Lamontagne For Governor - Will the Real Maggie Hassan Please Stands Up?

Flip-flops at Conway debate on her support of an income tax, LLC tax, campground tax and car registration surcharge

 

Manchester, NH – A politician shifting her position on an issue to please a particular audience is nothing new.  One totally flip-flopping on past support of a number of specific taxes does raise some questions, and that is exactly what Maggie Hassan did at today's Mount Washington Valley Economic Council debate when she claimed she would veto an income tax, an LLC tax, a campgrounds tax and a car registration surcharge, all taxes she has supported in the past. 

 

When asked by the debate moderator George Epstein, “Would you veto those if your legislature brought you those bills?” in reference to an income tax, a LLC tax, a campground tax and a registration surcharge, Sen. Hassan responded, “All of the things you have listed are things that I would veto.”

 

Of course, in 2002, Sen. Hassan said she would support the right kind of income tax.  In 2009, to help fund a massive increase in total government spending, Sen. Hassan supported the creation of the campground tax (applying the Rooms and Meals tax to campgrounds), the creation of the motor vehicle registration surcharge (nearly doubling the cost of registering a vehicle for most drivers), and voted create the small business LLC income tax, without a public hearing.

 

“I think its important for the people of New Hampshire to have confidence that when their governor says something on the campaign trail its what they’re going to do as the governor,” said Ovide Lamontagne is his follow-up response.  “Every one of the taxes that George asked Maggie about, she supported during her political career.  She supported an income tax in 2002.  She passed the LLC tax that she says she’ll veto now.  She passed the campground tax in New Hampshire and was the architect of expanded car registration fees.  For her to take a different position today raises questions.”

 

“Maggie Hassan just isn’t being straight with the voters of New Hampshire,” said Lamontagne spokesman Tom Cronin.  “When she had a chance to vote on these measures in the legislature, she voted yes.  For her to flip-flop and tell voters she would veto these taxes as governor raises serious questions about Sen. Hassan’s trustworthiness on this central issue, and should encourage a healthy skepticism of her pledge against a broad based tax.  Sen. Hassan is a tax, borrow, spend, and regulate liberal who will need to find ways to finance the big government programs she is proposing.  She has raised taxes on the voters of New Hampshire before and she will do it again.”

NH House Passes LLC Reforms

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) offered the following statements on the passage of Senate Bill 203, which revises and rewrite existing laws regarding limited liability companies (LLC) to making them more user-friendly.

House Speaker William O’Brien

“This is one more pro-business step we have taken to help the creation of good, new jobs here in New Hampshire. We need to get the Granite State back in the game of being competitive and helping our citizens.”

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt

“These changes will make it easier for entrepreneurs to start small business and expand and hire employees. Our first goal was always to create jobs, and we have taken huge strides in that regard. The numbers bear this out, since the last Election Day, unemployment has dropped by one percent, and New Hampshire’s unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation. This is a huge sea change from the past legislatures that passed many new regulations, increased state spending by a whopping 25%, and passed over 100 news taxes and fees. We have not lost focus on why we were sent here and will continue our efforts to create jobs, to bring fiscal responsibility to state government and to restore accountability.”

STATEMENT FROM KEVIN SMITH ON ANNOUNCMENT BY MAGGIE HASSAN TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR

Manchester, NH - Today, potential gubernatorial candidate, Kevin Smith, released the following statement on the announcement by former State Senator, Maggie Hassan, that she intends to run for Governor:

"When it comes to talking about creating jobs and being a fiscal conservative, Maggie Hassan has about as much credibility as President Obama," said Smith.  "The fact of the matter is that Maggie has an impeccable record in the State Senate of having raised a record amount of taxes and fees, including a job killing income tax on LLC's as well as her proposal for a government takeover of our State's healthcare system, dubbed 'Maggiecare.'  Maggie also supported a state income tax while running as a candidate for state senate.  Her record on raising taxes and spending is clear and it should scare the heck out of any current or future business owner in our great State." 

Jeb Bradley NH Senate - Imitation: The Sincerest Form of Flattery

So Charles Colton wryly wrote in the 19^th Century observing human nature. Two centuries later, Colton might opine that in politics -- imitation is more a masquerade -- a way to co-op your opponent to win elections!

Our liberal Democratic friends have astutely won elections claiming as loudly as possible –despite all evidence to the contrary -- that they are indeed frugal with taxpayers' wallets. That high decibel assertion starts with Governor Lynch’s previous Pledge to veto an income or sales tax. Lynch coasted in his last two elections. New Hampshire historically has wanted no part of either tax, rightfully understanding that our overall tax burden would climb to New Jersey or Connecticut levels.

Liberals however, do grumble about the Pledge. Lynch actually faces a primary from Rep. Tim Robertson of Keene who apparently believes he is the real Democrat in that primary.

Voters may be discovering imitation for what it is -- that actions actually speak louder than words. In this era of staggering deficits; frugality, and claims of frugality are different. 

Political misdirection can work --- until bills come due.And have the bills ever come due! Liberals in Concord increased spending by 23% over two budgets while hiking 67 taxes and fees. Revenue under-performed, so liberals resorted to stealing $110 million of private funds (JUA) belonging to physicians. Even after the Supreme Court nixed that plan, they are still trying to change the rules to pilfer the doctors' money.

Two of the 67 new taxes, the Camping Tax and the LLC Income Tax were so egregious they were repealed. Several others such as capital gains, estate, gasoline, higher business taxes, and town taxes on rooms and meals passed either the House or Senate before being ultimately dispatched. Rest assured though, those taxes are on the shelf—ready to go.

Excuse the cynicism, but isn’t it hilarious to see politicians who touted the LLC Income Tax as a mere loophole closure, now backslapping each other upon repeal? 

It’s also dumbfounding when liberals now cheerfully accuse fiscal conservatives of trying to foist the largest property tax increase in history on New Hampshire residents. For blatant political spin … that’s super-sized. Why? These same liberal Democrats downshifted over $100 million of costs to cities and towns raising property taxes --- and are being sued for these shenanigans by the organization that represents cities and towns, the NH Municipal Association.

It gets worse!

Faced with a $600 million deficit in the next budget due to chronic over-spending, over-borrowing, and over-reliance on the Stimulus, Governor Lynch has ordered department heads to pare budgets by 5%. Yet only months ago when a number of us proposed exactly that legislation, it was panned and consigned to legislative rubbish.

Liberals have also become afflicted with a severe case of Pinocchio Nose Syndrome when discussing NH’s business climate and our ranking by the Tax Foundation. See “Facts and Figures” at www.taxfoundation.org. The Tax Foundation uses five different indexes to rank every state. Corporate Taxes: NH is 50^th -- worst in the nation. Unemployment Insurance Taxes: NH ranks 39^th.  Property Taxes: NH is 40^th.

Thankfully our overall ranking is 7^th but only because of NH’s rank of 9^th for income taxes and 2^nd for sales taxes. Those high ranks are achieved because NH’s resisted both broad-based taxes.

Perhaps it’s refreshing our liberal friends would care about NH’s business climate after their binge of taxing and spending. However, they’ve hardly stood shoulder to shoulder with fiscal conservatives opposing both taxes over the years. They could help maintain that favorable business ranking by pledging to vote against an income or sales tax next January when the rubber meets the road and NH collides with a budget deficit of historic proportions. The $600 million projected deficit represents nearly 20% of our General Fund.

With profound economic uncertainty and business climate concerns paramount, voters are parsing candidate's promises and performance. The Americans for Prosperity survey is illustrative: www.americansforprosperity.org/new-hamps.   It asks direct questions: will you cut taxes, fees, and oppose an income or sales tax? Will you cut spending and the size of government? Will you uphold the NH and US Constitutions?

Of the candidates for the NH Senate who signed this pledge, only one---that’s right just one---is a Democrat. The rest who signed are Republicans.

The jam for liberal Democrats in NH is that they not so secretly pine for an income or sales tax. Recall Governor Jeanne Shaheen once proposed a sales tax. An income tax actually passed in the House in 1999 predominantly supported by Democrats, and yes several Republicans.

This liberal drumbeat in Concord, or for that matter in Washington, has not changed. They contend Americans are obligated to pay their full fair share of taxes. Thus, it’s easy for liberal legislators to pass the LLC Income Tax –without a public hearing –then claim it just closes a loophole. That’s their worldview despite the burden falling squarely on small business owners who NH relies upon to create jobs and lift the economy.

Most liberals won’t campaign for either an income tax or sales tax. They’re too faithful to their cause to fall on that sword. But, when faced with at least a $600 million deficit in the next budget, what will they do? When faced with nearly a $300 million deficit in the current budget, they could barely muster the will to cut $52 million.

Will they reform our Medicaid system, 10^th costliest in the nation? Will they curtail a costly education funding plan that Phoenix-like re-creates donor towns? Will they implement across the board cuts previously rejected, support pension and health care reform and make other cuts? Don’t bet the farm.

Liberal Democrats' non-answers on tax surveys illustrate the difficulty of imitating fiscal conservatives when the bills mount. Perhaps their silence now, helps elect them. Let’s see if they also jump for joy like John Kerry did when he discovered high taxes actually apply to him!



NHDP Chair Ray Buckley's Statement on the House Republicans' Press Conference on the Budget

Concord -Today, House Republicans held a press conference complaining about Democratic efforts to keep New Hampshire's budget in balance without offering any specific, substantive recommendations of their own. 

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley issued the following statement responding to the Republican press conference.

"I have two words for Minority Leader Sherm Packard and the House Republicans: grow up.  Either come to the table and outline a specific plan for moving New Hampshire forward, or stop whining while Democrats keep New Hampshire one of the lowest taxed, lowest spending, best places to live in the country."

"The Governor, House, and Senate Democrats are engaged in a thoughtful debate - including specific policy proposals - on how to keep New Hampshire's budget in balance, while the Republican Party continues to act like spoiled children. "

"The New Hampshire Republican Party has become a caricature of itself.  Like a child's doll that endlessly repeats the same phrase over and over again, Sherman Packard and House Republicans scream shrilly about cuts whenever Democrats try to have a meaningful discussion about the state's finances.  The problem is that Republicans never suggest any specific sacrifices that they expect the people of New Hampshire to make."