Our Congresswoman, Carol Shea Porter proudly reported today that she had secured all of $1.5 million to fund two local New Hampshire projects. One million of this was for streetscape improvements in the Gaslight District in Manchester and $500,000 for infrastructure improvements for the Berwick Bridge in Somersworth.
Great, thank you! In the meantime, the State Department of Transportation has a Red List of 77 bridges most in need of repair. The projected cost, according to DOT, would be $403 million. The DOT estimates that there are resurfacing needs on highways that would cost $58.7 million. A quick calculation shows that this appropriation represents 3/10 of one percent of what New Hampshire needs.
Tag Archives: stimulus package
You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!
Posted in Infrastructure, New Hampshire, Stimulus Plan, The Economy Also tagged Healthcare, infrastructure, New Hampshire, stimulus 1 Comment
Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right
The constant refrain from the Democrats these days is that they are fully justified in the massive spending programs they are racking up because the last administration also ran up massive deficits. The fallacy of this argument should be self evident, yet somehow they are not being called on it. Washington has now committed well over $12 TRILLION worth of spending thus far and that figure seems to be climbing daily. For perspective, if one adds up the Louisiana Purchase, all New Deal programs, the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the S&L bailout, the Second Iraq War and the space program (all adjusted up for inflation) the entire package would only come to $3.9 trillion.
… It is very much starting to look like the Obama Administration has learned another bad lesson from the just departed Bush Administration. It is now clear that the current spending spree is to the economic crisis what the Iraq invasion was to the 9/11 attacks. If the Bush Administration used 9/11 as a pretext to attack Iraq (something they were itching to do) then the Obama Administration is using the crisis to undertake all of the liberal spending programs that the Democratic Party has built up on the shelf for the past eight years.
Posted in Stimulus Plan, The Economy Also tagged Healthcare, Inflation, monetary policy, Stimulus Plan Leave a comment
Busy, Busy, Busy
Mark Twain was famously quoted as saying that “No Man’s Life Liberty or Property is Safe While the Legislature is in Session.” The House Democrats in Concord seem determined to prove him right. Having pledged not to raise taxes they immediately ran up a $500 million deficit. Now with the severe recession upon us they are determined to make things worse by raising taxes. In the last session of the House they passed no less than 23 fees and tax increases. Taxes were raised on everything from boat fees (HB205), the establishment of recreational saltwater fishing fees (HB481), attraction signs (HB 671), and a raise in gasoline taxes (HB644) even as Washington is poised to similarly raise gasoline taxes.
In this session, they have already passed eight more increases. Of course they could not stop there; having resolved that they would increase the tobacco tax (HB 608), could not help themselves and attached eleven more tax provisions to the core bill. The list of new tax targets seems endless: taxes on charitable gambling winnings, an increase in room and meals taxes, new fees on health facilities and community living facilities, a fee for review and permit reviews and inspections, motor vehicle inspection and fees, subdivision fees, environmental services and subsurface programs, as well as several other filing fees. For “good measure”, they have also decided to throw in a capital gains tax (5%) and inheritance tax (8%) which they have added to HB2. Why not?
Posted in New Hampshire, The Economy Also tagged budget deficit, financial storm, Healthcare, Inflation, taxation 1 Comment
Bailing Out the Stimulus Plan
As far as experts go, economists are an argumentative bunch that seldom agree on most things. But one thing they do agree upon is that infrastructure spending has the biggest bang for the buck. Infrastructure spending will provide real “nutrition” to the economy, not the “sugar high” of most of the goodies in the House bill.
Posted in Stimulus Plan, The Economy Also tagged budget deficit, Healthcare, infrastructure, monetary policy, Stimulus Plan Leave a comment