I’m a fiscal conservative & pro-reform in regards to education
To the editor,
My name is Mark Billings and I am running for the Inter-Lakes School Board as a representative from Meredith. I am running for the open seat resulting from the retirement of Jack Carty. These are big shoes to fill and we all owe Jack our sincere gratitude for his years of service on the board. The children, the families and the three communities in our district have all benefited greatly because of Jack's commitment to educational excellence.
I believe I bring a number of qualifications that will serve the board and all the constituents in our three communities.
My wife Martha and I have lived in Meredith for the last 12 years and have raised three sons, now in their thirties. We have always been involved in the public schools in the communities where we lived. Martha was an elementary school teacher in Mill Valley, California during the eighties and nineties while I coached youth sports for many years. We both believe our public schools lie at the heart of who and what we are as communities and that our most important responsibility is the preparation and education of our children.
I am the proud product of a small town regional school system and will be forever grateful for the wonderful education I received. That school district, now in its fiftieth year, has consistently ranked in the top three in Massachusetts. That is my vision for Inter-Lakes.
I am uniquely prepared for this position after having attended every school board meeting, budget workshop, public hearing and district meeting for the last three years. I am currently a member of the Inter-lakes School District Strategic Planning Committee and for the last 15 months have been working with teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members in the drafting of the Core Value Statement, the Vision Statement and the Mission Statement. That work and my participation continue as five subcommittees are now working towards action plans designed to achieve the goals outlined in the Core Value, Vision and Mission Statements.
I don't come from a background in public education as the majority of the board does. My background is in the financial services industry as a financial analyst and economist. Because of that different skill set, plus my current position as treasurer for the Town of Meredith, I would bring to the board a strong understanding of both municipal and public school finance and budgeting. I believe this would be value-added to the Inter-Lakes School Board.
As a member of the Meredith Conservation Commission I have actively promoted greater collaboration between our public schools and the work of the Conservation Commissions. We are blessed with our natural resources and the phenomenal life science laboratories we have in our own backyard. I played a small role in the awarding of a $5,000 "Green Grant" to the Sandwich Central School to enhance their Environmental Studies program. I then had the wonderful experience of serving as an adult assistant for a field trip by the three upper grades of Sandwich Central School out to the Cold River where the school's new scientific testing equipment was used to enhance the curriculum lead by Mr. Hillger and Mr. Chapman.
My Education Philosophy:
I believe every child is unique in how they learn and that the educational resources available today allow us to personalize each student's education in ways that will have a positive impact on student achievement.
I believe in flexible, anytime/everywhere learning — learning beyond a traditional school day, school year or building. Education should include online or blended learning, hands-on opportunities, and instruction offered by a range of teachers, experts, or technologies.
I believe in early education/intervention and that the investment made in our pre-school children has the largest return by all societal measures.
I believe in a student driven, competency-based education, not the antiquated "industrial age" production line approach based largely on date of birth.
I believe our teachers, administrators and support staff are the most important resource we have in determining the quality of the education we provide our children and that hiring and retaining great talent is critical. I also believe we have amazing educational resources in the residents in our three communities that needs to be embraced and utilized as mentors, advisors, coaches and where appropriate instructional adjuncts.
Politics has no place in our communities school system; it is divisive and damaging to all constituents. Our children, our schools and the three communities are best served when the school board represents the differing perspectives within our communities. Yes, I am a fiscal conservative; I believe we owe the taxpayers our best efforts in making sure every dollar we spend is appropriate and necessary. I am also progressive and pro-reform when it comes to education. I see no conflict in those two philosophies and strongly believe we can take our school system to the top and better prepare our children for success in the twenty-first century. Please come to the Meet-the-Candidate events, call or email me with your questions. I will answer them honestly so that you can best determine if I would be the right choice for the Inter-lakes School Board. The first Meet-the-Candidates event will be Thursday February 21, at the Meredith Community Center at 6:30 PM.
Mark Billings
Meredith
My name is Mark Billings and I am running for the Inter-Lakes School Board as a representative from Meredith. I am running for the open seat resulting from the retirement of Jack Carty. These are big shoes to fill and we all owe Jack our sincere gratitude for his years of service on the board. The children, the families and the three communities in our district have all benefited greatly because of Jack's commitment to educational excellence.
I believe I bring a number of qualifications that will serve the board and all the constituents in our three communities.
My wife Martha and I have lived in Meredith for the last 12 years and have raised three sons, now in their thirties. We have always been involved in the public schools in the communities where we lived. Martha was an elementary school teacher in Mill Valley, California during the eighties and nineties while I coached youth sports for many years. We both believe our public schools lie at the heart of who and what we are as communities and that our most important responsibility is the preparation and education of our children.
I am the proud product of a small town regional school system and will be forever grateful for the wonderful education I received. That school district, now in its fiftieth year, has consistently ranked in the top three in Massachusetts. That is my vision for Inter-Lakes.
I am uniquely prepared for this position after having attended every school board meeting, budget workshop, public hearing and district meeting for the last three years. I am currently a member of the Inter-lakes School District Strategic Planning Committee and for the last 15 months have been working with teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members in the drafting of the Core Value Statement, the Vision Statement and the Mission Statement. That work and my participation continue as five subcommittees are now working towards action plans designed to achieve the goals outlined in the Core Value, Vision and Mission Statements.
I don't come from a background in public education as the majority of the board does. My background is in the financial services industry as a financial analyst and economist. Because of that different skill set, plus my current position as treasurer for the Town of Meredith, I would bring to the board a strong understanding of both municipal and public school finance and budgeting. I believe this would be value-added to the Inter-Lakes School Board.
As a member of the Meredith Conservation Commission I have actively promoted greater collaboration between our public schools and the work of the Conservation Commissions. We are blessed with our natural resources and the phenomenal life science laboratories we have in our own backyard. I played a small role in the awarding of a $5,000 "Green Grant" to the Sandwich Central School to enhance their Environmental Studies program. I then had the wonderful experience of serving as an adult assistant for a field trip by the three upper grades of Sandwich Central School out to the Cold River where the school's new scientific testing equipment was used to enhance the curriculum lead by Mr. Hillger and Mr. Chapman.
My Education Philosophy:
I believe every child is unique in how they learn and that the educational resources available today allow us to personalize each student's education in ways that will have a positive impact on student achievement.
I believe in flexible, anytime/everywhere learning — learning beyond a traditional school day, school year or building. Education should include online or blended learning, hands-on opportunities, and instruction offered by a range of teachers, experts, or technologies.
I believe in early education/intervention and that the investment made in our pre-school children has the largest return by all societal measures.
I believe in a student driven, competency-based education, not the antiquated "industrial age" production line approach based largely on date of birth.
I believe our teachers, administrators and support staff are the most important resource we have in determining the quality of the education we provide our children and that hiring and retaining great talent is critical. I also believe we have amazing educational resources in the residents in our three communities that needs to be embraced and utilized as mentors, advisors, coaches and where appropriate instructional adjuncts.
Politics has no place in our communities school system; it is divisive and damaging to all constituents. Our children, our schools and the three communities are best served when the school board represents the differing perspectives within our communities. Yes, I am a fiscal conservative; I believe we owe the taxpayers our best efforts in making sure every dollar we spend is appropriate and necessary. I am also progressive and pro-reform when it comes to education. I see no conflict in those two philosophies and strongly believe we can take our school system to the top and better prepare our children for success in the twenty-first century. Please come to the Meet-the-Candidate events, call or email me with your questions. I will answer them honestly so that you can best determine if I would be the right choice for the Inter-lakes School Board. The first Meet-the-Candidates event will be Thursday February 21, at the Meredith Community Center at 6:30 PM.
Mark Billings
Meredith
Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 01:20
Hits: 214
Quality of education environment brought us to Meredith
To the editor,
My name is Chris Mega. I'm running for the 3-year Meredith position on the Inter-Lakes School Board. Many people in the community know me for my music endeavors as pianist and chairman of the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, and as an active fundraiser for the music programs at Inter-Lakes High School. I'd like to share some of my qualifications, background, and some of the issues that prompted me to run for the School Board.
I'm a 13-year Meredith resident, and have owned property here since 1992. I have two children — now a freshman and sophomore in college — who were successfully educated from K-12 at Inter-Lakes. When our older son was ready for first grade, we visited the Elementary School and were struck by the colorful open-concept library. That first impression spoke volumes about the care and quality of the educational environment. We moved here in 1999 because of that visit.
I have a degree in Computer Engineering from UMass Amherst. I worked in the technology industry for 12 years, at Digital Equipment Corporation where I received two U.S. patents for technology inventions, and as a founding member of a successful technology start-up company.
Regarding leadership qualities, after the startup I became president of an Internet marketing company, managing clients, employees, capital budget, and the technology for our 60-person parent firm. I recently stepped down as chairman of the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, a position I held for seven years. I currently own my own business, where I primarily work with school music departments throughout New England.
I am no stranger to finance. I was a licensed financial advisor; I managed the Internet banking program at Meredith Village Savings Bank; and I worked at a financial planning firm working with high-net-worth clients.
For community service and educational involvement, I've been working with students in various capacities for the past 13 years. Some notable highlights include:
— Volunteering with I-L Junior High science program on "Weedbusters" — a milfoil awareness campaign that won a $10,000 national prize for students and the science department.
— Teaching Laconia High School math students about compound interest and investing.
— Participating in Junior Achievement teaching kids about banks and saving.
— Working with Laconia High School students to complete their Independent Study requirements.
— Involving Moultonboro Academy students in a symphony dress rehearsal and concert.
— Working with Tilton School to produce their annual school musical.
So why run for school board? I am as concerned as any about the rising costs and continued downshifting of expenses at the state level. Politically I am a conservative independent who tries to see balance in all issues, will cut unnecessary costs, and will fund investment when lasting value can be obtained. I thought once my kids graduated from ILHS I would become the disinterested parent, but that is not the case. I am just as concerned now for our students, our town, and our collective children's futures as I was when my children were attending Inter-Lakes. I am a regular guy struggling to pay college tuition and lie awake wondering how my children's generation will manage in the face of today's technology, economic, and social challenges.
My wife Diane is in her 13th year as a math and computer science teacher at Inter-Lakes high school. Some may raise an eyebrow about potential conflict of interest, but this is not a unique situation and it is addressed in District Policy 8345. Conflict exists with boards of any organization, and rules such as Policy 8345 allow boards to function normally. Over the past three years one former and one current ILSD board member had spouses who were employed by the district. Schools function, administration works, and the board governs despite recusals and absences. The system works. In addition, we are in year one of a 3-year contract cycle with the ILSD teachers — negotiations won't happen for another two years.
Even the State of New Hampshire agrees. On January 30, 2013 a N.H. Senate Committee vice-chaired by Jeanie Forrester unanimously killed SB-73, a proposed bill that would disallow family members from sitting on school boards if an immediate family member was employed in the district. They realized conflict could exist, but local municipalities are equipped to function with policies such as 8345.
I am excited to put my cumulative knowledge — as board chairman, financier, educator, technologist, entrepreneur, community servant, husband, father, and musician — to work for the benefit of students and families of the Inter-Lakes School District. You can read more and contact me through my web site ChrisMega.com. I respectfully ask all residents of Center Harbor, Sandwich, and Meredith to vote for me on March 13th.
Chris Mega
Candidate for ILSD School Board
Meredith
My name is Chris Mega. I'm running for the 3-year Meredith position on the Inter-Lakes School Board. Many people in the community know me for my music endeavors as pianist and chairman of the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, and as an active fundraiser for the music programs at Inter-Lakes High School. I'd like to share some of my qualifications, background, and some of the issues that prompted me to run for the School Board.
I'm a 13-year Meredith resident, and have owned property here since 1992. I have two children — now a freshman and sophomore in college — who were successfully educated from K-12 at Inter-Lakes. When our older son was ready for first grade, we visited the Elementary School and were struck by the colorful open-concept library. That first impression spoke volumes about the care and quality of the educational environment. We moved here in 1999 because of that visit.
I have a degree in Computer Engineering from UMass Amherst. I worked in the technology industry for 12 years, at Digital Equipment Corporation where I received two U.S. patents for technology inventions, and as a founding member of a successful technology start-up company.
Regarding leadership qualities, after the startup I became president of an Internet marketing company, managing clients, employees, capital budget, and the technology for our 60-person parent firm. I recently stepped down as chairman of the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, a position I held for seven years. I currently own my own business, where I primarily work with school music departments throughout New England.
I am no stranger to finance. I was a licensed financial advisor; I managed the Internet banking program at Meredith Village Savings Bank; and I worked at a financial planning firm working with high-net-worth clients.
For community service and educational involvement, I've been working with students in various capacities for the past 13 years. Some notable highlights include:
— Volunteering with I-L Junior High science program on "Weedbusters" — a milfoil awareness campaign that won a $10,000 national prize for students and the science department.
— Teaching Laconia High School math students about compound interest and investing.
— Participating in Junior Achievement teaching kids about banks and saving.
— Working with Laconia High School students to complete their Independent Study requirements.
— Involving Moultonboro Academy students in a symphony dress rehearsal and concert.
— Working with Tilton School to produce their annual school musical.
So why run for school board? I am as concerned as any about the rising costs and continued downshifting of expenses at the state level. Politically I am a conservative independent who tries to see balance in all issues, will cut unnecessary costs, and will fund investment when lasting value can be obtained. I thought once my kids graduated from ILHS I would become the disinterested parent, but that is not the case. I am just as concerned now for our students, our town, and our collective children's futures as I was when my children were attending Inter-Lakes. I am a regular guy struggling to pay college tuition and lie awake wondering how my children's generation will manage in the face of today's technology, economic, and social challenges.
My wife Diane is in her 13th year as a math and computer science teacher at Inter-Lakes high school. Some may raise an eyebrow about potential conflict of interest, but this is not a unique situation and it is addressed in District Policy 8345. Conflict exists with boards of any organization, and rules such as Policy 8345 allow boards to function normally. Over the past three years one former and one current ILSD board member had spouses who were employed by the district. Schools function, administration works, and the board governs despite recusals and absences. The system works. In addition, we are in year one of a 3-year contract cycle with the ILSD teachers — negotiations won't happen for another two years.
Even the State of New Hampshire agrees. On January 30, 2013 a N.H. Senate Committee vice-chaired by Jeanie Forrester unanimously killed SB-73, a proposed bill that would disallow family members from sitting on school boards if an immediate family member was employed in the district. They realized conflict could exist, but local municipalities are equipped to function with policies such as 8345.
I am excited to put my cumulative knowledge — as board chairman, financier, educator, technologist, entrepreneur, community servant, husband, father, and musician — to work for the benefit of students and families of the Inter-Lakes School District. You can read more and contact me through my web site ChrisMega.com. I respectfully ask all residents of Center Harbor, Sandwich, and Meredith to vote for me on March 13th.
Chris Mega
Candidate for ILSD School Board
Meredith
Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 01:09
Hits: 144
Belknap County Delegation is doing what we elected them to do
To the editor,
I thank Mr. Sanborn for his views on the conduct of the Belknap County Delegation in taking initiatives to control county spending. In his second letter he said; "...every Belknap County voter who participated in the last election indicated a choice for who they wanted to run the county".
'A few weeks ago, you published my letter explaining how Obama needed to do nothing to achieve most of his political agendas on the developing currency and debt crises before the phony deadline of 1/1/13. I explained that the Republicans had actually lost the last election and had no leverage to stop what has now become near $800 billion in revenue enhancements scheduled over the next 10 years. Fortunately the federal government can continue printing money to make up for the other 90 percent of the annual federal deficit spending, that does not address.
So let me remind Mr. Sanborn who won the last election in Belknap County. Regardless of how the rest of the state and the nation went, Belknap County overwhelmingly elected Republicans to the State Legislature. Most who voted for them expected, exclusive of the NHRS pension fiasco, that they would be voting for fiscally conservative agendas. So the delegation in my view is doing what they were elected to do.
Much of what they have to do on total compensations for employees stems from their inability to solve or even have any willingness to EFFECTIVELY address, the failing NHRS Trust Fund funding levels. If you look at the total in increased pension contributions (as cited in The Sun on Jan. 5) projected for this next fiscal year for the City of Laconia you can see that the cost is $35K more for the educators who are near 80 percent of the city work force, than for the rest of the employees of the town. Contribution increases in the current 3-year-plan to increase contributions as a patch on the Retirement Trust Fund go up at approximately twice the rate for what NHRS categorizes as Group 2s vs the salary-only employees as educators, categorized as group 1s. So there are substantial increases to county employees compensations over these last twp years and into the next year when these increases are to continue but then are SUPPOSED to end.
Unfortunately the ratio of Group Twos to Group Ones working at the county level is near an inverse of what the towns have when they count their educators. Even more unfortunate is that the NHRS has over the last 10-15 years lost about 7 percent of the contributions and their pre-2007 earnings in the trust fund of the current annuitants. The annuitants that went on pension +10 years ago are outliving the actuarial longevity expectations of those award dates. The new pensions are not defined to be against what the trust fund will be able to pay but as against their definitions NOT being PROGRESSIVELY reduced to what can be paid. So most of these current higher contributions are paying for what the current pensioners should be getting if the NHRS had earned instead of lost money.
Addressing the NHRS fiascos should be a primary bi-partisan effort by these same delegates of both political parties to the county convention on forming their agendas in Concord.
Mr. Sanborn's group might suppose that the taxpayers are a bottomless pit of money and will eventually have to cough it up for this non-feasance. They are in no mood for PROGRESSIVE cuts to pension awards that would diminish an award of a $12K pension by 2 percent. The Republican's have as their core constituency the annuitants that only make up 20 percent of all annuitants but receive more than 50 percent of the NHRS annual gross distributions. Those annuitants collecting the portions of their earnings on their contributions as if they were earned when there was instead money lost are now raiding the ever increasing contributions of our current employee NHRS participants. Republicans are in no mood to have their constituency hit with +15 percent cuts to +$50K new pension awards. This all would be judged criminal if it were not a public pension plan. The $4.8 BILLION in current under funding in this Ponzi scheme dwarfs the FRM scandal.
Please Mr. Sanborn, explain to us how any pension OVER $50K not backed by adequate and performing assets, is a pension and not a winning megabucks ticket? Or worse a continuing raid on active employee's pension contributions and taxpayer wallets. Where is money going to come from to just make these 7 percent to 12 percent annual increases in the pension contribution portion of county employee's compensations, now and going into the out years? These pension obligations as CURRENTLY DEFINED are a statutory obligation?
'Thomas Jefferson wrote: "The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to the written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the ends to the means".
Mr. Sanborn, would like to sacrifice the outcome of the recent elections in Belknap County and attempt to sustain what is unsustainable? He would like to see our lives, liberty, and property unreasonably burdened by the further unchecked escalation in the costs of county government? In my opinion, that is NOT how the voters of Belknap County recently voted.
Tim Sullivan
Gilford
I thank Mr. Sanborn for his views on the conduct of the Belknap County Delegation in taking initiatives to control county spending. In his second letter he said; "...every Belknap County voter who participated in the last election indicated a choice for who they wanted to run the county".
'A few weeks ago, you published my letter explaining how Obama needed to do nothing to achieve most of his political agendas on the developing currency and debt crises before the phony deadline of 1/1/13. I explained that the Republicans had actually lost the last election and had no leverage to stop what has now become near $800 billion in revenue enhancements scheduled over the next 10 years. Fortunately the federal government can continue printing money to make up for the other 90 percent of the annual federal deficit spending, that does not address.
So let me remind Mr. Sanborn who won the last election in Belknap County. Regardless of how the rest of the state and the nation went, Belknap County overwhelmingly elected Republicans to the State Legislature. Most who voted for them expected, exclusive of the NHRS pension fiasco, that they would be voting for fiscally conservative agendas. So the delegation in my view is doing what they were elected to do.
Much of what they have to do on total compensations for employees stems from their inability to solve or even have any willingness to EFFECTIVELY address, the failing NHRS Trust Fund funding levels. If you look at the total in increased pension contributions (as cited in The Sun on Jan. 5) projected for this next fiscal year for the City of Laconia you can see that the cost is $35K more for the educators who are near 80 percent of the city work force, than for the rest of the employees of the town. Contribution increases in the current 3-year-plan to increase contributions as a patch on the Retirement Trust Fund go up at approximately twice the rate for what NHRS categorizes as Group 2s vs the salary-only employees as educators, categorized as group 1s. So there are substantial increases to county employees compensations over these last twp years and into the next year when these increases are to continue but then are SUPPOSED to end.
Unfortunately the ratio of Group Twos to Group Ones working at the county level is near an inverse of what the towns have when they count their educators. Even more unfortunate is that the NHRS has over the last 10-15 years lost about 7 percent of the contributions and their pre-2007 earnings in the trust fund of the current annuitants. The annuitants that went on pension +10 years ago are outliving the actuarial longevity expectations of those award dates. The new pensions are not defined to be against what the trust fund will be able to pay but as against their definitions NOT being PROGRESSIVELY reduced to what can be paid. So most of these current higher contributions are paying for what the current pensioners should be getting if the NHRS had earned instead of lost money.
Addressing the NHRS fiascos should be a primary bi-partisan effort by these same delegates of both political parties to the county convention on forming their agendas in Concord.
Mr. Sanborn's group might suppose that the taxpayers are a bottomless pit of money and will eventually have to cough it up for this non-feasance. They are in no mood for PROGRESSIVE cuts to pension awards that would diminish an award of a $12K pension by 2 percent. The Republican's have as their core constituency the annuitants that only make up 20 percent of all annuitants but receive more than 50 percent of the NHRS annual gross distributions. Those annuitants collecting the portions of their earnings on their contributions as if they were earned when there was instead money lost are now raiding the ever increasing contributions of our current employee NHRS participants. Republicans are in no mood to have their constituency hit with +15 percent cuts to +$50K new pension awards. This all would be judged criminal if it were not a public pension plan. The $4.8 BILLION in current under funding in this Ponzi scheme dwarfs the FRM scandal.
Please Mr. Sanborn, explain to us how any pension OVER $50K not backed by adequate and performing assets, is a pension and not a winning megabucks ticket? Or worse a continuing raid on active employee's pension contributions and taxpayer wallets. Where is money going to come from to just make these 7 percent to 12 percent annual increases in the pension contribution portion of county employee's compensations, now and going into the out years? These pension obligations as CURRENTLY DEFINED are a statutory obligation?
'Thomas Jefferson wrote: "The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to the written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the ends to the means".
Mr. Sanborn, would like to sacrifice the outcome of the recent elections in Belknap County and attempt to sustain what is unsustainable? He would like to see our lives, liberty, and property unreasonably burdened by the further unchecked escalation in the costs of county government? In my opinion, that is NOT how the voters of Belknap County recently voted.
Tim Sullivan
Gilford
Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 February 2013 00:21
Hits: 40
More guns and lots of innocent folks are going to be killed & wounded
To the editor,
I hope everyone watched MSNBC Monday night: HUBRIS, the selling of Iraq war. The question to be asked is, WHY are the four Americans killed in Libiya any more important than the hundreds of thousands people killed in Iraq, to include thousands of Americans killed and wounded? This war started on the lies of the Bush Administration and no one was held accountable for it. Hopefully, one of the local Benghazi experts can answer that.
I would like to pose this question to Stephen J. Conkling of Meredith, as his letter in Saturday's Sun seems to have all the answers. The articles written urging people to arm up, carry your weapons to town is ridiculous.What is going to happen is lots of innocent folks are going to get killed and wounded. During my 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, 2.5 years were in Vietnam. My first year was a unit based at Can Tho airfield in the delta. Attached to the unit was a small mortuary that processed dead bodies in the delta area. I give you this much information so you can look up for yourself the sad statistics of everyone carrying a weapon. I searched the web for FRIENDLY FIRE DEATHS IN VIETNAM and you can read the results for yourself. This site may make some of the more level headed folks in the area to think twice before they draw their guns in a crowded area. I will remind you of Pat Tillman,a NFL football player who turned down millions of dollars in football contracts to join the army as a private. He was killed in Afghanistan and awarded the Silver Star for bravery under hostile fire. After a long investigation it was changed to killed by friendly fire.
The lesson i'm preaching here is, don't take your gun to town son, don't take your gun to town. I would also suggest that you read a book written by now Senator Al Franken called "Lies and the Liars Who Tell Them.
Henry Osmer
Hill
I hope everyone watched MSNBC Monday night: HUBRIS, the selling of Iraq war. The question to be asked is, WHY are the four Americans killed in Libiya any more important than the hundreds of thousands people killed in Iraq, to include thousands of Americans killed and wounded? This war started on the lies of the Bush Administration and no one was held accountable for it. Hopefully, one of the local Benghazi experts can answer that.
I would like to pose this question to Stephen J. Conkling of Meredith, as his letter in Saturday's Sun seems to have all the answers. The articles written urging people to arm up, carry your weapons to town is ridiculous.What is going to happen is lots of innocent folks are going to get killed and wounded. During my 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, 2.5 years were in Vietnam. My first year was a unit based at Can Tho airfield in the delta. Attached to the unit was a small mortuary that processed dead bodies in the delta area. I give you this much information so you can look up for yourself the sad statistics of everyone carrying a weapon. I searched the web for FRIENDLY FIRE DEATHS IN VIETNAM and you can read the results for yourself. This site may make some of the more level headed folks in the area to think twice before they draw their guns in a crowded area. I will remind you of Pat Tillman,a NFL football player who turned down millions of dollars in football contracts to join the army as a private. He was killed in Afghanistan and awarded the Silver Star for bravery under hostile fire. After a long investigation it was changed to killed by friendly fire.
The lesson i'm preaching here is, don't take your gun to town son, don't take your gun to town. I would also suggest that you read a book written by now Senator Al Franken called "Lies and the Liars Who Tell Them.
Henry Osmer
Hill
Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 February 2013 00:13
Hits: 242
Hassan's budget assumes millions from non-existent source
To the editor,
One might think there are other more important things to discuss but in this state we have been presented with a serious issue by a governor whom it seems cares little about governing. Presenting a budget which assumes revenue from a source which doesn't exist — $50 million from licensing a gambling establishment, on the premise that adjacent states are doing it and so should ours. First, my mother would have said, "just because they're are jumping off a cliff it doesn't mean you need to". Second, it is a sell-out of the people, it is an addiction of the worst kind, and the "profits" from it go out of state, any income to the state will be less than the cost to the lives of those living here. Third, a governor in the real world "ideally" would seek to maintain stability rather than spin wildly. N.H. was first with lottery tickets, its 2012 revenue, $66,922,642, is less than $212 million from the tax on cigarettes; but to the states credit it takes the profit not some self serving private interest.
Lyndon B. Johnson started "The Great Society" but died January 1973 at 64 years of age, if he'd lived another 20 years he may have realized the disaster. His "War on Poverty" began with a $1 billion appropriation in 1964, according to Rector of the Heritage Foundation; government has spent $19.8 trillion (in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars) since. Now we've a president wanting to save the "Middle Class". A family of four poverty level in 1964 was $3,600. Middle income range was $4,000 to $9,000. Median income today is $50,054 to $101,582. There are not enough trillions of dollars to "save" the middle class even in half the time the Federal Government saved the poor.
We "the people" must relearn what was learned before, government can't save anything. Governments only know how to spend and today spend by taxing future taxpayers whose parents aren't even born yet.
That is slavery carried to its extreme. We were given a model with which to govern ourselves, it was written by men of conscience, at least at that moment. The idea was that people could govern themselves, that individual states could govern themselves and "United" states could survive as a nation. Presidents and other government officials swear to uphold the constitution and then immediately seek to usurp it with the "new" ideas or a means to deal with a crisis.
Just a note: I am happy to be living in one of five counties in all of New England, three which are in New Hampshire, that voted Republican (which is as close to a conservative administration as we could get).
G.W. Brooks
Meredith
One might think there are other more important things to discuss but in this state we have been presented with a serious issue by a governor whom it seems cares little about governing. Presenting a budget which assumes revenue from a source which doesn't exist — $50 million from licensing a gambling establishment, on the premise that adjacent states are doing it and so should ours. First, my mother would have said, "just because they're are jumping off a cliff it doesn't mean you need to". Second, it is a sell-out of the people, it is an addiction of the worst kind, and the "profits" from it go out of state, any income to the state will be less than the cost to the lives of those living here. Third, a governor in the real world "ideally" would seek to maintain stability rather than spin wildly. N.H. was first with lottery tickets, its 2012 revenue, $66,922,642, is less than $212 million from the tax on cigarettes; but to the states credit it takes the profit not some self serving private interest.
Lyndon B. Johnson started "The Great Society" but died January 1973 at 64 years of age, if he'd lived another 20 years he may have realized the disaster. His "War on Poverty" began with a $1 billion appropriation in 1964, according to Rector of the Heritage Foundation; government has spent $19.8 trillion (in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars) since. Now we've a president wanting to save the "Middle Class". A family of four poverty level in 1964 was $3,600. Middle income range was $4,000 to $9,000. Median income today is $50,054 to $101,582. There are not enough trillions of dollars to "save" the middle class even in half the time the Federal Government saved the poor.
We "the people" must relearn what was learned before, government can't save anything. Governments only know how to spend and today spend by taxing future taxpayers whose parents aren't even born yet.
That is slavery carried to its extreme. We were given a model with which to govern ourselves, it was written by men of conscience, at least at that moment. The idea was that people could govern themselves, that individual states could govern themselves and "United" states could survive as a nation. Presidents and other government officials swear to uphold the constitution and then immediately seek to usurp it with the "new" ideas or a means to deal with a crisis.
Just a note: I am happy to be living in one of five counties in all of New England, three which are in New Hampshire, that voted Republican (which is as close to a conservative administration as we could get).
G.W. Brooks
Meredith
Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 February 2013 00:08
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