US Rep Bass Office Returns Money Back to Taxpayers

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) announced he is planning to give back more than $145,000 in unspent operating expenses from last year, representing 10 percent of his office budget, to U.S. taxpayers.

Members of Congress are allotted a set amount of funds, called a Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA), for all office expenses such as staff salaries, supplies, equipment, travel, district office rent, and postage.  Early last year, with Bass’ support, the House voted to reduce Members’ office budgets by five percent from the previous year and then voted again in December to further reduce them by 6.4 percent for 2012.  These reductions represent a budget that is nearly $170,000 less than the budget of Bass’ predecessor in Congress.

Bass said:

“Just as many families throughout New Hampshire have had to do, Congress must learn to do more with less.  I remain committed to providing the services New Hampshire’s Second District citizens deserve and expect, but will continue to do so while being a careful steward of the taxpayers’ money.  I am proud to have opened four offices to provide outreach in all parts of the vast Second District and continue to utilize new and cost-effective technology to communicate with my constituents.  While the total amount may seem insignificant when compared to our nation’s overall deficit, if every federal agency and office looked at ways to be frugal and give money back, considerable savings can be achieved.  Stopping the runaway federal spending train starts right here with Congress’ own budget.”

http://bass.house.gov

Out Now! The Federal Budget in Pictures: Heritage's 2011 Budget Chart Book

For Immediate Release: Expanded Chart Book Shows Impact of Skyrocketing National Debt

In roughly 20 years, the typical American’s share of the national debt will more than triple—unless Washington gets the nation’s fiscal house in order. That’s just one of many insights into the nation’s fiscal balance sheet that The Heritage Foundation presents in bold graphics in an expanded 2011 Budget Chart Book.

Right now, the national debt averages $31,871 for each American—nearly consuming the median household income of $50,255. Without any real spending cuts or reforms, the Heritage Budget Chart Book illustrates that debt spikes to $103,827 per American by 2032.

“For younger generations, the story gets worse,” says Alison Acosta Fraser, director of Heritage’s Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies. “By 2044, each American’s share of the national debt has redoubled to $206,771. And it keeps going up after that.”

The expanded version of the Heritage Budget Chart Book contains 42 graphics that portray Washington’s unprecedented levels of spending, deficits and debt. Seven brand-new graphics have been added since a 2011 preview edition of the chart book was released in April.

One chart compares President Obama’s 2012 budget and Heritage’s fiscal plan to fix the debt, “Saving the American Dream.” Under the President’s budget, net interest spending on the nation’s debt would more than triple in the next decade. But the Heritage plan is projected to balance the budget in 10 years and dramatically reduce the debt to 30 percent of GDP by 2035.

“What comes through strikingly in each graphic is that Washington has a spending problem that must be corrected,” Fraser says, noting that entitlement programs continue to be the main driver of increased federal spending. For example, an updated chart shows how a lack of entitlement reform pushes spending to engulf half of the economy by 2056.

The online Heritage Budget Chart Book lets visitors download, post and e-mail any of the graphics. It also provides links to relevant Heritage research and tools for bookmarking, embedding and information-sharing through Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds.

This is a product of the Entitlements Initiative in the Leadership for America Campaign.

Josiah Bartlett Center hosts Budget 101 for Lawmakers

(CONCORD)  The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, New Hampshire's free-market think tank, will host an open Budget 101 session for state lawmakers on Thursday, January 27th from 10am to 1pm in the State House chambers in Concord.  The session, held with the cooperation of House and Senate leadership, will provide an in-depth tutorial for Representatives and Senators on the New Hampshire budget, including the complex and misunderstood topics of state debt, the Capital Budget, the Retirement System, and the Ten Year Highway Plan.

Josiah Bartlett Center President Charlie Arlinghaus says the Budget 101 session fits perfectly with the Center's mission to provide good information to policy makers and the public.

"Balancing the budget this year will be one of the toughest challenges this Legislature has ever faced," Arlinghaus stated.  "This Budget 101 session will give both new and returning lawmakers a better understanding of the forces driving the state budget, and the tough choices they must make."

    Budget 101
    Session 1: The New Hampshire Budget-The General Fund and Beyond
        Charlie Arlinghaus, President, Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
    Session 2: Mortgaging the Future- Borrowing, Debt Service, and Bond Ratings
        Grant Bosse, Lead Investigator, Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
    Session 3: Moving New Hampshire- Highways, Turnpikes, and The Ten Year Plan
        Hon. David Campbell (D-Nashua), Public Works and Highways Committee
    Session 4: The Next Crisis- Reforming the New Hampshire Retirement System
        Hon. Ken Hawkins (R-Bedford), Special Committee on Public Employee Pensions Reform

The Budget 101 session will include in-depth tutorials about the sources of state revenues and expenditures, state debt and the Capital Budget, the Ten Year Highway Plan, and the New Hampshire Retirement System.  The Budget 101 session will take place from 10am to 1pm on Thursday, January 27th at the State House chambers in Concord.  It is free and open to the public.

Sunacom.com - Representative McMahon on NH state parks: "... inconsistent and convoluted funding streams..."

In her Oct. 6 column on Sunacom.com Representative McMahon writes:

"...the grim financial situation continues to create an environment of deterioration and promotes a variety of schemes for monetizing the [state] parks."

"Over the past two decades DRED Commissioners did not advocate to the legislature for park funding nor advise relevant policy committees."

"...discussions revealed that the businesses [related to Mt. Washington Observatory, a private non-profit entity] that benefit from customer visitations to the summit have not shared admission ticket fees with the state. These organizations seem reluctant to pay the costs associated with running the state park year round, or to share the state's costs for bonding the electrification and septic system improvements that benefit their customers."

"...the summit of Mt Washington is zoned as a state park and those revenues generated there go to a special fund. However, funds generated at other mountain tops such as Kearsarge are not considered part of Rollins or Winslow state parks so those funds are not designated to either park." 

"Chairing the committee to review the Mount Washington Commission enlightened us to inconsistent and convoluted funding streams and circuitous leasing patterns that often put the state parks at a disadvantage."

--

Sunacom.com is the only non-commercial, community service, online source for local town reporting, news, information and discussion for the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire... since July, 2008.



NRCC - For Shea-Porter – No Budget, And No “Recovery Summer” Either

New Unemployment Report Leaves Middle Class Americans Wondering if Obama’s “Recovery Summer” has Left Them Out in the Cold

Washington- Despite the Democrats’ recent promises that this will be a “recovery summer,” newly released unemployment numbers indicate otherwise. And while middle-class New Hampshire families are struggling to find work during this so-called “recovery” period, Carol Shea-Porter isn’t doing much to help. After helping her party pass its failed trillion-dollar stimulus and rubber-stamping billions in wasteful spending, Shea-Porter has been doing more harm than good. Faced with the highest national debt in history and unemployment at 9.5 percent, Shea-Porter and her party leaders refuse to provide a budget and the fiscal discipline needed to create jobs. Last night, House Democrats disingenuously ‘deemed’ a budget through Congress and are now attempting to pass it off as a real fiscal blueprint.

“Employment fell for the first [time] this year in June as thousands of temporary census jobs ended and private hiring grew less than expected, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama who has identified job creation as a key priority.

“Nonfarm payrolls dropped 125,000, the largest decline since October, as temporary census jobs fell 225,000, the Labor Department said on Friday. However the unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, the lowest level since July, as people left the labor force. The report will add to worries the recovery from the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s could be faltering.” (Lucia Mutikani, “Payrolls fall, private hiring below forecasts,” Reuters, 7/02/2010)

Earlier this month Democrats promised this would be a summer of recovery, but just last week Vice President Biden gave a conflicting assessment of the economy, stating that the eight million jobs that have been lost are gone for good. This consuming double-talk has left middle-class families wondering: Which one is it?

“Vice President Joe Biden Thursday helps kick off what the White House calls "Recovery Summer," a six week long push to highlight what the administration says will be jobs created this summer and fall by a surge in federal stimulus spending across the country.” (Dan Lothian and Paul Steinhauser, “White House begins new Stimulus push,” CNN, 6/17/2010)

“Vice President Joe Biden gave a stark assessment of the economy today, telling an audience of supporters, ‘there's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession.’” (Stephanie Condon, “Biden: We Can't Recover All the Jobs Lost,” CBS News, 6/25/2010)

Such misleading statements, coupled with misguided policies and a lack of leadership, have turned American families against the out-of-touch Democrat majority:

“Some 45% said they preferred a Republican controlled Congress as the outcome of the 2010 midterm elections compared with 43% who said they preferred Democrats remain in control.

“That might not seem like such a big difference, but the numbers have been trending—slowly–in the GOP’s favor. There’s been a notable decline in support for a Democratic-controlled Congress in WSJ/NBC polls. In November 2008, the public preferred a Democratic Congress by a 12-point, 48%-36% margin. By January 2010, the parties tied at 41%. Now, the GOP is in the lead.” (Susan Davis, “WSJ/NBC Poll: Voters Support GOP Takeover of Congress,” Wall Street Journal, 6/23/2010)

“The longer this jobless recovery drags on, the more apparent it is that Carol Shea-Porter and her Washington friends have lost their ability to govern,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “In a time of recession and high unemployment, Shea-Porter and her party leaders have wasted billions of taxpayer dollars and forced middle-class families to foot the bill for their failed economic policies. Will another month of high unemployment finally prompt Shea-Porter and the out-of-touch Democrat majority to pass an honest, responsible budget that is essential for job creation or will she continue to leave New Hampshire families asking: Where are the jobs?”