NH Resources

  New Hampshire State Senator David Starr (R-Franconia) recently reported on legislative progress in Concord including asking his constituents to be “pointing out bills that you care about.” There is a bill that I care about and if it passes into state law would result in needed statewide economic development and especially local tax base relief across the expanse of senate district one which is everything north of Plymouth. Senate Bill 310 would allow two casinos in New Hampshire including 5,000 slot machines, 240 table games like blackjack and roulette and the increasingly popular sports betting. If this legislation passes these two casinos would generate at least $134 million dollars a year in revenue to the state treasury. Revenue that could be used to solve many of the issues that now plague the Granite State: better roads, better schools, family leave, more social workers and local property tax relief. What I do not understand is why Sen. David Starr is not a co-sponsor o...

This is my introductory blog for my new website. And welcome to my website! https://nhresources7.wixsite.com   In any case I recently leaned of the history and meaning of the shrimp po boy sandwich, and if you haven't tried its very good. And it goes like this this. 1922 was a time of great labor strife all across New Orleans with many and continual strikes across the city in virtually every industry. As a show of solidarity with the striking workers, who were hungry many restaurants quickly grabbed whatever ingredients were available, shrimp, red onions, creole sauce,lettuce and tomato on a hard french roll. And was called a Po Boy. The Po meaning poor for the striking workers that needed something to eat. And so it began. And they taste really good.    Very distinctive flavor.

The Wall Street Journal has had some good recent articles about low commodity prices, particularly in the agricultural sector. It's a reality and from a strategy perspective should be most interesting to see where this goes. Some basic economics would say that as supply leaves the market the prices should be coming up. But for whatever reason(s) this doesn't appear the be the case. And not strangely surprising the politicians aren't saying too much. Remember the Farm Bill? Low Commodity Prices Cause Many Things.

To The Editor:    Governor Chris Sununu is headed over to Dubai for a robotics conference. My question is what will this do for New Hampshire?       There can be little doubt that in the evolving sphere of robotics technology there are some big things happening like life changing things. Many New Hampshire schools are now building robotics into their STEM curriculums and there an increasing defense industrial complex in the southern tier of this state that has ties to developing robotic technology.       But Chris Sununu is the Governor of New Hampshire and he isn’t the Commissioner of Education or Business and Economic Affairs and he is leaving the Granite State at a time when there are pressing leadership needs here, whether this is the unfinished state budget or continuing issues in health and human services, transportation infrastructure and more recently, the liquor commission.       In th...

  If former senator Molly Kelly were a stronger gubernatorial candidate Gov. Chris Sununu might be in trouble, but she isn't.   Starting with his seriously flawed proposal to bring amazon to New Hampshire the performance of this governor has been essentially nothing.   All of his legislative initiatives from school vouchers to right to work crashed right along with parts of the state budget and contract negotiations with the state employees union. The first term governor shuffled the Department of Resources and Economic Development or infamous DRED to Business and Economic Affairs which is supposed to be advancing the state economy and creating jobs. But instead it picks winners and losers with the winners being mostly from Concord.   In the Granite State the next election is never more than two years away. This encourages performance by elected officials but it really doesn't work like this. Statewide political campaigns simply cost too much.   Almost r...

  Kirby, Vermont resident Melanie Finn wants to restrict free speech and letter writers to the Caledonian Record.   "Limit length of letters. This paper needs more diverse, fresh voices on the letters page. Many other newspapers have such policies." Finn said. One would not need to look further than New Hampshire to see just how dangerously bad this would be.   All New Hampshire newspapers restrict length in one form or another. This isn't ideal but it's fair considering the rising costs of newsprint and the market competition newspapers face. These are also opinion letters not graduate level dissertations and some letter writers don't understand this. But the rest of the letter writing policies that exist in the Granite State are clear restrictions of free speech and constitutional rights.   This starts with one letter per month, geographical requirements for submission and with content has to be in alignment with the political philosophy of the editor. The...

Two days after the state primary will be a day of decision for New Hampshire.   The September 13th veto override day in Concord will determine if wood biomass energy production has a future in the Granite State. This vote could go either way.   If the political analysts and State house watchers are to be believed there are now about 107 swing votes in the 400 member house. Swing votes are undecided votes that are frequently characterized by horse trading which isn't a good thing especially with the permanent economic consequence and job losses to the North Country if this override fails.   In recent days the wood biomass industry has stepped it's presence with rallies at the State house plaza and the southern tier which is where I think these swing votes are all from.   There has to be a 3/5ths vote majority to override Gov. Chris Sununu. This vote will be close like razor thin close. It will be a history defining day for New Hampshire.  

The Business Finance Authority made the right decisions in the now withdrawn Balsams Bailout.     New Hampshire does alot for a small state to advance economic development and create good jobs. This is significant because the Granite State can't dole out generous tax, land, energy and workforce incentives the way states like Tennessee, South Carolina and Connecticut can. Yet New Hampshire still manages to attract some quality business endeavors.     The Balsam's Bailout proposal wasn't a quality business endeavor. It was an example of speculation, risk and more to this point- gambling. And had these real estate dice rolls come up short the real loser would have been NH taxpayers.     But post Balsams Bailout I'm not understanding the behavior of local elected officials like Executive Councilor Joe Kenney and Berlin Mayor Paul Grenier. Their attitude seems to be one of complaining if not whining why this risky real estate deal didn't move forward. ...

  A number of wood biomass supporters including the son of a former governor recently appeared before a Sun editorial board with reasons why Senate Bill 365 should be overridden and continuing this North Country industry.       Unfortunately, they sung like a choir performing before the wrong audience.     Sen. Jeb Bradley, Lobbyist Jasen Stock, Tom Thompson and local forester Karla Allen all made compelling arguments for wood biomass energy production but they should have been in southern New Hampshire where the real votes are that will decide the fate of this industry on September 13th.     "If landowners who for years have been willing to share with the public and the state are going to shut access to their land down." said Tom Thompson son of the former governor best known for his ultra-conservative policies on state spending and his infamous quote, "Ax the tax!" New Hampshire was different then but Thompson is right if this override...

 Apathy kills things faster than the politicians in Concord.   And a killing time is coming. The fate of the New Hampshire biomass industry will be decided on September 13th which is veto override day at the Statehouse.   Some things will happen before then. New Hampshire has two advocacy groups dedicated to forestry and biomass energy production. The New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association and the NH Wood Harvesting Council both have a long-term lobbying presence in Concord. But neither are doing enough statewide outreach especially as $100 million dollars, good jobs and an entire way of life that sits in the crosshairs. Apathy Kills Things. Quickly.   If the legislature does not override the veto of Gov. Chris Sununu of Senate Bill 365 means the closure of six biomass energy plants, mass layoffs and some towns will lose as much as 27% of their total property taxbase. Bethlehem and Tamworth as examples.   The economic consequences for New Hampsh...

 Gubernatorial candidate Steve Marchand is a perpetual politician that has no real plans for New Hampshire.   Marchand made a recent campaign swing through Berlin and from the article by Barbara Tetrault, "is running partly because a lot of people have urged him to make another run." Marchand says.    Not a lot of substance there. Berlin like the rest of northern New Hampshire faces mounting challenges in everything from education quality to increasing strain on the local property taxpayer. The Marchand campaign offers nothing. I wonder who these people are that are urging him to run for Governor?     Marchand seems proud of his French-Canadian heritage, yet like the rest of his empty campaign offers nothing about what New Hampshire could do with Canada.     An experienced if not career politician, Marchand tries to make the argument that "no state has less of a relationship between state and local governments. Which really isn't true. New...

 In July the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau appointed a new minister of border security and organized crime reduction.       Changes are coming to the Canadian border.     "Managed in a way that promotes legitimate travel and trade while keeping Canadians safe and treating everyone fairly and in accordance with our laws." said Bill Blair the new minister.       While treating everyone fairly the question becomes what this could actually mean in places like Derby Line, Norton and West Stewartstown, New Hampshire? The border with Canada is either open or it's closed.     It goes both ways.  🛃🛃🛃

 Back in 2010 when Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maine and Massachusetts were legislatively moving towards allowing expanded gaming I knew this was the decline and fall of Atlantic City as a casino destination, and it was.  But before it all this happened I decided to experience the historic AC boardwalk and it's 12 casinos.     There were two things that instantaneously jumped out about this storied seaside location. There were at least 100 feral cats underneath the boardwalk and Russians everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Russians in the smallest casino like the AC Hilton once frequented by Frank Sinatra, Russians in the then newly opened Borgata which is like a  multi-level Walmart Supercenter with slot machines. And the boardwalk itself of course.     There were russians everywhere and I decided to find out why.     All of them spoke in broken english if they spoke it at all most wouldn't even make eye contact with me and re...

The candidates for the next election in New Hampshire have all filed.   As in all state elections there is alot of political speculation as to what could happen. I've heard for some time that the democratic party is poised to make big election wins because of President Donald Trump, and that the NH Republican Party is not only disorganized but is experiencing real issues in fundraising for it's slate of candidates.   The history of elections in the granite state is interesting. Many decisive political races have been fought and won not by political parties themselves, but by the role of undecided independents that swing a race either to the left or to the right.   I think this will happen in this next election and there will even be a few surprises.   The GOP will likely construct a breakwater against this reported blue wave that is coming and attempt to hold on to their held territory, which includes the governor's office. There will be alot of campaign ads and ...

September 13th will be a defining day in the history of New Hampshire.     This is veto override day in Concord. The house and senate will vote yea or nay for pieces of legislation that Gov. Chris Sununu has vetoed in this last legislative session.     One of these vetoed bills is Senate Bill 365, the wood biomass bill which will decide the course of history for the Granite State. The question that gets answered on this early fall day is whether New Hampshire will continue to have a working and sustainable forest industry with millions of dollars in local tax base and good paying jobs or not. September 13th will be a historical direction for New Hampshire.     Senate Bill 365 is about the North Country. Over 1/3 of the state is forested, most of it north of Concord. This veto override will require a 3/5 yea majority which is 250 votes in the 400 member house and 16 votes in the 24 member senate.     This 3/5ths is a real problem. A vas...

Governor Chris Sununu recently made a political campaign like swing up north to Conway.   Of course he was asked about the wood biomass industry and his veto of legislation that now decimates this North Country industry and lots of good jobs.    "To ask the governor to impose a quarter billion in tax, plus an additional subsidy, I'm not going to do that." Sununu said. Similar to his previous statements about subsidies the governor doesn't define these numbers like how the quarter billion is calculated.  "It's unfortunate about the jobs." the governor also said. It is unfortunate about the jobs and the loss of local tax base. It's unfortunate that New Hampshire can't have policymakers in Concord that can support well established state history with a realistic or even explained financial model or at least come up with a compromise. None of this was done.     Gov. Sununu is campaigning for a second term. I don't see anything stopping him...

  About 1773 the king of England, George III had a problem. English colonies were not paying taxes into the state treasury as they should.     New Hampshire was one such colony.   "Once vigorous measures appear to be the only means left of bringing Americans to a due submission to the mother country the colonies will submit." the powerful monarch said. He then sent divisions of British redcoats in heavily armed frigates across the atlantic quickly igniting a bloodshed fueled insurrection and a revolution which would ultimately forge a small forested New England state and later a country.       England lost this war but they might be returning.     The North Country of New Hampshire which is over a 1/3 of the state's landmass is on the verge of losing it's last working forests industry which has existed since before the American Revolution. Concord is now similar to London as centre of taxation, revenue, sovereignty and the issuance of ed...

  The Flying Yankee could be scrapped and it wouldn't be missed just like it hasn't been missed for the last 30 years. Moving The Flying Yankee Will Come To Symbolize Something. Rome.   But the idea of moving this train down to Concord is still a good one. It will cost the state well over $30,000.00 to bring it down from Lincoln. Then as a lighted, vandalized static display visible from I-93 it will come to symbolize what is wrong with Concord and it's growing similarities with that of Rome.   New Hampshire should not be in the railroad preservation business. There is no heritage with this train, only costs. This Flying Yankee train is nuisance nostalgia that needs to be scrapped.

Governor Chris Sununu recently made a political campaign swing up north to Conway.   Of course he was asked about the wood biomass industry and his veto of legislation that now decimates this North Country industry and lots of good jobs.   "To ask the governor to impose a quarter billion in tax, plus an additional subsidy, I'm not going to do that." Sununu said. Similar to his previous statements about subsidies the governor doesn't define these numbers like how the quarter billion is calculated.       "It's unfortunate about the jobs." the governor also said. It is unfortunate about the jobs and the loss of local tax base. It's unfortunate that New Hampshire can't have policymakers in Concord that can support well established state history with a realistic or even explained financial model or at least come up with a compromise. None of this was done.   Gov. Sununu is campaigning for a second term. I don't see anything stopping ...

  There is a proposal to tear up part of the state owned rail line between Concord and Lincoln for a multi-use recreational bike trail.🚵🚵🚵     It's an idea that should at least be considered.   Purchased in 1975 from a bankrupt Boston & Maine railroad this state owned rail line has never been anything more than seasonal tourist trains and a scant few freight cars serving industries that really no longer even exist.   This is compounded by the fact that the state has no plans or even a strategy to market these rail properties or even improve them. The attitude of DOT Commissioner Victoria T. Sheehan is indifference, I know because I've asked her about state owned rail lines like the Concord-Lincoln line.     Regional Planning Commissions or even the Office of Business and Economic Affairs could advance both state and federal grant applications for this rail line, but they don't because this lethargic rail line just isn't a state prio...