Letter: Gov. Ayotte’s plans for the Granite State
Published: 01-29-2025 11:28 AM |
Gov. Ayotte’s recent My Turn column in this newspaper included some assertions I like. I appreciate her intention to govern for all the people of New Hampshire and her desire to make housing more available. As a retired psychologist, I applaud her concern about mental health and substance use disorders.
What worries me is that she noted “…we’ve got to tighten the belt here in Concord.” She attributed the government’s reduced revenue to the expiration of the American Rescue Fund. This is true in part but ignores another reality. The Republican legislature and governor reduced the state’s Business and Interest tax and Business Profits tax last year. This is a gift for the state’s wealthier citizens.
I suspect that future belt-tightening proposals will target the poor, working and middle classes. This is what has happened in the federal system. If we want our population to avoid mental and substance use disorders, we should recognize that the stress of living paycheck to paycheck while, often, working multiple jobs.
Gov. Ayotte has also discussed a plan modeled after President Trump’s DOGE to reduce unnecessary spending in state government. She expects to appoint two wealthy individuals to this department, including our former Gov. Craig Benson, who championed privatization while in office. When a government department is privatized, its mission changes from serving the public to serving its owners. Gov. Ayotte should re-think some of her plans for New Hampshire.
Laura R. Magzis
Concord
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