News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
…district public schools spend $1.25 billion more on 54,000 fewer students Average per-pupil spending in New Hampshire district public schools has nearly doubled this century, as student enrollment declined sharply and reading and math assessment scores fell, a new Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy study finds. Total public school district spending in New Hampshire … Read more
“For the children.” That is a go-to justification for politicians and bureaucrats seeking to infringe on individual rights. It was on display last week in the final minutes of the testimony of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Makary was exaggerating the extent of vaping among high … Read more
Former Detective James McLaughlin, aka John Doe, has a single incident on a list of police misconduct, but only because the public is barred from providing evidence. BTSW Editor’s Note: The following is Ryan A. MacDonald’s continuation of a post that appeared [at Beyond These Stone Walls (BTSW)] recently entitled, “Detective James McLaughlin and the … Read more
Japanese company Nippon Steel’s plan to purchase US Steel was bound to provoke a strong reaction from left- and right-wing economic nationalists. After all, US Steel was once the world’s largest company, and it was the first company to be valued at over a billion dollars. US Steel was thus a symbol of America’s economic … Read more
How would people react if, on the third time their broken-down car was towed to the same repair shop for the same problem, the swaggering mechanic told them: “Sure — the engine doesn’t work today but — follow me on this — next year, you will drive from coast to coast, and get 90 miles … Read more
Though expanding Education Freedom Accounts to all New Hampshire students is a top Republican Party priority for this legislative session, differences between three competing plans produced an impasse. For weeks, doubts grew about Republicans’ ability to expand the program even though they controlled the governor’s office and both legislative chambers. On Wednesday, the House Finance … Read more
Whoever Shakespeare is or was remains a historical conundrum! I was not a Shakespeare fan when required to read him in High School. However, what has become clear to me is that his understanding of human nature and the literary expression of it is unparalleled. The most recent example is Macbeth. Having murdered his former … Read more
In August 1945, A-bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Blood, death, and misery clouded the future under the “mushroom cloud,” striking fear in the hearts of everyone. The mushroom cloud made it easy for the government to cover up what the people didn’t want to hear. On August 19th, longing for peace, most Americans ignored … Read more
The Supreme Court of the United States exists as the last refuge, the last court of review, the last place where the Constitution of the United States, and only the Constitution of the United States, should determine how a brief is resolved. One would hope that the Justices could put aside their personal biases and … Read more
It is correct, analytically and logically, to distinguish secession from war. Many states secede peacefully, and it does not logically follow that secession must occasion war. The Southern states of America seceded peacefully, and Lincoln’s subsequent war which followed four months after secession was entirely unnecessary. Hence, Murray Rothbard wrote in his memo to the Volker Fund in 1961 … Read more
Once again, Congress has given in to terror-supporting organizations by stripping Section 112209 from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which would have amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations. This action took place during the third weekend of May 2025. In a 17-16 vote, with … Read more
YEESH, my fellow statespeople once again embarrass me. The legislature passed HB 81, allowing grown adults to take their beer and martinis with them to the restrooms. Odd? And you ask why? It’s so nobody can put a drug into the drink when you’re not there. This is an idiotic bill: our legislators are … Read more
Edward Tomic – The Maine Wire A coalition of groups that received lucrative no-bid contracts from the Mills Administration from 2022 to 2024 — funded by federal COVID-19 money — simultaneously organized massive pro-Democrat canvassing and voter turnout operations, accord to a Robinson Report investigation. At the center of the scheme is the Community Organizing … Read more
A nation divided against itself cannot stand,” said Abraham Lincoln. Sadly, I think that’s precisely the point. I recently flew with my friend Bill Maher to DC, where he was to have dinner with the Bad Orange Man. I was not attending the dinner, I was just along for the ride…but I was wholeheartedly in … Read more
As President Trump wrestles to deliver on his campaign promise to end the war on Ukraine by helping to bring about a negotiated peace deal, the effort has, in part, been undermined by an escalating exchange of kamikaze drones by both sides. The last week especially saw a sharp escalation, with Ukraine launching thousands of … Read more
In a recent executive order President Trump called for an end to taxpayer funding of NPR and “public” television (PBS), created by Congress in 1967 to laughingly create an “independent” news source. Yes, they have always been independent of the free market and of the hapless American taxpayers, but certainly not independent of the deep … Read more
The idea of having a city manager might sound like common sense – someone to handle the day-to-day work of running the city, keeping things organized and professional. That’s why cities like Concord use the “council-manager” system of government. But over 100 years after this model was first introduced, it’s fair to ask: is this … Read more
The historian Ludwell H. Johnson III argued that “the job of the historian is not to pass judgment, but to try to understand.” By trying to understand the past, historians enrich our cultural heritage and help us to build on the achievements of our predecessors while, hopefully, avoiding their mistakes. History is, of course, a vital component … Read more
After years of making little progress on housing affordability, the Legislature finally is moving forward in large strides. As significant reforms near the finish line, a surge of advocacy has emerged for an old, failed method of addressing the state’s housing shortage: government subsidies. New Hampshire’s primary method of addressing housing affordability has long been … Read more
Dear Governor Atotte, AG Formella, Police Standards & Training, John Scippa: Helen Hanks stepped down from her position at the Department of Corrections. The timing coincides with evidence that she tampered with witnesses during a criminal investigation regarding the murder of an inmate. Allegedly, per reports, there were Laurie List officers involved as well. Helen … Read more