It would be best if you never trusted anyone who sees no limit to how much the government can spend, always increases budgets, and then claims they want to lower your property taxes. They are lying to you. They have to tax you more, but they don’t want it showing up as a bill in your mailbox.

Taxpayers find it irksome, and legislators don’t want to have to explain to the peasants why they need more and more of your increasingly devalued dollars. Your role is to shut up and pay. If you must do anything, applaud all the services the state provides, none of which you use, while those you need, like plowed roads and public safety, take a back seat to things like making electricity unaffordable, gender-reassignment surgery, housing illegals, and buying needles for addicts.

There is no lowering of taxes under Democrats, ever, so any suggestion to the contrary is a bald-faced lie.

That’s the bait and switch New Hampshire Dems have been working for years. They can’t shut up about high property taxes but have never lowered a budget or cut a taxor spending in their political lives – unless forced by Republicans. Their ‘lowering the property tax scam’ is sleight of hand. Deflections and distractions. Were they to succeed, you might briefly see a lower rate in that next bill, but you’ll pay in more places and more often. Total taxes will rise, property values will follow (because they spent that money, too), and then those tax rates will increase, and before you know it, you’re Vermont with some of the highest total tax burdens in the nation.

And I’m not claiming that any Democrat in Vermont ever promised they’d lower property taxes; I’ll leave it up to our Vermont readers to clarify the history, but the spending that always follows a Democrat majority has come to call upon the Green (as in higher taxes) Mountain State, and it is an impressive abuse of Vermonters property rights.

 

This year’s letter projects property tax bills to increase by an average of 18.5 percent next fiscal year, driven largely by a forecasted 12 percent increase in year-over-year education spending. In addition, many districts are seeing changes in pupil counts due to implementation of the new pupil weights from Act 127 of 2022. Changes in pupil counts affect education tax rates, which are based on per pupil spending.

“I understand that this will not be welcome news for Vermonters,” said Commissioner Bolio, “This forecast predicts an unprecedented property tax increase next year, with very real financial impacts at a time Vermonters are already struggling to pay for housing.”

 

Governor Scott is less than pleased, not that he can do anything about it but bitch, which he has.

 

“Vermont’s tax burden is already, unfortunately, among the highest in the country, and families are bearing an incredible burden with increased costs of living across the board, including new and higher taxes and fees imposed by the Legislature. Put simply, a nearly 20% property tax increase would hurt Vermonters and our economy, and we cannot let it happen.

“At a time when housing costs and interest rates are elevated, higher property taxes will make our housing and workforce crises worse, and I sincerely hope the Legislature agrees.

“For years, I have warned that Vermont is unaffordable for too many families and small businesses. This is why for seven years I focused on holding the line on higher taxes and fees, while offering solutions to reduce the tax burden on Vermonters. And for six out of the seven years, we were successful in preventing new taxes and fees.

A warning that fell on deaf ears when whoever or whatever elected a veto-proof majority of spendaholic lefties to the legislature. True to their nature, they overbudgeted, over-regulated, and overspent, and the bill has come due. And this is not the end but the beginning, and I challenge anyone to find an example where this is not the case when Democrats get unobstructed control of a state budget.

For comparison, New Hampshire continues to have one of the lowest total tax burdens in the nation. In 2023, the Granite State was 48th lowest out of 50, while Vermont was 4th highest – before this considerable increase. (Related: Survey: New Hampshire Has Best Return on Taxes in the Nation.)

Vermont is also one of the least Free States (while NH is the most), and those two things are connected.

Vermont should expect to continue to become less free as its tax burden grows. When you rob people for that much, that often, you need to take their freedoms as well.

Still, on the bright side, councilors are available if you’d like help killing yourself – some conditions still apply, though we expect those to get less burdensome over time in relationship to the rise in taxes, regulations, and deliberate abuse of the citizenry.

Fewer peasants are bad for the tax base but good for the planet  – or, at least, that’s their excuse for wanting people to die.

 

 

The post Night Cap: Democrats, Property Taxes, and Vermont appeared first on Granite Grok.

On Tuesday night, DC residents gathered to lament the state of their city.

“We are mad. We are scared in this community. There was a murder in our building just 10 days ago. A woman was shot in the face across the street on Saturday,” one resident told D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith at Tuesday’s town hall.

Smith did her best to respond to these frustrations, but real culprits — champagne race-baiters like Ibram X. Kendi and Patrisse Cullors — were nowhere to be found. Their ideas, however, are painfully present in the daily lives of Washingtonians.

In the capital of the most powerful nation the world has ever known, violent crime is up 38 percent in just one year. Gun violence breaks out in front of upscale restaurants. Eighty-five thousand people in the city’s poorest ward are about to lose their only grocery store due to unrestrained retail theft. Police gave up on stopping carjackers and started handing out free steering wheel locks instead.

And why? Partly because Black Lives Matter riots in major cities had a chilling effect on recruitment and policing. The result has been some 3,000 additional murders over a seven-year period, one study found. In D.C. alone, there is a shortfall of around 400 officers and no wonder. Who wants to be a cop in a city that rewards church-burning rioters by naming a street after them? (RELATED: Watchdog Reveals How Much DC Is Spending To Refresh BLM Mural As Violent Crime Surges)

 

DC’s mayor says nation’s capital is up to 400 cops short and “we have policies that make it difficult to recruit new officers.”pic.twitter.com/Qz0hIrrrd3

— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) October 3, 2023

In addition to creating these problems, the prophets of systemic racism have also made it nearly impossible to solve them. The D.C. council’s solution to this crime wave was to reduce the punishments for carjackings and robberies.

When Chicago and Los Angeles had the opportunity to elect pro-police mayors, they doubled down on BLM resentment politics instead. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson immediately set about rebranding teenage looting mobs as “large gatherings.” The idea of doing something to stop those mobs — which drive taxpaying, job-creating businesses out of the city — would never occur to him. That would be racist.

 

 

Imagine being lectured by a guy who thinks “mob action” has anything to do with Al Capone. pic.twitter.com/SX2cYNIIzm

— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) August 2, 2023

No matter who you are, this ideology has probably made your life measurably worse.

Are you an affluent white woman out for a nice city walk in your Canada Goose jacket? Or a Brooklyn hipster on your way home from a wedding? You may well find yourself robbed at gunpoint or stabbed to death in front of your girlfriend.

If you’re a poor black woman in Southeast D.C., then congratulations! You now live in a crime-ridden food desert. Isn’t life grand without all that “over-policing”?

Maybe you’re an Indian-American family living in a Connecticut suburb, far from the chaos of the inner cities. Sorry, there’s still no escape. They’ll punish your daughter for outperforming her classmates “of color” or maybe cancel her honors classes altogether. Even families in small-town Oklahoma aren’t safe from blue-haired teachers who want nothing more than to privilege-walk their sons down the hallways until they hate themselves, their families, and their country.

Are you a law student excited to hear a prominent federal judge speak on your campus? Too bad. Your classmates, who’ve spent the last few years huffing uncut CRT, can shout the speaker down while a highly paid administrator eggs them on. (RELATED: Federal Judges Won’t Hire Clerks From Stanford Law After Students Shouted Down Federal Judge)

Even major corporations are suffering. Target is so afraid of the next George Floyd dying in its aisles with some chicken thighs stuffed down his pants that it’s allegedly preventing law enforcement from arresting shoplifters in stores. And that’s despite retail theft topping $1 billion for the company this year and forcing nine stores to close. Rough deal for the employees, too.

But maybe you’re just a regular guy who believes in fairness and wants things to work like they’re supposed to. You think planes should be flown by the sharpest pilots, troops commanded by the ablest officers, Oscars awarded to the best movies, professorships and grants directed to the most promising candidates and so on. Sorry. Every organization, in addition to its stated purpose, now has an overriding trinity of metapurposes: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The FAA exists not to ensure safe air travel but to promote diversity. The military’s primary objective is to maximize equity, not warfighting capacity. The Academy Awards declare dogmatically that there can be no artistic excellence without full inclusion. Awards and positions flow not to the best qualified but to those who can most eloquently restate the DEI Creed. (RELATED: Entire University System To No Longer Require ‘Diversity Statements’ From Applicants)

Everything is like this now. And as a result, everything is worse.

The only real beneficiaries (other than shoplifters) are the priests and priestesses of the anti-racism cult. Kendi got to rake in millions of dollars for a Center for Antiracist Research that published jack shit. Cullors ended up with a $6 million party mansion. Colin Kaepernick compared the NFL to slavery, making him the only slave in history with a seven-figure sneaker deal. Regina Jackson and Saira Rao, a particularly entrepreneurial pair of anti-racist educators, charged white women $5,000 a pop to call them racist and then yell at them for crying about it.

 

An excerpt from the book White Women by Regina Jackson and Saida Rao. This was from a Race2Dinner conversation. I love that we have a tangible example of “the urgency of brunch” now. Also Regina’s response was awesome pic.twitter.com/i8dkgDd4h6

— Holly Jolly MerBear (@WittyVitale) November 27, 2023

 

And, of course, there are all the university diversicrats, HR harpies, and roving DEI educators whose names we don’t know but who are raking in cushy salaries with full benefits for their work as full-time crybullies.

The results are in: Black Lives Matter has been an unqualified disaster across every stratum of American society. Everyone has suffered except for a small handful of grifting opportunists. The wave may be rolling back in some places, but it won’t roll back all the way. Even if it did, the damage is already done.

Grayson Quay is an editor at the Daily Caller.

 

Grayson Quay | Daily Caller

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline, and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The post The Legacy Of BLM — A Few Banked Millions While Literally Everyone Else Is Worse Off appeared first on Granite Grok.

Remember that time at COVID censorship camp when the government was publishing propaganda encouraging you to rat out friends and neighbors for violating mandates (too many people at a party or not following other oppressive mandates)? They wanted you to rat out your family, too.

DHS, through The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), had a cute little video about countering COVID-19 information.

The animated video featured an instructor who provided instructions on “Countering Disinformation: Cybersecurity 101.”

“Since 2020, there has been a lot of false and inaccurate information about COVID-19,” the video stated.

The instructional video produced by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) featured an illustrated version of a social media feed from the perspective of the fictional character, Susan.

“Consider this post from Susan’s feed: It’s from her Uncle Steve, who claims everybody knows COVID is no worse than the flu,” the video continued.

In the fictional scenario, Susan’s uncle is accused of backing up his claims about COVID with unreliable sources, including a “fake news story”.

In contrast, Susan supports her stance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, which is regarded as a “trustworthy” and “fact-based” source due to its large government funding. …

“You can’t win every argument online, but you can protect yourself from disinformation. You can stop it from spreading, too,” the video stated.

That video came down this year, but only this year, and no, I’m not Uncle Steve, though I would happily sub for the role. Both of us were correct: The government was suppressing the truth and propagandizing lies. We all know that, but we are inside a sector of the sausage factory from which not every truth escapes to find life among the majority of disinterested voters.

But they’ve been warming up to the idea.

We see fewer folks practicing the old pandemic ways, and that’s a sign of hope. If we can turn that into something, maybe we aren’t wasting our time with the political primary posturing as we speed toward another attempted presidential election theft.

But I’m not holding my breath.

 

The post ICYMI – DHS Takes Down Video Asking Family Members to Rat Each Other Out appeared first on Granite Grok.

In a recent interview with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk claimed the United States could be supplied with electricity by a 10,000-square-mile solar array. Mr. Rogan did not critically press the iconic X-owner as to the logistical or environmental problems such an installation would present.

Mr. Musk is undoubtedly a scientific genius, but even geniuses are susceptible to conflicts of interest – like owning a massive company that manufactures and sells solar panels in America while extolling their salvific benefits.

It is clear what a 10,000-square-mile solar field would do for the bottom line of a company like Tesla (which acquired SolarCity, a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial solar panels in 2016). But what would it do for America or the ecosystem supposedly being rescued from destruction?

A Panoply of Panel Problems

Solar panels have steadily improved in efficiency since their introduction. Early efforts were about 6% efficient in capturing the sun’s fusion energy. Some prototypes now extend into the potential range of 35% or greater: Elon Musk makes panels that approach 20-23% efficiency. At 13-14% efficiency, it has been estimated that an array of 22,000 square miles would be required to energize America, an area roughly the size of Lake Michigan. Musk’s upgrade using “next generation” panels would reduce the required space by more than half to an area akin to Lake Erie.

Depending on panel efficiency, estimates of the number of solar panels this installation would require vary, but range between ten billion and 18.5 billion panels. When asked by Rogan whether it was feasible to install such an array, Musk was enthusiastically optimistic.

“Absolutely,” Musk responded. “We need batteries, but yes.” Musk explained that “it’s not hard” and “very feasible” to power the entire country with solar because the sun is converting more than four million tons of mass to energy every second and requires no maintenance. “That thing just works. We have a giant fusion reactor in the sky,” he said.

It could be that Elon has been staring at the sun too long, developing a blind spot. He concedes there is a battery problem to solve – a huge hurdle not easily surmounted. Unmentioned are grid carrying capacity, inefficiencies of transmission, or the ongoing problem of intermittency: When clouds scud across the sky, the energy flow from panel to grid fluctuates erratically. But the more immediate (and consistently sidestepped) inquiry is: How much energy and pollution would ten billion solar panels require to manufacture, install, and eventually dispose of? Solar panels deteriorate in efficiency by about .5% annually and thus last about 25-30 years before their (toxic, non-recyclable) disposal is required.

Elon Musk and Silicon

Elon Musk’s battery limitation acknowledgement is much akin to the Utopian social justice statement: “Every human on the planet can have their own personal Taj Mahal. We need the marble and jewels, yes. But let us not quibble.” A similar sleight of hand ignores the energy and pollution costs of manufacturing billions of panels. Musk’s Tesla (SolarCity) panels are a hybrid of crystalline and silicon models. Silicon requires fossil fuels to create, according to Thomas Troszak, director of research and development at Reciprodyne, a company specializing in custom machine and process design, fabrication, and consulting. In “Why do we burn coal and trees to make solar panels?” Troszak explains:

“… every step in the production of solar PV [photovoltaic (converting the sun’s energy to electricity)] power systems requires an input of fossil fuels – as the carbon reductants needed for smelting silicon from ore, to provide manufacturing process heat and power, for the intercontinental transport of materials, and for on-site deployment. The only “renewable” materials consumed in PV production are obtained by deforestation – by burning large areas of tropical rainforest for charcoal (another carbon reductant) and to provide the wood chips that are necessary for all silicon smelters to function. Additional mineral resources and fossil energy are needed for constructing factories, process equipment, and maintaining the PV manufacturing infrastructure itself. Silicon smelters, polysilicon refineries, and crystal growers all require uninterrupted, 24/7 power that comes mostly from coal and uranium.”

Calculating the greenhouse gas (GHG) and carcinogen tally of the manufacture of 10-20 billion panels was not part of Musk’s Rogan experience. Arguably the world should await even more efficient “next generation” panels – or perhaps the lagging battery materials and technology – before ramping up these installations, but “climate urgency” means pollution and waste are just a cost of saving the planet from pollution and waste.

Climate ideologues crow that America has reduced its GHG production, ignoring increases abroad attributable to “renewable” manufacturing. As China faces an environmental crisis disposing of its aging panels while manufacturing new ones, the better course may be to simply leave the things unmade rather than have to clean up the toxic disaster they have clearly become.

Saving the World?

Or ideologues and captains of industry could pitch a worldwide solar array before batteries or grids exist to capture the juice, and with no proposal to replace or dispose of them when they expire in a few decades. This would require an estimated 92.7 billion solar panels, enough to completely cover America’s 11 smallest states (South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Rhode Island) plus another 4,000 square miles!

There would be far less chemical pollution generated for the planet if every human were provided with a personal Taj Mahal. But hey, who’s counting? Just build toxic solar panels in China, NIMBY-style.

When it comes to making money, Elon Musk is the prophet of profits. It is to be hoped this oddball genius can calculate not only rocket prop

 

 

John Klar is an Attorney, farmer, and author. Mostly farmer… And Regular Contributor to GraniteGrok and VermontGrok.

The post Elon Musk’s Solar Panel Paradox appeared first on Granite Grok.

You will have heard the news by now. Americans For Prosperity – the National mothership, not the local state groups – has endorsed warmonger Nikki ‘No Free Speech‘ Haley as their Insider of choice to keep Donald Trump from his all but certain nomination.

They would have been better off choosing DeSantis (Trump was never an option), but no. Nikki Haley, this Koch is for you. And it has not played well everywhere, including inside NH’s chapter of AFP. Former Grokster Chris Maidment took to X on December 1st to profess his outrage.

 

There’s a high likelihood I get fired for this, and I didn’t clean out my desk today, but here goes…

I joined @AFPhq and @AFP_NH because we were a principle based organization. 

I found them, almost accidentally, in 2017 when I was a keyboard warrior with no influence.

My wife, my 6-week-old baby, and I, ultimately attended. We found common cause and common allies. Folks that were dedicated to the same cause we were — making NH and America more free. 

Years of volunteering untimately led to a job. But not a job, a passion that paid.

A cause to fight for while still being able to supply for my family. A dream come true. 

I’ve disagreed with @AFPhq over the years on a number of things — COVID, for one — but ultimately believed that @AFPhq and @AFP_NH was such a force and principled enought that it was a place to stake my career. 

Earlier this week, we learned the opposite.

@NikkiHaley might have momentum, and she may even pull off the impossible and win the nomination, but with @AFPAction’s endorsement, I’ve lost all faith in @AFPhq. 

Nikki Haley is totally sideways on @AFPhq ‘s foreign policy stance. She’s anti free speech.  I respect my colleagues, many of whom will stay and do their jobs, and work to nominate and elect Nikki Haley.  I will not. In 10, 15, 20 years I want to look my children in the eye and tell them I did the right thing. The hard thing.  … (more from the thread reader unroll here.)

 

I’ll take exception to the ‘Keyboard warrior with no influence” jab. We don’t pay writers or offer insurance, but Chris was warring with us, and while that may ot have been the influence he was hoping for, it is there, and it is real. People wouldn’t be constantly threatening to expose, cancel, or shut us down if it weren’t. Democrats in the NH legislature even sponsored a bill that would have allowed them to lawfare us into obscurity (it failed). Otherwise, Chris is over the target and dropping truth bombs on the Koch endorsement and Haley.

To be clear as Vodka, Haley was a great UN ambassador, but she turned tail on her boss when the Left turned the heat up on everyone around him. That is a fatal character flaw and not uncommon among Republicans not named Trump. A point made in spades by Patricia McCarthy in a piece titled, “The Republican Party is saturated with abject cowards.”

 

They caved on Obamacare, a disaster by every account.  Along with their partners in crime, the media, some of them perpetrated the Russia collusion hoax for years, a colossal lie from the outset. They allowed the impeachment of President Trump twice on wholly fabricated and insignificant charges.

So malleable is this Republican Party, the Democrats stole the 2020 election with impunity.

And they’ve done nothing to bring those guilty to light. Why? Because they fear Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” every bit as much as the Democrats do.

They are all, with the exception of a treasured few, committed members of that swamp.  They refuse to stop the extravagant spending that has put us $34 trillion in debt.

They will vote to expel one of their own but do nothing about the long list of criminals that currently sit in Congress:  James Bowman, Rashida Tlaib, Robert Menendez, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, etc.  Each of them has committed numerous crimes that should get them expelled from office.  Will the Republicans fight back? Not a chance. The few who do speak out are shouted down, silenced. Consider how Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene are treated by their fellow Republicans.

 

That’s Haley, and it is a portrait, perhaps not of individual Republicans, but certainly of Party impotence. As McCarthy notes, if it were Democrats, they’d be doing what they are doing to President Trump.

The default response to that is, well, we don’t want to be like them. The answer to that is that you are them when you enable it.

Stop being the bystander who records the serial gang-raping of Lady Liberty on your cell phone so you can use it to get more followers on Instagram (or get re-elected ‘cuz, look at what they are doing) and get in the fight.

Doing the right thing is hard, but we’ve got more seat-warmers than warriors, and if that doesn’t change, seat-warming is the only job they’ll let you have, and what scares me is that there are plenty of Republicans who would take it.

 

 

The post Nikki Haley, This Koch is for You appeared first on Granite Grok.

In a world drowning in information, I always find myself at the crossroads of truth and deceit, only hoping to get a front-row seat to a sinister ballet orchestrated by the unseen puppeteers of the deep state. This should not be labeled as the stuff of conspiracy theories.

Still, it is a collection of tales spun from our experiences, where we understand how deep connections with the media can birth monstrous offspring – fake news, lies, and propaganda.

From the trenches of my insider vantage point, I witness how the web of relationships between the deep state and media personnel paves the way for manufacturing distorted realities. It isn’t just about sowing seeds of disinformation; it is a meticulously crafted symphony conducted by puppet masters interested in manipulating public perception.

Behind the curtains of newsrooms, “deep connections” aren’t mere networking; they are lifelines of influence. Top media personnel become conduits, willingly or unknowingly, for disseminating propaganda. Imagine a world where news isn’t a mirror reflecting reality but a canvas painted with the hues of hidden agendas.

As an unsuspecting and mostly gullible audience, navigating a landscape fraught with half-truths and calculated deception is difficult.

“Repeating a lie a thousand times gives it a veneer of truth” – is a maxim that has become the mantra of every clandestine operation. As the whisper of deception echoes through the corridors of power, it gains strength, morphing into a shrill noise that drowns dissenting voices. How many lies, I wondered, have been thus engraved in the collective consciousness, shielded by the armor of repetition?

The process always begins with creating the lie that suits the narrative of the agenda to be unleashed, which could be a false news story, a misleading statement, or a distorted fact. This lie is then spread through various channels, such as social media, blogs, and traditional media outlets. The more times the lie is repeated, the more likely it is to be believed, especially if it aligns with a person’s pre-existing beliefs or biases.

The lie is often crafted to be as plausible as possible, using techniques such as sensationalism, fear-mongering, and appeals to emotion. It may also be presented as a fact or a widely accepted truth, making it seem more credible. Once the lie has been spread, it is often difficult to disprove, especially if it aligns with a person’s beliefs or biases. This is because people tend to ignore or downplay information that contradicts their beliefs, a phenomenon known as confirmation bias. Ask yourself the question – how did this bias enter into the head in the first place? It is through a long chain of trickery that you become a player.

The news ecosystem, that intricate web connecting publishers, information, and users, becomes the battleground. “Fake news” isn’t just a buzzword but a weapon meticulously wielded to sway public opinion. The manufactured narratives don’t merely stay confined within the traditional news outlets; they permeate every corner of the digital realm, finding refuge in blogs and social media platforms.

But how does this web of deception ensnare the unwitting masses? The answer lies in the interconnectedness of it all. The relationships, the influence, the repetition—it was a carefully orchestrated dance where each step led the audience deeper into the labyrinth of falsehoods. Have you ever questioned the news you consume, wondering if it’s a reflection of reality or a distorted mirage?

The power dynamics at play are both subtle and insidious. The relationships between the deep state and media personnel are the glue that holds this elaborate facade together. But who are these puppet masters, and what is their endgame? The answers may seem elusive, hidden behind secrecy and plausible deniability. But ask yourself, what is it they want? Simply put – they want it all for themselves – a few greedy at the top of the pyramid, with dumbed-down masses at the bottom. You know it all but want to look the other way or are ghastly callous, not thinking of the damage it is already doing to you and future generations.

As I navigate the delicate balance between revealing the truth and protecting my identity, I implore you to question the narratives presented to you. Are you a mere spectator in this dance, or are you an active participant, discerning the moves with a critical eye?

In the end, this isn’t just my story; it’s a cautionary tale for those who dare to peel back the layers of the media landscape. The web of deception is intricately spun, but with awareness and scrutiny, we can unravel its threads and reclaim the narrative that is rightfully ours.

The post The Media and the Subtle Art of Manipulation appeared first on Granite Grok.

PORTLAND, OREGON – Following an exciting visit to Taiwan with a legislative delegation, I lingered here in the Rose City with Beth to visit family and experience the Pacific Northwest. The foliage colored up about a month behind New Hampshire, so it was still beautiful in late November.

Spontaneity is very important. Just let yourself go and see what happens.” – American actor Aron Eisenberg

I was lying on a couch after church on a Sunday morning when Beth surprised me by asking if I wanted to shoot up to Canada.

“Sure!”

I’d floated the idea several days earlier and didn’t get much of a response, but I’d planted a thought in her pretty head. And such trips are always better when suggested by the spouse.

“We’ll leave in an hour,” said Dr. B.

Spontaneous road trips—like spontaneous parties—can be exciting and fun. Or disastrous. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

We threw our bags into the Prius.

“Got your passport?”

“Wait one!”

A minute later we were heading north on I-5. British Columbia, ahoy!

We did detailed planning in the car.

“Let’s go to Vancouver,” I suggested.

“How about Victoria Island? It’s closer.”

“Okay.”

Things work out better when spousal suggestions are adopted.

“Is there a bridge?” I asked.

“Ferry,” replied Dr. B from the passenger seat as she studied a map. Then, she reserved a BnB using her cell phone. The 21st Century has its wonders. It would take about four hours to drive through Washington State to Puget Sound. Then, the 90-minute ferry to Victoria.

Shortly thereafter, I heard an “Uh-oh.”

Never good.

“We’re going to miss the last ferry. I’ll have to make a reservation in Port Angeles for tonight, and then we’ll catch the early ferry tomorrow.”

That meant that we’d be paying for an empty BnB in Victoria that evening while getting a hotel room in Port Angeles. Spontaneity has its dangers.

The Scenery

We enjoyed the scenery while hurtling north. Off to our right, to the east, we soon saw the towering Mt. St. Helens. Old enough to remember the major eruption there in 1980, we marveled at how terrifying it must have been to so many who could see it from all directions for 100 miles.

Further north we could see Mt. Rainier, again to the east. Also an active volcano, at 14,411 feet, it’s the most glaciated peak in the lower 48 states, spawning five major rivers.

Then it got dark, and an incredible full moon arose, also to the east. We listened to ’60s music on Sirius Channel 73 and truly enjoyed the ride.

After finally arriving at Port Angeles, we tooled around town a bit and did some prep for our excellent, spontaneous Canadian adventure.

As an NH State Representative, it occurred to me that Victoria was a provincial capital and that a trip to the capital building might be fun. So, I googled an email address for the Legislative Assembly and messaged to ask if any visitors might be allowed.

The Boat

The next morning, we got in line early for the ferry. We decided to take the car even though that would be pricier—and even though our BnB was within walking distance of the landing. It was still dark at 7 a.m. as we were in the far western part of the Pacific Time Zone. We drove aboard and then went up above for the 90-minute passage. It was a rare, sunny day with maximum visibility.

Puget Sound was like a placid lake, and I wondered how far from shore indigenous peoples took their boats centuries ago. I also pondered how this very waterway was once simultaneously claimed by the Spanish, the British, the Russians, and the Americans—as well as, of course, those indigenous folks.  (Google “54-40 or Fight!”)

The City

The city of Victoria is the capital of the beautiful province of British Columbia, 62 miles southwest of Vancouver and 62 miles north of Seattle. Named for the iconic 19th-century British Queen, the city features many older buildings, giving it a slightly European ambiance in contrast to America’s west coast metropolises. Its “Chinatown” is the second oldest on the continent, behind San Francisco’s.

That the traffic was relatively light was a surprise. It then occurred to me that we were on an island, which protected the city from countless vehicles driving in—unless they wanted to pay for the expensive ferry ride that we’d just experienced.

The government buildings were impressive edifices completed in 1897. But equally impressive was the imposing Empress Hotel, which opened in 1908. This truly grand hotel beckoned us to visit and explore.

The Parliament

We checked in early to our BnB, which overlooked the harbor and a small fleet of tourist boats. I checked my phone for messages and was surprised and delighted to see a response to my query from the provincial legislative assembly.

“Great news!” I exclaimed to Beth. “We’re not only invited to visit the Provincial Parliament, but they want to give us a special guided tour and then have us sit in on a “Question Time” assembly session. Wow!”

As a legislator, a visit to the provincial parliament called to me somewhat more than it did to Beth.

“Did you tell them you were some sort of big deal to get this invitation?”

“Just the facts, ma’am,” I replied. “Just the facts.”

“Do you have the right clothes for such a visit?”

“I just happened to pack the suitcoat I wore to Taiwan.”

“Well, now there’s a surprise,” replied Dr. B, rolling her eyes. But she admitted being excited to witness “Question Time,” which was obviously based the British model where the Prime Minister takes direct questions from all parties in the House of Commons. We’d both watched that tradition on C-SPAN.

“America should have a version of ‘Question Time.’ Don’t you agree?” asked Beth.

“Absolutely,” I agreed. I wanted to point out that our current president rarely even has a controlled press conference, much less take direct questions from Congress, but I didn’t want to stir things up. Spontaneous trips are always smoother when political arguments are avoided.

We were met by David near the entrance to the historic parliamentary edifice. He conducted a wonderful tour and provided us with gallery tickets to watch Question Time.

The Drama

Legislative assembly sessions invite theatrics, as the elected officials play not only to their colleagues but also to the gallery and to the cameras. Multiple parties were represented, but the two major ones in B.C. were the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the British Columbia United party (BCP). As we looked down from the gallery, the NDP was to our left, and the BCP was to our right, literally and figuratively. There were also two Green Party members and two Conservatives. There were no Liberals, which I found interesting, given that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a Liberal.

The questions mostly involved BCP members asking NDP leaders about healthcare shortcomings. Depending upon who said what, it was fun to watch one side or the other cheering and desk pounding—just like the Brits do in London on C-SPAN.

The Invite

After Question Time wrapped up at 11 a.m., Beth and I were the first to step out from the gallery. We wanted to head to the Empress Hotel for “Teatime.” We were surprised to run into David, who apparently was waiting for us.

“The Speaker would like to meet you,” he explained.

“Seriously?”  (The Speaker was still sitting on the throne in the legislative chamber.)

“Yes.”

David escorted us to the outer chamber of the opulent Speaker’s Office, where we waited and watched a screen showing a BCP member using some extra time to call out the Premier for what she felt was egregious behavior. After she finished, the session adjourned, and Speaker Raj Chouhan soon entered his chambers, followed by the Legislative Clerk, Kate Ryan-Wood. We followed them into the inner sanctum, where we all sat on some gorgeous furniture in front of a big fireplace and enjoyed some friendly small talk. Canadians obviously follow American politics—including the New Hampshire primary.

“I was just hoping to get a photo when I sent that email,” I explained. “We’ll never forget your extraordinary hospitality.”

“We know who you are,” responded Chouhan, which I found incredibly flattering. Someone must have googled me after I sent the message and saw that I was a House Committee Chair back in New Hampshire.

Rep. Mike Moffett and Dr. Beth with British Columbia Legislative Assembly Speaker Raj Chouhan at the provincial parliament building in Victoria.

We got a few more photos, and then Beth and I excused ourselves, leaving the Canadian lawmakers to go back to making laws.

“I’m glad I brought my tie and jacket,” I said to Beth as we walked toward the Empress Hotel.

“You knew they were going to invite you to the Speaker’s Office.”

“No way!”

“Yeah. Sure.”

The Tea The dining room at the Empress was also opulent, and I was glad we were dressed up for Teatime.  The pianist was playing the theme from Downton Abby as we entered, which somehow seemed apropos. I felt like we were walking into Highclere Castle, the building seen in the popular British series.

Being a country hoser from Groveton, I’d never done a “teatime,” but Dr. B had lots of class and knew how to proceed. Several pots were delivered over flaming heat sources with hourglasses so we could measure the appropriate amount of time for the giant teabags to do their things. The tea was accompanied by several courses of interesting and delicious food. I also ordered a large Merlot to celebrate our wonderful experience at the provincial parliament.

“I bought the ferry tickets so you can pay for teatime,” said Beth.

“Sure,” I replied.

“Don’t faint when you see the bill. It can be one of my Christmas presents.”

I’m glad she warned me. Teatime at the Empress turned out to be very pricey. But it was worth it.

The Return

We retrieved our Prius from the parliament parking lot and drove to the ferry. The passage back to the states was wonderful. After driving off the ferry we briefly chatted with a customs official who waved us along without even asking to see our passports. Nice.

The drive back to Portland was pleasant, as we found Christmas music on Sirius Channel 71. The first Christmas music of the holiday season is somehow the best.

After a couple hours Beth indicated she had a book on tape she could play. I was enjoying the music but wanted to be spontaneously open to a new experience. I had never listened to a book on tape before.

“Sure. What do you have?”

“THE WATERGATE GIRL: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President by Jill Wine-Banks.”

I inwardly groaned. I was content to keep listening to “Silent Night” or “Joy to the World.” But after two hours of listening to the audio book I was completely pulled in. I wanted to drive another hour after we reached Portland just to keep listening. It confirmed the value of being spontaneous and trying something different.

It was almost midnight when we finally got “home” to unload the Prius.

“What are we going to spontaneously do tomorrow?” I asked.

“I don’t know about you but I’m going to spontaneously sleep in,” replied Dr. B.

As a great philosopher (Jennifer Aniston) once said about spontaneity, “The funnest stuff happens when you break away from the script.”

So true.

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