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<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.9.1 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:59:02 GMT--><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><title>NHI Editorials</title><subtitle>NHI Editorials</subtitle><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/</id><link rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/"/><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/atom.xml"/><updated>2010-02-07T15:38:57Z</updated><generator uri="http://www.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace Site Server v5.9.1 (http://www.squarespace.com/)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>Governor Lynch – Free Jean Coutu!</title><category term="Abuse of Power"/><category term="Corruption"/><category term="Corruption"/><category term="Dept of Safety"/><category term="Dept. of Safety"/><category term="Governor Lynch"/><category term="Governor Lynch"/><category term="Ice Storm 2008"/><category term="Jean Coutu"/><category term="Union Issues"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2010/2/7/governor-lynch-free-jean-coutu.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2010/2/7/governor-lynch-free-jean-coutu.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2010-02-07T15:22:50Z</published><updated>2010-02-07T15:22:50Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>It is high time that Governor Lynch exercise his authority and power as the Chief Executive Officer of this political subdivision called New Hampshire! An underling of the Governor&rsquo;s in the Department of Safety is using State authority and resources to pursue a personal vendetta against Jean Coutu! (See <a href="../../nhigb/2009/11/23/nh-dos-employee-uses-state-authority-and-treasury-for-person.html">http://www.nhinsider.com/nhigb/2009/11/23/nh-dos-employee-uses-state-authority-and-treasury-for-person.html</a>) Governor Lynch has been silent about this abuse of power. Governor, do you support the use of the States authority and resources to enact a form of personal retribution? Is this what citizens of NH should expect from your leadership?</p>
<p>There are plenty of possible culprits here none of which is Jean Coutu. First is the Property Owner. There are no requirements that a property owner use PSNH for power. Any property owner can go &ldquo;Off the Grid&rdquo; anytime they wish. If they do the Property Owner takes responsibility for their property, including making sure the &ldquo;Main&rdquo; switch to the PSNH resource is in the OFF position!</p>
<p>PSNH is a private enterprise and as such is responsible for the safety of their employees. Why is it that the NH Department of Safety and Governor Lynch have decided that it is the responsibility of private property owners to protect PSNH workers. PSNH is well aware of what is needed to protect their workers. Here in the Monadnock region we have a handful of property owners that &ldquo;Back Feed&rdquo; power into the PSNH lines constantly, even during power outages! Somehow, PSNH manages to protect their workers in that situation! This is a situation that will be occurring with increasing frequency as the country goes green, more power will be generated at the site of use and excess will be back fed into the PSNH service lines.</p>
<p>Finally, if the NH Department of Safety is so positive that giving advice violates State Regulations then they should go after a really large offender, TIME-LIFE BOOKS. They have been publishing and selling books on how to do your own electrical work at home for years in complete disregard for the NH Department of Safety&rsquo;s interpretation of the electrical regulations.</p>
<p>Governor Lynch, do the right thing and order the Department of Safety to drop these ridiculous charges immediately!</p>
<p>﻿Work Hard Have Fun!</p>
<p>Bob DeMaura</p>
<p>NHInsider Owner/Operator</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Jennifer Horn: Squishy Republicans are Almost as Bad as Democrats</title><category term="Conservatism"/><category term="Jennifer Horn"/><category term="NH CD-2"/><category term="Republicans"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/11/7/jennifer-horn-squishy-republicans-are-almost-as-bad-as-democ.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/11/7/jennifer-horn-squishy-republicans-are-almost-as-bad-as-democ.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-11-07T14:12:11Z</published><updated>2009-11-07T14:12:11Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>In the special congressional election in New York's 23rd District, the liberal Republican dropped out last week, leaving the Democrat to face a Conservative Party challenger backed by Sarah Palin and other notable conservatives. It sends a powerful message: Those who believe that 2010 will be a typical mid-term election year in which the minority party sweeps to victory are sadly disconnected from the voters. Republicans are tired of having to plug their noses when they vote; independents are frustrated by a lack of real choice; and even many Democrats feel betrayed by a party that &nbsp;is leading our country down a perilous path.<br /> While the Democratic leadership in Congress is responsible for the debacle we face today, Republicans of past majorities must also take responsibility for the role they played in opening the door to a government that is too big, too intrusive and too expensive.<br /> Somewhere along the way, we started thinking that the way to win elections in New England was to sound like a Democrat. We abandoned our principles and embraced big-government and big-spending policies. As a result, Republicans were fired in 2006.<br /> And now Americans are paying the price. Socialized medicine, nationalized banks &nbsp;and government-owned auto companies are not the America we grew up in, and it is not the America we want to pass down to our children. <br /> The American birthright of unlimited opportunity will be destroyed by jobs-crushing policies such as cap-and-trade and by costly government expansion such as the health care reform bill. The further into our lives we allow government to creep, the more opportunity becomes limited and the more our freedom and individual liberties are diminished.<br /> While concern for all of these issues is at an all-time high, above all of them &nbsp;is an overriding frustration and anger directed at an arrogant, corrupt Congress that has blatantly put party and power above the people and the Constitution. This, more than anything else, is what has inspired the people of our country over the past several months to rise up in protest against what is supposed to be a representative government.<br /> The people are making their voices heard, sending a resounding message that they will not tolerate self-serving, big-government, free-spending politicians, and &nbsp;they will not waste any more votes on them. It is time to defend our rights as citizens of a free nation, time to rein in an out-of-control Congress and time to hold our elected representatives accountable for their destructive actions.<br /> We have two paths before us. We can go back to nominating Republicans who sound &nbsp;like Democrats and hope that by blurring the lines between the two parties, the &nbsp;voters will choose us. Or, we can stand firmly for the principles that make our &nbsp;nation strong and offer the voters a real choice.<br /> We've tried the first way, and we saw our party lose election after election in &nbsp;the Northeast, and the country suffer as a result. This summer, citizens tried the second way, and they started a revolution.<br /> If the Republican Party is to be the voice of tomorrow, it must return to its roots.<br /> The principles of personal freedom, unlimited opportunity and small, limited government are the path to a free and prosperous tomorrow.<br /> We must stand together and be deafening in our message that we will not allow this Congress to continue its march toward an America that would make our Founding Fathers cry.<br /> We live in a great nation. America is a nation of grand dreams, great efforts and extraordinary achievement. We require bold leaders who embrace the unlimited potential of our nation to grow in prosperity and accomplishment and remain forever a beacon of hope to freedom-seeking people everywhere.<br /> Jennifer Horn, a former newspaper columnist and radio talk show host from Nashua, is running for the Republican nomination for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd District.</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>NH CD-1 Representative Carol Shea-Porter goes ALL-IN with Speaker Pelosi</title><category term="NH CD-1"/><category term="Obamacare"/><category term="Socialized Medicine"/><category term="US Rep Carol Shea-Porter"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/10/30/nh-cd-1-representative-carol-shea-porter-goes-all-in-with-sp.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/10/30/nh-cd-1-representative-carol-shea-porter-goes-all-in-with-sp.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-10-30T14:17:26Z</published><updated>2009-10-30T14:17:26Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the BIGGEST entitlement program to come out of DC in many, many years. Note in the below video of the announcement that the 3<sup>rd</sup> speaker after the Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader Hoyer is none other than NH &lsquo;s Carol Shea-Porter.</p>
<p>Can it be any more clear that Carol Shea-Porter is ALL-IN with Pelosi and the MoveOn.org folks on National Socialized Healthcare! Carol has decided that supporting this behemoth of a bill is the right thing to do for her constituents. Unfortunately, for NH CD-1 voters Carol has clearly shown that her constituents are the minority of far left leaning liberals in NH and the National Progressive movement of the uber rich elitists. Certainly not the average regular Jane&rsquo;s and Joe&rsquo;s of NH CD-1. Carol are you really that positive that these are the folks that got you elected?</p>
<p>Forgetting about the politics, even scarier is the bills intended purpose. The complete Government takeover of Health Care from top to bottom. Yes, there are problems with Health Care but the problems of today are dwarfs compared to what is coming with this bill. A bill to use Government programs to solve a problem that was created by Government programs, in particular Medicare and Medicaid.</p>
<p>If Medicare and Medicaid are already underpaying health care providers thus shifting costs to those who have private insurance or pay cash, how in the world will more Government health care underpaying &ldquo;solve&rsquo; this crisis.</p>
<p>The real revelation will be when the Unions finally figure out that by year 10 of this plan, their members will be taxed and taxed and taxed until the system can no longer support the enormous healthcare system without deep cuts. This will cause the closing of all under performing health care providers, resulting in the lose of millions of JOBS!</p>
<p>Way to go unions you have now officially authorized, with your support of this bill, the elimination of millions of your members!</p>
<p>Here is the video of the announcement with Speaker Pelosi and House Majority Leader Hoyer. Note at the end that Leader Hoyer introduces NH&rsquo;s Carol Shea-Porter with some interesting descriptions of Ms Shea-Porter.</p>
<p><embed id="mediumFlashEmbedded" width="305" height="275" src="http://foxnews1.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/foxnews1-foxnews-pub01-live/current/largeplayer011008/fncLargePlayer/client/embedded/embedded.swf" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" name="undefined"></embed></p>
<p>If you have a bad case of insomnia below is the link to the Bill in its entirety, all 1990+ pages of legalese and double talk!</p>
<p><a href="http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf">http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>A Blueprint for a Republican Resurgence</title><category term="Conservatism"/><category term="Party Politics"/><category term="Republicans"/><category term="Sean Mahoney"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/9/17/a-blueprint-for-a-republican-resurgence.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/9/17/a-blueprint-for-a-republican-resurgence.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-09-17T20:34:52Z</published><updated>2009-09-17T20:34:52Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p><strong>Guest Editorial</strong>&nbsp;</p>
<p>By <em>Sean Mahoney, Republican National Committeeman</em></p>
<p>What does it mean to be a Republican today?</p>
<p>When I came of age during the Ronald Reagan era, it meant you stood strong for lower taxes on working families, limited government, and more personal accountability.</p>
<p>Today, after nearly a decade of misguided leadership from Republicans in Washington, many Americans believe it means tax cuts for the rich, expanding government programs, ever-greater government spending and pointing the finger across the aisle. Our own party abandoned its mantle of fiscal responsibility.</p>
<p>We have gone from the smaller government, personal responsibility party of the Reagan Revolution to the arrogant, out-of-touch, free spending party of the past decade.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Republicans in New Hampshire, actually most voters in New Hampshire, still cherish the values that brought me to the party. For too long Republican candidates have spent too much time worrying about what people in Washington think and not enough time listening to what the people of New Hampshire have to say.</p>
<p>If Republicans in New Hampshire are ever to reclaim majority status we need to stop playing the DC game and start recommitting ourselves to the people of New Hampshire. We need to stand firm against the &ldquo;go along to get along&rdquo; mentality of too many Washington Republicans.</p>
<p>As we move forward we have an opportunity to show voters what it means to be a Republican in the 21st Century.</p>
<p>I want to see us become the party of open government, innovative solutions and personal freedom.</p>
<p><strong>First and foremost</strong> that starts with transparency. Candidates and office holders need to be open, honest and accountable. In order to stop the culture of corruption that has gripped Washington, DC as of late, we need to open campaigns up for the voters to see. Campaigns in New Hampshire need to focus on concerns of real voters along the banks of the Merrimack, not the power brokers along the Potomac.</p>
<p>The same is especially true for office holders. In Washington we need to end secret earmarks and reform the appropriations process to be more open and fair.&nbsp; Government money should be spent based on merit and need, not on seniority and committee assignments.</p>
<p>In general the legislative process needs to be more open. It is never a good idea to push bills through without public hearing, but Members of Congress are now regularly voting on bills without having a solid understanding of what is in them. This can&rsquo;t continue if we want to keep faith with the American people.</p>
<p><strong>Second</strong>, we must stand up to the Democrat policy agenda with a policy agenda of our own. We can not continue to be labeled the &ldquo;Party of No&rdquo;. In the 1990&rsquo;s it was Republican Governors who developed new policy ideas and drove the debate on things like welfare reform, Medicaid reform and tax policy.</p>
<p>Saying no to a government-run healthcare is the right thing to do, but at the same time we need to propose our own ideas on how to improve access to affordable health insurance.</p>
<p>The same is true on every issue. We all know that Cap and Trade is a bad policy that will cost the average family thousands of dollars, but we need to have our own plan to increase the use of alternative energy and reduce our dependence on oil.</p>
<p><strong>Third,</strong> we need to reclaim the mantle of the &ldquo;Party of Main Street&rdquo;. Families across New Hampshire are still hurting from this recession. We all know that small businesses are the heart of the American economy. Two out of three net new jobs created each year are in small businesses. These businesses depend on fair tax policies and a predictable regulatory environment. These need to become the cornerstone of the Republican agenda: keeping taxes low and regulations within reason.</p>
<p><strong>Fourth</strong>, we have to reestablish our fiscal responsibility credentials. It is easy for us to point to the record deficits of the Obama administration and claim that they are bankrupting our children, but Republicans spent freely under President Bush as well. No matter who has been responsible for the record spending of the last decade, it must stop.</p>
<p>Republicans must redouble their efforts to hold the line on spending.</p>
<p><strong>Finally</strong>, we need to develop policies that advocate both personal responsibility and personal freedom. Whether it is reaffirming the Castle Doctrine, so that people have the freedom to protect themselves and their families, or maintaining the ability for people to make their own healthcare choices, Republicans need to put people before government.</p>
<p>It is time for Republicans to stop wringing their hands and start rebuilding our party. It is time to cast off the big government policies and strong arm perceptions of the Bush years and reaffirm our commitment to smaller government, local control, innovation and personal freedom.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>On this Labor Day...</title><category term="Big Government"/><category term="Employment"/><category term="Jobs"/><category term="Labor Day"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/9/8/on-this-labor-day.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/9/8/on-this-labor-day.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-09-08T06:55:37Z</published><updated>2009-09-08T06:55:37Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Guest Editorial Courtesy of &ldquo;Americans For Limited Government&rdquo;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Ironically, work is probably the last thing the American people want to think about on Labor Day. They'd much rather devote their time and energy to the backyard barbecue, the last beach trip of 2009, or, perhaps a pickup football game in the local school yard.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">As well they should.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">But now might be the best time to for all of us across the fruited plains to remind ourselves anew of just why "a fair day's pay for a good day's work" is so important for our future and our past&mdash;and how it's being undermined at the highest levels of government.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Work, quite simply, is the ability to get up and make a life for yourself. As an American, you have the right to work for yourself and for the ones you love. And no one else has the right to "wring their bread from the sweat of your brow."</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">It was that fierce individualism, the "can-do" pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps attitude that built America out of nothing and catapulted the nation and its citizens to a level of wellbeing never before thought possible.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">As American history has proven time and again, to build a prosperous and fruitful life, all one needs is a healthy dose of self-motivation and a free nation in which to exercise that motivation.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The current administration, however, begs to differ. In their eyes, nothing can&mdash;or should&mdash;happen without government's consent or even ordination. This is, perhaps, most evident when they speak about their ostensible solution or the recession and unemployment.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">They believe government alone can create jobs out of thin air&mdash;like a magician pulling a rabbit out of its hat. But the truth is: government doesn't "create jobs." And it never will. Small business owners create jobs. Large business owners create jobs. Individuals create their own jobs. Government simply "makes work."</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Moreover, . Yet, as American's for Limited Government Chairman Howard Rich points out a recent column, there is a shocking disconnect between public sector pay and private sector pay in the United States. As he says:</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">"According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' recently published study for 2007, in California, which is still trying to climb out of its oppressive $26 billion deficit, average annual income for state employees was $56,777 versus $49,935 for the private sector, a 14 percent gap. In Illinois, a similar story emerges: $53,925 for state workers, and $48,006 for the private sector, an 11 percent split. New Jersey: $57,845 average state salary, $53,590 for private sector workers, at an 8 percent difference...</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">"Nationally, the story is even worse. Federal workers made on average $64,871 in 2007, with private sector workers making a meager $44,362, so public sector wages in the federal system are 46 percent higher."</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Something is amiss when those in government (individuals who produce nothing more than rules, regulation, red tape, and higher taxes) are "rewarded" more than those in private enterprise who truly produce the wealth of the nation. It is a sign of the times&mdash;and the leadership.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So on this Labor Day, take a minute to remember what makes America unique&mdash;and, yes, exceptional. It is the hard worker, not the bureaucrat. It is the taxpayer, not the tax collector. And it is the people, not the government.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">It has never been government. It has never been bureaucracy. And it has not been the halls of America's Congress but rather the shelves of America's stores, the fields of America's farms, and the students of America's schools that have made America great.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">As summer comes to a close, America's workers&mdash;men, women, the old, and young&mdash;ought to pat themselves on the back and appreciate the fact that they are the backbone of this strong&mdash;and still magnificent&mdash;nation. May their numbers multiply.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Why Not CHIP</title><category term="Obamacare"/><category term="Socialized Medicine"/><category term="State Sovereignty"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/8/13/why-not-chip.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/8/13/why-not-chip.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-08-13T15:05:54Z</published><updated>2009-08-13T15:05:54Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I oppose all the current healthcare plans before Congress and highly promoted by President Obama. It is not the care and concern that bothers me; it is the obvious deceit and subterfuge that accompanies this legislation. There is no doubt after looking at many different sections that this is the next major step towards a Federal Government takeover of the healthcare industry. It is a major usurping of the states authority to govern its citizens.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">There is already available with some adjustments, a solution to the uninsured that meets constitutional muster, and preserves the Sovereignty of the States. It is very effective and efficient as well said our current NH US House members who voted to expand it just this past year. It is CHIP, the Children&rsquo;s Health Insurance Program. In NH, it goes by the name<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>NH Healthy Kids. Let&rsquo;s expand it and rename it, CHIP, the Citizens Health Insurance Program. While we are reforming, let&rsquo;s move Medicare Administration and Management to the States. The Federal government would return to the states the Medicare taxes and premiums collected from the states citizens.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Next major issue is that costs for healthcare seem to be this big secret. That is what must change. The State Insurance and Medical Boards need to take a proactive role in setting medical provider rates in their states. Each state as well as every provider has varying operating conditions but certainly, the healthcare provider can set competitive rates and explain any drastic discrepancies. These rates should be published and widely available for comparison. That is the price you pay regardless if you are paying cash, using private insurance or as a &ldquo;NH Healthy Citizens&rdquo; member.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Finally, a major problem is that you do not own your health insurance, your employer does. This puts you at the mercy of your employer, their financial situation, and loss of coverage if you leave a job, no transportability or continuity and possible privacy concerns. A solution is to have open markets for health insurance, which you purchase&nbsp;from your Health Savings Account to which both you and your employer make contributions. The HSA&rsquo;s would be used only for medical insurance and uncovered medical expenses and the contributions and growth would be tax free and willable.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Call your Senators and Representatives and tell them to end this Federal Takeover of the Healthcare Industry immediately!</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Bob DeMaura</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">NHInsider Owner/Operator</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>FASB - Financial Accountants Steal Billions?</title><category term="Bank Bailouts"/><category term="FASB"/><category term="Mark to Market"/><category term="TARP"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/4/7/fasb-financial-accountants-steal-billions.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/4/7/fasb-financial-accountants-steal-billions.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-04-07T13:32:36Z</published><updated>2009-04-07T13:32:36Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Most folks are not familiar with FASB, but its actions and policies may have been the single greatest cause of the recent economic mess. FASB policy actions combined with media hysteria, a rookie president with oratory skills capable of whipping Congress into a rabid mob willing to vote without debate or conference on things unread and we have the makings of the greatest raid on the Treasury in the history of the United States.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">According to Wikipedia <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Accounting_Standards_Board">The <strong>Financial Accounting Standards Board</strong></a> (FASB), </span>created in 1973,<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN"> is a private, not-for-profit organization whose primary purpose is to develop generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) within the United States in the public's interest. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) designated the FASB as the organization responsible for setting accounting standards for public companies in the U.S. </span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN">I don&rsquo;t profess to understand all the ins and outs of the financial world but there is a lot of controversy over whether the FASB rules regarding &lsquo;Mark to Market&rsquo; of assets was responsible for making it appear that banks in the USA and around the world were failing when they really weren&rsquo;t. Requiring the banks to account for foreclosed assets as having no &lsquo;market value&rsquo; made it appear that the banks were belly up. This in turn made them eligible for Billions of Dollars from the US Treasury in the TARP program. </span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN">Do you buy the theory that the banks had an asset, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 3 car garage McMansion in a gated community, that was worthless? </span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN">Will you buy the premise when the FASB changes the rule back to a previous version, that the banks are all suddenly healthy? Will you buy into the line that the bailouts and stimulus packages worked, the banks recovered, the economy recovered, when it may have been an accounting issue all along? Worse, it may have been a connived scenario to scare the country into making some dramatic changes.</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN">Barack Obama needs to appoint a special prosecutor to look into who proposed what rules at the FASB. How were these proposals presented, did any members of Congress have any influence over what rules were used? Who at the SEC knows anything about how the banks accounted for foreclosed properties and how the FASB came up with the process? Where does the money trail lead? There is no way that Billions of dollars left the Treasury without some folks getting wealthy along the way.</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN">A bank heist this big always has inside connections!</span></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Income Tax Talk II</title><category term="Education System"/><category term="Income Taxes"/><category term="School Funding"/><category term="Teachers"/><category term="Union Issues"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/3/18/income-tax-talk-ii.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/3/18/income-tax-talk-ii.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-03-18T12:51:51Z</published><updated>2009-03-18T12:51:51Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The Income Tax (Wage Tax) can be a very fair tax, if the politicians leave it alone. One rate for every dollar earned paid by everyone equally! This never happens as the politicians get greedy and then start putting in various qualifiers. The bigger problem is what they want to do with the money, give it to the state to run education.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The theory is if the state pays for education, every child in the state will receive the same level of education. That is somewhat true they will all receive the same level, unfortunately they will settle on a mediocre education. Let&rsquo;s not forget that the State Government just spent the last 10 years discussing an &ldquo;Adequate&rdquo; education. Even the lowest socio-economic level crack head prays their child gets lucky and gets an &ldquo;Awesome&rdquo; education!</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">To get to an adequate education the state came up with $4500/student/year, meanwhile the state average is $10,650/student/year. It is costing the state $900 Million to provide adequacy, to get to providing an average education the state will have to raise and spend $2.1 Billion. What will it cost for the state to provide an &ldquo;Excellent&rdquo; education?</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We are stuck with a 19<sup>th</sup> century model of education. We still have kids in school on a farming schedule, has no one noticed that Ma &amp; Pa aren&rsquo;t home at 3pm, they aren&rsquo;t home all of July and August, they aren&rsquo;t home during all the various breaks throughout the year, they work or did until this year&rsquo;s recession.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We have Multi-Million dollar facilities that are empty and unused for half the year. We have some teachers who are truly Master Teachers, yet we lay them off without unemployment benefits every summer. We have other teachers who even after many years they are still just average or below teachers. If this were a true professional artisan position and teaching is as much an art as it is a science, these teachers would be either gone or still treated as &ldquo;apprentices&rdquo;.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I personally would support an income tax to pay for education on one condition. The entire education system is reformed and restructured. Charter Schools, School Choice, Vouchers, Year Round School, Home Schooling Affiliations, and Technology Based Delivery systems are a few of the options that could and should be available to parents.</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Income Tax Scam</title><category term="GSFTC"/><category term="Income Taxes"/><category term="School Funding"/><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/3/10/income-tax-scam.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/3/10/income-tax-scam.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-03-10T11:24:06Z</published><updated>2009-03-10T11:24:06Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The Monadnock Ledger Transcript, thus I presume the Concord Monitor as well as the Valley News asks if it is time for an income tax. The Granite State Fair Tax Coalition has been out promoting an income tax with their forums and letters to the editor campaigns. This year&rsquo;s twist is class warfare, those rich folks are not paying their fair share! If you can&rsquo;t dazzle them with the brilliance of your idea, baffle them with bull!</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Mr. Fernald points out that the top 15% income earners pay far less than half of the property taxes used to pay for the schools. In class warfare, it is always good to bring up the children, who can resist the children! Then compare apples to oranges and hope no one notices. Could it be that the top 15% income earners only own far less than half of the property? Where is the unfairness?</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">NH already has an income tax, in fact a few of them (go to turbotax.com, enter &ldquo;States with no Income Tax&rdquo; into the search box, view the results). There is the Interest, Dividends, and Capital Gains Tax on Individuals (NH DOR Form DP10). Those are income categories of people who are well off, frugal, or trade in equities like real estate, stocks, and bonds. They must pay a tax to the State of NH based on those earnings.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Then there is the Business Enterprise Tax based on a business&rsquo; payroll. That would be a tax on the wages of their employee&rsquo;s. This isn&rsquo;t the smartest way to implement an income tax, discouraging business owners from adding employees or giving pay raises! The Business Profits Tax is a tax on their profits, a form of income.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">What NH doesn&rsquo;t have is an Individual Wage tax. It is through wages that most people earn an income. What they really want when they say Income Tax is to put in a Wage Tax on all the folks who still get a paycheck. If you get a paycheck this tax is on you!</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">With the rich, well-to-do, frugal, and the retired paying the interest, dividend, and capital gains tax, and businesses paying the BET and BPT, I suppose it is only fair that those low and moderate income folks who get a paycheck should pay their fair share. Is that what you mean by fairness, Mr. Fernald?</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Work Hard, Have Fun!</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Bob DeMaura</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">NHInsider Owner/Operator</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Card Check Becoming Political Albatross</title><id>http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/2/23/card-check-becoming-political-albatross.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.nhinsider.com/nhi-editorials/2009/2/23/card-check-becoming-political-albatross.html"/><author><name>NH INSIDER</name></author><published>2009-02-23T20:03:28Z</published><updated>2009-02-23T20:03:28Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>The unravelling of the Employee Free Choice Act, AKA Card Check could end up benefitting the NH delegation in DC.</p>
<p>Three quartrers of New Hampshire delegation (Hodes, Shea-Porter and Shaheen) are all in for card check which could be a serious political liability come next election cycle. NH isn't exactly over run with Union sympathizers. In fact one of the most hated unions in NH is the infamous&nbsp;Teachers Union. There is a direct correlation between the Teachers Union and the Property Tax. Total Union membership in NH is around 12% of the work force and most of those are Public Employee unions such as the Teachers, Police and Fire as well as the State Government workers.</p>
<p>Though I seriously doubt any of the above have the&nbsp;gumption&nbsp;to go against their leadership or their major campaign financiers they would benefit from a gutting of the EFCA!</p>
<p>Work Hard, Have Fun!</p>
<p>Bob DeMaura</p>
<p>NHInsider Owner/Operator</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Please see the below, in addition to an op-ed that ran in <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_11744297" target="_blank"><em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial Narrow'">The Denver Post</span></em></a> and editorial in the <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/editorials/article/EDCARDCHECK5_20090220-200823/211889/" target="_blank"><em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial Narrow'">Richmond Times-Dispatch</span></em></a>.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><a href="http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/Union-bill-a-political-minefield-40062712.html" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial Narrow'">http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/Union-bill-a-political-minefield-40062712.html</span></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Union Bill A Political Minefield</strong></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Susan Ferrechio</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">February 23, 2009</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Examiner</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Beginning today, Congress has six weeks of legislative work before the next recess, which sounds like plenty of time to move through some big initiatives, including the Employee Free Choice Act Democrats promised labor unions would be passed quickly.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">But the legislation, which would make it easier for unions to organize workplaces, has turned into a political minefield for the Democrats who, despite wide majorities in both chambers, have pushed action on the legislation into the summer to avoid what one blogger called &ldquo;the mother of all labor brawls.&rdquo;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., may have difficulty rounding up the 60 votes needed to prevent Republicans from blocking the legislation, which opponents have nicknamed the &ldquo;card check bill.&rdquo;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Opponents say the bill does away with secret ballots for union votes, and they suggest that unions want to be able to apply direct pressure on workers because most efforts currently fail.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Reid controls the Senate with 58 Democratic votes, two shy of the supermajority he needs. But two of his Democrats, Sens. Mark L. Pryor and Blanche L. Lincoln, both of Arkansas, a right-to-work state, have signaled they may not vote for it.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&ldquo;Senator Lincoln has not made up her mind yet on the legislation,&rdquo; her spokeswoman said Friday. Pryor has refused to co-sponsor the legislation, which he has done in the past. Instead, he wants a compromise bill that would also satisfy business groups that vehemently oppose the Employee Free Choice Act.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">When the Senate rejected the bill last year, every Democrat, including Lincoln and Pryor, voted for it, as did one Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Reid cannot necessarily count on Specter this time. Specter is running for a fifth term in Pennsylvania. It&rsquo;s a heavily unionized state, but business groups have threatened to bankroll a strong primary challenge to Specter if he votes in favor of it again.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&ldquo;On that issue, they have thrown the gauntlet down,&rdquo; said Franklin and Marshall College political science professor Terry Madonna. &ldquo;If Specter supports it, small businesses are going to abandon him. If he votes against it, I doubt he will get the endorsement of the [AFL-CIO] union. No senator is more on the griddle than Specter on this issue.&rdquo;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Support for the legislation has weakened in the House, too. While the bill passed easily last year before dying in the Senate, the more conservative Democrats in the Blue Dog Coalition have grown sensitive to opposition from the business community, which has decried the bill as a job killer.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The legislation would allow union organizers to bypass a secret ballot vote and would instead require only signatures on a petition to form a union. While proponents say the bill removes unnecessary roadblocks to unionizing, critics say it would eliminate time for company representatives to argue their viewpoint that unionizing hurts job creation and job stability.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Some Blue Dogs, particularly those from Southern right-to-work states, want to wait for it to pass the Senate, where it could be softened. The Blue Dogs also want to avoid voting for the bill only to watch it fail in the Senate.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The Senate-first approach, a top Democratic leadership aide said, &ldquo;is one option, but it has not been decided on.&rdquo; The aide also said the bill could come up in the House before summer.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">President Barack Obama has been conspicuously, and some say wisely, silent on the topic. But he said last month that he would not push for passage in the current economic climate.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&ldquo;If we are losing half a million jobs a month, then there are no jobs to unionize,&rdquo; Obama told The Washington Post. &ldquo;So my focus first is on ... key economic priority items.&rdquo;</p>]]></content></entry></feed>