Gov. Johnson - That sound you hear

Friends,

Since the election, I’ve been able to spend some time at home in New Mexico, recharge my batteries a bit, and most important, watch what’s going on in Washington, DC – which is really nothing good.

The news is filled with stories about the “looming fiscal cliff”.  Of course, in Washington, their definition of a “cliff” is that government spending will be cut next year by slightly more than $100 billion – IF Congress and the President don’t come to an agreement to cut spending by LESS than that. With a $16 trillion debt and trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, only in Washington would cutting $100 billion be viewed as an impending disaster.
 

The real disaster – the real “fiscal cliff” – is the one we face if spending ISN’T cut by far more than $100 billion.  There are talking heads on TV saying, with a straight face, that cutting spending by a few small percentage points will devastate the economy. Where were those talking heads when the Democrats and Republicans were conspiring to run up an unsustainable $16 TRILLION national debt.  Who is pointing out the obvious:  That ridiculous levels of spending have already devastated the economy – and that the so-called fiscal cliff is a pothole compared to the real cliff that our Thelma and Louise government is driving us over.


And of course,  the “deals” on the table to prevent those $100 billion in cuts, along with $400 billion in tax increases, look very familiar:  Raise the taxes, and promise to cut the spending.  Sure, the Republicans and Democrats are arguing – at least for the cameras – over what to call the tax increases, but regardless, they’re all talking about solving their problem by taking more of our money.  And the spending cut promises?  As Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush learned the hard way, the taxes go up, but the spending cuts seem to never happen.
 

And here we go again.  Yes, that sound you hear is the can being kicked down the road.  The politicians will spend the next three weeks posturing and posing and pounding their chests, and then go behind closed doors and cut a deal to once again avoid dealing with the disastrous debt problem.

You and I know that this is exactly what will happen, UNLESS enough voices are raised to say “STOP!”  Stop the games, stop the posturing, and stop the political denial.


I will be one of those voices.  And with your help, we will make them listen.  It would be easy to sit on the sidelines and let this game play out, but that simply isn’t in my nature.  The future of America, the survival of economic freedom, and the liberty that government is destroying are all too important.

 
We may not have won the election – thanks to the rigged game our two-party duopoly has created, but I would strongly maintain that we won on the issues. More than a million Americans stood up for real liberty, truly smaller government, and bold steps to actually solve the problems the politicians in Washington are today kicking down the road.

 
It is ironic, but after an election that obviously didn’t change anything, our message has never been more timely nor more important.


As we schedule appearances, campus rallies and media interviews for the critical months to come, your financial support is key.  Your contribution at www.garyjohnson2012.com today keeps our voice in the public debate – and reminds the politicians in Washington that “kicking the can down the road” is not acceptable any longer.


Somebody has to tell the truth, and your support makes it possible for me to do just that.

 
Go to www.garyjohnson2012.com and keep up the fight for smaller government, an end to absurd spending, and the liberty we must protect from the politicians.

 
Thank you!

 

Governor Gary Johnson

NH House Speaker Comments on Democrats Inability to Field Legitimate Candidates for State Rep

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) today offered the following comments in response to the resignation in the past two days of two Democrats Representatives-Elect who could not serve, one due to a residency issue, the other because state law prohibits felons from serving in public office until their sentences are complete.
 
House Speaker William O’Brien
 
“It doesn’t speak will for the Democrats recruiting efforts if they could not identify better candidates for State Representative than convicted felons who have not completed their sentence and people who truly live out of state.  These sad episodes paint the entire House in a bad light and demonstrate the need to get back to electing individuals who are committed to serving the people honorably.  What is even more disturbing is the fact that a convicted felon from Nashua who is still serving a suspended sentence now thinks that this would be a good profile for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, despite the fact it violates State law, and has removed what was an appropriate resignation.  The fact that top Democrats believe that this is an acceptable act should offend all New Hampshire citizens.”

NHDP Chairman Raymond Buckley's Statement on Rep.-Elect Stacie Laughton

CONCORD - Raymond Buckley, Chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, released the following statement on the news that Rep.-elect Stacie Laughton will resign her seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives: 

"I respect Stacie's decision not to be seated in the New Hampshire House and am confident that the new Democratic House majority will stay focused on the work they were sent there by voters to do: move New Hampshire and our economy forward."

NH House Republicans Select Rep. Gene Chandler To Serve As Republican Leader for 2013-14 Session

CONCORD – At a caucus of Republicans elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives for the 2013-14 session, the members elected Rep. Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett) to serve as House Republican Leader. In the current session, Rep. Chandler holds the office of Speaker Pro Tempore.

Speaker Pro Tempore Gene Chandler

“I’m honored to have my Republican colleagues give me their support as Leader. Today, we begin our efforts to restore our majority in the House by delivering the Republican message of economic opportunity and job creation through lowering the burden of taxes and regulation. We won’t rest until we know that everyone who wants a job can find a good one right here in New Hampshire. That cannot mean a return to the days of massive tax and fee increases on the backs of the working families and employers of the state. We also need to make sure that we have a budget that is balanced and relies on realistic revenue projections. We will also work to ensure that we continue to deliver on the promise of education choice and protect the integrity of our elections. I look forward to getting work to keep our caucus strong and send a clear message about our Republican values.”

Freekeenenews - Keene Voter Turnout Lower Than Originally Reported According to City Clerk

2012 Keene Voter Turnout Drops to 69% from 76%

Email from city clerk Patty Little reveals calculation errors in their original results.  I had originally contacted the clerk's office when the votes for the race I was in just weren't adding up right according to their official campaign report. Here’s her email explaining what had gone wrong:

Hi Ian, I have had a chance to review your questions and have attached an updated spreadsheet of election activity. We decided that our previous spreadsheet was confusing because the number of absentee ballots was already included in the total ballotscast figure…and also inaccurate because the “formula” was accounting for absentee ballots twice. In addition, to clarifying the layout of the spreadsheet, we’ve updated some of the actual figures based upon corrections made to the Secretary of State and the correct “formula.”

Anyway, these corrections indicate that there were 12,699 total ballots cast. If you assume that each ballot had the race for State Rep. District 16 – that would indicate that there was a possibility of 25,398 votes for this race. With candidate Weed at 7623, candidate Burridge at 5591 and yourself at 1490 and 42 write-in votes, this leaves 10,652 blanks. This number differs from what was indicated on the tabulator tape as “blank” votes by 99 votes. We believe, but have no way to verify – that the discrepancy between these two number reflect two things: (1) not all of the ballots had the office of State Rep. District 16. There are certain types of “UOCAVA” voters that can only vote in Federal offices so their ballot did not contain the State offices. (2) when election officials are hand counting what is called an auxiliary ballot (a ballot that the scanner cannot read) they are focused on counting votes for candidates and are not even thinking about “blank” votes that result when a voter either doesn’t vote for 2 candidates, or they vote for 1 candidate or they over vote by voting for 3 candidates.

Ian, I appreciate that you’ve questioned our numbers because this exercise has revealed that our spreadsheet contained inaccurate formulas.