Meeting Hilary Clinton

Had the interesting opportunity to briefly meet Hilary Clinton, along with the other Democratic State Representatives and various other former and current officials. Enjoyed her speech and well outlined platform she presented to us, but I do have some trepidations about Sec. Clinton for President. Hilary's in a much similar position to the one she was in, during the 2008 primary, when she led the Democratic field early on (by a wide margin), but faced heavy criticism from GOP and Democratic opponents. Many liberals and progressives within the Democratic party also don't think she's willing to follow through with seeking reforms for Wall St. and the heavy influence of money in politics. Regardless, she makes for an amazing candidate and certainly has an amazing and active group of supporters. Always good for the candidates to prove they can stand up to intense scrutiny and be strong in the debates, so I plan on holding off to lending any support or endorsements to any of the campaigns!

NH Republicans Voted to Raise our Tuition

Recently, the New Hampshire Statehouse passed its proposed, two-year biennium budget. The budget bill, proposed in opposition to the Governors budget, was a hodge-podge of proposed cuts or spending reductions to the various state agencies and departments. Republicans in the Statehouse have been undergoing an identity crisis- an idealogical battle between the more conservative Republicans and more moderate Republicans who understand that the State Government has an important role to play. Still, not many Republicans in the NH Statehouse are in favor of increased funding for things like the University System, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Transportation. It seems the State budget is one thing the Republicans managed to coalesce around, or at least pile all of their cuts into one proposal. All of this goes back to general political philosophy and the perception of what government is meant to do: be a strong force for the average, working citizen, or to pursue a smaller, de-regulated government that generally increases the profitability of larger business and wealthier individuals. Although the House budget passed, which would effectively shift university and healthcare costs from the state, to students and the elderly, the budget still has to pass through the Senate, which will likely alter it.