NH Legislation

Doing The Right Thing?

 

Majorie Smith cutting the budget reads like a prisoner forced to read a prepared statement just prior to their execution, that impugns their home country of ills for which they are about to be executed.

Then there is this.

"There are a lot of people who would not have believed the people in this room are supporting some of these cuts," [Smith] said. 

(Quoted from this mornings Union Leader.)

Unfortunately there were more cuts available but then there were not.  Democrats desperate to take whatever federal money Obama offered, to add to their three year spendapalooza--never in their wildest dreams thinking they'd actually have to cut back--got their buds nipped by Bud Fitch.

The Tent Tax Party

What do you get when you mix 124 Donkeys and one RINO?  A list of NH House reps on the wrong side of a bill to repeal another stupid tax.

Taxaholics

 

 

It takes commitment to vote for a new tax, even one whose cover story was as unlikely to have any affect as HB 1679.  But there are those who like to tax and those who love it, and the supporters of the 'Soft Drink Tax' drew a line in the High Fructose Corn Syrup and stood their ground.

Low Hanging Fruit

 

Last week the New Hampshire House voted against a bill to let tax payers adopt charter provisions establishing limitations on the growth of budgets and taxes.  The actual short text reads as follows:

This bill authorizes cities and towns to adopt charter provisions establishing limitations on the growth of budgets and taxes.

Constitutional Gut Check

 

This Wednesday the New Hampshire House may get the opportunity to vote on HB 1343, AN ACT establishing a joint committee on the constitutionality of acts, orders, laws, statutes, regulations, and rules of the government of the United States of America in order to protect state sovereignty.

New License Plate Tax

 

Whenever I see Republican’s offering up “creative” ways to collect revenue I get suspicious.  Their first inclination—particularly given the recent liberal spending binge in Concord—should be to get rid of the spending not find ways to justify it.  So SB 385 struck me more as an excuse rather than a reason, and when you come right down to it it’s just another tax.  But then a little bird asked an important question.  What if it was free market driven? 

Cry Me A River

 

In one of those eponymous political moments we all cherish, the NH House Education subcommittee, charged with reviewing legislation to retool the states Bullying Laws, says it was bullied itself.

Rep Judith Reever (D-Laconia) Vice Chair on the Education Committee does not disagree with the idea that the subcommittee bowed to prejudice, this quoted from the Sunday Union leader. 

Rep Rachel Burke (D-Strafford Dist # 3) also on the committee, is reported by the UL to have been crying during a phone interview as she claimed to have been intimidated by the idea that opponents would defeat the bill if controversial language was not removed.

Go Along, Get Along Goley

 

Just this past week Rep Jeff Goley refused to prohibit lobbyists from serving on a public agency or public body where the lobbyist gains from the activity of the public agency or body.  He also refused to return revenue to the towns, and voted against returning the revenue sharing rules back to pre 2009 levels. That would be the rules before the state spent so much in two consecutive budgets that they had to screw the towns out of even more revenue to try and balance their bloated state budget. 

What does this say about Rep Goley?  That he is all in on spending without knowing how to pay for it, but all out when it comes to giving money back to the people who earned it. 

NH Anti-Gun Short List

The House vote on HB1654 this week, to [..."prohibit(s) the carrying of firearms or other deadly weapons into the state house or legislative office building. Violations are a class B felony"] gives us a snapshot of the legislators most inclined to deny you your second amendment rights. 

The vote to ITL the bill resulted in 35 Nays, all liberty-denires, I mean left-wing democrats.  Pardon me.  There were 34 democrats and one former democrat, pretending to be a republican, who insists he's probably more of an independent; Tony Di Fruscia.

Thursday Morning Musings 2-4-2010

 

Shenanigans with the Department of Education; a cadre of lefty legislators is working an end around to get Homeschooling rules implemented that the legislature just failed to pass.  Apparently the will of elected officials and thousands of residents just isn’t good enough.  So having grown weary of the legislative process of (dare I say it?) reform, it is time to take matters into their own hands. 

My suggestion to them then, is to get out of the legislating business instead.

Justice Isn't The Only Thing That's Blind

Has the Legislative ethics committee let Rep Peter Leishman (D - Good Ole Boys Network) off the hook?  Mr. Leishman was accused of using his legislative position to give him an advantage in a railroad operating agreement but the committee could not bring itself to suspect Rep Leishman under the circumstances and has recommended a letter of caution and no further action.

What circumstances? 

It starts with HB 613 a 2009 bill that Rep Leishman wrote which would create a committee to consider whether the state 

Tax Me Not, For I Am Of An Age

 

Republican House Rep Robert Elliott of Salem (NHRRA rating of 78%) is proposing a bill (HB 1246)that would allow school tax exemptions for anyone who has resided in and paid taxes in either Windham or Salem for 40 years, and has no children in the public school system.  His reasoning, according to an editorial about this bill in the union leader this morning, is that he can't get school bonds passed because this group of taxpayers is unwilling to pay for them having no (apparent) vested interest in the new expense.

A Gift From The Gods

The House voted on HB 642 yesterday and despite being (I am told) a bad income tax bill--Ways and Means released it as ITL--seventy (70) NH House democrats couldn't contain their glee, and voted for it anyway. (Despite being told not to by members of their own party for political reasons).  

So what do we do?  We say Thank You.

These 70 democrats have just provided us with a list of legislators so desperate to tax us no matter what the situation, that they cannot help but stand up and be counted.  And so they shall be. 

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