O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
Nashua’s Senator Avard is among 14 Republican sponsors of NH HB 148. In spite of the fact there’s no evidence that anyone has ever been harmed sharing public accommodations with trans women, HB 148 proposes NH taxpayer dollars should be spent on some kind of gender police lurking around women’s rest rooms questioning patrons’ identity. This is both deeply creepy and a waste of public resources.
There are plenty of real concerns to address. For the growing cohort of us older adults in NH, these include protecting Medicaid, affordable medications, and programs that support people in staying in our homes and communities. The GOP budget’s proposed shredding of the social safety net and the shifting of costs to local property owners are the real threats to our security.
Free Staters’ refrain is “Taxes are theft,” but their policies don’t lower taxes. Over the last decade, under GOP control, property taxes have only risen. Besides, taxes aren’t theft if we have oversight into how they’re being spent and voting power over who’s spending them. The real swindle is tax revenue flushed into darkness in privatization schemes like Education Freedom Accounts.
The Trump regime is dismantling public sector programs and distributing what’s left to profiteers, but the genius of the Federalist system is that states can step in on the people’s behalf. The sponsors of HB148 (all proponents of the EFA scam) are listed on this website: NH HB148 | 2025 | Regular Session | LegiScan. We must call on them now to stop attacking minorities and invest in addressing real concerns.
| Jean Lewandowski lives in Nashua. |
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