Thoughts on the New Year!

[davemincin]

Hey Folks,

Just thought I would throw out a few thoughts, not cause I know much, but just cause, hey a new year is commin, and well thinking we need to as individuals and as a group redouble our efforts to help freedom get in gear in NH!

First ease up on the patting on the back crap...truth is in the big picture freedom is still loosing in a big way, even here in NH.

Kat you did a wonderful job putting the Underground together...you filled a need that was much lacking in NH, but find it troubling when I hear folks say all that is happening in NH is the Underground, just not true!? Thinking we need to continue to work together, not like we outnumber the bad guys!? Expect I carry as many FSP wounds as you, but thinking we need to just set on them for the sake of freedom.? The FSP is not the bad guys, even if sometimes they seem to be! ???

Russell...ease up dude!? You want to paint the FSP leadership as the bad guys?? They don't do elections for leadership...da...well hey dude seems like you don't believe in voting anyway?? Thinking your stuff with the airport security, and the UN flag thingy great, but wonder why you are silent on the Keene city council making in iillegal to park a car on your own grass, or what's up with the building that the folks voted to sell, but the local government continues to ignore.? Why aren"t you putting the folks together to protest something you just might be able to change...today! The taxes in Keene are amoung the highest in the state?? Real world Keene in the west, Concord in the middle and Dover in the east are the most socialist cities in the state, yet most of your effort has nothing to do with were you live?? What's more important?

Hey have heard often folks talking about certain NH groups...dare I say the NHLA, to which I am part of the leadership, as being exclusive???? Maybe it looks that way, but know in my thought it is not intended, but will say the same thing appears about the Underground for folks who unlike me don't know most of you who are actually doing it.

Anyway...just laying out a couple thoughts, and no disrespect intended.? Hoping the New Year brings us all closer to Freedom!

Dave

[CNHT]

Well said Dave.

I rather put my efforts into fighting for the cause of freedom in the different issues, than getting folks to vote for my group, radio show, or site to be the 'most popular'. (We arleady know we're popular because we're the only state taxpayer group and the only group with a strictly local radio show. Even people from Mass, Maine, and Vt ask for our help!)

Talkin' about it a little is ok, I suppose. 

[Russell Kanning]

First ease up on the patting on the back crap...

...but find it troubling when I hear folks say all that is happening in NH is the Underground, just not true! 

Russell...ease up dude!  You want to paint the FSP leadership as the bad guys?

but wonder why you are silent on the Keene city council ...illegal to park a car on your own grass, or .... building that the folks voted to sell

I promise not to pat you on the back this year Dave.
Maybe outsiders just see it that way. We try to be open and inform people what we are doing.
I thought I was taking it easy on the fsp leadership.
I like the idea of hitting the bad guys in Keene hard. Sounds like a plan.

[Kat Kanning]

My goal with all the crazy stuff we do here has mainly been recruiting.  I'd like to encourage more people to join the FSP, more people like us to move to NH earlier, to have more NHites join in our fun/cause.  We do what we can for freedom with 150 movers, but mostly, I'd like to get more people here and involved.  It's like agony for me to see my own photos in the paper or on the internet, and I truly hate watching myself on video.  The only reason I spread the photos etc. around is to advertise what we're doing here.  People can't join in what they don't know is happening.  So we're loud.  We're obnoxious.  We're media sluts for liberty.  I wonder if you realize how antithetical to my nature all this is.  I dread having people call on the phone and want to talk to me.  Speaking to the media is like torture.  Russell's been taking my phone calls as much as possible for me, to spare me from having to do it.  But it's been worth it to see so many people getting exciting about moving and making things happen in NH.  The "patting on the back crap" as you so sweetly put it, has been intended to encourage people to move and get involved, not as some sort of ego trip, as you seem so set on accusing us of.   

[Russell Kanning]

Guys also don't understand that the underground is not a typical organization. Dave can promote the nhla here. Jane gives us info about CNHT. It means different things to different people. To me this is a place to hang out and joke and scheme. Who knows what it will morph into over the years.

[Russell Kanning]

Is this advice from a dog? ........ Only here folks!

[Kat Kanning]

BTW Dave, I don't think there's anything wrong with this kind of self-congratulations:

What a Year it has Been
Review of the first year or so of the NHLA

It?s been quite a ride so far. For a new organization we have done quite a lot, we?ve heard from more than a few folks who think we?ve been around for several years based on our activity. Pretty cool.

We started off with a founding meeting on November 1, 2003 in Manchester. We had press coverage, signed up members and even collected our first donations.

Since then we?ve been able to take advantage of New Hampshire being selected as the Free State to recruit some wonderful volunteers, in addition to bringing on board several local activists. We started a system for tracking bills and got people to Concord to testify on important legislation. We were often joined by a coalition of other groups with whom we share common cause, building up our alliances.

Membership grew steadily all year. New efforts are underway to increase membership and promote more activity from our members for the cause of liberty.

We held a very successful Liberty Dinner in Plymouth in June, with the governor himself as the keynote speaker! (A feat many Republican groups could not accomplish.) At the dinner we made the debut of the Liberty Rating. This scorecard rated the entire statehouse as well as a few challenger candidates, letting the people know how their rep voted on matters of personal and economic liberty. The dinner also gained us significant media coverage, partly thanks to a protest outside.

In November, we had the biggest test of our influence so far: the general election. We supported nine candidates with money and volunteers. Eight of them won. That was a better record than all but one other major PAC in the state. And the reps are still thanking us for the support we offered.

Also, 8 of the top 10 reps in the Liberty Rating were re-elected, while only 6 of the bottom 10 are back. The start of a positive trend? We think so.

Throughout the year, we also shepherded the development of the Liberty Scholarship Fund. Our successful fundraiser at the Liberty Dinner allowed us to add an additional scholarship. The LSF is now independent with its own board of directors. We look forward to creating new projects and watching them grow.

Our second year has started off well?

We?ve made smooth transitions in our own leadership, expanding our board of directors and having our first board election by the membership, for Civic Action. The Alliance has some local organization happening, mostly in the Keene and Seacaost areas, with more on the way.

In December we had a general membership meeting in Manchester, going over the past year and outlining plans for the future. Many good ideas and criticisms were brought up. People were able to network and new projects were discussed and planned.

We?ve learned a lot and are moving forward with this knowledge to have an even greater impact in the legislative and electoral field.

We are setting up a much more sophisticated system to track bills and legislators. We already have a team of volunteers scoring bills as they come online. This has already helped expedite the process of determining which bills to support and oppose and help form testimony in Concord. We are asking members with special expertise or interests to help us with legislative matters. Look for a major new development soon.

This tracking effort is also helping to form the 2005 Liberty Rating scorecard, which will be even larger and more representative than the 2004 edition.

Based on our visits to Concord this year, we?ve found that the reps paid attention to the Liberty Rating. In meetings this session, many reps knew their rating and have talked with us about how to improve their score.

We ran our first candidates workshop in January, geared toward helping candidates for local office this spring. We already have an excellent pool of candidates to support and look forward to celebrating their wins in March.

As you can see, we totally redesigned our website. The new features will greatly enhance our ability to communicate with members and coordinate activity. A big thank you to our web team.

New volunteers are joining our efforts. We?ve appointed a new volunteer coordinator and built up a publicity team.

To keep in better contact with our base and to get to know our membership, we?ll be having regular membership meetings across the state to outreach to the public and to have more direct communication with our many members.

For the future, you can look for field trips to the legislature, more candidate trainings, social events and more.

Around June, the end of the legislative session will mean the compilation of our 2005 Liberty Rating. We?ll have more bills in the rating this year, and include the state senate in the scoring as well.

Which will lead us to the 2005 Liberty Dinner. We will be presenting the Legislator of the Year award at the dinner along with the entire Liberty Rating scorecard. We also have a very special nationally known keynote speaker lined up. More news as it develops.

In the fall, we will be participating in the city elections, much like we will for the town elections in the spring. We?ll be sure to have at least one candidate workshop for these elections as well.

To sum up, 2004 was a great warm-up for us and in 2005 we will be able to show New Hampshire what we can do. There are numerous opportunities for our membership to work for liberty and for us to work in Concord and the 200 towns across the state to make sure our liberties are being preserved. We look forward to working with our members and friends across the Granite State.

In Liberty,
Richard Tomasso
Chairman, NHLA
January 2005

[Russell Kanning]

Maybe we will have to turn this into a backpatting encouragement thread.

[Kat Kanning]

Good boy, Russell!   

[Russell Kanning]

It is still 2005, so I can say that I was encouraged that the "cut the spending" crowd in Dover NH gained some ground in the last election.

[CNHT]

Guys also don't understand that the underground is not a typical organization. Dave can promote the nhla here. Jane gives us info about CNHT. It means different things to different people. To me this is a place to hang out and joke and scheme. Who knows what it will morph into over the years.

If you don't mind the opposition knowing your every move I guess it's OK. :-)
And yes it does show how we all collaborate on things - when you think of it we have everyone from (R) candidates, taxpayers groups, and activists on the protestation level, to state reps...and it all comes together here. Sort of like a year round Porc Fest online.

[Kat Kanning]

If you don't mind the opposition knowing your every move I guess it's OK. :-)

I don't mind at all.  It keeps them worried and pissed off.

[CNHT]

If you don't mind the opposition knowing your every move I guess it's OK. :-)

I don't mind at all.? It keeps them worried and pissed off.

Have you had any backlash from the not paying of your school taxes? Man I would love to be relieved of that bill, it's $4,000 alone for me, JUST FOR THE freakin' public schools which I never sent any kid to nor do I support.

[Russell Kanning]

Exactly ..... no word yet.

[davemincin]

Maybe we will have to turn this into a backpatting encouragement thread.

Ok Russell...consider this my personal thanks to you for all you have done to promote freedom
here in NH.

Kat...really do believe you getting the Underground up and running served a real need here, and has
been super...Also do know that by nature you're a bit of a shy Lass. ? Hey, we all have to make sacrifices
for freedom.

Also thanks to all the folks, both natives and new arrivals who have worked so hard to promote freedom,
just hoping we all, (expecially me) understands that ego's have no place, our mission is much more important
than any of us individually.? Know I have a special affection for the quiet folks, working quietly to get it done.
So believe you folks are our greatest asset.

And last, but not least...so thankful to all you folks, who have shown me such kindness.