LACONIA – With primary season now officially behind us with today’s vote, the Laconia Democratic Party is gearing up its Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts for November’s elections.
“Unlike the Republicans, we didn’t have a lot of contested primary races,” observed Laconia Democratic Party Chair Beth Arsenault. “That’s afforded us an opportunity to begin early our strategy for turning out the vote in November.”
This Saturday local Democrats will be conducting their first door-to-door canvass, with volunteers gathering at Arsenault’s house on Cottonwood Avenue. “We’re planning on two waves of canvassers, one hitting the streets at 11 a.m. followed by another group at 2 p.m.,” Arsenault indicated. “We’re excited that NH House Speaker Teri Norelli will be participating – going door to door with other volunteers.”
Following the afternoon of face-to-face meetings with voters, volunteers and other party activists will join together for a Harvest Cookoff at the Leavitt Park clubhouse beginning at 5 p.m.
“We’re inviting people who can’t participate in the canvass to share with volunteers their favorite fall dishes,” Arsenault explained. “This is the time of year when the aroma of fresh applesauce and apple pie, great stews and soups, and of course countless pumpkin recipes fill New Hampshire kitchens, and we expect many to be shared and sampled.”
For those volunteers participating in the canvass, Arsenault has promised to bake fresh apple pies for the ones who knocked on the most doors and collected from residents the most pledges to vote. “We’re confident that when people look at the issues and where the two parties stand, the majority will vote Democratic,” Arsenault said. “In the four short years that Democrats have had control of state government they’ve tackled the education funding crisis, they’ve balanced the budget during extraordinarily tough economic times, and they’ve managed to preserve the safety net for the most needy while at the same time creating opportunities for businesses to flourish.”
The local Democratic Party has endorsed five candidates for the NH House, including incumbents Arsenault and Richard Stuart, as well as Ed Allard, David Stamps and Maureen Baxley.
“We’re really fortunate to have so many well qualified, dedicated individuals willing to represent Laconia,” Arsneault said. “As voters get to know them better over the next couple of months, I expect they’ll be as enamored of the group as I am.”
The local party will also be heavily engaged in turning out the vote for NH Senate candidate Andrew Hosmer, the re-election of Governor John Lynch, the re-election of Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter and the election of Paul Hodes as the next U.S. Senator.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or to participate in the Canvassing should contact Beth Arsenault at 528-1727. For those interested in contributing to the Harvest Cookoff, contact Judie Reever at 525-2644 or Jane Wood at 528-2119.
“The more people we have, the merrier,” Arsenault insisted.
Showing posts with label Laconia Democrats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laconia Democrats. Show all posts
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Time To Pay Up!
(This column was first published in the Laconia Daily Sun on June 3, 2009)
Two times over the past three years I’ve been admitted as an inpatient at Lakes Region General Hospital. The care I received during those stays was extraordinary, as was the subsequent outpatient care extended. The dedicated professionals, from the nurses and physicians, to the technicians, surgeons, pharmacy workers, and orderlies, as well as the administrative staff and the incredibly devoted volunteers, have earned my gratitude and esteem.
Like the thousands of others who have come to rely upon LRGH and its ancillary operations and practices, I realize just how fortunate we are to have this resource available in our community. Yet, its very survival is at risk due to inadequate funding, a perennial problem that is being exacerbated by the state’s fiscal crisis.
Over the past few years I’ve written extensively about the challenges facing LRGHealthcare, which serves an aging population, a marketplace where fewer employers are able to afford to provide health insurance coverage, and rising costs that simply are not being offset by increases in revenue. At issue is our willingness to pay for the costs of services being delivered.
Currently, our local health care providers are struggling to accommodate an alarming expansion in the number of patients dependent upon Medicaid and Medicare, the two primary government insurance programs designed to ensure that the poor and the elderly receive basic health care services. It’s alarming because neither Medicare nor Medicaid come close to reimbursing the hospital nor doctors for their costs of treating insured patients.
Instead, costs are shifted to private insurers and to those few who pay cash out of their own pockets. It’s that cost shifting that has helped fuel the rise in private insurance premiums.
Tragically, with the state facing a budget meltdown, the stage is set for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates to be lowered even further. According to Henry Lipman, LRGHealthcare Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the proposed cuts will trim over $3-million annually from the non-profit’s revenues.
Add to those losses the increased demand for charitable care as more and more people lose their jobs along with their health insurance, and it’s abundantly clear that LRGHealthcare and its providers are facing an economic tsunami.
State budget writers are taking the heat for the proposed cuts in state health care spending, accused of being irresponsible at best, and heartless at worst. But the fact remains that the legislature can only appropriate expenditures that can be covered by revenue, and New Hampshire is looking at what may be a $500-million shortfall in revenue over the next two years.
What I find so troubling about this is our tendency to blame lawmakers for the problem. It isn’t those we’ve elected to represent us who should be affixed with the blame. It is all of us.
As a state, we’ve come to expect something for nothing. We demand that government serve our needs, yet we balk when we’re presented with the bill. Admittedly, all of us cringe a bit when our PSNH bill arrives in the mail each month, and you can count me among those who deride the cable company for its predictable annual increases. Yet I’ve not once suggested that I shouldn’t pay the bill, realizing that the failure to do so would result in a prompt termination of services.
When government sends out its bill for the services it provides to its constituents, however, the complaints are deafening in their intensity, drowning out any reasonable discussion. People have come to embrace the notion that “government is bad”, forgetting that in a representative democracy, they are the government.
As much as we hate to admit it, our state and local governments run fairly efficient and cost effective operations in delivering the services demanded by the public. No, they’re not perfect. But then, I know few individuals who don’t waste a portion of their income, and government workers are individuals.
The fiscal problems facing New Hampshire have most assuredly been exacerbated by the overall economic decline. But there is undeniably a systemic problem that has plagued the Granite State for years that is rooted in the refusal by the state’s residents to pay for the services they demand. The New Hampshire way is to try to get others to pay the bill for them, whether it be local governments targeting Concord, the state targeting Washington, and everyone trying to entice folks from Massachusetts into paying our bills.
Grow up, and pay up New Hampshire. Otherwise, you’re going to find that government, just like PSNH and Metrocast, is going to terminate service. And that will likely mean that LRGHealthcare will be unable to respond with appropriate quality care when your life depends upon it.
(Ron Tunning is a former newspaper editor and is currently chair of the Laconia Democratic Committee.)
Two times over the past three years I’ve been admitted as an inpatient at Lakes Region General Hospital. The care I received during those stays was extraordinary, as was the subsequent outpatient care extended. The dedicated professionals, from the nurses and physicians, to the technicians, surgeons, pharmacy workers, and orderlies, as well as the administrative staff and the incredibly devoted volunteers, have earned my gratitude and esteem.
Like the thousands of others who have come to rely upon LRGH and its ancillary operations and practices, I realize just how fortunate we are to have this resource available in our community. Yet, its very survival is at risk due to inadequate funding, a perennial problem that is being exacerbated by the state’s fiscal crisis.
Over the past few years I’ve written extensively about the challenges facing LRGHealthcare, which serves an aging population, a marketplace where fewer employers are able to afford to provide health insurance coverage, and rising costs that simply are not being offset by increases in revenue. At issue is our willingness to pay for the costs of services being delivered.
Currently, our local health care providers are struggling to accommodate an alarming expansion in the number of patients dependent upon Medicaid and Medicare, the two primary government insurance programs designed to ensure that the poor and the elderly receive basic health care services. It’s alarming because neither Medicare nor Medicaid come close to reimbursing the hospital nor doctors for their costs of treating insured patients.
Instead, costs are shifted to private insurers and to those few who pay cash out of their own pockets. It’s that cost shifting that has helped fuel the rise in private insurance premiums.
Tragically, with the state facing a budget meltdown, the stage is set for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates to be lowered even further. According to Henry Lipman, LRGHealthcare Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the proposed cuts will trim over $3-million annually from the non-profit’s revenues.
Add to those losses the increased demand for charitable care as more and more people lose their jobs along with their health insurance, and it’s abundantly clear that LRGHealthcare and its providers are facing an economic tsunami.
State budget writers are taking the heat for the proposed cuts in state health care spending, accused of being irresponsible at best, and heartless at worst. But the fact remains that the legislature can only appropriate expenditures that can be covered by revenue, and New Hampshire is looking at what may be a $500-million shortfall in revenue over the next two years.
What I find so troubling about this is our tendency to blame lawmakers for the problem. It isn’t those we’ve elected to represent us who should be affixed with the blame. It is all of us.
As a state, we’ve come to expect something for nothing. We demand that government serve our needs, yet we balk when we’re presented with the bill. Admittedly, all of us cringe a bit when our PSNH bill arrives in the mail each month, and you can count me among those who deride the cable company for its predictable annual increases. Yet I’ve not once suggested that I shouldn’t pay the bill, realizing that the failure to do so would result in a prompt termination of services.
When government sends out its bill for the services it provides to its constituents, however, the complaints are deafening in their intensity, drowning out any reasonable discussion. People have come to embrace the notion that “government is bad”, forgetting that in a representative democracy, they are the government.
As much as we hate to admit it, our state and local governments run fairly efficient and cost effective operations in delivering the services demanded by the public. No, they’re not perfect. But then, I know few individuals who don’t waste a portion of their income, and government workers are individuals.
The fiscal problems facing New Hampshire have most assuredly been exacerbated by the overall economic decline. But there is undeniably a systemic problem that has plagued the Granite State for years that is rooted in the refusal by the state’s residents to pay for the services they demand. The New Hampshire way is to try to get others to pay the bill for them, whether it be local governments targeting Concord, the state targeting Washington, and everyone trying to entice folks from Massachusetts into paying our bills.
Grow up, and pay up New Hampshire. Otherwise, you’re going to find that government, just like PSNH and Metrocast, is going to terminate service. And that will likely mean that LRGHealthcare will be unable to respond with appropriate quality care when your life depends upon it.
(Ron Tunning is a former newspaper editor and is currently chair of the Laconia Democratic Committee.)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Laconia Democrats Launch New Web Site!
The Laconia Democratic Party has launched its new website at www.laconiademocrats.org. Make sure you pass this information on to everyone!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Laconia Democrats opening new office
The Laconia Democrats will be moving into new office space located at 54 Canal Street today, which will be shared through the November elections with the Belknap County Democratic Committee and the NH Democratic Party's coordinated campaign operations.
The office will be open, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and will initially be staffed by Jeremy Bento as well as volunteers. It's anticipated that a number of other paid staffers will be on board by the end of the summer, including some from the Obama campaign.
Please stop by and check out the new facility, and consider volunteering to help out.
The office will be open, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and will initially be staffed by Jeremy Bento as well as volunteers. It's anticipated that a number of other paid staffers will be on board by the end of the summer, including some from the Obama campaign.
Please stop by and check out the new facility, and consider volunteering to help out.
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