State Senate President Peter Bragdon and Sen. Jeb Bradley minced no words in condemning the House’s obstructionist warfare with the Senate as a threat to the state’s economy and job creation:
“At a time when we should be focused on helping New Hampshire employers and supporting hardworking families, the House’s actions today will ensure the defeat of critical legislative initiatives. We are appalled the House has chosen to play political games with legislation widely recognized as being important to the state’s economy and job creation.”
Freshman GOP Rep. George Lambert ignited the war by moving to table six Senate bills that the House had just passed. Today we learn that it all began because his feelings were hurt when the Senate nixed his proposal to legalize home poker games.
For Lambert, the tipping point was the Senate Ways and Means Committee stripping away his provision to legalize home poker games to a bill aimed at (HB 1260) one day revitalizing live racing in Cheshire County….
“They wouldn’t even listen to the arguments I had for this; it was like I didn’t exist,” Lambert said.
Lambert, who was doing the bidding for House Speaker Bill O’Brien, apparently takes his poker very seriously. The legislature? That’s just a big game.
“I’m a poker player, and they say, ‘Go big or go home,’ ” he said.
The inmates are running the (New Hampshire House) asylum — and they’re armed! When state Rep. Kyle Tasker dropped his gun during a committee hearing yesterday, the national press was all over it.
They correctly pointed out it is not illegal to carry a firearm in the State House. One of the first things Republicans did when they took over in 2010 was to repeal a gun ban that prohibited anyone but active law enforcement from carrying a deadly weapon in the complex.
The press, however, failed to note that dropping loaded guns on the floor has become a routine occurrence among the Republican lawmakers. State Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley reminded everyone that this wasn’t the first time.
“Of course, perhaps Representative Tasker has taken his gun safety lessons from Representative George Lambert, who was seen picking up his holster and gun after they fell off while he was standing outside the State house last year.”
Rep. Chuck Townsend countered that it wasn’t even the second time!
“Rep. Mirski’s pistol fell when he sat down during a redistricting committee meeting. He didn’t notice and we sat watching his pistol on the floor pointing at us through the entire meeting.”
If Free Stater Rep. Andrew Manuse and his partner-in-crime Rep. George Lambert have their way, you will be able to legally drive as fast as you want to in New Hampshire — as long as you don’t crash!
That’s right, under House Bill 1696, you could only be charged with speeding if the offense resulted in property damage or personal injury.
One wonders where they will apply this logic next. How about driving while intoxicated? After all, drunk drivers don’t hurt anyone if they manage to drive without actually hitting something or someone.
Oh wait, they’ve already thought of that. House Bill 1452, also sponsored by Lambert, would prohibit sobriety checkpoints.
But why stop there? House Bill 1531, sponsored by Manuse and Lambert, limits the definition of a crime to an act with a victim. The victim being a “person who suffers direct or threatened physical, emotional, psychological, or financial harm” from the act.
