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.