Bravo to the Sun Journal for printing a Concord Monitor editorial about New Hampshire’s budget process (Aug. 30). The headline, “How does New Hampshire do it?”came from a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 2011. The Concord Monitor piece was based on information found in that report.
While I was in the Maine Legislature, I received contacts from constituents asking why Maine didn’t follow N.H.’s example. Even though I knew some answers, that editorial gave more complete and articulate reasons as to its impossibility.
In summary, the editorial showed that New Hampshire does a very poor job of providing education and social services. The tax codes and budgets are structured to place the costs on the hard-working middle class and prevent the extremely wealthy from paying taxes.
Other newspapers should print the editorial, too. The timing is great. Gov. Paul LePage and his allies are trying to lead Maine down that path.
An unfortunate truth is that the federal government and some states have adopted tax codes that could lead to the same results. The rich and powerful have convinced elected representatives that is the proper course to follow.
If the United States continues along that path, it will be worse off and a poorer place to live.
Timothy A. Carter, Bethel
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