Articles tagged as

Spending

Cornerstone Ministries Weighs In: Support the Responsible Republican State Legislators!

VISIT NHCORNERSTONE.ORG >> This Legislature has put our money where their mouth was… And we should thank them for it! Dear Tim, The message was LOUD and CLEAR last November – Stop the Spending.  More importantly, government needed to live within its means. If deficit spending does not work on the home front, then there is no reason our government should … Read more

2012 Can’t Come Fast Enough

The Sunday Union Leader had a letter to the editor titled "2012 can’t come fast enough."  It suggests that New Hampshire did not vote for a majority and leadership intent on stripping collective bargaining agreements from 70,000 New Hampshire workers…" which is a number I would contest given this data.  (Where we may be hiding 70,000 public sector union workers is a question worth exploring, but not right now.)

The author is Kevin Foley.  Kevin is a great guy.   We worked together at UPS for a number of years, he was a driver, and I was a package car loader–including his.  But Kevin has been a well paid union organizer with the Teamsters for years, as an IBT Business agent, and earns more than double the national average in income and compensation for the privilege. Kudos to Kevin for the sweet gig.  I bet he works hard for it.

Kevin has donated hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars to democrats and the local Teamster PAC–(Granite State Teamsters DRIVE) which supports the national union and democrat candidates in the state (one local example from NH S.o.S.); the same ones who grew state government, added public union employees, some of whose dues pay Kevin’s salary, and the same democrats who left us with a nearly one billion dollar budget deficit as a result.

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TOMORROW MORNING! GET YOURSELVES TO CONCORD!

RALLY AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE HOUSE IN CONCORD TOMORROW MORNING, March, 31, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. SUPPORT THE RESPONSIBLE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY! From Nick Pappas, Jeff Chidester, and Chris Bucik: Please join us in support of the all the State Representatives who will be voting on the current budget with HB 2.  We … Read more

Define Irony For Me

The government run schools are concerned about making sure students get some kind of an education in personal finance and economics.

Public Employee Union Members Fail in Attempt to Intimidate Republicans in NH State House Finance Committee!

WOW! On March 24, 2011 the State House Finance Committee—which prepares state budgets—met to vote on a budget bill. Rep. Neal Kurk proposed an amendment that would put an end to the so-called "Evergreen Clause" that gives public employee unions huge power in spending negotiations, and an incentive to "stonewall" in order to get what they want. With … Read more

The End Of The “We Pay Taxes Too” Argument?

The only way it could ever be equal, is if we all paid the same taxes, and taxpayers paid nothing extra for benefits and retirement; you would have to fund pay all of your share of both at the same rates as the average private citizen.

Wait – you’re upset because they are doing what they promised – cut spending?

This is in response to Tom Harrington’s Letter in one of our local papers (his is after the jump):

Let me see if I get this straight – Tom Harrington, in his Letter, says that Republicans campaigned on the phrase “not a revenue problem but a spending problem”, he voted for them, they are now acting upon that campaign promise, are cutting spending – and he’s mad about it?

He also claims that the same phrase was a rhetorical trick to stifle debate. Yet, he along with all of the other NH voters (as well as across the nation) participated in that same debate for months before November 2 and decided it’s fate on that date; the vast majority said “no mas” to any more Democrat / Progressive spending. Now, those newly elected officials are now making good on their promises – and he’s mad about keeping them keeping a promise?

Yes, NH IS one of the states with the lowest tax burdens in the country. However, it seems that Mr. Harrington is none too pleased that people are none too willing to jack up their own taxes to support his causes – and that’s a Scrooge problem? A selfishness problem? Or a selfishness on his part in that he covets what others have ? Is he openly advocating that people should be forced to give up their private property (their money earned by their labor) by higher taxes – is that the purpose of his Letter?

Yeah, like raising taxes always leads to smaller government – that’s worked out so well in states like California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, right? All teetering on the brink of bankruptcy not from a lack of revenues but because of a lack of prudence and frugality, and a disregard of proper priorities.

The Lord desires an income tithe of 10% to be given of one’s free will; Government (summed across all levels) involuntarily takes far north of that from most of us – much to be given to others as coerced charity (which is not charity at all). Dontcha just wish that the “HAVE-YOUR’s” crowd would tell the “HAVEs” (the rest of us) when enough of OURS would be enough for THEM? Sadly, it seems, that people who believe that they have better purposes for other peoples’ money are never satisfied – “it’s never enough, is it”?

I’ve known Tom for a good long number of years – he is a good and decent man!  But on this, I believe him to be in error.  Hey, what are friends for if not to do the right thing when see each other straying off the path and guide them back a bit?

And if he wishes to publish a rebuttal and continue the debate – welcome!

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Milton Friedman on Why the Democrats Tried to Fiscally Destroy New Hampshire

I just ran across this old interview of the sainted Milton Friedman. Couldn’t resist sharing it. As for the Democrats spending New Hampshire into a historically unprecedented $900 million budget deficit (and thus essentially bankrupting the state)? It’s all explained in about the last 30 seconds of the interview. Enjoy!

Obama “Talks” about Spending

Courtesy of Hot Air and the NRCC the Golfer in Chief (Fore!) demonstrates once more how to vote present on deficit spending, even from the oval office, in a montage of his own words on the subject.

How About Some Cheese With Your Hamm?

Tax TrapIf the democrats in New Hampshire want anyone to take them seriously on why we should not lower the cigarette tax, they had best find a better spokesperson than House rep. Christine Hamm from the Peoples Republic of Hopkinton.(PRH)

From this mornings union leader..

Rep. Christine Hamm, D-Hopkinton, argued against the change. She said no state has seen tobacco tax revenue increase after a tax cut.

“This is yet another expensive exercise in futility,” she said. When it comes to tobacco, she said, “Every tax hike produces new revenue, and every tax cut reduces it.”

Oregon tried a 10-cent cut, and saw revenues fall by 10 percent, she said.

“To do the same thing would be fiscally stupid,” Hamm said

You know what else is stupid?  Listening to Christine Hamm.  Oh, and comparing Oregon to New Hampshire?  There are almost no demographic similarities, the most important of which is the sheer size of Oregon and the proximity of neighboring states which are also huge.

No one is driving across Washington State, or up from California, or Idaho, or anywhere else to buy cigarettes in Oregon.  Only Washington State taxes them more (the last I checked.) No incentive, no gain.

But here in New England, where people can buy almost everything cheaper in New Hampshire, the classic New England maxim does not apply–"you can get there from her," or here from there, and they do.  People shop here from other states to save money.  So reducing taxes on cigarettes (or anything else) gives them one more incentive to make the trip or to buy more while they are here.

Need proof?

Raising the tax already cost us revenue.  Last August Maine announced that it’s sales had increased 20%.  That is most likely money that used to get spent here but which the tax hike diverted back to Maine. (I wrote about it here)

And more Proof?

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Oh, and by the way, Rep. Guinta….

Frank Guinta put out a press release yesterday that crowed about how his vote for the three-week continuing resolution "cut spending" significently. Uh…no it didn’t. It didn’t cut ANYTHING. This from RedState.com: A Note to House Republicans Patting Themselves On the Back   Posted by Erick Erickson (Profile) Wednesday, March 16th at 10:19AM EDT 19 Comments There … Read more

New Hampshire now has two “Republicans” representing us in the U.S. House….

But are they "real Republicans"?  Real Republicans are supposed to oppose insane spending. Real Republicans are supposed to be against driving America over a fiscal cliff. Real Republicans are supposed to have "principles." Real Republicans are supposed to have the guts to stand up to the endemic corruption of Washington, DC. New Hampshire’s U.S. Reps are "real Republicans," right? … Read more

He still has some ‘splaining to do about that CR vote, but I can get on board with this:

Just got this flash from Frank Guinta’s office: For Immediate ReleaseContact:  J. Mark Powell(202) 226-8530 GUINTA CO-SPONSORS BILL TO RESCIND$45 BILLION IN UNSPENT FEDERAL MONEY   “The money just sits there, doing nothing.  It’s wasteful, it’s totally unacceptable and it must stop now.” (WASHINGTON – March 17, 2011)   Taxpayers would save $45 billion under a … Read more

Union Leader Hit’s It Out Of The Park

This Union Leader Editorial in today’s paper does exactly what we should all be doing.  Pointing out the obvious hypocrisy of democrats who ignore actions by their Democrat governor.  It used to be that the “essential” level of funding for state health and social services was whatever the commissioner of Health and Human Services said … Read more

Granite State Fair Tax Spins And Spins And Spins

Mark Fernald is pimping for the misleadingly named Granite State Fair Tax Coalition (GSFTC).  This is a group of tax and spend liberals (their fellow travelers and useful idiots) who are trying get an income tax. 

To sell you on this Utopian elixir of piss, GSFTC argues that New Hampshire’s property taxes favor the rich, and most recently have sent out a pile of nonsense with some misleading graphs, through Fernald’s email list to make the sale.  But as usual it is spun upside down and backwards and ignores one very unassailable fact.  New Hampshire has one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the nation because it relies on property taxes.  And the rich are not paying less for their share of State government.

TaxesGovernment is a necessary (preferably limited) evil, laid out like a salad bar.  There are all kinds of services your tax dollars pay for.  Some of them are for “just in case kinds of things” like public safety.  Then there are roads and schools and clerks and so on.  And then there are unemployment, welfare, heating aid, and a host of social support services, and the cost of the bureaucracy itself. 

By law these services are made available to everyone equally based on need so the folks most likely to consume government services are lower income residents.  Statistically, the less you earn, the more of the salad bar you are likely to need or eat from and the more trips you are likley to make in a given year.   But no matter what you earn, or where you live, or how well you live, you still only get one plate–and you pay for that plate in the form of taxes.  

The GSFTC would like you to believe that the rich are paying less for that plate.  To perpetrate this deception they use "taxes paid as a percentage of income" to make their case.   Their argument is that the rich only pay about 2% of their income as taxes while the poorer folks pay over 8% (Roughly), and that this is unfair.   But is that really the case?  Are the rich paying less money for a trip to the New and Improved State Government Salad Bar or is GSFTC just playing class warfare games?

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Representative Guinta, have you gone insane?

Has it been THAT easy to co-opt you in Washington, DC? You’ve just voted for another short-term "fix gimmick," allowing the insane spending to continue yet again.  In doing so you have failed to stand your ground—or the ground you said you stood on when you were running—and have backed down from a fundamental stance you said you held when you were running.

You’ve just issued a press release where you boast—boast!—about voting in favor of a second short-term funding resolution by Congress…which, by the way, is a fundamental refusal and failure to perform the Constitutional duty of coming up with a budget. You have just issued a press release where you boast that cutting $10 billion "is the largest reduction in discretionary spending in American history." Are you crazy? Stop blowing smoke up our keisters!

With yearly spending of over $3 TRILLION staring us in the face, and a budget deficit for THIS YEAR ALONE of $1.6 TRILLION, cutting the insane spending by $10 billion is A ROUNDING ERROR. Telling us that cutting $10 billion in three weeks is some great victory is like crowing about increased gas mileage as you drive the car over a cliff! Sen. Rand Paul cut $100 BILLION in about 5 minutes by making his proposal to BEGIN THE CUTTING THIS YEAR by AN INITIAL AMOUNT OF $500 BILLION…and we need to add to that ANOTHER TRILLION DOLLARS in cuts, this year.

You say in your press release that "My Republican colleagues and I are staying true to our beliefs and are producing the very first real-time spending cuts in American history." OH PLEASE! Don’t bother! Try sending that smoke up someone ELSE’S rear end!  $10 billion in spending cuts is NOTHING in the face of the tsunami of spending forced upon us by Obama and his socialist allies in Congress.

Is there no one—NO ONE?—in New Hampshire who can be elected and go to Washington, DC, and not be immediately corrupted and co-opted by  the drunken, staggering, ignorant, traitorous FOOLS who are in control of our national government? SHEESH! Anyone who wants to read Rep. Guinta’s press release, feel free to do so on the jump below. I can’t bear to reproduce it here.

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“I was sent to Washington to restrain spending and exert some fiscal discipline.”

Yes, those were Congressman Frank Guinta’s words as Fox News Shannon Bream paraphrased his campaign words as "When you get to washington, you’re going to cut and then cut some more."

Yes, you were.  The TEA Party types, like GraniteGrok, expected you to lead – not follow. 

And not be told where to go, either.

You said, over and over, that Federal spending was unsustainable (about the only word from the greenies that seems to actually be applicable right now).

We expected Congressional life in DC to be hard.  We expected it to be a pressure cooker for you like most of us cannot imagine (with all those hands and pleas and yells to give people money that used to be other peoples’).  We expect that you would be surrounded not only by the Progressives (typified here in NH by Zandra Rice-Hawkins).  We expected, being a TEA Party backed candidate, that the DC Establishment (especially the Repub kind) were going to rub their hands in glee as they joyfully said "ah, new red meat to grind up and mold OUR way."

We expected you to lead.  Really, we did.  And do. We sent you because of your fiscal promises to cut the spending and cut the size of government.  And to it quickly.  We believed you.

I have said since Nov 2 that we had to watch your backside and protect it from the Progressives and Establishment types, with pikes.  Like these guys (<—-). 

I also said that we would hold you accountable – that those pikes might be pointed at your backside.  You said "Please do".

So, when I heard that the second short term Continuing Resolution was being voted on (because the Democrats in the last Congress couldn’t even vcarry out their basic reason for being there – passing a budget), I decided to look who was leading to cut government and Federal spending.  I looked at the list of Republicans that decided enough of this fiscal tomfoolery and decided to lead:  GOP Reps. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Justin Amash (Mich.), Jeff Duncan (S.C.), John Fleming (La.), Tim Huelskamp (Kan.) and Allen West (Fla.) have all said they will vote against the new measure.

Oh wait – a name was missing!

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