Budget Cuts, Gambling and Gas Tax Increases in New Hampshire?

By Jim on November 16th, 2008

THERE MAY BE may be some wincing when Gov. John Lynch lays out a proposed $150 million in budget cuts on Friday.

“These cuts should be painful,” Legislative Fiscal Committee chairman Rep. Marjorie Smith said. She expects a somber mood. “You don’t have to look at the list to know what’s on it. Any program deemed non-essential to getting state government through the next nine months is on the block. That means the end of prevention programs like cancer screening.”

Lynch has said he’s looking closely at cutting part-time state jobs and overtime work, but hasn’t been specific. Health and Human Services, the state’s single largest agency, Education, with aid to cover some building costs, and Environmental Services, which makes grants to cities and towns, are among those at the top of the list.

It’s his own fault that the budget got so bloated. He was warned but the Democrats in Concord went on a spending orgy in their last budget. Now it’s time to pay the piper.

As far as the gas tax goes. Ugh. Fuel has dropped a bit now but for how long is anybody’s guess. And the gas tax in New Hampshire should NOT be used for other things. As I understand it now it’s being diverted to other budget items and that is apparently against the law and needs to stop happening.

Talk of a gasoline tax hike is making the rounds, for about the fourth straight year. But with the state Highway Fund heading toward a $1 billion deficit, and gas prices in a downward spiral, the political timing might be right this time.

Rep. Gene Andersen has proposed a bill that would lock any gas tax increase into a special fund that can only be used for roads — not for the costs that State Police or the court system incur in writing and processing traffic tickets.

And raising the gas tax should be totally out of bounds for the reason I just mentioned but also because people have to drive to work and this is going to hurt them even more. What happens if gas goes back up to $4 a gallon or more?

Forget raising a single tax or fee in New Hampshire. Cut the spending! Chop it down to the bone. New Hampshire citizens are cutting back on their own budgets and the state needs to do the same. Period.

And some are saying that gambling might be New Hampshire’s way to deal with fiscal problems:

In the meantime, both pro- and anti-gambling forces are girding for a tough fight at the State House. “This is going to be our hardest fight ever,” said Jim Rubens, a former state senator who chairs the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling.

The pro-gambling case has made inroads in the House and Senate over the past year. Last spring, a slot machine bill narrowly failed in the Senate; this fall, the House Ways and Means Committee voted 9-8 to recommend a bill to expand gambling. That’s a tremendous change, said Jim Demers, a lobbyist who represents Millennium Gaming, the Las Vegas-based company that wants to install slot machines at Salem’s Rockingham Park, a horse and dog racetrack.

New Hampshire already has a lottery so I don’t see why casino gambling shouldn’t be allowed as long as it is done the right way. People who want to enjoy casino gaming will simply drive to Connecticut, fly to Vegas or enage in it online if they can’t get away for a while.

Even Peter Burling, moonbat-in-chief, has come out for casino gambling in New Hampshire:

After years of opposing gambling, retiring Sen. Peter Burling provided one of the new votes for D’Allesandro’s slot bill last spring. His reasoning was simple: He came to believe that it was the only way to leave necessary state services intact.

Looking at the spending side of the ledger, Burling said, he sees no good way to make up hundreds of millions of dollars. “There’s no fat anywhere. Anywhere,” Burling said. “If we’re going to cut, we’re going to have to cut whole programs from Health and Human Services or Safety or support for counties or the Department of Transportation. And you tell me what in that mix makes any sense.”

But, as Burling saw it, the debate on the revenue side was at an impasse. “What are the solutions?” said Burling, a Cornish Democrat. “Income tax? Ain’t happening. Sales tax? I doubt it. Property tax? None of us will be living here any more. Gambling? My own view is that any serious person who’s just been elected to the state Legislature has to consider it.”

Gambling debates tend not to be strictly partisan, with strong opponents and proponents in both parties. Last year, Burling said, the debate was difficult for Democrats. “We had huge, huge fights in the caucus over this issue,” Burling said. “There were very passionately held feelings.”

What does it say when a socialist like Burling comes out for casino gaming? Although I disagree with him on many issues I can respect the fact that he has a clue about this.

If New Hampshire is going to have a state lottery then why not have slots and other casino type games at appropriate venues? No, I do not think that slots should be at supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. I think they can be phased in appropriately and allowed only at appropriate venues.

We’ll see how this fight turns out but the state of New Hampshire cannot keep raising taxes and fees if it wants more revenue.