Letter: Taxpayer input is a necessity for effective governance

The Mayor of Franklin is requesting input from Franklin taxpayers regarding budget priorities using taxpayer dollars. There has been a consistent and small (30+-) majority of like-minded residents at monthly City Council meetings. The priorities of these attendees appear to differ from other hard-working taxpayers voicing their discontent on social media platforms. Social media is a dead-end for complaints. An elected official cannot use that input for more than informal consensus.

Opinion: Protect North Country towns by passing HB 123

By Thomas Brady, Robert Theberge and Raymond Gorman

Thomas Brady, Robert Theberge and Raymond Gorman are, respectively, chair, clerk and vice chair of the Coos County Board of Commissioners.

Opinion: Clearing the way for the swindle

By JONATHAN P. BAIRD

Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot.

Opinion: Concord officials: Can we sit and talk?

By ROBERT MACCINI

Robert Maccini is an editor and a member of Concord Concerned Citizens.

Opinion: How universal vouchers will destroy public schools

By MARK FERNALD

Mark Fernald is a former state senator and a former Democratic candidate for governor. He can be reached at mark@markfernald.com.

Opinion: Education in a pluralistic setting

By JOHN BUTTRICK

John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.

Opinion: The modern book burnings

By GRAY FITZGERALD

Gray Fitzgerald lives in Concord and was formerly a United Church of Christ pastor.

Opinion: The Pope and the President

By MILLIE LAFONTAINE

Millie LaFontaine is a retired physician who lives in Concord.

Opinion: Who deserves a peace prize?

By RANDALL BALMER

Randall Balmer, who teaches at Dartmouth College, is writing a biography of Mark O. Hatfield.

Opinion: Birthright citizenship and the rule of law

By JOSEPH D. STEINFIELD

Attorney Joseph D. Steinfield lives in Keene and Jaffrey. He can be reached at joe@joesteinfield.com.

Opinion: Trump versus the U.S. Constitution

By ALLAN MACDONALD

Allan MacDonald is a retired public school educator and small businessman.

Opinion: Caring Counts: Reflecting on the life of Gov. John Winant

By CHASE PENNOYER

Chase Pennoyer lives in Concord.

Opinion: Don’t make voting rules more complicated for military members and their families

By CURTIS REGISTER

Curtis Register is a Town Councilor in Durham and a United States Marine Corps veteran.

Opinion: Protect our winters!

By LINDEN RAYTON

Linden Rayton lives in Hopkinton.

Opinion: That was then. This is now.

By DAVID WOODBURY

David Woodbury lives in New Boston.

Opinion: Prevent our mental health system from becoming ‘mission impossible’

By LORI WEAVER

Lori Weaver, the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, lives in Concord.

Letter: Sunapee principal search requires transparency

Sunapee Central Elementary School has long been the town’s educational gem, and Patrick Gordon, the outgoing principal, has made that gem shine. He has led with compassion and fairness, and has never played favorites. He has helped students during tragedies and other difficulties, assisted families facing financial struggles, and guided his young charges through interpersonal conflicts with a steady hand. He has made a difference and will be missed.

Letter: Who’s really calling the shots in New Hampshire?

This past weekend (April 24–27), wealthy out-of-staters backed by the Texas-based Young Americans for Liberty PAC — armed with millions of dollars — gathered in Concord for a Free State/Liberty Alliance event. They weren’t here for sightseeing; They were here to push a libertarian agenda that doesn’t reflect the values of New Hampshire’s residents. (Read more at https://nhlibertyforum.com/)

Letter: This is not America

Who isn’t haunted by the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant father of three who, by the government’s own admission, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s brutal terrorist prison? Not only did the administration refuse to immediately rectify its mistake, but now President Trump claims there’s nothing he (Mr. “I alone can fix it”) can do to bring this man home.

Letter: Extortion

Extortion is defined as the use of force or threats to compel another person into providing money or property or using force or threats to compel a public official to perform or neglect an official act or duty. Over the past few weeks, we have seen Donald Trump use his executive orders, the Justice Department and a strategy of withholding funding to get law firms, universities and even the mayor of New York City to comply with his demands. He has issued executive orders against a number of law firms who defended his enemies or whose lawyers worked on cases that resulted in indictments against him.