Speed limits on Lake Winni – how ‘bought someone whose been on the water for 30 years?

It’s no secret that I’m not in favor of speed limits on Lake Winnipesaukee, here in NH. No one has ever presented me with statistical evidence to me that high speed alone on the Big Lake have resulted in the accident rates that the "It’s just a liquid road" crowd would have you believe.  Trust me, it’s not a small lake by ANY means, like Squam Lake, where the "shhh, quiet!" crowd won the fight of "Your noisy boats offend me; I will get Government to outlaw anything bigger than a putt-putt". 

Jet Skis Personal Watercraft were set up as being the spawn of Satan – ranking right up there with Twinkies, sugary soda, and Happy Meals as dangers to our Republic.  In that case, I’m not sure which loons were which…

Sorry to inform you folks but I think the "slower is better" crowd have to keep making the emotional appeal, including Rusty McLear, a local hotelier, who said…

"Beauty, tranquility, serenity, relaxation,”…“This is what New Hampshire markets.”

…simply to win the argument.  Danger all about – unless they do as we want.  That’s what his biz model sells.  I have no problem in him doing what is best for his business – and he is quite good at what he does; great for him (really!)!. And it seems to be what many other businesses are doing nowadays; not merely competing merely in the free market but going to Government to lobby for rules, regulations, and laws that provide an enhancement to their business over others.  Economists call this "rent-seeking" – the use of Government to obtain either a monetary or marketplace advantage. 

Lest anyone think I’m picking on Rusty (I’ve met him, briefly; he seems to be a good guy); let me assure you, I’m not.  Heck, compared to some, his lobbying efforts are hardly a sniffle – GE’s Jeffrey Immelt has THAT gig all sewn up big time, being BFWO (Best Friends With Obama), dontcha know.

Anyways,  I wrote this ("Letters doodlings – a terror zone on Lake") a bit ago, and my friend Chan over at Weekend Pundit left a comment on it – so I’ve decided that since I have no actual dog in the fight (not owning a boat, but only blogging as it seems to be more of a Freedom issue than an actual danger issue as some would have you believe) to promote the comment up.  Why?

Well, he’s been plying these waters for 30 years – a bit of experience, I would posit (full disclosure: he’s has had TMEW & I on his runabout in the past…..a grand total of…er…once (heh!)). He says this about the "No Fun Faster than 45 on Winnipesaukee" crowd:

While I haven’t been as vocal on this issue as I might have, I believe I must now comment.

First, let me state that I have plied the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee for over 30 years. In all that time I have seen an excessive speed ‘incident’ once, and that was perpetrated by someone under the influence of way too much beer.

While claims about the speeds of boats being too high and ruining the ambiance on the lake have made again and again and how it threatens the safety of everyone out on the lake, those making those claims have chosen to ignore the real problem, one the law already covers.

Under New Hampshire law boats are supposed to…

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Save HB 540 – Biannual Auto Inspections [updated]

It’s not unsafe.  It will not turn into a short film titled ‘Death on The Highway II,’ but it will save everyone a few hours and a few bucks.  It’s HB 540, the bill to move New Hampshire from annual auto inspections to every other year.

Opponents have come up with all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t do this but my favorite was this; that an inspector might have to let something go that was not yet in violation but that could become a violation before the next inspection.  So we’re all unsafe, irresponsible dopes?  No sense of self preservation apparently either.  We just drive along until the next inspection….I don’t think so but nice try.  The other classes of opponents are bureaucrats and rent seeking mechanics who enjoy state mandated visits to their repair shops.  I’ve no time for them either. 

Then there is this.  It is testimony from Rep Steve Vaillancourt, a fellow Blogger at NH Insider, and a guy who can post more content than me on a good day.  He’s also someone with whom I disagree on most social issues, but we see eye to eye on taxes and spending (as far as I can tell), and on HB 540.

Here is Steve’s testimony before the Senate Committee, courtesy of BikerBill (on the jump).  It’s only three plus minutes so check it out.   Then check out Steve’s Blog at NHI and Bill’s Youtube Channel, both worthy excursions across the New Hampshire Political Landscape.

And don’t forget to contact the committee to tell them you support HB 540.  And remember to be polite.

Email

james.rausch@leg.state.nh.us

dboutin1465@comcast.net

james.forsythe@leg.state.nh.us

molly.kelly@leg.state.nh.us

nancy.stiles@leg.state.nh.us

Phone

Senator Jim Rausch (R-Derry) (Senate District 19) 271-8630.

Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett) (Senate District 16) 271-2709

Senator James Forsythe (R-Strafford) (Senate District 4) 271-3096

Senator Molly Kelly (D-Keene) (Senate District 10) 271-2166

Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton) (Senate District 24) 271-6933

 

 

 

Update: Removed Senator Jim Luthur who is not on this committee; added the correct email for Senator Jim Rausch who is. Thanks to our commenters below for the correction.

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Recovery From Irresponsible Democrat Budgets

To the Editor:

Every child knows which parent to approach for permission to do something risky, expensive, inappropriate, or too impractical.    The parent who says “No” is called “mean”, “uncaring“, “selfish”, etc.     

Some marriages have problems because over-spending threatens  financial disaster, e.g., eviction, inability to purchase real needs like food and health insurance.  Sometimes one spouse stands up to avoid the disaster, slashes expenses, sells expensive toys, cancels unessential services, etc.  Family members enjoying the excess spending may call these cuts “extreme” and the responsible parent “mean”, “uncaring“, “selfish”, etc.   

Across our country city, state, and federal governments have recklessly over-spent and over-committed future spending. 

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Republican Change In New Hampshire

NH State SealH/T to Patricia Wulfson for sending me this first.

“The New Hampshire House of Representatives received a mandate from the voters of this state to cut state spending; reduce taxes and fees; return fiscal sanity to the state; promote economic development and create jobs; mend a state retirement system that was nearing insolvency; provide our children with an education based on excellence; protect the personal rights and freedoms of its citizens; and maintain transparency in state government. Listed here is a compilation of legislation passed by the 2011 New Hampshire House of Representatives in response to that message that they received in November from the voters.

 

Trans-formative Change:

• Passed a constitutional amendment to require a super-majority in the House and Senate to raise taxes or borrowing. (CACR 6)

• For the first time in NH history, that included more that 50 attempts in the legislature, the House passed a constitutional amendment to expand local control of education funding by returning authority to elected officials, not unelected judges. (CACR 12) Setting an example for our citizens by “living within our means:”

• Passed a fiscally responsible budget that, (1) was balanced by using realistic revenue figures; (2) did not increase taxes or fees; (3) does not downshift onto local property taxpayers; and (4) does not increase borrowing, setting New Hampshire on a financially sustainable path will allow our economy to grow and create more jobs. (HB 1 & 2)

• Passed an education funding formula that maintains existing levels of aid to communities and allows additional targeted aid to needy cities and towns. (HB 337)

• Passed a bill to allow local communities to enact tax and spending caps. (HB 341) Moving our economy forward, creating more jobs and putting out the “Open for Business sign” in New Hampshire once again.

• Passed a small business tax cut to protect reasonable compensation from the business profits tax. (HB 557)

(more on the jump…)

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A Silber In The Minds Eye

So in the face of this economic catastrophe, which the democrats happily sold as a disaster not unlike a Biblical plague, what did NH Democrats do? They decided that despite that we were going to take in 23% more revenue than we did when times were “good” and went on a grow government spending spree. You could call that a revenue problem, but I think it is really more of a democrats are selfish, ideological, tax and spend A-holes problem.

AMT – a stealth tax riser

The AMT was first put into place, the intent was to prevent high net worth individuals from paying no income tax – a special case of 155 people.  Today, far different problem: 4.5 million. Fortunately for me, I am not at that level of income, nor am I in one of the states that seems … Read more

Data Point – Bending the curve down, or up?

Budget – will it go up, or down.  Here in NH, like most states, the budget HAS to be balanced.  During the last 2 legislative sessions, the Dems pushed spending up 25%, using a bunch of accounting gimmickry and taking advantage of the mean trick on the backs of our grandkids by accepting "free Federal money" to help support that spending frenzy.  Well, the bill came due and the Republicans in Concord have done the adult thing and said "no mas" to that unsupportable amount of spending.

Problem still remains: that of the Federal Govt.  There, the Dems have held sway and true to form, they just threw not dollar bills into the air, but thousand-dollar bills into the air, thinking "there, great governance on our part".  Yeah, Hope on a massive scale.  What’s it gonna give us if nothing is done?  Yeah, massive debt, as seen by this chart:

The right side of the chart?  If we leave the current spending by Obama and his merry band of Progressive / Marxist / Socialist cohorts alone, that’s where we end up -> a bigger version of Greece.  Same result, however, less spending and more hurt.  That’s what happens when children-politicians decide to no longer delay self-gratification (or in this case instant gratification of their sycophant unions that keep them in power).  As any family knows, spend beyond a certain point, and all the family income goes to debt service – it DOES affect the things that a family can then do (trust me, when TMEW became ill and I had to shut our small biz down, I know what it is like).

That green part?  Congressman Paul Ryan’s blueprint for a more adult way of…

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New Hampshire Budget Facts – an offering by the Republican Liberty Caucus of NH

There is a new site dedicated to the facts of the recently passed NH Budget bill, HB1: New Hampshire Budget Facts (nhbudgetfacts.org).    It’s purpose? The House budget is a hallmark of responsible government. Contrary to the cries of opponents, the budget reduces the size of state government—without higher taxes, borrowing, downshifting, or accounting tricks—to … Read more

Letters doodlings – a terror zone on Lake

Really – that’s what one lady, Mary Hutchins, is using for rhetoric for NH State Senator Jim Forsythe (my Senator) merely for a difference of opinion – he has sponsored an amendment to a bill allowing 55mph in the largest part of the Big Lake.  For this, they want him to resign? It is my opinion that most of these folks won’t be happy unless a duplication of the "Golden Pond" regs in place – if they had their way, nothing more powerful than a one-cylinder putt-putt outboard on a two person skiff would be allowed. 

To the Editor:

There are been numerous Letters from the "No Fun Faster than 45 on Winnipesaukee" crowd, all calling on our NH State Senator, Jim Forsythe, to resign just because he disagrees with them on the issue of speed limits on the Big Lake.  Further, they believe that everyone else sides with them on this.  When one considers ALL the far more important issues NH faces, is frothing on the keyboard simply for disagreeing over about a 10 mph difference in speed really grounds for a recall?  Hardly, and  I do believe that crowd has "jumped the shark" with Mary Hutchins’ remark of "Will the entire Broads area be considered a terror zone?".  Really, a terror zone?  In the words of Madam Pelosi: "Are you serious"?  Frankly, the State has far more important issues to confront – most important one, by some estimates, up to a $Billion deficit.  Priorities, people.

Jim, keep doing what you’re doing – from this constituent’s viewpoint, flank speed ahead as I see that my political agenda, mostly, seems to be yours – exactly what I hoped for when I supported your run and voted for you: cut the spending drastically, make govt smaller and less intrusive, and continue to limit the reach of govt that returns the real power back to the  local level and to citizens where it rightly belongs (and not in Concord where the Democrats took it). 

Ms. Hutchins Letter after the jump:

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Picture of the Day 4-6-11

From Patriot Post, (a few years back) this graphic was created for a T-Shirt commemorating another Clinton lie, this one from Hillary, about coming under fire in Bosnia. No one could corroborate the story, and at least one reporter contradicted it completely, as does the historical record outside the Clinton Library. At least she didn’t claim to be a veteran afterward

Body Of Proof

I watched ABC’s ‘Body of Proof’ the other night Tuesdays at 10pm and if you would like the worlds quickest synopsis here it is.
“House” meets “Quincy” with a touch of the Mentalist.

Price – a decision point

Capitalism is under attack by those on the Left that believe that it is evil and that it discriminates against "the oppressed".  The major problem is that they try to wrap up both economics and their sense of morality into a bow.  If it (or anything else, for that matter) isn’t exactly to their liking, it must be bad and must be legislated, regulated, or adjudicated to the point that it would be. 

Yet, what would be better?  Here’s something to say "there isn’t" (emphasis mine):

…I’ve often annoyed friends by repeating my view that “Prices are beautiful.”  We have a tendency to view prices as deception, a trick played on consumers to scam us into paying more than we like.  Prices are information.  Like ants tracing pheremones, prices provide signals for the billions of buyers and sellers that we call “the market.”  These prices guide our savings, our production and our consumption.  Isn’t it marvelous how we can use a price to evaluate all 3 of those functions?  Prices are like a universal language!  (But far superior to Esperanto)

Our preferences conflict as multiple people want the same item.  How do we resolve this?  You could take it by force.  You could plead your case before a judge.  You could lobby a Senator for a favor.  You could stand in line and submit a request to a bureaucrat.  Or you could express your desire for the good directly to the person selling the item you desire.  The seller can then compare the intensity of your desire to that of other interested buyers.  We express the intensity of our desires (and our willingness to sell) with little tags of information called Prices!…

(H/T: Cafe Hayek)

Progressives BIGGEST problem with capitalism?  They don’t trust the sellers in selling a decent product or service, and they believe that most people will make bad decisions – or worse, the WRONG decision (in their minds).  It also allows us to make choices – and choice is one of the biggest measures of freedom.  The price of something is compared against my sense of it’s worth to me – am I willing to pay that price to fill either a need or a want?  Is it of sufficient utility to me (either in actual usage or perceived value) for me to part with part of my life (my labor) to obtain it?

Price – doesn’t solve everything but can solve a lot.

Operation Payback – my run for my School Board is not just because of the obstinence; we are paying almost $20,000 / student with barely above average results with respect to NECAP scores.  To me, even in a marketplace that is essentially a government monopoly (with insufficient competitors in the local market to provide a viable number of consumer choice), that is a price too high.

Capitalism is a voluntary exchange – either a vendor brings a product to market or not.  I, as a consumer, can purchase a product, or not (except in MA where RomneyCare forces me to buy a product, and ObamaCare will force us all to do so).

Like at Best Buy, last night.  It is not often that a TV starts to sound like a washing machine…

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Ask Ray & Kathy…About Incest

Question: If consensual sex (without coercion) between any two adults is a protected right, (gay sex is defended on these grounds) does the state have a right to prohibit sex between adult relatives, regardless of how closely related?

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