Three Things to Watch for at Town Meeting
Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 12:06PM by Jane Aitken
Once again it is that time of year when NH residents will attend town meetings, school meetings, and deliberative sessions to decide how their tax dollars will be spent. They will make decisions about the education of their children. Since we in NH cherish our right to local control, I present to you three things to be wary of during these discussions.
There will likely be present operatives from a group going by the name of "Granite State Fair Tax Coalition". They may be offering any number of "resolutions" for approval in the form of warrant articles.
First, just who is GSFTC? Do not let the NH-sounding name fool you into thinking these are locals. If you examine the list of supporting groups, you will see among them are the New Hampshire/Vermont District Unitarian-Universalist Societies, and their political action arm, Faithful Democracy New Hampshire UUA.
Visiting any of these "church" websites will reveal nothing more than a politically-oriented agenda dedicated not to the worship of God, but to the promotion of the goals of the United Nations.
If you check the Universalist Unitarian Action Network's website at:
http://www.uuactionnetworknh.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=16&Itemid=31
you will see that their main priorities are "state tax equality" (income tax), "access to health care" (socialized medicine) and "addressing global warming" (UN carbon tax).
These citizens petitioned warrant articles may contain resolutions calling for our candidates for State Representative, State Senator, and Governor to reject the local "Taxpayers Pledge". This is an attempt to demonize the taking of the pledge by our fiscally responsible legislators to reject any broadbased new tax and to make way for a new state tax on our income. The article may even include the consideration of an income tax or be amended to include it.
However, the reasoning behind this action seems purely psychological and simply a means to change the mindset, since freedom of speech dictates that one's right to take the pledge cannot be legislated away. Candidates can and will continue to take it if they expect to be elected.
The argument against a state income tax is a strong one, shown in studies such as the Yankee Institute of Connecticut's "15 Years of Folly" which proved that the added burden of a state income and sales tax made NO significant impact on the lowering of property taxes.http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/files/pdf/fifteen.pdf
Second, these articles may contain resolutions demanding that the Governor "do something" about "global warming". Some adamantly claim that humans have caused climate change and that this is an undisputable fact and thus not subject to any more discussion. Recently the founder of the Weather Channel pronounced global warming as a scam and pure "propaganda". Like many other scientists, he asserts that global weather and temperature fluctuations are a natural occurrence and that the hysteria over global warming is being stirred up for political reasons. I agree that the UN is interested in collecting the "carbon tax" in order to fund their goal of a single, central government, guided by a new constitution written by them.
In fact, Senator Obama has recently proposed a bill that would effectively be a global tax:
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/ckincaid/2008/ck_02131.shtml
Finally, rarer but starting to make some inroads, on the school side, there may be propositions to investigate expensive "international education" curriculae in the form of something called "IB". These are politically motivated programs devised by the United Nations and centered out of Geneva, Switzerland, geared more toward the acclimation students as early as the age of 3 into the role of "global citizens" subject to the rules of "global government" as laid out by UN documents such as the UDHR, Earth Charter, and Agenda 21.
Like the Goals 2000 and the NCLB Acts before it, IB schools attempt to instill an early acceptance of these UN "world government" standards and defies local control. These teachings about governmental loyalties are directly contrary to our US Constitutional government and our country's national sovereignty. These programs seem more about restructuring society and changing attitudes, than educating, and their founders are very up front about it. Even the tests children take would be graded in Geneva.
The principles in the aforementioned UN documents undermine the founding principles of the United States, the main one being that human rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, are inherent and inalienable, and must be protected by government, as is stated in our Declaration of Independence. The UDHR on the other hand, states exactly as follows: "These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations." [article 29, paragraph 3]. The view of human rights held by the United States is the foundation of liberty. The view of the United Nations is the foundation of totalitarianism.
So never mind the faulty and omissive nature of the academics offered within this "IB" program, it also promotes the redistribution of wealth between nations and within nations per the UN, that people have no right to bear arms, does not allow for limited government and reserved powers, does not recognize natural law, and does not guarantee that property cannot be taken by government without just compensation.Is this what we want our children to be taught?
Is it any wonder there is so much opposition to ridding the country of the Federal Department of Education? A lot of these globalist programs have already for years been implemented through Federal mandates which follow UN guidelines, even without schools ever having adopted "IB".
Where will this all end?
So, as you approach your town meeting season and look over your ballots, please read your choices carefully. It would seem that tax- exempt 'religious' organizations should not be going around advocating for more taxes, and people carrying the agenda of outsiders should not be allowed to promote same at town meetings. All voters in the interest of retaining local control. should be aware of the forces behind the articles on which they will be asked to vote.
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Among other things, Jane Aitken is a computer consultant, retired educator, and conservative activist who lives in New Hampshire.
Reader Comments (8)
In northern New Hampshire as in the rest of the state. Policy, education or otherwise is advanced by economy. Yesterday, I was in Groveton, New Hampshire walking past a now silent historic papermill and the historic Groveton school where the students still excitedly enjoy recess and asked myself a question: "How long can this school remain open when there is no taxbase to support it?" The answer is not long.
Warrant articles at town meeting, the United Nations and well educated consultants hired by the New Hampshire Congressional delegation will do nothing to change this reality: The mill is closed. There is no taxbase. Educational warrant articles are irrelevant.
Similar arguements can be made for communities across northern New Hampshire. How can you call yourself a conservative activist Ms. Aitken and make a post like this?
Free Trade With China.
China is still our enemy, Comrade. Trade with them should be considered treason. A sickness called severe Greed has taken over for American capitalism in a growing game of real life Monopoly along with a lack of morals & values and the American citizen/taxpayer is loosing the game because of global greed.I am glad you are a former NH Rep and not a current one, thank God.
International Baccalaureate Programmes are showing some roots in Bow, Bedford and Windham in NH. Bow and Bedford were started under the very liberal High School Principal George Edwards who was at Bow HS and now at the new Bedford HS.
This is a very dangerous program for students and a very expensive program for taxpayers. These need to be stopped before they get started. They are only in the application process at this point.
I cannot believe that Dean Cascadden formerly of White Mountain School District and now in Bow has been sucked into this socialist global vacuum created by Edwards. I thought he was smarter than that?
Concerned American
Almost forgot, great article.
Thank you,
Concerned American
You said:
"Warrant articles at town meeting, agendas supported or purported by the United Nations and education of the new world order may may (make) interesting discussion on an internet website but being a resident of northern New Hampshire and a former State Representative I don't think is grounded in reality. For one simple reason: Economic Development."
Everything in my post is grounded in reality, from the outsiders at our town meetings to the effort to push for a broadbased tax to centralize us even more. Income tax, sales tax, carbon tax, there isn't a tax they won't and haven't tried to consider. However they are outsiders and don't belong there, even if local town meetings were an appropriate venue for advocacy of state taxes. It isn't.
You go on to say:
"In northern New Hampshire as in the rest of the state. Policy, education or otherwise is advanced by economy. Yesterday, I was in Groveton, New Hampshire walking past a now silent historic papermill and the historic Groveton school where the students still excitedly enjoy recess and asked myself a question: "How long can this school remain open when there is no taxbase to support it?" The answer is not long."
Gloom and doom. So long as there are houses, there will be taxes on them. Whoever, lives in the homes will pay the taxes. If the homes somehow disappear, then there won't be taxes paid, but then there won't be any children there to attend the schools. Perhaps the government should get out of the business?
"Warrant articles at town meeting, the United Nations and well educated consultants hired by the New Hampshire Congressional delegation will do nothing to change this reality: The mill is closed. There is no taxbase. Educational warrant articles are irrelevant."
I am not sure who you are talking about when you cite well-educated consultants. These are ordinary people, being influenced by national or even international groups, inststructed to come to our local meetings advocating for more taxes.
"Similar arguements can be made for communities across northern New Hampshire. How can you call yourself a conservative activist Ms. Aitken and make a post like this?"
If I could make sense of what you are getting at -- well perhaps I could respond. Are you defending those who want an income tax? The state has no business directing education which, if it's to be in the hands of government, it should be as local as possibly.
I am not only a conservative activist but I am used to taking pot shots at my right wing..
:-)
I think what Free Trade is trying to say is that this state has bigger problems than worrying about the purported global government conspiracy. We badly need economic development in this state. We need a governor that will begin marketing the state as friendly to/for business. NH has spent the past four years turning into a whiny, NIMBY bedroom community. Businesses are leaving the state in record numbers. We need leadership and some solidarity - not imagined conspiracies.
BTW- While I don't support it because of the cost, the IB program is at least an effort to teach kids that they live in a big world of which they are not necessarily the center of. We are the only country in the world that doesn't take foreign languages and the metric system seriously. Anything that can be done to correct those failures is a step in the right direction - even if it is just something as simple as an internationally focused, completely voluntary education program.
Besides, you have bigger problems in Bedford. Who was part of the brain trust that allowed that high school to open without a second access road? Now your school board wants to pay $275K for a piece of property assessed at $87K in order to construct aforementioned secondary access road? Doesn't sound too smart for a town supposedly full of NH's best and brightest. Perhaps your school board should look-up the term “eminent domain” in their dictionaries. That’s what the nuns made me do when I heard a term I didn’t understand.
1. Support Casino Gambling legislation for northern New Hampshire in support and development of the region's largest economy, tourism.
2. Since New Hampshire flatly refuses to work with corporations desiring to do business in the northeast. Support the efforts of the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine to develop their Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) where companies are moving in and creating jobs. And yes, this does mean more Free Trade with China. Change is good. Those who embrace it do better than those that do not.
And Ms. Aitken you need to go out and find a real job.
This isn't an example of gloom and doom Jane Aitken and another reason why you need to go out and find a real job.
The papermills in Berlin, Groveton and Gorham have existed in New Hampshire almost as long as the state itself. The tragedy of this whole discussion is that the mills didn't have to close but they did because intellectual elitists (I'll stop short of calling you one) refused to get their hands dirty and consider the real policy issues behind papermaking in the northern part of the state.
And to your self centered comments about the children of Groveton many of their parents have proudly worked in those mills for generations contributing millions to the New Hampshire, Northeast and now the global economy and what kind of help do they get. The states emergency response team explaining how to fill out welfare forms. And at the conclusion of the meeting the state officials simply get into their shiny vehicles emblasoned with a now deceased logo and drive off into the night and in a similar compairison to you, without a care in the world.
Free Trade with China.
IB is reality and a brainwashing program from the UN. The House just voted 209-102 to ban programs run from Geneva Switzerland to be funded with our tax dollars.
UN-funded outsiders tried like heck to impose an income tax thru the town meeting warrant article process = failed.
There is no conspiracy here, we are fighting the reality of outsiders running our govt.
As for this stupid comment "And Ms. Aitken you need to go out and find a real job."
I have had a real job for 40+ years and have also been
an education researcher for that many as well.
But it is typical of the ad-hominem attacks from a leftist supposed Rep who can't even identify him or herself.