News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
I’ve been accused of being like a dog with a bone, but I’m not going to apologize for obsessing about broad-based taxes, which include the cost of renewing your car’s registration. I wrote about this matter almost a year ago and revisited the topic recently in my article comparing town hall to city hall, but … Read more
There is an overwhelming psychology on the Left that if the government isn’t doing something, nothing is being done. It’s an expensive, inefficient, and often counterproductive mindset. However, sometimes reality and common sense prevail, as recently demonstrated in neighboring New Hampshire, where the state has eliminated its vehicle inspection mandate. According to the Josiah Bartlett … Read more
The handmaiden media doesn’t have its hands full with the legislative session over, so it needs something to fill those “column inches.” How about scaring people! The media loves those stories, and New Hampshire just eliminated inspections for passenger vehicles (effective January 1, 2026). You are going to have to share the road with people … Read more
HB2, the budget dumpster fire/trailer bill, has a lot of crap in it I like and a lot I don’t. One of the wins was eliminating State motor vehicle inspections for passenger vehicles. The House passed it, the Senate watered it down, but in the end, the original had to land in HB2 or it … Read more
GM revving up to create new V-8 engines as EVs flounder Americans aren’t as excited about electric vehicles (EVs) as they once were, so now General Motors (GM) is getting back in the gas-burning game. The company announced a major production shift at its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in New York state. GM has abandoned its … Read more
Whenever anyone references our Democracy, especially on social media, someone, typically several of them, feels compelled to remind anyone in range that we live in a Republic, with good reason. No one is taught that. You have to learn it on your own. You also must learn that it is a Federal Republic, and everything … Read more
I just got my new jetpack, and my new micro-helicopter, so I won’t be using the roads anymore. Who do I see about getting my ‘road dollars’ back? What, you say? There’s no such thing? We just pay for the roads, and whoever wants to use them can? And because anyone can use them, we … Read more
Buses built by Lion Electric are bursting into flames across the fruited plains. The fires have prompted a local transportation company providing bus service to a Vermont school district to discontinue use. After reported fires in Lion Electric buses across the country, Student Transportation of Vermont removed Barre Town’s buses for safety precautions. They reached … Read more
This week we discuss the pause on clean truck mandates, the new Pope, and Chinese-made inverters. Authors’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Agree? Disagree? Submit Op-Eds to steve@granitegrok.com – We want to hear from you, too! Follow these links for … Read more
Every time legislators propose ending New Hampshire’s annual auto inspection mandate, opponents allege that inspections are common in Northern states because cold weather hazards (road salt, frost heaves) make them necessary. In fact, most cold-weather states, like most states overall, don’t require annual auto inspections. Mapping the states that require annual inspections reveals that culture … Read more
And then there were none. This week, Governor Phil Scott (R-VT) signed an executive order delaying the implementation of the California Clean Cars & Trucks policies in Vermont for a year. This essentially puts an end to the last standing significant GWSA greenhouse gas reduction scheme hatched up by the Democrats and Progressives in the … Read more
Note: Petition sent 4-23-2025 To the New Hampshire State Senate and Governor Kelly Ayotte. We, the undersigned, request that you advance and pass HB649 without further amendment or delay with the understanding that, while the “every two-year” compromise to the original bill is an acceptable move in the right direction, ending unnecessary passenger vehicle inspections … Read more
When I first read about a bill to eliminate inspections, I had never questioned whether they make us safer. So I researched it, and was surprised to see that pretty much all of the studies over the past 30 years say the same thing: inspections don’t make us safer! That’s why there’s only 11 states … Read more
In 2024, the Vermont legislature charged the State Treasurer’s Office with studying what a “Cap & Invest” program would look like as a means for meeting the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) targets for greenhouse gas reduction in the transportation sector (aka you driving your car). That report is now complete, and, just as the Public Utilities … Read more
It is not a story I’d typically cover, but when you hear the particulars, you’ll see why it was hard to pass up. Shawn P. Weiner Sr., 35, of Somersworth, was arrested and charged by the NH State Police with indecent exposure and lewdness, reckless conduct, two counts of disorderly conduct, and littering. The Dover … Read more
In a cost-cutting move, New Jersey ended its annual auto safety inspections in 2010. State officials cited a lack of evidence that inspections improved public safety. “If we’re going to invest millions of taxpayer dollars year after year in a program, then it is essential that we be able to justify the expense and effectiveness … Read more
Think of this installment as “Part 2” to my previous article asking if our Senate is compromised. As HB649 makes its way to the Senate, I’ve already pointed out some “problem donors” and some of their disturbing amounts donated to Senate Transportation committee members and the Old Battle Axe, Queen Sharon (Carson). Let’s first look … Read more
The news of 2025’s perennial attempt to abolish the “sticker tax,” aka HB649 (ending annual passenger vehicles inspections), is good so far. The House has voted in favor despite the failure of the House Transportation Committee to produce a proper recommendation. The committee did not recommend either pass or fail, which has happened to other … Read more
The Union Leader has a survey (no paywall) asking your thoughts about ending annual passenger vehicle inspections. (Just for the heck of it, I’ll do an X poll here.) From reading comments on Grok feeds across social media, I know there is mixed support for it, but mostly for it, and the UL results as … Read more
The HB649 House roll call numbers are in (HB649 ends mandatory passenger vehicle inspections). 355 (out of 400) reps voted, and 15 out of 183 Republicans went rogue. Without further delay, let’s shame them now. As Chau Kelley would say, “There you have it, ladies and gentlemen.” *The 8 two-time tax-loving Uniparty establishment Rs are … Read more