May 9, 2008 - 6:21pm

News

Stephen signs ATR pledge

By Brian Lawson, PolitickerNH.com Reporter

Grover Norquist and John StephenMANCHESTER- Joined by Grover Norquist, former Health and Human Services Secretary John Stephen (R-Manchester) signed the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

"The tax cuts of the past decade are absolutely critical to the long-term success of our economy and our growth. To get rid of them would send a clear message that we're not committed to keeping our economy strong, whether in the short-run or the long-run" Stephen told the crowd assembled at Brady-Sullivan's offices in the Jefferson Mill.

Stephen added that the government does not have a revenue shortage.

"We consistently don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem," he said.

Stephen's primary rival, former congressman Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) has also signed the pledge.

The signer of the pledge promises to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses," and to "oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits unless matched dollar for dollar by fuJohn Stephen signing the ATR pledgerther reducing tax rates."

Norquist, president of ATR, praised recent tax cuts but added that fiscal discipline must be restored to Washington.

"We now enter a conversation about how we maintain those tax cuts and how we have fiscal discipline that has been lacking over the past eight years on spending issues," Norquist said.

Norquist said his group cannot endorse a candidate because of its' federal status but 95% of Republicans running for federal office have signed the pledge.

Also attending the event were Second District congressional candidate Grant Bosse (R-Hillsboro) and Executive Council candidate Stephen Stepanek (R-Amherst).

Brian Lawson is a PolitickerNH.com Reporter and can be reached via email at brian.lawson@politickernh.com.

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Comments

Neat The Way "Politics" Works

posted by Jim Splaine

With people really hurting, and a winter coming in a few months when people won't be able to pay their heating bill, and kids not getting the education they need to compete with the world in the 21st Century with kids from other nations, and the need for investing in alternative energy to get off the reliance on Bush's oil friends, it's interesting to see Republicans stumbling over one another to show how "conservative" they are so that government will spend less so that the rich can get richer and keep all their money, and the poor will get poorer. Corporate America underpays those who work for them, the CEOs get their multi-million dollar golden parachutes, and the Republicans are their servants. Neat the way "politics" works.

05/10/08 7:13 am

Glad to see this

posted by Rich getting richer

I'm glad to see Stephen sign this. As one of those "evil" entrepreneur types who keeps going around making money while at the same time creating jobs for people, we need more like this willing to take this pledge. Why would I want to expand my business if the tax man is just going to take a bigger bite of the benefit. If you want those of us to who grow the economy to do our part, you have to give us the incentive to do so. Raising my taxes is merely going to get me to back off. Real smart.

05/10/08 9:26 am

Bravo, Jim

posted by Keith Simpson

Couldn't say it better myself.

05/10/08 10:49 am

John is clueless

posted by Manch Man

John Stephen was born into a prominent Manchester family.

Life has always given him bounty.

The day he graduated from law school he has been employed by the taxpayers.

Even when he was employed in Democratic campaigns he was always management and never the worker.

His connection to reality is wacked.

Why do you expect him to understand real life?

05/10/08 2:08 pm

LMFAO! ManchDope, that is

posted by LakesRegionRepub

LMFAO! ManchDope, that is some of the funniest stuff I've ever read, not to mention some of the most stank bravo sierra. Nice to see jebby's "team" of nitwits hard at "work", something jebby , the silver spoon runt of the litter has never known. Seems as though you and splaine are 2 peas in the same pod. Pathetic.

05/11/08 9:20 pm

Peas In Pods

posted by Jim Splaine

I like being a pea in a pod with just about anyone.

05/11/08 9:46 pm

Pretty much sums up your

posted by LakesRegionRepub

Pretty much sums up your lifestyle jim. Thanks for the clarity.

05/11/08 10:05 pm

Stephen pledges loyalty...to Grover

posted by Fear for NH

Johnny and Jeb and Grant and all those who pose with Grover (a federal lobbyist) must take the people of NH for saps. What is driving up our property taxes is the cuts in funding from above that shift the costs for everything down to the local level. This silly pledge gets them off the hook from having to think about ways to actually make our local taxes go down. Let's start with vastly underfunded federal responsibilities such as special education and highways. How does paying homage to Grover pay for these things? Grover's pledge is the idiot's way out.

05/12/08 7:02 am

Hey fear, you miss the major

posted by LakesRegionRepub

Hey fear, you miss the major part of the equation here and that is that gubmint, on a federal, state and local level is spending too much GD money! What part of that do you not understand? Unless you take it away and force these tax-fattened hyenas ot live within a reasonable budget, just as real life Americans must, we're screwed and the band plays on. First, cut off the dough. Second cut spending and entitlements.

BTW, you criticize but, like most leftists, offer no creative solutions (or any solutions at all for that matter). All you people do is whine and expect big-brother, nanny-state gubmint programs to save your arse. Hand-wringing on the order of what you are doing means and accomplishes NOTHING. What do we DO about it, einstein?

05/12/08 9:21 am