I guess we scare them.

Well, I read Susan’s post earlier today and decided to saunter over to Blue Hampshire to read Mike Hoefer’s post – Seeking Editorial Lead (reformatted, emphasis mine):

I’ve been an absentee landlord for sometime and do not see that changing in the year ahead. Blue Hampshire’s founding predates Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and those tools have diversified the “New Media” space for NH political news and allowed politicians and politicos easy, direct publishing abilities without the need for a central hub. I believe there are still some interesting digital opportunities for Blue Hampshire if there was someone(s) to help drive the day-to-day editorial of the site. I think it would be a very interesting opportunity for a NH college student(s) majoring in journalism to get some real world experience (in a state that has national impact) to their resume.

Uh, that would include us as well as far as opening the doors – blogging WAS the New Shiny Object. Heck, it was just Doug and I at the ‘Grok’s beginning but our traffic always has been larger (with a couple of exceptions).  Even now, our few authors still outproduce and out-traffic BH’s – even with that whole “community of diarists”.  I don’t quite understand why Mike needs help: they’ve always been “a collective” effort (or as they called it, “a community”) and they can’t find one person to step up and lead?  Or can it only be successful if this “alternative” happens?

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Really?

Is it truly the position of Government Employees that NH Parents are WRONG in not having perfect strangers to be forced to feed their kids?

Well, the answer is right in the first sentence of the article (mostly)- it is always about the Benjamins:

The rates of children who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches has ballooned over a decade. Yet area school officials say there are more eligible families who don’t apply for the program, which not only provides access to meals but also qualifies schools for federal grants and additional state money.

The percentage of students in New Hampshire who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches grew by 66 percent over 10 years. As of October 2012, 46,659, or 27.3 percent, of New Hampshire public school students in grades 1 through 12 qualified for the program, up from 16.4 percent in 2002.

Poverty has not grown that fast in NH to account for that level of growth – I saw this in Gilford, which is a rather well off town, and what I kept hearing from the School officials (despite the low poverty rate in town).  And it was always “where else to get more money from somewhere else”.  Of course, it was always “for the children”.

It continues to disturb me that I continue to see an attitude by 

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Interesting – I didn’t realize the percentages were THAT large:

A new study of how criminals vote found that most convicts register Democratic, a key reason in why liberal lawmakers and governors are eager for them to get back into the voting booth after their release.

“Democrats would benefit from additional ex-felon participation,” said the authoritative study in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

The authors, professors from the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University, found that in some states, felons register Democratic by more than six-to-one. In New York, for example, 61.5 percent of convicts are Democrats, just 9 percent Republican. They also cited a study that found 73 percent of convicts who turn out for presidential elections would vote Democrat.

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“What is the base supposed to think when they see Republicans taking money from Democrats to use in Republican primaries?”

Or, as the phrase goes that I’ve been using: the Jr. Partners of the Democrats.  It is no secret that the Establishment Republicans, as shown by Karl Rove’s willingness to spend millions to defeat conservatives (aka TEA Party) that actually believe in the Constitution and the Party Platform.  Power is addictive and we see that on both sides of the aisles.  How often have we seen those trying to move the country down to its political roots be attacked by long term pols that seemingly have more regard for themselves and their butts in the seat rather than taking the hard stances and showing the willingness to say “no more” to the overregulating, freedom snuffing Welfare State?

How often do we see “our side” willing to work with the Socialists and move that Overton Window just that next incremental move Leftward?  As long as they get to play with the Levers of Power – when permitted, I guess.  And here is a great example of Republicans acting as “the useful idiots” for others that wish to knock them off  later- but willing to take out TEA Party types first:

Guess Who’s Funding the Republican Civil War

Labor unions. And they’re doing it through a pro-business Republican PAC.

The Republican Main Street Partnership has emerged as an outspoken, deep-pocketed player in pro-business GOP plans to beat back tea-party challengers next year. But the group’s new super PAC has an unexpected source for its seed money: labor unions.

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In late December the Nashua Telegraph and Kevin Landrigan reported on the dual residency of once and no longer candidate for New Hampshire Governor, Chuck Rolecek.  The ‘investigation’ pointed out residency rules in South Carolina required to take advantage of certain property tax benefits in that state.   Drivers licenses, that sort of thing.  it was quirte detailed, at least as parroted by the Union Leader.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the Telegraph (or any media in NH) applied the same diligence used in the Rolecek investigation (regarding matters of residency and voter registration) to the dozens of operatives, students, OFA flacks (see also Democrat voters) who helicoptered in to vote for Democrats in NH in 2012 (or previous years)–many voting from the homes of prominent Democrats, State Party officials, Nashua Candidates for the NH House, or state employees at the AG’s office–and then left?

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“Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.”  —Mark Twain

  New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in America. Citizens in New Jersey are virtually unarmed. Issuance of licenses or permits to carry a pistol concealed are the exception, not the rule. In order to do so, one must have a compelling reason to do so.

Jonathan  Wheeler and George Daudelin, both  retirees from the Newark Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Unit applied to the New Jersey State Police for a special permit authorizing them to carry handguns. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:3 a

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Medicaid Fraud is a problem.  Expanding Medicaid in NH poses the risk and likely increase in fraud and the invertible burden of its costs, which will ultimately be borne by NH Taxpayers no matter how either party spins it.

The ability of the bureaucracy to curtail fraud is limited, or it would never have become a problem in the first place, and as the program expands and contorts compliance becomes an expensive problem.  That is to say, expensive to comply, and expensive to track down, identify, and prosecute fraud effectively.

Seeing as the NH AG’s office is not known for its diligence in the pursuit of fraud, except for one-off timely sound bites meant to give the appearance of enforcement,  is it anything other than a matter of convenience that the New Hampshire Attorney General has just released an indictment against a New Hampshire Dentist accused of Medicaid Fraud?

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More and more, I see this sentiment boiling up from those “in the movement”.  More and more, they are feeling used (“thanks for 2010, now go away)

If Republicans were as concerned as they say with winning in 2014 and 2016, the GOP establishment in Washington would get out of the way and let the grassroots work the same magic it did in 2010. Instead they are doing everything in their power to make conservatives, their most reliable base of support, shut up and sit down. This is a colossal mistake that will lead to the Democrats retaining control of the Senate in 2014. It may lead to the end of the Republican Party.

The ruling class in Washington, on both sides of the aisle, has spent generations developing a system where the American people are largely uninvolved, and therefore politicians can absolve themselves of responsibility for most any legislation or problems that may arise with legislation. The ruling class is very happy with this status quo.

Conservatives want to change the way Washington works and make all representatives more responsive to the will of the American people. Accountability is the very last thing the ruling class on either side of the aisle wants to accept, and the conservative movement has sometimes shown the muscle to force it upon them. For that, the establishment GOP will partner with the progressive Democrats to do their best to cleanse conservative principles from Washington.

They feel they have been betrayed by those that lipsync the right words,

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