New Hampshire Archives - Page 79 of 120

Someone Else Now A Solid Second For NH-GOP Chairman

September 26, 2018December 17, 2012 Steve MacDonald

What a difference five days makes. Last tuesday we reported on a poll running at the political fiction section of the NH Blogosphere (also known as NH Journal), in which the establishment candidate for NH-GOP chairman, Jennifer Horn was running in third place behind Andrew Hemingway and ‘Someone Else.’

A few hours later we updated that story with a report of an alert on Horn’s Facebook page about the poll that had pushed her into second but that surge seems to have vanished. ‘Someone Else’ is now leading Jen Horn by 11 points.

Tom Brady (Not that one) Can’t Be On The NH-GOP State Committee

June 5, 2026December 17, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Actually, the other Tom Brady can’t be an NH-GOP voting Committee member either but let us not get distracted.

NH-GOP Bylaws, Article 1, section 4A:

A. Any registered Republican who, at the same time joins or allows his or her name to be used in support of a political committee or a defined group of individuals, that in title or effect is intended to be understood by the public to be a committee or group comprised in whole or in part of members of the Republican Party endorsing a candidate for elected office from another political party, when there is a candidate nominated by the Republican Party for that office, shall be disqualified during the then present and the next biennium from holding an office of the State Committee or any County or City Committee, from being a member of the Executive Committee and from being a member of the State Committee.

So why can’t Republican County Commissioner Tom Brady be a voting member of the Republican State Committee?

Is The NH House Ready for More Darth Norelli?

September 26, 2018December 15, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Democrat NH House speaker Norelli - Darth Norelli — What? This isn’t the bipartisanship you were looking for?

Lord Vader brooked no failure and punishment was swift and final. New Hampshire Democrat Terie Norelli, as either Majority or Minority leader, has never been one to tolerate dissent either. And while she’s not (to our knowledge) ever strangled anyone with the force, she has strangled their careers, used inter-caucus bullying and intimidation to bring them around or shut them down, ignored their ideas, refused to teach them, and even driven them from office…and that’s just the Democrats.

So anyone who ever thought Democrat leadership–all the way up to Maggie Hassan–was serious about this “can’t we all get along” here’s a smile and a coke crap the minute the microphones are turned off, has another thing coming.

Dots Progressives Can’t Connect?

September 26, 2018December 12, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Every year United Health Foundation releases a report on America’s Health Rankings. This is a state by state assessment, and every year New Hampshire is one of the healthiest places in the nation to live. Last year we were ranked second, this year third, but always in the top three or four.

The two states that beat us are the two that always seem to, Vermont and Hawaii. Hawaii was number one this year, Vermont number two. And I was wondering why? Was there a wide range of separation or just one or two core measures where the reported difference was so wide as to keep New Hampshire down?

Did Parental Notification in New Hampshire Lower the Teen ‘Birth’ Rate?

September 26, 2018December 12, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Any moment now the Nashua Telegraph or the Concord Monitor will publish an article based on the most recent survey released by the United Health Foundation. (I mentioned it recently here.) While I do not expect the local media to explore the point in that particualr piece–that you can spend far less in health care and consistently rank in the top three for healthiest states–they will find a few column inches to obsess over this one.

New Hampshire ranked number one in lowest teen pregnancies.

I’ve observed this cultural Granite State statistic in the past (see here, and here), where my primary concern has always been the lack of data on abortions including chemical abortions using day after pills. Compound that in past years where no parental notification laws were in place and the shadow extended even further. Teen pregnancy rates could have been low as a result of abortions and there was no data either way to clear that up.

This year we are in almost the exact same place. New Hampshire ranks number one with the lowest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, we still don’t have any good data on abortions or abortificents, but this year something is different.

So What If It’s Technically Impossible to Administer…

September 26, 2018December 3, 2012 Steve MacDonald

New Hampshire Democrats are ready to get serious about legislating matters that are important to New Hampshire’s future…so hey, how about we try to pass a perfume ban? (For state employees).

The important point to remember here isn’t that a perfume ban was brought up in the last legislature and failed, and it is not that there is a need to discuss whether or not “how state employees covering their BO” might create an unpleasant environment–into which some citizens may be inconvenienced, it is how quickly can we use the power of the state to regulate it regardless of whether or not it would even work.

Talk About Having No Idea What A Conservative Is… (Updated Again & Bumped)

September 26, 2018December 3, 2012 Steve MacDonald

John B. Heroux is reported to be a resident of Bedford, New Hampshire, and a chronic contributor to the Union Leader Editorial page (if Google can be trusted), but he has absolutely no idea what a conservative is. In his recent “Your Turn” contribution to the public discourse (Union Leader) he starts with this:

The first order of business should be to take the party back from the conservatives. Republicans are the minority party, and the party’s success depends on appealing to independent voters and conservative Democrats. The radical Tea Party and the Rush Limbaugh/Ann Coulter faction do not appeal to these voters.

That’s all well and good as opinion–to which he is of course entitled–except that as he proceeds to storm his way down the laundry list of “consevatives” he blames for all that seems to ail him, he fails to name anyone who has actually behaved like a Conservative.

If There Is Only One Candidate Left for NHGOP Chairman….?

September 26, 2018November 30, 2012 Steve MacDonald

FRIENDS – WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need you to attend your local GOP Caucus (listed below) and offer your name as a candidate for delegate (State Committee) . There will be a vote at the caucus, and if you win, you will then attend the January 26th Annual Meeting and will have the opportunity to vote for Jennifer for NHGOP Chair. If you have any questions let us know!

This was posted, I am told, on Jen Horn’s Facebook page. Seeing as no one else is currently (publicly) left to oppose her, this seems like an odd thing to post. Perhaps there are other contenders waiting in the wings to oppose the establishment?

That might make it worth getting involved.

If you’d like to vote for someone else–and I suspect there will be someone else–then you too must attend and offer your name as a candidate.

The county Caucus dates and times provided by Horn are on the jump

Blood and Water – The Return of Democrat Rule in New Hampshire

September 26, 2018November 29, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Skip broke the news (on the Grok) about New Hampshire State Government’s department heads making budget requests that would increase state spending by 26% in 2013. If you had any delusions about who or what state agencies represent, you just got your answer.

It ain’t you. It’s them.

In the current economy, with no regard for whose money they are spending, incoming governor Maggie Hassan would have to raise taxes and fees by at least 19% to fill all the requests. AFP-NH estimates that this would extract around 700 million dollars from the people of New Hampshire to pay for new spending that would never go away. So that’s 700 million from every budget henceforth and anon, plus new new spending each budget there after….these are Democrats if you recall, there is no enough when it comes to spending your money.

And that $700, 000,000.00 (million) is ironically close to another sum we readily associate with New Hampshire Democrats.

Future New Hampshire House Democrat?

September 26, 2018November 27, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Political parties never stop recruiting “qualified” candidates for future races and I think I’ve identified a potential Democrat contender for 2014. Eighteen year-old Tyler Murray of Manchester New Hampshire was recently charged with Fraudulent use of a credit card: Murray is accused of using a credit card belonging to another to purchase $258.58 worth of … Read more

On A Path To Less Government or More?

September 26, 2018November 26, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Mind if I smoke a doobie - medical marijuana in New Hampshire — Maggie Hassan says she’d consider supporting Medical Marijuana

Newsmax reports that New Hampshire’s new governor (gag!) Maggie Hassan is open to the idea of legalizing Marijuana.

Pro-pot advocates in New Hampshire are excited about the possibilities.

Medical marijuana, the gateway-drug -policy to broader decriminalization efforts, is generally considered to be an issue with bi-partisan support. Supporters of legalization at any and every level have also long insisted that the cost to taxpayers of policing pot is excessive. But when the new governor (gag!) says ‘yeah, we’ll seriously consider support for the right bill’ while some folks are getting ready to pass the big fat doobie, I’m asking myself….”If New Hampshire Democrats are really interested does legal pot in any form put us on a path to more government or less?

Information Intimidation in Franklin NH?

September 26, 2018November 22, 2012 Steve MacDonald

While public document fees are not unreasonable for the purpose of covering the cost of the materials or labor required to meet a request, at what point do these sums become an obstacle for the average citizen? When does the sum begin to limit access otherwise protected by law?

In the case of voter checklists the state defines the allowable (optional) fee of $25.00 for the first 2500 names and an additional 0.50 cents per 1000 names after that. Using this formula a city the city of Nashua would charge less than $40.00 for their voter checklist, a sum that is already beginning to exceed what most people might be willing to part with for public documents, but not unreasonable in most cases where the list is already in electronic form and available with a click of a mouse.

In such circumstances where the documents are going to be converted into electronic form anyway (like for sharing with the Secretary of State), asking for no more than a few dollars for the entire list would make it accessible to anyone at any income level. Some towns already acknowledge this need for accessibility and provide access to their entire voter checklist for free, even providing a link online that is updated when the list is.

So why would the city of Franklin, New Hampshire ask for $75.00 for a copy of their city voter checklist?

A Note On Absentee Ballots and Right to Know

September 26, 2018November 20, 2012 Steve MacDonald

New Hampshire’s Right to know Law, often referred to as 91-a, prohibits state and local officials from hiding ‘public’ documents. And while some parts of the bureaucratic machine are happy to give you what you request in a timely and even pleasant manner, others who can’t (or don’t want) be bothered by you pesky citizens will toss out responses to your queries that they think will send you packing.

Are they just too busy doing the state’s business to be interrupted by curious taxpayers with troublesome queries? Are they ignorant of the statutes that define and limit both the kinds of documents to which you are entitled access and the manner in which you may access them? Will they purposefully mislead to prevent you from seeing public documents?

A little of each, or maybe all of the above, it hardly matters–the end result is the same; they are engaging in information intimidation and breaking the law, most without fear of consequence.

This is just too good….

September 26, 2018November 20, 2012

It’s just one reason I love New Hampshire politics: Anarchist libertarian Democrat Freestater beats “statist” libertarian Republican Freestater in hotly contested New Hampshire election.

The latest on the Free State Project…

September 26, 2018November 17, 2012

…which is still growing! Despite some silliness from some self-described Freestaters—such as gratuitous law-breaking or fevered talk about “anarchy”—the movement is healthy, continuing, and even maturing.

In fact, many people moving into New Hampshire now as part of the Free State Project migration don’t even bother to identify as participants. Thus, the “official” count of just over 1,100 who have moved to the Granite State is probably understated.

New Hampshire Democrats Stick With What Doesn’t Work

September 26, 2018November 17, 2012 Steve MacDonald

The New Hampshire Democrat House Majority has chosen their previous Democrat House Sepaker Terie ‘Billion Dollar Deficit‘ Norelli as their new Speaker for the 2013-2014 session. This is good for lots of reasons. Deficits, spending, taxes, accounting gimmicks, bathroom remodels, bathroom bills, and a dedication to back-benching and marginalizing anyone who does not pull the lever for her far-left agenda.

As a blogger, I couldn’t be happier. Nothing makes my hobby easier than the likes of Terie Norelli. I look forward to watching her repeat the same mistakes again.

Of course this time around she doesn’t have a completely compliant Democrat majority Senate to help cover her tracks. She has a slim and squishy potentialy compliant Republican majority in the Senate, with whom she may have to barter a bit. How much barter, as well as what the GOP willingly gives up, remains to be seen.

Highway Robbery in Barrington New Hampshire? (Updated & Bumped)

September 26, 2018November 15, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Originally Posted 11/13/2012 (Updated below 11/15/2012)

It looks like the town clerk in Barrington, New Hampshire has a little side business going on the sly.

First, in a town with 5000 plus voters there were 630 new registrations for this year’s election. That’s in the neighborhood of the 10-12% increase we keep seeing all over the state (to clarify that, a lot of towns saw same day registrations equal to 10% or more of all votes cast on election day).

These 630 new voters piqued the interest of a Barrington resident, who decided that they wanted to get a copy of this public record, but when they asked the Town clerk said it would cost him $300.00.

Like I said, a little side business on the sly?

The Foundation for New Hampshire Independence

September 26, 2018November 14, 2012 Steve MacDonald

This just tumbled into my in-box and perhaps it is old news now. It is a press release from a non-profit called the Foundation for New Hampshire Independence. I don’t currently know much more than we can glean from the press release but they’ve got a web site (here), some press, and it’s run by Neal Conner, a Ron Paul Supporter and I suspect a Free Stater…and it does have a catchy slogan…’First Before, First again.’

Incorporated in September of this year, the Foundation’s motto, “First Before, First Again”, recalls New Hampshire being the first colony to form a government separate from the British. The Foundation seeks to educate citizens on the benefits of a peaceful separation from the United States and the re-establishment of an independent republic founded on the principles set forth in the New Hampshire Constitution.

Not advocating one way or the other just following the story, having noted that secession IS the latest fad …earlier in the week.

The full press release is available on the jump.

Secession – It’s the Latest Fad

September 26, 2018November 13, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Since election day (private citizens from) 20 states have started petitions to secede from the United States. I guess elections do have consequences. What began as a pair of parallel stunts appears to have gathered steam. Other than Louisiana and Texas, states with secession-related petitions pending on the White House website now include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, … Read more

Which Tax Lotto

September 26, 2018November 12, 2012 Steve MacDonald

New Hampshire House Democrats are going to raise taxes and fees, the real fun is which one first and how soon?

My money is on the tobacco tax and I’d be suprised if it didn’t hit the committee table on the first day of the first session and find it’s way to the House floor in record time. Given the somewhat spinless make-up of the Republican caucus in the State Senate, I could not guarantee that it wont just flush through that chamber like s**t through a goose and come out the other side with Maggie Hassan’s signature on it.

The end result will be fewer sales of cigarettes and tobbaco products in New Hampshire. That’s what happened the last time the Democrats raised the tobacco tax. And if we need a cautionary tale to guide us on why this will happen again, we can look to the Peoples Republic of Denmark for help.