Additional commentary by Timothy Horrigan; June 5, 2011
This is a letter I wrote to the editors of the Dover, NH Foster's Daily Democrat. I wrote it on Thursday, June 2, 2011 and they ran it the next day. I was responding to a letter written by my fellow Strafford County representative Joe Pitre. Bob Perry has been a friend and ally for many years, and he was my officially-assigned mentor my first term as a New Hampshire state rep.
Bob was swept out of office during the disastrous 2010 election. However, one of the eight republicans from Strafford County District 3 resigned, thus giving Bob a second chance. The resignation attracted national attention: 91-year-old first-termer Martin Harty stepped down after suggesting that the mentally disabled should be sent to Siberia to die.
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Friday, June 3, 2011
In response |
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To the editor: This is in response to a letter from my fellow Strafford County representative. Joe Pitre, published Thursday, June 2. Firstly, Bob Perry is one of the finest people I know, and he is a tireless champion of democracy and social justice. If this letter runs before the June 7 special primary, I urge the people of Strafford County District 3 to come out and vote for him. After the primary, I urge all citizens to join Mr. Perry in his ongoing fight to preserve our liberty and democracy, which will continue regardless of how the special election turns out. Secondly, Rep. Pitre's Republicans have voted this session to raise a number of taxes and fees, including the one which the people complain about the most (and rightly so): the local property tax. Thirdly, Nickel and Dimed is not a "personal finance textbook": it is a classic work of investigative journalism by Barbara Ehrenreich, based on her experiences in various low-paying jobs, including working on the floor of Wal-Mart. It is not at all pornographic, and I don't even recall noticing any "pornographic phrases" on either one of the two occasions when I have I read it. State
Rep. Timothy Horrigan
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And here is the letter I was responding to:
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Thursday, June 2, 2011 Tried and failed |
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To the editor: Hi, ex-State Rep. Perry. Remember me? I am over in Concord to repair the damage and stop the bleeding of the wounds you helped inflict. What about the $70 million surplus that has turned into a $1 billion deficit. Senate Bill 500 inadvertently releasing dangerous criminals to the streets to only victimize more law abiding citizens. HB 595, a home schooling rights bill, has been retained in the House Education Committee so that we may define the rights of over 5,113 home-schoolers in this state. The N.H. Department of Education is 76% funded by Washington and has adopted many failed ideas like No Child Left Behind and Common Core. To whom do you think they are beholden? Remember De Tocqueville? He said, "The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money." Don't you think it would be appropriate to get the money back we send to Washington? HB 542 is also an excellent bill for parents to defend their values and what is being taught to their children (they are not the government's children). A school in New Hampshire recently experienced a controversy over the use of a personal finance textbook, "Nickel and Dime". This book had many pornographic phrases which were objectionable to some parents. This bill allows parents to use discretion and give parents an alternative and choice in their child's curriculum. Ex-Rep. Perry, your own Democrat governor is ready to downshift $150 million to cities and towns and slated many layoffs of state workers. Are you going to raise 100 more taxes and fees? Your vision of a nanny state was rejected last November. Please vote Republican, Honey Putterbaugh in the special election on June 7. State
Rep. Joe Pitre
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'[June
9, 2011] Bob Perry won the Democratic primary by an impressive
percentage: over 80% in a contested primary. And it wasn't because
the other candidates were turkeys. They were all very good
candidates, and most of them have run before: Bob just vastly
outworked them. The general election will be on Tuesday, August 9,
2011.
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Republican |
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Democratic |
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Puterbaugh |
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Kalar |
Malloy |
Perry |
Stanley |
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Barrington |
92 |
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4 |
18 |
134 |
9 |
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Farmington |
36 |
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2 |
2 |
44 |
9 |
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Middleton |
17 |
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16 |
0 |
12 |
1 |
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Milton |
36 |
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2 |
6 |
46 |
2 |
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New Durham |
30 |
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1 |
1 |
30 |
2 |
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Strafford |
54 |
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2 |
1 |
151 |
3 |
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TOTALS |
265 |
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27 |
28 |
417 |
26 |
One of the losing candidates, Rich Stanley,write a scathing letter of his own in response to Joe Pitre:
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Thursday, June 9, 2011 Nothing is free |
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To the editor: This is an open letter to State Rep. Joe Pitre. You should really stop pretending like you are for cutting costs. You complain about the Democrats and how much of big spenders we are. You say that we balanced the budget with "smoke and mirror" tactics. Yet New Hampshire has one of the lowest unemployment rates and best state economies in the country. This was done under effective Democratic leadership. During my time on the campaign trail for the empty House seat in our district several of your constituents have specifically identified you as telling them that your solution to health care for the uninsured is to just send them to the emergency room for free care. Let me tell you something, nothing is free. Everyone else that goes to the emergency room and hospitals will end up paying for what others do not. So the cost of health care is shifted down from the people who don't have insurance to those who do, which means our insurance premiums go up. Thanks for you fiscally conservative solution to our health care problems. Maybe you shouldn't be so hypocritical of a practice that you seem to be preaching yourself.
Richard W. Stanley Farmington |
See Also:
Bob Perry on Doris "Granny D" Haddock & Campaign Finance Reform
Miscellaneous 2010 Election Law bills (Bob & I served on the House Election Law Committee)
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