’t. As Doug showed, Mr. Martin refused to answer questions on WMUR’s Close Up when asked specific questions. No, not a blank slate does he present; rather, a large, heavy curtain hiding all from view according to that interview. Jeb Bradley, on the other hand, is an open book – ask and he will tell you exactly what he will do, think, or vote. We may be supporting him, but we have put him on the hot spot too – he has given us answers that have not always overjoyed us, but answered he has – a credit that Mr. Martin cannot share.
Given his predilection to raise taxes, do we want to give him a chance to advocate a mini-version of the ginormous debt that is being racked up by Obama’s Administration? Do we want the continuation of the remaking of the social fabric that the Democrats are doing? Not me…
Anyways, let me retell an abridged version of Recountings from the County to show how “Bathroom Bud” orchestrated bigger spending.
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This all started last year with the Belknap County Convention on two issues:
- After much complaining by local citizens and local towns, the County Convention decided last year that a 8.8% rise in taxes to be collected from their ATM machine (er, us) was viable.
- It also decided that following the laws pertaining to open and transparent government (RSA 91A and its subclauses) either not needed to be followed or they had a different interpretation than many out side of that Convention.
Thus, they prominently ended up as "the news" locally in the radio, blogs, and newspapers for quite some amount of time. Frankly, it was a Public Relations disaster, overall, for the Republicans. Instead of being for less government with lower taxation, they circled the wagons, lawyered up, and resisted all attempts to back down or back off.
So, here’s a case of great words at the start of the annual budget process when Christopher Boothby talked about county government:
"…what is the proper and legal role of the county?"
"The decisions we’re making on outside agencies are not reflective of need or performance," said Boothby, but rather part of an overall discussion about the future of Belknap County government. "We want to be sure outside agencies match with our core goals."
With an overall yearly budget of $26.61 million, the outside agencies (aka, professional social services organizations or charities) had a budget of $876K. However, with deteriorating economic conditions and many people (and companies) "pulling in their belts", I know that the Commissioners’ question of "what is the proper and legal role" of the county was the right question to be asking. Just as companies are reexamining what it is they do, what is their core area of expertise are, and getting back to basics, why shouldn’t government be doing the same thing? Why is it that the taxpayers (citizens and companies) must suffer the economic downturns and those that are supposed to serve us, should not?
I believe in a limited and less intrusive government, and believe in lesser spending that results in lower taxes; I believe that no governmental entity should feel entitled to the taxpayer money. While all of these outside organizations that may well be doing good works, that does not mean that they should be receiving taxpayer money; certainly not at all levels as some of them have been doing.
So, we have Commissioners saying the right words at the right time, as money budgeted is principle enacted. What happened? Two words: They caved
What were they thinking would happen? I certainly expected the reaction that I saw in the papers. Every single group that feel that they are entitled to government money were right there to raise their voices to the roofs – all but stating "how DARE you" not fund us. But given that they had the courage to even ask the question, I had been hoping that the Commissioners would say "hey, we know we are right and we know that our philosophy of limited government government is right" and stick it out. I would have thought that with these tough times, they would be looking out for those that fund government. I was wrong.
The hue and cry could not have been more well throated if professional outside agencies had been a large pride of lions denied the spoils of the hunt. It didn’t help the Republican Commissioners, per normal, that the local printed press ran article after article about how these agencies (and thus, the victims clients they serve) were going to suffer.
Side note:
Freedom really is: Opportunity, Responsibility, and Accountability. We seem to have forgotten these words…
The people who wanted taxpayer money held the Commissioners accountable for simply saying "No." (liberals so hate that). Like many Republicans who choose to act in line with Republican philosophies, the Commissioners either refused to continue to defend themselves or couldn’t muster the rhetoric to do so. They allowed the "other side" frame the argument. And when the "other side" does that AND gets to the media first, Republicans lose.
Then they made a huge strategic boo-boo….they allowed a Democrat from Carroll County challenge their actions concerning paring down the size and cost of government. But when this Democrat, Bud Martin from Sandwich in Carroll County (and yes, a former Judge here in Belknap County) started in, he went for the throat! He challenged the Commissioners as to "why""and to a forum, making the offer to pay for it out of his own pocket. The Comissioners demurred.
Mr. Martin (who ran for State Senate in District 3 in Novermber – you can be sure that this WHOLE scenario will serve him well in his next run) started to whip up "the opposition". And the caving began. Again, first the Commissioners declined to attend. Then with the media assault in full bore, they decided "Mr. Martin, save your money – come to the County Complex and we will host it". At that point, I knew that the jig was up – they had just been led around like lambs to the slaughter. And boy, did Bud Martin have that wallet-contents-extraction device running full blast and aimed it at the now hapless taxpayers. He helped to start many of these programs and he wanted money to keep them going (in typical Liberal fashion, why not? He’s not paying for them!).
There is that Machiavellian notion that you keep your friends close and your enemies closer – but that doesn’t mean (to keep the context historically) you drop the bridge over the moat when the horde surrounds the castle and have pikes in their hands. And boy, did they ever! With dollar signs in his eyes, Mr. Martin walked over the bridge with cudgels in his hands.
So the meeting was held. And the Comissioners not only lowered the bridge but raised the porticullis as well by starting the meeting at 5pm. Now, think of this in terms of politics – taxpayers work; most 8 to 5. They have jobs, they commute, they want to eat dinner. Most just aren’t all that interested in politics and what happens (we who are involved keep failing in this regards, especially we Republicans)?. Who is going to leave work early just to get a seat at a political meeting like this (except for us political junkies)? Yeah, that’s right – no shows from the ordinary "just living my life" folks. As expected.
Those with a vested interest in sucking from the teat of the government trough? You bet! Any comedian would have been ecstatic for such a packed house and Bud Martin played the house like the Ringleader at Barnun and Bailey’s circus.
By the time I got there, the room was PACKED – about 150 to 200 people there for this meeting for a "public discussion" about funding these outside agencies with government money (e.g., from me and thee). It was truly standing room only and as I looked around, there were only a handful of people that I knew would speak out for limited government and for saving the taxpayers’ wallets. I hoped for more.
I hoped in vain….
So, the first strategic mistake was to announce that they were cutting out the outside agencies and then not defend themselves. Next was to allow those that they were denying a place at the public trough to frame the argument and not defend "…what is the proper role of government…".
As Lenin said "I merely saw power laying in the street and I picked it up"; Martin merely picked up what was offered and certainly led the mob in raising the budget bottom line (and my taxes). Mr. Martin ended up doing much of the speaking; he was the orchestra leader in making sure the tax supplicants got their time (and those of us supporting the cuts did not). Time after time, the Mr. Martin called on people to speak, most by first name (does that tell you something? One, from Genesis Behavioral Health, said that she had been invited by Mr. Martin to attend). So, it was easy to see that the deck had been stacked from the get go.
And even if people may not be your political allies at the moment, but know that they’d support you on an issue like this, it pays to call on them instead of averting eye contact! Whatever bickering is going on, drop it for the time being – at least get something positive into the media!
Given that the purpose of the meeting was to "let the Commissioners hear" what the public had to say, one can see exactly what the Commissioners were going to hear – all night long. I watched the parts of the meeting that
I missed because I had to go to my budget committee later on on public cable access. You’d think Armageddon was about ready to descend upon us the moment that the spigots weren’t to be open. As Doug has said, he was just so unaware that his well being is due solely to the efforts of the Lakes Region Partnership for Public Health! The conservationists were there in full force as well, lending their dour outlook if monies were not restored.
Through the entire time, person after person hammered the Commissioners for their "short sightedness". After all, we HAVE to spend money RIGHT NOW just in case it saves us money later on something that MIGHT just happen. I kept thinking to myself – why did the Commissioners allow themselves to be hectored in such a fashion for no apparent reason? That’s right – no apparent reason. They made no real arguments to defend themselves, made no effort to calm and divert the muck thrown at them verbally – only masochists go out and do this stuff!
Survivor – out-wit, out-play, and out-last
Republicans – mis-think, mis-judge, and mis-speak
Bud Martin scored a bullseye!
At the end of this political theater, the Commissioners were forced to put back into the budget all but two agencies (Belknap County Economic Development Council and Genesis Behavioral Health).
Certainly in the town where I live, we have fought this battle and not backed down. I look at the percentage rise in government spending at our local level and I can smile a bit. We took a lot of flak (and Doug has been taking a ton of flak for a ton of years now) but the results were worth it. The town is not being starved of funding, services are not going undone – and the town is proceeding along the path of "what is the proper role?". Sure it makes one look bad, and sure one is going to take it on the chin from those that have not had "No" told to them in a long while – but no one can say that the town is not working.
Oh, back to the agencies. This is one reason why a limited government is more desirable. The BCEDC was started by grants and some "donations" by local governments – it was supposed to be self-funding years ago. Yet, in the name of bringing business to the area, it still looks for handouts from the taxpayers. So ask yourself – has its goal been reached? Or because it has not reached its own goal of being self-sufficient, should it be shut down? Of course, the BCEDC officials are saying "well, we can survive, but we can do so much more with more money!"
So could the ‘Grok, but nobody’s giving us, a private entity, more government money so as to allow us to do more!
Certainly, a lesson that a more limited government is a more efficient government – if a program is not working or meeting its goals, evaluate its results and keep it – or let it go; hold programs accountable. It is not intentions that count – it is results. Instead, marshal those resources to something else. It seems that only in government, will programs that do not work continue to get funding.
Especially when there is a big cheerleader flying in from the outside…who would be very happy to take your money and give it to someone else.
