From the Nashua Telegraph…
What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to launch a campaign for more independence from excessive government spending and the subsequent taxes?
The organizers of this movement purposely chose the day that most New Hampshirites must pay their property taxes, July 1, to give their point resonance.
The national, nonprofit Americans for Prosperity announced the formation of its New Hampshire chapter, promising at least 12 town hall forums to educate tax-and-spending-control activists on their methods to get government attention.
The first such forum is planned for July 18 at the Center of New Hampshire in Manchester and features Glen Caroline, director of the lobbying and electoral education arm of the National Rifle Association. Caroline has 30 years’ experience in organizing effective grassroots groups.
New Hampshire is the 22nd state to attract AFP attention, according to state Executive Director Corey Lewandowski, of Windham.
“New England is the last region for us to establish a presence, and New Hampshire seems like a natural fit for us,” he told me.
The AFP’s timing seems flawless. While families make tough spending decisions in the face of huge increases in heating, electricity, food and gasoline costs, government spending and taxing continues to escalate.
There seems to be no sense of economic reality in Concord, Washington or town/city halls. Families forgo or reduce what once seemed to be essential activities, while government merrily grows and spends, adding to the burden.
Legislators, selectmen, councilmen, school board members and members of Congress all have to learn tough spending decision-making or face voter wrath. It is easy to be a liberal spender; just say “yes” to everything. Being a responsible conservative requires more backbone. We need backbone now.
This reality is beginning to sink in as people get their pay-ahead heating bills. A $2,000 heating budget for last year will approach $4,000 this year. That extra $2,000 must come from somewhere. Families can’t “enhance revenue” as easily as the politicians raise taxes and fees.
Meanwhile, the state Legislature has increased spending $300 million beyond a 4.7 percent revenue increase and has borrowed $140 million in addition to increasing taxes and fees. The already strapped taxpayer must come up with the $300 million and the interest on the loans. All of that money comes from people in New Hampshire, residents and visitors.
Regional school costs per pupil have gone up an average of 5 percent since the 2004-05 school year. You can see the details at http://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/data/ financial.htm .
The breakdown by town is in the table nearby. I use costs per pupil because it can’t be explained away by population growth. Perhaps we should convene a regional school cost reducing forum in, say, Derry.
School boards produce all kinds of rationales explaining why they can’t cut costs. Maybe they can come up with one that at least holds spending per pupil flat.
Here is an idea from the business world: List your staff by order of productivity and then release the bottom 10 percent. Be sure to include administrative staff in your list.
Every government organization I have ever seen has non-performers. Those are the ones who aren’t replaced when they retire. But while they’re sitting around waiting for the magic day when they no longer need to pretend to work, the taxpayer foots the bill. I once knew a building inspector who read fishing magazines most of the day until he retired.
Every town/city hall and school supervisory union has employees who don’t carry their weight. Can them! We can’t afford them any longer.
New Hampshire is ripe for an organization such as the AFP. The Legislature has spent us into a big hole, and school boards think they’re isolated from economic reality. The strain on our seniors has become unbearable, which some cynical politicos jump on to promote an income tax.
Lewandowski says instituting an income tax isn’t the answer.
Let us welcome the AFP and its grassroots efforts to rein in excessive government spending. For more information, visit Americans for Prosperity NH