A Nght at the Forum

NO, not that forum - the one in Rome! The candidate forum at SHS last week. Too bad there were few attendees and fewer invited guests.

Attending the forum we listen to about 10 candidates tell us what they will do if elected or in some cases are re-elected in which case history will serve us well.. We hear the same mantra about getting along, what a villain is the speaker of the house - apparently they either befriended or did not know the former speaker, she was not a Mrs. Cleaver during her term! How if elected or re-elected everyone is going to receive everything they ever wanted or thought they needed, and how different "things" were under the former state legislature.

But then "things" began to be specifics and that's where, if we were listening and if we knew or cared to recall the past legislature, the mantra paled to the facts.

A comment was made about the decision to cut the state cigarette tax this past term (the reason for doing so unexplained) and how much theoretical money it cost the state but failed to mention that the previous administration refused to raise the cigarette tax while doing so for all other tobacco products. Results? Exactly the same as lowering the tax. We heard about cutting funding to UNH! Cutting funding up front if needed is much better than approving funding - allowing the University to make plans and budgets- and then later demanding 25 Million dollars be returned to the state because it was needed to balance a budget, that's really cruel. Oh and the previous administration also assessed additional costs to the community college system but that also was not noted. We were reminded that funds were reduced for a specific social program but not that DHHS general funding was reduced under the previous legislature and so on.

What went missing from all the presentations of all the candidates was what they would do to finance all of their fine intentions. We know what the incumbents have accomplished and they will continue to review and as the economy improves will restore program funds as they can be funded. We also know that funding everything by the last legislature nearly bankrupt the state caused a 800-900 million dollar unfunded quagmire and resulted in bonding state operating expenses so your kids and grandkids can pay the bill.

It's apparent that always "getting along" has lead to very dire consequences and that perhaps a bit of dissension here and there can actually be of great benefit.