I had a really good laugh at one of the Daily Sun’s Letters to the Editor. They are complaining that NH’s Government doesn’t have a “rational and consistent energy strategy.” This translates to “a strategy that I believe is the ONLY one we should have – but don’t.”
They put no thought behind that false premise that the Government IS Consistent and that Government IS rational.
He is also clueless; if the other party takes control and “Government must be in charge of everything,” then a lot of us on the other side would agree it isn’t Consistent (shall we talk about masks, vaxes, and flip-flopping?) and certainly isn’t rational (when “Rational” can oft be described as “fitting with my political philosophy”).
Mark Longely believes that Government will always make the right decisions and ONLY do what is best for us all – and we all should follow it, even though it’s obvious he’s no fan of NH Governor Chris Sununu right now – neither am I but for FAR different reasons.
I guess he hasn’t read the sorry saga that Doug outlined (which also appeared in the Daily Sun). So first, let me get my first point on this way of thinking out of the way:
So his entire LtE is below – just let me get these other points out of the way and you can read for yourselves.
- WHY do you think that Government should be “leading in the first place? Did our Founders designed it that way? I think not.
- It’s clear that anyone not agreeing with him MUST believe in Government failure. He certainly believes that the current administration fails but gives the nuance that a different (er, Democrat) one would be successful (jus’ spitballing this one – heh!).
- While his LtE is writ small, the sense I get is that Government SHOULD lead – and MAKE the rest of us follow. There cannot be any dissent from this position.
- So what if NH is “LAST”? It show that, at least on THIS policy”, NH is doing the right thing by staying out of the way in letting its citizens make their own Choices. Live Free or Die, baby! I’m not against REs (Renewables Energy sources – that only work when the onditions are right like when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing) if individuals want to install them OR decided to voluntarily wish to band together, obtain the land, purchase the equipment and services to install it, and then enjoy the fruits of their labor. Just to force me to join and don’t bind me to any cost of it. I’m find with deciding by myself and I get peeved at people who think THEIR best ideas are ones that fit me (most don’t, just to be on the record).
- I LIKE the idea of pulling up to a gas station, getting refueled in a couple of minutes and then driving off. I get angry at the idea that some “Do-Gooder” wants me to carefully plan my travel such that I end up at some Government owned charging station (yes, Biden wants the Feds to own several billions of dollars worth of equipment that really should be the Private Sector’s responsibility. What do I do if someone, for political reasons, hits the Big Red Button and turns them all off at once? Or just for my vehicle because they think I’m a Domestic Terrorist simply because my worldview is a continent away from theirs?
And then the worst of all:
- NHSave – WHY should I be FORCED to contribute to a “charity” that makes other people feel good about themselves? Sure, it may well do good works but why must it be a Government “thing”? In this, is Mark Longley a Bernie Sanders or AOC clone that private charity should be always be crowded out by Government “benevolence”? WHY won’t HE do the hard work to get other volunteers to join him, pool their monies, get other donors, and use his OWN money to do these good works? Or is he that lazy?
I tire of folks that other people should be doing, at Government expense, the things he believes are right in the “charitable” sense. No, I’ll put it plainly because too many people nowadays either don’t realize it or don’t care – Government taking money for things like this, to which I otherwise wouldn’t be giving, is Tyranny. Short, plain, and exemplifies the Stupidity that many on the Left (and Right, sadly enough) have in this area.
Taking it out of my bill by added surcharges, or taxing the electric companies to do so which artificially raises by bill, is that totalitarianism at work – I get NO choice in the matter. It doesn’t matter how much or how little that amount is – it IS about the Principle.
It’s the same thing at play when NH School Districts demand that everyone else has to call a Transgender “by their preferred pronouns” – except that is the Tyranny of the Mind in demanding how we are to think and how we are to speak.
And is anyone else tired of the Left’s trope of “Forward”? Or their use of “Progress”?
It’s as if they actually believe themselves and thus, given that, believe that the rest of us are retrograde knuckledraggers simply because we know other things bring us closer to our “Pursuit of Happiness” than being told what to do by Government.
I’m disappointed and angry about the recent turn of direction — or more correctly, lack of direction — in our state’s energy policies. Here are three examples of an undeniable failure of leadership in constructing a pathway toward energy efficiency, lower electricity costs and less dependence on fossil fuels in our state.
New Hampshire’s goal for replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy ranks LAST among the seven states of New England. This needs to be fixed, but the lack of attention to this critical matter from our governor speaks volumes about his failure to set bold, ambitious goals for NH.
Last month, the NH Public Utilities Commission voted to defund NH Saves, the energy efficiency and rebate program that has been a mainstay in helping residents insulate their homes and keep electricity costs down as well as reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and cutting CO2 emissions. Consumer groups and the state power utilities are united in opposing these cuts. Incredibly, Gov. Chris Sununu endorses the cuts.
Then our governor appointed a commissioner with no technical training or background in science to head the newly formed Department of Energy. When asked about his goals for addressing climate change at his confirmation hearing before the Executive Council, Jared Chicoine stated: “There is a lot of debate around this issue, people are divided. I would like to avoid moving to an extreme on either side.” This is from our energy leader?? What’s more, this new energy department puts more direct control of our energy future into the hands of a governor who has developed no comprehensive plans for facing our impending energy and climate crises.
We desperately need a rational and consistent energy strategy with goals that are relevant to our times. Chris Sununu is a nice guy — but he is not forward-thinking with respect to energy and climate matters. The year 2022 is not coming soon enough to provide a change in leadership that can develop a coherent energy policy.
Mark Longley
(H/T: Laconia Daily Sun)
