NH: Senate votes to end tests for seniors renewing license

[formerlurker]

Um, that's where you'd be wrong.  Look at California.  The average home price there is still well north of $500K, but you can't GIVE the shit away.  Does that make them better than MA?

Homes in my area are on the market an average of less than a month.  Can you make the same claim?  What I'm saying is that you get more for your money, my obtuse little friend.  Try putting my humble abode in MA and tell me I wouldn't get SIGNIFICANTLY more for it than I do here.  And I won't have to sell my soul to live in a liberal "paradise" such as the one you inhabit.

And clearly, I also wouldn't want to compare any NH towns to Dorchester, Lynn, Saugus, Revere, Brockton, Raynham, Boston....shit goes both ways.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/906246-196/nh-home-sales-dip-in-2010.html

Uh-huh.     

[NHSparky]

Compared to what your house is worth?  yeah that is high. 

My mill rate is under $13.    Southern NH mill rate?

http://www.brinrealty.com/index.php/Resources/Property-Taxes-in-Southern-New-Hampshire.html

Milford NH mill rate is $32?   Are you freakin kidding me right now?   Yeah that is SOOOOOO much better than paying sales and income tax.   

This thread has long passed it's usefulness.   

And yet here you remain, attempting to defend the indefensible.

You took a snarky potshot at NH for something even YOU don't do in your vaunted liberal paradise.  I pointed that out to you, and away we go.

Virtually every survey/measurement taken, from Forbes on down, shows NH trounces MA (and virtually every other state) in almost every measurable quality-of-life metric.  Our state/local tax burden is consistently among the 2-3 lowest in the nation, while MA is among the highest.  Violent crime is almost unheard of here versus the everyday occurence in MA.

IOW, Live Free or Die means something to some people up here, at least for the time being.  You use it as a punchline.

So in passing, since you find no fault with your little hellhole which should be nuked from orbit just to be sure, I'll leave you with a quote from a former resident of yours:

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom — go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."

[NHSparky]

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/906246-196/nh-home-sales-dip-in-2010.html

Uh-huh.     

And of course, Boston metro has been totally unaffected by the downturn.

http://www.jparsons.net/housingbubble/boston.html

http://www.bostonbubble.com/

[formerlurker]

You really need to look at total tax burden not selective cherry picking of real estate taxes.  On the whole, Mass costs more.  Now don't make me get out of my chair again or things will get ugly.

Real estate tax rates are difficult at best to compare.  But for just for chuckles here arethe current rates for a few local towns around P_town north:  Greenland 13.55,  Hampton 16.28,  P_town 17.09.   And then you also have New Castle, 4.97 ( but houses cost considerably more than "average" there) Newington 8.91, Rye 9.82.  The liberal hell holes of Roach-chester 22.94 and Scummersworth 25.81  have higher taxes and lower property values.  


Why are illegal immigrants increasing and native son's and daughters decreasing in Mass?  This has been a trend since at least the ninties.  I would suggest it is the extended welfare state mentality which creates overly high taxes.  Mass has been trying to reduce its overall tax burden but it is still one of the least desirable places to live.  

And on the topic of illegals, how many sanctuary cities does Mass have now?  How many illegals are multiple driving offenders?  Not only do they not have a green card most don't have a driver's license let alone insurance.  Guess I will have to make some time to tune in to Howie Carr if he is even still on.

Cambridge is the only "sanctuary city that I know of."   Tourist areas, and areas with high commercial property will have a lower residential mill rate.  

Speaking of deadbeats..... oh my bad, I mean the personal responsibility folks:

 

Of the $6.8 million that Massachusetts spent in 2009 on free medical care for out-of-staters — in direct violation of state policy, according to the IG — 30 percent, or $2.1 million, was spent on New Hampshire residents, 12 percent ($841,712) went to Rhode Islanders, and 10 percent ($676,298) to Connecticut residents, Sullivan said.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1327033

So add that to the premium increase to auto insurance that MA residents pay due to accidents with uninsured NH residents.    We won't even talk about the state of our toll free roads y'all tear up in the daily commutes down here.

[formerlurker]

And of course, Boston metro has been totally unaffected by the downturn.

http://www.jparsons.net/housingbubble/boston.html

http://www.bostonbubble.com/

Did I just claim that houses were flipping in a month's time?    Nah, wasn't me.   

[NHSparky]

Cambridge is the only "sanctuary city that I know of."   Tourist areas, and areas with high commercial property will have a lower residential mill rate.  

Cambridge, Mass.  (Source: Boston Globe. First passed resolution in 1985)
Chelsea, Mass.      (Added: 8-14-07 Source: Chelsea government website with text of sanctuary policy.)
Orleans, Mass.      (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)

And possibly Springfield.

You should read more.

[NHSparky]

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1327033

So add that to the premium increase to auto insurance that MA residents pay due to accidents with uninsured NH residents.    We won't even talk about the state of our toll free roads y'all tear up in the daily commutes down here.

You should read more.  Again.  Then again, your "estimates" of MA uninsured motorists is grossly understated, and again, we're not much higher than you.  Do we need to rehash that one again?  Do we need to go into WHY your crime/theft rates drive up your insurance rates too?

And of course, Mass drivers NEVER tear up roads.  Noooooooo...they float over the roads untouched, powered by unicorn farts.  Well, when they're not driving on the ****ing shoulders.

Then again, if you ****ers knew how to BUILD and MAINTAIN a road without it costing 15 times more than it should (Big Dig, anyone?  Mass Pike?) maybe they wouldn't be in such shit shape.  BTW--when was the Mass Pike paid for?  You know, when they were supposed to stop charging tolls?  Sometime in the mid-80's, wasn't it?

[formerlurker]

And yet here you remain, attempting to defend the indefensible.

You took a snarky potshot at NH for something even YOU don't do in your vaunted liberal paradise.  I pointed that out to you, and away we go.

Virtually every survey/measurement taken, from Forbes on down, shows NH trounces MA (and virtually every other state) in almost every measurable quality-of-life metric.  Our state/local tax burden is consistently among the 2-3 lowest in the nation, while MA is among the highest.  Violent crime is almost unheard of here versus the everyday occurence in MA.

IOW, Live Free or Die means something to some people up here, at least for the time being.  You use it as a punchline.

So in passing, since you find no fault with your little hellhole which should be nuked from orbit just to be sure, I'll leave you with a quote from a former resident of yours:

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom — go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."

You are freakin out of  your tree.   HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.    

You live there, so I guess you have to believe that.    NH rocks baby.   Just ask anyone in New England.  


Industry, hospitals, college/universities, sports teams ---- all point to the heart of New England.   But you keep drinking the cowhampshire Koolaid.     How is your school system doing by the way?  You do know MA is #1 in the country, oui?

 

[formerlurker]

You should read more.  Again.  Then again, your "estimates" of MA uninsured motorists is grossly understated, and again, we're not much higher than you.  Do we need to rehash that one again?  Do we need to go into WHY your crime/theft rates drive up your insurance rates too?

And of course, Mass drivers NEVER tear up roads.  Noooooooo...they float over the roads untouched, powered by unicorn farts.  Well, when they're not driving on the ****ing shoulders.

Then again, if you ****ers knew how to BUILD and MAINTAIN a road without it costing 15 times more than it should (Big Dig, anyone?  Mass Pike?) maybe they wouldn't be in such shit shape.  BTW--when was the Mass Pike paid for?  You know, when they were supposed to stop charging tolls?  Sometime in the mid-80's, wasn't it?

Clearly you never venture down here as if you did you would note the tolls to enter the bestest state in the union -- live free or die (or just die) cowhampshire. 

[NHSparky]

You are freakin out of  your tree.   HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.    

You live there, so I guess you have to believe that.    NH rocks baby.   Just ask anyone in New England.  


Industry, hospitals, college/universities, sports teams ---- all point to the heart of New England.   But you keep drinking the cowhampshire Koolaid.     How is your school system doing by the way?  You do know MA is #1 in the country, oui?

 

Boston = Los Angeles lite.  And the "my shit don't stink" attitude that goes along with it.

[formerlurker]

Cambridge, Mass.  (Source: Boston Globe. First passed resolution in 1985)
Chelsea, Mass.      (Added: 8-14-07 Source: Chelsea government website with text of sanctuary policy.)
Orleans, Mass.      (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)

And possibly Springfield.

You should read more.

Oh shucks, my bad.    

[NHSparky]

Clearly you never venture down here

Not if I can help it.

[Boudicca]

I didn't know any state DID have a mandatory test for elders, but I think it's a good idea.

In Arizona we have to retest at age 65.  I'm not sure if we then have to take a yearly driving test or what.

Obviously though, plenty of old doddering fools who believe they're driving Miss Daisy's covered wagon have managed to bypass our law by invading us every winter with their out of state licenses.  I damn near blow a gasket every day driving down the highway for 5 miles because I can never pass these idiots (and it's inevitably someone who has retired and should have stayed in the pasture and off the road) as they insist on meandering along at 10-20 miles below the speed limit.

I am not anti-elderly, heck, I'm getting there rapidly myself.  But, when everyone is passing me, honking, making rude gestures (I don't do this, but plenty of folks here get mightly pissed off), I think I will be smart enough to realize I'm no longer a safe driver.

[NHSparky]

I have no problem with testing, particularly vision testing, every couple of years starting at age 60--that's when the real medical issues start kicking in.  Yet funny how the group with the second-highest accident rate does not have nearly the restrictions placed on them as do teens (the highest rate).

But the potshots from the "holier than thou" section get old after a while.  The MA "we're #1!" bullshit reminds me of why I left CA.

[Eupher]

I just love the FL/Sparky Adventure Hour. Warms the cockles of my widdle heart....

Anyway, after having living in MA for not quite 4 years back in the mid-to-late Seventies, yet somehow being shielded from the tax burden somewhat since I was active duty military at the time, the Commonwealth was not-too-affectionately called "Taxachusetts" for a reason.

Teddy was in his prime, and the people of the Bay State kept pulling the lever for him and the rest of his liberal brethren. I simply could not understand that.

Anyway, I did manage to foray up in NH a few times, gigged in Laconia, and otherwise enjoyed the visit. But I never lived there.

If it weren't for the damned shitty weather (I swear I'm gonna live in a state that sees snow only when Hell freezes over), I wouldn't mind it at all.

Oh -- the state liquor stores in NH were curious. I'd never seen that before.

[NHSparky]

That's why God puts 10-12 feet of snow on the ground here every year--it's his way of asking, "Are you SURE you want to live here?"

The last bit of snow just melted from my yard a week ago.  Still too early to plant.  29 degrees this morning.  But at least the A/C bills in summer aren't for shit.  Heating oil, OTOH... 

[formerlurker]

I just love the FL/Sparky Adventure Hour. Warms the cockles of my widdle heart....

Meh, this is how Sparky and I debate -- we beat the snot out of each other.   No crybabies allowed. 

You should have seen us in the sports forum on another site.   Good times. 

Speaking of which.  Sucks when you lose in your own crib doesn't it Sparky?   Especially to the Red Sox who are sucking it up at a max level this April. 

[formerlurker]

I have no problem with testing, particularly vision testing, every couple of years starting at age 60--that's when the real medical issues start kicking in.  Yet funny how the group with the second-highest accident rate does not have nearly the restrictions placed on them as do teens (the highest rate).

But the potshots from the "holier than thou" section get old after a while.  The MA "we're #1!" bullshit reminds me of why I left CA.

Never said we were #1.  Seriously?    We are just far far better than cowhampshire.   

We do lead the country in public education, and have for a while.

[NHSparky]

Meh, this is how Sparky and I debate -- we beat the snot out of each other.   No crybabies allowed. 

You should have seen us in the sports forum on another site.   Good times. 

Speaking of which.  Sucks when you lose in your own crib doesn't it Sparky?   Especially to the Red Sox who are sucking it up at a max level this April. 

Enjoy 2007.  It's the last you'll see of anything that says World Series on it for another 86 years.  By then Big Popout will only be what, 121, 122 years old?

[NHSparky]

Never said we were #1.  Seriously?    We are just far far better than cowhampshire.   

We do lead the country in public education, and have for a while.

Too bad it's all wasted on "Wymun's Studies" and other worthless bullshit.  And don't give me Haaaaaahhh-vad or MIT.  Ain't THAT many Asians in Mass.

[zeitgeist]

Not if I can help it.

If you find yourself crossing the Merrimack ask yourself "Is this trip really necessary?" and chances are you will realize it is not.  If you are unsure, turn around, better to be safe than sorry; you can probably find what you are looking for in NH and if not you probably really don't need it anyway.





Number one in Education?  Um,I have corrected the MCAS.  Don't lets get started on that.  Lots of those kids are challenged trying to walk and chew gum. 

And in fairness we did have a regime with Mean Jean Shaheen who rousted the young 'uns and bustled them of to big Ed's conformity factories.  I always wonder how big Ed justifies kindergarten when the leading country in education, Finland, waits until at least seven.  Poor little tykes standing on the corner with those heavy back packs, snatched away from hearth and home, forced to eat processed food.  Oh the hugh manatees!!

[formerlurker]

If you find yourself crossing the Merrimack ask yourself "Is this trip really necessary?" and chances are you will realize it is not.  If you are unsure, turn around, better to be safe than sorry; you can probably find what you are looking for in NH and if not you probably really don't need it anyway.

Unless of course it was a first rate college education, world class life saving medical treatment or just to see a professional sports game...... then you are kind of screwed in the "don't need it anyway" department.    

Number one in Education?  Um,I have corrected the MCAS.  Don't lets get started on that.  Lots of those kids are challenged trying to walk and chew gum.  

And in fairness we did have a regime with Mean Jean Shaheen who rousted the young 'uns and bustled them of to big Ed's conformity factories.  I always wonder how big Ed justifies kindergarten when the leading country in education, Finland, waits until at least seven.  Poor little tykes standing on the corner with those heavy back packs, snatched away from hearth and home, forced to eat processed food.  Oh the hugh manatees!!

The 2010 year in education also confirmed our national leadership in education reform and  student achievement.  

Massachusetts students this year led the nation for the third time in a row on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in English and Math. They had the highest score on the SAT exams. They had the highest score on the ACT exams. This is further proof that the high expectations we have set, the hard work of our teachers, and the motivated effort of our students are combining in a manner that is expanding success.

http://www.mass.gov/Eoedu/docs/news/20110120_edu_in_2010.pdf

So I guess that means NH kids are still working on the opening the gum skills then -- chewing it not mastered?  

Note that MA went to #1 I think starting in 2002, remained there for several years, were bumped down and then went to #1 again.  

MCAS still the toughest assessment testing in the United States.  Common Core Standards the messiah is pushing about 75% dumbed down from what our students are assessed at.  

[formerlurker]

Too bad it's all wasted on "Wymun's Studies" and other worthless bullshit.  And don't give me Haaaaaahhh-vad or MIT.  Ain't THAT many Asians in Mass.

Public education would be preschool through grade 12.   

[zeitgeist]

Unless of course it was a first rate college education, world class life saving medical treatment or just to see a professional sports game...... then you are kind of screwed in the "don't need it anyway" department.    


http://www.mass.gov/Eoedu/docs/news/20110120_edu_in_2010.pdf

So I guess that means NH kids are still working on the opening the gum skills then -- chewing it not mastered?  

Note that MA went to #1 I think starting in 2002, remained there for several years, were bumped down and then went to #1 again.  

MCAS still the toughest assessment testing in the United States.  Common Core Standards the messiah is pushing about 75% dumbed down from what our students are assessed at.  

Here is an interesting link to roam around on since you mentioned it:

National Assessment of Educational Progress

Scores shift back and forth by a couple points between NH and MA for the top spot.  Might be interesting to do a cost benefit analysis.

The MCAS and NECAP are both subject to state DOE meddling ( and not in a good way ). 
 




 

[formerlurker]

Here is an interesting link to roam around on since you mentioned it:

National Assessment of Educational Progress

Scores shift back and forth by a couple points between NH and MA for the top spot.  Might be interesting to do a cost benefit analysis.

The MCAS and NECAP are both subject to state DOE meddling ( and not in a good way ). 
 

I am very familiar with the site.   Education policy is my playground.   

In all seriousness, MA signing on to Common Core Standards (any state signing on actually) is disturbing on every level.  Our commissioner had the audacity to state at a town hall meeting that the new standards won't cost a dime, no need for new textbooks or any professional development. 

Sure Chester, I remember yesterday rather well and don't recall being born then.   Coupe Deval is looking at this as a way to get $$ from Obama to replenish the stimulus funds we lost this year.   Tossing high quality education to sign on to less than mediocre?   riiiight, give us some more koolaid Deval.

We have bi-partisan legislation that was recently filed which effectively sticks the middle finger up at our Governor and the state's Board of Education.   You can keep the hope and change Washington, we are keeping MCAS.   Thanks just the same.

MCAS?  I have heard the arguments.  I know that it has risen the bar considerably for the students of this Commonwealth, and they are meeting it.   Teachers would toss it out the window tomorrow, but I have no serious issues with it.   

That all said, you should see the new proposed teacher evaluation regulations Chester is presenting to the BOE on Tuesday.  My my my, it is pretty shocking stuff coming from the union owned governor as it tosses tenure out the window.     Shit will hit the fan next week in the press (note the Globe did a train wreck of an article on it last week -- their facts however were sorely missing).