Letter: What “partnering” with ICE really means

Dear Gov. Ayotte: As you well know, it has always been the task of New Hampshire State Police and local law enforcement to arrest people committing crimes. It is disingenuous of you to infer otherwise. You also know that ICE regards immigrants without proper papers as criminals. I hope you have budgeted for counseling for the state and local officers who will potentially be asked to take neighbors, parents and families into custody for ICE. Even ICE employs chaplains to counsel officers affected by what their jobs demand that they do. Our state and local officers who “partner” with ICE will potentially be asked to arrest their neighbors, fellow church members, chefs and kitchen staff at local restaurants, construction workers, summer camp and resort staff and students in ESL classes knowing they could be “detained” anywhere from local jails to Guantanamo without access to legal representation. These “round-ups” of immigrants will now be brought home to us all. If empathy and Christian charity have not been enough, perhaps now we will wake up to how much these immigrants contribute to our state and local economies and to our communities in general.

Letter: Promote Democracy Worthy of Being Saved

Divisiveness is our greatest risk. It’s trendy today to build walls on foundations of false dichotomies and misleading information. What kind of democracy has members who too often vilify those who vote differently? A failing democracy. Is our democracy worth saving? If not, what should replace it? Who should benefit?Unity could salvage US democracy. Unity does not mean we have to like each other. It would entail listening, respecting, and perhaps understanding. It’s impossible to find commonalities if we do not listen, understand, and show respect. US democracy would be more apt to succeed if people were to judge others by levels of integrity, not by superficial criteria e.g., race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or political party. Efforts at influencing tend to be more successful if opposing views are shared calmly. Hearing “the other” with an open mind can be thought-provoking and insightful.

Letter: HB377 is wrong for trans kids

I just listened to five hours of testimony on HB377 hearing trans kids, their parents, doctors, social workers, lawyers, therapists, hospital reps, state reps and excellent questions from the committee. More spoke for the bill than against it. Many expressed how they feel the transgender population is being bullied and has become a political target. Some pediatric endocrinologists are leaving our state! I feel our kids are being abandoned. I’m a mother, grandmother, teacher and nurse, and I believe government has no place in health care decisions between a child, their parents and their medical team. Each side had a lot of statistics, research and supportive organizations on their side, but what matters to me is keeping the government out of decisions about children’s medical issues! Children in New Hampshire need to be free to decide with their parents and all their health team professionals.

Letter: The state legislature has no business regulating athletics

I urge my fellow New Hampshire citizens and in particular members of the Senate’s Education Committee to oppose SB 211. I don’t see how or why the state has any compelling interest in regulating who can participate in student athletics, on what teams, under what conditions. Regulating participation should be the job of the athletic organizations, coaches, league officials and other experts who oversee individual sports. SB 211 represents a gross legislative overreach and I urge the senate in the strongest terms to oppose it.

Letter: Missed opportunity at Monitor Way

As a resident living just around the corner from the proposed Monitor Way project, I was disappointed to learn that the project was denied the variance needed to move forward even after being scaled back to focus solely on much-needed affordable housing. The argument that this space must remain “industrial” in case we might need it someday is laughable, especially considering Lincoln Financial and The Concord Group just sold their plots for redevelopment. Affordable housing is essential for Concord’s growth. Without it, businesses and restaurants will struggle to attract workers who can afford to live here. The proposed 200 housing units would have been an ideal option for employees at Merchants Way and others in our community. As that area continues to develop, prioritizing affordable housing should be a priority. I urge the Concord ZBA to reconsider its decision and grant the necessary variance for this project to move forward. Keeping the site industrial is a missed opportunity, especially in a state grappling with a severe housing shortage. This project would not only support Concord’s growth but also help ease the tax burden on homeowners by attracting new businesses. I hope we don’t let this chance slip away.

Letter: Is this what you expected, governor?

Is this what you expected, Gov. Kelly Ayotte, when you courted President Trump’s support for your campaign, then turned and supported him? The tariffs he is imposing on Mexico and Canada are going to affect the lumber industry. Canadians are bypassing New Hampshire ski resorts in protest and booing our national anthem at hockey games. He’s cutting services to the vulnerable and proposing major cuts in education funding. Our state has been welcoming to LGBTQ+, but now he’s going to cut federal funding if we don’t comply with his erasure of certain programs and policies. If you sign into law expanded voucher programs, it’s the children who will suffer. Don’t you care about them? Actually, what do you care about, governor? It’s becoming clear that your vision of our state as ”the New Hampshire advantage” isn’t doing us much good at all.

Letter: School vouchers are the reverse Robin Hood effect

That sucking sound you will soon hear is the sound of money being sucked out of your wallets to pay increased property taxes because wealthy people no longer pay interest and dividend taxes. The repeal of the I&D tax disproportionately benefits wealthy households and hurts the rest of us.

Letter: Neon god

So, what else can Elon Musk and his DOGE crew plan on replacing? Consider this scenario: Early in the darkness of a spring morning, the standard lobster boat went unnoticed as it moved down the Hudson River, entered New York Harbor and tied up at Ellis Island. Two teams of men carried a large metal plaque and a strangely shaped large red canvas up to the Statue of Liberty. They removed the Emma Lazarus poem and replaced it with the one they’d brought with them. A second group climbed the statue with rigging and hauled the canvas cap-like fixture up over the statue’s crown. They departed quickly and made their way back up the Hudson. The following morning, by the dawn’s early light, Manhattan and Jersey dwellers and workers were treated to a recycled statue. The Emma Lazarus poem was replaced with a plaque that read: Welcome to all who will remain loyal to Imperial Leader, Donald J. Trump. And, yes, draped over the statue’s crown, a giant red MAGA cap. In the words of Simon and Garfunkel, .“..and the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made.”

Letter: Four physician senators, two oaths

Two weeks ago the U.S. Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the new head of the Dept. of Health and Human Services. Among those voting yes were Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Rand Paul (R-KY) and John Barrasso (R-WY), all physicians.

Letter: How do you thank someone for 12 love-filled years?

Did you know my dad, Jay, from Rotary or Concord Cleaners? Or the State legislature or Capitol Center for the Arts?

Letter: Tell a Virginian third-grader about New Hampshire

Dear Granite Staters, hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of New Hampshire. In late May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud.

Letter: NIH cuts pose dire threat

We were visiting Portland, Oregon, and caught up with the son of one of our colleagues. A native son of Hopkinton, he embraced the rural joys of our community, but science was his calling. He went to Harvard Medical School and earned his PH.D. in neuroscience.

Letter: Just don't eat eggs

The real crisis isn’t the rising cost of eggs, it’s the horrific reality that billions of chickens spend their short, miserable lives crammed into factory farms, which serve as breeding grounds for disease. They are subjected to extreme crowding, confinement, abuse and ultimately brutal slaughter.

Letter: Newmarket’s Supreme Court battle

Residents of Newmarket should know that the town is involved in litigation that has reached the New Hampshire Supreme Court. While legal disputes involving municipalities are not uncommon, this case raises serious allegations that deserve public attention. The Appellant in this case has argued that the Newmarket engaged in unethical and illegal acts, claims that, if true, could have significant implications for local governance and public trust.

Letter: Land conservation is focus of Bow town meeting warrant article

At the upcoming Bow town meeting, voters have the chance to preserve open space. The Bow Conservation Commission will seek approval, through a town warrant article, for optional powers that are available under New Hampshire law. This would allow the Commission to provide funding to a qualified land trust for purchasing properties or conservation easements in Bow. This would give Bow landowners another option to receive funds for conserving their land.

Letter: Mr. Mayotte had questions. I have answers.

Letter: Misleadership

привет товарищ– or, if you prefer, “Greetings, comrade.”

Letter: HB 524 is an attack on public health and small businesses

House Bill 524 is an outright assault on public health and small medical practices, and it should outrage every New Hampshire resident. This reckless bill seeks to dismantle the New Hampshire Vaccine Association, a system that ensures vaccines are accessible, affordable and efficiently distributed. Why? To appease a small group of anti-vaccine extremists at the expense of children’s health and small businesses.

Opinion: What Trump really means by government efficiency

By TED MORGAN

Ted Morgan is a retired political science professor living in Tamworth.

Opinion: America’s future depends upon an Article V convention

By MIKE MOFFETT

State Representative Mike Moffett (R-Loudon) chairs the House Committee on State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs.