New Hampshire, Welcome to the Broadbase tax

An editorial from the New Hampshire Union Leader

DID HOUSE Finance Committee Chairman Marjorie Smith ever really want a constitutional amendment to solve the education funding crisis? Apparently not.

Smith had taken the language from a House Republican amendment, altered it, and then demanded that Republicans support it. In a meeting on Wednesday she told House GOP leaders that, although they were only a few words away from agreeing to an amendment all could support, she would not change one word in her proposed amendment.

Suddenly, after weeks in which she had led the other side to believe she was committed to reaching an agreement, she announced that it was her way or the highway. Then she blamed Republicans for not agreeing to her terms.

Poor Gov. John Lynch was working behind the scenes to get both sides to agree on something. But even he, the man to whom Democrats owe their legislative majority, could not persuade even half of House Democrats to back an amendment that might have restored legislative authority over education funding while still keeping the courts heavily involved in the process.

Their refusal to vote for an amendment that would have forestalled future lawsuits, despite heavy lobbying by the governor, shows that the Democrats voters elected to the House last fall are committed to using the Claremont rulings to bring about a sales or income tax. Gov. Lynch’s pledge not to support either rings hollow now that his own party is leading him down the path to a broadbased tax.

House Republicans voted against Smith’s amendment thinking they would have a chance to vote for an amended version. But upon the motion of Republican Andy Peterson of Peterborough, Democrats voted to end debate on the issue and prevent it from being considered for the remainder of the legislative session. Marjorie Smith, supposed champion of a compromise amendment, voted for ending debate and voted against reconsidering that vote. She and the Democrats killed all hope of passing an amendment knowing that the Supreme Court’s deadline for finding a solution is only 23 days away.

The only good to come of this is that now New Hampshire voters know for sure where the state Democratic Party stands. It stands for creating a state sales or income tax to pay for pubilc schools.

So long, New Hampshire Advantage. It was nice knowing you.

Now it’s up to Governor Lynch to make sure no new taxes come our way. Well, no new broadbased tax anyway, the governor has already raised our taxes with the latest budget. Of course he calls them fees, but what’s the difference.

We have already seen he is not a leader or he would have been able to get his amendment passed. During the election he talked about his leadership, about how he was able to bring Democrats and Republicans together on issues. In reality, the Republicans were able to keep his true liberal agenda down. But by the Republicans doing this (they had no choice, they were doing the right thing) governor Lynch was able to do a masterful job of spinning it to look like he was a moderate. Truth be told, he is and always has been a liberal and now, with Democrat majorities in all branches of state government, New Hampshire is going to PAY FOR IT.

Way to go New Hampshire voters, way to go.