Bob Perry Strafford County District 3 State Representative

Jackie says: "It's Time to Take to the Streets Again!"

2012-02-24T15:46:00.002-05:00

Statement by Jackie Cilley
For Immediate Release

It’s Time To Take To The Streets Again

Does anyone recall any of the 2010 candidates running on a platform of eliminating insurance coverage for contraception? You didn’t? Well, you’re not alone. There was not one word about doing something so draconian, but that’s what they are slipping through now.
In a continuation of attacks on the women of New Hampshire, including the removal of adequate protections against domestic violence, the NH House passed HR 29 to require Congress to allow employers to deny healthcare coverage for contraception. In another amendment attached to a non-germane bill, the House is attempting to unravel 13 years of bipartisan support for healthcare coverage for contraception.

The Free State/Tea Partiers in our legislature are effectively telling New Hampshire women they don’t have the right to determine when to start their family or to control their own reproductive healthcare.
As utterly regressive as these actions were, a statement by Rep. Lynne Blankenbeker, r, Concord, was simply jaw-dropping. During a committee hearing, Rep. Blankenbeker said the women of our state could avoid an unwanted or untimely pregnancy “with simple over-the-counter remedies such as abstinence or condoms.” The first is likely to lead to significant levels of domestic disharmony and the latter has a high failure rate.
Our grandmothers marched in the streets and suffered untold humiliations to win us the right to have a say in governing ourselves. Ladies (and pro-equality gentlemen), it looks like it is time to take to the streets again!

###

Jackie Cilley for Governor
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Paid for by Jackie Cilley for New Hampshire, Bruce R. Cilley, Treasurer.

The resolution referred to, above, reported out of committee on a vote of 13 - 5 ought to pass. On a roll-call vote on the floor of the house 2/22/12, the vote was 227 - 121 ought to pass. Thirty Republicans joined all but one Democrat in voting against this affront to family planning and women's rights.

Bob Perry

State Representative

Strafford County District 3

Members of 4-H Thank the Taxpayers of Strafford County

2012-02-08T19:12:00.002-05:00

One of the responsibilities of state legislators is to their respective counties. Each year, they must review the various aspects of county spending and approve, or not, its budget. The first meeting in Strafford County for public discussion on the budget was held Thursday, January 26. If unchanged, spending this year will be $53,090,448.00, of which $27,447,936.00 is to be raised by taxes, an increase of 2.418 percent over 2011.

Strafford County’s population increased 9.7 percent from the 2000 decennial census to a figure just over 123,000. There are 334 persons per square mile, which indicates there may well be 334 persons within one mile of the county administration building. However, less than 20 people attended.

Happily, among them, were several speakers who gave thanks to the county commissioners and the taxpayers for funding of the reorganized cooperative extension service and 4-H, whose mission is to instill in its young members a strong sense of citizenship. I was sufficiently impressed by the presentations of the two young members of 4-H, whose words appear below, that I asked for their permission to print same.

I wish them well in life; thanks to you, the taxpayers of Strafford County, they are off to a good start. Please take a moment to understand how your tax dollars directly affect the well-being of others. And take pride in shaping the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Thank you.

Bob Perry
State Representative
Strafford County District #3

From Peter Attisano:

Good evening, my name is Peter Attisano and I am here to speak to you about our Strafford County 4-H program. 4-H has given me more than I could ask for and then some. As an 18 year old, I am no longer recognized as a youth member but it gives me the opportunity to reflect on all of the great values 4-H has taught me. Values like responsibility, time management, teamwork and selflessness. One of the most important parts of a 4-H program is a solid club foundation. This is because most activities a 4-Her wants to pursue start at the club level. A club allows 4-Hers with common goals to work together to achieve them. All the county clubs are overseen by the cooperative extension office; The county extension office helps clubs grow by training the volunteer 4-H leaders, training 4-H youth to be the officers of their clubs and recruiting both members and leaders. The county office also provides activities that all of the clubs in the community feed into. A few of these activities include county activities day, favorite foods festival, fashion review, the Rochester Fair and countless animal shows. The county programs are all gateways to state programs, for example, county activities day on to state activities day. Doing well at a State level competition can grant a 4-Her the chance to attend national 4-H trips, representing Strafford County and the state of New Hampshire. Without the funding for county programs it is very difficult for kids to advance in their 4-H lives. Throughout my nine years a 4-H member, I have had the opportunity to attend two national trips. Getting to that level would not have been possible without the support from my 4-H club members, leaders and County staff helping me make my best that much better. I would like nothing more than to see future generations of 4-Hers have the same great opportunities as I have had.

From Gillian Robidas:

Thank-you for inviting me here this evening. My name is Gillian Robidas, and I am a member of the Farmyard Friends 4-H club of Strafford County. I have been involved in 4-H for eight years.
4-H clubs are asked to annually perform some act of community service. What’s great about 4-H is that they don’t focus on just one aspect of community service, whatever you or your club is interested in, you can do. Because of this, 4-H has a big impact in the community, in all areas.

Our club happens to volunteer at the Wentworth Nursing Home, and we have for the last five years. We meet with the residents once a month to put on concerts, plays, and do games or crafts. Over the years, this has stopped being simply a community service project. We’ve formed friendships, and have been told that the residents enjoy watching us grow up. That’s just our club. Others in the community have done everything from roadside pickup, to collecting for food pantries,to raising funds for local animal shelters. One club alone logged in over 2,000 hours of community service. What other organization puts so much in, without asking for much back? Volunteering through 4-H is not just another thing to check of the list: often times, 4-H projects become life projects. The awareness learned in 4-H impacts the member throughout their lives.

4-H projects is where a member takes an interest, and then brings it to the next level. There are many different project areas, ranging from raising beef cows or chickens, sewing a garment or buying one, growing flowers or veggies, cooking or child care, computer science or photography...the list is endless. Pursuing hands-on project areas not only helps kids learn new skills, but also allows them to explore many career opportunities. In 4-H, learning is made interesting and fun, through individual and group activities.

Another benefit 4-H has on the community is the building of leaders. 4-H members are taught life skills such as public speaking, responsibility, time management, dedication, and independence.

Members are encouraged to run for offices in their club, and then fulfill the duties of that office. You see, although adult leaders are important, 4-H is truly for and by the kids. Older members run the meetings, plan events, and help younger members with their projects all while balancing their own individual 4-H projects. This can be a tall order when working with different ages, different backgrounds, and different interests. As a result, 4-H members tend to have a strong work ethic that will carry with them through their adult lives. 4-H’s main focus is building strong individuals and strong families, and strong individuals and families build a strong community.
As the 4-H pledge states, I as a 4-H member pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living. For my club, my community, my country, and my world. Thank-you for your continued support of 4-H by funding UNH Cooperative Extension. My wish is that 4-H can continue to be an integral part of the community.

Five 4-H members from New Hampshire recently attended the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, GA. National 4-H Congress is a five-day conference where 4-H youth from around the nation gather to develop their leadership and citizenship skills.

Peter Attisano from Lee, Mark Cook from Brookline, Brandie Rice from Fremont, Josiah Robertson from Contoocook and Kristin Sarvai from Manchester were selected through a resume and interview process to represent the New Hampshire 4-H program.

Resources
Strafford County Cooperative Extension Program
http://extension.unh.edu/Counties/Strafford/Strafford.htm

Rockingham County Cooperative Extension and 4-H
http://extension.unh.edu/counties/rockingham/4hYthDev.htm

4-H Youth Development Programm
http://www.4-h.org/

Image Credits
http://www.extension.colostate.edu/SEA/4-H/4-H%20Online%20Manuals.html
http://www.4-h.org/
http://extension.unh.edu/4h/4h.htm

House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli Comments on Governor Lynch's State of the State Address

2012-02-01T08:32:00.002-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Eileen Kelly
603-271-2136

January 31, 2012

Statement of House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli on Governor Lynch's State of the State Address

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – New Hampshire House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli released the following statement on Governor John Lynch's final State of the State address.

“Governor Lynch’s State of the State address was a powerful reminder that there are bipartisan solutions that the Legislature could be working towards to move New Hampshire forward. I hope that my colleagues across the aisle will divert from their Tea Party agenda of the past thirteen months and instead work with all members of the House on the issues that face New Hampshire."
“Rolling back the irresponsible cigarette tax break passed in the Republican state budget should be taken up in the House immediately. Giving big out of state tobacco companies millions of dollars in taxpayer money was a bad idea from the start, and the contrast of making cigarettes cheaper but college more expensive has set a terrible model for our children.”

From
Eieen Kelly
Senior Legislative Assistant
New Hampshire House of Representatives
State House, Room 307
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603 271 2136

Press Release on State of the State

http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2012/013112-state-of-state.htm

Democrats Reject Republican Sponsored Bill That Allows Tax Credits to Businesses and Downshifts to Local Taxpayers

2012-01-26T08:53:00.001-05:00

House Bill 1607 (all Republican sponsors) is one of a number of bills intended to weaken the public school system, while deregulating home schooling, and diverting taxpayer dollars to religious schools. Among some in the state house, public schools are known as "government" schools, within which teachers "indoctrinate" students. This is a perverse view of the system that has served the masses so well, the system created by the ancient Greeks, and expanded by the ancient Romans to include the education of women. To brush these bills off as too bizarre for serious consideration is folly. Below is the link to the bill. You may call the Democratic Office at the number listed in the press release below for contact information for the bill's many sponsors. Tell them it's a bad bill with serious consequences to the future of public education, shifting unnecessary costs to the local property tax, and the bill should be defeated.

Bob Perry
State Legislator
Strafford County District #3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Eileen Kelly
603-271-2136

January 23, 2012

Democrats Reject Republican Sponsored Bill That Allows Tax Credits to Businesses and
Downshifts to Local Taxpayers

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Representative Susan Almy, Democratic Policy Leader on the House Ways & Means Committee, issued the following statements on the hearing on HB 1607 which establishes an education credit against the business profits tax.

“New Hampshire is a small state, but this could create the equivalent of a voucher system of unprecedented scale. It could diminish 4% of New Hampshire public school students in the first, year and 9% by the fifth year. This would leave the schools with less adequacy funding but little opportunity to reduce costs, hurting those schools’ ability to educate their remaining students.”
“The funding could all be directed to private religious schools that until now have been constitutionally barred from receiving tax funding. Tuition at most New Hampshire schools is several times the cost of the $2,500 scholarship, so the reality of these actually helping low-income families is in question. The New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled several times that tax credits for funding k-12 education in private schools are unconstitutional.”
“The legislature already made the largest cut to public higher education in the country this year, now instead of restoring funding to public education in New Hampshire they are cutting deeper and transferring the money to private religious schools and home schools. This will ultimately shift more education costs to local property taxpayers and hurt the quality of public education.”

Eileen Kelly
Senior Legislative Assistant
New Hampshire House of Representatives
State House, Room 307
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

HB 1607
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2012/HB1607.html

Questions for my Readers and Constituents

2012-01-13T13:44:00.000-05:00

The conservative out-of-state prankster who operates Project Veritas, James O'Keefe, is quoted as saying an "extremely generous donor" gave his organization $50,000.00 to fund his voter fraud stunt in New Hampshire last Tuesday. In a separate fundraising message to his supporters, the goal of which is $1.65 million, O'Keefe writes "Our Voter Fraud investigation is being funded with a gift of $50,000 from an extremely generous donor - but that covers the cost of just ONE national project." [Emphasis his].

My calculator tells me O'Keefe intends to conduct as many as 33 more attacks, and may well make a living out of taking down people and/or organizations he doesn't like.

My questions:

How many readers have $50,000.00 to spare?
How many readers have $50,000.00 to spare on what the Attorney General may well conclude was illegal activity conducted by impostors engaged in voter fraud in order to manufacture the perception of voter fraud in our state?
How many readers want to know the identity of the mysterious "generous donor?"

"The first casualty, when war comes, is truth."

- Hiram Johnson (1866-1945) - a Progressive Republican senator in California.

Purposeful Voter Fraud is Shameful

2012-01-12T17:39:00.001-05:00

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

CONTACT:
Joan Flood Ashwell
Election Law Specialist
League of Women Voters of New Hampshire
603-868-3775

Carefully Planned Election Day Fraud is an Insult to Voters and Election Officials in New Hampshire

Concord, N.H.--The out-of-state con artists depicted in a recent video committed serious fraud, and the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire urges the Attorney General to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. The League of Women Voters supports the integrity of elections and trusts in the competence of our local election officials. The fraud shown on the video was carefully manufactured to make it appear that New Hampshire doesn’t have a system of checks and balances in place to protect our votes. That is not the case. The only thing this video shows is that those with time, resources and criminal intent and with no respect for the fundamental laws of our nation can sometimes deceive our neighbors who work as election officials. There is no reason to believe that New Hampshire citizens engage in such un-American behavior. The League extends its sympathy to the families of the recently deceased whose names were used so callously.

Joan Flood Ashwell

For more information about the myths and realities of Voter Fraud, visit The Truth About Fraud from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York School of Law
http://www.truthaboutfraud.org/

Policy Brief on the Truth about "Voter Fraud" - Brennan Center for Justice at the New York School of Law
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/policy_brief_on_the_truth_about_voter_fraud/

Governor Lynch: "There is No Voter Fraud Problem in New Hampshire."
http://merrimack.patch.com/articles/lynch-there-is-no-voter-fraud-problem-in-new-hampshire

James O’Keefe’s Group Appears To Commit Voter Fraud In Order To Gin Up Hysteria Over Non-Existent Fraud Problem from Think Progress Justice

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/01/11/402756/james-o-keefe-voter-fraud/?mobile=nc

"So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind — it is made up for me. I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact — I can only submit to the edict of others."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Give Us the Ballot, We Will Transform the South" by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Speech given before the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington, May 17, 1957

Your Voting Rights and the Need to Stay Informed

2012-01-08T22:25:00.000-05:00

New Hampshire Deals With Voting Rights Confusion as Primary Approaches, America Votes guest blog post from Joan Flood Ashwell, LWV-NH

NH Presidential Primary, January 10, 2012:

An important reminder about voter rights.

New Hampshire voters are finding all kinds of barriers to voting this election season. So far, America Votes and the League of Women Voters have had reports of already registered voters being told they can't have an absentee ballot unless they produce a government-issued photo ID, and other voters are being told there is no Democratic Primary Election this year, only a Republican Primary Election.

Here are the facts: you do not need a photo ID to get an absentee ballot, a ballot on Election Day or, even to register to vote (see below). If you are a Republican, you can vote in the Republican Primary Election on January 10. If you are a Democrat, you can vote in the Democratic Primary Election on January 10. If you are undeclared (independent), you may choose to vote in either Primary Election and then, usually, change your registration back to undeclared before you leave the polls.

In New Hampshire you may register to vote at the Town Clerk's Office or with the Supervisors of the Checklist up to 10 days before the Election, or at the polling place on Election Day. You should bring the best identification information you have but, if you don't own a driver's license, passport or other photo ID, you can request a waiver (“affidavit”) to sign for your identification and for your address.

You may vote with an absentee ballot up to the day before an election. No Town or City Clerk should ask you for a photo ID before giving you an absentee ballot. If you're asked for a photo ID, refuse the request, and tell the clerk to check your registration signature if he or she questions your identity. The law clearly states they are supposed to check your signature when they receive your absentee ballot.

There is no requirement to show a photo ID to register to vote or before receiving a ballot. As long as you are at least 18 years old and a citizen who lives in the voting district, you have the right to vote under the U.S. and N.H. Constitutions. There are 30,000 to 50,000 voting age citizens in New Hampshire -- mostly the elderly and young people -- who do not possess a N.H. driver's license or other government ID. They deserve to have their votes count.

For a full explanation of voters’ rights, you can check the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire website.

If you have questions or problems on Election Day, contact the NH Secretary of State at 603-271-3242 or the NH Attorney General at 603-271-3658.

House Democrats Applaud Bipartisan Success To Sustain Veto on Rail Authority

2012-01-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Eileen Kelly
603-271-2136

January 04, 2012

House Democrats Applaud Bipartisan Success To Sustain Veto on Rail Authority

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – NH House Democrats today applaud the bipartisan success to sustain Governor Lynch’s veto of HB 218 that will study the prospect of bringing passenger rail service to New Hampshire.

"Expanded rail service is strongly supported by business leaders, particularly in Nashua and Manchester,” stated Representative Terie Norelli, NH House Democratic Leader. “They believe that HB 218 will hurt their efforts to grow their businesses, to create jobs and to attract new companies to New Hampshire. I am pleased that Democrats working with moderate Republicans were able to sustain the veto, despite the push from Republican leadership to overturn Governor Lynch’s veto.”

“The Merrimack Town Council, the Bedford Town Council, and the Nashua Board of Aldermen have passed resolutions expressing support for expanded rail service and the benefits it would bring to their communities,” said Representative Brian Rhodes, Democratic Policy Leader on the House Transportation Committee. “Expansion of rail service in our region will occur, and unless we’ve adequately studied the feasibility of rail, New Hampshire will be bypassed.”

An independent study concluded that the development of rail in the capital corridor could result in more than $2.4 billion in new business sales and nearly 1,000 new jobs created and sustained in New Hampshire in the first twenty years of operation.

HB 218 would have made substantial changes to the New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority that would have reduced its ability to fully consider all transit options for the state.

Eileen Kelly
Senior Legislative Assistant
New Hampshire House of Representatives
State House, Room 307
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603 271 2136

House Democrats Express Disappointment Regarding Override of Governor’s Veto of SB 57 - Regulating Title Loan Lenders

2012-01-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Eileen Kelly
603-271-2136

January 04, 2012

House Democrats Express Disappointment Regarding Override of Governor’s Veto of SB 57 - Regulating Title Loan Lenders

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – House Democrats today were disappointed in today’s House vote to override Govern Lynch’s veto of SB 57 to regulate title loan lenders.

“I am very disappointed that House Republican leadership has pushed legislation that will allow excessive interest rates of 300 percent APR for title loans,” stated Representative Terie Norelli, NH House Democratic Leader. “Thirty-one other states, including all the other New England states and the U.S. military, ban these types of excessive interest rates. This is an issue of consumer protection.”

“Bipartisan legislation in 2008 to cap title and payday loans at 36 percent APR was supported by the Banking Department, former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, and many others,” said Representative Mary Jane Wallner, Deputy Democratic Leader. “That change was reasonable and well thought-out, and there is no evidence that reversing that law will benefit New Hampshire.”

SB 57 is strongly opposed by the New Hampshire Local Welfare Administrator's Association, AARP, the Banking Department, the Department of Justice, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and New Hampshire Legal Assistance.

Eileen Kelly
Senior Legislative Assistant
New Hampshire House of Representatives
State House, Room 307
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603 271 2136

House Democrats Express Disappointment Regarding Predatory Lending

2012-01-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Eileen Kelly
603-271-2136

January 04, 2012

House Democrats Express Disappointment Regarding Predatory Lending

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – House Democrats were disappointed in the second vote the House took today to allow predatory lending.

“By passing two separate bills to legalize usury, Republican leadership today has sent a clear message that they do not care about consumer protection. By endorsing these bills they are actually encouraging companies to prey off people who have the misfortune to fall into debt,” stated Representative Terie Norelli, NH House Democratic Leader. “Once again Republicans have voted against the financial well-being of their constituents and for the largest payday lenders in this country. This is an anti-consumers vote.”

“The current 36% cap on payday loans is good public policy,” said Representative Mary Jane Wallner, Deputy Democratic Leader. “With this legislation, companies would be allowed to charge up to 400% APR on loans with no requirement to determine the ability of the borrower to repay the loan. This is bad public policy.”

Eileen Kelly
Senior Legislative Assistant
New Hampshire House of Representatives
State House, Room 307
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603 271 2136

House Democrats Decry Passage of Gun Legislation

2012-01-06T11:39:00.002-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Eileen Kelly
603-271-2136

January 04, 2012

House Democrats Decry Passage of Gun Legislation

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Representative Stephen Shurtleff, Assistant Deputy Democratic leader, issued the following statements regarding gun legislation passed by the Republican controlled House.

“HB 334 mandates state control over all aspects of firearms regulation, overriding rules, ordinances and regulations that are currently in place and have traditionally been determined at the local level. This legislation is vehemently opposed by New Hampshire’s colleges and universities, all of which currently ban guns. This bill would remove their right to regulate firearms in any way on campus and allow guns in college classrooms and dorms. This law would even allow guns at the Verizon Wireless Arena and Fisher Cat Stadium in Manchester.”

“The bill is strongly opposed by law enforcement. In addition to public safety, under current statutes, law enforcement is required to confiscate guns when a restraining order is filed. This change will leave victims in extreme danger.”

“The bill is also unconstitutional, as it affords selectmen in towns the authority to override the mandate but does not extend the same authority to cities and counties. Even the Manchester Union Leader came out in opposition to the bill!”

“New Hampshire has proudly been designated the “Safest State” in the nation, but this radical bill will “shoot” us to the bottom of the list.”

Eileen Kelly
Senior Legislative Assistant
New Hampshire House of Representatives
State House, Room 307
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603 271 2136

HB 334 http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/HB0334.html

Op/Ed | Guns on Campus - Terie Norelli in the Nashua Patch

http://nashua.patch.com/articles/guns-on-campus-82fd7a2c

Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday Season

2011-12-28T12:58:00.000-05:00

This is a time of year in which friends, family, and good cheer successfully come together to distract us from the unpleasantries that surround us, albeit it a period of calm and kinship that is all too brief. In hopes of an extended time of rest and renewal among those we enjoy, I wish everyone a pleasant holiday season. In addition, I extend a hearty thank you to those who find this blogsite informative and helpful.

Bob Perry

State Representative

Strafford County District #3

Image Credits

http://www2c.cdc.gov/ecards/message/message.asp?cardid=418

http://aireater.com/2011/12/22/air-eater-on-holiday-happy-happy/

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photos-happy-new-year-2012-image4634808

More on the Republican Leadership Redistricting Plan

2011-12-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Representative David Pierce

December 20, 2011
603-271-2136

Republican Leadership Redistricting Plan Purposely Defies the New Hampshire Constitution

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Representative David Pierce of Etna, Grafton District 9, released the following statements regarding the House Republican leadership plan for reconfiguring House districts that was voted out of committee today.

"The Republican Leadership plan to reapportion House districts is unconstitutional. It violates the New Hampshire Constitution’s guarantee that towns and wards that deserve their own representative shall have their own representative.”

“There are 152 towns and wards in the state with enough population to deserve their own representative. The Republican leadership’s plan gives only 86 of these their own representative. That’s only 56.6% compliance. The America Votes plan that I offered gives 143 of these towns and wards their own district, which amounts to 94.1% of those that are deserving. More than 70% of the people voted in 2006 to constitutionalize a local representation requirement. The Republican leadership plan ignores the plain and clear will of the voters.”

“There are many other objections to the Republican Leadership plan, but the voters need look no further than the constitution they wrote to oppose this plan. Redistricting sets policy for the next 10 years. It’s important. It should also be constitutional.”

“Republican leadership persists in ignoring the will of the voters. In 2006 over 70% of voters passed the constitutional amendment to require local representation.”

Redistricting Issue: Republicans Ignore the Will of the Voters

2011-12-17T16:31:00.002-05:00

This short article was recently released by Republican Representative David Pierce. It concerns the current plan for redistricting New Hampshire.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Representative David Pierce

December 14, 2011

Republicans Declare the 2006 Constitutional Amendment Dead – Republicans Ignore the Will of the Voters

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Representative David Pierce of Etna, Grafton District 9, released the following statements regarding the House Republican leadership plan for House districts.

“The Republican Leadership plan denies towns and wards their own representatives even though the state constitution guarantees them their own representatives,” stated Representative David Pierce. “And they've offered no reason why they ignored the state constitution.”

“The Republican Leadership plan defies the 2006 Amendment. There are 153 towns and wards each with a population of at least 3,291, which is enough population to justify one representative. Those 153 towns and wards would be entitled to elect up to 260 representatives. Therefore, 260 representatives is the ideal number to judge compliance with the 2006 Constitutional Amendment.”

“The Republican Leadership plan would elect only 184 representatives from single towns/wards. That achieves only 70.7% of the ideal number of representatives. The America Votes plan that I presented this morning would elect 251 representatives from single towns/wards. That achieves 96.5% of the ideal number of representatives.”

“The issue is simple: do we obey the constitution and honor the centuries-old tradition in New Hampshire of local representation, or do we ignore the will of 70% of voters in 2006 that passed the constitutional amendment to require local representation? I know how I’m voting.”

Representative Pierce and I serve on the House Election Law Committee.

Bob Perry
State Representative
Strafford County District 3

The State, or Fate, of Public Education

2011-12-11T16:27:00.004-05:00

New Hampshire’s education funding methodology has a long history of debate going back to the 1970s. By the mid 1980s, an agreement was reached among all parties, known as the Ogenblick formula for funding public education. However, the legislature failed to live up to the terms of that agreement, resulting in multiple lawsuits. Under the Claremont decision of the early 1990s, the New Hampshire Supreme Court interpreted the state’s Constitution to mean that funding of education is not the responsibility of individual towns; rather, it is a state responsibility. In a lawsuit brought by the Town of Londonderry, the supreme court in 1999 directed the legislature to: 1) define an adequate education; 2) determine the cost of that adequate education; 3) develop a funding mechanism for that adequate education; and, 4) develop a system of accountability. Still, the New Hampshire legislature did not act on the court’s ruling, and there was no resolution to the education-funding dilemma independent of the court’s ruling. Election 2006 produced a significant Democratic majority (the first Democratic majority since 1874), and by 2009, all four prongs of the court’s order were satisfied, ending decades of acrimony, instability, and lawsuits. However, the governor continues to favor targeted aid to property-poor towns by way of Constitutional amendment. The irony is that the supreme court’s rulings allow targeted aid once full funding of “adequate” education has been met. It can be fairly argued, therefore, there is no need for a Constitutional amendment, since the legislature is currently free to target aid as it chooses once it has fully funded what has been established as an “adequate” education.

Source: New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute

In November, 2010, voters went to the polls and established a veto-proof Republican majority, setting the stage for seemingly easy passage of a Constitutional amendment. Last month, Governor Lynch introduced language for his long-sought amendment, and on November 30, debate in the house commenced. There were two major objections voiced by the Republican majority: under the governor’s amendment, it would be the responsibility of the general court/legislature to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education. For those Republican legislators who want absolute and total control of education funding, and for those who want to eliminate public education entirely, the word “responsibility” was objectionable. They want funding of public education to be optional, not obligatory. And there are those who insist that an amendment to the New Hampshire Constitution contain language that permanently bars court review of education funding, essentially eliminating the judicial branch of government in matters related to education, since control of funding has a significant influence on curriculum.

So deep was the split among Republicans last week that, ultimately, Democrats joined Republicans in voting to defeat the proposed amendment by a vote of 356 – 24.
There have been more than 35 similar attempts to amend the New Hampshire Constitution. CACR 14 having failed, Republicans will use CACR 12 early next year as a vehicle for yet another attempt to put themselves in the position of total and permanent control over funding for public schools without court oversight.
Skeptics might consider the dissolution of public schools too radical to be true; yet, eliminating public education is but one entity in a long list of libertarian objectives going back more than 30 years.

The 1980 Libertarian Party Policy Platform

To Be Abolished:

Department of Energy (DOE)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Federal Reserve
Social Security
Welfare
Public Schools
(Taken from the documentary The Billionaires’ Tea Party: How Corporate America is Faking a Grassroots Revolution. The Media Education Foundation, 2009).

Bob Perry
State Representative
Strafford County District #3.

Watch the The Billionaires Tea Party trailer.

Watch The Billionaires Tea Party documentary.

Photo credits:

New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute
http://www.nhfpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Senate-Passed-FY1213-Fig8.pngTransparent NH: Where the Money Comes From
http://www.nh.gov/transparentnh/where-the-money-comes-from/index.htmThe Libertarian Party of New Hampshire
http://lpnh.org/Truthout
http://members.truth-out.org/one-time-donation-book32

I Get Letters

2011-11-28T17:07:00.000-05:00

Perry Como (1912 - 2001) was an exceptionally talented singer and entertainer of the old school ... humble, committed to family, untarnished by scandal, albeit it in a decidedly more civil era. Amidst his weekly program during the golden age of television of the 50s and 60s was a segment called I Get Letters, during which Como would read from letters received during the week.

As legislators, we get letters, too, lots of letters, but of a different tone, and, most often, from organizations ... sadly, too few from constituents, other than form letters too obviously initiated by the gambling and home-school lobbies. Some of my recent postal mail includes the following:

A letter from the New Hampshire AFL-CIO thanking me for supporting union efforts to preserve collective bargaining, for joining them in opposition to H.B. 474, the Right to Work (for less) bill. The letter lists the names of 101 New Hampshire companies that also oppose Right to Work (for less). I assume the same letter went to the 30 or 40 Republicans who join Democrats in their opposition to Right to Work (for less). I take this moment to acknowledge receipt of a handwritten note from a young writer who thanked me "once again" for appearing on session days "to protect the gov. veto of HB 474." Thank you for writing, Melissa, on behalf of your mom and dad.

The Business and Industry Association letter (New Hampshire's Statewide Chamber of Commerce) sets out its 2012 public policy priorities for legislators. In addition to its business-oriented fiscal policy priorities, it "opposes National Labor Relations Board rule making or congressional proposals that favor organized labor interests over those of business," from which I draw two conclusions: The BIA favors equilibrium between labor and business, or it favors business rights over labor rights. When there are five workers seeking one job opening in America today, it seems the latter conclusion is the current reality. One of the BIA's Economic Development priorities includes: "Transportation - Advocate for investment in public transportation systems, including rail and air travel, as well as New Hampshire's road and bridge network, and support efforts to increase federal transportation aid to the state." The Republican majority has already demonstrated its contempt for this BIA priority by gutting the Rail Transit Authority (see related entries in this site), and in demonstrating its wishes to reject federal cost-sharing monies for state projects.

A second BIA priority has a similar fate: "Water/Sewer-Educate policy leaders and the public about water and wastewater treatment systems that are at the end of their design life and/or exceeding capacity." Trillions of dollars were needed nationwide for infrastructure repairs even before our War on Iraq. In the meantime, billions have been spent upgrading Iraq's infrastructure, and there is no current will to repair our own. To the contrary, spending cuts are the obsession of the Republican majority, forcing the next generation to deal with what should be creating jobs now ... infrastructure spending.

A recent letter from Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire advocates for expanded gambling, and finds fault with Governor Lynch for announcing his opposition to the latest gambling bill by way of a threatened veto. While the letter cites increased revenue and jobs as reason to open the floodgates to this powerful special interest, it does not mention the well known downsides that even the gambling industry concedes ... among them, an expanding population of home-grown gambling addicts, with its inherent consequences to taxpayers, families, and society.

1–2. Source of Gambling Funds; 3. Profits to outside owners; 4. Profits reinvested in casino location; 5. Jobs; 6. Purchase of supplies; 7. Taxes; 8. The social cost of pathological gambling; 9. The costs of gambling-related crime; 10. The dirt ring – we don’t see it if the water level is rising.

Before concluding, the author inserts a subtle warning: "Because we believe HB 593 will affect the economic prosperity of New Hampshire, our foundation will be scoring this vote as part of our second annual legislative score card." That's code for play ball, or face a well-funded re-election challenge. Americans for Prosperity is a front group for the Koch Brothers/Koch Industries, whose worth exceeds $40 Billion. It is not a local lobbying organization; It is a national organization whose influence in U.S. elections, past and present, is nothing short of pervasive, focused on supporting candidates who support deregulation, and eliminating candidates who do not.

Recent mail includes a color brochure from the Friedman Foundation, of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is entitled The School Choice Advocate. On the cover appear two children, one wearing a badge that says "Options,", the other wearing a badge "Choices." Inside are "Images from 2011 Friedman Legacy of Freedom Day." Options, Choices, Freedom. For some, the words mean: My option to get free health care at the emergency room, which raises yearly healthcare premiums for the rest of us by $1000; the choice to remain uninsured; and the freedom to assert that the Affordable Healthcare Act is socialism.

Milton Friedman is the founder of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, which emphasizes "the advantages of free market economics and the disadvantages of government intervention and regulation, strongly influencing the opinions of American conservatives and libertarians." Friedman advocated for policies such as a volunteer military, freely floating exchange rates, abolition of medical licenses, a negative income tax, and education vouchers." Friedman also opposed the Federal Reserve. His influence in global economics and among present-day Republican presidential candidates is irrefutable, and its negative worth has already been demonstrated via The Great Recession, a direct consequence of under regulated financial markets.

Among other mail: Correspondence from Talmey-Drake, Boulder, CO. wishing me to fill out a survey on the effectiveness of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I will. The University System of New Hampshire asking me to oppose HB 334, a bill that would prohibit ... yes ... prohibit regulation of guns on university campuses. I will. Annual Report of the Community Loan Fund. New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities Legislative and Advocacy Awards presentation. American Federation of Teachers asking me to stand up for the middle class by supporting the governor's veto on the Right to Work (for less) Bill (I will), and to support public education. I will. A thank-you letter from the New Hampshire AFL-CIO for my attendance at every session day since re-election. A letter from NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire asking if I will add my name to the Roe V Wade 39th Anniversary Honorary Committee in support of women's health and right to choose. I will ... and by doing so, my name will be among more than 67 Republicans and Democrats already on the list.

Lastly, I attempted to include in this submission a video of Perry Como's beautiful rendition of Toyland, or Ava Maria, two of my favorite Como Christmas songs, but discovered Candidate Romney has saturated You Tube with a controversial political ad. It took the fun out of the idea. The $134,000.00 New Hampshire ad is controversial because it is a deliberate deception. Romney is well aware he has manufactured an ad specifically designed to mislead, and has publicly acknowledged his deception. The ad shows President Obama at an October 2011 rally. The President is actually quoting the words of an aid to John McCain uttered in 2008, but because of Romney's deceptive splicing of the video, the words appear to be those of the President. Such blatant misrepresentation could be the start of a new low in politics lasting for the next 11 months. Perhaps forever. Shameful, Mr. Romney.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

There is an urgent need for a Code of Political Campaign Ethics, as well as a desperate need for campaign finance reform.

Bob Perry,
State Representative
Strafford County District #3

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T16:28:00.000-05:00

I would like to wish all my constituents and all the citizen's of New Hampshire a wonderful, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving.

I am grateful for your support and am thankful for the opportunity to serve you.

Bob Perry
State Representative
Strafford County District 3

Watch Arlo Guthrie performing Alice's Restaurant at the Guthrie Center. July 2, 2005. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
http://youtu.be/5_7C0QGkiVo

Legislative Update

2011-11-18T23:05:00.002-05:00

News from the New Hampshire House of Representatives

http://www.nh.gov/dot/programs/nhrta/

In the 2007/2008 session, the Democratic majority established the New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority. It was created without an operating budget, yet provided a conduit for communication with similar authorities to advance the cause of expanded freight and passenger service in the New England corridor. Passenger rail service ended in this area in 1967. Nay-sayers predicted the Downeaster passenger service would end in failure, but since December 15, 2001, Downeaster ridership now exceeds 500,000 per year, providing riders with safety and comfort, while reducing highway congestion and pollution. I ride it every opportunity, and did so just last week when my son-in-law and grandson joined me in support of Occupy Boston.

This year, the current crop of naysayers, the Republican majority, severely curtailed the scope of the authority by restricting its ability to enter into contracts, to accept gifts, or to work with the private sector on economic development projects adjacent to potential rail sites. Naysayers are quick to point out that rail travel is subsidized, so I quickly point out here that automobile travel is also subsidized, as is air travel, nuclear power plants and Exxon-Mobil Corporation, just to name a few. Such subsidies are not unique to America. One of the reasons our solar industry cannot compete with other nations is due to certain countries heavily subsidizing the industry, with the express intent of dominating the world market. In return, costs and subsidies will decrease, while manufacturing and employment will increase .. abroad.

The value of the Rail Transit Authority to New Hampshire commerce, and the reason not to neuter it via House Bill 218 is provided in a single sentence, below:

"Given the strong concerns among New Hampshire business leaders that this legislation will jeopardize their efforts to grow their business and create new jobs, I am vetoing House Bill 218."
- John Lynch, June 15, 2011.

House session days have been scheduled for November 30 and December 14. If Governor Lynch's veto is overturned, millions of dollars in federal money destined to improve and expand rail service in New Hampshire will be intentionally discarded by those voting to overturn, resulting in lost job opportunities for unemployed family members. This is not what New Hampshire voters had in mind last November.

* * * * *

http://www.nh.gov/dot/

In the early 1990s, the Republican majority raised the gas tax during that recession, and it has not been raised since, despite an enormous increase in the cost of highway maintenance. The governor announced he would veto a gas tax during the 2009/2010 session, so to increase funding for highway maintenance, the Democratic majority increased automobile registration fees by $30 (less than the cost of a carton of cigarettes) for a two-year period, only, ending on June 31 of this year. It was not renewed by this year's Republican majority, resulting in the loss of $90 million in revenue. That revenue loss will result in substantial cutbacks in highway maintenance and has already resulted in the loss of 68 jobs. Here are the cuts to highway maintenance:

Reduced by 80 percent: roadside sweeping; highway drainage maintenance
Reduced by 60 percent: guardrail repair
Reduced by 75 percent: roadside mowing. No private contractors will be hired
Reduced by 65 percent: Tree trimming
Reduced by 90 percent: road shoulder construction
No highway painting will be performed by temporary workers
All non-essential street lighting will be discontinued
Repair of "red listed" highway bridges will be reduced from 16 per year to 8. Less work means less construction jobs, means less manufacturing jobs to produce the materials that would have been needed to repair the additional 8 bridges
Many roadside rest areas are closed

* * * * *
This year, the Republican majority reduced the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 10 cents, and predicted it would have the "benefit" of increased tobacco sales and, thus, revenue, by $13 million over projections. Making college more expensive and cigarettes less expensive makes no sense. Democrats argued on the floor of the house that revenues would plunge $7 - $15 million. Since passage of the bill, tobacco revenues are down $3.5 million and projected to result in the loss of $10.5 million this fiscal year ending next June.

"Soon after the tax cut went into effect July 1, tobacco companies raised wholesale cigarette prices, essentially leaving prices as they were before."

http://www.discount-cigarettes.us/tobacco-news/cigarettes_price_increase_offsets_n_h__tax_cut.html

In all, about $130 million in existing state revenue was cut this year, necessitating deeper cuts in programs and services to New Hampshire families.

* * * * *

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/
web/2009/10/29/home-heating/

In a return to the bad-old days of the legal doctrine of caveat emptor ... buyer beware ... the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee has gutted a bill that would have provided consumer protections to those who pre-buy their heating oil. The bill would have required oil dealers to set aside 75 percent of the pre-buy funds into an escrow account so the dealer could not spend it for other corporate purposes. Instead, the committee eliminated that consumer protection with an amendment that flipped the original intent of the bill on its head by requiring oil dealers to provide the following warning in its contract with consumers: "A pre-paid contract is not a guarantee that the dealer will use your funds exclusively to lock into your agreed price and you are at risk of losing some or all of your payments." Representative Fred Rice (R-Hampton) offered the following explanation for eliminating the intended consumer protection: "You can't protect stupid or greedy people by legislation. You've got to let the market work and give them fair and adequate warning up front."

People who expect a business to honor its contractual obligations with its customers are not stupid or greedy. A return to the doctrine of caveat emptor ... buyer beware ... is a sure-fire job killer, as consumers reduce spending in hopes of reducing the risk of their money being confiscated by crooks in the marketplace.

* * * * *

The Democratic majority passed the marriage equality bill, the first in the nation to do so without court order. The Republican majority is now poised to repeal marriage equality and replace it with a civil union law, the only one in the country, a bizarre law that will make civil unions available to any adult over the age of consent ... two men, two women, a man and a woman, sisters, brothers, first cousins, second cousins, friends, someone you met on the bus just yesterday. What's next, a man and a chicken? I'm baffled, but the bill was approved by a house committee last month and is expected to be voted on by the full house in early January.

Legislators recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag every morning before session ... with liberty and justice for all. Deniers of marriage equality just can't deal with those last two words. Recent surveys indicate the majority of New Hampshire citizens support marriage equality by 2 - 1, and the majority of citizens "strongly oppose" repeal of marriage equality. So why are certain members hell-bent on repeal? Might it have more to do with their religious beliefs than respect for the opinion of New Hampshire citizens?

The Republican majority created a new tax on hospitals this year amounting to $125 million, and it has resulted in the shedding of more than 2100 jobs, and elimination of services to 3500 Medicaid patients by one facility, alone. Seniors need be worried.

* * * * *
There are more than 40 bills to be considered next year dealing with changes to current election laws and, consequently, under what circumstances you will be allowed to participate in your fundamental right to vote.

A recent attempt to require voter identification before voting was sent to interim study, in part, because some members of the House Election-Law Committee felt the bill was not restrictive enough, and insisted upon a much more stringent law requiring voters to present only a certain type of qualifying photo identification as a prerequisite to voting. Among some, the popular justification for a stringent law is that citizens have to possess and present photo identification for a myriad of purposes. Why not for voting? I have four responses:

A. Voting is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, and the New Hampshire Constitution. Other uses of photo identification are to engage in activities that are mere privileges we have as Americans. We were not given a Constitutional right, for instance, to hunt or drive an automobile;

B. Testimony received in committee from the Attorney General's Office and the Secretary of State's Office indicates there have been approximately six convictions for voter fraud in NH since 2004; none of them for impersonation fraud; thus, no need for a photo identification law; no need to assume New Hampshire voters are not to be trusted; no need to create unnecessary hurdles to accessing a fundamental right;

C. The continuing attempt by some to limit access to the ballot box is not confined to New Hampshire; There is currently in play a nationwide drive to suppress the votes of people who tend to vote Democratic, i.e., the young, the elderly, the disabled, minorities, and students. America has a sordid history of disenfranchising otherwise qualified voters through various methods and among the various states, including New Hampshire. Our state appears on a federal watch list as a state that has engaged in unconstitutional activities related to election laws. As such, we are a Section 5 state under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. As an example, by way of amendment to the New Hampshire Constitution in 1968 ("The right to vote shall not be denied to any person because of the non-payment of any tax."), New Hampshire's Head and Poll Tax remained in play until 1974. Creation of a poll tax was a very popular and effective means of denying targeted groups their right to vote, knowing so many would not be able to pay a poll tax.

D. Voter fraud might be described as fraud perpetrated by a voter against the system; election fraud is a fraud perpetrated against a voter. Nationwide, election fraud remains rampant. Here's a few examples:

Install six voting machines in a polling place where there should have been 14 in a district of minorities;
Install 10 voting machines in a polling place of 300 whites.
Make no accommodations for voters standing outside in the rain while waiting to vote, and make them wait for hours.
Program a voting machine to count backwards to give Al Gore a negative 16,022 votes (Volusia County, Florida).
How could it happen that in Ward 1-B in Gahanna, Ohio, 638 people voted, but George Bush received 4,258 votes?
Send out a flyer that tells Republicans to vote on Tuesday; Democrats to vote on Wednesday.
Tow voters' cars as they stand in line to vote.
Purge voters' names from the rolls.
In one polling place in Pennsylvania in Election 2004, election results indicated 80 percent of voters did not vote for President of the United States. A normal "undervote" is between 1 and 3 percent.
New Mexico led the nation with undervotes at 25 percent across the state. Early voting normal undervote was 1 percent.

Author Harvey Wasserman said of the stolen election in Ohio in 2004, "The scope of the theft was almost unfathomable."
The list is long, and it's all been done.

Our nation's attention needs to be focused on eliminating election fraud committed by political operatives, the much more serious threat to democracy. Elections are not stolen through voter fraud ... not in New Hampshire nor in any other state.

Among the 775 new bills to be considered in our state next year are two bills or resolutions that would allow voting only by residents of the state, a clear violation of the New Hampshire Constitution, Part First, [Art.] 11. which states, in part, "All elections are to be free, and every inhabitant of the state of 18 years of age and upwards shall have an equal right to vote in any election. Every person shall be considered an inhabitant for the purposes of voting in the town, ward, or unincorporated place where he has his domicile." Emphasis added.

The NH Constitution contemplates that one's residence is not a prerequisite to voting ... domicile is. If such bills were passed, students would not be allowed to vote at their domicile (the town in which their campus is sited), but, instead, could only vote by absentee ballot or by returning to their home states, to return again to their campus, an expensive and cumbersome restriction that is sure to suppress the vote. Our law has evolved to address this dilemma, but it may be in jeopardy.

RSA 654:1-a: A student of any institution of learning may lawfully claim domicile for voting purposes in the New Hampshire town or city in which he or she lives while attending such institution of learning if such student's claim of domicile otherwise meets the requirements of RSA 654:1,I.

And consider this: The President of Tea Party Nation, Judson Phillips, believes it "makes a lot of sense" to allow voting only by property owners. Yikes! Does that mean he would deny our Constitutional right to vote if we "own" property subject to mortgage?

* * * * *
H.B. 590 became law on June 29. It establishes a committee to review whether New Hampshire should accept federal funds as grant-in-aid, which includes highway construction, water and sewer line upgrades, which will have a direct bearing on job creation, or lack thereof. Refusal to accept federal monies means NH will foot the entire cost of major projects, instead of the current federal/state cost-sharing. The choice might be to engage in no construction at all, no upgrades to our nation's infrastructure, and just wait for the color of our lakes to go from blue to green ... and accept it as the norm and a function of New Hampshire frugality.

The following quote comes from the weatherization section in the final report on that bill, and should serve as a warning of what is meant by "personal responsibility." You have heard the words repeated by presidential candidates, as well as local candidates and elected officials. You will continue to hear it.

"Government subsidy encourages poor decision-making and dependency. The people of New Hampshire must be held competent to understand that every November, without fail, it gets cold at this latitude and that they must arrange their affairs so as to provide for this fact of life as a matter of personal responsibility. In simpler terms the author intends to convey the following: You're on your own. I've got mine. Weatherize your own house. Don't ask for government help, even if the government is offering help in return for the federal taxes you have paid into government.

In a violation of legislative tradition of Republican and Democratic participation in all committee work, no Democrat was appointed to this committee.

Bob Perry
State Representative
House District #3

Is the NH Legislature famous, or infamous?

2011-11-11T12:29:00.001-05:00

New Hampshire is becoming famous ... or infamous, depending on whether job creation or job loss and controversy is your interest or concern. The choice is ours to make at this point.

Friends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a recent telephone conversation, volunteered their dismay at passage of a number of new laws which expand the possession and use of deadly weapons in New Hampshire. More such bills will be considered next year.
Mother Jones magazine published an article about New Hampshire having become headquarters for the Free State Project, hundreds of folks from across the nation who have already arrived, as well as 11,000 who have pledged to settle here, whose objective is to create a Utopian lifestyle, free of government, regulation, taxes, and social programs ... to be replaced by barter, volunteerism, charity, and a test of the theory of survival of the fittest. The FSP seems to voice no complaint about the state's 27,000 millionaires who, as a percentage of income, pay only one-third the amount of taxes of the middle class. One thing we learn from history is that we fail to learn from history. If we did, we would learn from history that Utopia is elusive, that bullies are everywhere and, like cream in a milk bottle, always rise to the top. Great nations remain so by moving forward, not backward.
Read the complete article in Mother Jones at: http://motherjones.com/print/125602

One of the several bills/resolutions considered voting day October 12, was House Resolution 13 "repudiating Opinion of the Justices, 162 N.H. 160 (2011) and urging the senate to remove from the table and pass 2011 HB 89." The effect of this bill is multi-fold: It publicly criticizes the New Hampshire Supreme Court for interpreting the New Hampshire Constitution, under Part First, [Article.] 37. to mean none of the three branches of government may require the other to do something, that the three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judicial are autonomous. H.B. 89 was a legislative branch bill ordering the executive branch to join a Florida lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act. HR 13 also infers criticism of the New Hampshire senate for its decision to table HB 89. I suggest that if the authority of the legislative branch of government supersedes the executive and judicial branches, as viewed by some in the legislature this ssession, there was no need for our founding fathers to thoughtfully create the executive and judicial branches at all. The fact they did is evidence of their desire not to put authority for all things in one body, but, instead, to create a check and balance. The New Hampshire Constitution has served us well since 1784. Challenging its basic premise of separation of powers with a new interpretation is not needed.

Results of the roll-call vote:

258 Representatives voted to support House Resolution 13. All of them were Republican.
112 Representatives voted against the Resolution. 13 Republicans joined 99 Democrats in an attempt to defeat HR 13.

Watch the House in Action

October 12, 2011

Usurpation of the authority of the judicial branch by the legislative branch at both the state and federal levels is summarized in an Atlantic magazine article, In New Hampshire, a GOP-Led Assault on the State Judiciary, by Andrew Cohen. You can read the entire article in the Atlantic at: http://m.theatlantic..com/politics/archive/2011/10/in-new-hampshire-a-gop-led-assault-on-the-state-judiciary/246535/

HR 13: The Story of a Spoiled, Overreaching Legislature on Miscellany: Blue
http://www.miscellanyblue.com/post/11408742834

Veto Day Update

2011-10-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

The Mad Hatter, illustrated by Sir John Tenniel

During the year, Governor Lynch vetoed a number of bills. Below, I previously provided some of his veto messages, as taken from the House Record of October 6, our legislative calendar and journal of the 2011 session. All calendars are posted at: www.gencourt.state.nh.us. Familiarizing yourself with the various functions on this public website as we near the second year of the 162nd session of the general court will aid in discovering the prime and co-sponsors of the most controversial of the approximately 800 bills to be considered for entry into our law books beginning in January. I will post a link to those bills in the near future, highlighting many.

In summary, none of the vetoed bills was called to the floor of the house for debate or vote on October 12. No future session days have yet been scheduled.

Focusing on H.B. 474, the Right to Work (for less) bill:

Since March, organized labor has had a visible presence in front of the state house on many session days, including October 12. Once again, they brought their lunch wagon, and provided a hot lunch for their legislative supporters, at considerable expense and inconvenience to union workers who have served many hundreds of meals over the months they have awaited a vote on the bill. I found it offensive that some legislators who intend to vote against the interests of union workers were eating the food bought and prepared by those workers.

I had forgotten the lunch wagon would be there that day, so ate the peanut butter sandwich I had brought with me. Among legislators, I presume there are those who are wealthy enough to avail themselves of frequent visits to local restaurants, but for those of us who serve as ordinary citizens, being frugal is the rule. I should remind readers that the NH Constitution prevents our being paid mileage for our attendance on session days after July 1. It is also the NH Constitution which prevents payment to legislators (aside from mileage) in excess of $100 per year.

The Yahoo! news service The Lookout, reports today that Mississippi has the highest rate of poverty among the 50 states. Here's the connection with New Hampshire:

1) Wikipedia lists the following states as Right to Work (for less) states:Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. Mississippi is among the 22 Right to Work (for less) states, though not so through legislative action; Right to Work (for less) is written into their Constitutions. So just like the remuneration of New Hampshire legislators has been held to $100 per year through Constitutional amendment since 1889, Mississippi's restriction on collective bargaining is likely to remain for the foreseeable future.
2) In addition to Mississippi, the four other states with Right to Work (for less) written into their Constitutions are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, and Oklahoma ... and all of them have a high poverty rate at 16 percent or more of their total inhabitants.
3) Of the 13 states listed as having high poverty levels at 16 percent or more of their inhabitants, 12 of them are Right to Work (for less) states; New Mexico is the exception.
4) The four states with the lowest poverty levels, under 10 percent, are: New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maryland, and Alaska. None of these states are Right to Work (for less) states.

Coupled with other evidence that Right to Work (for less) laws are detrimental to workers (see other statistics in a previous posting to this site, including a video), I will vote to uphold Governor Lynch's veto and support the middle class. While corporations are formal organizations whose members organize to decide how much they are willing to pay workers, isn't it only fair that workers are afforded the same opportunity to organize to decide how much they ought to be paid?

This friction between employer and employee is not new. A more modern remembrance of the struggle is clearly depicted in the classic film The Grapes of Wrath (1940) with Henry Ford as Tom Joad who returns from prison to discover his family has been forced off their land by bankers, and are in the process of leaving the dust bowl of Oklahoma for the promised land of California. Along the thousand-mile journey, the Joads are among tens of thousands who realize they are the desperate victims of corporate greed, deceit, lawlessness, and intimidation, and that the dignity of a fair day's work for a fair day's pay is not within reach. The narrated version of the film confirms the accuracy of Director John Ford's interpretation of John Steinbeck's novel depicting the plight of so many families in the southwest prior to World War II ... at times the film's accuracy reaches the level of documentary. It is not a stretch to draw the parallels between victims of the Dust Bowl and the victims of The Great Wall Street Recession. The film certainly imposes on the viewer the legitimacy of workers organizing for their collective benefit, or face depressed wages, benefits, and a less safe work place.

Bob Perry

The Grapes of Wrath

"In stark and moving detail, John Steinbeck depicts the lives of ordinary people striving to preserve their humanity in the face of social and economic desperation. When the Joads lose their tenant farm in Oklahoma, they join thousands of others, traveling the narrow concrete highways toward California and the dream of a piece of land to call their own. Each night on the road, they and their fellow migrants recreate society: leaders are chosen, unspoken codes of privacy and generosity evolve, and lust, violence, and murderous rage erupt." http://www.edstephan.org/Steinbeck/grapes.html

The Great Depression of 1929 destroyed the lives of thousands of U.S. citizens, its effects stretching as far as Europe. Bruce Springsteen's song "The Ghost of Tom Joad" from his third and most successful album "Born to Run" describes the aftermath of the crash, and the now poverty-stricken, depressed and desperate people of America.

VETO DAY - AGAIN!

2011-10-11T10:11:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, October 12, the New Hampshire House of Representatives will meet to vote on a number of bills that were vetoed by Governor Lynch. It is important to remember that the makeup of the New Hampshire House as a result of the November, 2010 election is such that Republicans hold a veto-proof majority, that is, it is capable of overriding gubernatorial vetos as a majority, even if all Democrats vote to support a veto. The makeup is approximately 103 Democrats, 295 Republicans.

I have quoted three of the governor's veto messages for your review, below.

GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE REGARDING H.B. 218

By the authority vested in me, pursuant to part II, Article 44 of the New Hampshire Constitution, on June 15, 2011, I vetoed HB 218, relative to the New Hampshire rail transit authority.

I am vetoing this legislation because business leaders, particularly in Nashua and Manchester, [have] clearly said that this bill will hurt their efforts to grow their businesses, to create jobs and to attract new companies to New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire business community has made a clear statement that it sees rail, in the words of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, as "a proven economic catalyst that will spur economic development and create jobs." Several major companies have made clear that they believe rail will improve their ability to attract workers, access their markets, attract additional customers and grow their businesses in New Hampshire. In addition, the Manchester and Nashua chambers of commerce both believe that developing the state's rail infrastructure will assist their efforts to attract new businesses and jobs to the state. That is one reason both chambers have asked me to veto this legislation. The Merrimack Town Council, the Bedford Town Council, and the Nashua Board of Aldermen have also passed resolutions expressing support for expanded rail service and the benefits it would bring to their communities.

The support of the business community is validated by an independent study that concluded that the development of rail in the capital corridor could result in more than $2.4 billion in new business sales and nearly 1,000 new jobs created and sustained in New Hampshire in the first twenty years of operation.

HB 218 makes substantial changes to [the] New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority that will reduce its ability to fully consider all transit options for the state. New Hampshire businesses banded together to raise $120,000 to fund the Rail Authority's grant application without any state funds because they believe a full consideration of rail is important to New Hampshire's economic future. Going back on our commitment to the businesses who contributed funds to pay for grant applications sends the wrong signal to the private sector about state government's willingness to stand by its commitments. We should see the study through to its conclusion with a fully functioning Rail Authority so that we can make informed policy choices about the best way forward for our state.
Concerns about specific provisions in the Rail Authority statute could have been addressed through much more narrowly drafted language that would leave intact important functions of the rail authority. As currently written, this legislation takes away the rail authority's ability to enter into contracts with partner organizations, to accept gifts and to work with the private sector on economic development projects adjacent to potential rail sites.

Given the strong concerns among New Hampshire business leaders that this legislation will jeopardize their efforts to grow their businesses and create new jobs, I am vetoing House Bill 218.

Respectfully submitted,

John H. Lynch

Governor

Date: June 15, 2011

Bob here. The New Hampshire Rail Authority was created by the Democratic majority in 2007. Its purpose was to facilitate the expansion of rail service, passenger and freight, in New Hampshire by creating a means of formal communication among the many stakeholders within and without the state. No budget was authorized by the 2007 legislation; despite that, it has held scores of meetings over the years, succeeding in carrying out the legislature's intent. Peter Burling, former state senator, has deftly chaired the Authority. Though this bill does not repeal the Authority outright, it renders it nearly pointless, and one must wonder why the Republican majority, whose collective promise was to create jobs, would wish to cripple its ability to promote new opportunities for workers and entrepreneurs, as well as reduce pollution levels by reducing the number of automobiles traveling our roadways.

GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE REGARDING HB 542

By the authority vested in me, pursuant to part II, Article 44 of the New Hampshire Constitution, on July 13, 2011, I vetoed HB 542, an act relative to exceptions for objectionable material in public school courses.

I am vetoing this legislation because it does not clearly define what material would be objectionable; it would be disruptive to classrooms and other students; and it would be difficult for school districts to administer.

Current law already allows for parents to remove their children from classrooms for particular lessons on health or sex education. Given the strong moral and religious issues inherent in those subjects, that is appropriate. But this legislation goes far beyond that. HB 542 would allow a parent to determine any course material is "objectionable" and require school districts to work with parents to develop an alternative. This legislation in essence gives every individual parent of every student in a classroom a veto over every single lesson plan developed by a teacher.

For example, under this bill, parents could object to a teacher's plan to: teach the history of France, or the history of the civil or women's rights movements. Under this bill a parent could find "objectionable" how a teacher instructs on the basics of algebra. In each of those cases, the school district would have to develop an alternative educational plan for the student. Even though the law requires the parents to pay the cost of alternatives, the school district will still have to bear the burden of helping develop and approve the alternative. Classrooms will be disrupted by students coming and going, and lacking shared knowledge.

Just as important, this legislation will fundamentally damage educational quality. Much of the genesis behind this legislation is objections to certain books that have been used in lessons. This is a perennial debate, and teachers and schools have a responsibility to ensure they are using age-appropriate, school-appropriate materials in their classrooms.

The intrinsic value of education is exposing students to new ideas and critical thinking. This legislation encourages teachers to go [to] the lowest common denominator in selecting material, in order to avoid "objections" and the disruption it may cause their classrooms.

Because it is unclear what educational material or programs would be objectionable and the quality of education in the classroom could be impacted, I am vetoing this bill.

Respectfully submitted,

John H. Lynch

Governor

Date: July 13, 2011.

Bob here. This is one of many bills intended to weaken public education. More bills will be considered in 2012. Passage of this bill will result in constant acrimony as students and parents conclude that the teaching of subjects unpopular, boring, or difficult for students are determined to be objectionable, and teachers are put to the task of developing alternatives to, for example, algebra, physics, typing, accounting, or the teaching of evolution.

GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE REGARDING HB 474

By the authority vested in me, pursuant to part II, Article 44 of the New Hampshire Constitution, on May 11, 2011, I vetoed HB 474.

States should not interfere with the rights of businesses and their employees to freely negotiate contracts. That is unless there is a compelling public interest, and there is no compelling public interest in passing this legislation.

There is no evidence that this legislation will offer any benefits to New Hampshire's economy or workers. As I have said repeatedly, New Hampshire has an economic strategy that is working. New Hampshire has one of the strongest and fastest-growing economies in the nation. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the highest median incomes in the nation. We are considered one of the safest states and one of the healthiest states, and a high percentage of our citizens have private health insurance.

Right to Work (for less) will hurt our state. The GOP
plan is bankrupt.

New Hampshire has a lower unemployment rate and a stronger economy than most states with so-called right-to-work laws. In states with a right-to-work law, workers on average have a lower standard of living, bringing home less in their paychecks and going without health insurance more frequently.

In my time as a CEO, in my years spent in the private sector turning around companies, and in my seven years as Governor, I have never seen the so-called right-to-work law serve as a valuable economic development tool.

In the last seven years of recruiting businesses to move to New Hampshire, not one business leader has ever even asked me if New Hampshire had a right-to-work law, let alone suggested it was a factor in the company's location decision. No New Hampshire business leaders have ever told me that the lack of a so-called right-to-work law prevented them from expanding or hiring new workers here in New Hampshire. And no New Hampshire workers have ever told me they couldn't get a job because New Hampshire doesn't have a so-called right-to-work law.

The debate over the so-called right-to-work bill in New Hampshire appears to be largely driven by national outside interest groups, and is not a result of problems facing New Hampshire businesses or workers.

There is no justification in this case for state government to interfere with the right of private businesses to freely negotiate and enter into contracts with their employees. Therefore, I am vetoing HB 474.

Respectfully submitted,

John H. Lynch

Governor

Date: May 11, 2011.

Bob here. See my previous posting, including video, on H.B. 474. It is important to remember that the bill's title, Right to Work (for less) is intentionally misleading. What would a Right to Work (for less) law do to NH:

Workers in Right to Work (for less) states earn approximately $5,500 per year less.
The maximum worker compensation benefit is 25% lower.
The percentage of families without health insurance is 20% higher.
Infant mortality is 17% higher.
The rate of workplace fatalities is 41% higher.

References

The Wage Penalty of Right to Work Laws

Right to Work (for less)

Report on NH Job Loss due to the Extremist NH Legislature

2011-10-08T16:15:00.002-04:00

NEW HAMPSHIRE JOBS LOST DUE TO LEGISLATIVE BUDGET CUTS

Institution Jobs Lost

St. Joseph's Hospital 239
Elliot Health System 182
Southern NH Medical Center 100
NHPTV 20
University System/NH 200
DOT 68
Dartmouth-Hitchcock 725
Wentworth-Douglas 37
Catholic Medical Center 101
Hillsborough County 50
NH Legal Assistance 14
State Employee's Association 130
Court System 68
Department of Revenue Administration 68
Exeter Health Resources 110

TOTAL: 2112

Note: Updated 9/27/11. Includes direct layoffs, early retirement offers and eliminated positions.

On January 1, 2011, the NH unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, falling to a low in April at 4.7 percent, but has climbed steadily since. As of August, the NH unemployment rate is adjusted at 5.3 percent. Overall, approximately 4000 jobs have been lost since April. As of August, there are more than 38,000 New Hampshire workers without work.

Source: New Hampshire Bureau of Employment Security.

But nobody's hurtin' on Wall Street.

Jakob Dylan tells us who is hurting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch=2H4KsyJu7iQ&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL00C598F0411AE09C

with Liberty and Justice for All

2011-10-06T21:30:00.000-04:00

I have written in this space tongue-in-cheek comments distancing myself from the other Mr. Perry, the provocative presidential candidate from the drought-stricken State of Texas. I now distance myself from one of Perry's supporters, a colleague in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. When asked by reporter Scott Keyes whether the representative had an issue with the audience reacting with boos following a question asked by a gay soldier in the Republican Presidential debate, Representative Al Baldasaro (R-Derry) responded "Oh, no, I thought the audience, when they booed the marine, I thought it was great." Representative Baldasaro's comment is unbecoming the office of New Hampshire State Representative. He should publicly apologize for his insensitive remark. It is one thing to support a presidential candidate who is a denier of climate change while his state burns. It is another to demean a brother in the armed forces whose rights as a human being serving in the United States military have now been fully bestowed. The sign says: Support the Troops. The Pledge of Allegiance says " ...with liberty and justice for all." I repeat: FOR ALL. We need to move away from the things that divide us, and work for the common good. There's much to be done.

Read the story on Think Progress http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/10/03/333979/al-baldasaro-booing-gay-soldier/

Bob Perry

Update on New Hampshire Senate Bill 88

2011-09-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

The following is a summary of the recent actions of the New Hampshire legislature on Senate Bill 88:

Session Day:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011. Although House Speaker O'Brien publicly indicated in advance of session day that no veto votes would be taken up this day, he did bring two such votes forward, nonetheless. One of the vetoed bills put to a vote was SB 88, whose title is provided below:

SB 88: Title: Relative to physical force in defense of a person, relative to producing or displaying a firearm or other means of self-defense, and relative to eliminating minimum sentencing and adding civil immunity for certain firearm use.

Below is Governor Lynch's veto message in its entirety, taken from the governor's official website www.governor.nh.gov/media/news2011/071311/SB0088.html

Governor Lynch's Veto Message Regarding SB 88

Governor John Lynch signing veto of SB 88.

By the authority vested in me, pursuant to part II, Article 44 of the New Hampshire Constitution, on July 13, 2011, I vetoed SB 88, relative to physical force in defense of a person.

In 2006, I vetoed legislation with identical provisions because the New Hampshire Chiefs of Police, the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association, the New Hampshire State Police, representatives of over 40 local law enforcement departments and the former Attorney General warned it would jeopardize public safety. Many of those same organizations and the current Attorney General have asked me to veto this bill because it contains the identical provision governing the use of deadly force. This legislation would permit the use of deadly force anywhere a person has a right to be, even if the person could easily remove himself or herself from an encounter without exposing himself or herself, or anyone else, to danger.

SB 88, like the earlier bill, is a dramatic and unwarranted change in New Hampshire law that would legalize the inappropriate use of deadly force and jeopardize public safety.

"The current law governing the use of deadly force in self-defense establishes a careful balance between the right to use deadly force in self-defense on the one side, and the sanctity of human life and the safety of innocent members of the public, on the other," wrote the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association. "SB 88 would dramatically alter that balance and increase the potential for deadly encounters erupting in public places."

There are times when deadly force may be the only alternative, and existing law already makes provisions for those cases. Existing New Hampshire law already allows citizens to stand their ground and use deadly force - in any location - to protect themselves or another person in response to another's use of deadly force or to prevent a kidnapping or sexual assault no matter where those offenses take place. Current law also allows citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves against an intruder in their own home, regardless of whether the intruder has used deadly force. And current law puts the burden on the state to disprove beyond reasonable doubt claims of self-defense in other cases.

SB 88 would unleash the potential for increasing deadly violence in our communities. It would allow the use of deadly force on street corners, in shopping malls, public parks, and in retail stores. Drug dealers and other felons who brandish weapons will be further emboldened to use their weapons, while prosecution of those criminals will be made more difficult because of this bill's expansion of the right to use deadly force.

Given that the current law is working well and is widely support by law enforcement, I have vetoed SB 88.

SB 88 also contains changes to the state's criminal law on mandatory minimum sentences for offenses involving a firearm, as well as changes to the definition of non-deadly force. I am prepared to sign these provisions into law if they are subsequently enacted in separate legislation.
- - -

To view the text of this bill and its many sponsors, click the link below:

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/SB0088.html

To access streaming audio/video of the debate on this bill, click here, and start at 27:20.

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/media/live_media.htm

Despite the concerns expressed by Governor Lynch, the law-enforcement community, and the concerns raised on the floor of the house, the governor's veto was overriden by the required 2/3 majority.
The roll-call vote held on 9/7/11 in the senate was 17-7. No Democrats voted to override the governor's veto; Two Republicans joined the Democrats to sustain the governor's veto.
The roll-call vote held on 9/14/11 in the house was 251-111. Four Democrats voted with Republicans to override the veto; 21 Republicans joined Democrats to sustain the veto.

The new "stand your ground" bill will become law on November 13, 2011.

Having heard testimony during the senate debate that the State of Florida's homicide rate has increased three fold since a similar bill became law there in 2005, and for all the foregoing reasons, I voted to sustain Governor Lynch's veto.

Bob Perry

Strafford County Democratic Picnic

2011-09-23T07:47:00.000-04:00

You’re Invited To The

Strafford County Democratic CommitteePicnic

Join us for food, fresh air & a fun family atmosphere!

Rain or shine.

When Sunday, September 25th

Time 1 p.m. to 4. p.m.

Where Calef’s Field

Behind Calef’s Country Store 606 Franklin Pierce Highway Barrington, NH

Music Pat O’Brien

Tickets $12.50 Adults $25.00 Per Family

Sponsors $50.00 per person Pay at the door

(includes two tickets)

RSVP

to reserve your tickets

Caitlin Rollo CaitlinDaniuk@gmail.com

Carole Appel Carole.Appel@comcast.net

We’re collecting food for NH Food Bank — please bring a canned good to donate!

Sponsored by the Strafford County Democratic Committee

Understanding H.B. 474 - the Right to Work (for less) Bill

2011-09-16T10:14:00.000-04:00

It has been said that, with proper marketing, one may successfully sell ice cubes to the Eskimos. There is much truth in that statement. H.B. 474 is a good example. The Right to Work (for less) bill is, pure and simple, a union-busting bill, which has been in existence since the late 1940s, propelled into various legislatures by corporations through their lobbyists, and through their legislators. One intent is to minimize the power and influence of organized labor - the folks who plow our roads under dangerous conditions in the middle of the night as we sleep; those who climb utility poles and work with high voltage; those who educate our children, build bridges and buildings at dizzying heights.

H.B. 474 prohibits collective bargaining agreements that require employees to join a labor union. It carries both criminal and civil penalties for each and every infraction. It effectively extinguishes the ability of unions to organize within and without the workplace. Section 273-D:11, I suggest, is draconian in nature, as well as unconstitutional. It says: "Duty to Investigate: It shall be the duty of the attorney general and of each county attorney, to investigate any complaints of violation of this chapter, and to prosecute all persons violating any of its provisions, and to use all means at their command to insure [sic] effective enforcement of the provisions of this chapter." Emphasis added. In law, the word "shall" has historically been interpreted to mean "must." However, under the separation-of-powers clause of the Constitution, attorneys general cannot be forced to execute the commands of either the legislative branch or the judicial branch of government.

The truth is no one has a right to work in New Hampshire. Ours is an at-will state. We are employed at the whim of our employers. Workers can be fired for any reason at any time. The title Right to Work is an intentional misrepresentation.

Federal law requires that unions negotiate on behalf of all employees. If all workers in that organization belong to the union, all share equally in the costs of negotiation, and all share equally in the benefits derived, including better pay, retention of benefits, better working conditions. However, when some workers choose not to belong to the union, they get the benefits of union negotiation, but do not share in the costs - a form of free lunch. Therefore, unions have instituted a fair-share policy whereby non-union members pay a proportionate share in the costs of negotiation, but are not required to join the union. Fair Share is eminently fair play. However, H.B. 474 would terminate the union's ability to collect fair-share fees.

Another intent under Right to Work (for less) bills is to increase corporate profits, pay more in salary and benefits to the top tier of the corporation, while lowering the standard of living for its workers. Increasing the corporate bottom line is fundamental to the operation of a corporation. And it is legal. Challenging this perverse incentive is the collective voice of organized labor.

Below are links to the testimony of two experts on Right to Work (for less) legislation. Please take the time to listen carefully. What you will see and hear via You Tube is testimony delivered to a senate committee held in Representatives Hall on March 29 of this year. What they report is that Right to Work is Wrong for New Hampshire (and everywhere).

H.B. 474 has been scheduled for a vote since May 23. House Speaker O'Brien wishes to override Governor Lynch's veto so that 474 becomes law, but has not had a sufficient number of votes within his own party to do so; thus, he has not brought it to the floor for debate and vote. Special sessions of the New Hampshire legislature are scheduled for September 14 and October 12. Entirely at his discretion, he may or may not bring 474 forward on those dates. He has until December 31 to do so.Appropriate to the historical plight of workers, I share this You Tube video of Pete Seeger's rendition of Which Side Are You On.

Bob Perry

Photo credits:
Student Labor Action Project: http://studentlabor.org
InZaneTimes http://inzanetimes.wordpress.com/

Bob Perry (D-New Hampshire) on Rick Perry (R-Texas)

2011-09-10T23:25:00.000-04:00

It was with a degree of alarm that I found myself momentarily confused by the headlines related to another Mr. Perry. While speaking on the telephone, I glanced down at a partially covered headline in a recent Concord Monitor. Slowly, I read: Perry ... Leaps ... Into ... GOP ... Campaign. Huh? My campaign ended successfully on August 9. GOP?

Please understand I am not the same Mr. Perry who, in his first week of campaigning, proclaimed Yes to Bernanke Treason; No such thing as climate change; Maybe to a Texas secession from the United States of America. All in the first week. And a pledge not to apologize for his treason remark.

I am not the same Mr. Perry whose opinion of Social Security benefits is so repugnant that the Perry from Texas recently and publicly called it a "Ponzi Scheme" on multiple occasions, a "monster," and a "lie."

Charles Ponzi was an American swindler born in Italy in 1949. A Ponzi Scheme is an investment swindle in which some early investors are paid off with money put up by later ones in order to encourage more and bigger risks. A swindle is the act of obtaining money or property by fraud or deceit, or to take property or money from by fraud or deceit. (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, 2004). How long will Social Security be collected among young workers, only to be announced in later years the program has been terminated? Will a Perry administration refund those deductions to those young workers, or keep the money? It seems to me what I've just described is the real potential for a swindle. The classic example of a Ponzi Scheme is the business model of deceit conducted by the notorious Bernie Madoff. The classic example of a successful and popular program for the elderly and those who expect to one day be elderly is Social Security.

Perry of Texas joins the crowd of those who have and will work to eliminate Social Security from the American lexicon. One of the first such persons was Alf Landon, the conservative governor of the conservative State of Kansas. Landon was the Republican candidate running for president against President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 on a platform of repeal of Social Security, which had only recently been signed into law during Roosevelt's first term on August 14, 1935.

During a bitter campaign, Landon decried Social Security and Roosevelt, and one occasion produced the following separate exchange between president and candidate:
Landon: "Money intended for the relief of human suffering is being diverted to the building up of a shameless political machine. As chief executive, I intend to see that relief is purged of politics. There is ample money in this country to take care of those in need. When I am president, they will be taken care of."
Roosevelt: Let me warn you, and let me warn the nation against the smooth evasion that says: Of course we believe these things: We believe in Social Security; We believe in work for the unemployed; We believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts and hope to die, we believe in all of these things. But we do not like the way the present administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We will do all of them. We will do more of them. We will do them better. And most important of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything."

In America, it is back to the future. View Roosevelt's response on You Tube.

During his administration, Mr. Bush attempted to privatize Social Security, the first step to defeating the program, while in the meantime, concentrating more wealth in the wealthy.

What must be remembered is that Social Security is a stand-alone insurance program for the elderly with guaranteed benefits. We pay into the program, and we get guaranteed returns ... not a Ponzi Scheme, not a program dependent on the ups and downs of the stock market, not shallow promises ... but a popular and successful business model administered by our government, hugely popular now for 76 years, providing the aged with a degree of dignity. Moreover, the program currently enjoys a $2.6 Trillion surplus, and remains solvent through the year 2036. Adjustments made now will guarantee benefits to future generations. It must never be privatized. We must never accept less.

Mr. Perry's reputation is that he never backs down. Americans are, therefore, on notice that, as president, he will not back down from eliminating the Social Security Act of 1935. Will Candidate Perry retain frontrunner status, or will his popularity subside given his radical remarks and social agenda?

Finally, it should be noted here that, in recent times, Mr. Perry and Mr. Bush are not alone in their hostility for Social Security. During his campaign for current office, Congressman Frank Guinta, NH Congressional District 1, said he hopes his young children never hear the utterance of the words "Social Security." He joins the crowd of those who will eliminate it. Also opposing Medicare, Guinta has already voted to eliminate that program, too.

Bob Perry

Bob Perry Sworn in as District 3 Representative on August 24th

2011-09-09T15:49:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday,, August 24th, Bob Perry got sworn in by Governor John Lynch at the Executive Council Meeting held at the Goodwin Community Center in Somersworth, NH.

Governor Lynch swears in Bob Perry
as District 3 Representative

Bob Perry and Governor John Lynch

Our new
Strafford Country District 3 Representative
Bob Perry

And empathy, compassion, common sense, justice, and leadership in our Concord Statehouse gets a little bit stronger.

Senate Sustains Veto on Voter ID Bill (SB 129)

2011-09-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the New Hampshire Senate met to consider whether to sustain or override five bills vetoed by Governor Lynch. One bill, S.B. 129, requiring certain photo identification be presented before being handed a ballot, was defeated when the Senate voted to sustain the veto by a vote of 7 - 17. In addition to the content of my letter to the editor, below, printed in Foster's Daily Democrat on Tuesday, September 6, I note here that having served in the House Election Law Committee for two terms, I heard testimony from the Attorney General's Office and from the Secretary of State's office indicating there is no voter identification fraud in New Hampshire ... one conviction in nearly 20 years among approximately one million votes cast ... a statistic reflective of the honesty of New Hampshire voters, the effectiveness of existing laws, and of their enforcement.
I thank the members of the senate who voted to defeat this bill.

To the Editor:
The voter photo ID bill (SB129), which was vetoed by Governor Lynch, contains many provisions in addition to the requirement for already registered voters to produce a government issued photo ID before being handed a ballot on election day.
One provision of SB129 requires ballot clerks to explain to every voter in the next three elections which photo IDs will be accepted; how to vote a provisional ballot if they don't have a government issued photo ID; how to get a religious waiver or to request a hearing before the Secretary of State; how to get a voucher if they can qualify for a DMV issued voter photo ID; and what the time constraint is for returning to the Town Clerk's office with a conforming photo ID in order to validate their vote from days before.
However, while SB129 expects ballot clerks to educate voters, it does not include any funding to educate ballot clerks, or to train them to identify which photo IDs can be accepted and which cannot. SB129 does not take into consideration the extra time needed for ballot clerks to explain the provisions of the law to every voter. In Wisconsin, a similar bill caused voters to wait in line for one or two hours in recent elections. Even in our state's unusually large (up to 16,000 voters) polling places, most voters only wait minutes for a ballot now.
I urge the members of the New Hampshire Senate to reconsider this bill, as it will cause long delays and confusion at the polls. The Governor was right to veto the bill, and the Senate should vote to uphold his veto on September 7.
Bob Perry
State Representative, Dist. #3

Uphold Veto, Letters to the Editor, Foster's Daily Democrat, September 6, 2011 http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110906/GJOPINION_0102/709069981/-1/fosnews1402

Strafford County Democratic Picnic: Save the Date

2011-09-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

Save the Date!

The

Annual Picnic

of the

Strafford County Democratic Committee

September 25th

1:00 - 4:00

in the field behind Calef's Store

Barrington, NH

Tickets: $12.50 individual

$25.00 family

$50.00 sponsorship (includes individual ticket)

Food!

Friends!

Festivities!

Music!

Special Guests!

Who can ask for more!

More details will follow shortly.

Plan to Order your Tickets Soon!

A Few Thoughts Before Moving Beyond the August 9th Special Election

2011-08-25T10:46:00.001-04:00

During my seven weeks introducing myself to potential voters in the district, I was reminded of the inequities that have always existed in society, but which should not exist in the 21st Century amid claims that America is the richest country in the world. I observed otherwise. I observed the symptoms of a society whose inhabitants have less buying power today than in 1973. Adjusted for inflation, the comparison is $33,000 median annual salary then, versus $29,000 today. [Free Lunch, David Cay Johnston, 2007].

Many homes were empty from causes not known to me, with a few exceptions. Many were in foreclosure as evidenced by notices attached to the door. On a short road of eight or ten houses, three were empty or in the process of being vacated. Inability to pay property taxes, I was told, was the primary cause for one displacement in this neighborhood. In another town, I was told by a neighbor that the owner recently lost his job at UNH, and had to move in with parents. In another area, I was told a young couple could not pay the mortgage, and left their home behind.

So many structures were in disrepair ... in need of paint and storm doors and porch and step replacement. An elderly woman living alone and mostly confined to a comfortable chair with blanket complained her roof leaks in another part of the house, and she can do nothing about it but stay out of that part of the house.

Solicitation of aluminum cans was providing recycling cash for the residents of one mobile home. A yard sale was producing needed revenue with which one homeowner could pay a water bill.

None of these were fancy homes; some were even less than modest, perhaps best described as basic.

I am unfamiliar with the meaning behind the phrase "American Dream." My bet is that families around the world fancy the equivalent of the American Dream, though with a much different definition. In some countries, people are too poor to live. Life expectancy is measured in hours or days. Finding enough food to stay alive is their only ambition. In other countries, the dream is to level their $500,000.00 home and build a $5 million monument to themselves.

None of my observations in the district caused me to conclude those families were attempting to live beyond their means. They were simply the victims of circumstances that will be discussed in future postings to this site.

Bob Perry

Representative-Elect, Strafford County District #3

For those who have been part of a campaign, you probably understand the ups and downs that come with the territory. On your good days, you feel like you're connecting with people and making progress. On the bad days, you begin to wonder if anything you are doing makes a difference at all.

It's fairly easy to wonder about some of this. When we began informing people about the special election primary back in April, we were discovering that fewer than 1 in 10 people had heard anything about the election. This is also easy to understand. Our form of government in NH can be difficult to understand, and with over 400 state representatives, who could possibly keep track of everything?

But these are the dominant thoughts that keep me up at night still. Knocking on hundreds of doors, I met hardworking, intelligent neighbors, who were struggling to balance work and home, never mind having the time to be fully engaged in a complex political system. Folks were mostly happy to see us, and we began to view our efforts as a public service initiative. We've all been there, right? Life gets busy, the kids or grandkids are active and involved, and suddenly a neighbor is knocking at your door to help you understand what's happening.

The good news is that we saw a transformation take place towards the end of the campaign. I've likened this to a political awakening in our communities. The combination of sour economic news coming from the hospitals in NH and other news regarding the state budget has people concerned and talking. The penetration level of this transformation still needs help, but this is a healthy sign for our democracy, which requires an informed and engaged citizenry.

I think the partial answer is educational efforts to help our neighbors understand how local, county and state government impact their lives on a daily basis. By removing the mystery inherent in government institutions, we allow people to become fully informed and not easily manipulated by political rhetoric. Distrust of government only works on folks who are unsure of what services their government is providing.

At the end of the day, we were successful beyond my wildest expectations. But winning special elections is no guarantee that you are moving in the right direction with voters. We need a sustained effort to fully engage and inform our neighbors that will blunt the relentless propaganda that corporate billions generates. In that regard, the representative-elect and I are collecting our thoughts and making plans to organize various educational forums to foster a better understanding of government … federal, state, county, and local. Look for announcements at this site in the near future.

Joe Cicirelli

Perry4NH Campaign Manager

The New Hampshire Statehouse, Concord

Thank You to All the Voters and Supporters of the Perry4NH Campaign

2011-08-13T15:05:00.002-04:00

My heartfelt thanks go out to all the voters and supporters of the Perry4NH Campaign.

Thank you! Your outpouring of support last Tuesday was extraordinary. Please forgive me for taking a few days to collect my thoughts and signage.

In November campaigns, candidates must often first drive spikes into frozen ground before installing signs. Conversely, in this special election held in August, I joked about the need to convince voters to alter their surfing schedules by voting before heading out. You did. I am aware of many people who were vacationing out of state, who took the time to return to NH to support me, or delayed their vacation plans. In reviewing walk packets, I realize there are dozens of supporters to whom I did not deliver signs. It was not because this campaign went slack; indeed, it was because of your overwhelming enthusiasm.

Thank you for your patience with respect to overlapping phone calls and receipt of literature. Those independent overlapping energies were partly the result of so many good people worried about losing their jobs, not only due to the Wall Street Recession, but because of the New Hampshire legislature's punitive budget decisions. As I have previously indicated, when one becomes unemployed, the entire family is put in jeopardy, not only through loss of income, but, also, through elimination of health-insurance benefits. This legislature's budget and statutory repeals is offensive to the notion of family values. It also remains true that, in America, too many workers represent the mule harnessed to the cart. That must change. In a civil, progressive society, Healthcare is a right; Unlike a driver's license, it is not a privilege for those who qualify.
This election was won on its merits, voters having concluded a sense of greater security in the present, than participating in a social experiment conducted by the Free State Project candidate.

Thank you to the scores of volunteers who provided their shoe leather during neighborhood canvassing. It was hot and humid, but you were determined, nonetheless. You spoke with more than 1000 people directly, and left my literature at more than 2000 homes.

Thank you to my valued friends, Joe and Kelli, whose organizational skills far surpassed mine, and whose total commitment was to this campaign; and to Stan for his exceptional expertise as webmaster.
Thank you to all who gave their time to call voters to first introduce them to our campaign, and then to remind them to vote ... tedious work, but essential in reaching voters, the majority of whom were unaware of the special election.

Thanks to those who wrote such wonderful letters to the editor in support of our campaign; those who remain unnamed, but whose lives were disrupted; members of the "orange brigade" who attended the Barrington visibility the day before the election; and those who stood in the hot sun all day at the polls.
Thanks, also, to my mother, sister, and nephew who drove from afar to participate, and to my wife of 44 years for her encouragement.

I also thank New Hampshire's first female member of Congress, Carol Shea-Porter, and our mutual friends for their help in canvassing in Strafford and Middleton. Folks were pleasantly surprised to discover Carol's presence at their door.

Perry4NH.org will continue to be my web presence and connection to all of you, as your representative. Please continue to visit this resource for up to date information regarding proceedings in the Statehouse, Concord, and beyond. It will remain continuously updated starting immediately, outlining several important veto votes to be considered in early September. Your thoughtful comments and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. And with more than 950 bills still in play in this session, there will be much information to share with you and one or more of these bills may directly affect you. It is our intent to keep you informed from an insider's vantage point. As was the case in the 60s, music will be one component of our offerings, being the thread that holds our message together. Please stay connected.

I wish you relaxation and good cheer during the remaining summer season, and encourage your frequent visits to www.perry4nh.org.

From the heart ... thank you, all.

Bob Perry, Representative-Elect
Strafford County House District #3
New Durham, Middleton, Milton, Farmington, Strafford, Barrington (north to south)

Here is a video for your listening pleasure. It's time for all of us to "Put a Little Love in Your Heart!"

Correction to Medicaid Post

2011-08-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

We have made a correction to our previous post on the Disproportionate Share Program in NH. Please note that Frisbee Memorial Hospital in Rochester has not reduced staff because of the Medicaid funding issue in the state. While reviewing the news reports of the many hospitals that are laying off employees, we inadvertently and mistakenly included a news report from 2009 in the calculations and writing.

I continue to oppose this drastic and punitive Medicaid cut and will work hard in Concord to find a solution to this crisis.

Volunteers, Visibility, and Voting

2011-08-08T20:22:00.001-04:00

Thanks to all our volunteers and supporters for holding signs and creating visibility at the intersections around District 3. We had some great turnouts, met some nice people.
The only thing left to do is to vote!

Don't forget to vote! Your vote does count.

A Nation Divided Against Itself

2011-08-08T13:31:00.000-04:00

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/12/primary-sources/6422/

Over the decades, the theory of Divide and Conquer has been a rallying cry for too many, successfully dividing America's wealthy and poor, the elderly and young, intellectuals and commoners, haves and have nots. We are a divided nation. America has transgressed from an economic powerhouse of the 1960s (doubling GDP in a single decade), to a nation losing millions of jobs to technology, outsourcing, and the greed that launched The Wall Street Recession. America does not belong to any particular group, lobby, or collection of individuals wishing to conduct their social experiment in our state through the dissolution of government, whether partial or complete. The U.S. Constitution, as interpreted by the separate but equal judicial branch, comprises our government, the oldest and most successful federal constitution in existence. It was so well framed that it has served as the basis of our governance since its ratification in 1789. If there is to be an experiment conducted here, let it be a commitment to working together. Our country's greatness is dependent upon a tolerant citizenry and legislature that leans forward in unison to ensure social and financial security for all Americans.

In the spirit of hope and unity, I provide a music video that was adapted from a 1971 Coca-Cola jingle into a pop song that reached No. 7 in popularity in early 1972. It is one of many advertising jingles adapted for introduction to the pop charts during the era.

Here's a slightly longer live version for your enjoyment!

Paddle Forward to Rebuild New Hampshire's Middle Class

2011-08-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

By Bob Perry
Strafford
Friday, August 5, 2011

Strafford District 3 Special Election Aug. 9

From my earliest recollections, I feared those young mothers in my neighborhood who I knew were going to hear of my transgressions via "the little birdie," — other mothers on neighborhood watch. They were grateful their husbands were safely back from the Second World War, and their aspirations were modest: replace that coal furnace with something modern; trade in the ice box for a refrigerator; upgrade the old Ford with a newer model; even buy a television set. Television programming was free, both channels, and Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite were two of the most trusted men in America, and equally trustworthy news anchors. It was a Norman Rockwell, blue-collar neighborhood in a peaceful, but all-too-brief era.

I did not abandon those blue-collar values when you elected me as your Democratic state representative in 2006 and 2008. My voting record and committee work reflect my support for equal treatment for all, increased health care coverage, promotion of green jobs, enhanced voting-machine security, workers' rights, support for public schools, campaign reform, fair taxation, and social and economic security for New Hampshire families. I developed a keen respect for the office I held and for those good folks in our government who work under challenging conditions with little complaint.

In 1961, when my Dad died, I was fortunate that Social Security and veterans' death benefits, provided by the federal government, spared my family's decent into poverty. Among many critical services available today, government provides retirement insurance (Social Security), VA benefits, health care for poor children, and Medicare for seniors. It's not free: we pay for that insurance with each paycheck, and the government adds its share. This system has worked for decades. We often take for granted essential government activities like consumer protection, food safety, clean air and water standards, transportation funding, sewage treatment, public education, and unemployment insurance. Following disasters, government provides relief or rescue, and the military protects us from attack. The government oversees and ensures our national security and global interests. The majority of citizens believe these governmental functions are key to prosperity in a complex, modern nation of 310 million.

In 2006, my opponent came to New Hampshire pledging her loyalty to the Free State Project, which believes government should do none of these things. When the Free State Project says "limited" government, they mean "no" government. Free Staters have pledged to reduce government to the "minimal functions of protecting life, liberty, and property, [to] establish residence in a small state and [to] take over the state government" so that they "can slash state and local budgets" and "eliminate substantial federal interference by refusing to take highway funds" (http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2001/libe131-20010723-03.html). This movement considers provisions of federal highway, bridge or other infrastructure funding to be "interference."

Photo from Budget Protest Rally in Concord: March 31, 2011

The contrast between candidates is clear. I am committed to our community where I have lived for the past 39 years. I pledge to continue my work on behalf of middle-class families, and I will oppose efforts to undermine the fabric of our social safety nets that protect our neighbors and make NH such a desirable place to live.

Since 1874, Democrats have been the majority party in New Hampshire a mere four years. We inherited the Great Wall Street Recession (beginning in 2008) and the resulting plunge in state revenues. Despite major challenges during our tenure, New Hampshire was well run and fared better than most other states, and had lower unemployment and a healthier economy. That does not diminish the suffering of the unemployed and others in need of help, of course — which is why the social safety nets that my opponent wishes to destroy are so essential.

Ultimately, we are all in the same boat, and our choice is to paddle forward with confidence, shoulder to shoulder, to rebuild the middle class, or to allow Free State headwinds to hurl us backwards into the 18th century.

I ask for your vote in the special election to be held on Tuesday, Aug. 9. Voting times are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in all towns and at the usual polling places, except for New Durham, where the new polling location is the Fire Station. For more information, please visit my website, www.perry4nh.org. I would be honored to serve the good citizens of our house district once again.

Thank you!

The Above Opinion Editorial appeared in the August 5 edition of Foster's Daily Democrat

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110805/GJOPINION_0102/708059993/-1/FOSOPINION

From the Good News Department

2011-08-05T12:32:00.000-04:00

I am a veteran of the campaign process, having been involved in one campaign or another for years. I
have won some, and, unfortunately, lost some. I understand the emotions and and feelings that begin to
perculate with just a few days to go. It is important that everyone understand that we have a machine
in motion right now - we have been working relentlessly for seven weeks, and we are sprinting to the
finish line!

This campaign has brought out the best in people. Hundreds of people have volunteered thousands
of hours to our campaign. We've knocked on thousands of doors and talked to thousands of citizens.
Thousands of phone calls are being made (and continue to be made - thank you for your patience!) and
we are confident moving towards election day, but taking nothing for granted.

You have offered your help in many different ways, and those offers are arriving from the most
unexpected sources. Your support is heartwarming, and has contributed significantly to the
effectiveness of this campaign. Financial contributions continue to be made - and 90% of donations
received have been from individuals and within Strafford County!

We believe that people are watching this election - not that we needed any added pressure to keep
working! Our website is being accessed from as far away as Germany, and several other international
locations, and we know that some of our friends in Wisconsin have been paying us a vist. I'm also
heartened by the level of awareness of the electorate reflecting the differences between me and my
opponent; the clear distinction between my pledge to work for the middle class and my opponent's
2006 pledge to work for the Free State Project, an organization that believes government should do
nothing for people, except protect life, liberty, and property ... a social experiment New Hampshire
residents never asked to have forced upon them.

Please know that we are not resting. You will know that this is true because you are liable to recieve
multiple phone calls from us during the next few days. :>) Not only that, we are hearing that there
may be other people making calls in support of my candidacy. This speaks to the importance of this
election, and if your phone is ringing off the hook, please understand that we are simply doing all we
can that gives us the best chance of winning.

When I was cutting my political teeth, Bob Dylan was singing our anthems. The Times They Are
A Changing, and Dust in the Wind, were songs that were filled with meaning and served to rally my
generation. I've discovered that Mr. Dylan's genetic code is being passed down a generation, and hope
you enjoy this embedded song by his son, Jakob, as much as I do.

Remember to vote on August 9. Win, lose, or draw, we will not let you down in our commitment to
fight on your behalf.

Thank You!

Bob

Budget slashing hurting hospitals and medicaid

2011-07-29T16:46:00.004-04:00

The Fallout from the Legislature's budget continues.....

It did not take long for this legislature's budget to increase the unemployment rate, as well as waste taxpayer dollars defending a lawsuit brought by 10 major hospitals against the State of New Hampshire. It is one of several lawsuits the 2011 session will generate.

At issue in this case is the $250 million cut in state Medicaid reimbursement to hospitals based on the 5.5 percent tax on patient revenue. You will see this referred to as the Disproportionate Share Program in newspaper reports. It is ironic that this change punishes, in direct proportion, those institutions and employees providing the most help for the poor. Elliot Hospital's Doug Dean said the institution was forced to lay off employees "as a direct result of the state's cuts and we are outraged and sad." He went on to say "Good people are forever harmed. The consequences of the state's failure to pay us for taking care of the poor are truly devastating."

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Manchester

The human consequences of the budget as it relates directly to hospitals will be multiple: First is the cost associated with declining levels of patient services. All across the state, NH residents will endure cutbacks, including the shuttering of community health centers, forcing people to travel further and longer to receive needed medical care. Facilities where services could be eliminated, or where Medicaid patients might be refused, include the Dartmouth Children's Hospital, the helicopter rescue center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and the Exeter Healthcare Facility. This is the early list, and it's safe to say that hospital administrators and the public are only beginning to see the full impact of these budget cuts.

Frisbee Memorial Hospital

Second is the significant loss of jobs. Elliot Hospital has already released 182 of its workers. In response, House Speaker O'Brien insisted that these legislative changes will create jobs. Meanwhile, two more NH hospitals have announced layoffs; Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, Nashua, 100 employees, ~~and Frisbee Memorial Hospital, Rochester, 24 employees~~. In the aggregate, more than 350 families have already lost a significant source of income. Update: While the numbers of medical professionals losing their jobs continues to climb, we mistakenly included Frisbee Memorial Hospital in this calculation. The layoffs at Frisbee that we wrote about occurred in 2009 and were not part of the Medicaid issue. As of this update, Frisbee has no plans to reduce its workforce because of this issue.

In America, those in the middle class access individual healthcare through employment. We are effectively the mule harnessed to the cart; thus, a high percentage of those laid off will also lose their healthcare benefits. Some may remain uninsurable until 2014, when the Affordable Health Care Act will end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions. In a sad twist of ironic fate, those who have lost their jobs to slashed Medicaid support also face reduced available services for those in need.

Third is the yet unknown quantity: When will these unprecedented challenges to our hospitals translate into increased healthcare premiums? How many currently insured will join the 46 million uninsured in the US? And, finally, what will be the outcome of the potential $35 million fine from the federal government for misuse of Medicaid funds?

In developing a state budget, the legislature must estimate future revenue in order to establish what it can spend. This year, the house decided what it wanted to spend, and matched revenue estimates to that number. The senate recognized this unorthodox approach to budgeting, estimated higher revenues, and restored some funding to select programs. The governor's proposed budget submitted last spring included a 5 percent cut to most agencies. However, the house/senate negotiated budget that became law without the governor's signature slashes spending by 12 percent. This is a draconian reduction, which can only result in substantial upset in both the public and private sectors.

If you are as concerned about this crisis as I am, and you live in Barrington, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, or Strafford, you have an opportunity in the upcoming special election to send a strong message to the current legislative majority. Please vote on August 9, and cast your ballot for Bob Perry for State Representative.

References

New Hampshire hospitals blame hundreds of layoffs on budget cuts - Eagle Tribune
http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x1926599403/NH-hospitals-blame-hundreds-of-
layoffs-on-budget-cuts

10 hospitals sue New Hampshire over Medicaid funding - Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/07/26/business-us-hospitals-nh-budget-new-
hampshire_8584534.html

Frisbee Memorial Hospital Announces Layoffs - WMUR
http://www.wmur.com/health/19065201/detail.html

Senator Jeanne Shaheen to Hold Office Hours in Farmington

2011-07-23T09:55:00.001-04:00

Senator Shaheen's staff will be available to meet with Farmington area residents seeking help with federal government agencies on issues such as veteran's benefits, housing, immigration, or Social Security at office hours on Thursday, July 28th.

Selectmen's Chambers
356 Main Street
Farmington, NH 03835

Thursday, July 28, 2011
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

Call
603-647-7500
for more information.

Please note: The office hours will be attended by the Senator's staff only. Senator Shaheen will not be present.

New Hampshire Citizen's Alliance Celebrates 32 Years of Service

2011-07-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the New Hampshire Citizens Alliance for 32 years of working for social, economic and political justice in the Granite State. And given the regressive nature of the 2011 legislative session, the work of the NHCA is ever more important as it advocates for the preservation and strengtheing of Social Security, increasing access to affordable healthcare for all; and equitable taxation. Its past successes come from the dedication of its selfless staff and growing number of volunteers, and its future successes will depend on you! NH Citizens Alliance, 4 Park Street, Concord; 225-2097. NHCA held its 32nd celebration in Concord this early evening with friends and supporters at a beautiful area location.

My good friends, Larry Drake and Joan Jacobs, were among the honorees for all of their selfless efforts to make our state a better place to live. Their activism inspires so many, and I'm delighted that they received this well-deserved recognition.

Joan Jacobs accepts honors at the NHCA celebration in Concord

Larry Drake accepts honors from the NHCA in Concord.

Larry and Joan have also been working hard on the Perry4NH campaign. So glad to have them. Thank you, Larry and Joan. For everything.

For more information, visit the New Hampshire Citizen's Alliance on the web.

From Young and Dumb to 2011 All Too Quickly

2011-07-20T22:35:00.002-04:00

It was 1964, a good year. I was young and dumb and liked it that way. I'd love to return. Wouldn't we all? Let it be known I wish to be on a list of Medicare enrollees ready to climb into that time machine and travel back to 1964. Not 1773. In deciding what to do with my life upon graduation, I was advised that employment in civil service was where it's at. "Bob, you'll never get rich, but you'll earn a pension that will provide financial security in your old age, and that's worth a lot," were the words of my mother. Trusting her judgment, I attended the Stenotype Institute of Boston and began a career as a freelance court reporter in 1968. I was then hired as an Official Court Reporter by the New Hampshire Superior Court in 1972. Sure as ants at a picnic, I was suddenly 30 years older, and fortunate enough to retire in good health in 2002. I did not get rich, and did not aspire to being rich. I like being blue collar. I assured friends at my retirement party I was going to spend the rest of my life having fun ...catching up on old friends, visiting familiar places; maybe I'd buy one of those hats with the pony tail sticking out of it for fun, and a Howard Stern wig as a backup. Instead, I recognized the middle class was under assault, so I successfully campaigned for state representative in 2006, and through the kindness of House Speaker Terie Norelli, served on the House Election Law Committee, my first choice.

The years rolled along and the retirement promises made to me in 1972 were honored by every legislature ... until now. This legislature reneged on those promises. This one ... the legislature that concluded its business on June 22, except for the attempts it will make to override Governor Lynch's many vetoes. Thank you, Governor Lynch.

The card received in Saturday's mail begins "Effective July 1, 2011 legislation was enacted that changes the current premium contribution charged for health coverage to State of New Hampshire retirees and their spouses ...".

It is blatantly unfair and unnecessary that the financial security of New Hampshire retirees be jeopardized, while Republican leadership asked nothing of the state's 27,000 millionaires, and its handful of billionaires. Who will hire us at age 65? Instead, it used the Wall Street Recession as an excuse to shift financial burdens to the elderly, retired, physically disabled middle class as individuals, and as payers of the property tax. And it did nothing to control the spiraling costs of healthcare, either.

As the months pass, thousands of middle-class New Hampshire citizens will learn what this legislature has done to roll back decades of progress. And it has another five months to consider 153 retained house bills from this session, among almost 800 house bills to be considered next year. Some individuals, candidates and organizations, like the Free State Project, its pledge-takers strident believers that government should do nothing for people except protect life and property, will revel in these rollbacks. But in the end, we are all in the same boat, and our choice is to paddle the boat forward, shoulder to shoulder for the benefit of the middle class, or allow strong headwinds to hurl us head over heals into the 18th century.

I have a hunch we'll move forward. I'm ready. How 'bout you?

I am a Democrat, the party of the middle class. I am not a pretend candidate. I don't pretend to be the candidate of a legitimate party but harbor the ideology of a non-political entity. If re-elected, I will continue to work for the middle class.

Sincerely,

Bob Perry
Democratic Candidate in the Special Election in House District #3
(New Durham, Milton, Middleton, Farmington, Strafford, Barrington).

Facts:
Social Security

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935 as part of the New Deal. It was and remains a stand-alone trust fund, and currently enjoys a surplus of $2.6 Trillion. It provides a degree of dignity and economic security to the aged. It contributes nothing to the national debt, because it is not funded by the U.S. Treasury; It is funded by those it benefits - you and me. It is a government insurance program for the elderly that distributes guaranteed returns ... not to be confused with the ups and downs of the stock market, nor the greed and corruption found there. Social Security is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. Thank you, United States Government. You're not perfect, but neither am I. I look forward to that income as my own falls into decline. And be it remembered that privatization of Social Security is the first step to defeating it.

Medicare

Lyndon B. Johnson

A 2010 survey indicates 40 percent of Americans don't know that Medicare is a social program of the United States government. It's a product of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society of 1965. The current Guinta/Ryan Plan will not save Medicare for future generations as they boast - it exterminates it. It replaces Medicare with a privatized voucher plan that is beyond insufficient. It's punitive. According to the Congressional Budget Office, by 2030, Medicare vouchers would amount to a paltry $9,750.00 per year, while annual medical costs would be about $30,460.00, leaving seniors with an average $20,700.00 to pay out of pocket. Get your information from the organization whose only mission is the well being of seniors: www.retiredamericans.org or 1-888-373-6497.

"America does not have a money problem - it has a priorities problem ... We give tax cuts to the wealthy, and budget cuts to the poor." Todd Huffman, CommonDreams.org 2004

What is "small government"?

2011-07-13T15:25:00.008-04:00

Some folks just don't like government. Some candidates don't like government, either. They speak in vague terms of supporting "small government" and "low taxes." Is small government ten agencies? Three? None? What are low taxes, $10/year, or is $100/year acceptable? Definitions will change day to day, program to program, candidate to candidate, and among them, there will be no agreement, thus, no single definition will serve to clarify the meaning of "small government" or "low taxes." Essentially, the words and the positions are meaningless.

I am the grateful beneficiary of a good and caring government. When my father's World War II experience caused his death in 1961, he left my 32 year old mother, who did not have a high-school diploma or a job, to raise an 11 and 14 year old. Were it not for my mother's determination, Franklin D. Roosevelt's social safety net called Social Security, and veterans' death benefits offered by the good and caring U.S. Government, made possible by good and caring Americans, our home would have been repossessed and our family's destinies left to the whims of fate. And no series of bake sales could have paid the heating bills, the mortgage, put food on the table, and clothes on our backs.

The new state budget is hurtful to many of our citizens. The Good and Caring Division of New Hampshire Government offers help by way of a website established for laid-off workers, including teachers. It acts as a clearing house and is housed within the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, is totally federally funded, consists of 13 offices throughout the state, and offers job training, counseling, job searches, connecting employers with employees, and visa versa. Last I knew, only 11 percent of Americans read a newspaper, so if you missed this information in the July 5 issue of The Concord Monitor, I provide the website address here, www.nhworks.org, or you may contact the agency directly at its new number: 271-7275.

I wish everyone affected by this punitive budget more than just luck. I wish them inner strength to question and challenge the rhetoric of small government and low taxes, and to ask the tough questions of candidates: As a purveyor of small government and low taxes, please be specific as to which agencies, programs, divisions, and/or services you would eliminate in addition to those already cut by the state budget and recent statutory repeals. Does small government include trash piling up at shuttered highway rest areas, and elimination of women's preventative healthcare? What class of citizens will you knowingly leave behind, and will you care if those left behind include friends and family? Will you ask the wealthy to contribute their fair share as a percentage of income for the greater good, as has been our history? As a candidate, what does your crystal ball reveal as to your own future? As an advocate of small government and low taxes who falls on hard times, will you hope others not do to you what you have done to them?

P.S - July 14
I did not understand when posting this article yesterday, that only hours hence it would become relevant to a friend now in need of the government services referred to above. Due to the legislature's cost shifting of $111,000.00 to the Town of Strafford, its School Board last night, by a 4 to 1 vote, eliminated the foreign language department from the school curriculum. This will come as a disappointment to the foreign-language students at Strafford Elementary School, as well as their parents, but the more serious consequence is that it leaves a Strafford family with depleted income and without health insurance. Lack of employment does not mean lack of healthcare in other countries. It shouldn't mean lack of healthcare in the United States of America, either. The cost of the program was substantially below $111,000.00, so other cuts with consequences are yet to be announced. Statewide, a thousand jobs could be lost, both public and private, attributable to this budget. ~ Bob

"Government exists to defend the weak and poor and the injured party; the rich and strong can take care of themselves."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Concord, Massachusetts
August, 1844.

New Hampshire Advantage for Whom?

2011-07-05T22:52:00.003-04:00

Swan Records was one of hundreds of independent record labels flooding the markets during the formative years of rock and roll music. The label was formed in Philadelphia in 1957, the year I began collecting vinyl records. The Beatles' first hit, She Loves You, was issued on Swan in January, 1964,and kept Swan in the black while many other labels were swept away by the popularity of the British Invasion. Swan Records was distributed by the very successful Cameo-Parkway label until Swan's demise in 1967.

On each Swan label appeared the words: Don't Drop Out, a message encouraging kids of the era not to drop out of school. It is a message very much appropriate for the kids of today. The original dropout age of 16 was established in 1904, at a time when field hands were needed for harvest, and long before the pressures of a global economy caused a re-evaluation of priorities.

The Democratic majority supported a bill, signed into law by Governor Lynch, which increased the high school dropout age to 18, and provided alternative instruction to those who did not do well in the traditional school setting. This very successful initiative has reduced the dropout rate from 3.75 percent to .97 percent. More students now have a shot at a more stable and prosperous future. Most citizens would agree it is time and money well spent in the development of the leaders of tomorrow in a very competitive global environment, and essential to the future of our country.

However, priorities changed in 2011 with Republican-sponsored bills to abolish the Department of Education; abolish the Board of Education; repeal the 180-day school-attendance requirement; repeal kindergarten; various attempts to weaken public education while deregulating home schooling; and, yes, lower the dropout age from 18 to 16. Cigarettes are now cheaper, while tuition at NH’s university system has been cut almost 50 percent.

Most citizens would agree these proposed setbacks offend common sense, and call into question the intent of their sponsors and supporters. Public education was developed by the ancient Greeks, then expanded by the ancient Romans to include the education of women. It has served humanity well, ensures the masses will be educated, and is more than worthy of public support. If elected, it is my intention to defend public education.

“Let it be known that today we traded the well-being of thousands of New Hampshire citizens for higher cigarette company profits.”

- House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli, June 22, 2011

References
Think Progress: New Hampshire’s GOP Budget: Low Cigarette Taxes More Important Than Education, Health Care
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/06/17/247655/newhampshire-budget-cigarette-taxes/

Boston.com: NH Lawmakers target higher education, reduce cigarette levies
http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-23/news/29695385_1_higher-education-state-budget-rainy-day-funds

Happy Birthday, America!

2011-07-01T18:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Fourth of July

I hope everyone enjoys their long 4th of July weekend holiday. Here's a little video that can serve as an inspiration for us all.

This video was posted on MoveOn.org and was produced by the Center for American Progress.

Enjoy!

This budget is punitive to the middle class.

2011-06-24T17:51:00.003-04:00

The governor has decided to allow the new draconian budget, passed by the Republican majority, to go into effect without his signature. Faced with multiple bad choices, the governor realized a veto would only further harm middle class families in NH. From the governor's statement:

“Given the legislature's rejection of proposed remedies to the problems in the budget, it is clear that a veto would not lead to a better budget,” Governor Lynch said.

“Second, there could be serious repercussions to the people of our great state if there is no budget in place on July 1: vital services could be unavailable to our citizens, including everything from driver's license renewal services, permitting required for businesses and critical road repairs. Also, state parks could be closed for the Fourth of July, employees and private contractors wouldn't get paid and our state credit rating could be impacted,” Governor Lynch said. “For all of these reasons, my intent is to allow HB1 and HB2 to become law without my signature.”

For all of the consequences of the state budget in detail, be sure to read the governor's statement here.

I don't have much to add to what Governor Lynch has said. I'm sad, I'm mad, and I'm willing to continue my fight for middle class families in our state.

Join me.

Vigil for Worker's Rights

2011-06-23T18:20:00.003-04:00

I attended the rally in Concord, on Wednesday, to support the rights of workers in anticipation of a vote to override or sustain the governor's veto on HB 474 (The Right to Work for less bill.) The good news is that the majority did not have the votes to override this veto, but the bad news is that they delayed the vote further, hoping to twist arms to get the necessary number of votes.

Other bad news for NH is that the punitive budget passed the legislature with veto-proof margins. Also to be filed under bad news is that the legislature overrode the governor's veto and eliminated NH's minimum wage law. NH now joins South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana as the only states without minimum wage protections.

More on budget consequences later.

Strafford County Democrats Meeting

2011-06-21T10:39:00.005-04:00

News Brief

The Dover Democrats will host the Dover Democratic Committee Social Hour on Wednesday, June 22nd, from 5.30 PM to 7 PM at Weeksie’s Pizza, 66 Third Street in Dover.

Immediately after the Social Hour, we will continue with a brief meeting of the Perry for State Representative Committee. We will discuss the recruitment and use of volunteers for the campaign. Please consider coming to the meeting and helping out Strafford County's next State Rep!

Best,
The Strafford County Democratic Committee

Legislative Alert Tab
A new tab was set up on this site for Jackie Cilley's weekly Legislative Action Alert. Jackie keeps a watchful eye on our legislators and regularly updates us on what is going on in the State House. We appreciate and support the work Jackie does for the citizens of Strafford County and New Hampshire.

Why this Special General Election is Important

2011-06-15T14:53:00.003-04:00

Former Representative Marty Harty's outrageous views have been all too typical of the new - and extremist - Republican majority in the State house. While claiming concern about deficits, the majority has slashed existing revenues by more that $100 million and increased corporate tax breaks, all of which will gut critical services.

The Republican House budget:

Cuts 100% of funding to 16 safety net programs, including child abuse prevention, homelessness prevention, alcohol and drug addiction treatment and prevention, aid to needy blind children, respite services for Alzheimer's caregivers, and NH Legal Assistance, and also eliminates the Consumer Protection Bureau.
Makes major funding cuts to six more safety net programs, including children's mental health services, services for the mentally ill, needy children's health care, and family support services for children with developmental disabilities.
Cuts Head Start funding, allows children to leave school at 16, lowers public school educational standards, tried unsuccessfully to eliminate public kindergarten, cuts funding for UNH by 42% and Community Colleges by 33%, and defunds NH Public Television.

The Republican majority is too extreme for New Hampshire. We have an opportunity to send the extremists the message that Granite Staters and NOT extremists, that e care about fellow citizens, and we refuse to dismantle the state services that so many of us depend on.

I ask for your vote in the general election on Tuesday, August 9th.