Gilford Town Republican Committee

Trying to take lessons from the Teflon / do nothing Gov?  And the press is beginning to notice! 

From Fergus:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:                July 17, 2008
Contact:           Fergus Cullen, Chairman, New Hampshire Republican Party
                        603-225-9341 office, 603-520-5450 cell
 


CONCORD –   The Nashua Telegraph recently reported on Jeanne Shaheen’s campaign strategy of avoiding taking positions on major policy issues, noting that she is short on specifics, never veering too far from the talking points fed to her.

During her campaign for U.S. Senate, Shaheen has already refused to offer specific details on major issues and has rebuffed requests from the media to provide opinions on recent national security legislation and a landmark Supreme Court case. New Hampshire voters are also waiting for her to explain why she has refused to support legislation that will increase funding for the state’s acute care hospitals by over $20 million per year.

“Jeanne Shaheen’s decision to duck many of the major issues in this campaign shows her complete lack of political courage and inability to make any statements beyond her standard talking points issued by Washington insiders,” said New Hampshire GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen.

“Her unwillingness to answer simple questions about her positions reminds Granite Staters of the mediocrity and failed leadership that epitomized her six years in the corner office. It’s no surprise that Jeanne Shaheen wants to avoid a discussion on the issues given her history of election year flip-flops and her legacy of increased spending and higher taxes,” said Cullen.

Jeanne Shaheen Has Refused To Take Positions On Major Policy Issues:

The Nashua Telegraph: "[T]his is the posture Shaheen will take for as long as she can: Keep her own specifics to a minimum, except on those issues she believes are in her favor…In the meantime, the mantra is to keep this campaign in full metal jacket, attack mode against the incumbent… She tipped that strategy quite clearly during a Concord Monitor editorial board meeting late last month." ("State House Watch: Three Bills Waiting For Action” The Nashua Telegraph, 7/13/08)

The Eagle Tribune Reports That Jeanne Shaheen Failed To Take A Position On The Recent Supreme Court Ruling Affirming Second Amendment Rights: "U.S. Sen. John Sununu's office released a statement saying the Supreme Court ruling got ‘it right.’ Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen did not return calls asking for a comment." ("N.H. residents, GOP politicians applaud high court gun ruling," The Eagle Tribune, 6/27/08)

The Keene Sentinel Also Reports That Shaheen Also Refused To Comment On The Ruling: "New Hampshire’s Washington delegation was nearly unanimous in its delight. Republican U.S. Senator Judd Gregg said the ruling was ‘a historic moment,’ adding, ‘I applaud the court’s ruling.’ Republican U.S. Senator John Sununu said the ruling ‘gets it right.’ All the candidates we heard from applauded the decision. We didn’t hear from Governor John Lynch or Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen, however.” (Editorial, "Firearm Clarity?," The Keene Sentinel, 6/30/08)

Jeanne Shaheen Refused To Say If She Would Vote For Or Against The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) According To The Nashua Telegraph: "Presidential candidate Obama is still stuck in some hot water with his liberal base for voting to support the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation that gives retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies that cooperated in the wiretapping President Bush approved after the Sept. 11 attacks…So how would [Jeanne Shaheen] have voted? We’re still waiting for an answer to that question, posed Thursday afternoon." ("State House Watch: Three Bills Waiting For Action” The Nashua Telegraph, 7/13/08)

Good Afternoon

I just wanted to give you an update on some happenings with Team McCain and the Victory 08 effort. If you can make a phone bank of the town hall meeting please contact the individuals listed below.

You are formally invited to attend the official Kick-Off Event of the Knytych 4 Senate campaign. This event will run from 1 - 3 PM on July 20th.

This is a free event and there will be Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Chips and Corn. There will also be Ice Cream courtesy of the Kellerhaus.

I have invited the candidates for the 1st Congressional District, NH House candidates from the towns in the 4th NH Senate District (Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia, New Durham, Strafford and Tilton) and many of the residents of these towns. This will allow you the opportunity to meet with the others that are running for office in our area and to hear why I can win this election.

I look forward to seeing you there.

The Grandview is located at 291 Endicott Street North between
the Weirs Beach Sign and Funspot.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             CONTACT: Stefani Zimmerman
July 14, 2008                                                      (603)792-2008


Manchester, NH – U.S. Senator John Sununu (R-NH) issued the following statement today on President Bush’s decision to lift the executive ban on offshore exploration:

“The President’s decision today to lift the executive ban on offshore exploration is a good first step towards lowering energy prices and reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil. With oil at over $140 per barrel, the time to act is now. For too long the liberal special interests have blocked every reasonable attempt to increase domestic production. Only politicians as out of touch as Jeanne Shaheen have maintained their opposition to these common sense energy policies despite the increasing financial burden on New Hampshire families and small businesses. I have supported and will continue to support a balanced approach using the best and cleanest technology to produce more energy here at home. A balanced approach, including new domestic exploration in addition to conservation and renewables, is the only way to bring down prices and make America more energy independent.”

By Dave Horvath
Laconia Daily Sun, P. 4  7/8/08

To the editor,

Ellen McClung, wife of Scott Cracraft, self-proclaimed proud ultraliberals, recently announced she was running for the District 5 legislative seat that includes Gilford, Belmont, Alton and Barnstead. McClung’s letter was very understated in its announcement. Her and her husband’s viewpoints, published on many occasions in this newspaper, are admittedly part of the far left, agenda-driven culture that has overtaken the once proud Democrat party. This is true locally, statewide and nationally. It is my opinion, of a person raised in a Democrat household, that most Democrats are centrists and don’t hold the extreme viewpoints that McClung and Cracraft have espoused in the past.

I found it funny that now that she is a candidate that she has shied away from the hard left wing rhetoric. Perhaps I shouldn’t find it that funny as Obama, the most left wing presidential candidate (and least qualified ) this nation has ever seen is now running to the right of Senator John McCain. Why do ultra liberals feel its necessary to hide who they really are? Or call themselves “progressives”?

Many things in her announcement should be addressed, space allows me to only comment on a few. Whether McClung and her cohorts want to wish us into a recession, the United States is not in one and haven’t been since the one that President Bush inherited from Clinton and his terrible tax policies. As she and her husband continue to remind us that they are educators (indoctrinators? ), they might want to do some fact checking before they speak.

A married couple earning $60,000 a year pays $3,000 per year less in federal income taxes now than in the last year of Clinton’s presidency. Look it up. That extra money is helping me with my choices in life. Liberal Democrats want to repeal this and other beneficial policies initiated by President Bush that help the average American. They want to create more government.

Once in my life I would like a liberal to say the high taxes we are imposing on our citizens is making difficult choices for Americans. Our citizens have to chose between medical bills, food, energy and are struggling, WE MUST CUT TAXES NOW! But that won’t come from an archetypal left wing liberal like McClung. She would rather see my home and lifestyle in jeopardy than to renounce high tax, big government entitlement programs. Whether in Concord or on a national level, government does nothing better than the private sector. But it is precisely McClung’s policies that make it more difficult for the poor and elderly.

The $400-million dollar, 17.5-percent budget increase given to us by the current ultra liberal Democrats in Concord is costing a family of four in New Hampshire over $1,200 more per year than we have already been paying. I for one would like that money back to make choices with. My lifestyle has not improved because of this tax increase, has yours? We don’t need a McClung to add to our statewide fiscal woes. The first Democrat Legislature in Concord in one hundred years has been nothing short of a disaster. McClung doesn’t seem to understand that this tax increase hits the least among us the hardest.

The problems that we see in the cost of energy have been building for over 40 years. We can’t build nuclear plants, clean coal fired plants, refineries or drill for oil at locations of large known reserves. Wind farms and solar power are okay as long as you can’t see them from Senator Kennedy’s cape compound. But these are unreliable and the power grid needs backup sources at higher costs still to support such an ill conceived sole source program. McClung states that she wants good paying American job opportunities, great, you and your liberal policies need to get out of the way. Over 500 high paying union jobs were lost in Laconia alone, at Bergen-Paterson Corporation when nuclear power fell out of favor because of liberal policies. Do some more homework and find out what one power plant or refi nery would do for job creation let alone going forward with a coherent national energy policy.

So as McClung asks for your support, I ask that you as fellow taxpayers do your homework. I have. I have followed the liberal litany of her and her husband’s past stated positions. We do not need any more high tax, big government liberals at any level of elected office. Find someone better to vote for than her.

David R. Horvath, Sr.
Gilford

By Rep. DAVID HESS
For the Monitor
July 13, 2008 - 12:00 am

No matter how hard they try, Democrats in Concord just can't sugarcoat their tax, borrow and spend policies of the last two years. A case in point is the recent opinion piece authored by House Speaker Terie Norelli ("Republicans left costly problems for us to solve," Monitor Forum, June 25).

Despite the harsh accusations, half-truths and just plain misstatements, she can't turn this year's budget disaster into an M&M chocolate.

Let's look at the facts. First, state spending. In the 2006-07 biennium, general fund appropriations totaled $2.71 billion. Under the leadership of the Democrats this session, that figure jumped to $3.19 billion; that's an increase of $475 million, or 17.5 percent. This money is raised from taxes and fees paid by you, the taxpayers of New Hampshire.

So how are the Democrats planning to pay for this? First they raised no less than 15 taxes and fees, including a second increase in the cigarette tax in two years. They also found new things to tax, such as charitable games of chance, cigars, registry of deed filings, court filings and many more.

But that wasn't enough to correct the deficit, so they decided to bond $90.5 million to pay the state's current expenses. They did that in a single, hurry up "special" legislative session that ended at midnight June 5 - all without referral to a committee, without a public hearing and with inaccurate information and misrepresentations
on the House floor.

Bonding school building aid

The history of this issue is particularly disturbing. In early May, the governor proposed bonding $80 million in school construction aid to help pay for the budget deficit. After a hearing before a joint House-Senate committee, this proposal was unanimously rejected - with the House Democratic leadership leading the charge. Then, barely three weeks later, during our midnight special session, and without a word of explanation or justification, the Democratic leadership did a 180-degree turnaround and passed this bonding on a straight party- line vote.

Not only that, but they threw in another $20 million in bonding to boot, all with no public hearing or any public input whatsoever. So much for the democratic process.

And what about some of the other misleading comments in Speaker Norelli's piece? Yes, indeed, the State House roof was leaking in the spring of 2007, but it was the previous Republican House that passed the appropriations to fix it.

As for the vaunted retirement plan fix, the House did - unanimously, and on a voice vote - pass an excellent bill that was fair to retirees, current employees, employers and taxpayers alike, only to see the big public employees' unions dismantle it in the Senate. In the face of extreme union pressure during the committee of conference, the House Democratic leadership backed down on virtually every major point. So we will be back trying to fix this again next year.

10-year highway plan

Finally, the 10-year highway plan. The Democrats didn't fully fund that either. In fact, when Commissioner Charles O'Leary presented the plan, he realistically asked for a six-year plan, which was unanimously endorsed by committee Republicans because it was fully funded, honest and straightforward in its design. Again, the Democrats chose smoke-and-mirrors legislation.

Maybe if Speaker Norelli and House Democrats were less concerned with blaming Republicans and appeasing the governor, but instead concentrated on doing the work of the people, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today.

(Rep. David Hess of Hooksett is the deputy House Republican leader.)

From the McCain NH campaign, a note to those that wish to assist:

Town Chairs, 

 

My name is Ben DiSesa and I am writing to you on behalf of the McCain campaign from the Manchester Office on 250 Commercial Ave, Manchester, NH.  We are strongly involved in gathering volunteer support for McCain and as you probably know, just opened the office last week.  We now need volunteers to come down and help to organize volunteer events.  We are also opening up offices around NH and are going to need dedicated people to staff them.  My cell phone number is (603) 978-5710, my email is Ben@nhgop.org, and you can contact me at anytime if you have any questions about what you can do to help McCain and other Republicans get elected.  With only 120 days left until the election, we can't stress enough how important it is to build a strong support network of volunteers.  Starting tonight at 5 pm people will be coming to the Manchester office and anything you can do, either by volunteering yourself, or giving this information to people who you know can help, would be appreciated. 

We need volunteers as soon as possible!  Thanks,

 

Ben DiSesa

Victory Campaign Staff

603-978-5710

Ben@nhgop.org

From RedState:

The GOP is the Party of Freedom of Choice

The Party that Believes in Your Right to Direct Your Life

Charles Manson stole this song from the Beatles – now, we’re stealing it back.

The Republican Party has always embraced a wide range of ideological beliefs – and this diversity of thought has sometimes inspired conflict, as it has also led to great achievement. Yet through all debates, despite all regional or political concerns, the foundation of Republicanism has been the same since its inception: the freedom of the individual, and the value of every human life.

These principles have guided the party from its origin as a political force to destroy slavery, to the long fight against communism, to the ongoing battle for the sanctity of the unborn, to the present war against the forces of Islamism. Those principles will guide the Republican Party through the twenty-first century, and beyond. And we believe the GOP must rededicate itself to the idea of individual freedom – of being the party that believes not in government mandated parity, which wields the power of the bureaucracy to force a false equality of outcome, but in a level playing field for all Americans regardless of race, class, or creed – ensuring an equal opportunity to compete, succeed, and thrive.

The Republican Party must reclaim its rightful mantle as the leading champion of Freedom of Choice.

People must be free to decide how to direct their lives for themselves, and then be responsible for their choices.

On education, Republicans believe you must be free to choose how you want to educate your children. Government should not stand in the way of your choice, whether in the form of home schooling, government schooling, charter schools, vouchers to leave a failing school for a thriving school, or other opportunities.

On healthcare, Republicans should embrace an end to regulatory regimes that prevent citizens from buying healthcare across state lines. Republicans should embrace reforms that allow the free market to play a greater role in health care, not a lesser role. Republicans should embrace total portability of health insurance so workers can be free to choose a new job without fear of losing their insurance.

On taxes, Republicans should embrace the Republican Study Committee plan for an alternate flat tax. If you want to go through the regular 1040 process with itemized deductions, etc., do it. If you want to bypass that route, file a postcard return based on a flat tax — the taxpayer’s choice.

On energy, Republicans, including our Presidential nominee, should embrace every option. You want nuclear power? Republicans should favor that choice. You want to use the resources we have instead of buying it from our enemies? Republicans support legislation to allow us to drill here and now. You want methanol and other biofuels? Republicans should break down trade barriers that prevent the importation of ethanol and Republicans should break down subsidies that raise the price of food stuffs in the name of producing corn based ethanol and other biofuels. Republicans should be in favor of letting consumers decide which light bulbs consumers want for their own homes.

On Social Security, Republicans should favor greater investment options for individuals’ retirements. If an individual wants to keep the current social security regime, we should let them. If an individual wants greater control investing their social security, we should let them have it. And above all else, because the government has already made certain choices regarding social security and medicare withholdings, Republicans should not use FICA/FUTA revenues for anything but social security and medicare/Medicaid payments respectively, in the current year.

When individuals are allowed to choose for themselves, they take an ownership interest in their choices. One of the greatest failures of the present administration has been not aggressively communicating and supporting the President’s idea of an ownership society, which contains at its core the revolutionary undercurrent that motivated America’s founding: that each individual holds within themselves the capacity and right to self-government.

This is an enormous contrast with the Democrats. In almost every area of their agenda, they are opposed to self-government. They advocate less freedom for the individual to direct their lives – they remove the Freedom of Choice from the American citizen, and give it instead to bureacracies and agencies and the many eddies and tidepools of the federal government, all managed with the efficiency and responsibility of your local Department of Motor Vehicles.

Our next meeting will be held this Thursday, May 22 at 6:30pm

Place: Gilford Town Hall, lower level Lunch room area

We'll have a special speaker - TBD.

The next meetings:

• June  19    3rd Thursday of the Month      TBD

Join John on his announcement tour
Please RSVP to info@johnstephen.com

Board of Selectmen Meeting

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
7 p.m.

The time has changed - notice that it is no longer at 3pm!  This meeting is not just for those that can get away during the regular working day hours.

Will it stay that way?  It all depends on you, the townfolk of Gilford.  Show up, it may stay that.  Don't, and it may revert back to the afternoon time.

If you want to let the Selectmen know your feelings about how the town is run, now's the time to show up.

(cross posted at GraniteGrok and GilfordGrok)

pending cap initiative

A conservative group is coordinating efforts in four cities to cap municipal spending at the rate of the consumer price index beginning in 2010.

The New Hampshire Advantage Coalition is working with activists in Manchester, Concord, Merrimack and Rochester to put proposed changes to those communities' municipal charters on the ballot in November.

Coalition chairman Mike Biundo said the effort was sparked by "legislative overspending" last year and by the recent initiative by the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition "to strip away our (anti-broad base tax) pledge and strip away what New Hampshire is, a low-tax, low-spending state."

Biundo said that by tomorrow, language for charter amendments will be filed in the four municipalities. He said plans call for similar filings shortly in Londonderry, Conway, Portsmouth, Keene, Somersworth, Lebanon and Bedford.

"When you add up the 11 communities, this is over 30 percent of the electorate in the state," he said.

Biundo said state law requires the proposed petitions for the charter amendments to be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office and Department of Revenue Administration. He said that when the language is approved, organizers will have 60 days to gather petitions signed by at least 20 percent of the number of local residents who voted in the last municipal elections.

Biundo said his coalition has hired former Ron Paul field director Jared Chicoine and brought back former coalition executive director Tammy Simmons. He claims that such an effort "has never been done before on this scale in this state."

Calling all Republican Men and Women!
$75 per person provides: Campaign School Manual and Lunch.
 
What are the workshops being offered?

• Management
• Media
• Strategy
• Get-out-the-vote techniques
• Opposition Research
• Fundraising

Register Now! or call Christine Peters (673-0959)

(Update: looks like the link is bad and their site is down....call first)

CALLING ALL CANDIDATES

The filing period for state, federal, and county offices opens six weeks from tomorrow and runs June 4 – 13. The political environment for NH Republicans is much-improved compared to 2006. John McCain is going to run strong at the top of the NH ticket, guaranteeing that our state candidates will be evaluated on their own merits this year. Republicans will see a net gain in seats this year. The only question is how many will we win back – and will you be among the winners? If you are interested in running for office this year or want more information about what offices are available and what it takes to run, to win, and to serve, please contact Mike Hamilton at 225-9341 or email

STAFFING UPDATES

Here at NH GOP headquarters, our staff are Mike Hamilton, Executive Director, Pete Flynn, Finance Director, Tom DeRosa, Political Director. We expect to add more staff soon as the coordinated Victory effort takes shape. Stay tuned.

120 CLUB

Join the NH GOP 120 Club and help us make New Hampshire a solid Red State. For $10 a month you can help fund our candidate recruitment and our “Get Out The Vote” effort in November. Your contribution can make a big difference. Please click here for more information.

JEANNE SHAHEEN, FLIP-FLOP QUEEN (this week’s example)

Last fall Shaheen Proposed Rolling Back The 2001 Tax Cuts. “‘Nationally, we've got to do something, not just about costs, but about the 47 million who are uninsured and underinsured,’ said Shaheen adding that rolling back the bush tax cuts of those who earn more that $200,000 per year would pay for about half of that expense.” (Gail Ober, “In Laconia: Shaheen Meets With Leaders,” The Laconia Citizen , November 30, 2007) However, earlier Shaheen Said She Would Have Voted In Favor Of The Tax Cuts If She Had Been In The Senate. Shaheen: “One is on the Bush tax cut, where I said that I would have voted for the Bush tax cut had I been in the Senate.” (Harry R. Weber, “Leadership, Abortion, Taxes, Independence, Education,” Associated Press , October 26, 2002)

NH POLITICAL LIBRARY

The NH Political Library’s annual Awards Dinner is Wednesday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m. at the Center of NH Radisson in Manchester. Honorees are former US Senator Bill Bradley, former Governor Mitt Romney, CNN’s Candy Crowley, and former Governor Walter Peterson. Tickets are $150. For more info, call Celina Hurley at 225-4617 x11 or register online.

EVENT HONORING SENATOR WARREN RUDMAN

On May 13, Americans for Campaign Reform is holding a fundraising dinner honoring former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman. Keynote speakers are former Senators Howard Baker and Nancy Kassebaum Baker. The event is at 6:00 p.m. at CR Sparks in Bedford. Tickets are $50 each. For more info, call 227-0626.

CAMPAIGN SCHOOL
The National Federation of Republican Women is holding an all-day campaign school on May 17 in Nashua. The school is open to men as well as women! For more info, contact NH NFRW Chairwoman Christine Peters at 673-0959 and go check it out

We saw the political railroad at full steam here in NH as the newly annointed Dems rammed through and ran the table to enact civil union legislation in all but record time right after the election.  Not a whisper of this issue appeared during the campaign; after the election, it  became a whirlwind.

Well, it happens in other places, too!  And sometimes, instead of the tornado, the political process becomes a glacier:

Those who remember almost any recent election will likely stop to read that headline again. After all, isn’t it the Democrats who have been making the claim every other year that their voters have been disenfranchised?

[snip]

Since 2004, SJR 127 has been introduced into the Tennessee Senate and passed by a wide majority each time. Each time it has gone to the Tennessee House where it has died in Committee, the Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee of Health and Human Resources Committee to be precise. It was the same earlier this year. On a party line vote, the Subcommittee refused to allow SJR 127 to come out of committee to the full House where it would pass and then be put on the ballot in 2010 for all Tennesseans to vote on. Six committee members, all Democrats, are preventing six million Tennesseans from having their say. Talk about disenfranchising voters!

The resolution these six anti-democracy Democrats are keeping from appearing on the ballot is as follows:

Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.

[snip]

In 2008, in the United States of America, who could oppose letting the people vote on such an important issue and have a say in the way things are done in their state? Who, indeed? It is the Democrats who oppose such a thing! It is the Democrats who insist the people be forbidden from voting on the matter!

Once again, the phrase of "elections count" rings true.  In this case, as in MA where legislators refuse to allow a ballot measure to reach their constituents on gay marriage for a wider vote, we see Dems acting badly and refusing to allow the full flower of democracy to spread its petals.

Again, we hear so often from Dems that Republicans freeze out their voters.  In this case, the Democrats are freezing out ALL the voters.

Sad...
(cross posted at GraniteGrok)

Sure, LET'S use the taxpayers as an ATM machine!  After all, it's THEIR money (ha! not ours!)!  NH Advantage, what's that?

It is becoming quite clear that the NH Democrats have seriously overreached in this year's State budget, especially in the area of revenue forcasting.  They decry that the national and local economies are to blame: "that's why revenues are down!".

Er, not so fast.  While revenues have not met expections, actual revenues are up year over year.  Hear that?  Actual revenues are up.  This small, simple fact gives lie to the Democrats claim that the NH economy has tanked; the only thing that has tanked is their revenue projections!

So, do they admit that overreach?  Do they admit that perhaps the glasses they wore at the time had a tad more tinge of rose in them than warranted?  Of COURSE not!

So, what is their sole way to fix their self-induced problem?  Of COURSE - let's raise taxes and fees (never "how do we protect the taxpayers" and perhaps ramp down the cost of government).  Here's a prelim list:

Increased Taxes and Fees this Session:

• HB 1309—A new tax on cigars that will adversely affect sales along the NH border.
  

• HB 1426—Motor fuel imported into NH will be taxed higher and dedicated to a cleanup fund that DES testified, “does not need money right now.”
  

• HB 1594—Establishes new fees that will be levied on the backs of small business owners in NH.
  

• HB 1286—Requires mortgage originators to pay a $100 licensing fee and a $100 renewal fee.
  

• HB 1414—Increases the bail commissioners fee by $15 per day.
  

• HB 1360—House Democrats defeated a bill that would have repealed the civil court filing fee that they adopted last year. Adding a fee of $25 for filing any civil case is just another step in preventing our citizens from seeking redress and is yet another example of the mismanagement of the budget.
  

• HB 1547—House Democrats refused another attempt to repeal the fee charged to the Register of Deeds in an attempt to fund LCHIP by using a method that is harmful to citizens experiencing an already fledging real estate market.
  

• SB 528—Created a $5 incentive for recycling mercury thermostats that would be paid by manufacturers and passed along to the consumer.
  

• SB 519—Imposes a per diem fine on dam owners and operators for failure to repair damage.
  

• SB 317—Raises the tobacco license fee—once again hurting small business and chipping away at the New Hampshire Advantage.

Notice the pattern - a death by a THOUSAND cuts (or pennies, or dollar bills in this case)....just to show that NONE of it will be sufficient to put in a broad based tax.  Yup, we created a crisis for which the only answer is MORE of YOUR money!

When I was asked to help restart the Gilford Town Republican Committee, I accepted, but with one condition - we were not going to be yet another, "not doing much" group of Republicans.  Thus, and since being elected Chair, I see my role as being twofold:

• Help to rally Republicans around a message that can be believed
• Begin to put that message into force with concrete actions

Simply put, let's give people a reason to choose to be and vote Republican!

Tonight, after discussing the NH GOP Platform, this item caught our attention:

Promoting a limited government that is open, responsive and fully accountable to and in touch with its citizens without interfering in their personal, daily lives.

and began a discussion in how it would apply to the GTRC.  Combining that with Charlie Arlinghaus's column on transparency in government relative to the mess that the Democrats have made in Concord (no, its not just the economy, as total State revenues are up year over year, the Democrats just went WAY over the cliff on spending and are now looking for cover), the attendees decided to put that into action:

As Gilford Republicans, our first goal is to request an opening up of local government by making all public information more easily available  by the local govenmental bodies with which we are concerned:

• Town of Gilford
• Gilford School Board
• Belknap County
  

What is lacking is a plethora of flashlights - citizen overwatch of their own government and with the current outcry by some when Right To Know requests are filed, the easiest solution is to make those requests irrelevant by bringing that information to our citizens instead of forcing citizens to come to the information.

One of the easiest ways to do that is with more fully operational and informative governmental websites that would provide portals totally open to the taxpayers. The minimum each website should contain can be seen after the break (and is modeled after requirements listed by the Sunshine Review).

Thus, we call upon the Town of Gilford, the Gilford School Board, and the Belknap County Commissioners to more fully use their websites to more fully open up their levels of government and make it easier for their citizens and taxpayers access the information that is, by right, theirs.

The technology to simply put them out on the web is simple (i.e., put PDF copies of information on the web sites).  The next step is to then put information that can be analyzed (e.g., Check Manifests) out in formats that ordinary citizens can then download and examine (e.g., EXCEL spreadsheets).

The relevant Press Releases can be found after the jump.

Our next meeting will be held this Thursday, April 17 at 6:30pm

Place: Gilford Town Hall, Conference Room A.

We'll be having a "working" session this month (no special speaker).

























The next meetings:

• May 22      4th Thursday of the month     Town Hall, lower Level lunchroom area
• June  19    3rd Thursday of the Month      TBD

The reminder about the upcoming fundraising event for the Belknap County Mt Washington cruise is here.  Thanks to a vote this past Wednesday, the Belknap County Republicans will split any profits from any of the tickets that the Gilford GOP sells for this event.

Let me know if you want some to sell and if you are looking for names to call, let me know that too!

Also, the video from that meeting where John Stephen (candidate, NH - CD 1) and Jim Steiner (candidate, NH - CD 2) spoke can be seen here.

-Skip

Date:        4/9/08
Time:        5:30pm   Dinner ($12)
                6:00pm   Meeting

Place:       Shanghai Restaurant
                331 South Main Street
                Laconia, NH
                (603) 524-4100

Speakers   John Stephen
                Candidate for Congress - District 1
                John Stephen For Congress
               

                Jim Steiner
                Candidate for Congress - District 2
                Jim Steiner for Congress

General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker returned from Iraq to testify to the relevant Senate subcommittees.  Senator Sununu, R-NH, had the following statement:

SUNUNU STATEMENT ON PETRAEUS, CROCKER TESTIMONY

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator John Sununu (R-NH) today (4/8) released the following statement regarding the testimony of General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on the Iraq War before the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

“No American should serve a day longer in Iraq than is absolutely necessary, but an immediate withdrawal of all coalition forces would leave behind an unstable and dangerous environment.

“Over the past year, our men and women serving in Iraq have performed bravely and exceeded every expectation.  Security has improved significantly, the Iraqi military has taken on greater responsibilities, and the government has enacted vital legislation for debaathification, reconstruction, and sharing power among the different regions.

“General Petraeus has provided outstanding leadership throughout this time, placing us on a path to bring home 30,000 soldiers and working with Ambassador Crocker to press Iraqi political leaders for more progress.

“Now, we need to let General Patraeus and his commanders on the ground finish the job. They should be given the chance to evaluate the situation, set goals for bringing home the rest of our troops safely, and leave behind a more secure region.”

Once again, the Belknap County Republicans will be commandeering the M/S Mount Washington cruise ship.  Leaving from its dock in scenic Weirs Beach, we'll be water-borne for a few hours of meet-and-greet, conversations, speakers, and good food. Start planning for it now!

If you are interested in going, see me for tickets. 

If you are interested in perhaps selling some, I'll come to you! The more we sell, the better chance / leverage we'll have in trying to persuade the County level folks to share some of that fund raising money with us!

I've updated the Town, County, and National GOP organizations in the blogroll (to your right). Also, the known GOP candidates for Congress and Senate are now listed as well as Governor.

Hopefully, we will be getting them in to talk with us soon!

From PolitickerNH:

RNC plan keeps New Hampshire first
By Brian Lawson
Tags: RNC, Ohio plan, New Hampshire Primary, Jim Splaine, Fergus Cullen

The Rules Committee of the Republican National Committee has adopted a plan that would preserve New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary status.

By a vote of 28 to 12, the committee passed the "Ohio plan" that would allow New Hampshire to be the first primary state and specifies that South Carolina follow New Hampshire.

"This is an important first step in the process of preserving our first in the nation primary. There is broad consensus that our Republican nominating process has worked well, and the way John McCain earned our nomination is prima facia evidence of that," Fergus Cullen, Chairman of New Hampshire Republicans, said in a statement.

The plan could be changed at the RNC Conventional in September.

State Rep. Jim Splaine (D-Portsmouth) said he thought the Democratic Party should establish similar rules.

"It would be good if the Democratic National Committee does something similar, although that decision might not come for another year or two. Having states like Michigan and Florida continually challenging New Hampshire could be head off by bringing some sanity to the process," Splaine said.

Splaine also pointed out that under New Hampshire law the Secretary of State must pick a date that is "seven days or more" before a "similar election."

Last week, the GTRC met and had a special speaker - Jeb Bradley.  I think that it would easy to say that all present had a great time listening to Jeb and getting all their questions answered. See the:


Note: we did have another special guest there as well - just not one that was invited.  As Fergus Cullen had told folks, Democratic operatives are showing up where ever GOP candidates are showing up to video them.  They are looking for any gaffes that they can create 30-second sound bites to use against them.  Here she is:

Nicole Cameli
New Hampshire Democratic Party
(you know, the one that uses cars with Wisconsin plates!)
ncameli@nhdp.org
(O) 603-225-6899

(Cross posted at GraniteGrok and Belknap County Republican Commitee)

Date:   This Thursday, 3/27/08
Time:   6:30pm

Where:    Gilford Town Hall

47 Cherry Valley Rd,
Gilford, NH 03249

Conference Room A

Special Speaker:      Jeb Bradley

Candidate for NH Congressional District 1

Manchester Mayor Guinta who "may" be running for Govenor spoke for a while along with Grant Bosse who is looking to be the candidate to unseat Paul Holdes.  The Citizen had a good article on them....

I'll be posting the video of the meeting over at BelknapCountyRepublicans.org later on.

From the Citizen: (Guinta and Bosse)

For not having officially announced his candidacy for governor in this coming November's election, Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta sure sounded like a candidate when he addressed the Belknap County Republicans at their monthly meeting at the Shang Hai restaurant in Laconia.

"It's great to see Republicans energized talking about the possibilities for 2008," said Guinta.

Guinta is in his second term as mayor and outlined his accomplishments, including lowering crime, curbing spending and maintaining an ability to work across party lines to get the job done.

Over the course of his address, Guinta covered several topics including keeping the New Hampshire advantage, parental notification and the 171⁄2 percent spending increase.

The mayor initiated the budget discussion by fielding a question on the property tax issue posed by John Downs, or JD the Barber as he is known in Laconia, who offered a proposal for a property tax cap.

"We don't have a revenue issue in this state, we have a spending problem," said Guinta, laying responsibility at the door of current Democratic governor, John Lynch.

He noted that he would support a property tax cap as he believes it would force whoever is in Concord to spend wisely and for things that are truly needed.

"We've already seen a small part of what the other party will do to this state," warned Guinta. "Someone has to step up."

Whether it will be Guinta who steps to the Republican plate for an at-bat as Governor is something that remains to be seen. When asked about that directly by Rep. Laurie Boyce, R-Alton, Guinta said he was looking at the possibility of running but had yet to make a formal decision.

Guinta also tackled the retirement system issue by saying that he would start by looking at other states and make sure the problem was not used as an excuse to implement a broad based tax system.

"Do you see solutions being brought to the problem, or excuses?" asked Guinta.

Another Republic candidate was present at the evening meeting.  Grant Bosse, who is running for the 2nd District congressional seat preceded Guinta by giving a brief address to county Republicans about his own campaign.

Bosse, who severed as a staff member for Sen. John E. Sununu, is one of four Republican candidates seeking the seat now filled by Paul Hodes.

"Congress is broken and I'd like to fix it," said Bosse, who advocated a return to the core of democracy concerning national defense and economic stability though responsible governmental spending, among other things.

On a personal note, Bosse attributed much of his success and coming to politics to the late House Minority Leader Michael Whalley. Like many Republicans from around the state, both Bosse and Guinta had attend Whalley's funeral last week.

Gilford Elections are Tuesday, 3/11/08, from 7am to 7pm.  Weather is expected to be Great (no excuses!)


Republicans Running for positions:

Selectman:
    John Goodhue(R)
    Joe Hoffman(R)

Budget Committee:
    Sue Greene(R)
    Bob Brent (R)
    Joe Hoffman(R)
       
Library Trustee:
    Weldon Bosworth(R)

Fire Engineer:
    Don Spear(R)



Trustee of Trust Funds:               Moderator:                        Town Clerk / Tax Collector:
        Wayne Snow(R)                      Joe Hoffman(R)                   Joe Hoffman(R)

Town Treasurer:
        Karen Saunders(R)
        Joe Hoffman(R)

It is rumored that Mayor Guinta may be running for Governor this time around.  Grant Bosse may also be there, and is running for the opportunity to take Paul Hodes's Congressional seat from him in NH 2nd District.

Interested?  This Wednesday at the Belknap County Republican Committee meeting:

Date:   3/12/08
Time:   5:30 pm Buffet
           6:30 pm Meeting

Place:   Shang Hai restaurant
             331 South Main Street
             Laconia, NH  03246

In addition to Mayor Guinta, Grant Bosse (who is running to wrest the seat held by Paul Hodes (D) in NH 2nd Congressional  District), will be at the meeting.  His website is here

Time to talk about the upcoming elections, take care of some old business.

Date:   This Thursday, 6:30pm
Time:   6:30pm

Where:   DGF Industrial, GIlford
             25 Waterford Place, Gilford, NH
                                                  03249
             (603) 528-6591

From PolitickerNH:

Mike Hamilton named new NH GOP Executive Director

Mike Hamilton has been hired has the new Executive Director for the New Hampshire Republican party.

Hamilton is a former field representative for Mitt Romney's campaign and a graduate of Dartmouth College. He replaces Steve DeMaura who left the position to take a job in Washington D.C.

"Mike has practical campaign experience in
New Hampshire and has deep roots in the state," Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen told PolitickerNH.com.

A New Hampshire political strategist said, "Mike is a highly organized individual and will be great for the party."

The Executive Director is responsible for day-to-day operations of the state party.

We wish him good luck!