Another year of blogging and another year of comments, so it must be time for the annual top 20 most commented-upon posts.

As a reminder this list is based entirely on comments as of Dec 27th at 11 am EST.  It is not a top 20 of best posts for content, reporting, influence, or style (decisions we would never assume to make for you), just those that inspired the most on-line debate. (Posts with an identical number of comments are posted as they appear when sorted by WordPress for this list.)

2012 Top 20  –  2013 Top 20 – 2014 Top 20

The Granite Grok TOP Twenty for 2015

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The November numbers are in; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that New Hampshire’s unemployment rate is at 3.2%, which compares favorably to the reported national unemployment rate of 5.0%. (See the BLS chart below.) Normally, both of those numbers would be something for us to cheer about, or at the very least, we should feel confident that the recession is truly over. Sadly, we all know that neither of those unemployment numbers, no matter how often they are repeated, is even close to the truth.

The citizenry of New Hampshire might not have at their disposal a cadre of statisticians crunching and massaging the employment numbers, but we do have eyeballs. Here’s what I see when I make my twice-daily trip in to Keene, the largest city in the Monadnock region:

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Prof. Thomas Sowell on Socialist centrally planned economies (run by the elite government few in a command-and-control) (emphasis mine):

The French Revolution was their chance to show what they could do when they got the power they sought. In contrast to what they promised — “liberty, equality, fraternity” — what they actually produced were food shortages, mob violence, and dictatorial powers that included arbitrary executions, extending even to their own leaders, such as Robespierre, who died under the guillotine.

In the 20th century, the most sweeping vision of the Left — Communism — spread over vast regions of the world and encompassed well over a billion human beings. Of these, millions died of starvation in the Soviet Union under Stalin and tens of millions in China under Mao.

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This first appeared in the Concord Monitor (reformatted, emphasis mine):

First, what is “net metering”? It is the process of using a new “smart meter” to monitor and record the flow of electricity at your home, business or municipal building, both to and from your local electrical utility.  My smart meter has been in place in Concord for four years. I enjoyed working with Unitil when I built my net-zero energy home with its associated photovoltaic panels. Without the ability to “net meter” with your local utility by using a smart meter, you can’t economically generate any of your own electricity for your own use without going “off-grid” – as in not connected at all to your local electric utility.

Today, people go off-grid only when it is too expensive to pay for the utility distribution wires to reach a remote location or, for whatever personal reason, they want to become 100 percent self-reliant, with no utility tie at all.

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Continuing on that 23 different types of deoderants, 18 different pairs of sneakers, and people making decisions all on their own and such; yet another post to which Statists would like you not to know (emphasis mine, reformatted):

Sorry, Socialists, But Capitalism Is Killing Absolute Poverty

To hear the global left these days, you’d think the only thing that matters is income inequality. Socialist candidate Bernie Sanders has even made income inequality a linchpin of his presidential campaign, as has millionaire presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton.”The issue of wealth and income inequality is the great moral issue of our time,” says The Bern , “it is the great economic issue of our time, and it is the great political issue of our time.”

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Real Climate Science | The frequency of warm winter days in the US has been declining for a century. In 1954, almost one fourth of winter days in the US were over 60F, but in 2010 the percent of warm days just over 10%.

Similarly, the frequency of hot summers days has declined. Warmth is becoming a thing of the past in the US.

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NH Rebellion is a magnet for useful idiots.

Rule #1 – If *Democrats want it the odds are good it’s bad for freedom, individual liberty, State sovereignty, the Constitution, and the country. Stay away. (*We’re talking about the progressive variety running the party and setting the agenda and those that keep them in power.)

Rule #1a – If you are a Republican attracted to a group claiming to be non-partisan that is selling something Democrats want you are a useful idiot.

Predicated on the idea of removing the influence of money on political speech and politics, NH Rebellion uses money to influence political speech and politics. But that’s just the silly bit. The serious problems begin when you scratch the surface of NH Rebellion to see what’s underneath the non-partisan patina.

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From Luke Chapter 2

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

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You’ve probably heard the one about the major American Newspaper that published a cartoon of Senator Ted Cruz’ daughters. The Washington Post depicted his Hispanic children as monkeys. Do that with Obama’s daughters and see what happens to you.

Anyway, Ted and his campaign has a cartoon idea of their own.

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