8/6/2019 GSG Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 1 - Final

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NH Budget Passes – Brace Yourself!

 EVERYTHING NEW HAMPSHIRE 

Are we blindly following

our state legislators over 

a cliff? 

In This issue: 

NH Budget and the

“Downshift and Shaft” 

NH’s Deficit: O’Brien

Repeats Mistakes

NH’s Legislature Gets

Rid of Minimum Wage

The Legislature’s promise is “survival of the fittest,” and for those who are unemployed and uninsured, there will be NO relief, aid, or hand up from the state.

Coming soon:  www.granitestateguardian.com  

assistance from

Medicaid which is 50

funded by the state. 

Here is how the hosp

shell game works:

people will still be

getting sick and need

hospital attention, an

hopefully, hospitals w

not turn them away

simply because they

unemployed and can

pay. However, when i

comes time to figure

the rates, it will now

pass along its extra co

and lack of state and

federal matchingdollars, to the cost of

private insurance for

those of us who can s

afford it. The

legislature’s promise

“survival of the fittes

and for those who ar

unemployed and

uninsured, there will

no relief, aid, or hand

from the state. The

burden will fall on the

towns and private

charity. We will all be

shafted with this

budget. 

JULY 4TH

INAUGURAL EDITION

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

“Promises made and

promises kept,”‖ is the

quote in the Nashua

Telegraph from Bill

O’Brien, NH’s Speaker of 

the House, about the

Budget that passed in

June. But is it good for

families, hospitals,schools, and small

businesses? First of all,

the Budget eliminates

hundreds of state

positions at a time when

we need every job.

It also will impact those

who work in the

university system, since

higher education will be

cut by 45% -- this

translates to about 400

 jobs. Students will bear

the new higher tuition

fees as schools will beforced to make up the

revenue. Additionally, the

people who are out of 

work, including the newly

unemployed state

workers, have decreased

family income, and may

not be able to pay for

basic needs. If not, they 

now become welfarerecipients of the local

towns. This is called “the

downshift and shaft.”

The law states no town

can deny those who live

there the assistance

needed for basic needs

such as food, shelter

and healthcare. Local

welfare is supported by

your local property

taxes. In addition, the

former state employees

and other folks who

have lost health

insurance, may seek

8/6/2019 GSG Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 1 - Final

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NH’s Deficit: O’Brien Mimics National Policies of 

the Past 

ust As We Suspected Dept: The national Republicans like Reps. Bass & Guinta

and Sen. Ayoyte are now driving cuts to health, education, social services and

every other remotely useful program just at a time when the Bush-era tax cuts

for the rich and two ill-advised wars - not the economic downturn - are shown to

be responsible for the massive debt our nation faces (see the Center on Budget

and Policy Priorities widely cited chart below). As usual, the visuals speak louder

than any numbers.

Adapted by and used with permission of Mark Fernald

Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan

Bush-era

Tax cuts

Economic Downturn

Recovery measures

5,000 workers descend on

the Capitol on March 31st .

The downshift and shaft 

inevitably leads to higher 

 property taxes.

NH Minimum Wage RepealedDespite the fact that the minimum wage was originally championed by at least two

well-regarded Republican governors and despite the fact New Hampshire has had

its own minimum wage since 1949, both the House and Senate resoundingly

passed a bill that repealed New Hampshire’s minimum wage. That legislation has

now reached the Governor who swiftly vetoed it. Unfortunately for our workers

and for the traditions of our state, HB 133 repealing the minimum wage passed

both the House and Senate by veto-proof majorities (239-106 in the House; 19-5 in

the Senate). After seven decades, New Hampshire no longer has a minimum wage

law. 

Coming soon:  www.granitestateguardian.com  

Now House Speaker O’Brien

and his tax cuts will lead to a

similar educational and welfar

deficit in NH. By cutting taxes

satisfy his wealthy friends at t

same time education and

welfare reductions are impose

NH is creating a future where

NH businesses will be unable t

attract the talented and skilled

workers to sustain our

traditional NH advantage whil

local towns are forced to abso

the welfare costs for their

residents.