“If you move here, you don’t have to travel to get here.” That was the advice from good
friends more than 35 years ago that convinced my husband and me that it was time to
put down roots in New Hampshire. We had been bringing our young family to visit here
for years. We were ready to trade our commutes, and our complicated and often
precarious daily routines, for something which would allow our family a little breathing
room. Cutting back on travel time enabled us to focus on things that mattered to us.
New Hampshire made life manageable, and we all benefited from the change. For me,
the fact that I had a very short commute to work for the first time in my professional life
was a gift which I appreciate and celebrate to this day. I estimate that the two hours of
daily commute time I’ve saved have added, conservatively, an extra 15,000 hours of
time better spent outside my car. It’s like I’ve added an extra two years to my life. What’s
not to love about that?
The sense that life was manageable extended beyond my personal circumstances. I felt
I could actually see the effects of my work here. I got to know my patients personally,
and got to know and understand the challenges they faced. I could see and change
some the small things that would improve the quality of their lives.
In my children’s school, I had some time to volunteer for school trips or help out in a
reading program, and when the kids got a little older, coach Odyssey of the Mind teams.
I got to attend many of their sporting events over the years, celebrating their successes
and commiserating with them in their defeats. Had we lived elsewhere, I don’t know
whether these things would have been possible.
Prior to moving here, I did not have much interest in local or state politics. I had voted
regularly, but it all seemed so remote and beyond my control. But after we moved here I
could see the value of listening to and reading about those in public office, and speaking
up to make my voice heard on issues of concern. In New Hampshire, I saw that people
speaking out could actually effect a change.
Up to now, New Hampshire’s brand of retail politics has encouraged the people to
engage in constructive debate about what is best for the people of the state. However,
the political divide we now face has dangerously eroded our sense of community and
human fellowship. It now seems to me that many of the elements that make this state a
good place to live are being squandered, and that far too many of our citizens are being
left behind.
As a physician, I see that a robust human safety net is crucial not only for my own
patients, but for all of us. When I see our government trimming essential programs like
Medicaid, SNAP nutrition benefits, affordable mental health services, and services for
disabled children and adults, I can’t help but feel that we have our priorities all wrong.
When I see legislation loosening, not restricting, the carrying of firearms on college
campuses and in public spaces, I feel afraid. When I see that politicians seek to
undermine public confidence in effective vaccines and public health measures proven to
reduce illness and deaths, I am scandalized.
Many other issues I care about are now under threat. Our state government’s
systematic efforts to undermine public education are a threat to our future as a state.
So-called Education Freedom Accounts hollow out the meager support the state
begrudgingly provides for educating our children, who are our future citizens and
leaders. I was able to provide a tiny bit of supplemental support in my children’s schools
only because the schools were very good to begin with. My efforts would be only a
meaningless drop in the education bucket these days.
I worry also that the environmental beauty that drew my family here is at risk. While the
government gives lip service to scenic beauty as a tourist draw, it does less and less to
protect our wild places, or to mitigate against climate change. And now, more than ever,
federal regulations are a threat to the clean air and clean water we need for good
health. Just this month, New Hampshire’s strict rules to filter the forever chemicals
known as PFAS from our drinking water have been labeled “too expensive” by short-
sighted politicians, despite the growing evidence of their harm to our health and that of
future generations.
As New Hampshire approaches its 250th anniversary, I fear that the political divide has
been a key reason we have lost our way. We are at an impasse, with “us” on one side
and “them” on the other. It often feels like little we do or say will change the direction
we’re heading, which is how I felt before I moved here. But this state is better than that.
We need to remember that we are all neighbors, and we are all in this together. We
need to speak up, and we need to listen. Our problems can be manageable if we do
exactly that. Speak up, listen and act accordingly.
Millie LaFontaine is a retired neurologist who lives in Concord.