Gov. John Lynch’s(D) new Tax and Spend New Hampshire

 Below is an editorial that appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Democrats took control of state government in January, and six months later they’ve come to a budget agreement that increases state general fund spending by about 16 percent.

That’ll teach us.

Gov. John Lynch’s first budget, passed with a Republican Legislature, grew by only 2.28 percent over the previous one. The new budget’s rate of growth is roughly seven times larger! And that was with Gov. Lynch urging his party to control spending!

Legislators pay for this growth with a slew of tax and fee increases. Vehicle registration fees, court filing fees, deed registration fees, cigarette taxes, turkey hunting permit fees, all are going up.

And yet the budget still contains a gigantic hole. Legislators passed a definition of “adequate education” that obligates the state to fund kindergarten and lots of other programs and services. But the bill does not include a cost, obligating taxpayers to finance this expansion but putting off the bill until a later date.

How much will this spending spree cost the taxpayers? It’s too early to say. But rest assured, getting away with this huge spending hike will embolden them to go even further next time.

Another voice of discontent.

I just want to know one thing. Where are Gov. Lynch’s approval ratings polls? I haven’t seen any since the beginning of his second term. Isn’t that odd, when he had record high ratings I saw them. I have been searching the internet and can’t find one anywhere. Maybe they are still high, but if that were the case wouldn’t it be published so that we could see New Hampshire residents approve of the civil unions, and tax increases he has signed? His ratings have to be down or we would see them.

This new budget doesn’t even include the education funding, they don’t even know how much it’s going to cost, or more likely they do and are afraid to tell us. Where is this money going to come from?

Can you say broadbase?