The Rise in Fuel Prices

May 3, 2012

Dear Editor, in a recent Letter To The Editor by D. Moskowitz of Londonderry, N.H. he spoke of the increased fuel prices, and how the recent shutting down of several refineries is a cause. Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Shutting down the refineries does not help with the cost at all. Like anything else however, equipment must be upgraded. Changes made. I suppose if you look at each individual refinery, you may see the reasoning.

In some cases people will allege the producers make only pennies per gallon of profit. That could very well be true. And then some talk about the fuel tax that, the last time I asked the State of Utah to account for, apparently flew off to Never Never Land.

In the capitalist empire America has become, the market prevails. And that’s good. And then the oil speculators are blamed for the fuel price increase.

Sadly Mr. Moskowitz, and those alleging government interference is not seeing the picture for what (I think) it is – price fixing.

Explain this to me. In 2010 ExxonMobile, Chevron & ConocoPhillips pulled some major profits. Guys, I ain’t talking a few bucks here and a few bucks there. I’m talking about $30.5 billion for ExxonMobile, up a “mere” $11 billion from 2009. Yeah. I think that’s a bit of a profit, don’t you? Their VP of investor relations (David Rosenthal) said he was “very pleased” with that. Oh yeah, Baby! I’d be a bit on the happy side, myself!

Chevron pulled a sweet $19 billion which is a smidgeon more than the measly $10.5 billion they sweated long and hard for in 2009.

And ConocoPhillips had a buggar of a time getting $8.8 billion instead of the $4.9 billion they earned in 2009. (Source)

Pardon me for my lack of understanding ladies & gentlemen, but I’m having a hard time understanding this. People blame the fuel tax for the rise in fuel costs. Well, IF so much money was made because of the fuel tax, I think the roads would be in much better shape than they are now. And I think our cops and sheriff’s deputies would have the equipment they need in order to protect us from the criminal element.

When you look at the profits made by the “Big Oil”, it’s kinda hard to focus on anyone else being the cause for the prices. Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse and his co-conspirator, Donald Duck. “Why those two?”, you ask? I can’t imagine anyone else we can blame since the corporate owners are not only bigger and better than everybody, but above the law. And now you ask how they are above the law….It’s called price fixing. If I was in such a position as those boys, I guarantee you, I would not try jerking every last penny from the public, making the economy even worse. But they are. If anything, they are making the economic crisis much worse through their greed.

It’s pretty bad when regular unleaded costs $3.849 per gallon in Green River and $3.639 in Price, only to be told by managers at several establishments that they are charging the same as everyone else no matter where they are. And if they think I’m that stupid to believe that line, they must have been smoking the wrong batch of weed (again). If they want to argue they aren’t smoking anything, I suppose it’s too hard for them to fess up that they think customers are THAT stupid. Gets ya to wonder if you really want to buy anything from them now, doesn’t it?

So there ya go Mr. Moskowitz. That is, what I think, the cause is for the fuel prices. The big cheese in the corporate system that can do whatever they want and the managers on the bottom of the ladder that prefer to deficate on the trust the public has for them.

Respectfully,
Carl Kem, Green River

Share
By admin | Posted in Around Town, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Medical Marijuana SB409

April 7, 2012

Medical marijuana bills have been introduced in our state legislature for many years now.  Most recently, SB409 passed the senate by a vote of 13-11.

Unfortunately, our state senator, Sharon Carson, is one of those elected officials voting no.  The last time I spoke to Senator Carson about this issue, her answer was, “it needs to be studied more.”

Excuse me, Senator?  How much and by whom?  Isn’t the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston prestigious enough for you?  What about the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry?  The Lymphoma Foundation of America?  The American Academy of HIV Medicine?  Even the American Bar Association “recognizes that persons who suffer from serious illnesses for which marijuana has a medically recognized therapeutic value have a right to be treated with marijuana under the supervision of a physician.”

Senator, if you are going to make an excuse, please do not make it a lame one.

Richard Kahn
Hudson, NH

Share
By admin | Posted in Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , | Comments (4)

“Kids” on the road to NYC, “Well-Mannered Young Adults”

March 20, 2012

Dear Editor:

On Friday afternoon, March 16th, I arrived at our local mall to see three buses pull up and start unloading teenagers. All I could imagine was: why did I pick today to decide to have lunch here and do some shopping? I immediately thought: what town would bring “kids” to a mall for a field trip? These “kids” would be all over the food court; they would be loud; and, the lines would be long.

Well, I was wrong on every point. While waiting in line for my food, I asked a young man where they were from and why they were here. I was told there were 302 students on their way to NY to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. They stopped for lunch. It was the Londonderry High School band from NH. These students were polite, quiet, made a nice appearance and just melted into the surroundings without noise or rough housing.

What a pleasure to see so many well-mannered young adults. Parents, teachers and administrators at Londenderry High School have done a fine job with their band members. You should be very proud. They made me proud as I have been a summer NH resident for over 40 years and feel very much part of the state.

Lois O’Hara Weiss
Danbury, CT and Bristol, NH

Share
By admin | Posted in Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

When Zero Percent Cost You

March 12, 2012

The teacher contract was the only one not supported by the budget committee.  According to the committee, “The amount of money was to much, the town has 0% increases this year.”

What you will be voting for on the town and school ballot this Tuesday is the most complex I have ever seen since arriving in Londonderry in the early 80′s. Five pages of questions for the town and two for the school district means a lot of responsibility that day.  You may not know it, but you are voting on about $100 million; it’s your $100 million too!

Using information that is easily available from the town and school, the analysis of the five contracts up for a vote this year yielded some surprising results.  Looking at items that are considerably different on the surface and comparing them between bargaining units, I hope the voter can get a snapshot of what they will be voting on.  The contracts are long, large booklets with lots of information; like school funding, it takes time to decipher everything.

I felt frustrated with the budget committee’s vote on the teachers contract.  The 6 -1 vote against, I felt, was based on the size of the number presented rather than the percentages and facts within the contract.  This is due to the reality that this group of employees are a $25M part of the budget.  Any increase, no matter how small, requires a large amount of money from the taxpayer.  I would like to add, I respect the Budget Committee’s position and if I had taken the time to do this work before they voted, it may have been a different vote.

SalaryMeritTotal Possible Compensation Life of ContractPossible Increase Total over Three YearsHealth Insurance Buyout
Council 93 Public Safety (proposed) (Police, Capt/Lt., Fire Chief/MarshallYr1 - 0%
Yr2 - 2%
Yr 3 - 2% 		Range 0 - 3% Yr 1 - 0% - 3%
Yr 2 - 2% - 5%
Yr 3 - 2% - 5%		4% - 13%$2,500
Council 93 Unit B Town Admin (proposed) Building Inspect, Public Works, Town PlannerYr1 - 0%
Yr2 - 2%
Yr 3 -2%		Range 0 - 3% Yr 1 - 0% - 3%
Yr 2 - 2% - 5%
Yr 3 - 2% - 5% 		4% - 13%$2,500
Local 1801 Depart Sec, Deputy Tax Collector, Payroll clerk, etcYr1- 0% + 1 Step(3%-9.4%)
Yr2-2% + 1 Step (3%-9.4%)
Yr3-2% + 1 step (3%-9.4%)		NoneYr 1 - o% - 9.4%
Yr 2 - 2% - 9.4%
Yr 3 - 2% - 9.4% 		4% - 28.2%$2,500
TeachersYr 1 - range (2% - 2.1%)
Yr2 - range (2.1% - 2.25%)
Yr3 - range (2.5% - 4%)		NoneYr 1 - range (2% - 2.1%)
Yr2 - range (2.1% - 2.25%)
Yr3 - range (2.5% - 4%)		6.6% - 8.2%$500
Allied Health ProfessionalsYr 1 - range (2% -3%)
Yr2 - range (2.25% - 3%)
Yr3 - range (2.5% - 3%) 		NoneYr 1 - range (2% -3%)
Yr2 - range (2.25% - 3%)
Yr3 - range (2.5% - 3%)		6.8% - 9% $500

I have left out health care, sick days, vacation days and language items.  Many of those items are similar or wash out in the end as being nearly equal.  Also they are so complex when compared, it is hard to follow them.

The town unions’ concessions to have a 0% increase on the salary line item is commendable. If the teachers bargaining unit had structured the contract with the school board that way it may have looked better. The problem is it may have come out costing more over the three year life of the contract.

Zero percent is not zero when you look at the full three years of the town contracts.  Additionally, on two of the town contracts they include the possibility of Merit raises, something the school district contract does not have.  They don’t show up on the warrant article because merit increases are included in the general budget.  Year one for Local 1801 has 0% but “+1 step” for those of us in the private sector, “steps” are hard to understand.  They are increases in pay; the employee moves up the pay scale automatically.

The bottom line, over the three years, not each year but the total for all three years.

  • Town 4% to 28.2%
  • School 6.6% to 9%

Another area to focus on is the difference between town and school health insurance buyout.  The town provides $2,500 to an employee if they do not take the insurance.  The school district only provides $500.  Presently 149 get the cash buy out, teachers are 93 of those employees.  If they were town employees that would total $298,000 more in benefits to the school employees, just for one year!  Likely if they were getting an extra $2,000 even more would opt in.  The schools have offered $500 in the last 12 years I have held an elected position.  The town has been dropping down this benefit from $8,000 for those 12 years.  Good thing too!

For those that will be voting against all union contracts, I am sure this information was not needed.  But for those of you voting on the teachers contract please consider the facts before you fill in the oval next Tuesday.

This is what you will vote on Tuesday March 13th, our valued asset, good talent is not “0%” it’s not free, Town or School.

Steve Young

Londonderry

Steve Young is presently a school board member running for re-election and voted to support the teachers contract. He is also one of the publishers of Londonderry Hometown Online News

Share
By Steve Young | Posted in Letters to the Editor, Schools | Comments (0)

Experience and Fiscal Intelligence

March 11, 2012

I hear a lot from people around town about how great our school system is and how many of us moved here because of its well deserved reputation. I also hear from some about how spending is out of control and that they will not support anything that is an increase in spending. How short sighted these individuals are. I lost my job in 2007. I am currently earning about 70% of what I earned 5 years ago. So like many of you I have decisions to make everyday about where my money needs to be spent.

We elect a School Board every year to make the decisions where we spend our tax dollars. I have worked with Steve Young as a Scout leader, as a supplier and as a member of the School Board. Steve has the experience and the fiscal intelligence to make the right choices.

I hope you will join me in supporting Steve Young for another term on the School Board at the polls on March 13.

George Herrmann
Londonderry

Share
By admin | Posted in Letters to the Editor | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Write In Candidate for Budget Committee

February 28, 2012

Voters of Londonderry,

Having lived in Londonderry for just over twenty six years I have always admired those individuals that have stood to serve the town in its many varied positions. Time is a valuable commodity for us all and to gift some of our limited resources to serve the citizens of Londonderry is a noble deed.

To this point I have not served. It has been easy to not have the time, desire or where with all to participate. Upon noticing that only one candidate has come forward to stand for the two open positions on the Budget Committee I feel that it is time that I step forward and give back.

I would ask that the voters of Londonderry consider me as a write in candidate for the open position on the Budget Committee. I have had an extensive career in business as a controller and chief financial officer for businesses of various sizes. I have also spent time consulting to business owners in the areas of planning, budgeting and cost control. I have Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and have earned additional certification as a Construction Industry Financial Professional.

No position should go vacant, certainly not one as important as a seat on the Budget Committee. Please be sure to vote in the town election March 13, as there are a number of important issues and positions that require your attention, and please consider writing in the name of William Mee for the open seat on the Budget Committee.

Thank you,
William Mee

Share
By admin | Posted in Around Town, Letters to the Editor, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)