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Looking back at the week in news

By Staff | Apr 2, 2016

State senators buck the trend of partisanship in NH

The New Hampshire Senate voted 16-8 to reauthorize the New Hampshire Health Protection Program – also known as expanded Medicaid.

It was a prudent move to renew a program that provides health insurance for about 49,000 of the state’s poorest residents but was scheduled to sunset at the end of 2016.

"With its bipartisan vote today, the New Hampshire state Senate has taken another important step forward to build on that progress, joining the House of Representatives in its recognition of the importance of this critical program," said Gov. Maggie Hassan.

Approval of the NHHPP means those residents who get their health insurance through the program can continue to see their primary-care doctors – making fewer emergency room visits as a result – and people who are caught up in the nightmare of addiction and need treatment will be covered.

It had the solid backing of the state’s business community – the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce took a strong stand in favor of it – and 90 percent of the program’s cost will be paid for with federal money.

Six Senate Republicans joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus to pass the bill, which was previously approved by the House. Those Republicans and Democrats who reached across the aisle and bucked the trend of partisanship – and in an election year, no less – are deserving of the public’s gratitude.

Trump strikes again with comments about abortion

Anyone who is legitimately surprised by the latest of Donald Trump’s shocking/ignorant/dangerous comments – this time about abortion – is just not paying attention.

Of course he said something ridiculous: that women who have an abortion should face a "punishment" of some kind.

He’s a misogynist, and an ignorant one. Naturally, he didn’t actually propose any so-called consequence; he hasn’t proposed a substantive idea on any number of important policy issues since he entered the race.

Trump’s campaign has since tried to walk back his abortion remarks and refocus his comments through a series of statements.

What Trump actually believes is anybody’s guess, because nothing he says has even a thread of consistency and, increasingly, lacks even a morsel of common sense.

Simply put, he isn’t a man with ideas, but a man driven by an ego so encompassing he’s struck a sort of Faustian bargain with the hateful, bigoted and ticked-off voters among us: Give me your votes, I’ll tell you what you want to hear.

Illegal drugs need not be part of take-back programs

Abill that would allow illegal drugs to be returned as part of local drug take-back efforts is no doubt well-intended, but that doesn’t mean it merits passage.

Existing law allows people to return prescription drugs through takeback programs, most of which are run by police departments. Nashua, in fact, is participating in a national drug take-back day on April 30, but the department also has a receptacle set up in the lobby of the police station for people to come in and drop off unused meds at any time.

The legislation that has passed the House and is pending in the Senate would also allow for the return of drug paraphernalia and illicit drugs like heroin, cocaine or fentanyl.

"You have to be very careful about unintended consequences," said Bedford Police Chief John Bryfonski, speaking on behalf of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, which opposes the bill.

We’re skeptical, too, since it’s not clear that the benefits of the bill – such as whether anybody would actually drop off hard drugs at the police station – would justify the increased security measures that would be required of police departments.

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