Articles tagged as

Legislation

HB 146 – Should NH Have Jury Nullification?

Steve MacDonald

Jury boxThe New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee has come out against HB 146, a bill that would give the jury in any trial the power of nullification. 

In this context a unanimous jury could present a not-guilty verdict despite the evidence in the case, or the letter of the law as written or applied, if it agreed in total that the law itself or the circumstances of its application are not compelling grounds for a guilty verdict.

The application of the law could be too narrow or to broad.  The punishment might seem excessive given the details of the charges.  It might be a bad law, or just unclear.  Jury Nullification sends a message to the practitioners of the legal system, and the General Court,  that something is not right.

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Bay State Bathroom Bill Bi-Pass (Get it? Bi-pass!)

Steve MacDonald

I’m here to tell you that there are 188 very happy current and former state legislators from New Hampshire today.  That’s right, 184 democrats and 4 republicans must be beside themselves with envy after Deval Patrick executed an order that bi-passes the MA legislature and does for public employees in that state, almost exactly what HB 415 -2009 tried to do to the entire State of New Hampshire..

HB 415 – 2009 was the infamous bathroom bill, no not the $72,000.00 bill taxpayers paid when the democrats remodeled the State House ladies room just a casual saunter from former Speaker Norelli’s office door; I’m referring to the ‘Gender Identity and Expression’ bill that would require (among other things) equal access to all public ‘accommodations’ regardless of gender identity or expression–by law.  Feel like a girl today (sex offenders)–well go get one and hello ladies bathroom, shower, sauna…it’s the law.  Well, not here in NH.  The State Senate killed it.

But HB 415 -2009 was one of those bills the democrats wasted days and days debating (strong-arming no votes to ‘don’t votes,’ and democrat fence sitters to vote yes) while in the midst of the Worst Recession in historyTM.  You know, something to distract us from all the taxes and fees they had to come up with because democrats always spend first and tax you later.

And now with a flamboyant stroke of a pen, Deval Patrick has mandated that all public employees have equal access to same, regardless of sexual identity or expression.  Public schools are full of government employees.  How’s that going to work exactly?  (Democrats don’t think that far ahead.)

But for our Bathroom Bill supportes and the “NH House 188,” there is an opportunity at hand.  They can all move south to the promised land, get jobs in state or local government, or go into a public government facility, and use whichever bathroom they feel like identifying with, at any time. 

So let us reminisce about the halcyon NH House days in the "spring of 09," and review the final Roll call from the NH House passage of HB 415 – 2009 (on the jump.)  because it is always good to remember who it was that was wasting time on social issues during a growing economic recession. Or so I hear.

Enjoy.

 

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Smoke Em After You Buy Em…In New Hampshire

Steve MacDonald

Right off the bat, thanks to Matt at Red Hampshire for reminding me about Ken Wyler’s bill to cut the cigarette tax by $0.10 cents per pack.  (HB 156) I’ve been queuing up a post on this having written about it often and what better time than now to unload it.

First the basics.  Wyler thinks cutting the tax by a buck a carton will actually increase revenue by attracting more out of state traffic.  Ken is correct.  A larger cut would be better, but I guess we can crawl before we walk.  And with that in mind, lets review why it will raise more revenue.  And I’m not even going to have to go back very far for a decent flashback.

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Who Voted Against HB 474? The Right to Work Bill

Steve MacDonald

Right To Work MapYou can probably guess who voted against HB 474.  Democrats.  In fact not one single Democrat voted for it. But they are not beholden to the unions.  Nah.

The Final Roll Call was 221 for, 131 against.  My original post, with a margin of 221 to 121 was incorrect, (which means I need to find a second tweet source in the House for verification purposes.)

Of those voting no 40 were Republicans.  Of those not voting, 11 were democrats and 36 were Republican.  So while a veto is promised, an override is still very possible.

But is it likley?

The Republicans can’t just hope the entire caucus shows up, they need to flip a chunk of those 40 Republicans to make this happen.  But can they herd cats like the left?

We’ll probably get to find out.

Until then, here are the lists of those Republicans who voted no, and those who did not vote. (on the jump.)

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Guest Post- Richard Olson Jr.: “House Bill 125: Asserting The Tenth Amendment Rights”

Steve MacDonald

House Bill 125-FN, commonly referred to as the, Lawful Commerce In Firearms Act eminently faces a house vote. Much has been said about the bill while, at the same time, much has not been said about this bill.

Simply stated, this bill exempts firearms, accessories and/or ammunition manufactured in New Hampshire, and remains in New Hampshire, from Federal Regulation under the National Firearms Act.

Similar to New Hampshire’s pending legislation, Eight other States (Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Tennessee, and Alaska) have already passed  a Firearms Freedoms Acts bill and twenty-one other states currently have active and pending legislation. Three states are proactively crafting FFA legislation.  

The New Hampshire version of the Firearms Freedom Act allows Granite-Staters to assume responsibility on a limited basis, the self-regulation as well as some freedom from the overly burdensome yolk of bureaucratic and restrictive federal firearms regulations.

(Keep Reading…)

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NH House Passes Right To Work Bill

Steve MacDonald

By a vote of 221 to 121 HB 474 passes the NH House. While this is not a veto proof majority 58 House reps did not vote leaving plenty of room for a veto override.

Supporting A Corrupt Business

Steve MacDonald

Would you stand up in a public hearing and defend an organization implicated in aiding illegal activity, sexual abuse, statutory rape and sex trafficking?  What kind of people would?  How about democrats, union members, and greedy corporate stooges on the take? (oh, my!)

If it was anyone but Planned Parenthood, the national media sensation that admits it has a ‘training’ problem, the professional left would be storming the castle not just to demand why taxpayer dollars were begin given to these criminals, but when the bastards were going to be rounded up and put on trial.

There would be bus loads of angry folks protesting outside executives homes, harassing staff and customers.

Left wing bloggers, even at that sad little web site Blue Hampshire, would be disconnecting their brains from their keyboard, bellowing about the injustice and abuse, the violation of civil rights, and another destructive association by a political party full of hateful bigots and misogynists who view women as second class citizens.  A few of them might even ponder running a few people down in the crosswalk.

But this is Planned Parenthood, a national business, a big business, that makes plenty of money while using its status as a “health care provider” to milk taxpayers for money it does not even need.  And there are still a few people here in New Hampshire willing to stand up and say incredibly stupid things in defense of a business model that seems incapable of protecting the interests of the young girls it claims to champion from a life as an underage sex slave.

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Want Cheap Health Insurance? Support HB 241 – And Hey! It’s Also A Jobs Bill

Steve MacDonald

Iage: Insurancepersonalhealt.com HB 241  is a bill everyone needs to pay attention to if for no other reason than that it will piss off some progressives and liberals, and aggravate the behemoths who have monopolized New Hampshire’s health insurance market for years thanks to progressives and liberals like Jeanne Shaheen.

If passed HB241 will allow a willing consumer and willing insurance carrier to contract on mutually agreeable terms for individual or group health insurance which is not subject to regulation by the (state) insurance commissioner, insurance mandates, or administrative consumer protection law.

Put simply, individuals or groups in New Hampshire would be able to buy health insurance from any provider anywhere (that’s anywhere) on whatever terms they can both agree on and the Insurance commissioner cannot stop you.

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Is Leadership Opposing The Recall Bill? (HB 73)

Steve MacDonald

Seal of the US SenateSources in the State House have suggested to me that Dan Itse’s HB 73, ‘An Act establishing a process for recall of US Senators from New Hampshire, may be opposed by the Republican House leadership.

This information comes quickly after an article in the Union Leader yesterday in which the usual suspects on the left assumed that the bill was meant as an attack on Jeanne Shaheen.  That thinking stems from the root of evil that is in side the Lefts party leadership.  If the democrats had proposed it, it would be to unseat a Republican Senator so they naturally assume that this is the intention.

Sorry.  We really do not think that way.

I am not Senator Shaheen’s biggest fan, but I agree with Dan Itse whose response to that was no.  It is not to unseat anyone. Six years is simply too long for any elected representative to be in office without any real sense of accountability and US senators, be they Shaheen, Gregg, Ayotte, or whomever, have far too much time to exercise far too much power without any regard for its actual relevance or effect on the state they are meant to represent in that body.  The history of the Senate since the institution of direct election is one of corruption, self enrichment, and political fiefdoms.

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Sullivan’s New Hampshire

Steve MacDonald

Sullivan's NH -Burning down the houseThe ‘Su’ in Suckly, Kathy Lawsuit’ Sullivan, has a regular editorial in the Union Leader.  I have no idea why but after reading it and taking a shower to get the brimstone smell off of me, I have to make an arbitrary decision as to whether I should comment.  Normally I do not.  Her template is the recipe for left wing baby formula and so unoriginal I could probably find it in every other paper in the country with the word New Hampshire replaced with (insert name of your state here.)  But this time she closed her ditty with the words…"They are about to destroy the New Hampshire we love."

This is red meat-bait for right wing carnivores.  It begs the obvious question, ‘"what New Hampshire do they love," they being Sullivan and the far left democrats, and history has been kind enough to provide us with an answer.

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Show Your Support For HB 89 -To Challenge Obamacare

Steve MacDonald

Rep. Al Baldasaro’s committee, the Committee on State and Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs, is going to be holding a subcommittee hearing tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in Room 203 of the Legislative Office Building for HB89,

Repeal The “Evergreed” Law

Steve MacDonald

The Evergreed law screws taxpayers. It gives automatic wage and benefit increases based on the last approved contract removing any incentive on the part of the unions to negotiate in good faith with a town or city unless it thinks or knows it can do better than the contract it already has.

Brunelle’s Road To Damascus Moment?

Steve MacDonald

Road%20To%20Damascus.jpgAfter four years of defending the democrat budgeting strategy of spend first tax later (during what any democrat worth his donkeys-ass referred to endlessly as the ‘worst recession in history’), NHDP executive director and NH House rep from Manchester Mike Brunelle shows us his new conservative streak.

“No matter who you are, Republican or Democrat, you were elected to work on the economy and jobs. I don’t think the people of Manchester want them to be dealing with these social issues,” said Brunelle. “We need to be focused on the working families in this state. … Anything other than that is beyond frivolous.”

It is all part of their new strategy, as I pointed out here yesterday…

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The Invertebrate Jeanne Shaheen?

Steve MacDonald

So did Jeanne Shaheen vote for cloture on the Reid’s Frankenstein tax compromise and will she vote to pass it? I ask because it includes Billions for a one year extension of ethanol subsidies that Senator Shaheen just insisted we could not afford.

Food For Thought

Steve MacDonald

Over here, you’ll find Senator Shaheen crowing about how great the new food safety bill is, and how she, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, helped pass it. (It’s crap like all the other dem bills but that’s not why she’s an ass.)
She is an ass because (and if it makes you feel better Judd Gregg is an ass for being both a co-sponsor and a yeah vote) there are provisions in this Senate bill (S510) that….raise taxes.

New Hampshire Exceptionalism

Steve MacDonald

The voters on this Granite island took a democrat majority government and turned it into a Republican super-majority, making the historical re-election of democrat John Lynch historical for it’s inability to stop anything the legislative super majority can agree is in the best interest of the people who elected them.

Did SB500 Work?

Steve MacDonald

Correct me if I am wrong, like you wouldn’t anyway, but were we not told repeatedly that the best thing about SB500 was that it would allow the former inmates to work their way back into society under a more supervised regiment than if required to serve out their entire sentence.

Lynch Lied.com Updates

Steve MacDonald

Swing on over to Lynchlied.com to check out some of the most recent ‘lies.’  There’s a new one posted that is near and dear to my heart.  (I’ve been talking about it for years) It reminds us that John Lynch’s support of RGGI is a broad based tax that has sucked 25 million dollars out … Read more

Anger against Mortgage foreclosure Robo-signers? What about Legislator Robo-Signers?

Skip

From Cafe Heyak, Don Broudeaux correctly points out a larger and more insidious problem: Paul Krugman rightly complains about the “robo-signers” of mortgage-foreclosure documents (“The Mortgage Morass,” Oct. 15).  If robo-signing really occurred, it is inexcusable.  People should not have their lives affected by posers who sign and give life to legal documents without even … Read more

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