New Hampshire Governor Lets $940 Million School Funding Bill Become Law

Is this what John Lynch calls leadership? In a manner very reminiscent of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, John Lynch let a $940 million school funding bill slip into law without his signature. Governor Lynch supposedly was against this bill but he refused to veto it and so now this soon to be tax increase is law and it goes on the books without his name to be seen anywhere on it.

 The governor said that we needed this bill but at the same time he claims he opposes it.

Lynch said the state needs the new plan, which takes effect a year from now, to meet a June 30 deadline the state Supreme Court set in its last school funding ruling. However, Lynch said he opposes the way it distributes aid that increases by an estimated $43 million over the previous plan.

“This legislation is not my preferred solution,” he said in a statement. “I believe New Hampshire should direct more education aid to communities with greater needs. That is not possible, however, under the constraints of the Supreme Court’s decisions. It is also clear that, despite our best efforts, there was not sufficient support in the legislature for a bipartisan constitutional amendment that would have allowed us to target school aid.”

 He doesn’t like the bill but he refused to veto it so it slipped into law? Bullshit! This is typical John Lynch. Playing both sides against the middle. The man now being called the teflon governor gets what he really wanted, more spending, and was able to keep his name off of it. Nothing sticks to this man. Here is the Republican response:

“(Lynch) should have vetoed the bill,” said Rep. David Hess, deputy minority leader. “It spends $180 million too much and has absolutely no funding mechanism in there. It’s an invitation to broad based tax.”

BINGO, that is what John Lynch’s hidden motive has been all along, a broad-based tax. This bill coupled with his outrageous penchant for spending will lead to a sales or income tax. A tax the governor claims to oppose, a tax that most of the Democrats in New Hampshire want, a tax that will be proposed, a tax that will be signed. A tax that will be the direct result of this bill. A bill the governor was smart enough not to sign, but he still got the same result as if it was signed.

 When the broad-based tax is linked to this bill our teflon governor will just say, “hey I opposed the bill, I didn’t sign it.” and he will be right, but he will have allowed it to become law. And he knew what the end result would be. He wants the income tax, he just doesn’t want his name associated with it.