LETTER: Ovide Lamontagne Would Provide Fiscally Responsible Leadership for NH

The following is a letter to the editor. To submit your own, email michael.ryan@patch.com

By Ken Eyring

During the time between 2006 and 2010, our state spending was increased nearly 24% by the Democrat majority in the NH House and Senate.  Maggie Hassan was a State Senator when expenditures were raised by this historic amount.  Her legacy as outgoing Senate President was to leave the incoming 2011 State Government with an $800M budget deficit.

Thankfully, the 2011 Legislature made a fiscally responsible commitment to the voters. Instead of continuing the trend of their predecessors to increase spending and then use gimmicks and raise taxes and fees to make up the deficits, the 2011-2012 Republican majority in the House and Senate balanced the budget without raising a single tax or fee. They rolled back spending by nearly 9% (to 2006-2007 levels) and managed to reduce some of Hassan’s taxes to help move NH back towards being a more business friendly state.

One of the most insidious taxes that Ms. Hassan helped pass as a co-sponsor in 2008 (and that we are still paying) is a State Cap and Trade Tax known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  This tax is hidden in our energy bills each month and that has collected tens of millions of dollars and redistributed them. We have been paying this tax since Jan. 2009. During a Sept. 2012 NHPR interview (about 32 minutes in), Ms. Hassan stated, “I was proud to be a sponsor of that tax…”.

In addition to excessive spending, Maggie Hassan displays a disregard for individual liberties.  Each year, a non-partisan group called the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance tracks the voting records of our legislators and then assigns grades based upon whether their votes were pro-liberty or anti-liberty.   Here are Ms. Hassan’s Liberty Rating Grades for the years they are available:

2006 D+ 
2007 F 
2008 CT* (Constitutional Threat) 
2009 D- 
2010 C 

*CT = Constitutional Threat: A representative unfaithful to their oath to the New Hampshire Constitution and the rule of law.

Our other option for Governor is Ovide Lamontagne.  He is a fiscal conservative, who believes in a balanced budget with no gimmicks, less taxes, smaller government, defending our property rights and individual liberties and freedoms. 

Best regards, 
Ken Eyring
Windham