Rally For New Hampshire!

[Peadar O Suileabhain]

Thousands, nay, brazillions of Granite Staters gathered on the State House Plaza this afternoon to show their opposition to the budget passed by the House Republicans. The budget would not only make devastating cuts in care for the mentally ill and disabled, cut funding for law enforcement, and impose double-digit tuition increases on college students, it would strip all public employees of their collective bargaining rights upon the expiration of their current contracts.

Yeah, we're a little ticked off...

We care. We count. We matter.


Facing the State House steps...can you hear us now?


Exactly...


This is what democracy looks like!


That's future congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster in the blue jacket.


On the SEIU bus from the state hospital, where my lovely wife works.


"Union thugs"?


These women spend their lives caring for people in the shadows of life, the severely mentally ill. Don't you dare call them "lazy" or "greedy".


The "rat" is House Speaker Bill O'Brien. The sign is a reference to Rep. Neal Kurk's statement that if more state workers smoked, we could save money on pension costs (yeah, he went there).

[Sugarloaf]

A very good showing. Maine's local news aired some footage today and said the numbers were in the thousands. WTG you guys! And thank you so much for the excellent pics. Despite the House vote, is there any chance of beating this thing?

[Peadar O Suileabhain]

(03-31-2011 04:32 PM)Sugarloaf Wrote:  Despite the House vote, is there any chance of beating this thing?

That remains to be seen. My hunch is that the Senate will come up with a budget that is bad but not a tragicomic debacle like the House version. The Senate is overwhelmingly Republican, but the culture of that chamber is very different than that of the House. I would suspect a few cuts would be restored and the collective bargaining bit would be removed.

[Sugarloaf]

(03-31-2011 04:45 PM)Peadar O Suileabhain Wrote:  

(03-31-2011 04:32 PM)Sugarloaf Wrote:  Despite the House vote, is there any chance of beating this thing?

That remains to be seen. My hunch is that the Senate will come up with a budget that is bad but not a tragicomic debacle like the House version. The Senate is overwhelmingly Republican, but the culture of that chamber is very different than that of the House. I would suspect a few cuts would be restored and the collective bargaining bit would be removed.

Well, I've got my fingers crossed that cooler heads in the Senate will prevail then. Best of luck and keep fighting the good fight!

[SeattleGirl]

Great pictures, Peadar! Love the OMG GOP WTF? sign!

[There Is No Spoon]

I wish I could have made it - terrible timing for me today - arrgh. Thanks for posting these pictures and bringing this to the attention of our fellow DFPers.