If It Ain't Broke, DON'T FIX IT!!!

Here's a must-read column by Les Hall in the Concord Monitor (2/26/07):

State doesn't need fixing by Democrats

To our new legislators: Yes, we the people put Democrats in control of the Senate and House. However, we are still the same people who were here last year and for many years before. Please don't confuse a change of party power to be a mandate to turn this state into a Vermont or Massachusetts. Rather, consider that the votes may have been cast "against" rather than "for."

New Hampshire is a great state. It should serve as an example to show all the other states that success lies not with excessive regulation and taxation but with personal liberty and local government.

His closing paragraph...

Daniel Webster said, "The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power." That contest continues.

Read the whole thing.

Case in point, this piece (no link, sorry, had to copy it form the print version) written by Mark Hayward, from the New Hampshire Union Leader (2/19/07):

MANCHESTER - Manchester voters could make their feelings known about mandatory automobile insurance if an alderman gets his way this week.

Ward 5 Alderman Ed Osborne said he wants a non-binding referendum put on the November ballot about mandatory automobile insurance. If voters approve the referendum, it would pressure New Hampshire legislators and Gov. John Lynch to pass a law to mandate liability insurance for all registered automobiles, Osborne said.

[snip]

New Hampshire is one of only four states that do not require some form of liability insurance, according to the website Insure.com.

[snip]

Deborah O'Loughlin, legal coordinator for the state Department of Insurance, said a law could not guarantee that every car would be insured.

Sure it would. Just like our drug laws have been successful in taking illegal drugs off the streets. And our immigration laws have been so brilliantly effective in securing our country's borders. And, the "common sense" gun laws in Washington, DC and Chicago have been...

Well, you get the point.

Getting back to the matter at hand, feel free to file this one under "Be careful what you wish for, asshole. you just might get it!".

About 15 percent of automobiles in Massachusetts, which requires insurance, are uninsured, compared to about 9 or 10 percent in New Hampshire, O'Loughlin said.

Typical.

So absolutely fucking typical.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A bunch of meddlesome politicians looking to "fix" what ain't broke by (a) expanding the role of government, (b) throwing public dollars at the "problem", (c) restricting individual freedom and liberty, (d) abolishing the concept of personal responsibility, or, more likely, (e) all of the above.

It's the "Progressive" Way. And, it's the main reason I moved out of the Bay State for a better life in New Hampshire, where I stand an immeasurably better chance of being treated as a responsible American citizen by those who hold the chains of power.

Other examples...

New Hampshire has a significantly lower violent crime rate than Massachusetts, so let's "solve" that "problem" by requiring New Hampshire to adopt Massachusetts-style "Victim Disarmament" gun laws (aka: the Menino-Bloomberg Doctrine).

New Hampshire's population (read: tax base) is growing, while Massachusetts continues to see its population shrink as more and more educated, working citizens jump ship for greener pastures, only to be replaced by unskilled illegal immigrants (read: non-taxpayers). And, shopping malls along the state line in New Hampshire are full of shoppers from Massachusetts CHOOSING to spend their money here to take advantage of the lack of sales tax.

So, let's "solve" that "problem" by enacting new and exciting Massachusetts-style income and sales taxes here in New Hampshire.

And, now we find that New Hampshire, where people are free to CHOOSE whether to purchase automobile insurance, has a lower percentage of uninsured drivers than Massachusetts does. Fear not, gentle readers! Here comes Alderman Ed Osborne from Manchester with the "solution".

Someday, I pray, scientists will discover the chromosome responsible or making these people think that Venezuela China Massachusetts is a sound model upon which to base the laws and regulations of their towns, cities, and states. But, until that glorious day arrives, I have but two words for anyone who would seek to destroy my new homeland and turn "Live Free or Die" into a mere historical footnote.

Go screw.

(Concord Monitor link via reader Jim, who finally cracked and started his own blog)