Of all the columns I’ve seen on the decision to try KSM in a civilian court in NYC, this one is the best.

The early release of this man from prison is a travesty.

Charlie Bass’ exploratory committee Web site is live today. I wonder if Jennifer Horn will follow him on Twitter.

Only 14 percent of independents approve of the job Congress is doing. And that has Democrats scared. Not a surprise.

Mike Scioscia was right, and Bud Selig thinks so too, thank goodness.

I miss Bob Novak’s columns.

God made pigs. Man took pigs, made bacon, hot dogs, sausages, pork chops, pork rinds, and barbeque. If only pigs peed beer, they’d be the perfect animals.

Economic Development and Job Creation

Reduce taxes for the smallest of companies, as well as those who hire new employees and/or invest in new equipment or buildings. “The goal is to allow companies to succeed,” said Bragdon. “Successful companies create jobs.”

Healthcare Accessibility

Allow individuals and small businesses to join together to purchase licensed health insurance plans from other states. Reform the state’s tort laws to reduce malpractice costs. “Individuals and businesses all struggle to find affordable health insurance,” said Bragdon. “Our goal is to provide more competition and help reduce some of the costs of healthcare in this state.”

Taxpayer Protection

Allow voters in all towns and school districts to adopt spending and tax caps. Require super-majority votes in the legislature to divert money from the Rainy Day Fund or to borrow money. Repeal the newly-created taxes on campgrounds and Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs). “Allowing voters to establish reasonable parameters over spending is a key part of our state’s treasured local control philosophy,” said Senator Bragdon, “and forcing Concord politicians to abide by the same borrowing rules as local voters is a natural extension of that.”

Open Government

Require a record of all state payments to be posted to the Internet and made available to the public, with appropriate protections for confidential information. Offer protection from retribution to state employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse.

The Senate GOP’s statement included a bullet-pointed list of what these priorities will be:

Economic Development and Job Creation

* Updating the threshold for the Business Enterprise Tax and the carry forward provisions to lighten the tax burden on small business owners
* Allowing for accelerated depreciation of capital investments for business taxes
* Job creation tax credits

Healthcare Accessibility

* Allowing the purchase of healthcare across state lines and allowing individuals and small groups of employees to pool together for easier access to healthcare
* Tort Reform to reduce malpractice insurance costs

Taxpayer Protection

* Allowing cities and towns to enact tax and spending caps
* Requiring a supermajority to divert funds from the Rainy Day Fund
* Requiring a supermajority to provide bonding authority
* Repeal of the Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and camping taxes
* Prohibiting the Federal Government from cost shifting to the State in any major expansions of Medicaid

Open Government

* Making copies of state disbursements available online
* Protection from retribution for State Employees reporting waste, fraud and abuse

No mention of education funding or divisive social issues. Also no mention of a comprehensive effort to cut spending. Is the Senate GOP OK with the current level of state spending? Interesting.

Those are just two relatively small changes. Bigger ones are coming, Gatsas says, including starting the city budget process in December. Look for more changes to be announced before the inauguration.

FairPoint can’t even get its phone books right. Old Verizon ones are more accurate. Sheesh.

Concord has $40,000 to spend on subsidizing storefront facades on Main Street.

Stephen Stark: Obama peaked on Election Day

Dissident Cuban blogger beaten, USA denounces.

Labor Dept. reviewing NH Job Corps Center bid process.

Another casualty of the recession

I don’t like the idea of jailing kids whose only crime is graffiti vandalism. There must be better alternatives that would deter this behavior without helping turn vandals into hardened criminals by mixing them with thieves, drug dealers, gang members, etc. Here are a few possibilities:

* Vandalize their property. If a kid is convicted of graffiti vandalism, his room should be painted with Lawrence Welk images. His car should be painted pink with a glittery Hannah Montana logo on one side and a Powerpuff Girls logo on the other. His personal belongings should be defaced with scrawled messages such as “I love kittens” and “Star Trek forever!”

* Make them scrub it off. Generally, teens don’t have money to pay for professional graffiti removal if they’re caught. So make them remove it. If it takes six weeks to scrub a “tag” off a stop sign or store wall, too bad. You broke it, you fix it. I’m sure there are plenty of citizens who would be happy to volunteer to supervise the cleanup.

* Make them read literature. Given the choice between paying a fine, spending a few weeks in jail, or reading Shakespeare, I bet most vandals would choose the fine or prison. We have plenty of retired teachers who miss their old jobs. And we have lots of kids who’ve skated through or dropped out of school. Don’t send them to jail; send them to English class. They’ll never want to commit a crime again. And they might learn something.

Concord, NH – Today, New Hampshire Senate Republicans launched new social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook.

“New social media are important communication tools to keep people informed of our actions in the state Senate as we fight for disciplined spending, less government intrusion and lower taxes,” said Senate Minority Leader Peter Bragdon (R-Milford).

You can find the New Hampshire Senate Republicans by following them at www.twitter.com/NHGOPSenate or by becoming a fan of NHGOPSenate on Facebook.

But the best part was the headline: New Hampshire Senate Republicans Embrace Social Media

Could they look any more like old guys trying to act hip?

The State of New Hampshire Liquor Commission – Bureau of Alcohol Enforcement announced that an emergency hearing has been scheduled regarding Three Cousins Pizza and Lounge. The hearing will determine whether to revoke the restaurant’s liquor license. The hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2009, at the NH State Liquor Commission; 50 Storrs St.; Concord.

Mayor Frank Guinta, Chief David Mara and others will be testifying in support of permanent revocation of the restaurant’s liquor license. This stems from a raid of the premises on Wednesday, October 21, where three people were arrested for allegedly selling cocaine. Overall, raids throughout the day turned up illegal drugs and tens of thousands of dollars in cash.

“The safety of Manchester residents is my top priority, and because of that, I will be strongly pushing for the permanent revocation of Three Cousins’ liquor license,” Mayor Guinta said. “It is important that businesses that engage in such activity understand that such actions will not be tolerated.”