Union Leader

By CHARLES M. ARLINGHAUS

True health care reform will allow more options and more choices. The current plans in Washington create a central control that transfers authority from the people to the government and from the state to the federal government. Whether you believe in greater government spending or not, this is exactly the wrong approach.

The Union Leader comes out against the New Hampshire government backing a loan for a local newspaper.

One is the Eagle Times, the Claremont newspaper that folded earlier this year only to be reborn under a new publisher. The council agreed -- unanimously -- to have the state guarantee 75 percent of a $250,000 line of credit to the publisher. That's $181,500 for which taxpayers are on the hook if the paper goes out of business again.

This is an outrageous risk of taxpayer money.

I was honored to attend last night's Nackey Loeb Dinner in Manchester to benefit the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications. The Union Leader reports on this year's honoree for his work in opening up government records to the public.

Concord attorney William Chapman said winning the Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment Award is like getting an award for skiing. Fighting for a free press and open access to the government isn't work, he said, it's fun.

Tom Fahey reports in the Union Leader on the cost of shoring up municipal pension programs.

Towns, cities, school districts and the state itself could see pension costs for police, teachers and other public workers increase by an average of nearly 23 percent July 1, 2011.

Consultants for the New Hampshire Retirement System yesterday recommended the rate hike. The steep increase stems from a combination of investment losses -- 18 percent for the year that ended June 30 -- and the need to catch up with a long-term funding problem that began building nearly two decades ago.

By CHARLES M. ARLINGHAUS

The state's decision to freeze revenue sharing payments was not a criminal act. It doesn't constitute fraud. It isn't unconstitutional. It shouldn't send your town into turmoil, and it's not even a bad idea. It may have a negative impact on the Verizon Wireless Arena, but every change in state law shouldn't lead to a lawsuit.

The Union Leader reports on state revenues through October, which have come in below expectations, and added $38 million to the state's fiscal problems.

A monthly report from the Department of Administrative Services shows the state took in $204 million in taxes and other revenues last month, $12 million short of the month's budget target.

Through the first four months of this fiscal year, the state has taken in $585 million, instead of the $623 million the budget was built to have at this point. The figures include $97 million in revenue to the Medicaid program from the federal government.

The Union Leader makes its case for approving the Spending Cap on the back of the Manchester ballot today.

The Union Leader calls the "Cash for Clunkers" program a "colossal economic failure".

What that means is that instead of an average taxpayer cost of $4,000 per vehicle, as the Obama administration claims, the program's actual cost was $24,000 for each vehicle that otherwise would not have been sold.

The Union Leader argues that federal stimulus money would have been better used to fill in the state's budget hole than to subsidize arts programs.

So when the state recently received news that it would get $293,100 in federal stimulus money earmarked specifically to "save or create" jobs, where did it go? To arts programs, of course.

The New Hampshire Arts Council announced last week that the state will use the money to preserve 42 arts jobs (a highly questionable figure).

The Union Leader argues that the new health care bill unveiled this week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be bad for New Hampshire.

Under Pelosi's bill, families earning up to 150 percent of the poverty level are to be covered by Medicaid! That huge increase would have a disastrous effect on New Hampshire's budget.

The Union Leader argues that the new health care bill unveiled this week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be bad for New Hampshire.

Under Pelosi's bill, families earning up to 150 percent of the poverty level are to be covered by Medicaid! That huge increase would have a disastrous effect on New Hampshire's budget.

The Union Leader's Dan O'Brien reports on efforts to add services to the Hooksett rest stops on I-93 in order to generate more revenue for the Liquor Commission.

The state Department of Transportation is taking bids from developers to expand the site into an inclusive rest stop for motorists, which would include fast food restaurants, expanded informational centers, restroom facilities and renovated liquor stores.

The Union Leader's Dan O'Brien reports on efforts to add services to the Hooksett rest stops on I-93 in order to generate more revenue for the Liquor Commission.

The state Department of Transportation is taking bids from developers to expand the site into an inclusive rest stop for motorists, which would include fast food restaurants, expanded informational centers, restroom facilities and renovated liquor stores.

The Union Leader posts a web banner this morning announcing that they will publish their three influential political columns, John DiStaso's "Granite Status", Scott Brooks' "City Hall", and Tom Fahey's "Under the State House Dome" only in their print edition from now on. Political junkies will no longer be able to read the must-read columns online Thursday and Sunday mornings, and blogs as this one will no longer be able to link to interesting tidbits from the columns.

The Union Leader posts a web banner this morning announcing that they will publish their three influential political columns, John DiStaso's "Granite Status", Scott Brooks' "City Hall", and Tom Fahey's "Under the State House Dome" only in their print edition from now on. Political junkies will no longer be able to read the must-read columns online Thursday and Sunday mornings, and blogs as this one will no longer be able to link to interesting tidbits from the columns.