I listen to the highly rated “Morning Buzz” radio show on occasion, as I drive to work in the morning (WGIR-Manchester FM 101.1). Over the past few days, the crew has been talking about their invitation and attendance yesterday, to the inauguration of New Hampshire’s Governor, John Lynch.
I’ve heard enough. The slobbering and celebrity worshipping that host Greg Kretchmar and co-host Andy Blacksmith are making over Lynch is excessive and embarrassing; let me tell you why.
One of the problems we have in this country is an over-indulgent appreciation (no, worship) of celebrities, which includes athletes. Logically speaking, this really isn’t that big of a deal, until you start to look at some of the people that we worship, their behavior, and the bad examples they set.
There are plenty of celebrities and athletes I could mention here, and the bad ones outnumber the good – but that’s not the critical point.
What’s really a problem is when we start to worship and idolize politicians, like the Morning Buzz crew are doing, and have been doing, over John Lynch for quite some time. When we do it, we run the same, if not bigger risk by validating a politician who has set a bad example: John Lynch is a great example.
Morning Buzz Tip #1: Politicians are public servants, not celebrities
When we idolize politicians, we lose sight of two very important things: 1) We elect them to serve us and our best interests, and 2) They have control of a lot of money and granted power – our money and power – which they will abuse if we don’t pay attention and watch them very carefully.
(more after the jump…)
John Lynch, and the (formerly) NH Democrat-controlled Legislature are prime examples of this abuse, and your adoration is embarrassing, because you only see one fact and not the total picture – you see the fact that Lynch helped bring ONE NASCAR race to our State, and that he’s an affable ”nice guy” who will talk to you.
Morning Buzz Tip #2: Look at the bigger picture, not just your immediate domain and self-interests
Yes, it’s wonderful that Lynch played a part in bringing (actually keeping) the 2nd NASCAR race to the NH Motor Speedway; it’s good for the economy, good for jobs, good for morale.
But if you look beyond this one thing, plus the fact that a sitting Governor will actually be on your show and talk to you like regular guys (even inviting you to his inconsequential inauguration), you will see a lot more, realizing how foolish and misguided your tongue-baths have been:
- Lynch and his Legislature increased NH spending by a whopping 25%, creating an unprecedented (there’s that word again) $800 million dollar deficit, which now must be cleaned up by implementing drastic spending cuts.
- To cover a portion of that $800M deficit, Lynch and his legislature borrowed money, putting our children into debt, just like they do in Washington, DC.
- A big chunk of that deficit was caused by over-spending, but another chunk was the irresponsible act of including one-time Federal Stimulus money into the equation.
- As Governor, Lynch signed bills into law that added over 100 new taxes and fees (one hidden in our electric bills) to the already heavy burden on the people of NH, who are dealing with the fallout of the financial crisis of 2008.
- Lynch signed the infamous “LLC Tax”, which taxes owners of small businesses, already a rare and dying breed in New Hampshire, forcing business to shut down or relocate to friendlier tax environments in other States. Additionally, he put his signature on a bill that increased the Business Profits Tax in our State, further degrading the business-friendly climate we once had.
- Lynch signed bills into law that were passed by the Democrats in the House in secret meetings, behind closed doors, where the opposition party wasn’t invited.
- Lynch signed bill SB500 into law, which allowed violent criminals and sex-offenders to be released from prison 9 months earlier than they normally would have been. Initially, he insisted that violent offenders would not be included, but they were – he signed the bill anyway.
- Lynch signed the repeal of a Parent-Notification law, taking away parental rights to know if their underage daughters are planning to have an abortion. Who has daughters?
Now, Lynch is "upbeat" about professing that we need a balanced budget – and in working with Republicans. Where was his veto pen during his FIRST 3 terms when he burned a hole in the checkbook? If you are fooled by his rhetoric, just keep getting used to being a dupe for the rest of your life.
The thing that really bothers me here is that the Buzz team will go out of their way to promote and worship Lynch, a public servant who wielded a lot of power and influence, without finding out everything about him and his political background. This represents the soft under-belly of our entertainment-driven society that can’t think critically and doesn’t do their homework on politicians and how they spent our money, but knows when Lindsay Lohan is in court or spends more time researching their American Idol vote than their State Representative candidates.
Morning Buzz Tip #3: Do your homework
There’s one more thing you need to know about John Lynch: His “unprecedented fourth term” that you (continually) mention, is an empty-suit. The House, Senate, and even the Executive Council, are now fully controlled by Republicans (actually, many, many Conservatives) with veto-proof majorities, that can essentially tell Governor Lynch to “pound sand” on any issue they like. Lynch’s value for the next two years is a ribbon-cutting, baby-kissing, NASCAR race chasing figurehead – nothing more. And in the end, we’ll all be better off for it, because these Conservatives are more than happy to clean up his mess.
Morning Buzz Tip #4: Make new friends
The final thing you need to understand is that the Republicans now in control of your State Government aren’t the ones who did this to Lynch – the people of New Hampshire (your listeners, if they are still listening), are the ones who did this.
You’d be better off getting to know Bill O’Brien, the new speaker of the NH House, because he’s far more powerful and influential than Lynch can ever be now. He’s also a “nice guy” – but one who tells you something, and means it. Fortunately, he’s a nice guy who stands by his principles and IS looking out for the best interests of our State, and will fix the problems Lynch and his accessories created.
Contact the Morning Buzz: 868-556-ROCK / 603-431-ROCK greg@morningbuzz.com
Photo Credit: wgir.morningbuzzonline.com/main.html
