Fire for gain (ignoring global warming warnings)*

Just gasp for some fresh air and you will know that it’s gone

Neighbor stuff they make will put an end to you

I got up this morning singing loud this sad song

So many poor dying souls to send it to

I’ve seen fire and acid rain

I see carbon days that I know can never end

I’ve seen warming times as ice caps melt my dear friends

But I always hoped that we could breathe again

Been walking the line, such a greedy time, my heart burned by the sun

Lord I miss when the cold wind blows need to turn our heads around

Well many words across the internet lines that warn about things to come

Bad dreams and burning machines and people in the ground

As you look down upon us, Jesus

We pray you help us make a stand

We want our children to see their promised day

Our lungs are aching and the time is at hand

See oh two death can’t be the only way

Oh, I’ve seen fire and acid rain

I see carbon days that I know can never end

I’ve seen warming times as ice caps melt my dear friends

But I always hoped, earthling, that we could breathe one more time again, now

Hate to see you one more time again

There’s just a few things coming our way this time around, now

Hate to see you, hate to see you fire for gain, now

Thought we could breathe one more time again

There’s much worse things coming our way next time around, now

Hope we can breathe, do breathe, through the fire for gain, now

The Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in Conway has demonstrated an extremely poor example to the young people of the Mount Washington Valley and beyond as it pertains to obeying the laws of our state and of our community.

On Tuesday their attorney admitted that the Red Jacket was not in compliance with the legal permit that was granted to them by the town of Conway in order to construct and operate their new water park. Indeed, in an attempt to by-pass the process, the resort attempted to “negotiate” the terms of the established fine of $275 per day prior to violating the conditions of their permit. Of course the board of selectmen did not agree to become an “accessory before the fact” on this offensive offer. Furthermore, the resort did not convince the selectmen to grant a temporary certificate of occupancy. This means occupancy of the water park at this time is not legal. In order to receive the occupancy certificate the resort must appear before the town’s planning board. Like it or not, that is the law –it is the law for everyone, including the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort.

While the town continues to respect the process that includes safe-guards for all citizens, including the resort, the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort has chosen to open the water park illegally. On Monday the town of Conway will commence legal action against the resort.

By thumbing their nose at the legal process and the laws and ordinances that were duly established, the Red Jacket has chosen that profits are the ends and any law that stand in their way for gaining those profits should be dismissed as bothersome, being that such laws are justifiably and selfishly worthy of their neglect.

Over the pass few years we have all heard a great deal regarding the need to be mindful and to respect “the rule of law”. Apparently, the morality of respecting the law; the unrestrained pursuit of the almighty dollar; or acceptable levels of lawlessness (or any combination thereof) has become a big part of the Red Jacket’s corporate mind-set. This is quite an example of situational ethics and mild-anarchy for the next generation of citizens.

The Red Jacket’s audacious disregard for the law should be a concern to the entire tourist business in New Hampshire, as well as for the rest of us. It will be interesting to see who comes to the defense of the lawbreakers?

An open letter

To his Excellency Governor, John H. Lunch and to the members of the N.H. General Court,

I have a response to the Legislative Budget Assistant’s office who has recommended that the NH Department of Fish and Game attempt to collect fees from hikers and birdwatchers and it is this, “Take a hike!”

I was born and raised in Conway. My early childhood was spent in an area that is now the beginning of NH Route 112 which is the eastern end of the Kancamaugus Highway (if you can utter August you can say KancaMAUGUS). Like many of the natives of this area I have spent, do spend and will spend a great deal of time walking about the forest and mountains; along the rivers and streams of this beautiful part of my home.

If the Legislature is so hard up for money that they will even consider taxing the people for what is our sacred right to walk unimpeded upon our sovereign land, then we are indeed approaching the point wherein we can with bold confidence declare the ends of government are perverted, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual.*

In that eternal spirit of the good and happiness of mankind I here and now serve notice, Irrespective of any action by the General Court of New Hampshire or any agency or executive order or decree, I will NEVER render any payment whatsoever to any government for exercising my God given right to move about on the public lands of New Hampshire.

"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils."- General John Stark, American Patriot

Mark Hounsell , N.H. State Senate (1984-1988), Conway , NH

* Part One Article 10, of the NH State Constitution.

Reports that statewide the local property taxpayers will bear the brunt of state government mismanagement is bothersome – to say the least. Here is yet another example of how poorly state government plans to do its job.

Case in point; Promised medicaid payments, that will not be realized by the ten county nursing homes, shows just how unreliable vital information presented by state bureaucrats has actually become. It also reveals the scheming of certain lazy, lying, and self-serving politicians.

The impact? It has come to light that the promised $120,000 from the State Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHS) will not be paid to the Carroll County government. The miscue will cost Merrimack County taxpayers $700,000,  Also, Belknap County will have to make up $375,000 and Hillsborough County taxpayers are hit with a staggering $900,000 tab! (I do not have the figures for the remaining 6 counties)

Just one year ago NH lawmakers told county government officials that counties could expect a 2% increase in Medicaid payments to pay for indigent residents in the county nursing homes. Last week the lawmakers are told the by officials of the NHDHHS that not only would there be no increase, there would instead be a multi-million dollar reduction. (that is what is called getting them (the taxpayers) coming and going.)

Raising further alarm is the fact that officials at Health and Human Services have also told lawmakers the cuts are for reasons still unknown. Somehow, $3 million of the money that was ear-marked for 2008 will have to be used to cover unpaid bills left over from 2007 and the people who are in charge DO NOT KNOW WHY!

Now this next bit of news should really irk the daylights out of all of us. In an attempt to soften the bad news, the mamby-pamby bureaucrats of NHDHHS are using the innocent sounding phrase of “budget neutrality” to explain their corrective course of action. Let’s shake that term down a little shall we. AAH! Budget neutrality actually means, “All ten counties will receive the same reduction of approximately 5% per nursing home resident per day.”

Former Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen resigned last July and is currently seeking to represent the 1st NH Congressional district this election year. He may make it, who knows. Stephen is a decent chap, and a capable man who has considerable experience and support. Additionally, he is from Manchester where there are a lot of votes. All of this adds to his chances of winning the election. However, he will need all that and more as he answers questions such as;

“As Commissioner, when you turned money over from the DHHS to the state general fund did you do so aware of the present shortfall?”

“Why did you prepare budgets to your agency knowing that you did not include enough to cover mandated programs?”

“Given the news that local taxpayers will have to pay for your budget shortfalls for years and years to come, would you like to rescind the portion of your resignation letter to Governor Lynch, where-in you boast on returning $143 million to the general fund?”

Less, some may think I am treating John Stephen unfairly, I would submit these are fair questions and he might as well start thinking about his answers now. However, there is enough blame to go around. Where was the legislature on this one? It sounds as though they were asleep at the wheel as well. Also, Governor John Lynch is the one who initiates the budget process; did he drop the ball on this?

Next month all ten counties are taking the State to court over the constitutionality of last years law change that basically requires that the state and the county split the responsibility of programs, instead of a system based on the percentage of the total cost.

Over the past two decades cities and towns have been in court suing the state over education funding.

The town of Conway is seriously considering suing the state for failure to keep its promise to begin the next phase of the Conway By-pass highway project in 2008.

It appears more and more the only recourse for the people is through the judicial branch of government. One must ask, has the executive and legislative branches of our government been broken from the tree of our constitutional republic? Has democracy been so infiltrated with career-minded politicians and bureaucrats that we the people have no real representation?

The talk of change needed in Washington D.C. is one thing. However, the crippling partisan grip in Concord, NH is definitely one that needs our immediate attention.

The system is so far broken that our counties’ senior residents at our county nursing homes are not adequately cared for and the local taxpayers are left paying the bill.

In politics and in government, liar-liar pants are never on fire. They are never forced upon any hot seat and they are never, not once held accountable. It is about time to CHANGE all that. It is time to clean house.

(A song parody in opposition to HB 503,  and HB 1621 “The Bottle Bill”, with a comment that not all environmental ideas are green, but we can color these  ideas  as “greenback”)

Daaah, da-da-da-da-dah. Da-da-da, daaah

Da-dah, dadle-laah, dee-da

da- daaah, dadle-laah

(note to guitarist, add the wah-wah pedal)

Whow, wah, wah, wah, wah

Wah,wah

Whaaaa, wahhhhh

They skipped their brains they’re scrambled

Turned cartwheels cross the floor

I was feeling kinda taxsick

But the yahoos cried out for more

The house was humming harder

As the Senate went along

When we called out for another drink

The taxman brought the tab

And so it was by summer

When the taxman told the scheme

That our faces, at first just sickly,

Turned a whiter shade of green.

*- “A Whiter Shade of Pale” performed by Procol Haram written by Keith Reid