AFPNH - Last Chance: Stop the Gas Tax Hike!

Granite State Gatherings   April 6 – NH Democratic Party McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner at 6PM. Click here for more information. April 13 - Carroll County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner at 5:30PM at Red Jacket Mountain View Resort. Click here for more information. April 20 – Greg Moore at Mont Vernon GOP Meeting at 9AM at Chapanga’s Grille at 168 Elm St in Milford.

On WEDNESDAY the NH House will vote on HB 617 which would increase the gasoline and diesel tax in the state by 67%. We need your help to stop them from imposing this unnecessary burden and job-killing tax hike on our families and business owners. Contact your House Members today and ask them to OPPOSE HB 617! CLICK HERE to find your House Members and their contact information. CLICK HERE if you have not signed our anti-gasoline and diesel tax hike petition. Gas prices are at record highs and yet HB 617 will INCREASE the tax on gasoline and diesel so that you have to pay $2.50 more every time you fill up your tank.  If allowed to pass, this tax will have a devastating effect on our still struggling economy, making it harder for people to afford to fill up their tank, driving up the costs of nearly everything we consume and making it harder for businesses to hire more workers. This Wednesday is the last chance we have to stop the House from approving this tax hike on gasoline and diesel! Please contact your House member today and ask them to oppose HB 617. CLICK HERE to find your House Members and their contact information and CLICK HERE to sign the petition opposing this tax hike! Sincerely, Greg Moore State Director Americans for Prosperity New Hampshire P.S. Feel free to forward our petition opposing the gas and diesel tax hike to your family and friends.

Speaker Norelli - Join Me at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club!

Dear Friend,

At our Jefferson Jackson Celebration last October, I was so excited by the energy and enthusiasm of everyone in the room that evening.  And then just two weeks later on Election Day, New Hampshire made history!  

Thanks to the hard work of everyone in the room that night, and so many others across New Hampshire, House Democrats made record gains and picked-up more than 100 seats.  We have restored our majority and returned commonsense leadership to the State House in Concord.  

I hope you will join me and my colleagues from the Democratic House majority at this year's McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club! 

I am so excited to be part of a historic team of women leaders with Governor Maggie Hassan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter and Annie Kuster, and Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen.  Together, we are working every day to move our state and country forward!

Joining us at this year's McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner is our outstanding DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz whose tireless work last years helped lead to so many of our amazing victories here in New Hampshire.  I look forward to joining her - and you - on April 6 at this year's 100 Club Dinner!

Very best wishes, 

Terie Norelli

Speaker of the House

P.S. - Don't miss this great event!  Click here to purchase your tickets today!

NHDP - With Friends Like These ...

Dear Dear Friend -- 

While President Obama is trying to bring both parties together on Capitol Hill, US Senator Kelly Ayotte is continuing her march to the extreme right wing of the Republican Party.  

This morning, Senator Ayotte is speaking at the annual CPAC gathering in Washington, DC and once again pandering to the conservative base of her party.  In recent years, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have delivered the keynote address, and this year Sarah Palin has that distinction.  

Joining Senator Ayotte in addressing CPAC today are two of the Republican Party's leading spokespeople - Donald Trump and Paul Ryan.  Last year, Donald Trump was the leading voice of the birther movement falsely questioning the validity of President Obama's birth certificate.  And Congressman Paul Ryan is once again the principal architect in Congress to dismantle Medicare and repeal Obamacare.  

With friends like these, it is clear that Senator Ayotte is more interested in furthering her national ambitions than serving the people of New Hampshire. 

Will you chip in $50, $25, or $10 today to stand up to extreme Republicans like Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, and Kelly Ayotte?

Thank you for your support,

Kathy Sullivan

P.S. - Paul Ryan is still trying to dismantle Medicare, stop Obamacare, and make devastating cuts to healthcare that will effect New Hampshire women.  Stand up to Paul Ryan and Kelly Ayotte today!

AFP - Pure Insanity

This has been a busy week in Washington D.C. First, Budget Chairman Paul Ryan released his budget on Tuesday. But the real surprise was that Senate Democrats finally produced a budget for the first time in four long years. I wanted to provide you with a few important updates on both budgets this week, and highlight some important points in both.

The Ryan Budget plan is a good, serious budget. It is by no means perfect, but a significant step in the right direction.  This budget balances within ten years, but it only does so by leaving the tax hikes from ObamaCare and the $620 billion in higher taxes from the fiscal cliff in place.  This is the danger of allowing tax hikes into the picture when pushing for a balanced budget.  We have voiced our concerns on this point to the Congressman, and will continue to hold him accountable on further tax hikes on American families. 

On the positive side, the Ryan plan does a great job of starting the discussion on reform, repeals the spending portion of ObamaCare, reduces the size and influence of Fannie and Freddie Mac in the housing markets, and permits the Keystone Pipeline.  On balance, the Ryan Budget goes a long way towards improving the fiscal situation our country finds itself in today.

The plan submitted by Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray contrasts sharply. While we appreciate that the Senate actually produced a budget for the first time in four years, it is a huge disappointment.  The budget submitted by Senate Democrats calls for $1.5 trillion in higher taxes, trillions more in new spending, and does absolutely nothing to address the broken entitlement system our country is facing.  Senator Murray has no plan to ever balance the budget, and instead does the exact opposite - increasing spending and adding an additional $7 trillion to the national debt.

Overall, Murray’s plan is very dangerous for Americans and our economy as a whole.  Continuing out-of-control spending means raising taxes on you, at a time when many Americans can’t afford more tax increases.   To not cut spending is irresponsible, but to not even mention it is pure insanity.  We wish the Senate Democrats had put more serious effort into addressing the real problems we face.

I look forward to providing more updates on these two proposals to you in the near future, as our Policy Team continues to research and develop more information on the costs and benefits of each.  You can keep up with their analysis by visiting our Budget & Spending Issue Page.  Until then, please forward this email to your friends and family to help keep them informed of what these two budgets do. 

In Liberty,

Tim Phillips

Americans for Prosperity

NHCC Policy Update March 2013

State Impact on Gaming New Hampshire Council of Churches Policy Update March 2013 Is the Governor gambling on the health and welfare of NH citizens? OPPOSE SLOT CASINO GAMBLING   When lawmakers are having a hard time balancing the state budget, the temptation to think that a gambling casino is the answer can exert a powerful pull. Please speak up now and let your representatives in Concord know that you will support their "NO" vote to defeat casino gambling in New Hampshire.   The Las Vegas gambling lobby is pushing hard to convince voters that casinos with video slots are a good thing for New Hampshire. Good for them, yes - but bad (very bad) for New Hampshire. With promises of jobs and revenues, the gambling lobby is trying to avert your gaze from the potential destructive impact of this threat.  Large scale casinos bring with them a host of problems - crime, political corruption, slot machine addiction, family financial ruin, divorce, domestic violence, and the trampling of local businesses and communities.           The New Hampshire Council of Churches represents 10 member denominations (Catholic and Protestant).  All are united in opposition to the expansion of gambling in New Hampshire. Some of us oppose gambling on principle. Some accept the gambling that exists: the state sponsored lottery, non-profit Monte Carlo nights, and church bingo. All of us reject the expansion of gambling that would establish casinos and legalize video slot machines, forms of gambling that studies have shown are particularly addictive and result in social problems and increased criminal activity. Our faith teaches that the role of government is to maintain order, preserve justice, and promote the common good. In this moment, we believe that the proper role of government is to distinguish between legitimate forms of gambling that serve as amusement, and illegitimate and inappropriate forms of gambling that have been to shown to be particularly addictive and lead to excessive gambling and deprivation of the basic needs of persons, which we believe to be a violation of justice. New Hampshire must continue to promote the values of education, hard work, and dignity of labor and reject the illusion of easy money. Encouraging a "something for nothing" attitude transforms state government from a preserver of the well-being of its citizens to an exploiter of its citizens' weaknesses and addictions.  NH Council of Churches, Executive Director, Speaks Out against Gaming at Hearing  Fifty activists, citizens and lobbyists had an opportunity to speak before the House on March 7. Rev. Linda Lea Snyder, Interim E.D. for the NHCC was able to speak out on the proposed casino gambling revenue. The Concord Monitor shared her quote with their readers.     "We believe the proper role of government is to maintain order, to preserve justice and to promote the common good. Relying on a source of revenue which degrades our state in so many ways and exploits the most vulnerable members of our society is contrary to this principle," said Rev. Linda Lea Snyder to House members on Thursday, March 7.  If you would like to speak out to your representative on the potential devastation that casino gambling can bring to our small state, click here to find your rep. Let your voice be heard.  Link to NH House of Representatives The New Hampshire Council of Churches consists of 10 member denominations, dedicated to working together as New Hampshire's religious voice for peace, for the poor, and for the planet.

New Hampshire Council of Churches    125 Airport Road                                 PO Box 1087  Concord, NH  03301                Concord NH  03302 603-224-1352 info@nhchurches.org                 www.nhchurches.org    Office hours:  Monday through Thursday, 9-3