The House has passed a redistricting plan and Governor Lynch has vetoed it. The complaints are not really about partisan gerrymandering - the complaints are about acknowledged violations of the state constitution.
Representatives and redistricting scholars across the political spectrum seem to agree: the 2006 amendment to Article 11 of the state constitution makes construction of a plan difficult to impossible - and even the sponsors of the current plan say it doesn't meet that test.
But here's the simple question: now that the legislature has found out the 2006 amendment made things worse, where is the proposed new amendment to undo the damage?
The flip side of the Yankee wisdom: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is "When it is broke, try to fix it."
We have all sorts of other amendments in the hopper. Why not a simple one, undoing the 2006 screw-up?
Kaili Lambe of DFA came by on the 14th, to encourage BH'ers to enter the NN scholarship contest, or nominate someone who should. I had already applied.
The first round of the scholarship contest is over and the winners have been announced
I'm one of them.
A lot of you voted for me, and said nice things about me - and that was one of the big factors in my being chosen.
Thank you Hamsters!! This is a great opportunity, and I can't thank you enough for your support.
One of the unique advantages to living in New Hampshire is the ability of citizens to encounter his or her state representative in their daily activities - at the grocery store, in a house of worship, or walking main street. HB 592 undermines that very special quality of life in New Hampshire and the critical component of representative local democracy that is expressed in a commonality of interest among a community's citizens. For all of these reasons, I have vetoed HB 592.
In spite of the big spanking he got on Wednesday, a certain Windham Representative is Waiting With Bated Breath Union Leader:
The bill's prime sponsor, Rep. David Bates, R-Windham, said it is foolish to think the issue will not be back before lawmakers, particularly if there is a change in the governor's office.
and
Bates said lawmakers missed a great opportunity to determine what the people of New Hampshire want, he said, when the House failed to pass his proposed amendment to let voters decide the issue in a non-binding referendum.
"That would have clearly established what the people of this state want," Bates said. "Instead we are left with an ongoing saga that will come before us again and again and again."
It isn't just our kooky Legislature that's launched a smackdown of the middle class.
Over 50 community members and members of the Communications Workers of America leafletted customers at Verizon Wireless stores in Manchester and Portsmouth yesterday in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in New York who are fighting for a fair contract with Verizon Wireless. Making the argument that no employer should throw good middle class jobs away in the middle of a recession, they urged customers to switch service to the more worker-friendly AT&T.;
Verizon Wireless is currently embroiled in a contract dispute with workers in New York City. Felicia Augevich, a district vice-president of CWA Local 1400, said that while Verizon no longer employs workers in New Hampshire, the company's hardball tactics could encourage other employers to reset their standards - even in New Hampshire, which is known for its able and educated workforce:
"Good middle-class jobs fuel the New Hampshire advantage. We cannot afford for multinational companies such as Verizon Wireless to reset the standards for workers even in trying economic times."
Verizon has a history of difficult dealings with its workers. From the Associated Press (reprinted in the Portsmouth Herald):
After talks broke down last summer, about 45,000 Verizon workers who are members of the CWA and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers walked off the job and took part in a 13-day strike. They returned to work under terms of the old contract.
Community college faculty are getting a $1,000 pay bump, but the raises are offset by increases in employee health care expenses.
A union representing faculty at the state's seven community colleges, including Nashua Community College, agreed to a new one-year contract with the Community College System of New Hampshire on Tuesday after 10 months of negotiation.
Once the contract goes into effect May 4, union officials said they will still earn less than their New England counterparts.
In summary: teachers at NH Community colleges are getting a raise. The raise is offset by increases in their health care plans. After getting this raise, NH teachers will earn less than community college teachers in the rest of the New England states.
It seems likely that teachers will choose either to move out or not move to NH. How, exactly, is our state's failure to support education a good thing for our state?
I'm so pleased that this effort to turn New Hampshire back to the past failed. The 211 legislators -- two-thirds of all the members -- who voted against discrimination and in favor of equality by killing the bill to repeal our law are a credit to the New Hampshire ideal of "Live Free or Die." We fought hard in 2007 to earn marriage rights. Many fought hard to keep it now.
Marriage equality has support from people of all political philosophies. Those Republicans who spoke against passing the bill did our state proud. But it is the vast number of Democrats who continued to support marriage equality should feel especially proud.
Those who wanted to go travel in a time machine on equality should go home now. In the past several years, we have laid a strong foundation for equality, which is difficult for those against equality to ever reverse now. New Hampshire doesn't take rights away. We don't treat people that way.
But 211 to 116? Just amazing. Lots of people deserve credit and thanks. And lots of people need to be remembered in November. (By the way, those who initially wanted to do us in are a few more than the 116 who voted against the final "inexpedient to legislate" vote. As soon as the roll calls are posted, those are people we need to remember too.)
Once again the Free State/Tea Party legislature in Concord is focused on a narrow ideological agenda rather than jobs and the economy. Today they will actually harm our economy by attempting to repeal marriage equality. Rather than wasting taxpayer dollars revoking the rights of our citizens, they should focus on issues vital to our state such as job creation and improving our education system.
One of the first questions I was asked in my first public debate for the State Senate seat of District 6 was my position on marriage equality. I didn't put my finger in the political winds at that time and I will not do so if elected your next Governor of New Hampshire. There will be no compromise over protecting the rights of New Hampshire's citizens to marry the person they love. The civil rights of our citizens are too fundamental to our New Hampshire traditions to put up for a popular vote.
In 2009 we had the courage to stand up, do the right thing and recognize the equal rights of all Granite Staters. Today, the O'Brien Legislature is once again trying to turn back the clock on that equality. New Hampshire's citizens have said loudly and clearly they oppose any repeal. Let's hope that there are a sufficient number of brave souls in our legislature who refuse to be bullied into submission by relinquishing our citizens' rights.
Finally, a word of thanks to all of you who worked so hard to make our state a leader in marriage equality in the first place. Three years ago, you made history and reaffirmed New Hampshire's motto of "Live Free or Die." Thousands of Granite State couples have wed since then, gaining hard-won legal rights and protections. As a state senator, I was proud to be a part of that history, and as your governor, I will remain vigilant in protecting marriage equality.
Once again, the NH legislature covers our state with glory. Most of you have probably seen this already, but once it went national, it seemed BH ought to mention it. From HuffPo:
State Rep. Kyle Tasker (R-Nottingham) explained to onlookers that he had donated blood that morning and the effects caused him to drop his gun at the start of a House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee meeting. The committee was meeting to amend an abortion bill pending in the Legislature. The gun did not fire.
State Rep. Steve Shurtleff (D-Concord), a member of the committee, said that he was sitting three seats away from Tasker in the committee room when he heard "a clang" and saw that the gun was on the floor. Shurtleff said Tasker routinely wears two guns in a shoulder holster to legislative meetings.
and
Reporters in the committee room confirmed the account. Josh McElveen , a reporter for WMUR posted on Twitter that Tasker had said the blood donation left him "loopy." Tasker has not returned a call for comment.
Representative Tasker is a member of the Party of Personal Responsibility, yet he chose to behave irresponsibly, by carrying not one, but two guns, at a time when he was impaired.
Springtime is school field trip time to the NH State House. Perhaps the legislators can supply Kevlar vests for the visiting students.
Good news, NH. Concord has a new community radio station. WNHN, 94.7 FM.
The mission statement:
To give a platform for music and voices not often heard on New Hampshire radio, NHNVB Inc. was formed in August 2011. We serve the greater Concord, NH area with our broadcast FM signal, and open-minded listeners throughout New Hampshire via syndicated programs and the web.
Arnie Arneson debuts her show this week, from 11-1, Monday through Friday, offering up a somewhat different take than we usually get via NH radio/media. Those of you who remember "Political Chowder" know what I mean.
Those of us who don't live in range can stream the show over the tubes. The Democracy Now news hour comes on after Arnie's show.
Through the WNHN website or their FBpage, we all have an opportunity to comment, and make suggestions for the future.
The question is whether the affable lawmaker can stay on his board when the water is flat. Both 2006 and 2010 were midterm elections, and Bass will have the drag of the presidential race in a Democratic district to contend with in November
(An important opportunity to help make sure the Democratic Party Platform reflects your values. - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
March 17, 2012
Dear New Hampshire Democrats,
We need your help. Over the next few months, the New Hampshire Democratic Party Platform Committee will travel around the State to hear from you on the content of our 2012 Platform. We are charged with building a Platform that finds the common ground among us, and helps make the case for why Democrats, Independents, and Republicans - our neighbors and friends - should support the Democratic vision for moving New Hampshire forward in 2012. The Platform is a statement of our principles and a direct appeal to the decent, hardworking people of New Hampshire.
We hope you will take the time to respond to this message with your thoughts and attend one of our hearings. In recognition of the momentum building for 2012, this year we will travel more than usual - with a committee larger than usual - to hold hearings in the following communities:
1. Mont Vernon - March 31st.
3. Laconia - April 5th.
2. Manchester - April 7th.
4. Keene - April 14th.
5. Hanover - April 16th.
6. Tamworth - April 25th.
7. Concord - April 28th.
Look for details on times and places in the run-up to each hearing.
State unemployment figures released yesterday show the unemployment rate for Berlin is the highest in the state at 9.5 percent.
The January figures show the state unemployment rate is 5.7. Coos County registered a rate of 8.4 percent.
The city's unemployment rate is expected to get worse in the next two months as the impact of the Isaacson closing shows up in the statistics.
Isaacson Steel, one of the big employers wasn't able to reorganize after filing bankruptcy, and so 100+ more folks will be out of work - with no end in sight, and certainly no plans to help these people is forthcoming.
Meanwhile our legislators concern themselves with repealing marriage equality, passing right to work, and ensuring that women are discriminated against by their health insurance companies THEN lied to by their doctors, should they chose to avail themselves of the LEGAL medical procedure known as abortion.
