NH Political Thread. For Discussion of NH Politics. (Portsmouth: school, taxation)

[sgthoskins]

The .gov shouldn't be able to tell you what you can and can't consume period.

[Valerie C]

I absolutely agree with GregW on this. We wouldn't let our dogs suffer the way we allow our cancer patients to...

Originally Posted by GregW

About time. Most of these people will not be around for very long anyway. Why should they suffer considering we provide very powerful opiates for the folks in pain?

[seamusnh]

From the Unionleader article mentioned above:

"According to the governor, this budget will "decrease state spending for the next two years" and closes tax loopholes because of revenue problems. That sounds nice, but it isn't really the case.

State spending by any measure we use is increasing, not decreasing. Two years ago, the governor criticized me for using just the general fund (the amount we raise with regular taxes) in my budget analysis. He preferred to use the percentage increase for total state spending. The two-year budget being considered spends $11.55 billion over two years, an increase of about $1.2 billion over the current budget (see the totals sheet for each budget as passed on the Legislative Budget Assistant Web site at New Hampshire General Court). That's an increase of 10 percent -- not a decrease.

The more traditional number, and the one the governor used in his budget address this year, is general fund spending. In fiscal year 2009, we will spend $1.505 billion. That includes liquor commission spending and certain fine revenue for the Department of Safety, both of which are being moved out of the general fund in this budget to make the spending number seem smaller. Spending for FY 2010 including those two categories is $1.558 billion, a 3.5 percent increase -- not a decrease."

Union Leader - Columns

So Lynch calls it a decrease when it is actually an increase. Must be the new math...

[Lincolnian]

Does anyone know if there are any Tea Party rallies planned this weekend in NH? This Cap and Trade bill put me over the top. Live Free or Die may be against the law before long if some people in D.C. have their way!

[nicolem]

There was supposed to be one in Portsmouth but it was cancelled. This site that I listed below lists some others but when I click on links some don't give much info. One group that I am a member of online is directing everyone to the one in Boston.

America's July 4th Independence Day Tea Party

[BF66389]

Along the same lines; what kinds of businesses do we have in NH that will be affected by cap & trade? I know we have some paper mills up north (though many closed) and some power plants...but I'm not sure what other kinds of businesses would have a high enough output to have to participate in the program anymore...

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by BF66389

Along the same lines; what kinds of businesses do we have in NH that will be affected by cap & trade? I know we have some paper mills up north (though many closed) and some power plants...but I'm not sure what other kinds of businesses would have a high enough output to have to participate in the program anymore...

I suggest you review the cap and trade discussions on CD. They are taking place in Politics, Business, and RE threads.

This bill is not just about power plants. The 1200+ page bill contains provisions that require one to have their home inspected by a federally-certified inspector who conducts an energy audit. Your home would have to be brought up to code before it could be sold and reinspected.

This bill will lead to higher energy costs. Think you'll just use your wood stove more? Nope, your stove will need to be rated for CO emission standards. New stoves would have to be emissions certified and old ones would need to be scrapped.

There is a 300 page addition that was added in the wee hours of the morning when this massive piece of legislation was passed by the house.

[BF66389]

Are we sure that the purpose of the audit talk in the bill was not just for "labeled" buildings and those claiming tax credits for saving energy? Essentially establishing a federal standard for certifying, etc...

Seriously back to my original question...what are our businesses that emit "stuff" on a large scale besides power plants and some paper mills? I'm not attempting to downplay the bill, I honestly want to know.

[CrazyDave]

Union Leader

Concord – Gov. John Lynch on Friday snuffed out legislation that would have legalized marijuana use for people suffering from cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and other severe illnesses.
Lynch's veto came despite efforts by lawmakers who had rewritten the bill to overcome objections voiced by the Democratic governor.
Severely ill patients will now either risk arrest to ease their suffering, or obey the law and suffer, said Matt Simon, director of New Hampshire Common Sense.
"These are real people who are suffering," he said.
Simon and the bill's sponsor, Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D-Lancaster, said they will attempt to implement the law through an override.
In his veto message, Lynch said the bill has serious flaws. He worried about unauthorized distribution, noting that volunteer growers and distributors would have access to the drug.
He also took issue with the amount of drug that would be allowed to be dispensed: 2 ounces over 10 days.
Lynch said the state must be sure it is implementing the right policy.
"We cannot set a lower bar for medical marijuana than we do for other controlled substances, and we cannot implement a law that still has serious flaws," he said. He said he has tremendous compassion for patients, and he remains open to "tightly controlled usage of marijuana for appropriate medical purposes."
The bill passed the House, 232-108, last month and the Senate, 14-10. Depending on attendance, the House may have the two-thirds support to override, but supporters need two more votes in the Senate.
"We're going to take a fresh approach, and hopefully their constituents can convince a few senators and we will pull this off," Simon said. He acknowledged the odds are against an override.
The bill would have established three nonprofit "compassion centers" to dispense marijuana to severely ill patients whose doctors approve. The state would license the centers and issue identification cards to staff, approved patients and their caregivers.
The New Hampshire bill called for more regulation than any other medical marijuana law, said Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, chairwoman of the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee.
"This one was so narrow, so tight, so restrictive that I thought, 'Let's leave this up to doctors and patients,'" said Rosenwald, a Nashua Democrat. "We had an opportunity to protect some of our sickest patients."
Thirteen states already allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
The bill would have made New Hampshire the third state to adopt a "pharmacy model" by licensing compassion centers. Rhode Island and New Mexico have enacted similar models.
Some other states allow individuals to possess and grow the drugs. Patients can also buy marijuana at stores in California.
Also, patients would have had to satisfy two criteria before qualifying for legal use of marijuana:
-- First, they would have had to have a qualifying chronic or terminal illness. Diseases that would meet the requirement would include cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, hepatitis C while receiving antiviral treatment, and Crohn's disease.
-- Second, they would have been eligible only if they had not responded to previously prescribed medication for three months to treat severe nausea, vomiting, seizures or muscle spasms.
The bill is silent on the cost to patients, but supporters hoped contributions would have allowed them to dispense the drug with little or no cost to patients. According to Lynch, the state's administrative costs would have been so high that only the wealthiest patients would be able to afford to pay the resulting fees.

[nicolem]

I personally could care less about this-pass or fail does not matter to me. I would have much preferred our governor use his veto for the budget with the tax/fee increases and out of control spending. This, gay marriage, abortion, other "social issues" consume the news while our politicians are spending more and more really taking away my freedoms via my $$.

I wish people would get as vocal and worked up about the out of control spending and taxation as they do about these "social issues". Then maybe we would have real fiscal conservatism and restraint in this state.