NH State Rep Leigh Webb (D): “The role of government is to legislate behavior“

Yep, not satisfied with dealing with ISIS, the national debt, the overrunning of our Southern Border, the crisis in Gaza and Hamas, the Taliban in Afghanistan, homegrown Muslim terrorists (yes, the Minneapolis based Somalis going to wage jihad in Iraq / Syria), the EPA arbitrarily killing off the coal industry, taking away of the Right to Private Property, Justice doing its own part to kill off other industries they don’t likel, Russia in the Crimea, Russia in Ukraine, Boko Haram in Nigeria, China making noises against both Japan and the Philippines, the Norks lobbing rockets again, and yes, school kids dumping their lunches into the trash…oh heck, you know the rest.

No, none of these are as important to Progressive President Obama and his cohort of commies totalitarians that KNOW we just can’t do the right thing in using energy and prove that they don ‘t believe in Individual Choice and the power of the Marketplace.  They truly believe that only those in government (elected, appointed, or hired) have any idea of how an adult should act or spend their money.  Can’t allow people to make “bad” choices, can we?  Reformatted and emphasis mine:

The Obama administration is working on new efficiency standards for seemingly every appliance but the kitchen sink.

Spurred by President Obama’s climate action plan, the Department of Energy is pumping out new standards for refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, furnaces, boilers, water heaters, lamps and many more appliances.   The administration says the standards will not only help the planet but also stimulate the economy by saving consumers money on their energy bills that they can spend elsewhere.But industry groups argue the standards, which will apply to both commercial and household appliances, could slow the economy, and that the Energy Department is rushing the new rules while overestimating the savings. Other critics argue the push to regulate household appliances is evidence of a nanny state.

Again, this is THE major problem with the Federal Government and the blind side of Progressivism:

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Oh the bittersweet irony.  When I clicked on a link to review another article about failed Republicans putting Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion into place, I got an ad from Senator David Boutin saying he’s ‘fighting for taxpayers’.

Really?  David Boutin fights for taxpayers and I’m Queen Mary.  Give me a break.  The irony was not lost on me.  The article shows how Republicans in Pennsylvania have decided to cave and screw taxpayers, along with the most vulnerable in the state, to put Obamacare’s Expansion into place.

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Once again, the folks that believe they are worth more than the job economically entails are going to go on strike on Thursday (reformatted, emphasis mine)

Fast-food workers plan nationwide protest Thursday

The campaign to get fast-food workers paid at least $15 a hour resumes later this week.  Union organizers say workers will walk off their jobs Thursday in 150 cities nationwide. Restaurants that they say will be affected include McDonald’s (MCD), Burger King (BKW) , Wendy’s and KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands (YUM).  The action would be the latest in a two-year effort to get employers to pay them a minimum wage of $15 an hour and allow them to form unions without retaliation.

Nancy Salgado, a 27 year old single mother of a 3 year old boy and an 8 year old girl, plans to strike.  Salgado works at a McDonald’s in the Logan Square area of Chicago earning $8.25 an hour, or about $600 a month take home pay.  After splitting rent and utilities with 3 roommates, and paying for child care, she’s left with a little over $100 a month for food and everything else.  “If I have a dollar at the end of the month it’s a miracle,” Salgado said.

Once again, entry level jobs are just that – entry level.  They are meant to give entry level workers experience and skills to rise upward – not to provide for a family.  But with the stultifying effects that the Obama Administration has had on the labor market, it has fundamentally transformed our economy to being not much different than Europe’s (go ahead, go look how locked in and regulated that is – and the millions of younger and low skilled workers that either can’t get a start or advance).

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Again, SEIU is a Socialist organization, through and through – I have studied them, I have read their papers and newsletters, and I have watched them work issues – especially in getting Obama and Obamacare passed.  They make it no secret that they hate Conservatives for their love of the Constitution.  They make it no secret that they hate Republicans as well as they are as Democrat as they come if not more.

So according to their own documents, what is it that makes incumbent NH State Senator Dave Boutin (R-District 16) so attractive to them that they would endorse him in his run against the true Conservative in this race, Jane Cormier?  Was it that he supported their main issue – Obamacare (specifically Obamacare’s program to Expand Medicare)?  It will certainly require a large tax increase from NH taxpayers after the first 3 years, and the SEIU is nothing if not redistributionist in nature – taking from the many to give to the fewer.  As Obama said to Joe the Plumber: spread the wealth around.  And nothing requires more spreading than “free” healthcare!  This is in the NH GOP Platform – where?

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The SEIU has a reputation.  Mean, ranting, left-wing, all-Obama, and did we mention left-wing?  The NH-SEA (SEIU) is the big government union around New Hampshire and their leadership whiles away their time and effort keeping Democrats in power.  Spending always goes up and your taxes with them.

If you want less money in your pocket and more in the hands of union bosses, SEIU is your verb.

Getting endorsed by the SEIU is what every NH Democrat wants.  So what does it say about Republicans endorsed by the SEIU?

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I’ve been saying it for a while now – no way that I’m betting that 2014 is going to replicate 2010 and a large reason why is, IMHO, that the Establishment Republicans joined with the Democrats in excoriating the TEA Party / Libertarian wing of the Party.  That would be the same people that dragged a lot of Republicans over the finish line both at the Federal level and bushwhacked the Dems at the State level.  More and more I am hearing, in effect, that these folks are starting to say “screw you – why vote for you when you fight against us?”  Thus, when this came across the transom, I was not surprised – somebody high in the NH GOP is getting really antsy and anxious, eh?  Reformatted and emphasis mine:

Got this today from the Brookline-Mason GOP.  Someone is nervous…..I wonder how high up it goes?

On Aug 29, 2014 6:52 PM, “Thomas Humphreys”wrote

BMRC Members, The purpose of this email is to urge you to do the following:

1. Vote in the Republican primary election for the candidate(s) of your choice.
2. Vote in the general election for the Republican candidate, even if they were not who you voted for in the primary election. Staying home and/or not voting for a specific candidate/office is the same as voting for their opponent.

In the 2012 presidential election, there were approximately 220 million registered voters in the United States. Final voting results for president (rounded) were, Obama-66 million, Romney 61 million. Which means 93 million people did not bother to vote.  Assuming an even split (Democrat, Independent, and Republican) among the 93 means that about 31 million Republicans stayed home. If just 20% (6 million) of those had gone to the polls and voted for Romney, the outcome would have been different, we would have a much better individual in the White House and our country would be far better off than it is today.

And of course, I had a response!

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Consistency breeds Trust yields Votes

We have been rather stingy with endorsements thus far this season; the writers at GraniteGrok decided that our bar for such would be set so high that few would be able to meet it.  We discussed that we would only settle for “Champions” – those people that we can Trust; those candidates that we would never have to worry about the questions of where they are with respect to the NH GOP Platform and, more importantly, both the words and spirit of our Constitutions when it comes to legislation and votes.  Can we, without even asking, know how a Champion will vote without asking?  Can this be a person that will not violate that Trust that we would imbue to them?  And in this Federal position, work hard to reverse the Progressive march that demands that Government be our master?

The Groksters, writers / activists, have decided that Bob Smith is that person and who represents our values most closely and someone that we can lend one of our most valuable assets that we have as Citizens – our votes.  In a representative democracy, our Constitutional Republic, there can be no higher accolade than to say “we believe you can do the job” and do so within the constraints of what the Constitution allows you to do as one that will be directing that level of Government.  We believe that he is best suited to not only carry those values forward but also resist those that are infected with “Potomac Flu” – the philosophy that “Government knows best and should legislate our behavior”, and that special interest groups that “rent seek” from the Feds in “benefit for the few at the expense of the many”.

As with all of our endorsements, however, comes that “double edged sword”;

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I was on my way home and heard a commercial paid for by NextGen Climate Action.   The radio ad focused on a Republican candidate for the US Senate in New Hampshire, Oil, out-of-state-energy-influence peddlers, and (oil-drum-roll) the Koch brothers.

It was your typical left wing boilerplate, yes, but the ad emphasized how New Hampshire, the state of New Hampshire, doesn’t have any oil in it.  None.  Nada.  And as such, no oil money.

The liberal narrative: using revenue from “oil” (when New Hampshire doesn’t have any) to advance any political fortunes in the Granite State, is bad.  Wrong.  Unethical.

Enter Maggie ‘Fracking’ Hassan

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Yeah, this is a “bite the hand that fed ya” type of post – I was named AFP’s National Activist of the Year back in 2011 and Steve was named AFP’s National Blogger of the month in December 2012.  I would like to point out that this post also shows that while we have friends, we must also point out “wrong doing” by them just as if they were not – else we would be hypocritical.  Above all, we value the reputation we have built by being equal opportunity Flashlighters when anyone crosses a line that they should not.  And yes, we hold our friends to a higher standard.

Thus, I got a bit peeved when I saw this in my email that came in from a ‘Grok Friend while I was out doing errands this afternoon (up North a bit of gunsmithing for me & leaving some bucks with BJs – given that Obama has declared September to be “PrepareAThon”, he should be proud of me!).  What the heck is the Honorary Chair of Americans for Prosperity / NH Tom Thomson getting involved in the NH Republican Primary for Governor??   Reformatted and emphasis mine:

Today, Sept. 2, 2014, it was announced by Tommy Thompson (Honorary Chair of NH AFP), that he was endorsing Walt Haverstein, in the race for NH Governor. NH AFP will tell you they do not “endorse” candidates, but those in the know, understand how the game is played.  The truth is Tommy will carry the “message” of Havenstein’s endorsement for AFP while looking as though NH AFP was not actually involved.  NH Americans for Prosperity has sold out the grassroots here in NH! They have been coopted by the NH GOP!

See below why I give this last sentence credence; more of that email and my response:

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This came in on Thursday and missed it first go around – apologies:

Speaker Candidate Rep. William O’Brien’s Statement on the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s Decision in Duncan v. State of New Hampshire

Contact:               Rep. William O’Brien
Tel. (603) 620-8710
Email: WilliamLOBrien@gmail.com

In 2012 the New Hampshire legislature overrode Democrat Gov. Lynch’s veto and passed the Opportunity Scholarship Act, a law intended to give the children from poor and medium income families the opportunity to get the same educational opportunities that the children of Gov. Lynch and so many of his well-heeled political and union boss friends enjoy.  This pro-educational choice law allows businesses to give a very limited amount of their pretax dollars to private charities set up to give all but a small percentage of the funds they receive to educate children from families earning no more than 300% of the federal poverty line.

Ever since this law came into effect, vested educational industry interests, led by those who do not have to send their children to failing schools, have tried to reverse Gov. Lynch’s failed gubernatorial veto with a judicial veto.  They forum-shopped for a favorable judge.  They had that judge issue a decision limiting the law based on premise that would make any liberal smile: he said, in effect, that all your money first belongs to the government, so if government leaves some to you after taxes with the knowledge that you might spend it on a religious-based education, then government is supporting religion.

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The Obama Administration is convinced that their latest planned regulatory regime for everyday appliances will put more money in people’s pockets by forcing changes meant to reduce the cost of operating them.

People who can’t afford a car do save an awful lot of money on gas.  I suppose we could apply this same thinking to microwaves, refrigerators,  stove tops, ovens, ranges, dishwashers (and every other appliance eventually).  If you can’t afford the appliance you will save on all the electricity it would have used, right?

The planned regulations would make appliances cost more. and likley eliminate any and all low cost appliances that can’t meet the governments mandated standards.

While the rules may save a bit of energy (and there is nothing wrong with that, though it should be the consumer choice, not Government Mandate), it will also drive up the cost of the appliances/devices, which will harm the lower and middle classes.

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Even under the best of circumstances the progressive nanny-state compulsion to centrally plan is based on the idea that individuals with money and power cannot be trusted to do right by anyone else.  Nor do they trust a free people, exercising choices with their own dollars, to act as a check on others.

The progressive solution to this problem is to take that money and power and entrust to individuals and agencies of government, who– free from interference from producers and consumers–will decide what is best.

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