The U.S. Senate voted overwhelming last week to replace FEMA, a federal agency whose name became inextricably linked to failure in the days and months after Hurricane Katrina, with a new agency. The Emergency Management Authority will remain under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, but unlike FEMA, it will report to both Homeland Security and to the president.
July 17, 2006
Last spring, when the federal government announced that states would have to enroll at least 50 percent of their welfare recipients in a work-related program or face a financial penalty, New Hampshire Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen raced ahead with a plan to meet the new goal.
July 16, 2006
Especially here in New Hampshire, where the campaign for the White House never really ends, it's easy to forget that George W. Bush has 2½ years remaining in his presidency. That's 2½ years in charge of U.S. relations with the rest of the world, whether diplomatic or military. Recent events make it all too clear he will not be idle.
July 14, 2006
On Monday two prominent members of New Hampshire's criminal justice system made statements that, if true, require explanation and investigation.
July 13, 2006
Assume for the moment that Rochester Dr. Terry Bennett really did tell an obese female patient that she was so fat that only "a black guy" would want her. Should the offensive statement mean the loss of his license to practice medicine, or even some lesser penalty?
July 12, 2006
The state prison in Laconia is dilapidated and needs $6 million in repairs just to stay open. The state pledged to close what it said would be a temporary prison in 1998. Its continued operation in Laconia is a daily reminder of a promise not kept.
Corrections Commissioner William Wren wants to close the Laconia facility if the Legislature gives him the money to expand the prisons…
July 11, 2006
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla, a once-famous man who changed the way humans live and work. Though every schoolchild knows Thomas Edison's name, Tesla did as much or more for science.
A Serbian genius who became an American citizen in 1891 at age 35, Tesla is the inventor of the alternating current motor, the modern electrical transmission system,…
July 10, 2006
Here's a piece of grim news. New Hampshire's college graduates are less able to afford to enter public service careers like teaching or social work than graduates in any other state.
That was the finding of the Public Interest Research Group's higher education project, which compared the average debt load of graduates of public and private four-year colleges with the average starting…
July 9, 2006
Stopping by the Monitor last week, Joe Biden said he doesn't want to become president if he has only 51 percent of the country behind him. A cynic might respond that Biden, a Democratic senator from Delaware, needn't worry, but today's purpose is not to handicap his odds. Better to praise him for thinking big - and to encourage other candidates for the White House to be similarly…
July 7, 2006
The National Park Service should replace the decorated arrowhead that serves as its symbol with a log cabin roofed with a blue plastic tarp. It's that bad. Years of budget cuts and neglect have taken their toll.
Earlier this month, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, a group of 515 people with a total of 15,000 years of park experience, warned park visitors to expect…
July 5, 2006
Today we celebrate the fact of American independence. But we must not be so glib as to forget the achievement of independence.
Consider these three steps, none of which was inevitable: First, the decision by residents of the 13 colonies to begin acting like an independent nation. Second, the military mismatch of rebellious amateurs against the British Empire's professional forces.…
July 4, 2006
For want of a shingle, the building was lost. That must not be the story of the state's historic sites, but before long it might be.
As the Monitor's Lauren Dorgan reported last Sunday, the sites are the victims of monumental neglect. The birthplace of Daniel Webster, New Hampshire's most famous native son, is the worst of the lot. The site will not open at all this year because…
June 30, 2006
The governor and Legislature bought an insurance policy when they created the position of director of homeland security and emergency management. Gov. John Lynch's choice for the job, Concord Fire Chief Chris Pope, will be good at it.
But is the added protection worth the $140,000 annual cost of his salary and benefits? There's no way to know in advance.
If the director's job is…
June 29, 2006
The question comes in those moments of reverie that are the main reward of purchasing a lottery ticket: What to do with the money? Even in fantasies, most people quickly realize that giving brings more happiness than spending.
For Warren Buffett, the world's second richest man, the problem wasn't theoretical. Buffett, who is 75, picked the lucky recipient of most of his $44 billion…
June 28, 2006
