It appears the Town of Enfield is having a contest to see how many projects they can start at once.
It wasn’t enough for the taxpayers that two major projects were approved at the 2022 meeting along with numerous other expenses. Now there is a discussion to plan for a new town beach at Johnston Drive (located off Route 4 going toward Lebanon located on a private road that crosses the rail trail at grade), eventually a plan to not have Shakoma Beach.
I know it is not good to cross Route 4A, but it is easily accessed by many in town and law enforcement can really see what is going on if needed. We can’t take care of what we have.
Unfortunately, the town continues to vote on warrant articles asking for monies to do various projects and they never seem to get started, like sidewalks in town, overhaul of the water and sewer system. I do think the water/sewer system is in more of an active state of working on plans??
You can read about these projects in the latest CIP meeting minutes here: https://www.enfield.nh.us/capital-improvement-program-committee.
Every time I say I am not going to participate or read meeting minutes because it makes me crazy (or crazier), I do.
Jean Patten
Enfield
Thank you to the readers who replied to my forum letter published on May 17 referring to the “Not so great” electric cars. They gave me much food for thought and research material that was new to me.
Making the batteries is harmful. And when the batteries are done, they are still hazardous waste.
I do see that they are working on solutions. With phrases that include “there is research…”, “strive for…” and “our objective…”.
Brilliant minds have been researching, striving for and have an objective to cure cancer too, but I haven’t seen that done yet.
I am not an expert and do not have the solution. But until I see we are not harming our environment from making or disposing of these batteries, I will continue to use my gasoline-powered vehicle.
Gretchen Dwyer
Norwich
It’s no secret that voting rights in New Hampshire are under attack. Over the past few years, Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would strip thousands of college students of their right to vote. Students live, work, and pay taxes in New Hampshire, and deserve better than to be subject to voter suppression tactics by the state legislature.
When I moved to New Hampshire for college in the fall of 2020, I was unsure if voting in the state I went to college in would matter. But over the past few years, the state government’s actions have shown me how much of a direct impact the state legislature of New Hampshire has on me when in college. From delaying COVID vaccinations for out-of-state students even as we lived in high-risk campus communities, to implementing ultrasound mandates and abortion bans, recent legislative and policy decisions have direct impacts on students, but attempts to restrict our access to polls have left us without a voice in the decision-making process.
Fortunately, Hanover and Lyme residents have a chance to protect voting rights and include the voices of young people within our state government by electing Miles Brown to the state house. Miles has worked closely with student and town leaders to help get students registered to vote, and was a plaintiff in a lawsuit that overturned a law restricting college students’ right to vote. He also hopes to create an online voter registration system, so Granite Staters can easily register to vote. By electing Miles Brown on September 13th, our towns can help work to protect and increase the access to the ballot.
Sophia Bokaie
Hanover
There are complaints regarding student loan forgiveness, especially from non-college graduates who feel they’re subsidizing the education of others. (Next time you go to a doctor who might save your life, think about how they paid for school.)
The student subsidies are peanuts compared to the tax evasion losses from the very wealthy Americans. Under the former president, the IRS was drastically reduced. The chance of an audit of the top 1% dropped to 4%, when formerly it was 40%.
Needless to say this increased fraud as it was a free pass to cheat. There are also complaints about the rising cost of staffing a larger IRS .
The monies the expanded IRS will collect will more than cover the student loans and the new IRS salaries.
One could even suggest that the student forgiveness money will be spent locally whereas the 1% cheaters are more apt to invest in foreign companies, more foreign vacation homes, polluting yachts and private planes.
We need to remember many Americans have received government subsidies including PPP loans during COVID (some to the very Republicans who are contesting loan forgiveness) and many struggling farmers. Our government is not socialist, it’s just trying to help its citizens. Those who complain about student loans could of course have applied for them .
Sally Prince
New London