NH INSIDER

Tim Arsenault, State Director of Organizing for America (OFA)-New Hampshire issued the following statement regarding the organization’s launch of the ‘Final March to Reform’:

“Today, OFA supporters in New Hampshire join health reform advocates from around the country in launching a sustained push to help pass health insurance reform.

“We already know what will happen if we don’t pass health reform. Insurance companies will continue their abusive practices—arbitrarily hiking our premium rates by as much as 39 percent, denying coverage to people with ‘pre-existing conditions,’ and dropping our coverage if we get sick. Meanwhile, the President’s proposals would return control over our health care choices to American families and businesses, create four million jobs over the next ten years, and reduce our budget deficit by $100 billion in the first decade.

“Granite Staters have made clear time and again in the past year we cannot afford to accept the status quo. It’s time to pass health insurance reform now.”

Obama's Reconciliation Lie:  Less than one week ago, President Obama stood before an assembled audience of hand- picked sympathizers on healthcare reform at the White House and called on Congress to pass his healthcare reform package into law... again.

Apologists for Global Warming Alarmists Respond to ClimateGate:  Apparently the U.S. National Academies of Science is preparing to push back against the damage that has been done to the cause of global warming alarmism and The New York Times is prepared to weigh in with "news" that boosts the sullied reputation of alarmists.

Union Paybacks Advance Through Obama Administration:  While addressing the National Press Club (NPC) in January, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka predicted The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would pass in "the first quarter of 2010," but declined to say if his organization would support a compromised version.

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http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Officials%3A+Stimulus+helped+NH+retain+jobs&articleId=0413fa7e-88c4-40f1-9cbc-8d52821e1b3b

Officials: Stimulus helped NH retain jobs

New Hampshire has used its $708 million in federal stimulus funding to create more than 2,000 jobs, pay for scores of road projects, upgrade health centers, fund research projects at universities and provide public schools with computers and supplies.

The state agencies and local companies that received the funding said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act kept people on the payroll and paid for important projects. But advocates of fiscal responsibility had mixed opinions as to whether the millions spent were worth it.

Since the Recovery Act was signed into law in February 2009, more than $540 million has gone directly into the state treasury to fund infrastructure projects, schools and other government agencies. Another $167 million went to counties, health centers, housing authorities and universities.

Chris Clement, director of the state Office of Economic Stimulus, said New Hampshire used $146.5 million specifically to prevent state employee layoffs.

Called the "State Fiscal Stabilization Fund," this pool of stimulus money created or saved 1,264 jobs in education and 463 jobs in other state government agencies last year, he said.

Kathleen Murphy, director of the state Department of Education Division of Instruction, said the stimulus funded renovations, teacher training and supplies.

Whether it was a new wheelchair ramp or classroom laptop, the stimulus paid for things that will last for years, she said.

The funds also prevented layoffs and kept programs such as all-day kindergarten alive in local districts.

If not for the stimulus, Murphy said, "teachers would have lost their jobs and students wouldn't have had access to those programs."

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation received a sizable chunk of funding as well -- $139 million -- and used it to pave 750 miles of roads, fix 78 bridges and tackle a few expensive projects like the $20 million reconstruction of the Exit 20 interchange on I-89 in Lebanon.

NHDOT spokesman Bill Boynton said the state paved three times as many roads as it does in a normal summer and bumped up the expected completion date of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport access road by two years.

Not only are projects getting done faster, Boynton said, but they are costing less.

"The bids we had for projects were 15 to 20 percent under what we had expected," said Boynton.

"As a result we had $8 million at the end of these projects (and) had money we could turn around and put into other projects."

Mark Charbonneau, president of Continental Paving, said the funding helped him keep a full staff of 300 employees.

"If it wasn't for that we'd probably be down 70 to 80 people," said Charbonneau. "We feel it saved 75 jobs at our company last year."

Although the beneficiaries of the Recovery Act are pleased with the results, some have concerns about the size of the package and what will happen when the money runs out.

The stimulus was a boon for his company last year, but Charbonneau said he is worried about the next few years. The federal funding came just as private sector work in the paving industry dried up.

Unless the state boosts spending on road projects, these businesses will likely struggle once the stimulus money is gone, he said.

"We are very concerned about the future looking forward," Charbonneau said. "The stimulus was a Band-Aid and we need to look at solving our funding problems in the state of New Hampshire."

Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy and an advocate for less government spending, said he is concerned about the amount of money the stimulus package is adding to the deficit.

"It almost certainly wasn't worth it," said Arlinghaus. "The federal government bailed us out with money they borrowed. ... Allowing us to use their credit card doesn't move us toward fiscal responsibility. It does the opposite."

Bob Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a non-partisan group that promotes fiscal responsibility, said the stimulus money has added to the deficit, but doing so temporarily to keep the economy afloat is sometimes necessary.

"I think in this particular recession, things got so bad even responsible states got caught short," Bixby said.

Where he warned states to be cautious is when accepting money meant for new programs. Relief from the federal government should be "targeted and temporary," he said.

"It's like taking a pain killer," said Bixby. "It's not going to cure the economy but it's going to smooth out the edges. It's not something you want to get hooked on."

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter released the following statement after voting for the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act. 

“While New Hampshire’s unemployment rate is still lower than the national average, too many Granite Staters are still looking for jobs in this economy,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter. “This bill will help by providing important tax cuts to businesses that hire unemployed workers and by funding infrastructure projects that will help create jobs.  Every job loss is a tragedy, and I will continue to support legislation that puts people back to work.”

The HIRE Act will help create jobs by providing a payroll tax holiday to businesses that hire unemployed workers and an income tax credit of $1,000 for businesses that retain these employees. It also includes an extension of the Highway Trust Fund, which provides billions of dollars in funding for infrastructure projects.  

Democrats Stab Bunning in the Back:  How hard is it to cut $10 billion out of the $3.6 trillion federal budget? That's what Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) wanted to know. It's a good question: Can the U.S. Senate cut anything at all to pay for new spending?

Union Power Undercuts Business Flexibility:  Successful business leaders who must navigate their way through challenging economic climates understand how important it is to maintain flexibility and dexterity in their decision making.

McDonnell Appears To Be Ignoring Campaign PromisesThe other day I wrote that Republicans faced a choice in Virginia. This was in reference to newly elected Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell proposing policies that seemed to be the opposite of what candidate McDonnell supported while claiming to be a "fiscal conservative" and "anti-stimulus" Republican

Greek Debt Crisis:  Could It Happen Here?:  As Greece faces billions of dollars in debt payments coming due over the coming months, the nation is attempting to avert a loan default — which would rock world markets — by implementing a series of tax hikes, benefit cuts, and begging for a bailout from their European neighbors.

In Praise of Partisanship:  I am about to ink a sentence for the ages that I have never written before. The likelihood of a recurrence of this phenomenon is equally slim. But on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, February 21, I agreed with Arianna Huffington. No, certainly not with every utterance that came from her lips. That would require more flexible philosophical gymnastics than I find myself capable of exhibiting. But nonetheless, Arianna did manage not only to make a true statement, but also a powerfully cogent one.

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