Steve Vaillancourt sent me the following response to my open letter:
“I choose to exercise my right to free speech and hearing and not listen to or read a single word you have to say, but I will not ask for your censure, censor, or impeachment from you libertarian status.”
This past Saturday, I called in to WKBK’s Talkback to discuss the bloated 2013 school budget with School Board Chair, Chris Coates. As of now, they have only two options on the table for us to vote on in March. Both involve increases in the tax rate. As usual, there is no 3rd option. Are you surprised?
Both Chris and Board Financier, Ann Szot, have said on many occasions that we should call our representatives in order to get this problem resolved. Typical pass the blame. Apparently the board made some poor spending decisions that have come back to bite them (like an unnecessary 40 million dollar elementary school with half of the funding coming from the state) And now the State is reneging on its funding.
Some people, including you, have claimed that I’m “not libertarian” because I called for the censure of a State Representative who stated that she wishes to restrict freedoms in an attempt to target a specific group of people. You called this a “witch hunt to deny free speech to a duly elected representative.” You don’t specify how a censure denies anyone’s free speech. Censure is defined as, to “express severe disapproval of (someone or something), typically in a formal statement.” When a legislative body censures someone, they are formally expressing disapproval of a statement or action of an elected official. There is no removal of that person’s freedom of speech, simply a formal statement that the body disapproves of what was said. Impeachment is “a formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office.” Again, nothing about removing free speech in that definition either! [NH RSA’s do not define either term, so I am using the definitions from Google] (more…)
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