InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/series/distant-dome/page/9)
Garry Rayno
The federal government is broken when 20 or so far right extremists who represent an extremely small portion of the country’s residents, can hold the nation, the economy and the global economy hostage over what was once routine legislation.
Over the last decade, Medicaid expansion, or the Granite Advantage Health Care program has been one of the most impactful and successful the Legislature has enacted.
For example, two communities claim to be the birthplace of the Republican Party, Exeter, New Hampshire and Ripon, Wisconsin.
Is New Hampshire living on borrowed time or just lucky?
The state’s contributions to public education puts it in line with state’s like Mississippi and Louisiana although its per capita wealth averages among the highest in the country.
Like Bob Dylan’s never ending tour back before the pandemic, Gov. Chris Sununu has embarked on his own never ending tour of national television and cable news studios as well as the usual must attend stops — or cattle calls — for presidential wannabes.
Crossover is finished and the House passed a $16 billion budget with a three-to-one majority and now it is up to the Senate to put its stamp on the state’s operations for the next two years.
This week the House will take what is usually its most important vote before crossover, House Bill 1 and House Bill 2, or the state’s two-year operating budget for the next biennium beginning July 1.
The House has trimmed some of Gov. Chris Sununu’s proposed budget of $14.06 billion in total funds and $5.95 billion of general and education fund money.
The public has not given the lawmakers a mandate to turn New Hampshire into a Libertarian Shangri-La but that is what is happening.