The big NH issue isn't presidential

There are three flaws in the editorial below with regard to the amendment.

First, it writes the very flawed Claremont decision into the constitution. Second, it will guarantee an income tax or other tax to cover the educrats spending addiction. Third, it will not prevent future lawsuits by the Big Ed establishment. If Democrats and Republicans really want to work together they need to fight the education interest groups. There is no logical explanation as to why school money should not follow the child instead of the institution except to pander to education special interest groups. If teachers and administrations really cared about New Hampshire's children they would write school choice into the constitution instead of this dreadful court decision. Claremont I, Claremont II and the Londonderry Decision were about greed not about the best interests of New Hampshire's Children.

New Hampshire is ranked number 3 in student performance in the nation at it's current rate of spending and with its funding structure. Why change the funding system to one that is failing students in other states? Our Government Schools have a spending problem and not a funding problem. Unless we stop the spending spree no amendment in the world will fix the underlying problems plaguing New Hampshire government schools.



The below editorial appeared in the Union Leader.

Editorial: The big NH issue isn't presidential
By JOSEPH W. MCQUAID
New Hampshire Union Leader Publisher
10 hours, 43 minutes ago

A lot of national attention will be paid New Hampshire this week, underlining our important role in presidential primary politics. But there is a much more vital local issue facing our state. If it is not handled in reasonable, bipartisan fashion, the timing of primaries will be the least of our worries.

Key legislators from both parties appear close to acceptable wording on a constitutional amendment proposal that would, finally, allow the PEOPLE of New Hampshire to affirm their belief that the state's role in education funding is to target limited aid, not pick up the whole tab.

We believe the people would wholeheartedly ratify such an amendment and would give credit where it would be due -- to the Republicans who have long favored it and also to Gov. John Lynch and those Democrats who have now agreed that an amendment is needed to negate a far-wrong state supreme court ruling.

The amendment proposal may not satisfy everyone. We have heard that one side worries that the other will claim all the credit for it.

This is way too important for New Hampshire to be viewed in partisan terms. If the amendment proposal is to succeed, it is going to take Republicans and Democrats who appreciate the New Hampshire Advantage.

Believe it or not, on this most important issue, that sort of consensus was once the norm. If Republican leader Mike Whalley and Democratic Finance Chair Marjorie Smith -- along with Gov. Lynch -- put their heads together this weekend, it can be done again. If they don't, New Hampshire will have lost its best chance to finally resolve this long, wasteful battle that threatens the very essence of our state.

Homechooler Wins Scripps 80th Annual Spelling Bee

Did you know that only three percent of American children our homeschooled, yet 36 of the 286 finalist for the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee were homeschooled. Typically homeschoolers make up 10 - 15% of the finalists in the National Spelling Bee. For more information you can read the story at Daily Progress.com.


Homeschooling is an option that all parents should consider but many can not because they are forced to have two income earners to maintain their homes. Part of the problem is the tax burden that forces both parents to work. For more information on homeschooling go to Homeschoolbuzz.com and the New Hampshire Homeschooling Coalition.

For information on how to live on one income visit the following sites. About.com

USA Today

Stretcher.com

Quote of the day

Homeschooling parents can ignore what are for the most part government directives as to what shall be taught and when. Rather, parents and children can work together to develop courses of study that address long-term needs, interests, and capabilities in the context of what they, and not a bureaucracy of somewhat dubious credibility, deem important and necessary.

-David and Micki Colfax, "Homeschooling for Excellence"

Senate Bill 91

I could not believe my eyes when I read the editorial below. This is clearly pandering to the unions and will guarantee democratic control and ever increasing taxes for years to come. Call your legislators and ask them to vote no on Senate Bill 91.

The following piece appeared in the Union Leader.


PAC men: Let businesses, unions play

Wednesday, May. 30, 2007

SENATE BILL 91, up for a vote in the House today, allows unions, corporations and partnerships to contribute to political campaigns in New Hampshire. It is an electoral reform that has been needed for years.

New Hampshire has banned corporate campaign contributions for nearly a century, and union contributions since 1955. But the state's ban on corporate contributions was ruled unconstitutional in 1999, and although the law remains on the books corporations can give directly to campaigns while unions cannot.

SB 91 would give businesses and unions the same status under the law. All would be allowed to form PACs and contribute to campaigns through those PACs. This positive, bipartisan election reform was voted out of the House Election Law Committee 17-0 and should receive a similarly favorable response in the full House.

CACR-18

We are still settling in to our new home. Sorry for not updating the blog regularly. I hope to update the Blog regularly from here on out as time permits while tending to our toddler. I will be trying to back date some information that I think is important for reference. We will also be investigating school spending and reporting that information here.

The following press release was sent out by Tammy Simmons of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition.

CACR18 & HB927 is like déjà vu all over again –
only worse


For Immediate Release
May 30, 2007


Concord, NH – While equating Tuesday’s results in the House Finance Committee and the Senate Education Committee to Black Tuesday might be a bit of a stretch, taxpayers and parents in New Hampshire found the bad situation they were in only getting worse. They were already losing local control of their schools to bureaucrats in Concord while being faced with the financial burden of paying a yet undetermined amount to cover the cost of this ‘adequacy’, now they’re losing more.

Senator Iris Estabrook sponsored an amendment to HB927 that among other things changed the previous mandate of half day kindergarten to full day. “While smaller class size and full day kindergarten are admirable goals, these financial decisions are best left to the local communities who can best determine their children’s needs and priorities,” commented Tammy Simmons, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition. “Once again, Senator Estabrook’s amendment has taken us one step closer to passage of HB927 with no regard to what these unfunded mandates will cost the taxpayers of New Hampshire,” said Mike Biundo, NHAC Chairman.

Even the senator herself commented, “We have no idea of any of the costing.” The fiscal note attached to HB927 states that the Department of Education has determined this bill will have no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenue and expenditures. “How any rational individual can say there will be no fiscal impact from a bill that among other things mandates kindergarten is beyond me,” said Simmons. “Senator Estabrook already admitted she was against Governor Lynch’s constitutional amendment, CACR18, and only voted for it to please her colleagues. We can only hope she reverses her views on HB927 as well,” Simmons concluded.

The amendment to CACR18 not only continues the legislature’s propensity to abdicate their constitutional authority to the unelected Supreme Court justices, it strips away all local control of schools from parents and local officials. In addition, there is nothing in this amended version that will deter further lawsuits or halt the continued inference and meddlesome tendencies on the part of the court.

NHAC urges the members of the legislature to read the constitution and live up the oath they took to uphold it by standing up to the court and rejecting HB927 and CACR18.

For more information, contact Tammy Simmons, Executive Director, at 235-9998 or visit our website at www.theNHadvantage.com.

SB 216

The following piece appeared in the Union Leader. The approval of SB 216 would be pandering to the unions on the part of the legislators. State employees unionized for the first time under Commrade Lynch's tenure. Unions artificially hike salaries and increase the costs of government services. This bill must be defeated if we are to control statewide spending and keep New Hampshire's taxes low. Unions have destroyed the American textile industry and steel industry and they are on the verge of destroying the airlines and automobile industry.

The Democrats in charge clearly think their job is to pander to special interests groups rather than serving the best interest on New Hampshire residents/taxpayers/children and their live free and die spirit.


No bargain: Keep elections for public unions

23 hours, 57 minutes ago

THE STATE Employees Association already has the power to dock the pay of non-members and use their money for its own purposes. Now legislators are considering granting the association and other public employee unions the power to organize a collective bargaining unit by obtaining employee signatures. It is a serious transfer of power away from employees and to the unions.

Under current law, public employees must vote to unionize. Senate Bill 216 would revoke the employees' right to determine their representation by secret ballot. With a secret-ballot election, the fear of retaliation from either union bosses or managers is greatly mitigated. That is not the case with pledge cards or petitions.

Union bosses can intimidate employees into signing petitions or cards, which by their nature are not secret. Managers can intimidate employees into not signing them.

The current law, which calls for an election if 30 percent of a bargaining unit's employees petition for one, is far superior to the system presented in SB 216, which would take power from employees and give it to the unions. That is a bad deal for employees. Legislators need to kill the bill.

SAU 43

During the past election cycle the Sunapee School District choose to withdrawal from SAU 43. Now is the time for the two remaining school districts, Croydon and Newport to work together. The question is will they work together to reduce spending because they now have reduced funding or will they find a way to further tax the residents as to put the needs of the employees ahead of the needs of the taxpayers and students? A tax increase in Newport is going to be a hard sell with the recent passage of a warrant to repair the current schools.

Now is a great time for Croydon to consider pulling out from SAU 43 as well. With Croydon being such a small district we could easily initiate a school choice program which would clearly best serve the children rather than the institution and its employees.

Still settling in.

We are still settling in from our move. Posts will probably be spotty until the end of May or mid-june. We will back post and forward post when we can.