Minimum Wage? (Fixed Video)

The Gruberette’s in the Democrat party are constantly pushing a minimum wage increase which ill serves those they claim to care about (That’s the Grubering part), while advantaging unions from whom they reap so much politically.  So they lie outright and by exclusion. Government wage fixing harms low income workers while often driving up union … Read more

From NHDP to NHGP – The New Hampshire Gruber Party

The New Hampshire Democrat Party has been lying to you for years, about so many things, which will cost you and yours dearly for years to come.  So why not propose a name change, now that we’ve met policy-dreamy, over-paid, and well-connected white-tower “expert” Jonathan Gruber? I think we should call them The New Hampshire … Read more

US Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) should have stayed”butt’d out” of the NH Speaker of the House race

Or say both Bill O’Brien and Laurie Sanborn on Kelly Ayotte’s endorsement of Gene Chandler (“Right After That Nap”) for NH Speaker of the House.  While Bill (who, for full disclosure, GraniteGrok endorsed in this race) talked about passe moderates (one of which, Doug Scamman, conspired with the Democrats to seal his fate) of last … Read more

Gene Chandler: like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, I’m in my last innings

Josh McElveen: “…why did you decide that you think that your leadership is what is required?” Gene Chandler : …I’d like to put my experience to good use. As the pro golfer Roy Maclroy said that about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, they’re in their last innings THAT’s what I am, kind of.  I thought … Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 16 & 17 (Union Dues, Liberty)

A couple of questions on Liberty – where does this fit within Bill O’Brien and his worldview?  How would this work within the Legislative leadership he wishes to hold?  Is it “the common good” that is overriding, or is it the lowest level that must be addressed – the Individual?  Two real world, important, and current issues that boil down to the fundamental question: who is more important?

Question 16: During your Speakership, big emphasis on Right To Work – the ability to go and earn a paycheck to support your family without having to join a union…do you think there would be favorability for a very simple bill, that we won’t go for Right To Work, but that the unions now have to collect their dues directly from their membership (no government intermediary between membership and the union leaders in deducting those dues)?

Question 17: Religious Liberty – Certainly we have seen over the last couple of years the problem of non-discrimination impinging the Right of Conscience (the Free Expression as espoused in the First Amendment). We are seeing that small business folks who say we cannot marry you, we cannot do this, we cannot do that it goes against our conscience to do that. The most major principle in this country this country was founded upon. We are seeing a lot of problems with that. People on the Conservative side are starting to say, not just on the religious standpoint, but is it the Proper Role of Government to tell its citizenry “This is how you should think even if it goes against your conscience”? We have seen several cases mandated not only to pay fines when they refused to act according to those things but told “you will take re-education classes, diversity classes (whatever other name you want to do that). Is it that something that you might take up here and it that necessary?

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 7 & 8 (Legislative Abdication, Dependency on Feds)

Yes, more than a few questions already but we aren’t even halfway!  More questions – are legislators actually doing the hard work we elected them to do and are we “selling our State” to the Feds by being too dependent on their money?

  • Question 7: Is it the case that legislators are giving away their authority with passing broad “themes” and not holding them accountable for doing the nitty gritty details?
  • Question 8: With 40% of NH’s “revenue” coming via federal coffers and taking into consideration the current $2B hole (not including Medicaid expansion), what step can be taken, if any, to slow the hemorrhaging?

  

Question 7                                                            Question 8

Previous Questions:

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 9 & 10 (Conservatarians, Domicile & Voter Fraud)

Even in a small State like New Hampshire there is more than a plethora of issues to keep us in blog fodder for, well, forever.  You see, since Progressives have carried out their “The personal is political, the political is the personal”, politics has been shoved by them into every nook and cranny of our very being and Progressives want that because where the political is, Government gets to control it.  After all, it is for your own good (go ask Obamacare Architect Gruber to see if that it true!).  But there is help coming as this next question brings up:

Question 9: There is a term out there going around “Conservatarians” [ “Conservative with (small “L”) libertarian leanings”  -Skip]; A lot of people ran for office in the Republican Party this year. It was amazing, I think, in the primary how many people were running against each other in districts. In many of the districts around me, a lot of people that would call themselves Conservatarians won and they have more of a Liberty mindset that they are more vocal about Liberty issues. Do you see the demographics in the House changing this year from the last time; do you have a sense for that at all?

And of course, when people whose real domicile is not in New Hampshire they can decide to steal a vote:

Question 10: Voter ID problem; a judge in Strafford County gutted domicile which pretty much made that pointless endeavor. Domicile is a huge problem what can we do and can we get it through a Democrat Governor?

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 11 & 12 (State employee lobbying, Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals)

Two important questions having to do with the Proper Role of Government (State employees be able to lobby State legislators?) and the power of the Democrat PR Machine getting inside some Republicans’ heads.  That latter one would be the Democrat tactic of using Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals (Rule #12) against Bill O’Brien (especially it is clear that NH Voters rejected the Democrats’ sole campaign cry: “defeat O’Brien and his Budget!” – they WANT that budget else they’d have voted for more Democrats!)

  • Question 11: Would the legislature consider requiring state agencies and employees to meet the same standards and requirements set for other lobbyists? Should state employees be beseeching The State against MY best interest using my money?
  • Question 12: It is not on a specific issue; we’ve been hearing some real important points of where you stand on the spectrum of issues. For me, the elephant that’s in the room, on FB and the social media I’m heavily advocating for you, because I think you are the right guy at the right time and for the right job, there’s this theme out there that I think would be helpful to be addressed and if you could speak to it. That is the theme that, somehow, if the Republicans vote you in as Speaker of the House, it is going to be a bad election season in 2016 because it will mess up all the elections. I am hearing it throughout the spectrum, it is a talking point to me that seems to be a Democrat, frankly, in that we seemed to pick up the talking point. We’re talking like it’s Truth. So I have had a lot of people that are friends with me that have asked me this specific thing. They have asked me who I’m standing with and then they bring up that point. So, speak to that point, clear it up because I think it is disingenuous information.

  

Question 11                             Question 12

Previous Questions:

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 13 & 14 (State Cartels, more Alinsky demonization)

“Winning is only a precursor; it is what you do afterwards that is most important”

And we are not close to being done (close, but a coupla/few more posts).  This time, the plethora of areas where NH must be begged “Daddy, may I earn a living?” instead of just getting to the job of doing a job.  I also tried to go back to the meme that we are hearing from moderate and “only winning is important” Republicans – Bill O’Brien can’t win simply because Democrats hate him.  This is a reason?  Seriously?  Or is the real reason deeper than that?

Question 13: Speaking of bringing businesses to NH: we have a lot of certifications and licensing for businesses – cartels, I like to call them where you have to get permission from a certain group of people in order to operate your business in a certain way. How would you address that?

Question 14: Follow on to Jane’s question (Question 12): obviously the Democrats have tried to DEMONIZE you according to Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals (Rule #12, isolate, personalize, demonize). Ed

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 14A & 15 (Unity, Constitutional Carry)

“Winning is only a precursor; it is what you do afterwards that is most important”

Aaaaallmost done – almost in asking Bill O’Brien questions about issues and philosophy as he campaigns for the NH Speaker of the House (election by the newly elected NH House Representatives this coming Tuesday).  A follow up question for Question 14 and another one on firearms:

  • Question 14A: What comes to mind as you speak of that, there have been moderate Republicans that have excoriated US and nastily said “Go off and form your TEA Party – you’ll never win”. What I think you are getting to, and comment on this quickly, “Sure, we may not win but you, NH GOP, will certainly lose from getting rid of an important part of your base”. All I have to do is look at the top two of the ticket this time around who insulted the base, the conservative base. They took stances antithetical to that base, and they lost
  • Question 15: Constitutional Carry. We have seen Democrats this past session do everything they can to rope in Second Amendment Rights. There is a movement amongst the the Conservative base to go from a “Shall Issue” to a Constitutional Carry where you don’t have to get ANY piece of paper from the Government as long as you have passed your NICS and you can lawfully own your firearm. Concealed or open carry; not a problem as we’ve seen that in Vermont. Would you be in favor of that?

  

Question 14A                                                                Question 15

Previous Questions:

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 5 & 6 (Commissions & Boards, Regional Planning Commissions)

These next two question were in the area of the growing Administrative State – unelected and unaccountable to the voters making decisions that will affect those voters with the force of law without the legislative process.  It has overtaken the Federal Government and Obama is playing that violin much to our detriment – and it is growing here in NH as well:

Question 5:

New Hampshire has a number of unelected commissions who can circumvent elected officials/the voice of the taxpayers. What can/should the legislature do to keep/make them accountable to the people or move their responsibilities to people who are accountable?  Would it be easier to shift/consolidate whatever it is those commissions do, to elected officials who are accountable to voters?

Question 6:

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Q1A Follow up: High cost of Right To Know for ordinary folks – what can be done?

Following on Steve’s question to Bill O’Brien on the high cost of Right To Know requests, my follow on was concerning the case when government workers decide that they will obfuscate and delay getting that lawfully requested information – can the normal qualified immunity be stripped and they be made personally liable? Q1A:  RTKs by … Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Q2 What happens if the Supremes rule against IRS subsidy rule?

The next question was on Obamacare – specifically the pending doom that that the US Supreme Court may deal to the IRS for writing its Obamacare tax subsidy rule directly counter to what the plain text of the Obamacare law states (tax subsidies are only to be given through State Obamacare Exchanges and not Federal ones):

Question 2:

NH Has no state exchange. If the Supreme court strikes down Federal assistance for plans on the Federal exchange, is there a chance we can we legislate our way to a more open market with buffet plans–to get those trapped by the Affordable care acts sloppy language into some truely affordable coverage, (as well as offer relief and alternatives for others whose rates became unaffordable under the affordable care act?).

After the jump, I had yet another followup on the first question concerning Right To Know problems; previous question links as well.

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Questions 3 & 4 (Obamacare Expanded Medicaid, Energy Costs & Economy)

When you are seated in front of Groksters, there are ALWAYS plenty of questions launched toward you; a couple more here:

  • Q3: How do we transition people from Obamacare’s Expanded Medicaid before it sunsets?
  • Q4: Energy costs are stifling business – what should be done legislatively about the PUC, regulations and the whole entwined system that we have right now which is one of the reasons the costs are so high against some neighboring states which are lower?

  

Question 3                                                              Question 4

Previous Questions:

Read more

Court hearing: Gilford School Board vs William Baer (“Bill Baer”)

This court hearing (7am this past Monday at the Laconia Court) is the result of William Baer (“Billy Baer”) being arrested by the Gilford Police at the behest of Gilford School District Kent Hemingway as Mr. Baer was complaining about the sexually explicit book (“Nineteen Minutes” by self-proclaimed Progressive Jodie Picoult (previous posts: here, here, ehere,  here,  here,  here,  here,  here,  hereherehere,  here,  and  here).

The judge’s decision of whether or not the misdemeanor charges will be thrown out may take a few days of waiting.

Parts 2 & 3 after the jump

Read more

GrokTV: interview with Bill O’Brien – Q1: High cost of Right To Know for ordinary folks – what can be done?

Winning is merely a precursor – it is what you do afterwards that is most important”

And the NH Speaker of the House will have most to do regarding what is done.  Last night the GraniteGrok Editorial Board met with NH State Rep. Bill O’Brien, who is running for re-election for the NH Speaker of the House position, to ask him questions.  Lots of questions on a variety of topics and issue.  Not only were we trying to get answers on specific issues, but we wanted to see what the underlying philosophy was that led him to that decision.  To us, if the question is answered correctly (to OUR outlook, at least) is insufficient if it is merely mouthed – the reasoning, the foundation for that answer must match without equivocation (otherwise, we know someone is trying to tell us what THEY think we want to hear).

After the introduction, Grokster Steve had the first question and he chose RSA 91-A, NH’s Right To Know law and the outlandish costs that can be charged by Government simply because a Citizen wants to know what the Government may not wish for them to know:

Original written question:

Read more

“Hitler learns about the mid-terms elections”

Yes, there are a ton of “Hitler” clips like this with English subtitles – I’ve posted a number of them here on the ‘Grok.  That said, this one done by Steven Hayward over at Powerline is REALLY well done – take a few minutes:

The World’s Most Persecuted Minority

  The most persecuted and victimized people in the world today are Christians in the Middle East. The perpetrators of the widespread destruction of that region’s Christian community? Islamists. Middle East expert Raymond Ibrahim lays out the grim details. Prager U

Share to...