I will fully admit that I am embarrassed to have a governor that has pretended to fix our education problems by banning cell phones in schools, but ask yourself, what has Governor Ayotte accomplished, other than this? Her opponent, Cindi Warmington’s record stands in sharp contrast.

The role of the lone partisan outlier on a governing body requires an intricate balance of fierce public resistance and quiet compromise. During her four years as the lone Democrat on New Hampshire’s Executive Council, Cinde Warmington provided a masterclass in this political balancing act. Facing a staunch 4-1 Republican majority, her tenure was defined by an ability to transform her solitary platform into tangible victories for her constituents.

While Warmington frequently made headlines as a vocal opponent of conservative policy, her most enduring achievements were rooted in pragmatism. Her legal acumen allowed her to identify critical pressure points within state contracts, enabling her to secure vital funding for substance abuse treatment and mental health infrastructure across District 2. Furthermore, she effectively crossed the aisle to help green-light a historic $100 million investment in affordable housing, a critical move toward addressing the state's severe supply crisis. 

Ultimately, Warmington proved that a supermajority does not dictate absolute power. Her executive council legacy is a powerful reminder that principled, strategic minority leaders can still deliver meaningful progress through gridlock.

Why Kelly Ayotte needs to focus on Cindi Warmington’s record instead of her own.

The political legacy of Kelly Ayotte is inextricably bound to a Faustian bargain with Big Pharma. During her time in the U.S. Senate, Ayotte rake-off approximately $138,650 from the pharmaceutical industry, making her the top NH recipient of drug-money influence during that era. Worse still is the $83,049 traced to opioid manufacturers, distributors, and the Sackler family—producers of OxyContin.

This is not just a compliance issue; it is a profound moral failure. While corporate cash lined Ayotte’s campaign coffers, New Hampshire communities were hollowed out by an unprecedented opioid crisis. Families buried their children while the Sackler’s amassed billions and politicians like Ayotte cashed the checks. Ayotte’s leadership PAC even accepted $3,125 directly from Purdue Pharma’s owners.

This corporate capture dates back to her tenure as New Hampshire’s Attorney General. In 2007, she chose not to join a multi-state lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, a decision that shielded the predatory drugmaker from early accountability. Years later, as a Senator, she continued to accept their financial backing.

Defenders claim these donations merely represent individual support for her broader legislative record, but the optics are indefensible. You cannot claim to fight an epidemic while bankrolled by the cartels who engineered it.

Kelly Ayotte’s reliance on Big Pharma cash exposes a transactional political culture where corporate profit outweighs public health. This track record demands strict public accountability. New Hampshire voters must ask themselves: can a leader who fueled her political rise with opioid industry money ever truly be trusted to put families over corporate special interests?

Kelly Ayotte’s relationship with the healthcare industry goes far deeper than campaign contributions; it is written directly into her legislative voting record. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Ayotte repeatedly voted to dismantle the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), a move that critics note would have stripped healthcare coverage from approximately 50,000 Granite Staters who relied on the state's Medicaid expansion. Furthermore, her alignment with corporate interests extended to voting against allowing Americans to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, directly favoring the profit margins of Big Pharma over affordable patient care. 

The Absence of Moral Authority

The reality of Kelly Ayotte’s corporate pharmaceutical ties effectively strips her of the moral authority to lecture anyone on the ethics of the opioid crisis. Weaponizing a brief, nine-month legal assignment that Cinde Warmington was handed by her law firm nearly 25 years ago is a glaring double standard. In 2001, when that assignment occurred, the medical establishment widely viewed OxyContin as a breakthrough for severe pain management because Purdue Pharma actively lied about and concealed its addictive traits. Warmington was a junior attorney executing an assigned task long before the catastrophic dangers of widespread opioid use were fully established or understood by the general public.

There is a vast ethical chasm between a young lawyer handling a client assigned by her firm under false medical premises, and a powerful U.S. Senator choosing to rake in over $80,000 in opioid-linked campaign cash. Ayotte chose to accept those funds—including direct contributions from the Sackler family—years later, at a time when the devastating reality of the opioid epidemic was already tearing New Hampshire families apart.

Ayotte's attempt to rewrite history and position herself as a public health champion ignores the timeline of her own financial choices. A politician who financed her political career with the help of the very corporate entities that engineered and profited from the addiction crisis cannot credibly throw stones at an opponent's decades-old legal resume. This strategy relies on distraction rather than accountability, showing that when it comes to the pharmaceutical industry, Ayotte's standards apply to her rivals, but never to her own campaign ledger.

The campaign finance reports for the 2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial race expose a glaring, undeniable truth: incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte has completely sold out Granite Staters to bankroll her multi-million-dollar war chest. While paying hollow lip service to working families, Ayotte’s campaign is being systematically propped up by out-of-state corporate predators, multi-millionaire executives, and the very Wall Street interests driving up the cost of living.

Nowhere is this betrayal clearer than Ayotte’s deep financial ties to board members and executives linked to predatory real estate giants like Blackstone and institutional housing investors. At a time when everyday people in New Hampshire are facing a crushing housing crisis, Ayotte is eagerly pocketing cash from the ultra-wealthy Massachusetts private equity elites who treat local neighborhoods like a Monopoly board. Her hypocritical campaign slogan, "Don't MASS Up New Hampshire," is a fraudulent joke; she has no problem "Massing up" her own bank accounts with Boston real estate cash, ensuring that out-of-state billionaires pull the strings in Concord.

The contrast with Democratic challenger Cinde Warmington could not be sharper. Warmington’s campaign is powered by the people, drawing 92% of her individual contributions from local residents within New Hampshire. Warmington is beholden to the voters; Ayotte is beholden to the boardrooms.

By allowing national political machines like the Republican Governors Association to dump a massive $2 million infusion into her race alongside corporate checks, Ayotte has made it clear whose interests she will protect in office. A politician bought by out-of-state real estate conglomerates and corporate monopolies will always prioritize corporate profits over community needs. New Hampshire’s highest office belongs to the people of New Hampshire, and it is time to reject a candidate who has traded her loyalty to Granite Staters for a corporate paycheck.

They’re beginning to turn up everywhere. Along with the “Vote for” or “Re-elect” yard signs on people’s lawns or on road sides, we’re seeing signs such as these two. So, let’s look a little further into them.

The first one is paid for by the Cheshire County Republican Committee and vaguely states what they support.

~Secure Border: There’s less than 60 miles of border with Canada, which is mostly forested, slightly populated and has only one official crossing point. During the latter part of 2025, six arrests were made by the Northern Border Alliance at the border; two for possession and sale of a controlled drug, two arrests for assault, one arrest for operating after revocation or suspension and misuse of plates and one arrest for operating a vehicle without a valid license. No mention of immigrants, legal or otherwise. Sounds pretty secure already.

~Legal Immigration: see above.
Fun fact #1: As of 2023, immigrants made up about 7% of NH’s population. This number includes foreign-born naturalized citizens, legal non-citizen immigrants and people who are here illegally. 
Fun fact #2: NH’s largest immigrant population is from Canada and India, others coming in from many other different countries.
Fun fact #3: 47% of immigrants in NH have a college or postgraduate degree, 85% are proficient in English. Doesn’t sound like NH has a huge illegal immigrant problem.

~Parental rights: What does that even mean?? Who among us remembers those terrible, uninformed days when parents had NO rights when it came to their kids in school? No way to access a teacher or a principal? 
Exactly. . .

~Protecting childhood: From what? Those big, bad life-saving vaccines? Diversity, Equity, Inclusion? BOOKS?? 

What we’re not seeing on these lawn signs are the issues that are at the forefront of voter’s minds; rising property taxes, public education, affordable housing, childcare, groceries and heating oil. Those are the daily worries of NH citizens. 

Now for the second sign, paid for by nhpropertytaxrelief.com. Their website can be found here, Committee to elect House Republicans, chaired by Free Stater Jason Osborne. 
Their mission statement: “When Republicans Win, NH Thrives. We recruit, train, and campaign for Republican candidates to preserve New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die" values. Under Republican leadership, our state achieves lower unemployment, economic growth, and improved outcomes across education and healthcare.”

That’s debatable as the majority party has consistently cut all manner of state revenue. 

Here in NH we have a democratic voting process which happens every spring for voters to decide whether they want to fund their schools and by how much. It is called “local control.”

The Free Staters would like us to vote to cap property taxes. But the majority party have controlled all three branches of NH government for nearly a decade. They have cut business taxes, they refused federal grants and they began the school voucher scheme giving more than $73 million tax dollars to private/religious schools, as they continue to violate Articles 6 and 83 of the NH State Constitution. They need to put the blame on rising property taxes where it belongs . . . themselves!

Free Stater Jason Osborne, told WMUR, “We might have to put a leash on some of these local governments.” And to NH Journal, “Perhaps, if [local voters] are unwilling to cap themselves, the state will step in and cap local taxes for them.” 

Voting “yes” on Question 2 does just that! It means communities don’t get to decide for themselves and need “big brother” to tell them what to do and how to think. It is just another nail in the public education coffin. 

One final “sign”:

For years, national progressive groups have treated the 400-seat New Hampshire House of Representatives like a political holy grail. The narrative is seductive: flip the massive chamber blue and finally build a firewall for working-class families. But history and the harsh structural realities of Concord prove this strategy is a dangerous illusion.

A Democratic legislative majority—even a dual-chamber takeover—is practically worthless without a Democrat sitting in the governor’s corner office.

The definitive proof lies in the wreckage of the 2019 legislative session. Fresh off capturing a clear double-chamber majority, Granite State Democrats arrived in Concord ready to pass an ambitious, common-sense agenda. Instead, they ran directly into the absolute red pen of then-Governor Chris Sununu, who unleashed a historic, record-shattering 54 vetoes in a singular display of partisan obstructionism.

Because overriding an executive veto requires a steep two-thirds supermajority in both chambers—a statistical near-impossibility in a state as politically divided as New Hampshire—Sununu effectively governed by decree. With a single flick of his wrist, he unilaterally murdered a $13 billion state budget, paid family medical leave, firearms background checks, independent redistricting commissions, and minimum wage increases.

Without a Democratic governor to sign bills into law, New Hampshire is trapped under a regressive Republican policy framework that is systematically extracting wealth from local communities. Consider the quiet financial devastation of property tax "downshifting." For over a decade, Republican administrations have artificially bragged about "fiscally conservative" state budgets. In reality, they have simply balance-sheet shifted roughly $3 billion in expenses onto the backs of municipalities and school districts by aggressively slashing state contributions to local roads, infrastructure, and the municipal retirement system.

Because local select boards cannot simply choose to stop funding emergency services, town halls are forced to raise local property taxes to cover Concord's abdication of duty. This "stealth" tax system punishes middle-class homeowners and fixed-income seniors, keeping local taxes sky-high while masking state-level corporate tax cuts as an economic miracle.

Simultaneously, the unchecked executive branch has turned our public school classrooms into an ideological battleground. Under current leadership, the state has actively expanded private school vouchers via the Education Freedom Accounts (EFA), which drains millions of public tax dollars directly into private and religious entities. This is paired with toxic "culture war" legislative mandates—like the restrictive "divisive concepts" censorship laws—designed to intimidate educators and systematically destabilize public education.

A blue House and Senate can craft brilliant bills to fully fund public schools, completely repeal private vouchers, and end state-sponsored downshifting. But as long as a Republican governor holds the veto pen, those bills are dead on arrival.

If New Hampshire is ever going to undo a decade of calculated cost-shifting and ideological overreach, voters must stop viewing legislative bi-parianship as a cure-all and break our current logjam. A legislative firewall can act as a defensive shield, but it cannot move the state forward. To truly govern, to enact real relief for property taxpayers, and to rescue public education, Democrats don't just need a blue chamber—they need a Democratic trifecta. Anything less is just noise.

Sat., Oct. 17th is looking to be pleasantly busy in New Hampshire. 

First: Pumpkin Festival in Keene began in 1991 as a free community and family event. Unfortunately in 2014, riots caused the organizers to take a hiatus for a couple years and then the COVID pandemic forced a second hiatus in 2020 and 2021. Brought back on a smaller scale in 2022, the festival has returned as a beloved autumnal event ever since. 

This year, because of infrastructure work in and around Central Square, event attendees may (or may not) notice slight changes to accommodate that. The festival begins at 2:00pm with vendors, food, live music, pumpkin carving and of course, pumpkins! More info here - Keene Pumpkin Festival 2026, Oct 17 | NH Fairs & Festivals

Next: No KINGS! This will be the 4th No KINGS event held nation- wide. Here in Keene, it will be held as a Bridge Brigade to accommodate the Pumpkin Festival.

New Hampshire “No KINGS” events: 

~Concord: State House, 107 Main St. 12-3:00pm.

~Keene: Redfern Pedestrian Bridge, Rt. 101 and Ashuelot Rail Trail, 3-5:00pm

~Littleton: Walgreens Corner, 12-1:30pm

~Lincoln: 50 Main St., 10:00am-12:00pm

~Meredith: Hesky Park, 1-4:00pm

~New London: 375 Main St., 12-1:30pm

~Peterborough: Rt. 101 and 202 intersection, 1-2:30pm

~Plymouth: Plymouth Town Common, 1-3:00pm

~Walpole: Jouvay Chocolate, 8 Huntington Lane, 3-4:30pm

~Wolfeboro: 151 S Main St. Pickering Corner, Rtes 28 and 109, 12-2:00pm

Vermont “No KINGS” events:

~Bellows Falls: Town Hall, 10:00am-12:00pm

~Brattleboro: Brattleboro Common, Park Place, 12-3:00pm

~Chester: Chester Village Green, 81 The Common, 2-4:00pm

~Newbury: Newbury Common, 10:30am-12:00pm

~Rutland: Main St. Park, 10-11:30pm

~Woodstock: Tribou Park, 12-2:00pm

Bring your signs, your friends and your enthusiasm! 

“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” said no king ever.

HB 1300 came before the New Hampshire House on the last day of Session 2026. In a nutshell, this bill will mandate cities and towns to have placed on their Nov. 2026 and 2028 ballots the following question:
“Shall the [municipality] limit property tax growth for [name(s) of school district(s)] under RSA 32:5-i? If adopted for a two-year period: (1) the local property tax levy may not grow beyond the prior year’s amount, adjusted for inflation and new construction; (2) SAU central office spending may not exceed 6 percent of total school district appropriations; and (3) bonded capital costs are excluded from both limits. These caps apply only to administrative operations of the SAU central office and do not affect classroom instruction, school-based services, or other municipal expenditures. These limits may be overridden as provided in RSA 32:5-i. Adoption requires a three-fifths (3/5) majority vote.”

What brought us to this?

In 2025 and this past spring, many school districts had budget cap proposals on their warrants, which were soundly defeated. For example, in Jan. 2025, Kearsarge Regional School District voters strongly rejected a proposed tax cap on the school budget. Over 1,600 residents from seven district towns were in attendance. The warrant article failed with over 92% voting no; 1,435 to 113. This was not pleasing to Free State House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, who told WMUR, “We might have to put a leash on some of these local governments.” And to NH Journal, “Perhaps, if [local voters] are unwilling to cap themselves, the state will step in and cap local taxes for them.” 

A threat to New Hampshire’s valued history of local control?

But this is just what the Free Staters began to do on June 4. With a vote of 183-170 and signed by Gov. Ayotte, HB 1300 will now appear on everyone’s ballot in about five weeks. To see how your representative voted click here, scroll down to “Roll Calls” then click on “(183-170)”. 

This referendum is nothing more than a devious attempt to unconstitutionally sidestep the legislative and electoral process, after almost all school districts, with budget cap proposals on their warrants this spring and last year, saw them fail. Precedent was also set when, in 1999, the NH Supreme Court found a similar question amounted to an unconstitutional delegation of power by the Legislature. What the majority party does NOT tell us is, in order to reduce our burdensome property taxes the state needs to increase its court ordered share of school funding.

Another step taken in the unconstitutional direction by Free Staters.

Getting back to HB 1300, if passed, will undermine, even more so, the state’s responsibility to fully fund public education. Additionally, the proposed cap doesn’t factor in major costs like utilities, energy, health insurance, or higher transportation costs. While the Free Staters are touting this as “property tax relief”, it is anything but! Capping local taxes without providing new state revenue forces cities and towns to make desperate cuts or trade-offs, such as staff or program cuts. Districts that already struggle will be hit even harder. It does not cap municipal taxes, county taxes or the statewide education tax. 

Who has been consistently repealing sources of state revenue while consistently voting to divert property tax dollars to their school voucher scheme?

This link contains a little more information on the bill itself such as: “Since 2007, the state's share of paying for public education here has dropped from about 35% to under 26%. That's not a typo — the state used to cover more than a third of the bill and now covers about a quarter. Guess who picked up the difference?” 
And: “It bypasses the existing local process entirely — a process only 2 out of 162 districts in the whole state have ever successfully used — and puts a state-written question on every single ballot instead, whether your town asked for it or not.”

Local control under attack. Again.

On Tues., Nov. 3rd, we will vote not only for our choice of who can best represent us in the state’s best interests but also to begin the process of saying, “ENOUGH!” to the local government destroying Free Staters.

Article 6 of the New Hampshire State Constitution reads (in part): 
“. . . But no person shall ever be compelled to pay towards the support of the schools of any sect or denomination. And every person, denomination or sect shall be equally under the protection of the law; and no subordination of any one sect, denomination or persuasion to another shall ever be established.” (emphasis added)

Article 83 of the New Hampshire State Constitution reads (in part):
“. . . that no money raised by taxation shall ever be granted or applied for the use of the schools of institutions of any religious sect or denomination.” This part of the article was amended in 1877 to keep public monies out of religious (private) schools. (emphasis added)

School vouchers, (this is an excellent explanatory link) also known as Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), are taxpayer-funded accounts giving state funding directly to parents to pay for homeschool expenses, educational supplies, transportation, private and religious school tuition, tutoring and other items. Auditing for this program (scheme) has been sketchy at best.

New Hampshire established EFA’s in 2021, becoming the 19th state to implement a universal school voucher scheme. Initially, the program was for students from families with incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, but eligibility rapidly expanded to include all students. This occurred a mere four years later in 2025 with Free Stater bill SB 295, signed into law by Gov. Ayotte. Free State Majority “Leader” Jason Osborne was one of the original planners and supporter of EFA’s. His wife runs a non-profit called Latitude Learning Resources in Derry and in 2023 received more than $28,000 in voucher money. According to data recently released by the NH Dept. of Education, participants in 2023 spent approximately $2.76 million at private schools and roughly $805,000 at Amazon.com. For what?? Again, auditing has been sketchy at best. 

The Children's Scholarship Fund (based out of New York), is the administrator of the school voucher scheme. ClassWallet doles out your property tax money to educational providers. This includes homeschools, on-line learning, out-of-district public schools and private/religious schools. And yes, they get paid to do this. With your property tax dollars.

Cost projection for this school year 2026-27 is now at $60 million.

Now, what does all this have to do with Articles 6 and 83 of the NH State Constitution? 

Well, those two articles specifically state “that no money raised by taxation shall ever be granted or applied for the use of the schools of institutions of any religious sect or denomination.” Now there’s this problem of how to get around those two articles.

Enter The Children’s Scholarship Fund. A portion of your property tax dollars gets diverted to them, who in turn has ClassWallet give it out for homeschool expenses, education supplies, transportation, tutoring and schools of institutions of any religious sect or denomination. 

BOOM! Problem solved! Does this sound like misappropriation of public funds to you? If so, the money being misappropriated . . .
Is yours!

Misappropriation: Unauthorized spending, diversion, or improper allocation of government money outside legal authority.
Malversation: A misconduct in public office; a form of corruption which misuses public funds.

Had enough? Want your local control back? How about fully funding our public schools with public money? 

Then be sure to vote. 

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." 
~ Benjamin Franklin

Communism: a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production.

The other day Free Stater House Majority “Leader” Jason Osborne stood outside the State House with several fellow Free Staters and threw out the word “communist” in reference to Democrats. 

He knows not of what he speaks, instead parroting the current “president” who also knows not of what he speaks . . .

“This election this year is a choice between two worlds. A choice between common sense and communism. We’ve seen it all across this country, socialism has taken over the Democratic party. It is no different here in New Hampshire,” Osborne stated.

He then proceeded to unveil their seven point plan: 
1. Ban an Income Tax – Forever
2. Cap Your Property Tax
3. Cut even more red tape
4. Lower energy bills
5. Lower health care costs
6. Parents decide
7. Support Public Safety.

They don’t support clean, renewable energy, so how are our energy bills going to be lowered? How can they support public safety if towns can’t afford to attract and keep police and fire departments due to rising property taxes? Any cohesive plans to lower rising health care costs? Free Stater Erica Layon claimed they are going to find ways for more options “where people can find a quality doctor at prices they are willing to pay and where they are happy to work together to improve the health of Granite Staters.” 

Doesn’t tell us much of anything.

Osborne wrote an opinion piece this summer for the NH Journal, where he made many outlandish claims about what accomplishments his Free Stater caucus has brought to the citizens of NH. Touting the “NH Advantage” as a quality of life not to be trifled with while simultaneously voting to repeal revenue sources (to the tune of $3 billion over the last 10-12 years) that the state depended on to pay its bills.

Is there any NH Advantage left after the Free Staters trashed it?

Also in that piece, Osborne claimed this past year Democrats voted for more than $3.98 billion in tax hikes. Hard to do as there was no $3.98 billion tax bill to vote on, whether in support of or opposition to. It just wasn’t there. 

Looking to get back some form of revenue for the state, Democrats had proposed a surcharge on non-primary residences (second homes) assessed at $500,000 or more. Primary homes and long-term rental properties were to be exempted. The state didn’t know how many properties would qualify so the official fiscal note attached to the bill stated the revenue amount couldn’t be estimated. Osborne lumped every property owner into that proposal by claiming a $1.94 billion tax increase despite the state not being able to estimate an amount. And the surcharge wasn’t for every property owner. Just the wealthy.

He claimed Democrats proposed $1.27 billion in new income taxes from the 3-3 Tax Savings Plan. This was not a bill or idea brought forth by Democrats, therefore, there was never a vote. Advocates propose statewide income tax to lessen property taxes, sparking firestorm | New Hampshire Public Radio

“Sometimes you have to go on the 6 o’clock news and have to say with a straight face something that you don’t actually believe,” Osborne recently said.

And there we have it. When all else fails, lie.

Case in point; Another bait and switch bill by Republicans calling it property-tax relief. HB 1300 is poorly worded, deliberately confusing and tramples on local control. It does not lower anyone’s property-tax bill. It targets public schools (again) by locking in unequal statewide funding, potentially leading to teacher and staff layoffs or cutting more programs. It does nothing to fix the real property tax problem, which is the continued underfunding by the state (50th in the nation)! It does not cap municipal taxes, county taxes or the statewide education tax. It will, however, appear on everyone’s ballot in Nov. 

“Sometimes you have to go on the 6 o’clock news and have to say with a straight face something that you don’t actually believe.”

Yes, let’s please do vote for common sense in Nov. Let’s vote to bring back those repealed state revenues. Let’s vote to invest those revenues in our people, our schools and libraries, our cities and towns, our infrastructure.

Authoritarian parties need not apply.

Democratic socialism highlights democratic governance, economic equality and social ownership or regulation of key industries, coexisting with private enterprise. Democratic socialism seeks a gradual transformation of the economy toward collective (group) ownership and workplace democracy. Countries and leaders applying these ideas focus on universal access to crucial services, income redistribution and worker participation in economic decision-making (unions).

Theodore Roosevelt (R), the 26th President of the United States, recognized the need to put safeguards in place for what he called the common good. “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us.” 

In 1905, he urged Congress to create the Forest Service  in order to manage government-owned forest reserves. He used his presidential authority to set aside public lands as national forests making them off-limits to commercial exploitation of lumber, minerals and waterpower. The following year, Roosevelt pushed Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug and Meat Inspection acts, creating agencies to ensure consumer protections. He got Congress to grant powers to the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate interstate railroad rates. The Hepburn Act of 1906 conveyed those powers, creating the federal government’s first regulatory agency.

All acts of democratic socialism. 

When his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) became president in 1933, he led America through two of the biggest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. In doing so, he significantly expanded the powers of the federal government through programs and reforms known as the New Deal. 

America is steeped in democratic socialist policies. Everywhere you look, you'll discover socialist programs in all facets of American life. Social Security, Medicare, farm subsidies, public schools, minimum wage, the New Deal, the Federal Housing Administration and so much more have their roots in democratic socialist ideals.

Examples of democratic socialism that most people take for granted and don’t think about every day: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public schools and colleges, libraries, our system of highways, national parks, unions, labor protections (think child labor laws), social welfare programs (like SNAP). Democratic socialism in America is not a single system, rather a set of policies and practices meant to reduce inequality, expand public services, and empower workers. 

Democratic socialism is just what it sounds like – democracy at work for all! What a concept!

If you believe in economic equality, free and fair elections, equal rights for everyone, public education, affordable healthcare and housing as basic rights, livable wages, strong unions, safe workplaces, environmental protections, addressing climate issues for future generations and believe in equal opportunity for everyone, you might be a democratic socialist!

How does America compare to other countries? 15 Democratic Socialist Countries and Social Democracies | HowStuffWorks

"Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Keene (New Hampshire) Pride Week 2026 begins on Sept. 12th running through Sept. 20th. The main event, Pride Festival, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 20th from 12-6 PM, on Central Square celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in the Monadnock region. 

There are many various events taking place throughout the week, for instance, at Madam Sherri’s on 82 Main St. there will be a Drag Brunch on Sun., Sept. 13th from 11am-2pm. They will be remembering and honoring memories of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry who recently passed away. On Tues., Sept. 15th, Keene State College Rec Center is hosting Pride @ the Pool from 5-6:30pm, for ages 10-18. Free pizza at 6:00! Then at 7pm, head back to Madam Sherri’s for a Drag and Burlesque Show. On Sat., Sept. 19th from 7-10pm, join the Icons of Pop at Keene’s Colonial Theater on Main St. 

On Sun., Sept. 20th, from noon to 6, will be the largest PRIDE Festival in the region, a fitting end to PRIDE WEEK! The event includes over 100 vendors, local non-profits, food trucks, circus and live music performances, drag queens and kings and so much more. Something for everyone. 

A little background, Keene Pride Festival began in 2022, organized by the nonprofit Keene Pride, the first LGBTQ+ nonprofit in the Monadnock Region. It was also the Monadnock Region's first-ever Pride festival, growing in popularity and attendance each year. 

Come join us for the fun, food and entertainment!

Here’s a few Free Stater examples of recent legislative decisions before we head into the midterm and state elections. 

State Budget: HB1 and HB2 cut state education grants for 145 communities from FY26 to FY27. The budget did not restore NH’s contribution toward retirement costs for municipal police officers, firefighters and teachers. HB 155 signed into law by Gov. Ayotte, reduces the amount of taxes paid by large corporations. The result is state revenue will decrease by more than $50 million over a two-year budget cycle. When the wealthy pay less, guess who pays more? 

Public Education Funding: the budget did not increase public education funding or provide new school building aid, rather it cut education aid to municipalities by over $17 million statewide from FY26 to FY27. However, Free Staters got the income cap for the school voucher program removed and funding was increased to $87 million. HB 1815, another Free Stater bill, reduces state responsibility (ignoring court orders) and defunds public schools. 

What the Free Staters voted against; HB 734 SWEPT (State Wide Education Property Tax) reform and property tax relief; HB 1578 transparency for public funds used in school vouchers; HB 1799, HB 1826 and HB 1831 would have increased state support for adequate and special education while supporting higher-need districts. 

Did you know? The state spent more than $51 million on school vouchers during the 2025–2026 school year, but just can’t find the money for free or reduced price lunches for public school kids.

Local control: something all municipalities and New Hampshire people (except elected Free Staters) value. SB 62 removes the power of local towns and counties to have any say in how taxpayer funded law enforcement resources are used to support ICE efforts. Law enforcement agencies who enter into arrangements with ICE receive training with all operational charges placed on the shoulders of taxpayers in the towns or communities signing on to the arrangement. Should a town or municipality get sued for say, wrongful incarceration or deportation, brutal treatment while held, etc. that town is on the hook for its own defense. 

Gov. Ayotte signed that bill into law this past Jan.
 
On your ballot in Nov. will be a referendum question regarding capping school budgets. This will only undermine local control of school budgets despite a current NH law which already allows for school districts to adopt a tax cap.

Did you know? “The New Hampshire Supreme Court’s 1999 opinion found a question like this amounts to an unconstitutional delegation of power by the Legislature.” The decision clarified that while NH citizens have a constitutional right to consent to taxation, that right does not extend to creating or selecting tax policy through a referendum. If passed, this will undermine, even more so, the state’s responsibility to fully fund public education.

End Result: Due to the continuous lack of funding for education, infrastructure, municipal aid, retirement contributions or other shared responsibilities, the costs do not go away. If this manner of “governing” continues, local services to school districts and towns may have to be cut, projects will be delayed and local property taxpayers will be asked to cover the difference. . . again!

This is now in the hands of the voters. Use your power in Nov.

Francis Bacon, 1561-1626, English philosopher, statesman and writer. Bacon actually wrote the Latin phrase “scientia potentia est,” which translates roughly as “knowledge is power.”