Incoming Dem leaders support income tax

[KBCraig]

It's time to see what Lynch and the conservative Democrats are made of.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Incoming!+Tax+backers+in+position&articleId=f305102b-8932-4303-8dcb-a2aa8032363f

Incoming! Tax backers in position

DEMOCRATS IN the State House and Senate have elected as their leaders two income tax supporters. Will they follow party chairman Kathy Sullivan's advice and, for purely political reasons, resist the temptation to pass an income tax? Or will they take advantage -- as Republicans did not -- of their moment of power to change New Hampshire forever?

In the House, Democrats nominated Rep. Terie Norelli of Portsmouth, for speaker. She has twice voted for an income tax.

In the Senate, Democrats nominated Sen. Sylvia Larsen of Concord, for Senate president. She also has voted for an income tax. And four years ago she strongly hinted that Democrats would keep the income tax in the background until a more politically advantageous time arrived, when they would spring it.

"We are concerned that cuts will have a dramatic effect on property taxes as we freeze education spending and cut other budget expenditures," Larsen said in November 2002, when asked whether Democrats would bring an income tax bill forward. "When the people speak again and say that property taxes are too heavy a burden, it will be time to act again."

Now that the New Hampshire Democratic Party has total control of state government, its elected leaders have to decide whether the party truly supports New Hampshire's small-government, low-tax tradition or whether it abandons that tradition and transforms New Hampshire government into a modern welfare state.

Assuming Norelli and Larsen are elected to the Legislature's top two leadership posts, Democrats appear very close to being able to realize a long-time dream. They are only two votes shy in the Senate and 25 shy in the House of being able to over-ride a Lynch veto.

The Senate's 10 remaining Republicans might be the final obstacle for a state income tax. They need to make sure that they are a formidable one.

Gov. John Lynch is the undisputed head of his party. If he really believes all of his own rhetoric about upholding New Hampshire's unique character and traditions, he has no choice but to use his considerable political clout to smother any legislative effort to create a broadbased tax. If he refuses or fails to do this, the New Hampshire Advantage could very well die on his watch. That is something for which no governor should want to be remembered.

[anthonybpugh]

This would be an opportunity.  Taxes is always an issue which gets people worked up and a good one which could be used to build up a movement with.   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Tax_Revolt
http://www.tntaxrevolt.org/

[FrankChodorov]

to propose an income tax would be political suicide for the Democrats as with what happened when the last candidate for Governor ran solely on an income tax (Mark Fernald) he was crushed by Craig Benson the libertarian/conservative.

the wolf in sheeps clothing here is the whole Claremont decesion...

as Jason said in his Porcupine talk what is needed by libertarians is to somehow co-opt the Democrats (because you can never defeat them) - the way to do it is the land value tax!

[error]

The Tennessee state capitol building abuts a busy four-lane street, so it's quite easy to drive by, honk your horn and be heard by anyone attempting to legislate. And there's a nice large plaza across the street which is a popular spot for demonstrating. I don't think that's quite so easy in New Hampshire, where you'd have to go down some narrow side streets...

I also know Ben Cunningham from way back in the 80s when he was just another sysop, albeit one of the biggest ones in town.

[aries]

The Tennessee state capitol building abuts a busy four-lane street, so it's quite easy to drive by, honk your horn and be heard by anyone attempting to legislate. And there's a nice large plaza across the street which is a popular spot for demonstrating. I don't think that's quite so easy in New Hampshire, where you'd have to go down some narrow side streets...

I also know Ben Cunningham from way back in the 80s when he was just another sysop, albeit one of the biggest ones in town.

Main St concord is what the state house faces, and that's 2 lanes. you can demonstrate right in front of the state house

[error]

Yes, but you've got that large courtyard between the street and the state house. So nobody inside is going to hear a thing, and maybe not even see it.

[KBCraig]

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Running+with+scissors%3a+Lynch+decides+it%27s+time+to+cut&articleId=8b7bfefb-21bf-4812-a7ca-0b5e0920f305

Running with scissors: Lynch decides it's time to cut

GOV. JOHN LYNCH reached into his back pocket last week, and lo and behold there were his scissors -- the ones he must have lost when setting the state budget during the last legislative session.

In his first term, Lynch repeatedly thwarted Republican efforts to cut state spending, particularly the efforts of Health and Human Services Secretary John Stephen, whose proposals typically were met with the governor's "concerns" about reducing services.

Lynch balanced the budget only by raising taxes. Now that he's got a Democratic majority in the Legislature, he's apparently realized that if he does not control spending no one will. Since last Friday it's as if Lynch has been channeling the spirit of Craig Benson. Nobody's budget proposal is small enough for Johnny Scissorhands.

On Friday, the governor made an example of Stephen, berating him for a budget proposal Lynch assessed as a 13 percent increase over the next two years. (Stephen pegs it at 11 percent.) Lynch was not as tough on other department heads. He must not have noticed that Stephen's proposed spending increase was among the smallest in state government. The Department of Justice's increase was 19.25 percent, Cultural Resources wants 25 percent, and Corrections is seeking 30 percent.

Lynch also must have forgotten all the grief he gave Stephen over GraniteCare and other cost-saving initiatives during the past two years, constantly depicting Stephen as paying too much attention to the bottom line and not enough to the people who receive state services. Suddenly Lynch is all for hacking away at the HHS budget. Politics does strange things with memories.

We're glad to see that the governor has finally found his fiscal discipline. Better late than never. If Lynch puts those scissors to work, it will be fun to watch the interest groups who spent the past two years attacking Republicans as cold-hearted number crunchers turn their sights on their friend the governor.

[aries]

Yes, but you've got that large courtyard between the street and the state house. So nobody inside is going to hear a thing, and maybe not even see it.

http://www.trainweb.org/mdamtrak199/horns.html

[Tyler Stearns]

If I pour all my time and energy into one thing this will be it.  I still hold out some hope that Lynch will put these tax and spend Democrats in their place.  If not, we will have to gear up for a big fight!

[Spencer]

Yes, but you've got that large courtyard between the street and the state house. So nobody inside is going to hear a thing, and maybe not even see it.

Isn't there another part of this forum that talks about how motorcycle-friendly NH is?  Imagine hundreds of motorcyclists revving their engines on the courtyard, surrounded by hundreds of sign-waving V's.

[d_goddard]

I could be wrong but I'm guessing the Dem leadership is not stupid enough nor undisciplined enough to enact a sales or income tax, thereby inciting a Dick Sweat style rebellion.

That said, I bet anything they try to pass a seatbelt law and a smoking ban.
Helmet law? Hmmmm.... smart money says don't piss off the bikers. Dunno if the Dems are smart enough to avoid that landmine, though.

Thank got at least ONE liberty-loving Democrat State Rep can try and talk sense into Sylvia Larsen, most powerful person in the state of NH.

[Rocketman]

I could be wrong but I'm guessing the Dem leadership is not stupid enough nor undisciplined enough to enact a sales or income tax, thereby inciting a Dick Sweat style rebellion.

Not within the next two years, not likely, IMHO....

That said, I bet anything they try to pass a seatbelt law and a smoking ban.
Helmet law? Hmmmm.... smart money says don't piss off the bikers. Dunno if the Dems are smart enough to avoid that landmine, though.

They'll stumble into a few landmines.  The smoking ban will be a cakewalk, unfortunately, as they have a voter mandate for that, but not the rest...

Thank got at least ONE liberty-loving Democrat State Rep can try and talk sense into Sylvia Larsen, most powerful person in the state of NH.

Sylvia Larsen (sings, in best Madonna voice): "This used to be Ted's playground..."

[KurtDaBear]

As I recall, when I was visiting NH in Oct., it was Lynch who was running large billboards promising "lower taxes" and "less government" or something to that effect.  That seems fairly unequivocal, and I would think that if he backs down, he could go down in history as NH's equivalent of Geo. Bush Sr. with his "No New Taxes" pledge.

If he does turn on you and the Democrats steal both your money and your freedom, you could make "Lynch Lynch" the new state motto.

What state was it that finished second in the FSP balloting?  Wyoming?

[aries]

Here's how it goes:

Pass an income tax
Wait 2 years for people to stop caring
An R gets elected promising repeal
One or both of the state house and senate go back to R
The repeal bill gets a halfhearted passage from one, but not the other
"I tried" repeats the gov.
We're stuck with it forever

[d_goddard]

Here's how it goes:

Pass an income tax
Wait 2 years for people to stop caring
An R gets elected promising repeal
One or both of the state house and senate go back to R
The repeal bill gets a halfhearted passage from one, but not the other
"I tried" repeats the gov.
We're stuck with it forever

Step 2 is:
pitchforks, torches, nonstop all-out verbal rebellion on TV and radio and newspapers and the bastards ralize they have awakened a mighty giant