Hudson - Litchfield News 4 - October 8, 2010
The Word Around Town... Letters to our Editor
Fifth Annual Kelly Mann
Memorial 5K and 3K Fun Run/ Walk
On Saturday, October 16, the fifth annual Kelly Mann
Memorial 5K Run and 3K Fun Walk will be held in Nashua. In July 2004, Kelly Mann was brutally murdered
by her husband in her Nashua home, while her three children listened in a nearby room. On that day in July, Kelly’s three young daughters were forced to experience a trauma that has changed their lives forever. With loving support of their family and friends,
Kelly’s daughters Ashley and Lauren Mann approached Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support with the idea of a fundraiser in memory of their mother. Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support is honored to participate in this important event. This extraordinary fundraiser will provide funding for
Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support; provide awareness to the community; allow the community to show its support in ending domestic violence; and most importantly, this fundraiser will help Kelly’s daughters to heal and allow them to celebrate her memory with others. The race will be held at Sunset Heights Elementary
School, 15 Osgood Road in Nashua. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. This is a Flat, Fast, Certified 5K Course, with Timing
by Granite State Race Services! All proceeds will go to Bridges: Domestic & Sexual
Violence Support in their effort to eliminate domestic and sexual violence, and to provide a safe and empowering environment for victims and survivors. To register online, go to
www.bridgesnh.org.
Pamela Auer - Nashua Volunteers Needed The AARP Tax-Aide program is a community service
developed by the AARP Foundation in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The program provides Free Tax counseling, preparation, and electronic filing services to senior citizens, as well as low- and middle-income taxpayers, in connection with their Federal and State (NH, MA only) income tax returns. Your local AARP Tax-Aide Program is seeking
volunteers with an interest in helping others to staff locations in the Nashua area, where you will provide tax assistance services under the supervision of a local coordinator. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. You do not need to be an AARP member, a retiree, or have previous tax training and/or extensive computer experience to volunteer. Tax-Aid program volunteers will receive
approximately two weeks of in-classroom training in tax law, procedures for income tax return preparation, and the use of “Taxwise” software beginning January 3, 2011 (at Daniel Webster College in Nashua). Upon successful completion of at-home, open-book testing, volunteers will receive an IRS certification. Tax-Aide volunteers are expected to provide tax assistance services at least once each week during the 2011 tax season or February 1 to April 15, 2011. If you would like to volunteer for, or learn more about the AARP Tax-Aide Program, please contact Kaye
Heffernan by phone at (603) 882-8736 or by e-mail at
pkchefnh@comcast.net.
Carole Blackwell - Hudson
Who is Really Working for the Middle Class?
Contrary to the sound bites and slogans, Democrats
in the State House are not working to benefit the middle class. It is amazing the how the Democrats are stating that
they are working for the middle class. Their record says otherwise. Take the case of Representative Valerie Hardy, a Democrat Representative running for re- election in our District. Hudson, Litchfield, and Pelham are probably three of the most middle-class towns in New Hampshire. Maybe she can explain how voting for her town of Litchfield to lose $2 million in school aid is working for the middle class. That will only increase your property taxes. She voted for a budget that increased your town and school district percentage of retirement contributions, a budget that decreased the amount of state aid to towns and school districts. The result, as you have seen, are increases to your middle- class property taxes. Maybe Hardy can explain how increasing your car registration fees helped the middle class. Or maybe she thinks that only the rich drive cars. And so it goes, on and on. She voted to increase 38 taxes and fees, which hurt
the middle class, including many of her constituents. To make matters and choices more clear, Democrat Representatives John and Mary Ann Knowles voted right along with her. It’s clear that if you want change in the State House,
vote Republican for State Representatives, Senators, and Governor. The same applies for offices on the federal level.
Dave Buhlman - Litchfield
Benson Park Grand Opening Thank-You
Just wanted to say that my daughter and I enjoyed
the grand opening on Saturday, September 25. It was amazing to see so many people young and old enjoying what was Benson’s Animal Park transformed into a lovely park for all to enjoy. A thank-you to all the volunteers who put in so many hours in transforming the park so that Hudson can have something to be proud of. Again, amazing job of the Alvirne band and the B-Naturals.
Barbara Costello - Hudson
Nancy Dabilis, ‘Independent’ for Register of Probate
I am responding to the letter to the editor regarding
Bob Rivard’s response to the “Thumbs Down” article. Yes, Bob Rivard has been privileged to hold the position of Register of Probate for nearly 26 years, but after my 17 years of working with him, I disagree with the assessment of his job performance. My campaign against Bob Rivard was propelled by his unwillingness to retire and his frequent absence in the office. I believe the time has come for a positive change to take place in the Probate Court. The 24/7 job description he refers to
does not make any sense to me. This job requires his daily presence at the probate office during hours of operation. All probate matters must be filed and processed through the court during those business hours. Although he is a charming man who
feels he is serving the people well, his lack of computer skills and his continued unavailability at the office does not help his staff in any way. We need a worker. State budget restraints should require a full-time working Register. Bob Rivard,
with no caseload, merely defers the everyday operations of the entire office to his subordinates, which I feel is not being fiscally responsible. Why re-elect Bob Rivard? Isn’t 26 years long enough? The taxpayers simply cannot afford it! I’m running for the job of Register of Probate, not the
title!
Nancy Dabilis - Nashua John Knowles
Announces Candidacy I am running for reelection to the New Hampshire
House of Representatives, representing Litchfield, Hudson, and Pelham (Hillsborough District 27). In my two terms serving the residents of our district, I have tried to be open and accessible to my constituents, and to act in their best interest in Concord. Although this sometimes means disappointing some people on different sides of contentious issues, I have always tried to take both sides into account in making decisions. This last term has been especially painful for all of
us. The economic collapse of the past several years has been hard on almost everyone. As the economy got worse, the pressure on taxpayers also increased. Many lost their jobs in the second worst downturn of the past century (after the Great Depression). Many who kept their jobs had hours reduced. That made it harder for people to pay bills, including taxes. But at the same time, many of those same people needed more help to keep their lives from collapsing completely. Creating the state budget is always a balancing act
between spending priorities and available revenue. But in a depressed economy, it is even harder to find this balance. At the same time that demands for government services increase, it becomes harder to raise revenue to meet those demands. Although this past term was particularly hard, we still managed to produce a balanced budget with cuts that minimized harm to New Hampshire citizens, and limited, targeted revenue increases. The coming term is likely to be much worse.
Although the economy is slowly recovering, it still has a long way to go, and ordinary people are still hurting. Some measures used to keep the current budget in balance will not be available next time, but the projected deficit will be much larger. This will be a time when we will need a balanced hand in the legislature. To maintain our continuing good financial ratings, we must be careful with raising taxes and debt, but we must also keep in mind the citizens who continue to suffer from the poor national economy. An especially important issue is education funding.
Although we have made great progress in resolving the question of “adequacy” funding, there are still big problems with the distribution formula. In particular, the Litchfield school district has been brutalized by cuts in state funding. This is terribly unfair, at a time when many other districts received substantial increases in state support. I will work with all my abilities to revise the funding plan to be fairer to all the schools in the state. We have made progress in many areas over the past
two terms, such as in improving access to healthcare, reforming the state pension system, and addressing bullying in our schools, just to mention a few chosen at random. However, we have much more to do, and I would like to help continue our progress. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel
free to contact me at
johnk.knowles@
leg.state.nh.gov or 880-4908. I ask for your support in the election on November 2.
John Knowles - Hudson
What Alejandro Urretia Really Means
Kevin McGuire’s aggressive “Response to Partisan
Voices” (Hudson~Litchfield News: 10-1-10) was enlightening. I’d overlooked Alejandro Urretia’s candidacy. Big mistake. Nevertheless, I caught up fast. Both Urretia
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and McGuire persuaded me
that Urretia espouses excessively liberal views, much like those of President Obama. Yet Urretia did not identify himself as an adherent to any party or political philosophy. That made me suspicious. Liberals, you see, can’t reveal what they really stand
for. If they did, no one would vote for them. For instance, Urretia said, “We need a state budget
that is conscious of the bottom line, but at the same time aware of the New Hampshire residents that are being affected by the economic slowdown and the stalling recovery.” Reading this sentence is like trying to look through
a cement window. It’s pure Obama-speak. Obviously, that’s to hide Urretia’s real position on this. Were he honest about it, he’d make his position unmistakably clear, but then you probably wouldn’t vote for him. The primary clause in his statement conveys one
view, the dependent clause another. The phrase “a state budget that is conscious of the bottom line” implies fiscal conservatism, yet the second clause can only entail higher taxes for social programs. Such duplicity is a red flag. Moreover, Urretia’s press release stated, “He is
going to continue working for healthcare coverage and premiums and co-pays that are based on a person’s ability to pay …” To me, that means he wants overburdened working people to pay yet higher premiums or higher taxes to cover the cost of anyone who makes such a claim. That smacks of socialism. The real turnoff, though, was “Alejandro is in favor of
the integration of immigrants into our society.” This is Obama-speak for giving amnesty to illegal aliens. What else could that statement mean? Integrate immigrants— who’s he kidding? Honest immigrants are already integrated. However, it’s well known that illegal-alien sympathizers refer to illegal aliens as “immigrants” to deceive the public. Finally, Urretia’s emphasis on diversity is disturbing.
America is supposed to be a melting pot, not a bunch of diverse, unassimilated entities. People should not forget the axiom, “United we stand; divided we fall.” Prioritizing diversity precipitates division. Voters want representatives who’ll best protect their
interests. Skin color, religion, or ethnic background is irrelevant. That said, it’s been my experience that anyone who brings up diversity is looking for group entitlements. That’s the wrong horse to pull this wagon. It’s for this reason and more that I fear candidates like
Alejandro Urretia. His views are too much like those that put our state out of whack. We don’t need any more of that goose juice.
Joe Konopka - Hudson
What Our State Democrats are Up To
Hey, you busy people out there! I know you have been busy all summer having fun, going to the beach, ball games, etc., but it’s time now to start thinking about how you will cast your ballot on November 2. Don’t wait until you are in the voting booth. Get acquainted with the issues now. Do you know about all the new taxes and fees imposed by our Democratic Legislature up in Concord? There are approximately 38 new taxes or increased fees to help pay for their excessive spending. Let me tell you about some of them. You fishermen out there: Before you head out to do some surfcasting or ocean fishing, don’t forget to get your license. Did you notice how much more you are paying to register your vehicles and boats? Have you transferred any property lately? Yep, they got
ya there also. New and increased realty fees. Don’t forget the campsite taxes they wanted to impose. Then, there’s the increase in tobacco taxes. Funny
how they want you to quit the habit, but rely on the taxes they collect from this. Wonder what they will tax once everyone quits? They hiked the wine tax also. How much more of them dipping into our pockets can
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we take? The Democrats will rebut this letter with their foolish excuses and accusations, but rest assured, they won’t stop until they get what they want—a State Income or Sales Tax. Ever hear the saying, “Democrats never saw a tax they didn’t like?” Well, the last four years of their being in control in Concord has sure proved that. They would impose more liberal
“Nanny” programs that will encourage more government dependence, which in the long run keeps them in power. It’s a vicious circle, folks. On another note, have you noticed
your local city paper is starting to look like the Miami Herald? Every day now on the front page—another stabbing, shooting, rape, etc. What’s with all these machetes these persons are carrying around? What’s happening to our state? Liberal Judges appointed by Democratic liberal Governors, for one. Now, our Governor has decided to early-release sexual miscreants and thinks they won’t do it again. Ha, ha. Meeting with a probation officer once a week won’t deter these deviants from their proclivities. What turnip truck does he think we fell off? Voters, don’t forget to vote and vote Republican. They won’t continue with this agenda.
Sandi LeVasseur - Hudson continued to page 5
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