Meredith SB-2 petition

[WeirsBeachBoater]

I will admit there are flaws in the town meeting style, but there are more in SB2. The uninformed voter assumes that you just go to the polls to vote once SB is in place. Not true, what the supporters of SB2 aren't telling you is that it is more prone to corruption. There is a 2 part system, there is a deliberative session, and then a voting session. What happens in most of these towns that are new to SB2 is that the special interest groups that everyone so nicely points to at town meeting, now can go to the deliberative session, that the uninformed don't know exists. The facts show the turnout at these sessions is dramatically low. Then by the end of the session they have turned an article to restore the fire station into an article to improve the fire station by $1.00 !!! You want to see crooked politics at their best vote for SB2!

[Irish mist]

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

I will admit there are flaws in the town meeting style, but there are more in SB2. The uninformed voter assumes that you just go to the polls to vote once SB is in place. Not true, what the supporters of SB2 aren't telling you is that it is more prone to corruption. There is a 2 part system, there is a deliberative session, and then a voting session. What happens in most of these towns that are new to SB2 is that the special interest groups that everyone so nicely points to at town meeting, now can go to the deliberative session, that the uninformed don't know exists. The facts show the turnout at these sessions is dramatically low. Then by the end of the session they have turned an article to restore the fire station into an article to improve the fire station by $1.00 !!! You want to see crooked politics at their best vote for SB2!

I'll say it again: If SB-2 is so bad how come every town that has voted it in almost never votes it out ? It's very, very popular where ever it has been tried with the voting public.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

Because 90% of the voters are uninformed!

[Irish mist]

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

Because 90% of the voters are uninformed!

I see.....90% of the voters in NH are idiots becaue they don't agree with you. My, my, how do we all take care of ourselves out here without the likes of you to do it for us.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

Now you are twisting... you must have spent some time in the speed limit forum.
Let me rephrase, many voters believe what they are told, many pro sb2 people are painting a pretty picture of sb2. Now I am saying that there is a low percentage of the voters who will dig further to educate themselves. If you want you can compare this to town meeting, most voters know when it is, but what percentage (of able bodied residents who are in town that night) go! SB2 has some upside, but also has some downside!!! I wish the proponents would tell the whole story, thats all.

[Irish mist]

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

Now you are twisting... you must have spent some time in the speed limit forum.
Let me rephrase, many voters believe what they are told, many pro sb2 people are painting a pretty picture of sb2. Now I am saying that there is a low percentage of the voters who will dig further to educate themselves. If you want you can compare this to town meeting, most voters know when it is, but what percentage (of able bodied residents who are in town that night) go! SB2 has some upside, but also has some downside!!! I wish the proponents would tell the whole story, thats all.

In general my experience with NH voters is that by & large most of them are intelligent, thoughtful, and care about their communities. SB-2 has been voted in small towns & large towns all over NH with very positive results. The citizens like it. They almost never vote it out. That's the reality of the situation. The SB-2 movement is thriving & expanding in NH because the citizens think it works better than town meeting in some cases.

You can see the same thing happening with the tax-cap movement that the city of Laconia just put in. Citizens want government to keep spending under control. There is no doubt that SB-2 will help control some of the spending issues that face our towns.

[fatlazyless]

Probably, Laconia passed a tax cap for some of the same reasons that Wolfeboro, Alton & Gilford passed SB-2. As a city and not a town, SB-2 is not an option for Laconia. It looks like SB-2 may be spreading and moving around the lake to Meredith and Moultonboro.

For a town with no school system,, no school administration unit, no town hall, no town roads, no library, no police dept, no fire dept, no community center, no public works dept, no budget, and no people; suggest you move to the very large and not too far away NH town of Livermore, and live happily ever after...........lol.
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Here's a letter to the editor in today's February 27, 2008, Laconia Daily Sun, from Meredith.
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SB-2 would allow people to vote their wallets. And that's bad?

To the editor:

Its time to take back Meredith, not to an earlier time, but from the special interest and the tax and spenders. Many of the taxpayers of Meredith - both natives and others - who have migrated here from the south seeking lower taxes and freedom are profoundly disappointed in the tax and spenders who have taken over the town and school system. It's time to rise up and empower the people and pass SB-2.

The founders of this great republic would be ecstatic that more voters would be participating in the voting in any form of government. The people in control ignore the falling property values, bad economy, high cost of fuels and other goods. Not everyone has unlimited income. The town of Meredith is used as an example of out of control spending by people from other towns.

One selectman made the statement that with SB-2, people would vote their wallets - not a good thing, well, ya!

If all you can afford is a Ford you don't buy a Lincoln. What's next, maybe an olympic swimming pool for the Inter-Lakes High School county club or the community center? People of Meredith and Meredith Center, rise up like our forefathers did with the British and take back Meredith. We can always go back to town meeting where 10-percent run the town. Hats off to Ms. Worsman and Mr. Lovett on the Selectboard but they need help. Elect Jim Waldron to the Selectboard.

George Horne
Meredith
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[tis]

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

I will admit there are flaws in the town meeting style, but there are more in SB2. The uninformed voter assumes that you just go to the polls to vote once SB is in place. Not true, what the supporters of SB2 aren't telling you is that it is more prone to corruption. There is a 2 part system, there is a deliberative session, and then a voting session. What happens in most of these towns that are new to SB2 is that the special interest groups that everyone so nicely points to at town meeting, now can go to the deliberative session, that the uninformed don't know exists. The facts show the turnout at these sessions is dramatically low. Then by the end of the session they have turned an article to restore the fire station into an article to improve the fire station by $1.00 !!! You want to see crooked politics at their best vote for SB2!

That is nonsense.