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The third of three Sunday News and Union Leader staff-reported columns devoted to New Hampshire politics and government is returning to the newspapers' UnionLeader.com Web site effective today.
With the Supreme Court's decision throwing out the piece of state budget law that tapped the state Joint Underwriting Association for $110 million, there has to be a next step.
WITH A UNANIMOUS vote, the book on the 2009 budget was finally closed Friday.
RELATIONS between Republicans and Democrats took a big step backward Friday over the gun-ban issue.
Two bills that would bar deadly weapons in public buildings, including the State House, come up for a hearing in the afternoon. There will be a crowd.
THIS PAST YEAR may end up being the one that everyone wants to, but no one ever will, forget.
NOW THAT a weapons ban is in place at the State House, the question of how to enforce it comes up.
THERE WERE lots of suggestions at a public hearing last week on rules for collecting the so-called LLC tax.
THERE WILL be a crowd when the public hearing on new tax rules starts up Wednesday.
AN IMPORTANT CHANGE to the state right-to-know law will come to the House in January, and may not even get a debate.
DON'T LOOK for your local legislator to file a financial report on the free meal Millennium Gaming was handing out recently.
THERE DOESN'T seem to be any urgency to getting a new state workers' contract in place.
Republicans are making political hay out of the bitter contract talks between Gov. John Lynch and the State Employees Association.
OOPS. Speaker of the House Terie Norelli let a little secret slip last week.
AN INCREASINGLY heated legal dispute has locked up a major six-year contract for state lottery operations in the Executive Council.
EVEN WITH an attorney general's rejection of his complaint, Pan Am Systems president David Fink's allegations are not going away.
FOOTBALL COACHES like to say the best defense is a good offense. State Democratic leaders have taken up the idea, too.
THE STATE'S new 10 percent tax on gambling is not as complicated as some people think, the state's revenue commissioner said.
Mayor Frank Guinta found himself tangled up in the sort of mini-scandal that was just weird enough to earn mentions on several major political blogs, including The Huffington Post.
Balancing the budgets for the year that ends Tuesday, and for the coming fiscal year, hangs on the idea of taking $110 million in surplus from the medical malpractice insurance fund.
Republicans are being urged to vote against the plan as spending too much. Democrats are calling it a difficult compromise that spreads the pain fairly.
THIS IS the big week, one of early mornings and late nights as House and Senate members try to finish budget work.
NOW THAT gay-marriage debates, votes and re-votes are over, focus turns to what lawmakers said would be their biggest challenge this year -- the 2010-11 budget.
CONCORD - The governor is looking at a proposal that would tax refinancings the same way we now tax real-estate transfers.
State House Dome: Debating budget billions, 'bathroom bill'
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By TOM FAHEY
State House Bureau Chief
Sunday, Apr. 5, 2009
IT COULD be a long week in Concord, as the House has set aside two days for 17 debates.
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YOUR COMMENTS
Aren't there more important issues in this state than a "bathroom bill"?
How about introducing a bill to protect Parent/Child relationships? How about a bill to preserve families? The families of N.H. could really use some help on these issues.
- Sheila, Nashua
Frank F. said:
"If this part of the budget passes who in their right minds will play bingo, the lottery or go to the track for fear of being taxed on any winning bet over $600 dollars"
I suppose you can beat the house on horse racing if you work at it, but otherwise anyone who gambles is not in their right minds: at least they're not in their right minds if they expect to make any money. The only party who makes money off gambling is the house--- unless and until HB2 passes in which case the state government is also guaranteed 10% of whatever the winner gets back with the first $600 being tax free. If a NH bettor wins out of state, he or she has to pay the tax directly; but if it is an NH game, the house withholds the money and pays it directly to the state.... but there are no rules preventing the house from lowering their share to make up for the new tax.
- Timothy Horrigan, Durham, NH
Wow, god help us all! I have been in the military since 95. For the first time in my life I have doubts about wearing the uniform. One of the saddest days of my life. I was sworn to uphold the constitution, yet it has all fallen to the wayside. Our own people have turned it to toilet paper. Our system has become so corrupt, we take from one to give to another. The core in which this country has been built on, is now being destroyed. We allow leaches to breed and prosper with someone elses money, and those of us who work hard, our money is confiscated. Like a previous poster stated...those people who died for our country, and constitution have died in vain. When my enlistment is over, I can honestly say....the uniform goes into storage. I will fight for my family and myself. All you people who voted these UNAMERICAN politicians into office can fend for yourselves when the REAL Americans have had enough! sad sad days!
- DS, Amherst
Two old saying come to mind at this time of year--No mans life, liberty or property are safe when legislature is in session. This is the time of year when potential laws that could not make it through a regular hearing processes get attached to bills that must pass for the good of the state, some strange things happen at this time.----The opther thopught is "THe law arrests the man who steals the goose off of the common, the law protects the man who steals the common from under the goose.---Silly season is here if what is done at thjis time as not so important it would be funny.
- Albert, northwood
Ray Wieczorek ought to have some tough questions for his fellow councilor Ray Burton who was a big supporter of the Verizon Fairpoint Deal.
- Chris, Merrimack
It is too bad we lost so many people in Korea and Vietnam. They died fighting Communism. They didn't want it to come here.
If you look carefully at the actions of government at all levels, the efforts of these brave people were in vain.
As predicted, America has become Communist, without a shot being fired on our soil!
Nowhere in our constitution, does it grant government the right to take from one to give to another. Nowhere does it allow for the regulations that have been imposed on us to exist. Government at all levels, is now in control of the individual. It was originally meant to be the other way around. We count our ballots electronically, so we can see the results quickly.
What is so important about speed in counting?
Why is it more important than ballot integrity?
I've read stories about electronic election rigging, I'm beginning to believe them. It seems that we are only able to elect individuals who want to feather their own nest and their supporter's, both actively and financially, nests.
In the beginning, individuals caught feathering nest via public office were punished publicly. They were tarred and feathered and ridden on a rail, out of town. This no longer happens.
- Steve, Raymond
Do all you shortsighted sorts who elected Democrats in a kneejerk reaction feel happy now that they're obsessed with letting men into women's bathrooms and locker rooms?
Enjoy! Especially when perverts spy on your kids. This is their priority. The liberal agenda. Mass North.
You did it.
- Mike R., Bedford
The racetracks are trying to get a slot machine only bill through the house and senate(without much succeess) that will provide over a thousand jobs, balance the budget and stabilize the already sky high property tax situation and now our genius lawmakers want to "tax" gambling.
If this part of the budget passes who in their right minds will play bingo, the lottery or go to the track for fear of being taxed on any winning bet over $600 dollars.
I would like to know what nitwit put that in the budget.
Yep, leave it to our elected officials to do the right thing again. NOT !!!
- Frank F., Hooksett
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