Sununu’s budget plan puts state’s best foot forward

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 | THE EAGLE-TRIBUNE | by Garry Rayno

By Garry Rayno, includes “… Most governors put their budgets together with chewing gum and baling wire. … Sununu’s budget proposal includes hefty revenue projections that would increase 5.5% over the current budget plan. And he would use about $30 million of the state’s $115.5 million rainy day fund to balance the current biennium’s budget which is projected to have a $50 million deficit.” (Note: Drawing down bank accounts to “balance budgets?”)

A Multistate Remote Tax Brawl

FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | WALL STREET JOURNAL | by Wall Street Journal

Editorial, includes “Can a state collect income tax from nonresidents working remotely for in-state businesses? Massachusetts, New York and some other states claim they can, and now New Hampshire is asking the Supreme Court to protect its citizens from this tax grab…” 

Biden’s spending plan puts swing-state Democrats in a bind

JANUARY 20, 2021 | THE POST & COURIER (SOUTH CAROLINA) | by Michael Graham

Impeachment is easy. Governing is hard. That may be the lesson Democrats on Capitol Hill are about to learn as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. … But the plan also includes a $350 billion bailout of state and local governments, many of them poorly governed and chronically in debt

New Hampshire receives a ‘C’ in new fiscal report

OCTOBER 2, 2020 | KPVI NEWS | by Dave Fidlin

Faced with a $2.2 billion shortfall of unfunded financial obligations, New Hampshire entered the current pandemic playing catch-up and could face more challenging headwinds in the future, a new report states.

Thirty-nine states ill-prepared for coronavirus pandemic

SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

The 2020 Financial State of the States report surveys the fiscal health of the 50 states prior to the coronavirus pandemic. This data is released today by Truth in Accounting (TIA), a think tank that analyzes government financial reporting.

Student debt is at an all-time high of $1.5 trillion.

AUGUST 17, 2020 | by Kate Brennan

Student debt is at an all-time high of $1.5 trillion. College is more expensive than ever as it is estimated the cost of tuition has raised about 25 percent in the last 25 years, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

State general revenue shortfall projections

JUNE 1, 2020 | by Bill Bergman, Sheila Weinberg

How large could the shortfall in state government general revenues be, amidst the coronavirus and related crises? 

State budget crisis looms in Maine as pandemic rages

APRIL 27, 2020 | PORTLAND PRESS HERALD (MAINE) | by Scott Thistle

The coronavirus pandemic is paving the way for a state budget crisis that will likely be deeper than any Maine has seen in decades.

One states’ voters fight for their right to sue the government

OCTOBER 31, 2018 | GOVERNING | by Graham Vyse

For a century and a half in New Hampshire, citizens could sue their state if they believed its actions were illegal or unconstitutional -- regardless of whether it violated their personal rights. Then, in 2014, the state Supreme Court ended that right.

Bad balancing acts, best taxpayer ROI and double taxation

MARCH 31, 2017 | GOVERNING

Roundup of recent news by Liz Farmer, includes "... When it comes to where taxpayers get the best bang for their buck, New Hampshire rises to the top.

Constitutional convention needed for balanced budget amendment

DECEMBER 9, 2016 | EXETER PATCH (NEW HAMPSHIRE)

By Tony Schinnela, includes "... The legislatures of 28 of the needed 34 states, including New Hampshire, have already adopted the needed BBA resolutions.

Defusing the debt bomb

JANUARY 4, 2016 | THE WASHINGTON TIMES | by David Walker

Fiscal survey of the states

DECEMBER 16, 2015 | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE BUDGET OFFICERS

Enacted state budgets for fiscal 2016 represent a sixth consecutive year of spending and revenue growth, according to this report. 

Report says state hides true debt

JULY 1, 2015 | NEW HAMPSHIRE UNION LEADER

“New Hampshire’s financial reporting system fails to report the state’s true debt said a national organization tracking states’ finances."

Lawmakers ‘baffled’ by county accounting

MAY 8, 2015 | THE CONWAY DAILY SUN (NEW HAMPSHIRE)

Balancing the budget may involve raiding the state’s dedicated funds

JANUARY 7, 2015 | CONCORD MONITOR (NEW HAMPSHIRE)

The United State of America

AUGUST 4, 2014 | THE ATLANTIC

" ... The real reason for federal “assistance” lies in the conditions that come attached to it ..."

Maryland’s Broken Pension-Funding Promises

JULY 15, 2014 | THE MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE

Do Independent Voters Need More Independent Candidates?

AUGUST 30, 2013 | IVN | by Bill Bergman

Amidst some disenchantment with both major political parties, the chart above shows, when looking across the 50 states, the share of votes earned by candidates that were not either Democratic or Republican has fallen significantly for U.S. House of Representative elections since 2000.

The Unsteady States of America

JULY 29, 2013 | THE ECONOMIST

When Greece ran into financial trouble three years ago, the problem soon spreadMany observers were mystified. How could such a littlecountry set off a continental crisis? … Americans in virtuous states and cities will be just as furious about their tax dollars flowing to Detroit and other distressed places as Germans are about euros going to southern Europe. But the truth is that America’s whole public sector still operates in a financialnever-never land. Uncle Sam offers an array of “entitlements” that there is no real plan to pay for. Barack Obama is on his way to joining George W. Bush as a president who did nothing about that, while Republicans in Congress imagine they can balance the books without raising taxes. The government spends more on health care than many rich countries and still does not cover everyone. America’s dynamic private sector is carrying on its back an unreformed Leviathan. Detroit is merely a symptom of that.

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