Opinion

Some 20 years ago, on the brink of the cataclysm that scorched New Hampshire’s property markets and swallowed its largest banks, a friend found me toting “Stabilizing an Unstable Economy,” a book written by Hyman Minsky, an academic economist then…

On Jan. 20, Barack Obama was sworn in as our president, carried to victory in the 2008 election by a message of change. Since Nov. 4, it has only become more clear that major change will have to be brought…

Since 2007, our Legislature has been spending itself into the current enormous deficit, and now both Republicans and Democrats are coming back to the people for more money. As a member of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, I believe we should…

“Do no harm” is the primary tenet for such varied tasks as restoring antique furniture or fine art, or even providing emergency medical treatment. The reasoning is straightforward. When addressing a delicate task, it’s critically important not to do something…

Thomas Friedman’s latest book impresses upon us why America needs a green revolution as the world becomes “Hot, Flat and Crowded.” Friedman provides dense pages packed with data supporting his arguments around climate change — the dark side of America’s…

One thing my 14 years in the state Senate taught me was that the merits of a bill matter less than political influence. The forces pushing for imposing gambling on our state are back, and they’re pumped. With the great…

Over the past 12 months, the American economy has shed more than 2.6 million jobs. However, amid all the economic doom and gloom, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that in just four years there will be a shortage of…

President-elect Barack Obama and his economic team have added their voices to the growing chorus of policy experts, state officials and industry representatives calling on Congress to include transportation infrastructure spending as part of an economic stimulus package. The New…

The New Hampshire Retirement System was set up to provide retirement benefits for municipal, county and state employees. It is funded by contributions from employees, employers (i.e. the municipalities) and the state general fund. In fact, the state contributes a…

In 1948, my grandfather paid 55 cents for a dozen eggs to serve at the Whitefield eatery that still bears his name. That was a whopping price, when you consider that, back then, the average family earned less than $10…