Former Governors Back Constitutional Amendment

[AlanM]

Anyone notice the front page article in the Union Leader which says four former Govs are backing a Constitutional Amendment to keep the Courts out of the schools. Benson, Merrill, Gregg and Sununu.

[KBCraig]

Anyone notice the front page article in the Union Leader which says four former Govs are backing a Constitutional Amendment to keep the Courts out of the schools. Benson, Merrill, Gregg and Sununu.

Well, lessee... Jane only posted the article about 3,458 times on different threads. 

[CNHT]

Anyone notice the front page article in the Union Leader which says four former Govs are backing a Constitutional Amendment to keep the Courts out of the schools. Benson, Merrill, Gregg and Sununu.

Well, lessee... Jane only posted the article about 3,458 times on different threads. 

Kevin, 3,458 times?  Have mercy on me, I'm still quite sick.

[tracysaboe]

Yeah. It was only 3,273 times!

Tracy

[KBCraig]

Have mercy on me, I'm still quite sick.

She's got a fever. She needs.... MORE COWBELL!

[CNHT]

Have mercy on me, I'm still quite sick.

She's got a fever. She needs.... MORE COWBELL!

LOL I saw that......I've been in bed watching a LOT of TV lately...while the villi in my stomach regenerate. (Hopefully they will as this is what is hurting so badly)

I was supposed to sing and play at a wedding next weekend but doubt I will be able to now, as I my cowbell is down...

[CNHT]

Anyone notice the front page article in the Union Leader which says four former Govs are backing a Constitutional Amendment to keep the Courts out of the schools. Benson, Merrill, Gregg and Sununu.

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/whosmyleg/nswhosmyleg/

PLEASE CALL! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Message from CNHT:

Action Alert:

Ed Naile has combined most of what is circulating regarding a proposed amendment to the NH Constitution to prevent:

1. A court takeover of good NH public schools which have been paid for by local taxpayers.
2. The capitulation of our legislature to no-holds-barred political activists judges on our discredited State Supreme Court in a discredited education funding scam that has not worked in a single state since 1969.
3. The beginning of endless mandates for more education funding in the future.
4. The invitation to our activist judges to meddle in every aspect of our lives they feel they can get away with.

As usual we are at a last minute crisis and it seems to me that there is no single combined effort by longtime activists to push a solution together - BUT THE PEOPLE AND SOLUTIONS WE NEED ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!

WE NEED TO ACT NOW!

It is not often we get a chance to herd this many cats at once. It is also an advantage that the sitting governor is doing just that - sitting this one out. There is also a candidate on the ballot who is FOR a constitutional amendment.
We have an election in just a few weeks to punish wayward legislators.

Another advantage: People I talk to are for the most part on to the State Supreme Court scam. There is not a whole lot of public education necessary. No one wants a broad based tax except the same old crowd. WE have the 70% public support.

I send out a lot of E-Blasts on behalf of CNHT and we usually stick with school and town issues because of limited resources but we got together with other center-right groups in 2001 and killed the last income tax bill and I think we can get together NOW and show the court a thing or two.

Please read the info below.

I will send an action item list of things individuals can do to save "The NH Advantage" shortly.
Until then contact your elected officials and ask them if they care enough about NH to support an amendment.

Ed Naile
Chair CNHT Sept 25, 2006

<snipped article about four governors which you've already seen>

Parliamentary Procedure to Stop A Broad Based Tax

By Marshall Cobleigh

Step 1: Vote down or amend the leadership's proposed joint rules to allow the elected legislators to propose constitutional amendments or a process to leave lawmaking to elected officials answerable to the people of New Hampshire rather than the courts.

Step 2: Vote for a Constitutional Amendment (60 percent vote required) Justice Douglas' plan or Gatsas' Plan.

Step 3: If Step 2 fails to get 60 percent vote, have both the House and Senate adopt a resolution calling for a convention (simple majority vote required by both branches - NH Constitution Part 2 Article 100(b)). This Resolution could spell out details as to: o timing of the convention o when the election to select delegates would be held (could specify Presidential Primary date or town meeting date) o and when the question to amend would appear on the ballot.

This could provide a vehicle to ask the Supreme Court to delay their effective date deadline so the people's voice may be heard.

Step 4: Request the Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on the constitutionality of Governor Lynch's plan (majority vote required).

Marshall Cobleigh was former NH House Speaker , a Parliamentary expert who spent 10 years in the Legislature 6 six years as a Legislative Leader and 4 years as Speaker of the House and served as an Administrative Assistant to Governor Mel Thomson for 5 years and Congressman Bill Zeliff for 5 years.


Amendment suggested by former Supreme Court Justice Charles G. Douglas, III

"The definition of an adequate education and the funding of same by the state shall be exclusively decided by the legislative and executive branches of government."


Proposal for Constitutional Amendment  (Granite State Taxpayers & NHHRA worked on this)

I, _____________________,____________________(provide printed name and Signature), Representative District,__________________________________,hereby pledge to oppose any and all actions by the New Hampshire Supreme Court that would impose an income tax or result in the imposition of an income tax.
Such actions include, but are not limited to, (i) defining an adequate education by June, 2007 to ?allow for an objective determination of costs,? (ii) the development of such a definition by the New Hampshire Supreme Court by ?appointing a special master to aid in the determination of the definition of a constitutionally adequate education,? and (iii) the Court?s ?remanding the case to the trial court for further factual development and a determination of whether the State is providing sufficient funding to pay for a constitutionally adequate education.?

I expressly pledge to actively oppose any and all orders by the New Hampshire Supreme Court that the Treasurer disburse any amounts from the treasury not appropriated by the Legislature.   

Edward C. Mosca, Esquire   (Ed drafted the document)