Youth vote so important on Nov. 8 and more: Letters
Youth vote so important in this election
Nov. 2 − To the Editor:
The election next week will affect so many policy decisions in New Hampshire. At stake are having a living wage for workers, funding for public education (including colleges and universities), affordable housing in New Hampshire, women’s healthcare, LBGTQ+ rights, NH’s response to the climate crisis, a fair tax system and so many other vital issues. Many races will be very close in New Hampshire. Young people – we need you to vote as if your future depends on it, because it very well might.
Virginia Schonwald
Barrington
I'm in my 30s. My generation now has fewer rights than my mother’s
Oct. 31 − To the Editor:
Never in my lifetime did I believe that women would lose the constitutional right to abortion. On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending that right and upending half a century of legal precedent for American women. As a woman in my thirties, my generation now has fewer rights than my mother’s.
Our state is now poised to determine who has dominion over women’s bodies, health, and self-determination. Governor Sununu reversed his longstanding promise to uphold choice by approving the state’s first abortion ban. Congressional Republicans (and candidates) have made it very clear they will pass a national abortion ban if they gain control.
The current GOP Executive Councilor Janet Stevens has displayed shocking cruelty to NH women by voting – four times! – to defund reproductive health centers for the poorest Granite Staters. This blocks access to medical care including cancer screening, STD testing, family planning, counseling, and treatment. Not only is this cruel: it’s fiscally short-sighted. Democrat Katherine Harake, running for Executive Councilor, is a staunch supporter of women’s rights and reproductive health.
I hope you will join me in voting for women’s rights champions Maggie Hassan, Chris Pappas, Tom Sherman, Katherine Harake, and Democratic candidates down ballot. Men: we cannot do this without you. Please support your mothers, girlfriends, wives, daughters, and neighbors in the most powerful way available: by voting blue on Nov. 8.
With optimism and determination,
Caley Lynch
Rye
NH Women’s Foundation encourages you to vote your values on Tuesday
Nov. 1 − To the Editor:
On Nov. 8, voters across New Hampshire will have an opportunity to respond at the voting booth to recent attacks on women’s rights and freedoms.
From the Supreme Court and Congress to the New Hampshire legislature and Executive Council, we have seen attacks on women’s freedom, rights, and access to health care. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and the federal right to abortion, attacks on reproductive freedom in our New Hampshire legislature are more dangerous than ever.
Two years ago New Hampshire legislators passed, and Governor Sununu signed into law, an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother. The Executive Council voted four times to defund three family planning clinics and recently voted to defund after-school sex-ed and teen-parent resource programs that have effectively reduced teen pregnancies in New Hampshire. This is impacting not just women’s health and freedom but their economic self-determination.
There is no reason a politician - federal, state, or local – should be involved in anyone’s personal health care decision. As we’ve seen, when legislators try to regulate women’s health, it ends up harming women. The vast majority of Granite Staters agree: Women can make decisions for themselves. With their doctor. Without a NH legislator weighing in.
Use the power of your vote on Nov. 8 to choose federal and state candidates who stand up to extremists, support women’s rights, freedom, and autonomy, and won’t put barriers between you and your healthcare.
Tanna Clews
CEO, NH Women’s Foundation
Protect your rights, vote for Democrats Nov. 8
Nov. 1 − To the Editor:
If you value our democracy and our way of life here in New Hampshire, I urge you to vote for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot on Nov. 8. Democrats will move the state, county, and country forward for all of us, while many of the current crop of Republican candidates want to take us backward to the nineteenth century, as they wallow in a toxic stew of lies, conspiracy theories, willful ignorance, racism, and love of autocracy that passes for their "platform."
Numerous issues of vital concern to most of us—things we have taken for granted for generations—are on the ballot: a woman’s right to make her own health-care decisions, the right to a quality public education, the right to vote unencumbered by Republican attempts at suppression, the fate of our environment and climate, and the future of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. To take one example: years of Republican hostility to clean energy and their fondness for tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations have exacerbated the current spike in energy costs. Republican continued reliance on fossil fuels and corporate tax breaks will do nothing to ameliorate the situation.
No election in our lifetime has been more important. If you want to continue to have more free and fair elections and to preserve our traditional New Hampshire values, head for the polls on November 8 and vote for Democrats as if your life depended on it—because it very may well.
Gerald W.R. Ward
State Representative
Rockingham 28 (Portsmouth Ward 4)
Somersworth: Democracy is on the line! Make your plans and vote Nov. 8!
Nov. 1 − To the Editor:
In Somersworth I am voting for Gerri Cannon, Cecilia Richards, Jeff Richards and Ken Vincent candidates who are truly for the people. I ask you to vote Democrat up and down the ballot; for Senator Maggie Hassan, Congressman Chris Pappas, Senator David Watters and for Dana Hilliard to win a seat on the Executive Council for the County Commissioners and to help us get Dr. Tom Sherman into the Governor’s seat so Sununu can’t continue to use his office to enrich dark money donors and his cronies.
Choice is on the line, extremists distract us with talk of high inflation but it is really corporate greed, 53% of it goes to corporate profits. If you’re upset by high energy costs look to Sununu, he’s been in bed with Eversource for years, they’re his largest donor and he has fought to try to force Eversource’s Northern Pass Project down our throats despite NH saying we don’t want it!
Remember, Sununu signed into law the first abortion ban in modern NH! You can’t end all abortions, you can only end safe abortions, but like Hershel Walker, they know this doesn’t apply to the wealthy.
Sununu and Republicans are defunding and dismantling our schools while pouring millions into private and religious schools. They tell us repeatedly they are going to gut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and everything that benefits working people.
If nothing else Republicans have done convinces you they don't deserve your vote remember it was Republican traitors and fascists, who attacked our capitol on January 6th, this treason was planned by Trump and his white supremacist allies. It was an attempt to steal our democracy and across the country Republicans are trying to win offices so they can steal future elections.
David Holt
Somersworth
Karoline for Congress? No. Chris Pappas. Yes
Nov. 1 − To the Editor:
I read Karoline Leavitt’s issues page online. It was filled with Fox News Talking Points, but left out a few rather vital FACTS.
For example, she is strongly in favor of privatizing Social Security. Social Security runs very well (in spite of what Fox says). The only purpose of privatizing Social Security is to allow some big Republican donors to skim billions of dollars at the expense of retirees. She is also in favor of raising the retirement age. Great plan Karoline.
She is against allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare and she is against capping insulin at $35/month for seniors.
Karoline Leavitt strongly supports the January 6 rioters. Against overwhelming evidence, she still insists that the 2020 election was stolen, she spreads the lie that there were widespread voter irregularities.
Karoline Leavitt stands for higher prescription drug costs, tax cuts for the wealthy, the destruction of Social Security, the Jan. 6 rioters, and the big lie that Trump won the election.
What she cannot explain, because no-one can, is why Trump lost 60 of 61 court cases claiming voter fraud and irregularities! Facts are just so inconvenient.
For decent government, vote Chris Pappas.
Michael Frandzel
Portsmouth
Karoline Leavitt will vote with GOP's extreme wing
Nov. 1 − To the Editor:
Republican congressional candidate Karoline Leavitt is a newcomer to politics, but she already knows whom she’ll hang with if she gets to Congress. Here’s why we must stop her: vicious Ted Cruz loves her, along with extremists Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz. Among other endorsements, there's one from insurrectionist Congressman Jim Jordan, who’ll head the Judiciary Committee if Republicans win the House. Jordan tried to overturn the election and admits that he was in contact with Donald Trump on January 6th, when the United States Capitol and our police were violently attacked by Trump supporters, who also hunted Members of Congress. Jordan said, “I talked to the President a number of times that day…” Voters need to ask themselves “about what?” because he refuses to say.
The number three House Republican, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, supports Leavitt. Stefanik tried to overturn the election too. Her local paper, The Times Union, said, “Contrary to her former image as one of the more bipartisan members of the House, she routinely echoes the divisive rhetoric of right-wing radio, TV, and fringe web pundits, casting her political opponents as radicals.” They added, “Ms. Stefanik has sunk from one low to another in appealing to the most ardent members of Mr. Trump's MAGA movement.” Stefanik says she’s “ultra MAGA.”
These are Leavitt’s heroes because she’s another election denying extremist, spewing venomous conspiracies. Politicians must stop the hate and conspiracies that lead to violence. Tell Karoline Leavitt that by voting against her on November 8th.
Kathy Cavallaro
Rye
Women’s issues and support this election
Nov. 2 − To the Editor:
I have lived in Portsmouth for 50 years and throughout that time I have supported the right for women to have a safe legal abortion. Wealthy women always could afford to get one. But young girls and women as well as men did not have the knowledge or resources or support to deal with this difficult topic. Today on a national and state basis, I am discouraged and appalled by the backwards direction many states including New Hampshire have taken.
The Governor and Executive Council denied by a 4-1 vote to pass through needed $200,000 funding for regular health care which has been documented repeatedly as not going toward abortion by the Lovering Center and Planned Parenthood. The Governor and Council also denied funding for basic health care including birth control for at least two communities with higher poverty and more teenage pregnancies, funding which has been approved for years. Who is government hurting with these horrible decisions?
We badly need to replace these officials. They have damaged women and girls. I grew up with strong Republican parents who were pro-choice. They would be appalled. Please elect men and women who consistently have supported women, girls, boys and men as humans, not property.
Every level of government is being attacked. Please join me in voting for Maggie Hassan for US Senate, Dr. Tom Sherman as Governor, Chris Pappas and Annie Kuster as US Representatives and in Executive District 3, Katherine Harake a smart, caring, fiscally responsible businesswoman who is pro choice. And thank you Cinde Warmington for being a good voice!
Sue Thoresen
Portsmouth
Sununu's responsibility problem
Nov. 2 -- To the Editor:
Governor Sununu has a responsibility problem. He takes responsibility for others’ achievements, but accepts no responsibility for his own errors.
In June of 2019, Gov. Sununu vetoed the Democratic budget because it gave too much money to towns for education. In September, after a summer of negotiations, he capitulated in exchange for triggered business tax adjustments. Two weeks later he was on the road with photo-op checks showing off the education money he was giving to towns- the same money he vetoed three months earlier.
In that same term, Democrats passed about a dozen bills to strengthen and diversify New Hampshire’s energy economy through in-state production of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Governor Sununu vetoed them all because he wanted to put all of New Hampshire’s eggs in the natural gas basket.
Now, when international events have caused a spike in natural gas prices, we have scrambled eggs in the form of the second highest electricity rates in the country. Our neighboring states, who did diversify, have much lower electricity rates. But Gov. Sununu takes no responsibility for his failure. Someone with this sort of responsibility problem violates our trust and does not deserve another term.
In his eight years in the legislature, Tom Sherman has a strong record of responsible legislation, including the design of New Hampshire’s Expanded Medicaid program and a recent bill bringing more manufacturing jobs back to New Hampshire. Vote Tom Sherman for a governor you can trust.
Peter Bixby
Dover
Here's a list of reasons to vote for Democrats for U.S. Senate
Oct. 30 − To the Editor:
In contrast to what Republicans have promised, here’s what Democrats will do if they retain control and gain seats in the senate. They will:
- pass laws to protect every woman’s right to control her own body and reproductive health;
- protect voting rights and outlaw racially motivated voter suppression and gerrymandering;
- tackle inflation by instituting a windfall profits tax against price-gouging corporations;
- strengthen Social Security and Medicare. Raising the cutoff for payroll taxes from $250,000 to $1 million will make both programs solvent for decades and even allow increases;
- raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 or even $20 (it would be $23 now if it kept up with inflation);
- tackle violent crime by instituting sensible gun laws, making the country safer;
- strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect us from predatory financial services;
- protect American democracy by supporting the prosecution of those who conspired to overthrow it, and by passing laws to make such actions more difficult;
- protect our air, water, and food from toxic chemicals and pollutants;
- fight climate change and move us toward a renewable energy future, creating millions of good-paying jobs in the process;
- fight the toxic influence of massive dark money in politics; and
- provide the DACA kids (“Dreamers”), thousands of whom are even now serving as teachers and health care workers, the path to citizenship that they deserve.
So I say this to Republican and Independent voters: If you like these things, or even just some of them, and if you don’t agree with the dystopian nightmare Republican candidates are promising, please hold your nose and vote for every Democrat you can find. If enough election-denying Republicans win, this may be the last fair election we have for decades.
Jim Mastro
Dover
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Youth vote so important on Nov. 8 and more: Letters
