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The rise of Donald Trump has forced his fellow oligarchs out into the open. Oligarchs are business leaders and groups who wield incredible economic and political power. Big business has sought to capture our governments for the last 50 years, starting with the Powell Memorandum of 1971 and capping it with Project 2025. The endgame is here.

Gov. Ayotte, is it fair to cut Medicaid benefits for New Hampshire individuals and families, even when they are already earning less than a living wage? Your budget proposes requiring a family of three earning $68,000 to pay an additional $283 per month, according to NHPR. The MIT Living Wage Calculator shows that an average New Hampshire family of three would need to earn a living wage of $119,184 to afford housing and the basic necessities. Your proposed Medicaid cuts to the state budget are unjust. Instead, let’s reinstate the New Hampshire Interest and Dividends Tax, which raised much more revenue, approximately $184 million in fiscal year 2024. Medicaid is a life raft for our citizens with substance abuse and mental health problems. Let’s sustain our progress and support our workers who are trying hard to provide a healthy future for their families.

It’s possible that Laura Brigada and the Republican legislators supporting the transgender bathroom bill (HB 148) will sleep better if it’s signed into law, but I doubt it. Consider this: For every transgender girl or woman who is forbidden from using a women’s restroom, there will be a transgender boy or man who will be required to use it. A transgender male, likely on testosterone, and possibly with both facial hair and “bottom surgery,” will be required to use the ladies’ room. Every time this topic comes up, I like to point people to “Becoming Nicole,” a wonderful book by Amy Ellis Nutt about an identical twin who determined at an early age she was, unlike her brother, a girl, and how her family worked through those issues, both legally and emotionally. Once you read about how in utero development works, you will be hard pressed to come to the conclusion that coming out as transgender is some teenage adolescent’s plan to meet girls. There are so many problems that require our attention: gun violence, climate change, income inequality. You must lead a very fortunate life to think that who uses which bathroom is the most important issue facing our country.

One of the biggest recent changes in Washington is the abandonment of NATO and our allies, including Ukraine. Russia is celebrating, and that’s a repressive place where people have no First Amendment rights. 81% of Americans don’t trust Putin, yet our President repeats Putin’s lies, turning U. S. support toward Russia.

I don’t understand exactly what the safety issue is with trans women using the women’s restroom. I’m pretty sure it’s not contagious!

I’m excited about the governor’s education plan. She’s really stepping up to make sure every child has access to the education they need to thrive. Public schools are a great fit for many families, but that’s not always the case for everyone. With the governor’s plan to make EFA’s available to all families, parents will have the freedom to choose what works best for their kids. It’s a simple idea that aligns with what makes New Hampshire special — our focus on personal freedom and the right to make decisions for ourselves. It’s great to see the governor putting the power back in the hands of parents.

Stephen Pierce’s letter in the Monitor states “public education [serves] the only stakeholder — our students.” This reflects a common misperception of the purpose of education. Public education is intended to benefit students individually and our society collectively — to preserve our democracy. Part 2, Article 83 of our state constitution was drawn from a similar provision in Massachusetts drafted by John Adams, a school teacher, revolutionary founding father and Federalist. It states in part, “[k]nowledge and learning, generally diffused through a community, being essential to the preservation of a free government. It shall be the duty of the legislators … to cherish the interest of literature and the sciences.” The subjects taught and quality of teaching matter.

The Declaration of Independence states that governments derive their just powers from “the consent of the governed.” Last November, Concord voters, by passing two amendments to the school district charter by almost 70 percent, clearly stated that they did not consent to the school board relocating the middle school to Broken Ground.

My question of the day. How can state legislators refuse to increase per pupil funding for public schools from roughly $4300 because “we can’t afford it” but, then, provide school vouchers which, according to the articles in the Monitor, average $5200 per student? There are many reasons why one size fits all education doesn’t work for every child but we’re allowing parents to purchase computers, ski passes, summer day camps, dance lessons, etc. — which aren’t offered to public schools’ students.

There are no Brown Shirts or SS troops. Instead, there are ICE officers and Border Patrol agents taking people from their homes and places of employment, transporting them to places of confinement. Not Jews, but people with darker skin who may speak limited English, removed from their families and friends. Some may have a criminal past, but they are now being held without formal charges without access to legal representation. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, have been law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying residents for many years.

Last week, the New Hampshire Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard SB 246, better known as “Momnibus 2.0.” This bill, primarily sponsored by Sen. Denise Ricciardi, has bipartisan support with a total of eight Republican cosponsors and five Democratic cosponsors. This legislation builds on the Momnibus bill from 2024. The new Momnibus 2.0 bill would improve access to health care services for new mothers in New Hampshire by providing a broad range of services and supports, such as securing funding for rural maternal health EMS services, requiring insurance coverage for perinatal home visiting services and expanding employee protection to ensure that mothers can attend postpartum care medical visits.

As a formerly incarcerated individual, I have transformed my life and choices since my adolescence. Now, as a community leader and advocate for individuals affected by incarceration, especially women, one of my goals is to change the negative way our population is viewed and described. Instead of being called derogatory names like “mad dogs” or “predators,” we are often labeled as “inmates,” “convicts,” “prisoners” and “felons.” These terms strip away our humanity and make us feel like objects rather than people. These terms are often used by law enforcement, media and policymakers, but I believe we should stop accepting them.
Referring to individuals as “inmates” or similar terms dehumanizes them, stripping away their identity and reducing them to mere labels. This kind of language reinforces negative stereotypes and perpetuates a view that overlooks their individuality, experiences and potential for change. People have feelings, dreams and the ability to change. Calling someone an “inmate” only focuses on their past mistakes and ignores their chance to grow and belong. Changing our language can change society. It fights unfair practices, builds understanding and supports policies that help people improve rather than just punish them. Using kinder words creates a fairer society that values people for who they are, not just for their mistakes!

My wife and I just returned from a lovely romantic getaway to the Jackson area. We visited a brewery, skied, snowshoed, ate great meals and even took a ride on the Mt. Washington cog rail. During the entire trip, we didn’t see one Canadian license plate or overhear any French being spoken. Good job, President Trump and Gov. Ayotte! You have managed to keep the Canadians out! They are cancelling reservations throughout New England. Fans at numerous sporting events are even booing when the U.S. National Anthem is played. Who can blame them? The Republicans want to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, annex Canada into the U.S., and, in Ayotte’s case, spend taxpayer dollars to make it harder for Canadians to cross the border. That is no way to treat our closest ally and trading partner or to use our tax dollars. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Mark Fernald’s diatribe against the “myth” of runaway federal spending is factually unassailable. The numbers don’t lie. But they don’t answer an important question he ignores: Is the federal government spending more than it should to accomplish the goals it pursues? Politically speaking, debates over what those goals should be and what the proper tax policy to fund them should be are important ones to have. Economically speaking, once those goals are set and once the revenue is raised (fairly or unfairly) to fund them, the only relevant debate is over efficiency in meeting them. Fernald characterizes 45 years of Republican spending cuts as a way to “pay for” tax cuts for the rich. Support or opposition for such an effort depends on whose ox gets gored. But chipping away at the deficit by pursuing cost-effectiveness in spending gores nobody’s ox. As distasteful, perhaps even illegal, as President Trump’s (or Elon Musk’s) gutting programs they don’t like by shutting off the spigot may be, their efforts to streamline government by curtailing needless waste or inefficient spending should be applauded. We can quibble over whether funding freezes and slashing the federal workforce is the right way to achieve this — but it needs to be achieved.

In his recent My Turn, “The myth of runaway federal spending,” Mark Fernald notes in defense of federal spending levels that Uncle Sam’s outlays as a percentage of GDP changed little between 1981 and 2023. What he doesn’t mention is that GDP, which includes government spending, doesn’t pay taxes, people do. A deeper dive reveals that the real (adjusted for inflation) growth in federal spending per person in his date range is 42% per person, which ain’t hay.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s new budget outlines her administration’s priorities, but it overlooks a critical need: appointing a state librarian. Libraries are the heart of our communities, offering job resources, digital access, literacy programs and civic spaces. They serve job seekers, students, small businesses and families, ensuring free and equal access to knowledge. Two months into her term, though, Ayotte has yet to fill the vacancy that directly impacts these essential places. This gap stems from a last-minute decision by the previous administration to withdraw the nomination of a qualified librarian, leaving us without an advocate at a time when libraries are facing tighter budgets, increased demands and political pressure. With libraries across the country being bullied into removing books from their shelves, strong state leadership has never been more essential to defending equal access to information. Without a state librarian, we risk losing federal funding that supports public libraries, digital literacy programs and workforce development initiatives. Smaller libraries, in particular, rely on state coordination to secure grants and sustain essential services. Meanwhile, Ayotte has prioritized expanding Education Freedom Accounts, diverting public dollars to private education while leaving institutions we all use without centralized leadership. Families deserve choices in education, but we cannot afford to neglect the public resources that serve all Granite Staters. This is an easy fix. Ayotte should act swiftly to appoint a qualified state librarian.

Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The current political climate has many feeling afraid and helpless, believing that there is nothing we can do about the potentially damaging decisions coming down from the Trump regime. But in New Hampshire last week, an event showed once again what can happen when individuals join together, whether it’s in our state or nationally.

I can’t figure this out: If President Trump won the election, then why is Elon Musk cleaning out all the federal agencies while Trump just sits there. Who did we all elect to the presidency?

With all the negativity in the world today, I would like to share a positive experience: Our snow blower had a soft tire last week. It was losing air daily. The solution was to remove tire and get it fixed. The problem was we couldn’t figure how to do this. We tried the computer and didn’t find anything that would help. After shoveling from two storms, we went to Freedom Cycle for help. We were received graciously. They printed out a diagram of the wheel, but our 80-year-old minds couldn’t make heads or tails of the printout. Seeing this, they went to the showroom and brought out a new machine. We were given a hands-on demonstration of removing the wheel. Home we went, and we had no problem doing the job. We then returned to the dealer, and they fixed the problem at no cost to us. We can’t thank them enough. Not many dealers in this day and age would do the same. Thank you to the staff of Freedom Cycle and especially Eric and Jonathan.