Once in A Lifetime

Recently one of the wonders of science occurred on December 21st.  A lunar eclipse where the full moon passes through the shadow of the earth was to be visible to us here in America.  For the first time in some 372 years.  As seems so typical we here in NH would be able to see this once in a lifetime event at 3:15 AM.  So as I departed for bed with the alarm set the sky was clearing.  However, at that wee hour of the morning, the snow clouds blotted all views of the eclipse.

But this morning, due to the wonders of technology, William Castleman, caught this wonderful observation.  What wonderful Creator made the heavens to declare the glory of our Maker.  And thanks to Doug Philips of Vision Forum, I am able to share it with you.  Enjoy - Goodnight Moon


Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse 2010 from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Guest Blog on NH Jobs by Robert Jursik

It is not surprising that all of New Hampshire's Republican gubernatorial candidates would be required by today's circumstances to address the issue of job creation, or that their responses to it would trend generally to free-market capitalism. The surprise is that it is the non-politician, non-entrepreneur candidate who possesses the strongest grasp of the issue and therefore the best chance to pursue the appropriate policies.

This past week, I had the great pleasure to join Karen Testerman at a dinner table, discussing how New Hampshire could generate new business and also attract established industries to relocate here. As a thunderstorm rumbled on the other side of the window panes, our twenty-minute interview left few stones unturned in a quest to find lasting, practical strategies for growing the economy and developing jobs. 

Immediately, Karen directed our attention to an important point: providing incentives for new businesses must take into account the TYPES of businesses our state needs. Every candidate, no matter the party, will pledge to create jobs - but as has been seen from the Obama stimulus, a nation does not prepare itself for the 21st century by laying down hundreds of miles of asphalt. "Shovel-ready" is not the equivalent of microprocessor-ready. The contemporary marketplace will need to strongly favor newer, clean-technology industries to compete successfully with the global manufacturing universe. Karen correctly identifies education as a critical component for this but also understands the serious "brain drain" being experienced by New Hampshire, as information technologists and engineers pursue dreams elsewhere.

New Hampshire's lack of an individual income tax allows for a personal accumulation of wealth, and the parallel lack of a sales tax allows for the free transfer of that wealth - both are indispensable for a state's economic future. However, that is not why the entrepreneurs are sitting on their wallets or taking them over the borders. New Hampshire still retains among the highest unemployment insurance taxes in the country, among the highest corporate property taxes in the country, and is the undisputed champion of corporate profit taxes. The message from the "Live Free or Die" state to businesses is unmistakable: get out and take your jobs with you. With a state population less than a fifth of New York City, why does New Hampshire's government require so much capital?

The beast needs to be fed. When Right-to-Work legislation failed to pass years ago, state employee unions were able to close their government shops tight and bargain for ever-higher benefits and pensions. The money had to come from somewhere, and since the Democrats in Concord were loathe to cut spending, their favorite money tree became businesses. The state is now among the country's worst in "value-added" manufacturing (producing things of higher value than the resources used to create them) and "export-focused" manufacturing (producing things for the purpose of selling to extra-state markets). In short, New Hampshire is making cheaper stuff and selling to ourselves. That probably also explains why our state has been among the worst in the number of IPOs created for the last five years.

It does not explain why Karen's primary opponents, who continuously trumpet pledges to create "jobs," fail to match her corresponding pledge to create industries - or more precisely, to pursue market-based government policies which will allow industry to create itself.  Can the former head of a government agency, who oversaw higher budgets and benefits to his union employees, be credibly expected to successfully resist them once he occupies the corner office?  Can an executive for a service sector corporation - without union employees - be credibly expected to appreciate the necessity for Right-to-Work legislation, or technology-based entrepreneurship? Karen Testerman, having been an educator herself for many years, is prepared to take them both to school.

Letter in the Union Leader - Linda Twombly

In the July 14th edition of the Union Leader (page C4) you can find this article by Linda Twombly:


"I met Karen Testerman in February when she spoke at the Nashua Republican City Committee meeting. I was impressed by her manner of speaking. She has a gentle spirit and I wanted to know more about her.   She is credible both morally and on issues facing fiscal responsibility. I know that I can trust her to do what she says she will do. Our Governor has not stayed true to the promises he has made to the people of New Hampshire.

Over the last four years New Hampshire has lost its NH advantage due to the out of control spending in Concord. It concerns me as a grandparent that our grandchildren are already in debt from the excess spending.

It is time for New Hampshire’s voters to step up to the plate and support Karen Testerman for Governor, both by your vote and financially. She is a fiscal Conservative and will bring spending back to a reality. She will also work to bring our state back to the type of state the founding fathers would be proud of."

Thank you Linda for your kind words!

Is our motto “Live Free or Die” or “Live Off the State and Wither”?

New Hampshire has been a hotbed  for free thinking, independent minded people since our very foundation – so independent, in early American history we tried to conquer Canada whenever the mood took us and all but allied with Great Britain during the War of 1812.  While most of us do not look back at these moments with pride (especially since our best effort at invading Canada only resulted in one of our own shooting himself in the foot), these examples are indicative of the spirit of New Hampshire which has until recently imparted our state with enormous prosperity often referred to as The New Hampshire Advantage. 

So what happened to us?  Why do we continually cede our will to the government’s will?  Why can we not see that dependence on federal, state and local handouts inevitably leads to a decline in personal responsibility and to a culture of entitlement?  Why can we not see that the more government taxes those that succeed the more it reduces the incentive to succeed?  When government interferes with the engines of industry through overregulation and onerous taxation to the extent that the Lynch administration has the result is general decline.  Entrepreneurship declines.  Successful businesses stop hiring, freeze wages, slow development and research and are often forced to either close doors or leave town.  Our children are forced to leave the state to find rewarding careers.  Ultimately we become financially and morally bankrupt.

The evidence is clear: under just five years with a progressive minded yes-man in the corner office our business friendliness rating has dropped from #14 to #34 in the nation, unemployment is at its highest point in twenty years, the budget deficit is $300 million dollars despite over 100 proposed additional taxes, and the younger generation is leaving the state en masse.  If we are to bring back The New Hampshire Advantage, we must redevelop that uniquely New Hampshire spirit of independence.  This revolution has to start at the home, in the families and in our schools.  As a civil servant who wants to see her grand children inherit the state we once knew, I will fight to let you reclaim your independence.