Voter Fraud/Water Fraud

The NH legislature pushed through a Voter ID law for our state, despite the absence of proof of any actual fraud occurring. There’s a lot of anecdotal talk of “busloads of people from Massachusetts” coming to the polls and voting, by people swearing they’ve seen it. Under questioning, however, they were remarkably passive in the face of massive voter fraud. Not a one of them ever so much as mentioned it to the cop stationed at the polls, nor did they tell moderator, call the Sec. of State or the AG’s office, or even take a picture with their cell phone.

Voter fraud has always been a solution in search of a bunch of actual election thieves, and thanks to ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) Voter ID laws were passed in a number of states over the last few years. A percentage of voters in each of these states have been disenfranchised. That was the goal: to make sure poor people, students, poor people of color, and old people weren’t able to vote. If they could only get rid of that pesky 19th Amendment, they’d be well on their way to the dictatorship they crave.

The US Constitution gives us the right to vote. It doesn’t mention cashing checks, flying, or entering government buildings. Just voting. When someone gives you all of those reasons as to why you should WANT to have Voter ID laws, feel free to bring that up. Bear in mind that you will be making that point to the same people who claim to love the Constitution more than life itself. None of their evidence of voter fraud holds up, even the attempt made here by Breitbart acolyte and faux journalist James O’Keefe who attempted to prove voter fraud in NH by asking for ballots of people who were actually dead. Well, some of them were dead anyhow. The living ones weren’t very happy. O’Keefe doesn’t dare to come back to NH, because he’ll be given a grand jury subpoena if he does, and he’s already on probation for attempting to bug US Senator Mary Landrieu’s office, while posing as a telephone repair man.

The biggest single incidence of voter fraud took place in Florida, in November of 2000. The GOP does not wish to discuss that.

In any case, the new state Voter ID law is available on the NH Secretary of State’s website: here in an easily printed and handed out pdf from the NH League of Women Voter’s site. The state primary election is on Sept. 11, and for that primary, nothing has changed. You will not be required to show ID to get a ballot. Ballot clerks will ask for ID, and give those who don’t produce one a handout on the future requirements of the new law. For the November 6 General Election, you will be asked to show ID. If you do not, you will be asked to sign a voter affidavit. The Secretary of State’s office will contact you to confirm that you voted. The list of acceptable ID’s is available at either of the above websites. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors, because a lot of incorrect information is being circulated. One local town clerk sent out a highly edited version of the law. It wasn’t dishonest, but it wasn’t 100% accurate, either. This matters. At a time when our voting rights are under assault by the corporate puppet masters of the GOP, it’s damned important that we pay attention, and know the exact letter of the law.

There’s a group called Commit2Vote2012 that is sending out voter registration packets in NH. This is a project of Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist religious group who apparently didn’t bother to do any research before they tried focusing on NH families. NH doesn’t have a motor voter law in place that allows third party voter registrations. If you sign the Commit2Vote forms, you will not be registered to vote, you’ll just be on their mailing list for life. Just say no to Focus on the Family.




In other local news, the Fryeburg water situation is rearing its ugly head again. This time, the Fryeburg Water Company (a privately held utility) is asking for a long-term commitment from Nestle/Poland Spring (the multinational corporation that is pumping water from Fryeburg and selling it at an enormous profit. Nestle would buy a guaranteed amount of water, and pay $12,000 a month in rental fees, for the privilege of taking that water. That adds up to $144,000 a year. Nestle’s profit on water sales in 2009 was upwards of $4.2 billion. The deal would be in place for 25 years. This new deal has to be approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The Maine PUC made this information public just last week, and the period for public comment ends on Sept. 4. It’s worth pointing out that two of the three PUC commissioners have worked for Nestle in the past. In other words – this is being shoved through with great haste, and in hopes of little public attention.

Meanwhile, the Fryeburg Water District is considering going inactive. The Fryeburg Water District is an independent municipal board that was originally created by the ME legislature in the event that Fryeburg Water Co. decided to sell. That was before Nestle. A couple of remarkable coincidences are taking place. First, FWD trustee Dick Krasker took some time off from the board. He was reelected in June, and within a week made the motion to put the district in inactive status. The other Big Remarkable Coincidence is that this is happening right now, when the Nestle/Fryeburg Water Co. deal is going down. Making the FWD inactive would mean an end to any sort of public oversight over the whole issue of water in Fryeburg. It’s not exactly rocket science to understand why Nestle wants the FWD to go away, and Nestle has proven to be remarkably efficient at getting its way in Fryeburg.

Folks in East Conway should be paying attention to this, since it’s your water, too. In fact, we should all be contacting our legislators and asking them to push for the PUC to extend the comment period and do a thorough examination of the Nestle/Fryeburg Water contract. The financial health of the Fryeburg Water Company should also be scrutinized. We should also all be asking PUC Commissioners Welsh and Vannoy to recuse themselves, due to conflict of interest. They’ve both worked for Nestle (one as a lawyer, one as an engineer) in the past.

The unseemly haste and lack of transparency that is transpiring here should serve as a warning sign that something is wrong with all of this, and will almost certainly be to the detriment of the town of Fryeburg and all area water users.



“In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference.” Rachel Carson


© 2012 sbruce
This was published as an op-ed in the August 31, 2012 edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper.
h/t to Mother Jones Magazine for the voter suppression map.

The Candidate Who Has the Financial Resources?

Earlier this month, the NH NEA endorsed former NH State Senator Maggie Hassan for governor. Their statement was posted at Blue Hampshire. The end is the interesting part:

When one of the Republican candidates states that he will be like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker “on steroids,” everyone who cares about seniors, women’s rights, the middles class, civil rights , and our public school children better take notice and then support the candidate who has the organization, financial resources, and platform to win in November. That candidate is Maggie Hassan.

Organization, resources, and platform. Clearly the NEA was placing great value on financial resources.

A few days ago boston.com took a look at campaign finances:

Hassan said she had raised $930,000 with $239,000 coming in since June 19. She reported about $100,000 on hand.

That looks good at first glance - until you stop to think that Hassan's spent $800,000 and she's not winning. She's neck and neck with the other Democrat, Jackie Cilley, who is running her campaign on a wing and a prayer. $800,000 is a big honking chunk of cash - and she ain't winning. James Pindell in the latest Political Standing:

Maggie Hassan: You have to analyze her finance report that she basically spent $800,000 of the $900,000 she raised this way: Looking back it’s horrible. She has spent far more than anyone running for governor and she is neck and neck to win her primary against someone who is running a campaign on a shoestring. Looking ahead in the short term it’s devastating. The whole argument over the summer is that while Cilley was coming on strong Hassan would just overpower her in the closing weeks. This report shows she can’t do that. In the long term it is no big deal. If Hassan makes it through the primary she will have all the resources she needs.

It's been clear all along that Hassan was the anointed establishment candidate, and that the big money was going to be behind her. Now that the staggering amount of cash she's burned through has been made public, one wonders how the big endorsers are feeling about her "resources," her political savvy, and her chances.

Hassan Bails on Stoddard, Goes to Obama Event

Two days before the NH presidential primary in 2008, a number of women (prominent NH Democrats) signed a letter on behalf of the Hillary Clinton campaign that was emailed out to supporters and undecided voters, misrepresenting Barack Obama's position on choice. This created a rift, ably documented by writer Alec MacGillis in the Washington Post.

From the letter:

"The difference between Hillary's repeatedly standing up strong on choice and Obama's unwillingness to vote 'yes' or 'no' is a clear contrast, and we believe the voters in New Hampshire deserve to know this difference," the e-mail stated. "We support Hillary Clinton because she never ducked when choice was at stake."

The Clinton campaign has made the same charge repeatedly over the past year, including a couple weeks before the Iowa caucus. The Obama campaign had rebuffed it by invoking statements by an Illinois Planned Parenthood official, who said the "present" votes were part of a deliberate strategy to protect other pro-choice legislators, other than Obama, in vulnerable districts.

After the primary another email went out urging women to hang together and not be divided by the initial Clinton email. Some of the same women who signed the Clinton letter signed on to the new one:

The other two Clinton supporters who signed both the critical e-mail and the conciliatory one stood more strongly by the initial one. Sen. Hassan said she, too, was unaware of the Illinois Planned Parenthood defense of Obama at the time she signed the critical letter, that she had only been told by the Clinton campaign that the Illinois chapter of NOW had cited concerns about Obama's present votes. She said it was wrong for anyone to suggest that Obama was not pro-choice, and that she was sorry about the upset that the letter had caused.

But Hassan stood by what she said was the main point of the initial e-mail, that Clinton was the most staunchly pro-choice Democrat. "All of the leading Democratic candidates are strongly pro-choice but I think Hillary's record is unparalleled. I stand by what I signed before the election and don't think it's inconsistent with" the new e-mail stating that Obama is strongly pro-choice, Hassan said. "Everybody's going to interpret these letters and e-mails as they want to."

Senator Hassan signed the dishonest Clinton letter, and is unrepentant about having done so - then and now. Alec MacGillis did a follow up story last year.

I've already written about Hassan's early endorsement (and paid campaign manager) from Emily's List. Emily's List was a huge supporter/funder of the Clinton campaign.


In July, Hassan was paid back for her loyalty, with an in-person endorsement from Bill Clinton. Concord Monitor.

Clinton didn't wait last night to be asked why he's endorsing Hassan over her Democratic rivals, former state senator Jackie Cilley of Barrington and Bill Kennedy of Danbury. He cited press reports that noted Hassan's past support for the Clintons and said. "There are worse reasons."

But he also said he watched Hassan when she served in the state Senate, where she was chosen by her colleagues to be majority leader and worked well with the other side. (In praising Hassan, Clinton mispronounced her last name at least twice.)

While mispronouncing her name, he basically admits that this is payback. At least he's honest. But he's not running for president, and neither is his wife. So, when this story came out in the Union Leader:

Democratic candidates for governor Jackie Cilley and Bill Kennedy met with a friendly crowd at a Stoddard Democrats event at Lakefalls Lodge on Saturday afternoon to speak about the issues in the race and eat a bit of blueberry cobbler.

The absence of fellow gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan was duly noted by the other candidates, members of the Stoddard Democrats and other attendees, who said her snub didn't reflect well on her.

Richard Whitney, chairman of the Stoddard Democrats, said Hassan was lured away by the arrival of President Barack Obama in the Granite State this weekend for a recently announced campaign stop.

Even though Hassan had promised to attend the Stoddard event two months ago, she backed out at the last minute, he said.

I couldn't help but wonder - fence mending? Outright ass kissing?

I Built It Myself

The Republican Party has adopted a new meme for the 2012 campaign (based on an edited Obama quote) the “I Built This Company Myself” theme that is cropping up everywhere. A couple of weeks ago, former NH GOP Chair, Fergus Cullen had an op-ed piece in the Union Leader, where he extolled the virtues of Marion Noronha, who immigrated to the US from India. Noronha’s story, as told by Cullen, is tailor made for a Frank Capra movie.

Mr. Noronha came to the US in 1977, with nothing but six dollars and a degree in engineering that he earned in India. He worked for free for a VT company that was working at Dartmouth College. In Hanover Noronha became a Christian, and met the woman he would marry. His next job was with a shoe manufacturer that used CAD (computer assisted design). He and other Christians he met in the Hanover area moved to Madbury to start a church at UNH.

Mr. Noronha fiddled with CAD in his spare time, designing new prototypes and products. He bought a milling machine and set up a shop in his basement. He sold his first part to GM, and by 1993, had opened his own business, Turbocam, and had 23 employees.

It’s a great story – an immigrant realizing the American dream. Cullen makes a point of telling President Obama that Noronha did this all by his lonesome, with no help from the evil gummint. Except that it isn’t true.

Noronha got an education in engineering in India, where he very likely went to a publicly funded university. He came to the US on a Visa, granted to him by the US government. Noronha became a Christian, in a country where the government grants him freedom of religion. He lived and worked in Hanover, a town with public roads, bridges, water, sewer, and plowing; the infrastructure paid for by the tax dollars of the residents of this civilized community. Noronha wasn’t exactly Pa Ingalls out on the prairie, cutting down trees, clearing his own pasture, and building a barn. The infrastructure Mr. Noronha needed was already in place. For some reason, the GOP deems it necessary to turn this into a story of rugged individualism.

A visit to the US Government Small Business Administration’s site shows that Turbocam is one of the SBA 100 – companies that have hired at least 100 employees after receiving SBA assistance. From the website:

“Turbocam grew from a modest beginning in Dover, NH. The company has used SBA-guaranteed loans on seven occasions to provide more than $5 million dollars to help support its growth between 1992 and 2009. During this time the number of employees grew from 18 in 1992 to over 250 in 2009.”

Oh, dear. Guaranteed loans from a government program? That sure sounds like government assistance to me.

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney ran an ad featuring a NH businessman, Jack Gilchrist. Gilchrist is the owner of Gilchrist Metal Fabricating Company in Hudson. The ad features the highly edited Obama quote being spread by the GOP, and it features Jack Gilchrist talking about the company built by his father. He’s portrayed as the rugged individualist who did this all on his own. Another Pa Ingalls.

A little research provides some conflicting information. The company benefitted from $800,000 in tax-exempt revenue bonds to set up a second plant and purchase equipment. Bond buyers don’t pay federal taxes on the interest, so the interest rate is lower than a bank loan’s interest would be. Last year, Gilchrist got two US Navy sub-contracts. In 2008, they had a US Coast Guard sub-contract. In the late 1980’s, Gilchrist had a US Small Business Administration loan for around $500,000. Gilchrist has also received matching funds from the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, which is federally funded. And again, Hudson has public water, sewer, roads, bridges, schools, libraries, and parks - all the amenities of a civilized community, all paid for by the residents.

These stories illustrate a couple of things. First and foremost, these are the stories of men who have worked hard to make their businesses succeed. They are both SMART businessmen, who took advantage of programs that were available to them to help their businesses grow and flourish. That those are government-funded programs doesn’t diminish their success in any way. That’s what those programs are there for: to help businesses. succeed. Isn’t that a good thing? I’m at a loss as to why the Republican Party is at such pains to disconnect from the same government they’re all desperate to be part of. This bizarre myth of “rugged individualism” is going to continue to bite them, because no one who is a success got there without having some help and support along the way.

This was something that Mitt Romney did understand at one time. At the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in 2002 he said:

“You Olympians, however, know you didn’t get here solely on your own power. For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them.”

Every one of us benefits from being part of a community, a community that has infrastructure in place to help us succeed. Schools, libraries, parks, recreation, roads, and bridges are all things we rely on, and we take for granted. If we didn’t have these things, we’d be a very different nation. Republicans bleat about US exceptionalism, while denying everything that has contributed to making the US an exceptional nation.

What this should be telling you the voter is pretty simple: they think you’re stupid. They think they can manipulate you by creating dishonest scenarios, and chanting slogans.

Anyone who tells you how bad government is, while simultaneously trying to become part of it, is someone not worthy of your vote.


This was published as an op-ed in the August 17, 2012 edition of the Conway Daily Sun.
© sbruce 2012

This is an expanded version of a piece that was published at Blue Hampshire, the Daily Kos, and of course here.

New Romyan Campaign Logo

An admiring h/t to Democratic Underground via Alternet

Bill Kennedy, NH Dem Candidate for Governor Does Not Support Choice

Dear NH friends:

There are 3 candidates running for governor on the Democratic side: Jackie Cilley, Maggie Hassan, and Bill Kennedy. Some are claiming that all three share similar views on social issues. It's important for everyone to know - and share a very fundamental difference on the issue of choice.

If you know anyone who is thinking of voting for Bill Kennedy, it's important that you let them know that he doesn't believe women are capable of making their own choices on abortion.

Bill Kennedy is in favor of the 24 hour waiting period. He supports forcing a woman to wait 24 hours for a LEGAL medical procedure. He told me that he believes women are often coerced into having abortions. I told him that he needed to make a decision: either women are autonomous, equal human beings or we are chattel, who need men to make our medical/personal decisions for us. I also pointed out that this places a financial hardship on women, forcing them to take at least 2 days off, unnecessarily. He chose to avoid that aspect of the conversation, as you can see from his comments on Blue Hampshire. You can read his comments at Blue Hampshire.

Nothing says "I'm Not Gay"

like a mouthful of greasy cock chicken!

He Did it Without Help...Except for all the Help He Got

Today's Union Leader has an op-ed by former NH GOP Chair Fergus Cullen. Fergus is going with the silly "I did it MY WAY with no gummint help" that our friends in the GOP clown car seem stuck on. It's a silly meme that is going to continually bite them in the buttocks - but hey - what's wrong with that??

Fergus tells us the tale of Marion Noronha, an immigrant from India who started a business:

Today Noronha is president of Turbocam, the Barringtonbased manufacturing company that employs 550 people in 10 countries, 325 of them in Barrington and Dover. The company has 14 current job openings and plans to add 200 more at a new facility in Barrington.

It's a great story. Noronha came to the US with about $6 (and training as an engineer), and parlayed that into a global business empire. His first job was a volunteer position with a company that was working at Dartmouth College. There he met his future wife, and became a Christian.

After his Dartmouth job ended, he was hired by a shoe manufacturer using CAD (computer aided design) and moved to Madbury with a group of Christian families, to start a church at UNH.

Meanwhile, Noronha kept tinkering with CAD, designing prototypes and renting machining time at plants in Massachusetts at night. Turbocam started in his basement in 1985. He bought his first milling machine in 1987 and rented workspace in Dover a year later.

He sold his first part to General Motors, hand polishing it in the back of the car while Suzie drove to deliver it. By 1993, Turbocam had 25 employees.

Then there's this:

If Noronha had help building Turbocam, it came from a higher office than any found in Washington. Turbocam's mission is stated plainly: “Turbocam exists as a business for the purpose of honoring God, creating wealth for its employees, and supporting Christian service to God and people.”

“The company is an expression of God's blessing on us,” Noronha explains. Forty percent of the firm's revenue goes to salaries, and Noronha is justifiably proud of all the families who have bread on the table because of Turbocam.

“That's a bigger contribution to the community than all the government grants and programs,” Noronha observes.

Fergus makes a point of telling President Obama that Noronha did this all by his lonesome, with no evil help from the gummint.
Except that Dartmouth College is in Hanover, NH - a town that has public water, sewer, plowing, roads, bridges - the infrastructure that we all enjoy, paid for by our tax dollars.

Noronha moved to Madbury to start a church. The US Constitution (the foundation of our government) guarantees Mr. Noronha the right to freedom of religion. That same government also gives churches tax exempt status, so that they can stretch their dollars into doing the work their religion calls them to do - and gives their members the option of making tax deductible contributions. In other words, the government is supporting Christian service to God and people.

Noronha sold his first part to General Motors. Luckily, he can continue to sell parts to GM - thanks to government assistance, GM is alive and well.

Mr. Noronha has 325 employees and intends to add 200 more. Unless he's built his own infrastructure, his employees drive to work on the same roads and bridges that his products travel to market on. Roads and bridges built with our tax dollars. A large number of his employees were undoubtedly educated in public schools and colleges. Some of those employees may avail themselves of our public libraries. Some of them may even engage in recreational activities in our local, state, and national parks.

Mr. Noronha didn't have to cut down trees, clear a pasture, and build his own barn. He wasn't Pa Ingalls out on the prairie. The infrastructure that is part of his success was already in place, thanks to the local, state, and federal government.

Fortunately the same government that is considered unimportant by Mr. Noronha also provides him with the First Amendment, that allows him to criticize that government, without any repercussions. He can say any fool thing he wants, and Fergus Cullen can write piously about it in the Union Leader.

Truth can also rear its ugly head.

Turbocam is one of the US Govt. Small Business Administration's SBA 100, one of the business that has created over 100 jobs since receiving SBA assistance.
Assistance? From a government program??? Oh, say it ain't so! From the SBA website:

Turbocam grew from a modest beginning in Dover, NH. The company has used SBA-guaranteed loans on seven occasions to provide more than $5 million dollars to help support its growth between 1992 and 2009. During this time the number of employees grew from 18 in 1992 to over 250 in 2009.

This just illustrates the point the president was making. None of us succeed in a vacuum. We aren't in this together alone. Mr. Noronha had a great idea, and he used the resources available to him to parlay that idea into a very successful business.

This story illustrates why this is a silly GOP meme that will continue to bite them in the behind. I'd suggest that Fergus and his pals stock up on Neosporin - except that it's produced by a government subsidized drug company. Better stock up on leeches, Fergus.

Freedumb and Libertea

The NH Dept. of Education released a report this week on the Status of Higher Education in New Hampshire. Those who believe in higher education and wish to keep our young people in our state will find much to be concerned about in this report. Those who abhor every dime spent on education and believe that colleges are seething hotbeds of liebrulism won’t bother to read the report, and wouldn’t be able to understand it if they did.

One surprising bit of information from the report is that NH’s high school dropout rate has continued to decrease, reaching a low of nearly 1%. I was skeptical of Governor Lynch’s plan to keep kids in school when they didn’t want to be there, but clearly, the plan is working. A high school diploma is essential these days, and so is some form of higher education or training, if one wants to be able to live indoors.

As I’ve written before (endlessly) NH ranks in last place for state funding of higher education. That was true before the last biennium when the Freebaglicans cut the already embarrassingly low level of funding in half.
Tuition at our two and four year colleges is amongst the highest in the nation. NH may be in 50th place for state funding of higher education, but we are number one in student debt. Yay! We’re number one!

The report shows that 5% fewer NH students are staying in state for their education than did a decade ago. In other words: our young people are going out of state for their education in increasing numbers. When they do, they are unlikely to come back. Good jobs are scarce, and our state’s over reliance on the property tax means they can’t afford to buy a house and start a family. And if they did, they’d still have to contend with the ongoing circular drama of how NH Republicans hate education spending at every level. It makes sense in a way. Educated folks have a harder time buying into the constant stream of GOP propaganda. Today’s Freebaglican Party counts on a populace that will repeat the endless sloganeering, without bothering to think an issue through.

A recent letter to the editor of this paper was full of breathless talk of how the Freebaglicans protected our individual liberties and freedoms in the NH legislature over the last biennium. It’s true that the legislature was deeply interested in protecting the rights of white, male, heterosexual gun owners. Women, on the other hand, got a heaping helping of “your uterus belongs to the state.” The writer also repeated the big lie about the $900 million deficit that the Democrats allegedly left behind. It’s a myth. There was stimulus money that the state used during the worst of the depression. It was one-time-only money, and everyone knew it. They knew they’d have to make cuts in the next biennium. The Republicans have spun that into whole cloth, to manufacture a huge “deficit.” Be sure to ask one of ‘em about the $11 million surplus that was left behind that they wanted to move into the state’s Rainy Day Fund in 2011. Then ask yourself how a legislature can have a huge deficit AND a surplus at the same time. As our friends on Sesame St. are fond of singing, “One of these things is not like the other.” The purveyors of freedumb and libertea are counting on you NOT to think.

William O’Brien, Speaker of the NH House, recently appeared on NHPR’s call in show, The Exchange. It’s available to listen to online if you missed it. If you are one of those folks who thinks NHPR is a hotbed of liberalism, I’d encourage you to listen to this interview. Host Laura Knoy failed to ask appropriate follow up questions at every opportunity, failing to challenge O’Brien as he made a number of astounding comments and claims. The 2011 budget cut state spending on the university system almost in half, and O’Brien criticized UNH for increasing tuition. O’Brien finds UNH is “inefficient.” What that really means is that there’s an employees union. The irony here is that O’Brien began his own college years at Framingham State University in Massachusetts: a publicly funded college, with an employees union.

This interview failed on every level. It was most apparent when O’Brien stated that the legislature HAD to pass a “partial birth abortion” law. Knoy didn’t ask him the obvious question – WHY? What was the hurry? She just sat there, letting him spin an intricate guano web, without challenging any of it. It was an amazing performance, rivaling only the interview she did with writer E.L. Doctorow who asked her at one point if she’d ever actually read one of his books. NHPR is the NH GOP’s secret weapon. Everyone knows that the Union Leader is the propaganda wing of the party, but NHPR gets blamed for being biased toward the left, when nothing could be further from the truth.

NH media is a big, sucking, black hole, and O’Brien knows it, and uses it to his advantage. He refused to allow a reporter from the Concord Monitor into his last press conference, because the paper printed a cartoon that made fun of him. It had nothing to do with the reporter in question, but most short despots have very thin skin, and so he refused to allow a reporter into the press conference. All of the other reporters present meekly filed in (including NHPR’s political reporter) and didn’t stand up for a fellow reporter, or for freedom of the press. This never became a big story in NH. Is it because the other media outlets were embarrassed by their own behavior? Or is it because they function on some level as propaganda purveyors for the GOP? Given that this is the first in the nation primary state, we are remarkably ill served by our media. It can only be seen as intentional.


“No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will.” Thomas Jefferson


This was published as an op-ed in the August 2, 2012 edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper.

© sbruce 2012

h/t to Jen Sorenson for the cartoon.

Tone Deaf, Dumb, Sexist, and a Shitty Husband

Over at Daily Kos, Markos has a diary that asks: what kind of man ditches his wife out of political fear? He's referring to Mitt Rmoney's attempts at distancing himself from his wife's dressage horse, Rafalca. Rafalca Romney survived being strapped atop the family wagon, driven to London, and is now competing in the Olympic games.

Last year Rafalca generated $77,000 in tax deductions for the Mittster. That's more than most of us made last year. And that, is the problem. Dressage ( a FRENCH term) is an equestrian sport, where horse and rider perform a number of movements that are sometimes (inaccurately) called "horse ballet." It's a highly skilled sport and one that is very costly. In other words - not something the rabble can pursue. The rabble being too busy attempting to keep roofs over their heads.

Mittens is deeply disconnected from the real world. His money insulates him from reality, and even when he and Ann attempt to make themselves sound empathetic, they just sound like they're broadcasting from the Let Them Eat Cake Bakery. When Mitt was a student, they had to * GASP * sell some of their stock portfolio in order to get by. These poor, struggling students couldn't entertain, because they were just getting by, and apparently couldn't afford service for 20 and a chandelier. Last year, Mitt showed how empathetic he is to the little people by telling waitresses at Mary Ann's Diner in Derry NH that he was "unemployed." Then he pretended one of them had pinched his behind. Tone deaf, dumb, and sexist! That's our Mittens.

And speaking of horse's behinds, Rmoney is on the record all over the place for having been very involved with his wife's dressage hobby. For him now to distance himself from it is typical Mittflopping.

Imagine if Mitt stood up and said, "Listen up, people - I know you think that dressage is a silly sport for rich people. I know that my wife's horse costs more than most of you make in a year, and that's a terrible thing at a time when so many people are struggling financially. What you need to understand is this: dressage is very important to my wife, and my wife is very important to me. That means I'm going to be there to support her while her horse competes in the Olympics - because I love my wife." Even a pinko like me would have to admire that.

Instead he says something wussy about how it's her thing, not his, and he won't be there. So not only is he tone deaf, dumb, and sexist - he's also a shitty husband.

Flat Earth Mode

Every year, business network CNBC releases a report called “America’s Top States for Business.” CNBC examines a number of factors (cost of doing business, quality of life, cost of living, etc) and ranks states accordingly. The results of these studies over time (I went back as far as 2006) offer some insight into what NH is doing right, as well as deficiencies that the state continues to ignore.

Texas was rated number one, despite their quality of life being rated as 35th in the nation. They ranked #1 in infrastructure and #2 in technology and innovation, which was enough to offset the rather dismal quality of life. The overall Texas economy was rated 5th in the nation.

NH’s overall rating is 19th in the nation. NH’s quality of life is rated first in the nation. NH ranks 46th in transportation and infrastructure, which is fairly consistent over the years. The rankings for technology and infrastructure put NH in 26th place. More startling was the category of workforce, where NH ranked #44. The workforce rating is based on the education level of the workforce, availability of worker training programs, and union membership. Before those right knees start jerking, it’s important to point out that fewer than 10% of NH workers belong to a labor union. In 2011, NH ranked 40th in workforce, but in 2009 we were in 30th place.

NH ranked 35th in the cost of doing business. That’s a fairly consistent number over the years. CNBC looks at income, property and business taxes, utility costs and the cost of rental space. As we know, NH has some of the highest property taxes and utility costs in the nation. NH ranked 40th in cost of living. That’s been the same since 2006. The numbers are based on housing, food, and energy costs.

There were two surprising categories. We’ve heard a great deal of wailing from the Freebaglicans about how regulations are strangling development in our state. That turns out not to be true. NH ranks SECOND in the nation for being business friendly. Since 2006, we’ve ranked in the single digits in that category. CNBC looks at legal and regulatory frameworks. NH has never ranked lower than in 6th place in this category. The other surprise was the rating of NH’s economy, which came in 34th place. After truly dismal numbers (40th) in 2008, during the big economic collapse, NH rebounded quickly, to #14 in 2009, #12 in 2010, and NH was ranked 10th in the nation in 2011. Falling to 34th place in a year is truly remarkable, especially given that laser like focus on jobs and the economy that was promised us by the GOP majority.

In 2011, the US Chamber of Commerce (not exactly a bunch of raving pinkos) released a report called “Enterprising States; Recovery and Renewal for the 21st Century.” The report found that states investing in infrastructure, as well as education and training for the workforce were the states most successful at bringing in good paying jobs.

This is the exact opposite of what NH has done.

Recent letters from Representatives McCarthy and Tregenza boasted of the many revenue streams and spending cuts the majority made over the last two years. That’s all either of them had to be proud of - cutting state revenue streams. As the US Chamber report points out, “A state, however, can neither cut or tax itself into prosperity.”

NH is trying to cut itself into prosperity. The state funding to our state university systems was cut in half by the Freebaglican majority. The DOT budget was cut so much that we’re no longer lighting up our bridges. Folks will remember that Rep. Gene Chandler had to do some fancy pageant walking after the budget he shilled for resulted in cutbacks to DOT spending on snow plowing. It is now estimated that NH’s 10 year transportation plan will take 30 years to complete, based on current spending.

The US Chamber report cited Vermont and Maine as being the top two states currently investing in telecommunications infrastructure. NH is the 19th century filling in that northern New England sandwich of progress.

NH already ranks in last place for state spending on our state university system. We can continue to strive to be last in infrastructure, too. Of course, it’s entirely possible that we’ll choose to elect a legislature that isn’t stuck in flat earth mode next time around.

From the US Chamber report: “The evidence regarding job creation among the states shows that fiscal probity is an essential ingredient, but states can deal with the fundamental problems they face only by spurring growth and upward mobility.”

Be sure to ask incumbents how they expect to move NH into the future by doing the exact opposite of what is working for other states. Be sure to ask all candidates how they intend to help bring NH into the 21st century.

“In our seeking for economic and political progress, we all go up - or else we all go down.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt



Links:
CNBC Report
US Chamber of Commerce Report


This was published as an op-ed in the July 20 edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper.
© sbruce 2012

Putting a Price Tag on Public Health

The July 16 edition of the Boston Globe had a story about Eastern Equine Encephalitis, by writer Martine Powers.

Triple E is a mosquito borne illness, and it's early this year:

Catherine Brown, the state public health veterinarian, explained that two types of mosquitoes carry the virus. The species that bites birds is often discovered carrying the virus early in the summer, she said. But the kind that targets mammals, including humans, is not typically found with the virus until about July 25.

The discovery of mammal-biting insects carrying the virus in the second week of July, she said, is a cause for concern.

Mosquito samples in Easton and Carver have come back positive for carrying the virus. Easton, Raynham, and Taunton have all been declared at high risk for the virus.

Last year Martin Newfields of Raynham died after contracting the virus.

Towns in southeastern MA are rescheduling evening activities, stocking up on bug spray, and trying to get their towns, counties, or the state to do mosquito spraying.
Meanwhile in Raynham:

Last year, after Newfield’s death, municipalities pointed fingers at the state government for failing to conduct aerial sprays early in the season. At that time, Alfred DeMaria, an epidemiologist at the Department of Public Health, said there is no evidence that aerial spraying is more effective than ground spraying, and each aerial spraying costs the state about $1 million.

Given that the mosquitos are early, the municipalities are struggling with how to stretch their spraying dollars, since the mosquito threat lasts until the first heavy frost. That was the point made by Joe Pacheco, the chairman of Raynham's Board of Selectmen.

“It’s a matter of public health,” Pacheco said. “The governor should not be putting a price tag on public health. That’s just not acceptable."

Perhaps in Massachusetts folks don't like the idea of putting a price tag on public health. The New Hampshire legislature had no such difficulty:

From NH DHHS:

Effective July 1, 2006, RSA 141-C:25 established a mosquito control fund in the NH DHHS to assist cities, towns, and mosquito control districts by providing funding to offset mosquito control activities. During passage of the State Fiscal Year 2012-2013 budget, this program was unfunded. As such no reimbursement funds will be awarded in calendar years 2011 and 2012. Funding for the program beyond State Fiscal Year 2013 will be contingent upon decision making during the next budget cycle.

The mosquito control program was de-funded by the current legislature, who apparently feel that any investment in public health is too high a price to pay.

In 2005, seven human cases of EEE were found in NH, and two people died as a result. A number of horses, alpacas, and other mammals have also contracted the disease over the years and died. The virus has come early to our neighbors to the south this year, which can only mean that southern NH will be at risk earlier than usual.

According to this 2009 report from the UNH County Extension program, Rockingham County is the part of our state that is at the highest risk for Triple E.

Rockingham County is also a the strongest bastion of GOP support in the state.


"Irony is just honesty with the volume cranked up." ~ George Saunders

NH Goes National (again, to our shame)

Once again, NH's shame goes national. Time Magazine has picked up the story of Rep. Robert Kingsbury's claim that kindergarten leads to crime:

Kingsbury (R-Laconia), 86, recently claimed that analyses he’s been carrying out since 1996 show that communities in his state that have kindergarten programs have up to 400% more crime than localities whose classrooms are free of finger-painting 5-year-olds. Pointing to his hometown of Laconia, the largest of 10 communities in Belknap County, the legislator noted that it has the only kindergarten program in the county and the most crime, including most or all of the county’s rapes, robberies, assaults and murders.

Time's conclusion?

The fact that correlation does not equal cause — and that powerful correlations may be linked with unmeasured factors that are truly causal — is the reason that genuine scientific research often involves complex statistical analysis. Determining causality is extremely difficult in science, and it typically requires experiments that are designed to allow investigators to manipulate the conditions carefully and to rule out any other factors that might be at play.

I'm going to go ahead and unscientifically state that Robert Kingsbury's election to the NH House proves that most voters in 2010 didn't have a clue about who they were voting for.

Save America

Election season is here, and the signs are springing up everywhere. One new sign proclaims: Save America, Vote Republican. I’ve reflected on those signs on a number of occasions during the last two weeks.

After the Supreme Court’s decision that the ACA is Constitutional, Merrimack, NH Tea Party founder Mike Malzone told the Merrimack Patch that he hoped the majority justices all got colon cancer. He posted a lot of ugly and obscene commentary on his Facebook page. The next day he stood by his remarks. A few days later, however, after the story went national, Malzone issued a retraction, saying he’s not a hateful person. Boy – he sure fooled me!

Undoubtedly, the makers of the signs were thinking about Republicans like Mike Malzone when they urge us to Save America and vote GOP.

I reflected upon those signs again, when I read about a study done by State Rep. Robert Kingsbury of Laconia. It seems that Rep. Kingsbury has been gathering data since 1996 that shows a link between kindergarten and an increase in crime in Belknap County. Laconia has a lot more crime than other area towns that don’t have kindergarten, according to Rep. Kingsbury. One wonders if perhaps population density was a consideration during the course of this study, but then one decides that examining the methodology too closely could be damaging to one’s mental health. Representative Kingsbury states that other causes for the increase in crime include declining gun ownership and the fact that boxing is no longer taught in schools.

Sadly for us all, that wasn’t the end of it. Rep. Kingsbury felt compelled to elaborate on his statements. He believes that children are taken away from their mothers too soon. He was quoted in the Huffington Post as saying, “Children go to kindergarten at the point of a gun, children go to day care and it's not the same; there is no point of a gun.” Given that he seems to like guns, this is a little confusing. What if we assigned the kindergartners firearms and boxing gloves?

Kingsbury blames the fact that teachers can’t discipline the way they used to because of pesky lawyers. This all translates as: women should be home with the kids, and teachers should be able to smack the little brats around. You may recall Rep. Kingsbury was one of the sponsors of the 2012 bill that called for the insertion of a relevant quote from the Magna Carta in each new piece of NH legislation. At age 85, Kingsbury has just finished his freshman term in the NH House and is running for reelection. Save America, folks. Vote Republican.

Speaker of the NH House, William O’Brien is also running for reelection. To give credit where it is due, he certainly has done his best to turn NH into a running joke for late night TV comedians. The man who has bullied, browbeaten, and punished members of his own party thinks he deserves to be reelected to the House, and reelected speaker. O’Brien spends a lot of time cozying up to special interests in DC (where do you think that terrific cigarette tax gambit came from?) and on a recent junket to the place he clearly intends to go next, he did an interview with right wing blog Politico. In this astounding interview, O’Brien claims that Governor Lynch isn’t running for reelection because he’s too intimidated by the Freebaglican majority.

Governor Lynch is finishing his fourth term, and has chosen not to run for reelection. He’s the longest serving governor in the state for about 200 years. The last was John Taylor Gilman, who served 14 one-year terms from 1794 – 1816. Lynch has served longer than even the sainted Mel Thomson, for crying out loud. Is O’Brien ignorant or arrogant? You decide. And remember, voting for this ethically challenged, ill-tempered braggart is not just a vote to ensure your property taxes will continue to rise; it’s a vote to save America!

Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh recently disparaged his opponent in the upcoming election. He told voters that Tammy Duckworth is not a “true hero”, and talks about her military service too much. Duckworth, a helicopter pilot, lost both legs in Iraq when an RPG hit her helicopter. Walsh, on the other hand, has been sued by his ex for being a deadbeat dad, to the tune of over $100,000, and never served in the military. A vote for him will surely Save America.


The Supreme Court’s health care ruling brought all manner of unpleasant commentary forth. Matthew Davis, a former GOP spokesman in Michigan sent out an email after the announcement with the heading, “Is Armed Rebellion Now Justified?” On the Conway Daily Sun’s Facebook page teletalk question about the health care ruling, Josh Keys wrote: “Liberals are Mentally Ill, My question is when men like me do not comply with mandates and refuse to allow themselves to be arrested for it. What actions will other Patriots take in response? It is a thin line you Progressive Commie loving Liberals are walking right now, I recommend you brace yourselves.” That’s a direct quote, with faithful recording of the author’s spelling and punctuation.

It’s almost amusing to think that these guys weren’t threatening armed rebellion when shrink-wrapped pallets of cash were being sent to Iraq by the Bush administration. They weren’t and still aren’t upset about warrantless wiretapping, secret prisons, or rendition. None of that stuff is worth a moment of concern. Spending trillions on the invasion of a country that wasn’t a threat to us? So what. Health care for everyone? Now, them’s fightin’ words.

The United States is often called a Christian Nation. The day of the Supreme Court decision I received emails from groups like the Family Research Council, bemoaning this decision. These doughty Christians want to force women to serve as involuntary incubators, but don’t care if they have access to health care. They don’t care if women die in the process. They weren’t the only ones. Convicted terrorist Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue sent out a similar missive. Apparently nothing says “I’m a follower of Jesus Christ,” like denying insurance coverage to babies born with pre-existing conditions. But hey, these are the folks who intend to save America.


“Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.” Harry S. Truman


© sbruce 2012


This was published as an op-ed in the July 6, 2012 edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper.

Kindergarten = Crime

NH State Rep. Robert Kingsbury has a theory. From the Laconia Daily Sun:

Not to be outdone, Representative Bob Kingsbury said he's been working on a theory since 1996, when he analyzed local crime rates and compared them to a list of communities that offered public kindergarten. Then, he told his colleagues, Laconia offered kindergarten and had the highest rates of crime. Meanwhile, surrounding towns, some of which didn't offer kindergarten, had less crime.
"We're taking children away from their mothers too soon," Kingsbury concluded.
Kingsbury wrote to all of his then state representatives, informing them of his research.

AND

In addition to kindergarten, Kingsbury also linked the rise of crime to the decline of gun ownership and to fact that boxing is no longer taught in school or offered as a sport.

So, increasing crime is the fault of kindergarten. One wonders if Rep. Kingsbury spent even a moment pondering the potential impacts of increasing population density. One might begin to wonder how this area of "study" even occurred to him, but one quickly realizes that that way lies madness.

As for boxing being taught in schools or offered as a sport - there's a direct corollary between the kind of education funding/budgets that Rep. Kingsbury supports and the decreased funding for EVERY sport.

Rep. Kingsbury hails from Illinois, where, by the way - they have kindergarten. Perhaps he was driven out of his home state by gangs of pre-school thugs, who terrorized him every day with their counting, singing, and finger painting. Oh - the horror!


At least now I know exactly where it was in life that my moral compass broke down. It was when I attended kindergarten at the Manasseh Cutler Elementary School. You see, not only did I attend kindergarten - I attended kindergarten in Massachusetts. No wonder I've been arrested a dozen times. I could hardly be other than a career criminal with that background, right Rep. Kingsbury??


Songwriting genius Beverly Woods was inspired to write a song about this horrifying information. Here she is, accompanied by her equally brilliant partner Seth Austin, playing the mandolin.



You can read the lyrics here.


There's one comment at YouTube but it's a beaut. I applaud anyone who uses the term "lumpen proletariat."

Mitt and Ann Rmoney Star in New Ad

Rabid Ideologues Will Destry Us

The state of NH is looking into privatizing its entire prison system. Four companies have submitted bids. If Governor Lynch and the Executive Council accept one of those bids, NH would become the first state in the nation to hand over the entire prison system to a private company. The four venders are:
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), Management & Training Corporation (MTC), The Geo Group Inc. and the Hunt Companies.

None of these companies are altruists, who want to ensure that prisoners are rehabilitated and leave prison prepared to tackle the challenge of turning their lives around. These are private companies with only one interest: turning a profit. That means cutting corners in every way possible, while working to ensure that the prisons remain full.

A recent story in USA Today focuses on a deal being offered by one company in some 48 states. CCA is offering to buy prisons from cash strapped states, in exchange for a guarantee that the governments guarantee a 90% occupancy rate for at least 20 years.

If NH’s prison system becomes privatized, the corporation will be leaning on legislators to pass the kind of laws that guarantee harsher sentences, and fuller prisons. Other states will send their prisoners here. The corporation will build more even more prison facilities in the state, and I think you all can guess where those prisons will be. The north country seems to serve as the dumping ground for the rest of the state.

A study in Arizona revealed that the privatized prisons were actually costing the state more. The Arizona legislature responded to this by inserting a provision into the budget that eliminates the need for a cost and quality review. In other words, they didn’t like the report, so the solution is not to take action – the solution is to ensure there will be no further reports.
If you don’t think that could/would happen here, you haven’t been paying attention to the sorts of things the NH legislature has done in the last biennium.

CCA has eliminated about 240 jobs in their Colorado prisons. Remember, this is a business. Profit means cutting costs, and that doesn’t leave a lot of choice in a prison. It means hiring people who aren’t well educated or trained, and as few of them as possible. It means cutting back on programs for sex offenders and addicts. It means a lot of solitary confinement. No need to have a big staff if everyone is locked in a cell 23 hours a day.

There is a reason other states don’t do this. It’s a really bad idea.

Apparently studies and numbers really are a bad idea. A story just now making the rounds in northern New England reports that the ski business in the US as a whole experienced its worst winter since the early 1990’s. In 2011, visits to alpine areas in NH were down by 20% from the year before. The ski industry continues to try to make the case that if folks don’t see snow in their back yards, they don’t come to the mountains to go skiing, but in these days of easily accessible information, that’s just lame.

A story in the Laconia Sun about bike week revealed that no one wants to come up with any numbers about attendance. If it had been huge, they’d be falling all over themselves to speculate. It wasn’t huge, as was quite obvious to anyone who has lived in this area for six or seven years. There were bikes, but not nearly as many as there have been in the past.

No one likes to tell these stories or recount these facts. The US is the only country that is in denial of climate change. Those changes are affecting our winters. Only the most devout anti-science ostriches can deny that our snowfall is diminishing. Another factor here that no one wants to get into is the economy. Since the 2008 collapse of the economy, the news media and many economists have fallen all over themselves to present this as a recession, even calling it “the great recession.”

Earlier this month, Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman spoke at the 2012 Netroots Nation gathering in Providence, RI. Krugman calls our current economic situation a depression. At NN he said, “When things are going down, it’s a recession. When things are down for a long time, it’s a depression.” Of course we can’t call it what it really is, because that would look bad, and it might call into question our obscene level of military spending. Krugman also said, “This is not an economic problem, this is a political problem.” He’s right. The US has rebounded from a depression before. We know how to do it.

We have a Congress that isn’t interested in solving problems; they’re interested in preventing solutions. They would prefer to ensure greater destruction rather than let the black guy appear to succeed. These aren’t public servants; these are rabid ideologues that will destroy us, if we let them.

We have rabid ideologues in NH, too. On Facebook the other day, the Conway Sun asked what questions readers would ask 2012 candidates. I would ask all of our local candidates for the NH House and Senate how they intend to solve NH’s infrastructure problems. Our roads, bridges, and dams are in trouble, and our telecommunications infrastructure is no better. The bad economy is hurting tourism, as is the change in our climate. Tourism is NH’s second largest industry. We don’t fund our state parks adequately. We have rows of outhouses at our information centers, something that should be a source of great shame to us all, here in the wealthiest state in the union.

If they tell you we can privatize, cigarette tax and/or casino our way out of this mess, they’re lying. Casino revenues are down at Foxwoods, in Atlantic City, and in Nevada. NH needs to have some serious discussions. I wish I thought that would happen. In a state where the media functions as the propaganda wing of the NH GOP, it seems unlikely.


“He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning.” Danish proverb



This was published as an op-ed in the June 22, 2012 edition of the Conway Daily Sun Newspaper
© sbruce 2012


Chris Shane did the great cartoon.

Governor Lynch Vetoes HB 1679

Governor Lynch has vetoed HB 1679, a bill that would outlaw "partial birth abortion." This is a rather transparent attempt to gin up the forced incubation advocates, given that federal law already outlaws this non-existent medical procedure. Governor Lynch's statement here.

I say non-existent, because if you were to look in a medical book (one that contains actual SCIENCE), you would not ever find mention of such a procedure. The term was created by the fetus fetishizing terrorists to use to gin up their followers. The proper term for a termination in the last trimester is late-term abortion.

As you can see in the comment section at the Union Leader the crowd is swilling down the gin already. These are the same (male) commenters who are also in favor of eliminating food stamps and TANF - who see no hypocrisy in their position of wanting to force women to incubate. They'd also rather the woman die than have a late term abortion to save her life.

No woman has a late term abortion for any reason other than medical necessity. The mostly male, anti-abortion crowd refuses to recognize that, preferring to portray women who go through hell making this decision as being inconvenienced by pregnancy.

The bottom line is - a woman doesn't get to the third trimester by accident, or negligence. A woman who reaches her third trimester wants to have a baby.

After Dr. George Tiller was murdered terrorist Scott Roeder, a number of his patients shared their stories about the agonizing decision they made to have a late term abortion. They're deeply personal and deeply sad.

So, thank you, Governor Lynch. This was an entirely unnecessary bill, put forth by Freebaglicans who are so unfit to run our legislature that they chose to abdicate their promised focus on jobs and the economy in order to focus on throwing red meat to their witless constituents.


cross-posted at Blue Hampshire

The Wheels are Coming Off the Clown Car

Over this past Memorial Day weekend, NH House Majority Leader DJ Bettencourt announced he would be resigning from the House, effective June 6. Bettencourt said he was going to be getting married, had a new job, and wasn’t planning to run for re-election, so he was stepping down. This created something of a stir, and not only because he’s been practicing the same kind of pre-marital abstinence that the Palin family has made famous.

A few days later, we learned more about what was really behind the resignation. Bettencourt was supposed to be graduating from the UNH Law School, and had realized earlier in the semester that he didn’t have enough credits. He asked fellow GOP lawmaker and attorney Brandon Guida for an internship. Guida agreed. DJ apparently showed up once, for about an hour. He did, however, submit detailed, falsified reports to the college, about the work he’d done during his internship. Somehow, (we aren’t clear on this) Guida, Speaker O’Brien, and Bettencourt would up discussing this matter. They all agreed that Bettencourt would tell the school that he’d cheated, and announce that he was leaving the legislature for personal reasons. Instead, he announced the new job, and posted a picture of himself on Facebook, at the UNH graduation, wearing a cap and gown, and standing with Senator Olympia Snowe. Guida wasn’t pleased, and he publicly outed Bettencourt for his dishonesty. Or at least some of it. Bettencourt resigned immediately, and the new job – at a right wing non-profit headed up by O’Brien, seems to have gone away.

There are many questions that are still unanswered. It seems that if Bettencourt had done what O’Brien and Guida wanted, we the people would know nothing of Bettencourt’s lack of ethical behavior. It sounds suspiciously like a conspiracy to keep the truth behind that resignation a secret. Furthermore – Bettencourt submitted detailed, bogus reports about his internship to the college. Who wrote those reports? Didn’t they have to be signed off on? Did Bettencourt forge Brandon Guida’s signature? Some are calling for an independent investigation into this matter, and I agree with that. This legislative body certainly can’t be trusted to investigate themselves. The Speaker is certainly not credible – he appears to have been all too willing to cover for his pal Bettencourt.

The Speaker sent out an email to the GOP caucus that stated: "Now we are left with the consequences of this event. There will be those that say that D.J.'s failure and his resignation characterize our current majority. Others will say it characterizes the leadership of our caucus. Neither is true."

Au contraire. Both are true. This legislature has been a source of ongoing national shame to our state, from the moment they were sworn in. In one of their first acts, the O’Brien junta tried to force Rep. Mike Brunelle to resign for ethics violations. Rep. Brunelle was the Executive Director of the NH Democratic Party, and in fact, earned a salary for doing so. This was not acceptable to the newly minted Speaker, so he tried to make the case that this was unethical. They howled that Brunelle would write legislation that benefitted Democrats! (Because party affiliation never influences the legislation representatives introduce.) This was flat out stupidity.

Sadly for the Speaker, there were many, many instances of Republican representatives that worked for influence groups or other candidates – notably the new Speaker’s own Speaker pro Tempore; Gene Chandler. Chandler had been on Charlie Bass’s payroll, as well as working as a “consultant” for Steward of Prosperity, a group bankrolled by the odious far right activist Fred Tausch. Then it turned out that former Speaker of the NH House, Republican Donna Sytek had also been the Executive Director of the NH GOP while she was serving as a representative. Suddenly the howls turned to harrumphs, and then it just sort of went away, amidst a lot of IOKIYAR: “It’s okay if you’re a Republican.”

A month later, Rep. Martin Harty, the 91 year old freshman legislator had to resign after telling a constituent that it was too bad we couldn’t send people with disabilities off to Siberia to freeze. Harty was the ultimate lesson in what happens when you just vote for anyone who has an “R” next to their name. On the heels of that ugly incident, the ethically challenged DJ Bettencourt distinguished himself by referring to Bishop John McCormack of the Manchester Diocese as a “Pedophile Pimp.”

All of these incidents took place within the first three months of these folks taking office in January 2011. The level of shame has increased, the longer they hold office. The bill to place warning signs at the NH border, the bill to add quotes from the Magna Carta to all new legislation, the bill to teach creationism in the public schools – the list goes on and on. Meanwhile, the Speaker has bullied legislators, retaliated against those who refused to march in lockstep by removing them from their committee assignments, or in the case of disabled GOP Rep. Timothy Copeland, (a police officer, wounded in the line of duty) moving him from an accessible aisle seat to an inaccessible inside row seat, a seat other representatives describe as the most inaccessible seat in the House chambers. O’Brien has run the House as one might expect a petty, vindictive tyrant would. The early promises of transparency never materialized, any more than the promised laser-like focus on jobs.

Instead, this legislature has engaged in all manner of social engineering (need a job? Repeal marriage equality! Property taxes too high? You need to wait 24 hours for an abortion.) They claim to love our state constitution, even as they filed some 33 amendments to it. Apparently they’ll REALLY love it when they rewrite it. Their aim is clear. They know that most of them will have their hind ends handed to them by the voters in November, so they want to enshrine as much evil into our state Constitution as they can, to ensure that the hands of future legislators are tied by their brand of far right ideology.

The wheels are coming off the clown car, and the clowns are spilling out. Unfortunately, they can do a great deal of damage before we’re finally rid of them, and it will take decades to undo what they’ve done to our state.




This was published as an op-ed in the June 8, 2012 edition of the Conway Daily Sun Newspaper.
© sbruce 2012

I Remember Dr. Tiller

On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered, in his church, by a terrorist. These are the three pieces I wrote following his murder. One was written as an op-ed piece for the Conway Daily Sun newspaper.

US Physician Killed by Terrorist
This Murder was Allowed to Happen
The Tearful Troy Newman

Today I am remembering Dr. Tiller, and feeling the anger all over again. I still have the same questions I had 3 years ago:

At what point will terrorists stop having more rights than women and doctors?

At what point will we take domestic terrorism at abortion clinics seriously?