Opinion

Education is key before voting

The great English poet William Butler Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, it is the lighting of a fire.” Indeed, having the desire to search for answers is essential in today’s society, especially in terms…

We can’t afford more bailouts

Many people I talk to are stunned by the impact of the recent financial crisis. However, what grabbed the attention of most has been the escalating growth in the bailouts from the federal government over the past few months. We’ve…

N.H. can lead in boosting solar energy

While New Hampshire may be better known for its first-in-the-nation presidential primary, the presence of the solar energy industry here is hard to deny. There are more than 30 solar manufacturers, installers and dealers based in the Granite State, and…

There’s no windfall to save us this time

New Hampshire’s current budget “crisis” is widely attributed to excessive spending. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the argument obscures the uncomfortable fact of a failed and outdated revenue structure. Nowhere are the consequences of this failure more evident than the likely…

Why N.H. needs its own WARN Act

Sept. 1 marked the second incremental increase in our state’s minimum wage, boosting the hourly rate from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour - the state’s first minimum wage adjustments in 10 years. In a July 2007 discussion paper, the Federal…

Earmarks critical to scientific progress

The University of New Hampshire recently opened a new atmospheric observatory to systematically monitor the chemical makeup of the air — and the pollutants — over our heads. This includes the first systematic recording of atmospheric mercury and some 200…