CNHT: Support your local taxpayer group!

Dear Friends,

If there is indeed a tax revolt going on in NH in the towns where we all live, nothing has proved it more than the activities of these past few weeks! Town government is where you are taxed the most and about which you should have a great interest.

This is Town Meeting and Deliberative Session season where millions of dollars will change hands; specifically from yours to the towns and schools.

This year, CNHT's help outreach has grown exponentially. Documenting voter fraud, fighting compelled speech, and working to keep intact your 'right to know' under 91-A, are not the only things upon which we concentrate.

CNHT does not own or run individual taxpayer groups in the towns, but we help them form and guide them with our past successes. We also help these local taxpayer orgs establish web presences. We recommend this be done early, not four weeks before Town Meeting!

Consider these stories:

In Bow, a citizens coalition has been formed in response to the out of control spending there, and will be posting information regarding the upcoming May vote on their new website: 
http://www.bowcitizenscoalition.org/

In Merrimack, taxpayers with young families have had just about enough as spending has increased 61.3% in the last 5 years under the current 'regime' and they aren't going to take it anymore! They are poised to guide voters on the problem issues, and are endorsing several candidates for local offices.
http://www.merrimackcares.org/

In the Monadnock region, a taxpayer group that had been operating for the last four years found themselves the victims of an attempt to be co-opted by a quasi-group who are promoting more spending, not less. Although CNHT is not mentioned in the AP story (they hate to give us publicity!) our chairman was in the Secretary of State's office on Thursday noon helping the original group register their name. He meanwhile put in a quick call to our 'technology' department and before those Monadnock folks had a chance to drive back to Keene from Concord, their new website was up and running and is currently awaiting input and information. They had sent out a yellow flyer, and upon doing so, they were challenged by the new group who was trying to claim the name.
http://www.monadnocktaxpayers.org/
[See the story below.]

In Plainfield NH, an elderly couple (82) who had little internet knowledge decided to take on some issues in their town. CNHT showed them how to set up a site where they could, with a little training, post up-to-the-minute info for minimal cost. See their first round of successes in the story below!
http://www.plainfieldtaxpayers.org/plainfield/

We are currently conducting our annual fundraising mailing and the free 'Taxing Times' newspaper will be placed in locations all around the state, if one is not mailed directly to you. We hope you will consider supporting CNHT's activities and weekly radio show or at least come to our meetings and get to know us when you land in NH! We work with any/all groups who want less taxes, less government and more liberty including Porcupines, NHLA, RLC-NH, RTKBA Groups, NH Libertarians, (to name a few) and have the support of many of the State Reps and Senators. We do not generally endorse candidates although we will help them with ideas if they wish to run for local office.

We can't wait until you land in New Hampshire!

 - CNHT

From Plainfield Taxpayers Coalition:
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"Thought you'd like to celebrate our quasi-win.  We defeated the budget; and we
defeated coming at it again tonight.  It will be revisited on 3/25/06 -- a
SATURDAY DAYTIME MEETING (Fridays having been voted down by a good margin).
And, we won handily on separating the operating expenses, including existing
teachers salaries, from teacher salary increases.   We will henceforth have two
warrant articles.

The 4.9 million budget lost by TWO votes.  Who says "my vote doesn't count?"

The Board understands now that we are NOT in favor of teacher salary increases
at the level they are proposing.  We will submit a motion to cap salaries where
they are for at least a year on March 25.

And the Saturday meeting was won handily, though the actual warrant article
addressing Saturday meetings vs. Friday nite meetings will not be voted on
until town meeting.,  before the 3/25 meeting.

So, we lifted our glass of champagne, which ended with the empty bottle, and
feel both celebratory and vindicated.  Thanks for everything you did to make
this night possible.  The people of Plainfield thank you, though they don't
even know it was you who made this website possible, with only a very few
possible exceptions.

All the best!

Carolyn and Jack"

Article About Monadnock:
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Groups' name fight is taxing
Both lay claim to represent taxpayers
March 02, 2006 8:00AM 

It's not a name that flows trippingly off the tongue. Yet, two groups are in a tug-of-war over calling themselves the Monadnock Taxpayers Association.

One of the groups in the Monadnock Regional School District has been using the taxpayers' name for about four years. The other recently registered itself with the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office.
Greg Johnson of Swanzey, part of the new group, said he and others decided to band together after the original group refused to accept them as members.
"After repeated unsuccessful attempts by over 30 people to join the unregistered and apparently secret society masquerading itself as the representatives of the Monadnock taxpayers, our group formed and registered," Johnson wrote in a letter this week.
With only two weeks to go until the school district's voters head to elections, the new group is calling on members of the other group to stop using the name. Johnson referred to fliers the original group has mailed to district voters in the past, offering recommendations about how they should vote.
 
"We're not trying to pick a fight here," but "we would certainly look to any legal remedies available to us," Johnson said.
Daniel Connell, spokesman for the original Monadnock Taxpayers Association, said he first heard about the new group's name when he read a letter to the editor published in Monday's Keene Sentinel by Larry Sportello, one of the members.
"It appears that our name is hijacked by a mean-spirited group," said Connell. He called the name-taking "a crushing of free speech,"and "a kick in the pants to lower- and middle-income taxpayers and families."
Connell said the original Monadnock Taxpayers Association has between 10 and 20 members and campaigns for less spending and lower taxes. He said he group contacted the Secretary of State's office months ago and asked whether it needs to register. It was told groups that small didn't need to, he said.

Johnson said the new group has about 100 members and is WILLING TO ACCEPT TAX INCREASES to support education.

The new group will allow the original group's members to join, Johnson said. "We want them in as members."