I’m sure most, if all of our readers are familiar with the term “get it in writing,” but it’s a seemingly alien concept in city hall.

Please take 3 minutes to play this video of Laurie Ortolano during a recent public comment time.  You only need to watch the 3 minutes because Alderman Wilshire cuts people off, presumably with sadistic pleasure, when time is up.  I’m not going to rewrite her words as they’re already well said into the mic, but most readers already know that Laurie already has a full plate with her multiple pro se litigations against the City and her activism in addition to her service to others in the form of advising newly distressed taxpayers on the abatement process, so I’m here to take charge of this one.

When she asked me to “write a short article,” my first knee-jerk feeling was being back in middle school with writer’s block on the eve of a term paper due date, but I quickly snapped out of it when I thought of the RTK I sent early Friday morning to Risk Management and the mayor’s office.  I am still waiting for a response, even if just to acknowledge my request and it’s now Wednesday morning.

The City is a hot mess and a “dumpster fire,” to use the words that Chris Buda applied to just Ward 4 last year or even earlier than that.  This is the sum of multiple brush fires that have yet to be properly extinguished.  Between taxes, RTK and the flag pole, to name just a few ignition sources, wouldn’t it be nice to think about possible solutions in an election year(for state offices, not the City)?

While we’re all watching the activities of the Damn Emperor and wondering when and how he will respond to the RTK tax (HB 1002),

which is presently sitting on his desk, we should be asking candidates for both the House and the Senate about their interest in sponsoring a bill that demands policy in writing.  Yeah, I can close my eyes and already hear the critics saying, “Wah, wah, wah, local control,” but NH is not a home-rule state.

The post Get it in Writing? No, Not Nashua. appeared first on Granite Grok.

Ah, summer—the season of sun-kissed fairways, gentle breezes, and long days on the golf course. While golfing in the summer can be a blissful experience, it also comes with its challenges, especially when the temperature starts to soar. But fear not! With the right strategies and mindset, you can beat the heat and make the most of your summer rounds. In this guide, we’ll explore some valuable tips for golfing in the summer, helping you stay cool, hydrated, and focused on your game.

Before we dive into our summer golfing tips, let’s take a moment to appreciate the convenience and versatility of golf simulator software. Whether you’re looking to practice your swing, play virtual rounds with friends, or analyze your performance in detail, golf simulator software offers endless possibilities for improving your game. With realistic graphics, customizable settings, and immersive gameplay, it’s the perfect way to stay connected to the game during the summer months, even when you can’t make it to the course.

When it comes to golfing in the summer, choosing the right clothing is key to staying cool and comfortable on the course. Opt for lightweight and breathable fabrics that allow air to circulate freely, such as moisture-wicking polo shirts, breathable shorts or skirts, and UV-protective hats or visors. Avoid dark colors that absorb heat and opt for light-colored clothing that reflects sunlight instead.

One of the most important aspects of summer golf is staying hydrated. With the sun beating down and the temperature rising, it’s easy to become dehydrated on the course. Make sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your round to replenish fluids lost through sweat. Consider bringing a refillable water bottle with you and take sips regularly to stay hydrated throughout the day.

In addition to staying hydrated, consider using accessories like cooling towels or neck wraps to help regulate your body temperature on the course. Simply wet the towel, wring out any excess water, and drape it around your neck or shoulders for instant relief from the heat. You can also invest in a portable fan or handheld mister to create a refreshing breeze whenever you need it.

Finally, don’t forget to take breaks and seek shelter from the sun whenever possible. Look for shaded areas around the course, such as trees or covered pavilions, where you can take a break and cool off between holes. Use this time to rehydrate, reapply sunscreen, and catch your breath before tackling the next hole.

With these tips in mind, you’re well-equipped to tackle the challenges of golfing in the summer and make the most of your time on the course. So, grab your clubs, lather on some sunscreen, and embrace the joys of summer golf. With the right preparation and mindset, you can stay cool, hydrated, and focused on your game, ensuring a memorable and enjoyable experience on the fairways.

The post Tips for Golfing in Summer appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Assisted Suicide Bill in New Hampshire got benched for the time being, but not the topic. And we’re not saying you can’t choose to kill yourself. We’re saying the government will inevitably abuse it to the detriment of people and public health.

Related: Slippery Meet Slope: Medically Assisted Suicide Could Save Millions in Health Care Costs

Numerous examples have already crossed these pages, but someone sent us a new one. Canadian Allison Ducluzeau was diagnosed with stage 4 peritoneal carcinomatosis. She was told to get her arrangements in order and to consider medically assisted suicide. Allison chose to do some research instead. She spoke to specialists across the globe, got scans in California, and treatment in Baltimore.

Today, Allison is in remission. She lifts weights daily, and goes running and cycling. She recently married her partner on a beach in Hawaii in front of her children. But she remains infuriated that Canadian doctors offered to kill rather than treat her.

She had to fundraise money to pay for her treatment, but these days, she’s just offended at how Canada’s healthcare system responded to her condition.  “The way it was presented was shocking,” she told me. “I was disgusted to be offered MAID twice. Once, I was even on the phone when I was on my own, having just come back from Baltimore. It left me sobbing.”

Public Health across the globe is still reeling from how badly it handled the Wuhan Virus. Systems that were not socialized behaved like they were monolithic interventions that ruined or ended lives over what was dangerous to a small demographic of people. The freshly-minted fearmongering over bird flu appears to be headed once again in the wrong direction. Public Health cannot be trusted, and as systems get stressed – especially those that rely heavily on taxpayer-backed support – budgets get between doctors and patients.

In Oregon, nearly 80% of people who end up suicided are on government health care. States like Colorado and Hawaii have tried to shorten the wait time. Is it so patients can be convinced to take the death drugs rather than be a strain on resources in the hours and days after a terminal diagnosis? Perhaps not but given the trajectory of health care in the West and its increased alignment and dependence on government – or at least the bully pulpits of politicians and the massive grant funding they control – the issue is not if but when.

Canada has had socialized medicine for a long time and (IMO) not coincidentally is the poster child for fast tracking reasons to offer MAiD to just about anyone it thinks it could afford to do without. That sort of medical ethics is the slippery slope of which we speak. Like the Canadian woman who suffered almost immediate and debilitating side effects from a dose of Moderna mRNA COVID “vaccine.” Her medical issues became so complex that she was offered assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide has been suggested for vets with PTSD, the poor, the homeless, those with mental illness, and children with spectrum disorders. There seems to be no limit to what policymakers and doctors might consider a reason to recommend death to treatment or life.  Keeping in mind that these “authorities” are the same people who will decide what mental illness looks like.

Canadian Truckers, Dutch Farmers, Marie Le Pen’s political supporters in France, and deplorables who oppose open borders. The list knows no end, and there lies the problem. Arguing to allow the government to define the conditions for assisted suicide is a lot like letting it decide what is information and disinformation. You can’t trust it to do either.

The post Slippery Slope: Assisted Suicide Will Always Be Cheaper Than Treatment appeared first on Granite Grok.

In the blogging business, if someone is complaining, there’s a good chance you’re doing something worthwhile, especially when the unhappy people are in government. Reporting roll call vote attendance has had its fair share of negative responses, suggesting we must keep doing them.

I think we will publish the entire list for the entire House next week so you can examine both sides and make your own conclusions.

This week, the final day of the regular session, Republicans listed a few good bills because of attendance, so without further exposition from me, here we go.

Note from the data guy: “Lots of Republicans missing, very few roll call votes. More than a few were lopsided for or against and were not affected by missing Reps. Lots of division votes, but can’t tell how many might have been lost due to missing Reps.”

The post Your Final NH House Republican Attendance Report of the Session (Some Reps are Applauding) appeared first on Granite Grok.

Today, we learned that this was the last day of the House Session until the Fall when we come back for “Veto Day.” Today’s program included three memorials by colleagues who remembered past House Members who passed away this year.

The Hon. David Babson (Ossipee), the Hon. Timothy O’Connell (Milford), and most recently, the Hon. Russ Ober (Hudson). They all contributed so much to the NH House in service to their constituents, and they will be missed by many.

Today, we also learned that our House Speaker temporarily passed his gavel to Speaker Emeritus, Rep. Steve Shurtleff (D-Penacook), and Minority Leader, Rep. Matthew Wilhelm (D-Manchester). Rep. Shurtleff will not be seeking re-election and his contributions to the NH House were lauded. We wish him well in his future endeavors. It is customary for the Speaker to allow the Minority Leader to have some time as acting Speaker as well. My thought was although Rep. Wilhelm presided well enough, he should not get used to it.

We learned that at the beginning of the day, we had 186 Republicans voting and 182 Democrats voting. By the end of the day, the numbers dwindled to 175 Republicans and 178 Democrats. Unfortunately, we lost some important bills because of that.

We learned that most of the Committee of Conference (CoC) Reports were passed via voice vote. Starting the day, there were five Senate bills on the Consent Calendar and eight Senate bills on the Regular Calendar. All of those CoC Reports passed on a voice vote, except one that had a division vote and passed 188Y-179N. That was SB340 CoC Report. The bill included an amendment that addresses issues found in the recent LBA Performance Audit on Special Education Due Processes. It contained measures that will assist the Department of Education in monitoring and tracking the status and resolution of issues between districts and parents regarding services to their children. It will also give the Office of Special Education Advocate the tools to perform their statutory functions. This is a win for parents.

We learned that there were 5 House CoC Reports on the Consent Calendar. We then tackled 33 additional House CoC Reports on the regular calendar, which took us until 4:30 pm to finish. Of the 33 House bills, 20 of those CoC Reports passed on a voice vote; the rest were debated.

We also learned that HB1018 CoC Report passed 190Y-176N and it allowed land owners of land in current use to get an extra discount as long as they allow recreational use of their posted land. The bill also reduces the restrictions relative to the laws on-premise and off-premise liquor licenses. But please, don’t drink and bird watch!

We learned that HB1091, relative to financing political campaigns, passed 190Y-181N. This bill mandates that if someone makes small donations and over time passes the $50 mark, then the contributor’s information (name, address, phone, etc) must be reported. This means every time a small contribution is made (even passing the hat or in a raffle), you still have to collect information in order to aggregate the amount for that person. This is an awful Democrat-sponsored bill, and I hope the Governor vetoes it. It will be a record-keeping nightmare for campaign treasurers.

We also learned that HB1127 CoC Report passed on a voice vote. The original bill ends the physical return of a suspended license allowing its use for ID and closed a loophole where a person with a surrendered suspended license could avoid a search of their driving record in NH if they move out of state. It also included the “Right to Mow”, which rightfully corrects our statute to prohibit operation of a motor vehicle “on a way in the state” instead of “in the state” with a suspended license. This impacts farmers, landscapers, and individuals. It does not permit a person to take a riding mower on the road with a suspended license. So, individuals with suspended licenses can mow lawns without penalty, they just can’t drive the mower on a road. As they say, “Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street”… or something like that.

We learned that HB1215 CoC Report died with a roll call vote of 102Y-261N. After a lengthy debate, the House decided not to give the selectboard of Hampton special dispensation to decide on closing “D Street” and leasing it for 99 years to a developer. Normally, if a town wants to do something like this, they draw up a warrant article and hold a special town meeting for the voters to decide on what to do with, or how to dispose of, a town road. Supporters claimed that current RSA’s only allow for a 5 year lease, but the statute is very clear, and it looks to me (and many others) that the town can vote to lease for 99 years (RSA41:11-a II).”The authority under paragraph I shall include the power to rent or lease such property during periods not needed for public use, provided, however, that any rental or lease agreement for a period of more than one year shall not be valid unless ratified by vote of the town.” According to paragraph III the selectboard can lease up to 5 years WITHOUT ratification from the town. Passing this CoC Report would have set a nasty precedent for selectboards to make decisions that the taxpayers should be making.

We learned that before we headed out the door to enjoy the Speaker’s ice cream social (which was wonderful!) some pink haired lunatic started throwing some leaflets down to the State House floor from the gallery.  The Speaker started yelling for the person to stop and apparently security was not quick enough to subdue such activity before the person dumped a load of paper over the gallery rail and fled out the gallery door.  I did not happen to read what was written on the papers, but I heard it had something to do with trans rights.

We learned that HB1265 CoC Report passed with a roll called vote 183Y-172N. It was clear that House Democrats did not want transparency with regard to how schools spend our money. This legislation requires school districts to post mandatory reports of school expenses, including average cost per pupil, average teacher salaries, and top administrator salaries. It also creates a civil remedy for the enforcement of this requirement. For consistency and accuracy of data in the district reports, the department provided information identifying the expenses to be included.

We learned that HB1292 CoC Report regarding sanctuary cities in NH was Tabled 192Y-165N. The CoC language removed the overly broad requirement for law enforcement to assist with Federal immigration law and only required law enforcement to honor criminal detainers that are discovered subsequent to someone being arrested for a violation of New Hampshire law. Furthermore, the language specifically prohibits law enforcement from questioning people about their immigration status. The bill did not prohibit any town from adopting an ordinance or resolution welcoming immigrants to their community. As stated, the bill only prohibits towns from ordering their law enforcement to ignore requests from immigration to either notify or temporarily hold someone already in custody who is wanted by immigration for either being a deportable person, which means they have already met the threshold requirements and orders exist to deport them; or they are wanted on a criminal detainer for being suspected of, or charged with committing another crime in the United States in a different jurisdiction. United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has specifically asked under the current Administration, that localities refrain from adopting any laws or ordinances that would prohibit cooperation with ICE. They say that doing so not only interferes with their ability to carry out immigration law, but also puts citizens and other immigrants in danger by allowing known criminals and dangerous offenders to remain in our communities. Suffice it to say, we already know that Lebanon, Harrisville, and Hanover have “welcoming policies” in place for immigrants.. whether legal or not. It’s too bad this bill was tabled, but it could have been a stronger bill to begin with. House Democrats were very happy with this CoC Report being Tabled.

We also learned that HB1370 CoC Report was Tabled 223Y-141N. This bill would have eliminated voter identification exceptions. It removed any exceptions for proving voter identification and removed the voter affidavits as proof of identification. It also repealed the procedures for affidavit ballots and creates a judicial review or data verification process for persons aggrieved by the decision of an election official which denies that person the opportunity to vote. The amended version of the bill provided that once the voter has called the hotline, they must be taken care of within 20 minutes, or they may vote anyway. Opponents of the bill said this was an unwieldy process and probably would not be able to be put into place by November’s elections. The affidavit process will still be in play in this upcoming election, but at least a ballot won’t be included in the count unless they provide their information within a certain timeframe.

We further learned that HB1633 CoC Report, the legalization of cannabis, was Tabled 178Y-173N. Any hopes of legalizing weed in NH this year went up in smoke, even as the Senate passed it. It’s just as well…the bill was a hot mess anyway. Later, a motion to remove it from the Table failed 162Y-189N.

We then learned that HB1665 CoC Report, which would have raised eligibility for Education Freedom Accounts died on a Roll called vote of 168Y-185N… with ALL 178 House Democrats and 7 House Republicans voting against it. Losing this bill was a heartbreak as this bill could have easily passed earlier in the day. I’m sure this will be back next year.

Finally, we learned that all of the CoC reports that passed will go to the Governor for signature if the Senate approves them as well. We now wait to see what will get signed into law, vetoed, or passed without signature. Then, we’ll return in the fall to deal with Vetoed bills. House members will be off for July and August, with some working on legislation for next year and/or interim study bills. About 1/3 will not be seeking re-election, and the remaining 2/3 who have filed to run again will be busy campaigning. Have a great summer, and support our candidates! Let’s elect a much bigger majority of great Republicans next time around because “this slim margin” thing was really for the birds! Cheers, and thanks for reading!

The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (6/13/24)? appeared first on Granite Grok.