What is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) makes up the shared culture,  philosophy and relationship of acknowledging, embracing, supporting and accepting those of all differing gender, racial, religious, sexual and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Diversity recognizes the many ways people are different.
Equity tries to correct the imbalance of an unequal society by creating more opportunities for people who historically have had less access. (Equality expects all people should be treated the same, equity takes into account a person’s individual situation, adapts accordingly so the end result is equal.)
Inclusion puts diversity into practice by respecting, supporting, welcoming and valuing all individuals and groups.

Now, what is the Office of Health Equity? That department goes back to 1999, starting out as Office of Minority Health and renamed in 2016 to the Office of Health Equity (OHE). It falls under the umbrella of NH Dept. of Health and Human Services. They provide coaching, guidance, policy, training and technical assistance throughout the whole Department for ongoing improvement related to diversity, equity and inclusion. OHE assures equal opportunity to the beneficial DHHS programs and services across all populations; ethnic, gender and sexual minorities, language, people with disabilities and racial.

What is the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?

The Council works together with the NH Commission for Human Rights, the Civil Rights Unit of the NH Dept. of Justice, and any other appropriate State entities. The Council was established by Executive Order 2017-09  in Dec. 2017.

-They revisit NH laws, regulations, agency policies and procedures. If necessary, they recommend changes or amendments. 

-Identify and recommend ways for the State to support local and community efforts, through educational programs or other sources. 

-Identify and recommend revisions to RSA 354-A and the exact duties of the Commission for Human Rights to fight discrimination while advancing diversity and inclusion.

-Identify and recommend ways for the State to partner with non-governmental organizations to fight discrimination while advancing diversity and inclusion.

What is NH’s Dept. of Environmental Services civil rights and environmental justice all about?

According to the Commissioner, NHDES is dedicated to making sure of equal participation in all activities, programs and projects, regardless of federal funding. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, requires that no person shall be discriminated against, denied the benefit of, or excluded from participation in any program due to race, color, or national origin. Additionally, they ensure equal participation regardless of age, citizenship status, disability, gender identity, income, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, status as a veteran, or any other legally prohibited basis. To achieve this goal, NHDES have adopted a Civil Rights and Nondiscrimination Implementation Plan to make sure proper nondiscrimination measures are put into effect and supervised.

Sounds like a good thing, or maybe not to some . . .?

Rep. Mike Belcher (R-Wakefield), Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member, would like to see all that go away. He has sponsored a bill proposing to close those three departments, claiming that “no positive work” comes from them.  Rep. Belcher, opines “. . .these departments entirely fly in the face of historic understanding of the nature of government and improperly provide for a form of partiality based on different characteristics from religion to sex to race.”  

Hoo-boy!

Actually, these are guardrails put in place to fight what seems to be a never-ending battle against discrimination aimed at “the other.” Human rights are not a matter of opinion.

Ummm, why the effort to reverse all that?

College is expensive, yes. But the cost of child care can be just as daunting for some families. In 2023 the annual cost for an infant in a child care center was $17,250, rising to $31,870 for families with an infant and a 3 or 4 year-old in child care. Currently, New Hampshire has over 7,000 (26%) child care positions open, but burnout and low wages are pushing care takers from the field and causing some centers to close. Care takers are often striving to care for their own young children while earning wages that are scarcely above the federal poverty line. 

In 2020, NH received around $146 million in federal funds, a one time assistance for child care providers to get through the COVID pandemic. That funding has now run out.

The state will soon be offering a new temporary subsidy program for child care workers to help pay for their own children’s care. It is also the hope of the state these care takers will continue on in their role. A little info:

The state’s current child care scholarship is capped at 85% of state median income. To be eligible, for a family of four, that comes out to about $113,430 a year. This temporary assistance for child care workers raises the cap to 100%, or for a family of four, roughly $133,450 a year. Example; a family of four earning $125,000 would see their annual cost capped at $8,750. 

The subsidy can be used for child care at licensed centers, licensed home centers, and licensed-exempt centers that are state registered and enrolled in the state’s existing child care scholarship programs. Children can go to day care where their parents’ work or any other eligible child care programs.

According to state estimates, as many as 200 child care workers may be able to qualify for this program. If you are in the child care workforce or know of someone who is, please share this information with them. Visit this website to see if you qualify and if so, to apply.

Last week I wrote about the history of vaccines in this country and how many diseases are now either preventable or have reduced symptoms. Also mentioned was proposed legislation to repeal the law that created the New Hampshire Vaccine Association. So, this is basically following up on what the NHVA is. 

NHVA became a law on June 17, 2002, and was incorporated in Nov. 2002. In 2013, the New Hampshire legislature revised this law which is RSA 126-Q, ensuring assessments are shared equally among payers.

The New Hampshire Vaccine Association is a 501 (c) (3), a not-for-profit voluntary corporation working to improve childhood vaccine accessibility. All while keeping the cost of health care low. NHVA funds NH’s universal vaccine purchasing program through a combined approach with health care providers, insurers and the NH Depts. of Insurance and Health and Human Services.

They do not make vaccine laws or policy for the state. They collect and manage the state’s vaccine funding. This way, the state can purchase vaccines for all children, despite their family income or insurance coverage. 

To learn more about the NH Vaccine Association visit their website.

With so many more important issues facing the citizens of NH, such as affordable, available housing, mental health treatment, homelessness and high property taxes, why target the mission of an organization whose goal is to keep schoolchildren safe and healthy? 

I don’t know who needs to hear this but, Polio and Smallpox never reached natural herd immunity. 

They were eradicated by vaccines. Our nation’s fight against diseases goes way back:

-In 1798 the Marine Health Service was established, the nation’s first public health agency. It provided hospital care for merchant seamen while protecting port cities against diseases such as smallpox, cholera, and yellow fever.

-In 1885 Louis Pasteur first used rabies vaccine in humans. Three years later, the Pasteur Institute was established as a rabies treatment center and an infectious diseases research and training institute.

-In 1893 city and state public health departments began mass production of diphtheria antitoxin. Three years later, cholera and typhoid vaccines were first developed.

-In 1902 the Biologics Control Act was formed, regulating vaccine and antitoxin producers, also required licensing and inspections of manufacturers. 

-In 1906 the Pure Food and Drugs Act was formed, which prohibited interstate commerce in misbranded and adulterated foods, drinks, and drugs. Two years later, the first county health departments were formed.

-In 1914 the typhoid and rabies vaccines were first licensed.

-In 1928 the first iron lung was used to preserve breathing function in patients with severe polio.

-In 1937 an absorbed form of tetanus toxoid was licensed and the Division of Biologics Control was formed within the National Institute of Health, transferring to the FDA in 1972.  

-In 1942 Hepatitis A and B viruses were first differentiated. That same year, influenza A/B vaccine was introduced to the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, licensed in 1945 and, after WWII, used for civilians.

-In 1949 diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis (DTP) were licensed, and the last case of polio was reported in the US. However, in 1952 the worst recorded polio epidemic in US history occurred with 57,628 reported cases.

-In 1953 the yellow fever vaccine was first licensed.

-In 1955 the Polio Vaccination Assistance Act was enacted by Congress, the first federal involvement in immunization activities. It allowed Congress to allocate funds to the Communicable Disease Center (later the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to help states and local communities acquire and administer vaccines. 

-In 1961 oral polio vaccine types 1 and 2, developed by Dr. Albert Sabin, were licensed.

-In 1962 Pres. John F. Kennedy signed the Vaccination Assistance Act into law, allowing the CDC to support mass immunization campaigns and initiate maintenance programs. Oral polio vaccine type 3 was now licensed.

-In 1966 the World Health Assembly called for global smallpox eradication. The CDC announced the first national measles eradication campaign. Within two years, measles outbreaks had decreased by more than 90% compared with prevaccine-era levels.

-In 1967 the Global Smallpox Eradication Program was launched by WHO (World Health Organization)

-In 1973 the measles and mumps virus vaccine became licensed.

-In 1977 Joseph A. Califano Jr., Sec. of the Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare (later Health and Human Services) launched the National Childhood Immunization Initiative intending to achieve 90% vaccination levels among all children.

-In 1980 the World Health Assembly certified the world free of naturally occurring smallpox.

Lots of nasty diseases out there. Luckily, we have scientists, doctors and organizations who work tirelessly in understanding, isolating, treating and eventually eradicating some of them. So why would some legislators in Concord want to reverse that trend? 

Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member Rep. Michael Granger, R-Milton Mills, has proposed a repeal of the law that created the NH Vaccine Association. This organization helps the state purchase vaccines at low rates. Rep. Granger, the prime sponsor of this proposed legislation, was endorsed by the conservative, libertarian organization known as Americans for Prosperity (AFP) founded by the billionaire Koch brothers, the same Koch who donates to the advisory board of Project 2025.

The other proposed bill is sponsored by YAL member Rep. Kelley Potenza, R-Strafford, and if passed would end the requirement of children receiving vaccinations before entering public schools, such as diphtheria, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, rubeola and tetanus.

Rep. Potenza claims vaccines don’t prevent the transmission of disease therefore shouldn’t be a requirement. The CDC and other experts claim otherwise, noting they are vital for personal and public health. Hard to believe but there currently are communities in the country that have such low polio vaccination rates, there is now a real possibility of a resurgence of polio in the U.S.

Why would some New Hampshire legislators want to willingly expose young children to diseases that can either be prevented or have the symptoms weakened?

As we have seen more and more abnormal and extreme weather along with rising sea-levels, coastal communities and ecosystems have been under immediate threat. Nearly 40% of Americans reside in coastal communities, annually contributing roughly $10 trillion in goods and services to the economy. These areas are now affected more and more by coastal hazards and extreme flooding. In 2023, the US encountered 28 separate destructive climate and weather events costing at least $1 billon, totaling $92.9 billion. 

In 2018, the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) was founded. They invest in conservation projects aimed at increasing, restoring, and strengthening natural infrastructure. This would include coastal forests, marshes and wetlands, beach and dune systems, oyster and coral reefs, rivers and floodplains, and barrier islands which soften impacts of coastal hazards and storms to neighboring communities. 

The NCRF partners with the Dept. of Defense, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Occidental Petroleum Corp., and the American branch of the Shell company (oil and gas).

Recently, nearly $1 million is now making its way to New Hampshire through grants totaling $139 million. These grants were awarded to 31 other coastal states and American territories in order “​​to support nature-based solutions for coastal resilience.” According to NFWF, the money will fund stream-crossing projects in the state’s coastal wetlands and “will result in a pipeline of at least 10 restoration projects to expand habitat for native species, including American eel, brook trout, and American shad, while mitigating flood risk from a 100-year storm event.”

This grant money is destined for the Merrimack River watershed to be used in conservation work. Senator Jeanne Shaheen stated, “New Hampshire’s outdoor economy is one of the state’s most important industries and it’s critical we invest in conservation and resiliency to keep it that way while also protecting and preserving our environment for generations to come.”

With a new in-coming “administration” it remains to be seen what will happen to departments like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and efforts to combat extreme weather and climate change.

Here in New Hampshire, a law was passed in 2021 banning abortions after six months of pregnancy. The only exceptions were to protect the mother’s life or fetuses with fatal anomalies. 

OK, now fast forward to election season 2024 . . .

Governor-elect Kelly Ayotte had repeatedly stated throughout her campaign she would not change NH’s abortion laws or restrict abortion access or infertility treatments like IVF (in vitro fertilization) Kelly Ayotte: Protecting IVF for New Hampshire Families but her past political performances show otherwise.

From 2011 to 2017, Ayotte was the Senator from NH. During that time, she supported the Blunt amendment and the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act permitting employers and insurance companies to deny coverage of birth control and IVF. The amendment failed and the 2011 proposed legislation for the “act” was never voted on. In 2014, Ayotte and 33 other Senators pushed for a vote on the bill “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act”, which would ban abortions nationally after 20 weeks except in cases of incest, rape or the life of the mother. The bill did not pass.

This past Sept., Rep. Joe Sweeney (R-Salem) declared fellow Republican House members were “not touching the issue.” Number 9 on their 10 point “Contract with New Hampshire” list states, Protect Commonsense Abortion Law. Fellow Liberty Alliance member and House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) called the list “. . .a promise to all of our citizens that we’ll protect and preserve the freedoms we cherish as Granite Staters.” 

Except if you’re a female of child bearing age.

Already there is Republican proposed abortion legislation gearing up for the next session set to begin in the new year. Rep. Glenn Cordelli R-Tuftonboro), Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and Liberty Alliance member is proposing a “precautionary” bill designed to bring about civil and criminal penalties for the “recruitment, harboring, or transporting” of a pregnant minor for an abortion without parental permission. The exception being an emancipated minor. Has this happened anywhere in NH? Cordelli doesn’t know, hence the “precaution.”

Fellow YAL member Rep. John Sellers, (R-Bristol) wants students in high school to have complete knowledge of what having an abortion is all about. He admits he hasn’t heard anything from his constituents on this matter, but, you know, precautionary. Perhaps this would be included in a science class? Sellers would also be in support of a 6 or 15-week abortion ban as that is what he has heard from his constituents about.  

Liberty Alliance member Rep. Katy Peternel (R-Wolfboro) has sponsored a bill “relative to restrictions on elective abortion.” Who knows what that means. Hopefully, there will be more information on this in the future. 

So much for “not touching the issue.”

Oh, by the way, NH is also the only state in New England that hasn’t codified a right to abortion in our state Constitution.

Well, that didn’t take long . . .

Shortly after election day, Liberty Alliance member, Rep. Bob Lynn (R-Windham), has now decided to make voting harder for those who vote by absentee ballot. HB 1569, a new law that went into effect just five days after the Nov. 5th elections, now calls for all voters to show ID at the polls or forfeit their right to vote. Additionally, all new voters are now required to show documentation proving their US citizenship with a birth certificate, passport, or any other accepted forms of documentation. Previously, voter affidavits were used on election day with the voter signing and swearing to the fact that he/she is who he/she claims to be. Additionally, they had 7 days to bring this proof to their city or town clerk or risk having their ballot, which is set aside, from being discarded. 

Feeling victorious, Rep. Lynn is now looking to make the basic right of voting harder for even more New Hampshire voters. He is now proposing legislation to include all new absentee voters in proving their citizenship.  

But wait! Rep. Lynn now wants to assist voters unable to afford a copy of their birth certificate from a different state, so he has submitted more proposed new legislation. This new legislation (in two parts) is intended to permit the Secy. of State’s Office use of databases affirming a voter’s declared citizenship. Lynn’s proposed bill would call for a city/town clerk or election official to contact the Secy. of State’s Office (SoS) if a resident is attempting to register to vote but doesn’t have the correct documentation. It then becomes the duty of the SoS to make appropriate attempts in deciding whether the individual is a US citizen or not. 

The second part seeks to give financial aid to individuals needing to get their birth certificate or other accepted citizenship document. An affidavit would need to be signed, (funny how THAT affidavit would be acceptable for Rep. Lynn) affirming they can’t afford to pay any fees and the city/town would cover the fee with a voucher. The city/town would then be reimbursed by the SoS’s Office. 

Where is all this money going to come from to access databases and reimbursements to individual cities and towns? Will the Republican majority take it from the private school voucher system and transfer it to the affidavit voucher system? Or will they just turn to the already overburdened property owner and throw more unnecessary taxes their way?

Fun fact #1: This past election, 832,549 NH voters cast a ballot. Twenty-seven used a (now repealed) affidavit ballot, with 3 voters mailing their required documents within the time frame to their city/town clerk. Out of 832,549 voters only 24 ballots were discarded. The system was not only working, it wasn’t even broken.

Fun fact #2: As of this writing there are a couple of lawsuits that were filed against HB 1569. 
Fun fact #2a: According to Republicans who pushed for HB 1569, although the affidavits are legally binding and voters who use them dishonestly can later be investigated and prosecuted, they claim those prosecutions won’t cancel the individual vote itself. They insist that could wrongly influence an election.
Fun fact #2b: see Fun fact #1.

Fun fact #3: NH is the only state in the country requiring proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in a federal election.

Fun (but disturbing) fact #4: According to a report from the Voting Rights Lab, there are more than 560 new national laws concerning elections now in effect since 2020.

Wise words from Frank . . .

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” 
Franklin D. Roosevelt

For a reminder of who we are, read aloud with spirit at your Thanksgiving dinner:

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus
 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, 
With conquering limbs astride from land to land; 
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand 
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame 
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name 
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand 
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command 
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. 
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she 
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, 
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, 
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, 
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The New Colossus | The Poetry Foundation

On Aug, 24, 2022, seeking relief for those with crippling student loan debt while trying to navigate through a pandemic, the Biden administration came up with the REPAYE (Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment) plan. This was Pres. Biden’s efforts to provide relief for borrowers who were depending on up to $20,000 of their loan balances to be forgiven. 

Democrats, working for the common good.

“Not so fast,” claimed the Supreme Court in June, 2023. The conservative majority ruled Biden’s administration abused its executive authority by attempting to eliminate up to $20,000 in student loan debt for millions of Americans. That left 26 million people who had applied for student debt cancellation hanging in the wind. The president took another route.

Democrats, working for the common good.

During the summer of 2023, the Biden Administration, through the Dept. of Education, launched a new website to allow student loan borrowers to enroll in a new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan called Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE). Many borrowers would see lower monthly payments under this new plan, which replaced the old REPAYE plan. SAVE was expected to get more affordable in 2024 when required monthly payments were cut from 10% to 5% of discretionary income. This was for student loan borrowers who had only undergraduate loans. Now with the new SAVE plan, income above 225% of the federal poverty level would be counted as discretionary income. For example, individual borrowers would only be required to make payments on income over $32,805 and wouldn’t owe any payments if they made less than that. The amount would be $67,500 for a family of four.

Borrowers who had enrolled in SAVE would now save $1,000 a year compared to previous IDR plans. Additionally, 1 million low-income borrowers would be able to make “payments” of $0 while still receiving credit towards having the remaining balances of their loans forgiven. According to the Dept. of Education, after 20 years of repayment (25 years for graduate school loans), any balance remaining is wiped away.  

Another significant change with the SAVE plan, if payment was less than the interest on the loan in any given month, the Dept. of Education wouldn’t charge the remaining interest. As long as a borrower made their payments, their loan balance wouldn’t increase because of interest.

Democrats, working for the common good.

Naturally this was not sitting well with the opposition. In early Sept., 2023, Senate Republicans planned on forcing a vote to overturn the new option, claiming SAVE was unfair to other Americans who had no student loan debt. Senators Bill Cassidy (LA), John Thune (SD), John Cornyn (TX), and 14 Republican colleagues introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution (CRA) to overturn Pres. Biden’s repayment plan. 

Due to those efforts, there are now two student debt relief plans tied up in court, both being challenged by Republican-led states. The 8 million people now enrolled in the SAVE plan are currently in limbo, after court rulings blocked the Biden administration from enacting the plan. The loans for these borrowers have been put on hold for another 6 months while the administration defends the plan in court. 

Additionally, another Biden plan to use the Higher Education Act to forgive all or some of the student debt held by 30 million borrowers also hit a legal roadblock, with a court putting that plan on hold in early October.

Project 2025 calls for abolishing the Dept. of Education, claiming student loans should be handled by the private sector and they want to get rid of student debt relief altogether. "The new administration must end the practice of acting like the federal student loan portfolio is a campaign fund to curry political support and votes. The new administration must end abuses in the loan forgiveness programs. Borrowers should be expected to repay their loans."

Democrats, working for the common good.
Republicans, not so much.

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”       Plato

Demagogue:a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.

While it’s a contentious word, one person’s demagogue can be someone else’s passionate leader. The word comes from the Greek word dema, meaning “people,” and gogue, meaning “leader.” Demagogue refers to a person who appeals to the emotions and prejudices of others in order to further their own political goals.

The troubling concern about demagogues is that in addition to distorting logic and truth, they stir up the multitudes and create deep divisions in society. They encourage vicious rhetoric towards those looked upon as the “other” in addition to encouraging thinking in “black and white” only, all of which is damaging to the fabric of society and critical thought.

Actions we, as a country, have been witnessing for years. 

And then there’s “fascism.” The definition of fascism begins with the demagogue. He alone knows what’s right for the country, he alone is qualified to lead the country to its rightful, historic destiny, and he alone can fix it! (Remember that one?) 

A demagogue is never just a single person. An accomplished demagogue always depends on the support of and connection to the people. 

A few examples of known demagogues (although there were many more throughout history):

• Adolf Hitler (Germany)
• Benito Mussolini (Italy)
• Huey Long
• Joseph McCarthy
• George Wallace

The last three were American citizens.

They all caused some manner of disruption and divisiveness, chaos and confusion, what we have been experiencing ourselves for nearly a decade now. Americans overcame it then, we can overcome it now. 

We need to be consistent in educating others as to what is taking place in our country and our state. Be aware of how your representatives vote on proposed legislation, statewide and federal. Does that vote hurt or help our country, our state? 

We’re all in this together, so we all need to work together to achieve the positive change we want. Democracy is worth the effort.