Like Obama: Lynch's last SOTS
EDITORIAL
Published Feb 2, 2012 at 3:00 am
(Updated Feb 1, 2012)
Gov. John Lynch’s State of the State address on Tuesday sounded an awful lot like President Obama’s State of the Union address from the week before.
Both began with an homage to the military before transitioning to the main theme: reviving the economy is really all about smart investments made by politicians using taxpayer money.
Obama advocated “winning the future” by having the government spend more of the people’s money on industries and economic sectors favored by those in political power and on schools, and reducing taxes on favored businesses while raising them on unfavored ones. Lynch did the same. He advocated spending more on his version of state industrial policy — New Hampshire Working and the Green Launching Pad — while raising taxes on smokers, cutting them for businesses that spend money on research and development, and spending more on public education.
Like Obama, Lynch also was vague and contradictory on issues he didn’t want to address directly. After criticizing proposals to relax gun regulations, he said he would veto any bill that “would strip any of our citizens of their civil rights.” Like the right to bear arms?
Lynch was more confrontational and openly left-leaning than in previous addresses, which might comfort Democrats seeking to succeed him. We hope it does. The people deserve to know what a candidate believes before they vote rather than only after.
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Bob Jean said:
John Lynch was a right wing radical when it came to gay marriage. Lynch's ultra-conservative views caused him to stand up against the pinko-commie, ultra-liberal RINOs that have infiltrated the Republican Party who want more and more and more government. These socialists won't be happy until government is so large, and so big, and so consequential in our lives that government chooses who we marry, and who we cannot marry.
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February 2, 2012 3:02 am
John Mercier said:
Actually Lynch didn't advocate for more public education funding... he advocated for more of the current funding to go to UNH.And its always 'those in power' choosing the path of expenditure... do you really think that the biomass plants would be happy with open auction pricing? Or that the windmills would be happy without federal financing support? Or RGGI and unrealistically defined renewable energy requirements?
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February 2, 2012 5:03 am
Rck Walters said:
It suits the UL's either/or politics and demonization of anything Democrat to cast Lynch as a local Obama as we move toward the November election, but the reality has always been that Lynch is a moderate. And that fact accounts for why he has managed to stay in office so long.
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February 2, 2012 5:43 am
Bob Paulding said:
Spending more on public education??? All I've seen is increases and not a lot to show for it. Didn't I just read that UNH is raising tuition again for the 26th year in a row and he wants to spend more. Maybe some of these educational programs just need to be streamlined a bit and cut out the fat. This might make higher eductaion a little bit more affordable to the average person on the street.
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February 2, 2012 5:45 am
Rck Walters said:
BobThey raised tuition to off-set the 50% reduction in state support this year.
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February 2, 2012 6:15 am
Spike said:
The editors can't really insist that we deserve to know what Gov. Lynch believes in "before we vote rather than after," the Governor now being in his eighth year.Bob Paulding: If you are going to comment on spending, you must distinguish between government spending, and spending by customers of college degrees; they do tend to move in opposite directions.John Mercier writes, "its always 'those in power' choosing the path of expenditure." Yes, the legislature budgets for proper government expenditures; what is at issue here is picking winners and losers in the private economy, telling us what energy technologies to choose. And there is no doubt that private businessmen, such as biomass plants and windmill farms, are the biggest cheerleaders for state favoritism. But they ought not to be.The problem inducing hyperactive government by both parties is that it impresses the voters. Sen. Larsen is correct--in trying to delay a Senate redistricting, as reported nearby--that 99.99% of us don't know about the plan. Nor do we care who runs the State Liquor Commission as long as it keeps flowing. But talk of cheap biofuels--or a government check for us to maintain our homes--makes some of the locals giddy.
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February 2, 2012 6:46 am
Bob Lake said:
Another big difference - Obama has four more State of the Union speeches to go.
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February 2, 2012 7:48 am
Joseph Weber said:
Lynch has always been an authoritarian leftist hidden under the guise of a moderate.
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February 2, 2012 12:59 pm
Larry Owsowitz said:
It was most telling in October 2010 Lynch was crowing about how the state budget was balanced. (In spite of evidence to the contrary.)Then in November 2010, post election victory, Lynch now realizes that the state faces a huge budget deficit.Did he not know in that October? Was he saying that just to get re-elected?Lynch is very much like the current occupant of the White House, in it for himself and not the people.
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February 2, 2012 2:05 pm
Gary Way said:
I still have a bad taste in my mouth from reading Union Leader editorials gushing praise on Meldrim Thomson day after day for years. I don't know what I enjoy more, the insistent Faux News-like criticism of Democrats, or the mindless, zombie-like praise of Republicans. They're both good for a laugh though.
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February 2, 2012 7:59 pm
John Mercier said:
Larry Owsowitz...There was a $26 million dollar surplus that was moved to the Rainy Day fund just recently.Its been in the news for some time recently.Gary Way...At the time, Thomson seemed to know what he was doing...
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February 2, 2012 10:40 pm
Bob Paulding said:
Spike, I'll try and put this to a lower reading level. Gov wants increased education spending. State subsidizes UNH. UNH raises tuition again as they have for many years now. Higher education getting more expensive and taxpayer money isn't lowering that cost. Money out window. Fix UNH costs. Getting very hard for average person to pay for higher education. Summary, why keep putting a bandage (higher subsidy) on a severed artery (UNH).Stop throwing money away! Hope that helps. Its not about the student spending its the state spending that's not making it easier for the students to pay tuition.
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February 3, 2012 12:53 am
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