Sunday, August 30, 2009

Debate over health care Shea-Porter's cup of tea?

Is the pressure of the health insurance battle on Capitol Hill and the assault on Democratic incumbents preparing to vote for it getting to U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter a bit?

This question arose even before Shea-Porter hosted her two town hall-style forums, both at federal buildings in Manchester and Portsmouth.

Shea-Porter made the shaken statement for the second time at a pro-Obama health care rally in Portsmouth that was honoring U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes and Shea-Porter for their support.

The first was during an impromptu meeting, bumping into former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte at a Portsmouth hoteIs the pressure of the health insurance battle on Capitol Hill and the assault on Democratic incumbents preparing to vote for it getting to U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter a bit?

This question arose even before Shea-Porter hosted her two town hall-style forums, both at federal buildings in Manchester and Portsmouth.

Shea-Porter made the shaken statement for the second time at a pro-Obama health care rally in Portsmouth that was honoring U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes and Shea-Porter for their support.

The first was during an impromptu meeting, bumping into former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte at a Portsmouth hotel.

She chose what sounded like a derogatory reference to opponents, some of whom sprang from the Tea Party rallies across the country against Obama's fiscal agenda.

"They walked around me and they're videotaping me," Shea-Porter said at the Spring Street home of an Obama supporter, according to Foster's Daily Democrat.

"I chose to go there because I wanted to talk to them about what this is really about. And I ask you to do that also. Don't be so divided and so put off that you don't feel like you can have a conversation."

That's fine and admirable, but this is when it got a little unhinged.

"Find those tea-baggers who don't like the idea of this and talk to them. You won't get all of them, but I think when they realize we're still going to be an employer-based insurance system in this country, and that it is a choice – one choice among many choices – it takes away that sense of fear, that sense that they're losing control over their lives.

"They're not. What's happening is we're giving some people who haven't had any choice, a choice."

The irony is, of course, that Shea-Porter used to be a "tea-bagger'' on the left. She stalked then-congressman Jeb Bradley at town hall-style meetings the 1st District Republican incumbent held throughout his district.

Shea-Porter's passion against the Iraq war and other Bush policies made her a darling of the liberal throng that came out to rock the house in September 2006 and deliver her a stunning blowout victory over former House Democratic Leader Jim Craig, of Manchester.

We remember when, Carol, do you?

Conservative blogger Patrick Hynes said the statement was past the pale.

"It was a crass and inappropriate accusation, and she owes the former AG an apology,'' Hynes said.

Shea-Porter's leading GOP opponent, Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta, is hosting his own health care conversation – scheduled before Shea-Porter vowed to have hers – Monday night at Exeter Town Hall.Memories of Kennedy

The passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy brought back a flood of memories of New Hampshire political figures that couldn't be squeezed into news articles last week.

Rep. Patricia McMahon, D- Sutton, first met Kennedy when he agreed to serve as guest speaker to the Democratic state convention nearly a quarter century ago.

"Senators never know where they are supposed to go," McMahon recalled. "He was so cute, asking me constantly who it was he was speaking to and what should he say."

Fast-forward to January 2000, and McMahon shared a ride aboard Air Force One that picked up Kennedy during Bill Clinton's last trip to the state.

"What a darling man, a gifted speaker and just a pure delight to be around,'' she said.

Talk-show host Arnie Arnesen, a 1992 nominee for governor, recalls her stint at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and separately meeting Ted and John Kennedy Jr.

"They were both such awesome figures, and you fully expect with all that money and notoriety to hate them as people,'' Arnesen said. "I remember saying to my girlfriend, 'Yeah, he swept you off your feet too, didn't he?' That speaks to all the Kennedys, such incredible cache but truly decent and warm human beings.''

Finally, there was Nashua Democrat Rep. David Campbell, who worked on the Draft Kennedy effort in 1979 but will always treasure his last sight of Kennedy on opening day at Fenway Park last April, when Kennedy threw out the first pitch.

Kennedy greeted fans stretched outside Yawkey Way outside the park.

"He came right down Canvas Alley, and I was able to shake his hand," Campbell said. "I got very emotional because I thought this might be the last time I see a truly iconic figure like him."

Moved to action

Gov. John "Even Keel'' Lynch got thrown off course last week.

The always calm and collected three-term Democrat got brought up short when he visited the NHWorks office in Manchester with Employment Security Commissioner Tara Reardon.

The level of confusion, frustration and exasperation among the unemployed clients moved Lynch to act, deploying temporary workers from other agencies and ordering an unprecedented opening of jobless benefit offices in Nashua and four other key sites.

"I saw mothers with three kids standing and waiting in line for three hours,'' Lynch told reporters. "That's not right.''

A password software problem, telephone computer glitch and check printing error all combined to turn this usually humming state agency into a war zone, with as many as 2,000 unable to successfully file their claims or get checks.

This is what one might expect from the unemployment office in New Jersey or California, not New Hampshire.

Poor Reardon comes into all this only six weeks on the job; Lynch and those close to her give high marks for her willingness to be flexible to triage the problems.

"Some people who come to this office are facing the most stressful time of their lives; they don't have jobs and they are trying desperately to pay their bills,'' Lynch said during an interview. "We need to be there to relieve that stress, not add to it.''

Problems 'no surprise'

The State Employees Association had praise for Lynch's actions, but not for the state budget mess that the union insists contributed to the problems.

"New Hampshire is taking too many shortcuts and trying to do too much with too little,'' the SEA said in a statement. "Most agencies already are understaffed and have insufficient resources to handle routine work, let alone significant caseload increases and major technological initiatives.

"It is no surprise that there aren't enough workers to handle the problem.''

SEA President Gary Smith said there were fewer warm bodies at DES than at any time during the last decade and 20 percent fewer than five years ago. Another 12 percent have less than one year's experience.

"The governor's recommendation to resolve New Hampshire Employment Security's current problems by pulling personnel from other departments will simply result in a ripple effect of cutting services in other agencies and is an ironic twist to our sad state of affairs,'' the statement continued.

"The call for help from other agencies – agencies who have carried out mandated layoffs – is nothing more than rubbing salt into a wound. And the furloughs haven't even begun yet.''

Precise action

It's a good thing unemployment offices will be open to deal with Friday's carnage at Precision Technology in Pembroke.

The company abruptly shuttered its doors to the 131 employees looking nervously inside the windows for their paychecks.

Labor Commissioner George Copadis swung into action, contacted human-resource officials and got permission to get into the building, grabbed the checks and then distributed them to the 50-60 employees who were there at that shift.

Copadis said those who got paid through direct deposit had their checks clear – so far – and he urged through the media to have other workers either come to the unemployment offices this weekend or the Department of Labor on Monday with identification to get their last payment.

The state's new plant-closing law doesn't take effect until Jan. 1, but this closure comes under the federal standard because the firm had more than 100 employees.

But with reports of the sheriff making the closure and the company owing taxes and creditors, it's unlikely either law would do very much, as it appears outside financial authorities, rather than the senior management, shut down the company.

Health concerns

Former Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen and 1998 GOP nominee for governor Jay Lucas briefed Lynch last week on their fears of what Obama care could do to the states.

Stephen now works for the Lucas Group, which has been advising other states – including Illinois and New York – and consulting with Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate about getting rid of provisions they say could hamstring state budgets for years to come.

During an interview, Stephen listed five sections in a House committee-passed bill that could make states liable for increased Medicaid eligibility after five years, would prevent states from making cost-controlling moves on eligibility in future years and all but eliminate so-called disproportionate share payments to states like New Hampshire.

The current state budget contains $214 million in so-called DSH payments.

"The governor understood there was a concern,'' Stephen said.

Colin Manning, Lynch's press spokesman, confirmed the meeting but couldn't offer any further details.

Aren't computers grand?

Leave it to the always sharp-eyed chairwoman of the House Finance Committee, Marjorie Smith, of Durham, to cut to the quick on the troubled, delayed, over-budget Enterprise Resource Planning program.

Lawmakers and Lynch knew that they were going to have to force the kickoff of the so-called N.H. First project that ultimately will replace the entire budget, accounting, expense and revenue computer system, which is more than 25 years old.

Smith had just read a report that put a positive spin on the ERP process.

"It's nice to know that Pollyanna is alive and well, but we really don't want to be spared the reality,'' Smith said. "We all expected there to be difficulties in the transition from one system to another.''

Administrative Services Commissioner Linda Hodgdon stressed that except for the failings, New Hampshire was coming through this metamorphosis in far better shape than most.

"What I have been told by the consultants is the deployment is better in New Hampshire than in a lot of other states they worked in,'' Hodgdon said.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, chipped in about speaking with his Pennsylvania counterpart and learning the Keystone State was doing a small piece of its budget system over, and a $20 million budget had ballooned to $50 million with no end in sight.

Here are a few examples of the shortcomings found in the latest quality-assurance report from Berry, Dunn, McNeil and Parker:

"Originally, it was expected that all functionality planned for go-live would be tested and signed off as an exit criteria. However, development and testing continued through the month of June and some system functionality will not be available for go live.''

"Throughout system performance testing, the state faced technical challenges.''

"The state has reported multiple instances where appropriate change controls have not been observed. This is a critical concern that needs to be addressed immediately in order to confirm that all environments are in sync.''

You get the idea.

What's $110m here or there?

Maybe it's kismet; at least, New Hampshire is hoping so as it braces for convincing the state Supreme Court that it has every right to dip into the surplus of the Joint Underwriting Association and take $110 million to balance the state budget.

The coincidence that has state officials buzzing is the same lawyers assisting Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards on this appeal of a lower court ruling is the firm that convinced the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that it was illegal to force Massachusetts customers to pay sales tax when they buy goods in New Hampshire.

We checked, and sure enough, both legal entries were with the Boston firm of Rackerman, Sawyer and Brewster. The lawyers on the JUA case are Eric Smith and J. David Leslie, and they chipped in on a 44-page brief filed with the New Hampshire court last week.

"The state should be able to use the extra surplus to further the purpose that went to the creation of the JUA in the first place,'' the lawyers wrote. "The funds ought not be trapped in the JUA.''

Kevin Fitzgerald, of Nixon Peabody, and his legal team of assisting lawyers have 30 days to counter with written arguments. The two sides will square off orally before the justices Oct. 15.

Let there be light

We price checked some of the equipment items that raised eyebrows before the Legislative Fiscal Committee last week. They were among the $2.9 million in expenses that Lynch agreed to waive from a freeze on equipment purchases.

The now infamous SigPro pistols cost the Liquor Commission $900 apiece for its investigators. We found the same model gun on ableammo.com on sale for $531; however, this doesn't include the grip, which costs another $269.

The $110 flashlights that probation and parole officers use at the Department of Corrections stood up even better. The Pelican 7060 LED dual-switch, self-charging light was on sale for $115 on opticsplanet.net.

Budget oversight members pounced on one trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, that a health and human services aide had taken last Nov. 21. Before you picture the image of a state bureaucrat sipping an umbrella drink while lounging on the sand, it was noted the one-day trip was to collar a New Hampshire runaway who headed for his former homeland.

The trip-taking winner goes to the business-seeking Department of Resources and Economic Development, which racked up $38,000 in expenses on multi-day trade shows or business visits to Germany; Ontario, Canada; Orlando, Fla.; Dallas; Charlotte, N.C.; and Pittsburgh.

Quote of the week

"This bill will create a devastating impact on the budget in the state of New Hampshire.''

Former Health and Human Services Commissioner turned consultant John Stephen on what he views as some of the most troubling sections of the health care reform bill endorsed last month by a U.S. House committee. It's a bonus that Stephen's 2008 target for retirement, 1st District Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., serves on that committee. Stephen lost that GOP primary to ex-U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley.

Exchange of the week

A playful back-and-forth between House Finance chief Marjorie Smith and Senate Republican Leader Peter Bragdon, of Milford:

Bragdon: "I read in The Nashua Telegraph that 700 of the 800 jobs the stimulus money saved or created were at the state level."

Smith: "Well, I trust that everything you read in The Nashua Telegraph to be absolutely true.''

Bragdon: "Of course.''

Smith: "You probably aren't even aware that someone with The Nashua Telegraph (this reporter) is closely following all this.''

Bragdon: I sense his presence.''