Budgets Archives - Page 13 of 24

Personal Endorsement: Rick Notkin for Gilford Budget Committee

March 11, 2019 Skip

Consider this a personal endorsement of Rick Notkin for Gilford Budget Committee. I’ve known him for a couple of years now and he literally is a straight shooter AND will watch over how your tax monies are spent just as miserly as I do! Please, if you want someone that supports limited government, please give … Read more

Tales from the BudComm: Cordell Johnston, NHMA lobbyist – tried to fly and ended up like Icarus

March 6, 2019March 5, 2019 Skip

When an NHMA lobbyist, paid in part by my taxes, is lobbying AGAINST MY BEST interests, that’s wrong. It’s immoral. That’s why Cordell Johnston, a New Hampshire Municipal Association lobbyist – is now the Poster Boy for towns to stop paying dues to the New Hampshire Municipal Association with our property taxes. If our Selectmen … Read more

Nashua Overwhelms School System – Taxpayers Should Ask: Who Didn’t See This Coming?

February 28, 2019February 27, 2019 Steve MacDonald

Nashua, New Hampshire fancies itself a “Welcoming City.” That’s a semi-Orwellian phrase for deliberately taking in more refugees than you can handle. The Gate City now has kids in the school system who speak as many as 50 different languages and not English. Getting here from there was easy. Getting anywhere else from here will be awkward and expensive.

SDGANH: Achieving Transparency: How the Best Districts Do It – The End: Parts 11, 12, and 13

February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 Skip

The School District Governance Association of NH (“SDGANH”) held a seminar this past Saturday on some best practices in how to make your School District more transparent in all of its procedures. This morning long session was a self-directed panel discussion consisting of Rich Girard from the Manchester School District, Tom Murray formerly of the … Read more

SDGANH: Achieving Transparency: How the Best Districts Do It – Parts 9 & 10

February 24, 2019 Skip

SDGANH: Achieving Transparency: How the Best Districts Do It – Parts 7 & 8

February 23, 2019February 23, 2019 Skip

SDGANH: Achieving Transparency: How the Best Districts Do It – Parts 5 & 6

February 23, 2019 Skip

Belknap County Budgeting – financial hijinks?

February 23, 2019February 22, 2019 Skip

By NH State Rep Mike Sylvia Did you ever wonder how politicians use statistics to sell their budgetary schemes? It’s the same old song and dance; lies, damn lies, and statistics. Perhaps your daily paper is reporting that the Belknap County Delegation has reduced your tax rate. Yay! Whatever you do, you should ignore the 2018 tax rate … Read more

SDGANH: Achieving Transparency: How the Best Districts Do It – Parts 3 & 4

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 Skip

Quick Shot: NH Democrats Dress in Traditional Klan-Colors to Protest Pro-Choice Governor

March 8, 2024February 15, 2019 Steve MacDonald

Governor Sununu gave his budget address yesterday. A number of New Hampshire Democrats dressed in the parties traditional klan color to protest their pro-choice governor. You read that right. Women in New Hampshire copied Democrat’s Klan-color “protest” from Trump’s State of the Union.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu’s Budget Address

February 14, 2019 Op-Ed

Thank you — Good morning. Happy Valentines day. Mr. Speaker, Madame President, honorable members of the house, senate, and Executive Council and commissioners and department heads who have joined us today. My fellow citizens — Welcome. I would like to start by thanking the many Commissioners and state agencies we worked with throughout the past … Read more

Tales from the BudComm – the LSR is now a Bill!

February 2, 2019February 2, 2019 Skip

For someone that has written about the legislative process for years, it is a much different viewpoint when you involve yourself directly in the sausage factory. No, I haven’t become a “factory worker” (a legislator) but a constituent that saw a flaw in the State Statutes (or “RSAs”) and decided “why NOT me” in proposing … Read more

“Who serves whom? Do the Townsfolk Serve their Employees?”

January 16, 2019 Skip

As I wrote here: “who serves whom? Do the townfolk serve their employees?” Let that set the table for this. It’s not quite a Tale from the BudComm but it has financial ramifications. If it passes. There will be a petition warrant on my hamlet’s ballot which would move the Second Session (the actual voting) … Read more

Tales from the BudComm – so, you’re taking orders from the Town Administrator?

January 14, 2019 Skip

The BudComm’s Public Hearing for both the Town and the School District budgets was last Thursday and that’s when the BudComm is officially done with its duties within NH’s SB2 governance model. The next step will be the two Deliberative Sessions: the First Session is when the Legislative Body (the town’s voters) get to ask … Read more

We Could Also Pay for The Wall If We Stopped Shoveling ‘Welfare’ at Illegal Aliens

January 14, 2019 Steve MacDonald

On the odd chance that El Chapo’s billions don’t make an appearance at The Wall funding cotillion, there is another way. An unfortunate majority of illegal crossers end up milking US taxpayers for billions in services annually. Money that would be saved by the bushel if even a fraction of the invaders were deterred. Savings that would more than cover the cost of a border ‘wall.’

70% Of All Arrests in Durham, NH in 2018 Were UNH Students

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Steve MacDonald

Here’s a neat little factoid. According to the Union Leader, “of the people taken into custody (In Durham NH), 675 of the 968 identifiable parties arrested by police in 2018 were enrolled in classes at the university.” That’s almost 70% of all arrests? Have the budget boosters who pimp the fiscal benefits of taxpayer bailouts to … Read more

Josiah Bartlett: The State of the State is Hot!
Grok: We Need Your Help to Keep It That Way

January 5, 2019 Steve MacDonald

New Hampshire Democrats come into power with a unique opportunity. The New Hampshire economy is screaming. The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, quoting the State’s annual report, notes that, “In 2018, New Hampshire was no.1 for economic opportunity (US News and World Report); child well-being (Annie E. Carsey Foundation), and, for the fourth year in … Read more

NH Democrat Susan Almy – Repeal Tax Cuts, Give Fiscal Committee Power To Tax at Will

December 24, 2018 Steve MacDonald

Longtime New Hampshire Democrat Susan Almy is doing her part to raise taxes. She’s introduced a legislative proposal to raise taxes on job creators. But she’s also got a bill in the pipeline that would appear to give the Legislative Fiscal Committee taxing powers independent of the Legislature. NHBR is reporting that, Almy’s second bill would … Read more

Shutdown Is Game On as Trump Rejects Funding Bill Over Border Security Concerns

December 20, 2018 Steve MacDonald

The morning news was replete with tales of a government shutdown averted. The Senate approved a short-term solution to keep some of the government open until February 8th. And no border wall funding. Sighs of relief from some, outrage from others. All spoken too soon. President Trump won’t sign it. He wants action on securing the border now. … Read more

Oregon Gov’s Kate Brown’s Budget Message – Time to Get the Hell Out Of the Beaver State

December 9, 2018December 8, 2018 Steve MacDonald

Governor Kate Brown’s proposed Oregon State budget looks like a progressive dream. She’s spending like a drunken sailor. Raising taxes and fees. She’s got a four million dollar line item for legal costs to fight with president Trump. Half of that money would go into an “Oregon Defense Fund” and pay for ongoing and forthcoming … Read more