Amherst Republican Committee

The NH GOP Victory Offices are now up and running across the state, and there is a critical need for volunteers to help out with the effort so we can sweep the Democrats out of office in November. Said offices are located in Bedford, Nashua, Salem, Keene, Stratham, and Laconia.

They will be running phone banks everyday and need volunteers to come in and help man the office, make survey calls right into their own towns, help with mailings, and help go door to door.

If you can help out with this effort, contact the person listed below at the office that would be most convenient for you to volunteer at:

Bedford Office – Simon Thomson – simon@nhgop. org or 415-0236

Nashua Office – Nick Pappas – nick@nhgop.org or 415-0279

Stratham Office – Caroline Gilger – caroline@nhgop. org or 415-0278

Salem Office – Bianca Garcia – Bianca@nhgop. org or 512-0588

Keene Office – Annie Kasper – annie@nhgop. org or 415-0012

Laconia Office – Mike Ciccio – mikec@nhgop. org or 712-2301

Also, Republican candidates can put their signs up at offices, drop off materials, and local candidates can make calls right into their district.

If you need further information please call the nearest victory office or contact BJ Perry directly at 603-225-9341 or bj@nhgop.org

Republicans Respond to Democrats’ “Income Tax Summit” With a Session to “Stop the Spending”

With the future of the New Hampshire Advantage and our quality of life in the state at stake, State House Republicans today announced plans to hold a public forum to discuss ways to cut state spending and the positive impact any cuts would have on future state budgets.

“We have seen nearly a 25% increase in General Fund spending since Democrats took control of the State House three years ago,” said House Republican Leader, Rep. Sherman Packard (r-Londonderry). “But instead of trying to live within our means and looking for ways to cut spending, Democrats increased or created more than 40 taxes, downshifted millions to our cities and towns, and used $400M in one-time money to cover their spending spree. Now they are holding a summit under the guise of a ‘Revenue Structure Informational’ session when, in reality, their goal is to study and eventually pass an income tax.”

The “Stop the Spending” forum will be held on Tuesday, October 27 from 9:30 am until noon at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. It will bring together a panel of experts to discuss ways that state government can cut spending and return fiscal sanity to the State House. Included in the group are Steve Norton, Executive Director of the NH Center for Public Policy Studies, whose mission is to raise new ideas and improve policy debates through quality information and analysis on issues shaping New Hampshire’s future.; former Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen; and Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, a non-partisan, independent think tank focused on state and local public policy issues that affect the quality of life for New Hampshire’s citizens

“The problem with the Democrats’ income tax summit is they are not getting to the root of the problem, which is spending. We should be sitting at the table discussing how we can hold the line on spending, not where we can raise taxes. Raising taxes during these difficult economic times is a horrible idea and would balance a bloated budget on the backs of the taxpayers,” stated Senate Minority Leader Peter Bragdon (R-Milford)

According to Rep. Norm Major, the Republican Policy Leader for the House Ways & Means committee, New Hampshire continues to lead the way in a number of categories both nationally and here in New England because of the quality of life that we enjoy. “The current tax structure is a diversified portfolio of taxes and fees—that does not include a broad based tax. As a result, when the economy goes into a downturn as we are currently experiencing, the New Hampshire does not witness such a large swing in our revenue stream, as do those states that rely heavily on broad based taxes,” said Major. “We simply don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem and that’s what we should be looking at.”

The program will conclude with Rep. Neal Kurk (R-Weare) and former Speaker Doug Scamman (R-Stratham), both veterans of the House Finance committee, who will discuss the excessive spending in the last two budgets and the impact on the New Hampshire Advantage.

The forum will be open to the public and, unlike the Democrats’ “Income Tax Summit” being convened in Concord this week, the panel will take questions from the general public.

James E. Rivers
House Republican Office
107 North Main St.
Concord, NH 03301
603-271-6277
www.nhhousegop.com

On August 17, 2009 the NH GOP published the following statement on Carol Shea-Porter’s refusal to meet with her constituents on important issues before the US House.

PHONING IT IN: SHEA-PORTER REFUSES TO FACE HER CONSTITUENTS

Only Days After Meeting With Liberal Bloggers, Shea-Porter Announces She Won’t Host In Person Town Hall Meetings With Constituents

CONCORD – The Union Leader reports today that Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter will not host in person town hall meetings during the August recess, and will only participate in controlled, telephone “town halls.” Her decision to refuse all face to face contact with New Hampshire residents comes only days after she appeared at a liberal blogger convention in Pennsylvania.

“If Carol Shea-Porter can find the time to meet face to face with far-left bloggers, there is no reason why she cannot extend the same courtesy to the people who elected her to the United States Congress. Her decision is a slap in the face of the First District residents who rightfully expect the opportunity to question their Congresswoman in a traditional, New Hampshire town hall format,” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “If Ms. Shea-Porter doesn’t have the courage to answer tough questions from voters about her support for higher taxes, reckless spending and the Democrats’ disastrous health care agenda, she should not be running for reelection.”

On Sunday, the Portsmouth Herald (8/16) blasted Shea-Porter for ducking her constituents and refusing to defend her support for the Democrats’ disastrous health care agenda. The paper also slammed her participation in telephone “town halls,” saying that the artificial format is no substitute for a traditional, face to face, New Hampshire town hall meeting.

“The whole concept of a telephone town hall meeting is flawed. We live in New England, where the town meeting form of government originated and where it still thrives. We know how a town meeting is supposed to work, and it certainly isn’t by telephone.” writes the Herald. “[Shea-Porter] doesn’t want to face questions from people who disagree with her positions, particularly on health care. We find this curious and regrettable, especially given her history of challenging her predecessor, Jeb Bradley, for nearly two years during his town hall meetings.”

While Shea-Porter has declined to meet with New Hampshire voters, she has managed to find time in her “busy” schedule to meet with far-left bloggers. On Friday, Shea-Porter ditched the Granite State to attend the “Netroots Nation” conference in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and address a friendly crowd of liberal bloggers. She has also committed to appear at the “Blue Hampshire Bash” on August 24 in Concord and mix and mingle with Democrat Party insiders, more far-left bloggers and liberal activists.

Embattled Governor Without A Backup Plan As Court Decision To Block JUA Theft Plunges State Into Another Budget Crisis

CONCORD – One day after a Superior Court ruling blocked his attempt to steal $110 million from the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association (JUA), Governor John Lynch is frantically scrambling to address the state’s latest budget crisis. Despite repeated warnings that the court would rule against the state’s claim, Governor Lynch has failed to develop a contingency plan since the court initially froze the funds in June.

“Its time for Governor Lynch to finally stand up and take responsibility for his failure to produce a balanced and fiscally responsible budget. The Governor was fully aware that his attempted theft of the JUA funds would likely be blocked by the courts – even before he approved this disastrous budget,” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “His irresponsible actions further prove that during these challenging times, John Lynch is incapable of providing responsible and effective leadership for the State of New Hampshire.”

Republican leaders in the House and Senate repeatedly warned Governor Lynch that his attempt to steal private money to balance the state budget was unconstitutional and would likely be overturned by the courts. After the Superior Court initially froze the JUA money on June 29, 2009, Republican senate minority leader Peter Bragdon immediately called on the Governor to veto the budget and work on a new plan that excluded the disputed funds. Lynch ignored his warning and signed his irresponsible budget on June 30 – knowing full well that it would be out of balance on day one.

Lynch has “deflected repeated questions from reporters about contingency plans,” (AP, 6/30) in the event that the court would halt his irresponsible revenue scheme. Despite obvious indications that the state wouldn’t be able to claim the surplus funds, Lynch has “repeatedly declined to detail alternatives and instead emphasized his belief in the rightfulness of the state’s claim to the money.” (Concord Monitor, 7/30)

Lynch’s silence has drawn criticism from non-partisan budget watchers including New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies executive director Steve Norton, who said that as a result of the court ruling, “Plan B needs to be developed, and to date, we haven’t heard any Plan B,” from the Governor. (Concord Monitor, 7/30) Since the decision was announced, Lynch has continued to dodge questions about how he plans to address the staggering deficit and has merely pledged to appeal the decision to the State Supreme Court.

“John Lynch’s only solution to this budget crisis is to cross his fingers and hope that it will somehow fix itself. That’s not leadership – that’s a dereliction of his duties as New Hampshire’s chief executive,” said Williams. “During these tough economic times its becoming increasingly obvious that now more than ever New Hampshire needs a new governor.”

Governor Lynch’s crumbling state budget faces additional challenges as even more lawsuits threaten to unravel his irresponsible revenue schemes. Local government leaders are moving forward with a separate lawsuit to stop the Governor from reducing the state’s share of the retirement contribution rate for municipal employees and downshifting costs to local taxpayers. A court has also issued an injunction requested by the New Hampshire Health Care Association that halts Lynch’s attempt to rescind an $8.8 million dollar payment to Granite State nursing homes.

As a result of his failed leadership and fiscal mismanagement, Governor Lynch’s favorability ratings have plummeted in recent months and his disapproval ratings have reached all time highs. Governor Lynch’s problems only look to get worse in the future as he begins to make plans for the FY 2012-2013 budget. This budget will start off with an immediate $500 million deficit due to his irresponsible use of one-time money in the current budget, and will present the Governor with an even worse fiscal crisis than the one he currently faces.

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Lynch Administration Plunges Into Chaos

Embattled Governor Losing Control As Union Contract Negotiations Break Down, Investigation Launched Into Allegations Of Misconduct By His Administration, Lawsuits Threaten To Unravel His Budget, And His Poll Numbers Plummet

CONCORD – Governor John Lynch is quickly losing control of state government as charges of unethical tactics in contract negotiations, allegations of potential misconduct in the awarding of a no-bid railroad contract, and the filing of major lawsuits have rocked his Administration and threaten to unravel his disastrous budget. The Governor’s job approval ratings have plummeted in recent weeks and his disapproval ratings have skyrocketed as voters have become disillusioned with his failed leadership and fiscal mismanagement.

“After years of dodging the critical issues and the tough decisions, Governor Lynch finds himself in a crisis of his own making. Today, New Hampshire is facing enormous challenges that have been made worse by over four years of irresponsibility and inaction by the Lynch Administration.” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “John Lynch’s inability to address the serious problems facing New Hampshire and his failure to provide any leadership during these tough times proves that now, more than ever, this state needs a new governor.”

Yesterday, the Lynch Administration’s contract negotiations with the New Hampshire State Employees’ Association (SEA) collapsed after the union accused the Governor of unethical negotiation tactics. The SEA, which has been without a contract since the Governor missed a June 30th deadline to finalize a new one, is planning to file an unfair labor practice complaint against Lynch.

The Lynch Administration has also been at the center of an investigation into potential ethical misconduct committed during the awarding of a state railroad contract. The Attorney General’s office is investigating serious allegations that members of the Democrat House leadership team improperly pressured Transportation Commissioner George Campbell to award a no-bid state contract to the Milford-Bennington Railroad Company. This company is currently owned by Representative Peter Leishman (D-Peterborough), a member of the powerful House Finance Committee which has significant influence over Commissioner Campbell’s department budget. An article in the July 12, 2009 edition of the Nashua Telegraph reports that Governor Lynch personally intervened to make sure that “any kinks in the [contract] would be ironed out.”

Governor Lynch’s disastrous state budget is also on the brink of collapse as major lawsuits threaten to unravel his irresponsible revenue schemes. The Superior Court will soon rule on the ownership of the $110 million that Lynch has tried to steal from the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association (JUA.) If the court rules against the Lynch Administration, the state will face another budget crisis as the FY 2010-2011 budget and the recently completed FY 2008-2009 budget will immediately be thrown out of balance. Local government leaders are also moving forward with a separate lawsuit to stop the Governor from reducing the state’s share of the retirement contribution rate for municipal employees and downshifting costs to local taxpayers.

As a result of his failed leadership and fiscal mismanagement, Governor Lynch’s poll numbers have plummeted in recent months. Recent surveys conducted by the University of New Hampshire, the American Research Group and National Research Inc. all confirm that Lynch’s approval ratings have dropped by double digits, while his disapproval ratings have skyrocketed to the highest levels ever recorded. National Research’s Granite Survey also reveals that 47% of New Hampshire citizens currently feel the state has “gotten off on the wrong track” under the Lynch Administration while only 41% believe it’s headed on the right track. In April 2009, only 33% of New Hampshire citizens thought the state was on the wrong track, while 55% believed it was on the right track.

Polls also show that more people are less likely to vote to re-elect Governor Lynch because of his decision to break his word and legalize same-sex marriage. Lynch had previously pledged to oppose same-sex marriage during his gubernatorial campaigns, but folded under pressure from the radical wing of his party and legalized it in June.

Governor Lynch’s problems only look to get worse in the future as he begins to make plans for the FY 2012-2013 budget. This budget will start off with an immediate $500 million deficit due to his irresponsible use of one-time money in the current budget, and will present the Governor with an unprecedented fiscal crisis.