Kitchen table and election connection?
It’s affordability — which has been the overlying issue for most voters — especially in NH. The “kitchen table” often is the place where family budgets are discussed. This year, it will also be the venue to discuss the midterms.
For NH homeowners, property taxes and heating costs represent a substantial annual expense. Using the 2024 annual median property tax bill of $6,707 and an estimated annual heating oil expense of $2,895 to $4,632 for 500-800 gallons of heating oil, the combined annual cost would be at least $9,600 to $11,300. That is $800 to $941 a month and is plainly not affordable — especially for those in lower income brackets or fixed incomes.
We are on the cusp of one of the most significant elections in U.S. history, both at the federal and state levels. The extreme cost of oil has impacted every part of our lives. The cause? The never ending war with Iran, which was initiated by Trump and supported by his GOP sycophants. The high property taxes in NH? The NH Legislature is controlled by “Republicans” who refuse to consider alternative funding sources, endorse Education Freedom Accounts and call for cuts to public school funding. In the end, the “funding source” is the property taxpayer.
The NH Legislature and U.S. Congress were elected to provide a “public service” for their constituents. Instead, Republicans are only serving themselves and blindly following a distorted ideology and manufactured deceptions instilled in them by right wing members of their party.
With our votes, the opportunity for a crucial course-correction is in our hands.