So, Congressman Frank Guinta dissing one of NH’s most beloved activists – Diane Bitter?

Title 2: This is not what Frank should be doing to impress his former core supporters for his upcoming US Senate run…

Yeah, really!  Diane Bitter (Rye Republican Town Chair, NH GOP Area-Vice Chair, and NH Assistant Secretary, and MUCH more importantly, Conservative and TEA Party activist) reached out to Frank and his campaign LAST MARCH about attending this event (yes, yet another group she is involved with):

SRW Cong Sen Debate 2012The Seacoast Republican Women is a well respected group all over the state on the Right side of the aisle.  Diane is also well connected here in NH – and she is very experienced on putting on both large and small events all over the state. This is not a snafu on her part as from MY previous experience with her (and anyone that has worked with her can vouchsafe this), she does not leave important details to the last moment such as NOT giving a sitting Congressman a LONG lead on an event.  She knows that to get a VIP, you ask early and stay on it.  She did – again, the request went out in MARCH – 5 months ago. She was told soon after “No problem!”.    Oh Wait!…

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Peter Bolster for NH Senate District #6 – an Editorial for Truth in Advertisment

PeterBolsterForSenateReasonableChoiceForDemocrats_procUpdated and Bumped:  Grok Reader Bob saw this and asked that I update this post given that it is out of date – Bolster quickly gave up his delusions of a NH Senate run and is now running to retain his seat in the NH House, I should make sure that folks knew if they came across this post.  While what his sign says (NH District 6) is now out of date – given that he IS a former Democrat, and VOTES like a Democrat (another one of those that is using the Republicans to get elected), my little addition to his sign is STILL applicable.

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AFPF American Dream Summit – “What is your American Dream? Obama’s version?”

Well, I didn’t get the interviews I wanted to this morning at the Americans for Prosperity Defending the American Dream Summit, so I changed gears and found a number of attendees just arriving that agreed to a quick Grok “micro-interview”.  Two questions:

  1. What is your version of the American Dream?
  2. Contrast that with what you think the Obama Administration’s version of the American Dream is?

Short, simple, and to the point.  Even two of my old Samsphere blogger buddies, Bob Weeks and Eric Telford, assented to answering my questions.  So, what were the answers?

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Americans for Prosperity Foundation: Defend the American Dream Summit 2012

I drove down here to DC yesterday for AFP’s Defending the American Dream Summit 2012.  There’s a packed agenda  for sure, and I have some slots tomorrow (10 – 2pm) and on Saturday ( 8 – 3pm) for the ‘Grok to be on Radio Row so am hoping nab some good interviews.  I’ll put up “sticky posts” when we go live.

Given what is going on in NH on the Sustainable Communities Initiative (aka, Smart Growth, Granite State Future Plan, Water Sustainability Commission) that has been breaking here on the ‘Grok, and with…

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GrokWATCH: Right To Know Request – Water Sustainability Commission public surveys

WSC-Logo Water Sustainability Commision

Two days ago, we launched our newest Right To Know series concerning Gov. Lynch’s Water Sustainability Commission – that which was ordered into existence by Executive Order:

Good afternoon,

Having just taken your survey, I have a question:  will you be publishing all of the surveys taken so as to validate the summary result?  Like any good scientific OR Governmental process, it is always best, for openness and transparency, to publish all raw data.

If not, please consider this a Right To Know request under RSA 91-A for all of the filled out surveys that were received from SurveyMonkey (or by other means) on that survey, as shown by your page (http://www.nh.gov/water-sustainability/).

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Yesterday was Chick-Fil-a day! And a hateful CFO is getting canned?

Update:  Yes, for the hate filled rant below, Adam Smith is no longer the CFO at Vante.  Thanks to the commentors for confirming it! “Always tastes better when it is full of hate!” All the way down to DC, I kept hearing how Conservative folks have been flocking (pun intended) to Chick-Fil-A outlets to support … Read more

GrokTV – NH State Senator Andy Sanborn – Question 8

Accomplishments?

We always try to spend “a little time with GraniteGrok” and with Andy Sanborn (running for reelection to the NH Senate in District 9), we came to the realization that we had spent a lot more time than just a little.  So, we decided to end our interrogation interview with him with this last question.

Question 8:

What things have you accomplished since our first interview last cycle? Not get done?

We did all agree that we needed to come back and yak with Andy strictly on some issues rather than on the concentration on how the State does what it does – but it is nice to know that SOMEBODY has this in their head that not only do Legislators create laws for the rest of us but also how the “back of the house” (as Andy the restauranteur would put it) is doing as well.  After all, they ARE supposed to be serving us, the citizens.

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GrokTV-Jane Cormier for NH House-Questions 7 & 8

#7 Are Government and Society interchangeable terms?  #8 Should they be?

Continuing on with our questions for with Jane Cormier (running for the NH House in Belknap 8 – Alton, Barnstead, and Gilmanton), we wanted to know which should be the driving force in the land: Government or Society?  Are they two different entities?  If not, should they be looked upon as such?  Jane did answer the question but we split the answer into the Federal level and then at the State level:

  • Question 7: Proper Role of Government-Progressive conflate Govt & Society; Conservatives split them. Your outlook?
  • Question 8: Same as Q7, but bring it to down from the Federal level to the State of NH.

  

Govt vs Society: Difference?                               Ditto, for State level?

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Water Sustainability Commission (a subset of the Granite State Future Plan, aka Sustainable Communities Initiative) – their own words. First Rep. Spang in her own words

UPDATE before publishing:  Apparently, Judith has responded to Ken and invoking both International Law and the World Court?  That’s only by email, but THIS I have to see!

*********************

Our mission here at the ‘Grok is to promote and to protect Individual Freedom, Liberty, and Rights.  Period.  Sure, we do other things as well, but that is our main focus and raison d’etre.  I’ve been focusing on that my last few posts as the Federal mandate of the Sustainable Communities Initiative by the Federal Government (HUD / EPA / DOT) has, all of a sudden, climbed its way up the ladder from the muck in which it was derived.  And muck it is, and it has spread.

As Ken Eyring has pointed out, the Granite State Future Plan is being spearheaded by the NH Legislature spawned 10 Regional Planning Commissions with the intent, now funded with Obama money, to override local control here in NH by pushing for new zoning laws (back up with threats of lawsuits).  These are a fourth level of Government, creatures totally created by legislative statute that have no connection to the NH Constitution.  It is staffed by locally appointed members (for instance, my DPW department head is my town’s representative on the Lakes Region Planning Commission) with some paid staff.  They get State funding and also go around grubbing for town taxpayer monies by “billing” on population (e.g., “you have X number of people on town; based on $XX.XX / person, you should give us a total of….”).  Starting off as simply a way to “coordinate” transportation usage, they now do all kinds of things (when did road management make them experts in broadband deployment?) that stray far from their original mission (like all good bureaucracies do!).

One of the things the zoning changes are going to do is push for higher density “center of town” living; whether or not it makes sense, these Federal clowns want “livable centers” where you can walk from your home above places of business, walk to work, and walk to work.  Need to go somewhere else?  IF you take the time, you will find out that you will be “nudged” to use public transportation.  Mass transit isn’t even ‘sustainable’ in cities already – how would that work out here in rural NH – Oh yeah, they have a solution for that, too, but that’s for another post.

And it will be done, bit by bit.  In a later post, I go through and use some of what the Water Sustainability Commission and others have said, in their own words, to “shape the battlefield“.  In the mean time, let’s start with what has already been posted.  Even Judith Spang, in her response to Ken, starts with the individual but then immediately goes to the Town level, as if the individual Right never existed:

1. Groundwater Law in NH is based on Common Law, not statutory law. The common law (dating back to English Common Law) says unequivically that a riparian landowner has the right to “reasonable use” of water flowing under or abutting his land.  “Reasonable use” is a limitation: you cannot take so much water that you are depriving someone else who has riparian rights to the same groundwater or surface water.  Neither you nor a foreign water bottling company who may own the land next to you has the right to take so much water out of your (or their) well that it dries up abuttors’ wells.

2. When the Commission talks about the need for a water policy that respects the inter-municipal nature of water supplies, it is based upon the above legal principle.

And then explicitly denies the Individual their property Rights:

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GrokTV: NH State Senator Andy Sanborn (District 9) – Question 7

Question #7:  Adversarial relationship between State agencies vs ordinary folks?

To fix a perceived problem (which Questions 5 & 6 brought up), you have to know all about the problem – or at least the biggest and most influential parts of the problem.  In discussing State Agencies, we wanted to know if there was a sense of “us vs them”, if State Agencies had drifted into a condition of reversing the proper role of government serving the people and morphing into one of “we will ensure that YOU follow OUR rules”.

Question 7:

Adversarial relationship between State agencies vs ordinary folks?

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GrokTV: Jane Cormier, Candidate for NH House – Questions 5 & 6

# 5: Where on the Political Spectrum are you? #6: Proper Role of Government – Your outlook?

Labels, while not always completely describing who what is in politics, can generally give others a good idea of where one stands on the issues.  For instance, Democrats generally spend more and are more liberal than Republicans, who trend to greater fiscal frugality and more conservative social issues.  However, there are exceptions to the rules (like Zell Miller, who was a Blue Dog Democrat for years, being more fiscally tighter than most of his Democrat contemporaries)

On the other side of the aisle, there are also Progressive / Big Government Republicans that vote more in line with Democrat philosophies and, in the case of some, use the “R” next to their name as a cover.  A GREAT example of this is current NH State Rep Peter Bolster who calls himself a Republican but his voting record screams “I AM REALLY A DEMOCRAT!!”  and has admitted to such to some.  (think I’m wrong?  Do a search just on GraniteGrok and review the times he shown up voting AGAINST the Republican Platform!)

Fortunately, Jane Cormier is running against this “RINO to the max” in the primary in Belknap District 8 (Alton, Barnstead, Gilmanton).

  • Question 5: Where are you on the Political Spectrum (from Jim DeMint on the Right and Carol Shea-Porter on the extreme Left)?
  • Question 6: Should politicians be held accountable to their Platform?

  

Political Spectrum?       Adherence to Party Philosophy / Platform?

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Well, while Judith Spang wants Government to take your water rights right from underneath you (literally), she sold her share to the Govt for $500K

Subtitle:      Once again, Progressive hypocrisy…..Do I say and not what I do, and never mind that other hand….

OR:                    Ya gotta love it – siphoning off taxpayer money for private interest groups for their hobby.

OK, just one more (I promise):   FOLLOW THE MONEY!

And in this case, LOTS of money followed Judith Spang, (NH State Representative from Durhan, Democrat). While Ken Eyring of the Southern NH 9-12 group is defending our property rights against Durham Democrat Judith Spang, I got a tip in from a loyal reader concerning NH Rep. Spang:

The US Agriculture office 2 Madbury Road, Durham, NH paid Judith over $500,000 for a wetlands easement on her land in Merrimack County so if we all own some of the water draining from her land do we get paid also?

Really – half a million water-bucks? She gets to “sell” her private property for sake of keeping water clean!  So, I googled her (all emphasis mine) and found a pattern:

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Notable Quotes: Frederic Bastiat

Bastiat, Frederic Bastiat[There] “is this idea that mankind is merely inert matter, receiving life, organization, morality, and prosperity from the power of the state.  And even worse, it will be stated that mankind tends toward degeneration, and is stopped from this downward course only by the mysterious hand of the legislator.

-Frédéric Bastiat

For Barack ‘You Didn’t Build That’ Obama and Elizabeth Warren – and just about every Democrat…

“Life, faculties, production—in other words, individuality, liberty, property—this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it. Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.”

more…?

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Notable Quote – Milton Friedman (on the occasion of the birth of this Nobel Prize winning economist)

What the market does is to reduce greatly the range of issues that must be decided through political means, and thereby to minimize the extent to which government need participate directly in the game.  The characteristic feature of action through political channels is that it tends to require or enforce substantial conformity.  The great advantage … Read more

Grok Special Interview: Jane Cormier,Candidate for NH House – Questions 3 & 4: Too many uninvolved people? What are your values?

Having gone over the preliminaries questions of “have you done this before” and ‘why are you running” with Jane Cormier (running for the NH House in Belknap 8 – Alton, Barnstead, and Gilmanton), from her answers came the next two questions (heh!  It is ALWAYS better to ask questions from what people themselves have already … Read more

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