Private Wallet Or Public Good?

To the Editor: There has been a lot of news lately about the Free State Project version of freedom. Consider this definition from the Honorable Seth Cohen of Northwood, "Stay out of my wallet and stay out of my private life." What a great phrase, what an easy answer. What has Free State Freedom done for New Hampshire? Name any agency in the state that protects and serves those in need their budget's down. Funding for fraud investigation at DRA? Down. Funding for prosecution at the AG's office? Down. Funding for the court system itself? Down. The Bureau of Weights and Measures has "outsourced" its scales and the Consumer Protection Bureau exists only by reprieve. How do those losses advance freedom? Freedom in New Hampshire is our legacy under the New Hampshire Constitution. It is a legacy of school and library, municipal building, "opera" house, and court house it is a legacy that demands we cherish education, that we extend the protection of the community to every member in it, that we ourselves will be the gleaners of the field for every citizen in this state that none will live in total want. It is a legacy of common freedom that has protected every religion in this state and the rights of those who want none. There is no church in this state that preaches a doctrine of the closed wallet and the closed gate. By parable and injunction we are called to live at peace with all men and to find our neighbor in the stranger who stands outside the gate. The parasites of this state are not the employees or residents of the Riverside Rest Home, they are not our neighbors who wait for Meals on Wheels, nor the drivers who bring them food, neither are they those for whom the wait list stretches out. The parasites of this state are those who stand on the State House floor like the Pharisees in the Temple, satisfied that they are righteous and despising all others. Vote down the Free State Project. Vote for Bob Perry. Vote the New Hampshire we have had for 200 years. Larry Brown Milton

Supporting Bob Perry To the Editor: I am supporting Bob Perry in the August Special Election for Strafford County District 3. Bob has lived in New Hampshire for over 39 years. He has shown his commitment to the people of New Hampshire and New Hampshire values. He and his wife, Carol, have raised their children here and participated in the community, both in the Town of Strafford and across Strafford County. Bob is well qualified to serve in the Legislature. He has already served two terms and knows how things work in Concord. He worked many years as a court reporter, so he has an understanding of the legal system in this state. Bob knows how to be fiscally responsible. During the four years that Bob was in the Legislature, spending rose at the lowest rate in the last 20 years. He helped control spending without slashing services, or piling more expense onto the local property tax payers. Bob does not come with a hidden agenda. He wants what it is best for all of the people of Strafford County and the people of New Hampshire. Vote Bob Perry on Aug. 9. Rachel Burke Farmington

Slash & Burn Republican To the Editor: The impending Aug. 9 special election is an important one because destructive legislative actions during the current session have jeopardized the life and livelihoods of most of the people in our fair state. People are suffering terribly because conservative legislators have done everything they can to dismantle social support structures, stifle livable wage job production, and gutted all agencies serving our people. They have supported broad policies that help the futures of the affluent and corporations, while at the same time striking blows that threaten the stability of the middle class and increase the number of citizens that live in poverty. The number one reason people said they voted for Republicans in the election was because they promised to bring jobs to New Hampshire. Well, look around you. Where are all the jobs? Where are the plans to create better wages, working conditions, and benefits? Where are the plans for maintaining New Hampshire's economy and infrastructure for the coming decades? Rather than focusing on creating a climate where we could create jobs, to help people help themselves, state Republicans have been waging war on the middle class, destroying working class jobs, wages, benefits, and the ability to get credit. They have pulled apart our public social safety net at a time when people in our state need those services most. Teachers, police, firemen, hospital workers, and state employees help take care of our families every day and they are being dismissed, belittled, and marginalized. All of this is being done under the false premise of needing to save money in the budget. If it was all about saving money, why would they also remove revenues from the state? Honey Puterbaugh is yet another slash and burn Republican and her pledge is not to the people of New Hampshire, but to the Free State Project. The purpose of the Free State Project is to take control of a state by decentralizing all government and removing the ability of that state to provide services to its people. That guarantees that she will not consider all citizens, but will work to further reduce state services and agencies. What happens to you if you need that support? I guess that means you are not welcome here. That's not a New Hampshire with much of a future for the middle class is it? Please vote for Bob Perry on Aug. 9. He'll fight for working class citizens, who need him the most. He'll work to strengthen the health of our economy and help us take care of our families. Kyle Leach Farmington

Vote For Bob Perry To the Editor: There is a special election on Aug. 9. We need representation in Strafford District 3. We need someone who has empathy for our citizens and who cares about our future. We need Bob Perry. Republicans took control in 2010 because they falsely represented themselves to the American people. We listened. And now our middle class is devastated. We're losing our homes, our jobs, and yes, even our liberties. The liberties being stolen from us are our freedoms of choice. Freedom to work at a job we love. Freedom to buy a home, and live in it with our families. Freedom to send our children to good schools, and have them educated by caring teachers. Freedom from fear for our safety because we know there are policemen, firemen, and emergency medical technicians, all ready to come to our aid should we need them. Freedom from worrying about not being able to afford to live should we lose a job, or get sick, or come upon hard times. Those are the freedoms that are guaranteed by the social contracts we all make with our government. And we need those freedoms. Those freedoms are at the heart of "Live Free or Die." When Bob Perry was in the legislature, our state government was working toward making life better for every New Hampshire citizen. Rather than thoughtlessly slashing our budget to the point of hurting our public sector jobs. Bob wanted to bring jobs to New Hampshire and protect our environment by supporting green technologies and renewable energies. Rather than passing legislation that reduces accessibility to voting by requiring voter IDs, Bob worked on ensuring our voting machines and balloting process were foolproof. Rather than attacking the idea that health care be affordable and available to everyone equally, Bob supported affordable, accessible health care for all New Hampshire citizens. Rather than moving to New Hampshire for the purpose of taking over its government and making sure it offers no useful and necessary services for its people, Bob moved here to work for our judicial system, and raise his family. Rather than pledging to repeal all the protections and securities that form the basis of our liberties, Bob pledges to make our state government better by advocating more efficient and cost-effective ways to provide services for its people. I hope when you vote on Aug. 9, you remember the choices you have. And you consider what the consequences of making the wrong choice will be. Don't vote to destroy our New Hampshire way of life. Vote for Bob Perry. Stan Freeda Farmington