The New Hampshire Advantage: One of only 2 states with no income tax or broad based sales tax, with lower living expenses come other benefits such as quality of life.

The U.S. Census Bureau observed the following features of life in the Granite State; 3 years average median income (2003-2005) New Hampshire ranks #3 behind Maryland and New Jersey but ahead of #4 Hawaii and #5 Connecticut. In terms of wellness index New Hampshire ranks #5 in best health care coverage behind Minnesota and three other mid-west states.

New Hampshire ranks in the top five in a number of other key indicators such as: lowest tax burden, labor market freedom, business tax climate, and local government rankings compared to the rest of the country. When being on the bottom is a good thing New Hampshire ranks 47th in state tax revenues per person, 50th in State tax revenues as a percentage of personal income and 50th in local taxes as a percentage of overall income.

The feelings on tax burdens are probably best understood in a speech made for the NH state house by Neal Kurk (Chair of the New Hampshire Finance Committee) when he said; “We believe that each citizen, if not adversely affected by government action is capable of achieving his God-Given potential and the purpose of state government is to facilitate that” (from the public records of the NH state house minutes 2003).

If you are looking for a vacation home with an eye towards retirement? Now may be the best time to take advantage of the New Hampshire advantage, enjoy the recreation now and retire where you are comfortable later.

New Hampshire won the 2008 “Safest State” award.

In a report released by CQ Press out of Washington, D.C. they announced its 15th annual rankings for safest and most-dangerous states.

The state of New Hampshire has the lowest murder rate in the country, and the second lowest rates of aggravated assaults and burglaries. CQ based its rankings on FBI uniform crime reports from the year 2006. Crime rates are based on incidents per 100,000 citizens.

New Hampshire rose to the top from fourth place last year. Northern New England dominated the top slots, as Vermont ranked second and Maine was fourth. North Dakota fell to third after 10 years in first place and South Dakota was fifth.

Gov. John Lynch hailed the CQ Press findings stating, “Our low crime rate is part of what makes this such a great place to live and work. As a state, we are routinely recognized as a national leader and I can think of no better category to lead the nation than in the safety of our citizens.” “I am committed to ensuring we remain one of the safest states in the nation,” Lynch said.

With this recognition, we should take time to thank the hard-working men and women of New Hampshire law enforcement who help keep us all safe.

Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said New Hampshire has done well in rankings by the FBI itself over the past five years. “In our state there is tremendous cooperation among law enforcement at all levels, and I think that significantly contributes to our ability to deter crime, and to solve crimes when they occur,” say Ayotte.

The Federal Reserve and other banking regulators issued special guidance September 4th urging loan service companies to work with borrowers in danger of defaulting on their home mortgages. The guidelines are not mandatory, but the regulators expressed hope that companies that collect payments on mortgages would heed the advice.

Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., said mortgage collectors have the authority under existing accounting and tax rules to help deserving borrowers. “More and more consumers with subprime and hybrid mortgage products are facing the very real prospect of losing their homes through foreclosure as their payments reset and become unaffordable,” Bair said in a statement. “It is vital that mortgage servicers work proactively with borrowers facing much higher payments as their interest rates reset.”

The banking regulators’ guidance and other agencies followed President Bush’s announcement that his administration was putting forward proposals aimed at preventing defaults expected over the next 2 years as the housing industry endures a serious downturn. The effort by Bush and the banking agencies is an attempt to deal with growing anxiety as more and more homeowners worry about losing their homes because they can no longer pay the mortgage.

Already there have been a rising number of defaults of subprime mortgages, loans that were extended to borrowers with weak credit histories. Those increasing defaults have roiled financial markets in recent weeks as investors worried about whether the credit markets will be destabilized by a rising tide of bad loans.

The problem facing many homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages? Those mortgages are now resetting at higher interest rates that in some cases are causing monthly payments to double. The guidelines were aimed at addressing the fact that in many cases the company in charge of collecting monthly mortgage payments is not the same company that originated the loan. The guidance said appropriate strategies to ward off defaults could include modifying the terms of the loan or deferring payments. Those modifications could include converting the loan from an adjustable rate loan, one in which the interest rate resets at periodic intervals, to a fixed-rate mortgage that would prevent the monthly payments from rising. Other possible modifications would include extending the length of the loan and rolling the amount of payments the borrower has missed into the total loan amount that must be paid off.

“Reworking these loans will achieve long-term sustainable obligations to provide stability to borrowers, investors and the marketplace,” Bair said. Democrats who have criticized the administration’s handling of the foreclosure problem said more must be done. “Today’s statement by the financial regulators comes very late and only underscores the failure of this administration over a period of years to protect homeowners from predatory lending practices,” said Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was a good move to get federal regulators to jawbone lenders and banks to help families get out of bad subprime mortgages. But he said more federal resources must be devoted to helping local nonprofit groups that specialize in providing counseling to prevent foreclosures. “These groups are effective mediators between the private sector and families who need loan modifications,” said Schumer, who has won Senate Appropriations Committee approval for an additional $100 million to support foreclosure prevention counseling. The joint statement encouraged the mortgage servicing companies to consider referring borrowers in trouble to qualified homeownership counseling services.

Fed Governor Randall Kroszner said the joint guidance was meant to encourage the companies that collect payments on mortgages packaged into certain debt securities and sold in debt markets to “reach out to financially stressed homeowners.” “Keeping families in their homes is a matter of great importance to the Federal Reserve,” said Kroszner, one of the Fed board members who has taken the lead in dealing with the mortgage crisis.

In addition to the Fed and the FDIC, which insures deposits at financial institutions, the other groups who issued the statement were the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Thrift Supervision, the National Credit Union Administration and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

LCHIP (Land and Community Heritage Investment Program)

The New Hampshire Legislature created the LCHIP program in 2000. Since then, the program has funded 129 projects in 103 NH communities. The program has conserved more than 200,000 acres of land for recreation, hunting, fishing, and farming, and invested in historic rehabilitation of more than 87 historic and cultural resources throughout New Hampshire. The grant funds helped to return new revenues, new jobs and help build local businesses.

The Campton Historical Society has been rehabilitating 3 historic buildings at their site since 2000. This includes the 1855 Town House, the 1903 Carriage House, and the 1912 Grange building. LCHIP funds were instrumental in enabling this effort. Society members will be on-site to describe the re-hab, and show the historic collections, including the 1889 horse-drawn hearse. In addition, they offer a self-guided tour of 20 marked historic Campton sites. Visitors are encouraged to visit several of the LCHIP sites to see community-based successes in conserving land and preserving and restoring community landmarks.

For LCHIP details and locations visit www.visitnh.gov/lchipday
For information about Campton Historical Society visit www.camptonhistorical.org

Beginning Sept. 17, New Hampshire’s ban on smoking in restaurants and cocktail lounges goes into effect.

“The science is clear – secondhand smoke poses a dangerous health risk,” said Gov. John Lynch when he signed the smoking ban into law in June. “Smoking has been banned in most every workplace in New Hampshire. We should not continue to subject our hardworking citizens in the restaurant industry to the harmful danger of secondhand smoke.”

Supporters cited a poll that found that 79% of respondents favored a smoking ban, and said the bill would protect the health of the public, including workers. “Those who wait on tables or tend bar in our restaurants must work to make ends meet – to pay the rent, to provide for their children,” Lynch said. “Today, we are making a statement. We are telling these hardworking men and women that we care about them. We care and are committed to providing a safe, healthy work environment.” Some restaurants were already going smoke-free even before the ban went to vote.

“From a health standpoint, it’s a real positive. The quality of life in New Hampshire is too important.”

Land & Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) receive $12 million in Governor Lynch’s new budget for the biennium. LCHIP is an independent state authority that makes matching grants to NH communities and non-profits to conserve and preserve NH’s most important natural, cultural and historic resources. Eighty-Five (85%) of residence in NH believing that government funds should be used for land conservation and historical building preservation. Through the investment program for every $1 in resources is leveraged more than five times with money from local, private and federal sources. The biggest difference this year is that the NH House has approved a funding source for LCHIP. An increase in the real estate transfer tax of about 4% will be dedicated to provide funding and is currently awaiting the NH Senates approval. This increase in the transfer tax is important because LCHIP has been a budgeted item before and is one of the first items to be cut when money is needed elsewhere. The last biennium LCHIP was budgeted at $10 million but only received $750,000. In order for this program to be effective long range funding has to be available.

The Regional Environmental Planning Program (REPP) was created within the NH Department of Environment Services (DES) to recognize the value of regional planning in addressing environmental issues and land conservation. Each of the nine (9) Regional Planning Agencies (RPA) are provided $25,000 annually for environmental planning and meet with the DES quarterly to develop program priorities and assess progress. RPA conduct intensive research to determine local protection priorities and lands to acquirer for conservation. They assist local planning boards with natural resource assessment, build-out analysis, open space plans and conservation subdivisions. More information can be found at their web site www.des.nh.gov/repp.

Scholars rank President Lincoln among the top three (3) U.S. Presidents, with the average of those surveys placing him at #1. He is noted for his lasting influence on U.S. politics.

Abraham Lincoln never let the world forget that the Civil War involved an even larger issue, in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg: “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The spirit that guided Lincoln was clear, as inscribed on one wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds”