To whom it may concern: Advocates for the Clean Heat Standard insist that the program will only add a few cents to the price of fossil home heating fuels (oil, kerosene, propane, fossil natural gas), that the law, Act 18, is “only a study,” and that, if implemented, it will help low-income Vermonters by lowering … Read more
Londonderry keeps making news. It’s been an interesting few years, pushing Laura Gandia out, 91-a hijinks, press intimidation, and incompetent planning boards. The Fire Chief resigned this month, and now the whiny town manager is resigning. Even Governor Sununu is pissed. He of the take the free federal money seems to have been of the opinion that … Read more
The NH-BIA pandering Bradley is just more of their same stroking-the-pet advocacy approach. It says: Be Our Boy, and Good Things Come Your Way. Senate membership is small and a bit clubby. The message of individual gratification is clearly received by all. Buying influence in the Senate is much more affordable than a sprawling crowd like the House. We … Read more
This is not a first-time nod but a repeat (if memory serves). New Hampshire has ranked number one in the United States for beer consumption (woo-hoo!). Northeastern states, particularly New Hampshire (1.66 gallons) and Vermont (1.58 gallons) have some of the highest beer consumption rates in the country. New Hampshire doesn’t have state sales tax, … Read more
Is there more to election integrity than secured votes and ballots?
New Hampshire has an amendment on the November Ballot that would allow judges to serve until age 75. We currently retire them at 70. I confess that, until the past week, I paid no attention to this whatsoever, but others have. ‘Grok author Laurie Ortolano dropped a piece on the amendment (opposed), to which occasional … Read more
New Hampshire has been doing something crazy. Lowering taxes. Business taxes have systematically been reduced for years. Small. Incremental. Persistent. Drew Cline wrote a piece debunking the lies that this harmed New Hampshire somehow. The Republican Legislature also repealed the state’s only tax on income (we don’t have a traditional income tax on individual wages) … Read more
The day after the Burlington Free Press published its Safest State story about Vermont, the UK Daily Mail dropped a bomb on Burlington: “The idyllic northeastern state being ravaged by drugs, crime, and homelessness: ‘People don’t feel safe.‘“ I missed it when writing about the former, though I did point out the latter. We’ve been observing the … Read more
There’s a PAC running ads in New Hampshire to keep those dangerous MAGA Republicans out of the New Hampshire House. It’s the dumbest bit of tripe I’ve ever seen. It mentions guns and gun laws twice (if I recall), one in general and one related to schools. There is no context, including the absence of … Read more
It was a surprise this week when Independent Representative Laura Sibilia (I-Dover) announced with two weeks left to go before the November 5th election that she is challenging the incumbent Speaker of the House, Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), for the gavel. So many questions! Why now? And why would Sibilia think for even a nanosecond that … Read more
This week, we get a tad philosophical when discussing censorship, Democrats’ nonstop fundraising on nonstop abortion talk, and more.
Nine years after the state began reducing business tax rates, five narratives are driving the policy discussion of those cuts. All five are false. In a new briefing paper, we debunk the five most common myths about the business tax cuts that ran from 2015-2022. Background: From 2015-2022, legislators cut the Business Profits Tax from 8.5% … Read more
Did you know there was a midterm election on Tuesday, November 5, 1974? Now, everyone reading this does. As a kindergartener, I didn’t even know what a governor was, but bad things happened on both sides of the state line that day. One bad governor was born, and another was elected. It was a few … Read more
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (9BOEM) has released a report that more or less admits that offshore wind farms pose a risk to marine ecosystems and that they are unavoidable. Biological Impacts: Marine mammals, sea turtles, birds, and fish could suffer due to noise, habitat displacement, and changes in migration patterns. Even bats, which … Read more
This week, Gates and Soros money is being used to bail out repeat offenders in Vermont, a challenge for the Speaker of the Vermont House: can Republicans replace the Democratic majority, the Bernie Sanders Gerald Malloy debate, and other VT State House and Senate news.
The House is the grand inquest of the state. It is entrusted to carry out investigations and impeachments as a body independent of the judicial and executive branches. House investigative committees have certain powers to carry out their investigations, including collecting sworn or unsworn testimony, utilizing subpoenas to demand the appearance of witnesses for testimony … Read more
Back in the bygone days of early October, the more famous spouse in the Jake Sullivan-Maggie Goodlander pairing was clearly Jake…he is, after all, the National Security Advisor of the United States. But with Election Day fast approaching, there has been a sea-change, and it seems to have come courtesy of a certain president’s (no, … Read more
Laurie Ortolano writes a piece that purports to give readers guidance on the ballot question raising the age limit for judges from 70 to 75. But the text quickly turns to recap Laurie’s mistreatment by the New Hampshire judiciary and by specific persons. Thanks to Spike for the Op-Ed. Send yours to steve@granitegrok.com Let’s stipulate … Read more
The Burlington Free Press has a headline announcing Vermont as the Safest State in the Nation. The accolade follows a release by Wallet Hub, which the story notes “is based on data of assaults per capita, total loss from climate disasters per capita and unemployment rates.” Whhaaaat? “The safest states in America protect their residents … Read more
Barbara Hantz Marconi might theoretically have a right to approach the Governor of New Hampshire, but Governor Sununu has ignored every email I have sent regarding corruption in the courts. The difference? Barbara Hantz-Marconi is not an ordinary citizen. She was appointed to the NH Supreme Court by Governor Sununu and appointed to lead the … Read more