Another chaotic confrontation took place at the Hooksett Town Meeting on Saturday. On both sides good folks were confronted with the reality that the school budget is choking taxpayers.

Thanks to Steve MacDonald’s excellent GraniteGrok article on 2/4, citizens of NH were treated to an accurate picture. Cutting the school budget consumes most tax revenue, not only in New Hampshire but throughout the nation.

Since the COVID lockdown of schools, parents got a taste of what their children are exposed to in public schools. Most good folks do not appreciate tax dollars wasted on the globalist UNESCO/U.S. Department of Education perversions of true education, such as gender studies, CRT, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), that have nothing to do with true education. In all fairness, would you, the reader, like to teach all these divisive Marxist programs to innocent children under the threat, so to speak, of taking the highway or Big Brothers way?

We want to thank Russ Payne for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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What is true education? Noah Webster draws a complete picture of true education in his 1828 dictionary:

The bringing up, as of a child, instruction, formation of manners, education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. “

Do you see anything in the definition that includes LBGTQ+, CRT or DEI? Perhaps more revealing: ask yourself, do you think all of the good qualities of discipline, correct temper, and manners are being taught to reinforce the upbringing of your children?

Hooksett is a town with approximately 9 or 10,000 people that let a small minority of voters represent their views. Is this the type of apathy that blindly trusts the so-called experts a product of public education? Too many Federal Bureaucrats are forcing un-American DEA/UNESCO globalist education on your children. Many of these jobs need to be cut first. The John Birch Society legislative alert demands the “defunding Public Schools.” Those who say this is too extreme consider how the Marxist revolution is demanding defund the police.

Check out the strategy at  https://jbsweb.cmail19.com/t/i-l-adhklx-illtudlrs-jj/

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The RINO/Uniparty NH-Journal, a/k/a NH-NeverTrumpJournal, regularly regurgitates the Left’s mantra that there is “no evidence” that the 2020 election was rigged. That claim is a LIE. A big, fat LIE.

I have pointed to the evidence repeatedly … the censorship of the Hunter laptop, the amplification of Deep State LIES (such as “Russian bounties,” “losers and suckers”), election “month,” ballot “harvesting,” “Zuckerbucks,” etc., etc., etc. The 2024 election is being rigged as I write this (2/7 10:00 AM) … the tidal wave of lawsuits have one common purpose: preventing Trump from again becoming President, TikTok instructing illegals how to vote, etc., etc., etc..

Mollie Hemingway sums it up in four minutes:

WATCH: In four minutes of testimony before Congress, @MZHemingway sums up everything wrong with America's elections from mail in ballots, to Zuckerbucks, to censorship, to Big Tech censorship, to Democrats trying to put Trump in jail. pic.twitter.com/lXAJJxFp7n

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 7, 2024

We have the Biden Regime instigating and enabling an illegal alien invasion of America; we have the Biden Regime doing all it can to put the leader of the opposition party in jail and bankrupt him. And what are NHGOP “leaders” talking about … eviscerating local zoning laws and cutting taxes for rich people and big business.

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Merideth, NH Rep Matt Coker (D – until a few minutes ago) has announced -more or less – that his party has left him, so he’s decided to leave it. He has changed party affiliation and formally joined the New Hampshire Republican House Caucus.

After extensive reflection and deliberation I’ve made the decision to change my party affiliation from democrat to republican to better align my party with my core values. As I reflect on the first half of my term it is abundantly clear to me my proper place in this body is on…

— Matt Coker (@MattforMeredith) February 8, 2024

The NH Republican House Caucus is, of course, very excited about this transition.

Welcome to the Republican Caucus Representative Coker!

The Republican Caucus looks forward to working closely with Representative Coker to champion policies that empower individuals, foster economic prosperity, and uphold the values that define the great state of New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/fsfspf1F1a

— NH House Republicans (@NHHouseGOP) February 8, 2024

My first instinct was to investigate just what sort of Democrat he was from the lens of the Republican/liberty universe. Coker’s NHHRA score last session, NHHRA measures key votes against the NH Constitution and State Republican Party platform, was 38.6. He voted with Republicans on key Republican bills more than one-third of the time while voting the other way just over 60% of the time.

The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) gave him a liberty rating of C-, which is not terrible while not compelling There are a number of Republicans whose liberty rating was worse. That’s not an endorsement of a C rating. I only want to note that we’ve had worse while we should aspire to better.

Having said that, this presents an interesting opportunity. As the NH House Republicans post on X notes, “The Republican Caucus looks forward to working closely with Representative Coker to champion policies that empower individuals, foster economic prosperity, and uphold the values that define the great state of New Hampshire.”

As the session progresses, there is an opportunity to see if Caucus can help Matt improve his Liberty Rating and HRA scores.

Everything’s a test, so here we go.

And congrats to the NH Republicans for adding another seat to their very slim majority and to Rep Coker for seeing some light if – in fact – that’s what happened.

Let us know in the comments what “improved” Liberty and HRA ratings you’d like to see by the time the session comes to a close.

The post NH Democrat with 38% HRA Score Decides He is a Republican – Leaves Dems to Caucus with GOP appeared first on Granite Grok.

A convergence of financial pressures threatens to send shock waves through America’s commercial real estate sector in 2024. As a record number of outstanding commercial mortgages mature, refinancing at nosebleed interest rates is a daunting hurdle for investors and lenders alike.

Concurrently, retail and office space demand has declined as more Americans shop – and work – from home. Vacancy rates are spiking. Rising real estate taxes, shoplifting, and inflation of essentially all overhead costs threaten the profitability of what has historically been a safe haven in real estate investment.

Commercial loans face what could prove to be a perfect storm of financial negatives. Unlike home mortgages, most commercial loans are “interest only,” increasing the risk of default if property values deteriorate. Some lenders are willing to extend favorable refinancing terms in exchange for increased principle (reducing the loan balance and improving loan security), but more and more borrowers may balk at throwing good cash after bad – if they have the cash at all.

This lending market has already been struggling for the past two years, but many loans carried one- or two-year extension options that provided a short-term hiatus that is now waning. The Wall Street Journal summarized 2024’s gargantuan loan exposure:

“In 2023, $541 billion in debt backed by office buildings, hotels, apartments and other types of commercial real estate came due, the highest amount ever for a single year, according to the data firm Trepp. Commercial-debt maturities are expected to continue rising, with more than $2.2 trillion coming due between now and the end of 2027, Trepp said.”

The loan-sticker shock of refinancing at much higher interest rates is exacerbated by declining property values, skyrocketing shrinkage (shoplifting and other losses) in retail businesses, declines in office space demand as more workers shift to home (accelerated during COVID), and anxiety about future inflation and economic stability. The combined impact of these disparate negatives on commercial real estate poses a substantial, persistent risk to lenders and real estate investors alike, with the potential to spill over into other lending markets, stock and bond markets, and consumer prices.

Many businesses have faced increasing costs in the current inflationary climate, but often these are passed on to customers. This pressure relief valve is unavailable for many commercial lenders, who face a triple whammy: vacancy rates skyrocketing, rents dropping in many market sectors, and insurance, tax, energy, and other costs inflating. Vacancy rates suggest an accelerating crisis: Office vacancy rates stood at 11.5% in the first quarter of 2020, rising to 15.1% by the second quarter of 2022, and 16.1% by the first quarter of 2023. This had climbed to an alarming 18.2% in November 2023.

Not all loans and properties are the same, with inner-city turmoil, closed stores, increasing crime and theft creating a particular vulnerability for commercial properties caught in the socio-political backlash. Indeed, eight markets account for fully half of all maturing commercial loan volume through 2024 — New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago being the top three. The industry-wide downturn is aggravated in America’s three largest cities. Other hostile market forces include struggling tech companies grappling with the double-barrel of remote work and broader industry-wide downturn: Some of the nation’s highest office vacancy rates are found in San Fransico (24.2%), Seattle (22.3%), and Austin (21.2%). Multifamily properties and industrial space are also exhibiting signs of weakness.

These multiple pressures converge to wilt future prospects for commercial real estate investment, fueled by progressive policies that seed destruction instead of economic growth. Retail outlets — including vital grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods — have shuttered their doors in Chicago and Los Angeles. San Francisco and Portland resemble Mad Max film sets. What hedge fund or billionaire investor will buy up such headaches, except at a great discount? Defunding police departments increases building repair and security costs, while steadily expanded taxes on the “rich” undermine the profitability of businesses: Most leases are triple net, requiring tenants to pay a proportionate share of underlying tax hikes.

Progressive ideology disregards the mathematical and market realities of the real world. Defunding police drives up crime and retail price inflation; printing money willy-nilly for pet art projects, social justice scams, and renewables seeds core inflation; taxing the rich and doling out free money to slackards undermines hard-working businesspeople. A New York study determined that steady real estate tax increases there have been passed on to tenants, doubling from 2007 to 2017, “accounting for a rising share of total retail rent burdens.” Across the nation, rental prices are down and delinquencies are rising for commercial loans.

Vapid progressive policies destroy American businesses. Chicago’s mayor proposed starting state-run grocery stores after food retailers fled that city. Government edicts for manufacturing and purchasing solar panels and EVs are patently regressive and transfer wealth from rich to poor. Calls for ever-more taxes on the rich craft burdens that land on the shoulders of the middle and business classes. If city taxes are raised sufficiently, property owners may simply bow out and let the government operate the buildings whose tenants it has taxed into unprofitability.

Loan defaults in the commercial real estate market in 2024 could spill over into other financial markets, leave empty retail/office shells looming over urban landscapes, weaken economic growth, and deprive cities of food, goods, jobs, and a healthy tax base. This is an “economic climate” crisis.

The post Taxes, Inflation, Vacancies, and Shoplifting Becoming Too Hard To Bear appeared first on Granite Grok.

There is not one Machine Media talking head or reporter who claims to be a journalist who wouldn’t sell their soul for a chance to interview Vladimir Putin. That’s just a fact. World leader. Times of crisis. Some amount of risk. It’s a massive get unless the journalist is Tucker Carlson.

He’s in Russia, and the left has lost their mind. Carlson is a Kremlin apologist—a useful idiot for Putin.

The same people would give up their souls for a one-on-one with any number of historical figures far more despicable or with whom they’ve little if any, respect, but it would be journalism. It is a rare opportunity for someone in Western media to be permitted that access. They might even have lists of questions prepared that they would want to ask.

Tucker Carson is in Russia, so it’s something else, but here’s the thing about that. Every reporter who interviewed Donald Trump after he became the Left’s Anti-Christ must then be a Trump Tower apologist. They are useful idiots for Donald Trump. They gave him a platform for his deplorable views.

Those are the new rules.

Kristen Welker, most recently. Josh Dawsey for the Washington Post. Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Swan for Axios. There are many others. And the comparison works because, in their minds, Trump is as bad or worse than Putin, and they still want to lob questions at him. Fastballs, sliders, curves.

And they’d want to interview Putin as well; they didn’t get that interview, so they have to smear Carlson, which suggests liberals never learn certain lessons.

The more they crap on Tucker, the more relevant and influential he will become. And the more they talk about it – the way they talk about Trump because that’s the sort of news that keeps them employed – the more people will be attracted to Tucker without their interference.

All over the world.

And they hate that more than Donald Trump.

The post So, Every American Journalist Who has “Interviewed” Trump is a MAGA Apologist? appeared first on Granite Grok.

If you want to know why Vermont is in such terrible shape on so many fronts, it is because the people we have elected to make important decisions for us are totally unmoored from any rational approach to problem-solving. They are devoid of any guiding principle, barring an intense desire to get their hands on our money and spend it as they see fit, which is usually not in a fit way. This is perfectly illustrated by the wildly divergent policies regarding marijuana, hard drugs, and nicotine currently under consideration in the State House.

I recently wrote about H.72 – An act relating to a harm-reduction criminal justice response to drug use, which the Vermont House passed 96-35 largely along party lines (a handful of Democrats joined all the Republicans in voting no), that would establish and fund state-sponsored drug ingestion sites. These “safe spaces” – for all intents and purposes loosely supervised, no-tell crack dens – would allow anyone of any age to come in and do any drug without fear of criminal charges or being reported to health or other authorities, official or parental.

Then there is S.300 – An act relating to funding support services for persons who use drugs and eliminating misdemeanor criminal penalties for possessing or dispensing a personal use drug supply, which “decriminalizes” (de facto legalizes) the possession AND DISTRIBUTION of small amounts of you name it. Fentanyl, meth, heroin, cocaine, acid, ecstasy, peyote…

According to this bill – which 12 of the 23 Democrat senators have signed onto as sponsors – someone can have or distribute an amount of pretty much any drug defined as a “benchmark personal use supply” or “the quantity of a drug commonly possessed for consumption by an individual for any therapeutic, medicinal, or recreational purpose,” with no age restrictions mentioned about who one can distribute these to.

Then there is S.72 – An act relating to lifting the potency limits on concentrated cannabis products, for which the title is self-explanatory.

So, at this point, one might conclude that these are just a bunch of libertines with a “do whatever you want” attitude about what we all do with and put into our bodies. But then comes along the other bill getting a lot of attention this week, S.18 – An act relating to banning flavored tobacco products and e-liquids.

Wait, what?

How can we help you do your opioids? Who are we to say how much THC belongs in your edibles or your Tropicana Cookies Hash Rosin Vape (a real thing; I looked it up)? But that pack of Kools? Oh, no. You can’t make that choice for yourself. That bubble gum-flavored nicotine vape? Hand it over, you evil dirtbag! Think of the children!

The justification for a flavored tobacco ban is, as it so often is that it’s “for the children.” It’s not enough that these products are already illegal to anyone under twenty-one. It’s not enough that nicotine vapes are a healthier alternative to smoking that helps many people to quit. Kids are getting their hands on them. Sure. Just like kids got their hands on regular cigarettes before flavors were available. Just like kids get their hands on pot, they’re too young to legally buy today, and just like they got their hands on pot that was totally illegal not too long ago.

But (S.18 features two pages of teeth-gnashing and garment-rending “findings”) those flavors are attracting kids and getting them hooked… say the same people who want to allow for even more potent marijuana-laced gummies because that’ll be just fine and not in any way a temptation for four-year-olds thinking they’ve discovered a cache of leftover Halloween candy.

In fact, S.18 specifically states that the law “does not include cannabis and cannabis products that are offered by a cannabis establishment.” So, our legislators’ real message to kids: If you want to inhale flavored vapor like Cherry Snacks Liquid Diamonds (a real thing, I looked it up), your only option is a cannabis product that will get you really high. It’s almost as if these lawmakers didn’t so much care about kids’ health but were really just working in league with the pot dealers, knee-capping their competition in order to boost their cronies’ bottom line. Hmmmm.

Is it any wonder we have a dangerously out-of-control drug culture flourishing in our state? In the world our elected leaders are creating for us and our children to live in, a drug dealer would be allowed to dispense single-serving amounts of the worst, most addictive, most destructive drugs to elementary school kids — in a government-sponsored safe space designed for such a purpose, no less — and face no criminal penalties, whereas a gas station/convenience store owner who sells a pack of Newport Lights to a thirty-five-year-old could face civil penalties of $200 for a first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses. How messed up is that?

On the bright side, though, last week, the Joint Fiscal Office let the members of the House Ways & Means Committee know that banning flavored tobacco products would result in an estimated annual revenue loss of between $7 million and $14 million. And so much for all that “save the children” rhetoric. It evaporated like a cloud of tobacco smoke in the wind. Screw the children. The people who profess to care so much would rather have the money.

The post For the Children: Ban Flavored Tobacco, but Not Flavored Pot, Legalize Drug Dens (No Age Limits) appeared first on Granite Grok.

I just retired after 35 years of working in the human service field. I was appalled at the lack of truthfulness, informed consent, and irrational fear that was foisted upon citizens by the medical bureaucrats during the Covid pandemic years. Their many lies are coming to light with Lord Fauci, Patron Saint of Wuhan, merely the idolized figurehead.

I am equally dismayed at the way the medical establishment is handling the transgender issue for the same reasons.

People who feel they were born in the wrong body is nothing new. But the dramatic rise in those now identifying as transgender has almost tripled just since 2017, according to Komodo health reports. There is still much research that needs to be done before we know about the positive and negative consequences of “gender-affirming care,” as it is euphemistically called by the medical field.

Yet the medical community thinks they are showing compassion by immediately accepting a child’s emotional belief that they were born in the wrong body. Until very recently, those with gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder were treated with counseling and mental health support. Neuropsychologist Alan Hopewell asserts that “administering hormones to a person under mental stress can exacerbate mental health issues.” “Hormones can change brain chemistry,” states Kathy Plantani, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Now, there are growing concerns over links between transgenderism and violence, according to an article in the January 31 edition of the Epoch Times. Audrey Hale is the most horrific example to date. Scary confrontations such as what happened to Riley Gaines after her speech at San Francisco University about protecting women in athletics and in the locker room will become more common and violent if cooler heads and common sense don’t soon return to the forefront of mental health and sports.

Michael D. Breen, Ph.D., wrote in the February 1 edition of the Laconia Daily Sun, “Efforts to mislead our still cognitively developing children and teens, even when well-intentioned, is not compassionate. It is often harmful. It should stop.”

The medical community is actually changing the definition of child abuse in an Orwellian fashion. A Montana father spent years to successfully appeal a jail sentence in British Columbia for “misgendering” his daughter. While the push to perform mutilating surgeries and dangerous hormone treatments on ever younger children is considered “compassionate child care.” Even Dr. Frankenstein performed his experimental surgeries on an adult. Of course, his patient ended up being the cause of his demise. Check back in seven more years, and we will likely know if there will be a similar result for this medical establishment’s dystopian horror show of confusion and chaos, in non-fiction fashion this time.

The post Night Cap: Transgenderism Madness appeared first on Granite Grok.

Not much makes sense in the homicide of GOP lawyer Alexander Talcott or the investigation and report on it from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Following the money is always a good place to start.

According to the final report from the AG’s office, Alex Talcott’s wife, Kristin Talcott, murdered him in self-defense in late August 2023. AG John Formella apparently identified him.

At the time of his death, there was apparently an investigation into his political candidacy in Conway, New Hampshire, while being a resident in Durham. Bizarrely, the investigation seems to have shut down immediately after because he was deceased. That seems like a red flag to anyone paying attention. Why would the NH DOJ feel the need to communicate this before any conclusions have been made about Alex Talcott’s death? Was the probe into his candidacy and business in Conway related to his death, and who else was involved in that? It would appear that Jay Lucas, who owns the Eagle Times, might be.

“DURHAM — The stabbing death of Alexander Talcott of Durham, who in 2022 ran briefly as a Republican for a District 1 state representative seat in Conway, has been ruled a homicide by the state officials. Attorney General John Formella identified Talcott, 41, Sunday and said an autopsy showed he died from a stab wound to the neck in his home at 98 Bennett Road in Durham.

Talcott, an investment executive who was general counsel and director of New Constellation Capital, also was an adjunct instructor in business law and finance at UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, according to LinkedIn.

In June 2022, he filed to run as a GOP candidate for one of three state representative seats in Conway that ultimately went to Democrats Steve Woodcock, Tom Buco, and David Paige.

Talcott never returned any of the Sun’s requests for comment on his campaign bid. However, on June 6, 2022, he sent a letter to the editor that said, “NH Gives, an initiative of the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, is underway June 7–8. Think the ‘Giving Tuesday’ tradition around winter holiday time. If you’re in a position to donate, I recommend the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust. Their community forest projects are opportunities to pay it forward. Alex Talcott, Center Conway.”

We want to thank Claire Best for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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Kristin Talcott is listed as an officer on the board of a non-profit: “Oyster River Parents & Preschoolers.” She has been since 2009. You would think that the AG of New Hampshire and the major crimes unit might have some questions about this instead of closing the file. I understand that there has been no notice of a will belonging to Alexander Talcott either. Newspaper reports indicate the couple had three young children, but another report from 2004 indicates that they had a 6-month-old baby and a 3-year-old back then. This would put these children at 19 & 22 years old in 2023 when the homicide happened.

“Alex Talcott is keeping busy teaching finance and business law classes at Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, working with a financial planning service in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and working with an estate planning and elder law firm she affiliated with last year. The firm is expanding to Exeter and has offices in New York as well! Kristin (Steinert) Talcott teaches graduate social work virtually for Simmons College. Kristin and Alex were recently in Hanover for Homecoming with their 6-month-old daughter _____and 3-year-old twins ______ and ______. The weekend included a family 5k in Cornish, New Hampshire!”

Alex Talcott was associated with a couple of businesses in Conway, several companies in Durham, and a few others in Massachusetts and elsewhere, including overseas ventures. He is also associated with Jay Lucas, who has had businesses in Portsmouth dating back to shortly before the above notice in the Dartmouth Alumni magazine. It looks as though Alexander Talcott’s association with Jay Lucas may go back to this time.

The Sunshine Fund and Opportunity Funds of New England list Jay Lucas. They appear to be one and the same. They are tied to another company called Lexdan LLC on which Alex Talcott’s name appears.

Meanwhile, The Sunshine Fund appears to be tied to Sunshine Communications, which is also registered to Jay Lucas, who owns the Eagle newspaper in Claremont, New Hampshire. The purchase of the newspaper was announced on July 14, 2022.

The following day, on July 15, 2022, Alexander Talcott registered “Real Estate Action LLC” with his wife, Kristin Talcott, who is listed as the agent for it.

The email address for “Real Estate Action LLC” is with “New Constellation Capital”.

On 13th November, 2022, the following article appeared on Medium from Eric Pines — a federal employment layer. It suggests there should be more questions about the Alexander Talcott case and how news media and officials in New Hampshire have reported it:

“Alex Talcott is a real estate and private equity attorney in New Hampshire with investments in 16 other states and three foreign countries. He is an adjunct instructor at the University of New Hampshire’s business school and a graduate of Dartmouth College and Notre Dame Law School. Talcott serves on his State Housing Council and as a senior fellow for a community economic development nonprofit.”

One month before Alex Talcott’s homicide, Kristin Talcott opened another company: “Discovering Resilience PLLC.”

Alex Talcott’s relationship with Jay Lucas is worthy of scrutiny given another company that Jay Lucas has and the people involved in that and their ties to Primary Bank and Richard C Tracy, who is the top crimes investigator in New Hampshire:

“Ride to Recovery” is a non-profit listing Jay Lucas and Phil Taub of Nixon Peabody (New Hampshire’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, Gordon MacDonald, hails from this law firm). Phil Taub is on the board of directors for Primary Bank, which gave PPP loans (and forgave them) to companies belonging to its board of directors. One of these was Autofair, where Primary Bank Director Andrew H Crews was CEO. The company was sold to an address in Florida (with help from a Dartmouth alum, apparently) not long after the Pandora Papers articles were published. Crews stepped down and is no longer listed on the board of directors of the bank.

Phil Taub and Andrew H Crews are also listed on the non-profit “Granite State Children’s Alliance” (aka “The Children’s Advocacy Centers”). Richard C Tracy is listed as the Secretary. Coincidentally, Richard C Tracy had his appointment as the New Hampshire Chief Criminal Justice Investigator renewed by AG John Formella in 2021.

The report into Alex Talcott’s homicide would have included input from Richard C Tracy -connected to Phil Taub, who is connected to Jay Lucas, who is tied to Alex Talcott’s failed business ventures. Are New Hampshire law officials covering something up?

Jay Lucas has a Facebook page. From January 17th, 2024, he sheds praise on David Scanlan, the New Hampshire Secretary of State whose office looks after the registration of all Lucas & cos companies. Governor Sununu is featured in the photograph at the top of the page. What seems apparent in New Hampshire is that donations go a long way, and something doesn’t add up. Jay Lucas and Alex Talcott opened a number of companies between 2020 and 2023 (after the PPP loan windfalls). At least one of Talcott’s companies was opened with his wife. To claim that she was unaware of the financial woes until late in the day and to ignore the probe into his business and candidacy in Conway doesn’t smell right.

“In the summer of last year, Alex Talcott borrowed more and more money from friends and family as he looked for a job with a high salary. Kristin Talcott, a licensed social worker, renewed her license and started a practice in order to bring in money for the family.”

The post The Strange Case of Alex Talcott appeared first on Granite Grok.

Last summer, a surprising bit of polling emerged from the Pew Research Center. It asked respondents about their tolerance for censorship by the government or big tech. A surprising number of Americans said they supported it, but a supermajority of Democrats were all in.

The secret to getting such high numbers, in my opinion, was how the questions were framed. They asked what they thought about moderating false information but without any reference to the mass of false information, misinformation, disinformation, and deceitful prebunking coming from big tech and the government.

At its core, the survey is misleading, but it is difficult to get past the Left’s quick and ready embrace of censorship, even if it limits freedom of information.

This deliberate embrace of censorship strikes me as a rhetorical cudgel as we approach the November elections. For all the talk of banning books that are still readily available with a click, Democrats are clearly the party of censorship, even if free speech suffers. Any Republican who fails to see the opportunity needs to open their eyes.

Candidate x, a Pew Research Poll, shows that 70% of Democrats approved of the government censoring speech even if it limited legitimate free speech. Do you agree with the majority of Democrats?

If they try to dodge it by leaning into the disinformation misinformation false-information narrative, say something like, what – like the Hunter Biden laptop? Or, how does the COVID-19 vaccine stops infection and spread, or how it is safe and effective, or do you mean the Steele Dossier?

Those were all government disinformation misinformation campaigns that interfered with elections and undermined informed consent and bodily autonomy. Masks, distancing, and lockdowns were also both disinformation and misinformation, and the key in all these examples is that those of us who challenged them early and often were fighting false information and censored by Big Tech, often at the behest of the government.

The government will censor the truth to protect its lies, and after all of that, 70% of Democrats still support more of the same.

I think Democrat candidates should be forced to run on that or at least defend it.

The post Reminder: 70% of Democrats Approve of Government Censorship and Dem Candidates Should Be Asked if They Agree appeared first on Granite Grok.

Why is it that Democrats put such a low value on human life? Whether writing laws that allow the killing of an unborn fetus up to the moment of birth or now, pushing for the legalization of state-assisted suicides, the authors and co-sponsors of these bills are showing zero regard for life.

There are three Republican sponsors, and maybe Representatives Phillips, Lynn, and Wolf should reconsider their party affiliation. We used to be a country and society that cherished life. We fund research to find cures and treatments for debilitating illnesses, and we used to look at the increase in life expectancy as a success. Today, our government does not intercede with the flow of illegal Fentanyl that kills 100,000 a year, promotes the killing of the unborn, and now wants to facilitate the voluntary end of life.

Below is a summary of the proposed New Hampshire bill scheduled for public hearings at the State House on Wednesday.

HB 1283-FN is a bill that establishes a procedure for individuals with terminal illnesses to receive medical assistance in dying through self-administration of medication. The bill outlines the criteria that must be met for a prescribing health care provider to provide a prescription for medical-assistance-in-dying medications to an individual. The bill also includes provisions for witnesses to the patient’s request and sets a waiting period before the prescription can be filled. The bill provides immunities and conscience-based decisions for those who participate in medical assistance in dying, and it prohibits penalties for health care providers who refuse to participate for reasons of conscience.

HB 1283-FN is a bill that allows terminally ill patients to request a prescription for medications that will end their life if they choose to self-administer the medications. The bill requires the patient to make a voluntary and informed request, and it allows the patient’s health care provider to contact a pharmacist to fulfill the request. The bill also includes provisions for witnesses to the patient’s request and sets a waiting period before the prescription can be filled. The bill also establishes standards of care for providers and allows for mental capability evaluations if there are doubts about the patient’s competence. The bill provides immunities and conscience-based decisions for those who participate in medical assistance in dying, and it prohibits penalties for healthcare providers who refuse to participate for reasons of conscience.

NH has a serious suicide crisis, especially among at-risk teens, veterans, and people living with disabilities. HB 1283 would normalize suicide as medical care to be administered by a doctor and strongly contradicts suicide prevention efforts. Once the initial hurdle is met and the bill becomes law, it will then be an easier process to expand the scope of deciding who meets the criteria to request assistance to end their lives.

A similar bill became law in Oregon, where some of the most used reasons to request assisted suicide include “fear of being a burden to others” and “loss of independence.” If passed, this bill invites coercion. Assisted suicide puts a new weapon in the hands of people who already abuse and exploit the elderly or infirm. The government should have limited control over the public, and inserting themselves into this issue is not where elected officials should venture.

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