In New Hampshire, property taxes are not a theoretical issue. They show up in escrow payments, rent increases, and “maybe we should move” conversations at kitchen tables across Sullivan County. So when we hear speeches and posts claiming that property taxes are high because Republicans “shifted burdens,” “broke promises,” or “underfunded” education, we think the public deserves a more serious explanation than a blame story.
Here is our view, grounded in a conservative approach to public policy: focus on incentives, tradeoffs, and results. If a claim cannot survive that treatment, it is not a solution. It is a slogan.
(more…)
Tag: news
-
A Sullivan County Republican Committee View: Why the Property Tax Narrative Misses the Point
-
The Joys of Open Enrollment
In the recent Claremont SAU6 deliberative session, a seemingly innocuous warrant article on Open Enrollment was defended by progressives and the administration as essential. When (recently sworn in) Councilor Cogswell described the evils of true Open Enrollment in utterly socialist terms, I smelled a rat.
His description of not letting “our” money leave Claremont was particularly telling. Who exactly is contained within his “our”? It certainly does not include parents and kids. But I suspect “our” does include the pension fund administrator and the SAU administration.
(more…) -
Faubus, Walz, and the Old American Sport of “Federalism When Convenient”
America has a charming habit: we rediscover “states’ rights” every time the federal government starts doing something our faction hates. The principle stays in the closet until it matches the outfit.
In 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus staged the classic: state power deployed to frustrate federal authority, wrapped in the language of “public order.” When nine Black students attempted to enter Little Rock Central High School, Faubus mobilized the Arkansas National Guard to block them, claiming he was preventing violence. The federal government responded the way the Constitution says it can: President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730, federalized the Arkansas National Guard, and sent federal troops, most famously the 101st Airborne, to enforce the court’s desegregation order.
(more…) -
Ian Underwood speaking at the monthly SCGOP meeting 11 November 2025
Rethinking Education: Fairness, Funding, Fun
Here’s the gist of Ian Underwood’s talk and slide deck, boiled down for a quick read.
Scroll down for a copy of the presentation deck and a link to video.
The argument in one breath
New Hampshire keeps spending more and getting the same results. That’s not a money problem; it’s a design problem. Fix three things: make fairness about learning, not dollars; stop paying schools up-front for promises and start paying after results; narrow schools to what’s mandatory and move everything else out.
(more…) -
Insufficient and Unfair, or Just Misdiagnosed?
The Democratic case in brief
The argument starts with a moral contrast. New Hampshire is a wealthy state, yet its budgets allegedly underfund core needs such as housing, clean energy, public safety, and education. Four points drive the claim.
- Leaders say “no funds available,” which is presented as a choice rather than a constraint.
- High local property taxes are displacing homeowners and renters.
- The tax code is regressive, with lower-income households paying a higher share of income in state and local taxes than top earners.
- Public education funding is described as constitutionally inadequate, which forces property-poor towns to raise unsustainable local taxes.
-
Locke, Lenin, and Local Power: Claremont’s Test of Consent
When citizen consent is limited to elections, institutions that look democratic can operate like disciplined clubs, which is why elite circulation and oligarchic drift need counterweights.
Two classic blueprints for political organization still shape local government. John Locke’s account of democracy treats office as a revocable trust grounded in majority consent and limited powers. Vladimir Lenin’s democratic centralism permits internal debate before a decision, then enforces unity afterward. Claremont’s School Board and City Council are not Bolshevik cells, yet when consent is expressed only at the ballot box, both bodies can tilt toward centralism in practice. The remedy is not theatrical outrage; it is better channels for consent and friction against agenda monopolies.
(more…)