NH Resources

 New Hampshire casino legislation has once again been filed. Senate Bill 586 would allow 5,000 slot machines and 240 table games at "siting of the casino locations is done for optimal revenue impact." Wherever this is.     Starting next year two higher end casinos in Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts will open and almost immediately begin scraping $59 million dollars a year right off the New Hampshire economy. This number will only go higher. Senate Bill 586 is so poorly crafted legislation it does nothing consider Massachusetts never mind competing with it.     Senator D'Allesandro the lead sponsor should have done some in-depth market research before filing this bill and it's apparent he didn't. For example the Lakes Region and North Country areas both have strong tourism economies which casino gaming might enhance, possibly exponentially. This bill does nothing to consider the tourism economy in New Hampshire and never mind it's location.

    Last year Rep. Annie Kuster received a golden spike award for her work for Amtrak passenger rail. It's too bad she can't make the same effort and do the same thing in her own district.     Along with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Rep. Kuster advanced security legislation that will allow Amtrak to cross over the border from Vermont into Canada and later Montreal.    "I'm honored to receive the golden spike award and look forward to continue working to promote rail service in New Hampshire and throughout the country." Kuster said. The problem with this is that Rep. Kuster doesn't do this.   She talks about creating local jobs across her congressional district but hasn't gotten behind a single capital initiative to improve rail and intermodal capability on the 170 miles of active rail line in New Hampshire some of which lead into Canada.     Rep. Kuster would rather support Amtrak. A state subsidized and increasingly neolithic railroad

  Last year Rep. Annie Kuster received a golden spike award for her work for Amtrak passenger rail. Rep. Annie Kuster Gets Golden Spike Award But Does Little To Nothing For Her Own New Hampshire District.  It's too bad she can't make the same effort and do the same thing in her own district.     Along with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Rep. Kuster advanced security legislation that will allow Amtrak to cross over the border from Vermont into Canada and later Montreal.   "I'm honored to receive the golden spike award and look forward to continue working to promote rail service in New Hampshire and throughout the country." Kuster said.   The problem with this is that Rep. Kuster doesn't do this . She talks about creating local jobs across her congressional district but hasn't gotten behind a single capital initiative to improve rail and intermodal capability on the 170 miles of active rail line in New Hampshire some of which lead into Canad

  Last year Rep. Annie Kuster received a golden spike award for her work for Amtrak passenger rail. It's too bad she can't make the same effort and do the same thing in her own district.   Gets Award. Too Bad She Cant Do This In Her Own District.   Along with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Rep. Kuster advanced security legislation that will allow Amtrak to cross over the border from Vermont into Canada and later Montreal.   "I'm honored to receive the golden spike award and look forward to continue working to promote rail service in New Hampshire and throughout the country." Kuster said.   New Hampshire Owns Over 170 Miles Of Rail Line. Rep. Annie Kuster is doing nothing.   The problem with this is that Rep. Kuster doesn't do this. She talks about creating local jobs across her congressional district but hasn't gotten behind a single capital initiative to improve rail and intermodal capability on the 170 miles of active rail line in New

  The Business Finance Authority is set to vote in March on the Balsam's Bailout. This is a bad deal for New Hampshire.   The Balsam's Bailout. "There will have to be public hearings if they submit an application." said James Key-Wallace of the BFA in response to my concerns that this proposed $28 million dollar state guarantee involves too much risk and long-term consequences to the state treasury if it fails.     So where were the public hearings?     It will be interesting if this Balsam's bailout impacts the state owned Cannon mountain along with the rest of the state's ski industry. This will be bad for skiing and bad for New Hampshire.

  New Hampshire casino legislation has once again been filed.   Senate Bill 586 would allow 5,000 slot machines and 240 table games at "siting of the casino locations is done for optimal revenue impact." Wherever this is.     Starting next year two higher end casinos in Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts will open and almost immediately begin scraping $59 million dollars a year right off the New Hampshire economy. This number will only go higher. Senate Bill 586 is so poorly crafted legislation it does nothing consider Massachusetts never mind competing with it. Wynn Boston Harbor Casino Will Scrape Millions Off The New Hampshire Economy.     Senator D'Allesandro the lead sponsor should have done some in-depth market research before filing this bill and it's apparent he didn't. For example the Lakes Region and North Country areas both have strong tourism economies which casino gaming might enhance, possibly exponentially. This bill does nothing to

  Senator Maggie Hassan recently came to the aid of Amtrak though not in New Hampshire, but in Vermont. What could be wrong here...... Senator Maggie Hassan Helps Amtrak In Vermont.    "They are so critical for our state's and businesses." Hassan says as a reason to continue running a mostly empty Amtrak Vermonter into White River Junction. This is an example of what is wrong with Amtrak and the surreal Washington politics that surround this neolithic and subsidized railroad.   Sen. Hassan would rather spend millions of dollars in state subsidy instead of considering private sector alternatives like Greyhound bus lines which has newer equipment, lower ticket prices and directly services this same area at least four times a day.   It's interesting that Sen. Hassan even had the time to assist Amtrak in Vermont. I've never seen her in the North Country, never mind explaining what exactly Amtrak even does for New Hampshire, so critical or not.   It's clea

  Vermont should suspend it's Amtrak service and it's state subsidy.         Amtrak needs to improve it's operations and run a well-managed, competitive railroad.   Throughout this winter I've witnessed half-empty Vermonter and Ethan Allen Express trains traverse through Vermont as Greyhound bus lines ran on exactly the same routes with better service and prices. Their coaches weren't half-empty either.   Started in 1971 after the bankruptcy of the Penn Central railroad Amtrak has strayed from its original purpose to save passenger rail. Instead its become a labyrinthine bureaucracy based in Washington that doesn't respond to anything including market conditions.    For example, Amtrak has a corporate goal in it's route planning of serving state capitols like Montpelier. They've actually scrapped better route proposals like Boston to Burlington because of policies like this which makes no sense. Bringing Amtrak onto the Burlington waterfront is a qual