Friday, January 18, 2013
People making $50,000 a year who are paid twice each month are now taking home about $42 less in their paychecks.
Two weeks after Congress averted the so-called "Fiscal Cliff," Exeter-area residents have undoubtedly seen lower take-home pay in their paychecks. The reason is Congress didn't extend the payroll tax cut. If you make $50,000 a year, you are now paying about $1,000 more in Social Security taxes, according to CBS. For those who are paid twice each month, that amounts to about $42 less per in take-home pay in each paycheck. The Wall Street Journal has a calculator to determine how much more in taxes you are now paying a year based on your salary.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Taxes could rise for people making $50,000 to $75,000.
The "fiscal cliff" deadline is Monday. On Dec. 31, tax cuts dating to the George W. Bush presidential term are scheduled to expire, and President Obama and congressional leaders have not reached a compromise. Of course, that means tax bills would increase for many middle- and upper-class taxpayers. And that means paycheck withholding for many workers would change, leaving them with less take-home pay in the new year. If no compromise is reached by the president and Congress, the hit will be noticeable in many workers' paychecks. A taxpayer making between $50,000 and $75,000 would get an average tax increase of $2,400, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research group. If the worker is paid biweekly, that's about $92 a …
Friday, December 28, 2012
Would you want your name and address publicized? One newspaper has printed this information for an entire town.
A news publication in New York is under scrutiny for publishing the names and addresses of gun owners. Less than two weeks after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., the New York Journal News earlier this week published the names and addresses of local gun owners in three New York counties. A story titled, "The gun owner next door: What you don't know about the weapons in your neighborhood," highlights the names and addresses of residents who are licensed to own handguns. The Journal News got the data through Freedom of Information Law requests, according to The Huffington Post. The Journal News reportedly requested the information from New York's Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, though the publication was only able to …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Columnist says Stacie Laughton's decision to resign "shows a respect for the voters that was lacking during her campaign."
I have always believed that politics should be viewed as a type of community service, a path by which to help make the world in which we and future generations live a better place. I believe deeply that politicians should be true public servants, but too often our elected representatives disappoint us, putting power above the people and placing their own self-interests ahead of their elected duties. It is a non-partisan fact that politicians will sometimes do stupid, or worse, criminal, things and must be held accountable for those actions. When Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO, made a stupid statement about “legitimate rape,” I called him stupid and said he should resign. He didn’t, but his comments were public and the voters in his district were …
43.20725
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107 N Main St, Concord, NH
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Columnist says the former NH Senator showed leadership on difficult issues in difficult times.
Former New Hampshire Senator Warren Rudman passed away this week at the age of 82 from complications related to lymphoma. His loss is being memorialized in papers across the country, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and many others. Rudman became an impressive presence in Washington during his two terms as Senator, serving from 1980-1993. Rudman was aggressive and confrontational at times, but was also known and respected for his willingness to work across the aisle on big issues and small and he played an important role in American history during his years in Washington. Rudman was a vocal critic of President Reagan during the Iran-Contra hearings. He served on the Senate Ethics Eommittee and led the investigation of the …
43.20725
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107 N Main St, Concord, NH
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Columnist thanks all those who protect our nation.
The timing of this column did not allow for a salute to our military on Veterans Day, but I am a believer in saying thank you, so I will not allow the vagaries of a calendar to get in the way. We live in a nation that is seriously divided. he results of our most recent elections certainly reflect that, with just over 2 percent of the vote between winner and loser. It seems that our political divisions run deeper each day, but I have always believed that good people can come together for a higher purpose in spite of political differences, and our men and women in uniform are the most extraordinary example of that. As a mother, I have always been profoundly grateful that there is a fighting force ready and willing to place themselves …
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Vote in our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments field below.
A Washington Post/ABC poll released this week showed that 80 percent of voters feel President Obama has done a good job dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Even New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – a staunch supporter of Mitt Romney – praised Obama's response to the storm, which devastated parts of New Jersey and New York and caused serious damage in many other states, including New Hampshire. Obama also received the endorsement of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday, with Bloomberg citing Obama's handling of Hurricane Sandy as one of the main reasons he decided to support the president. Meanwhile, Romney's previous pledge to abolish FEMA hasn't helped him in the wake of the storm. What do you think? Will Hurricane …
43.20725
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107 N Main St, Concord, NH
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Friday, November 2, 2012
Columnist outlines why she thinks the former Massachusetts governor will win on Tuesday.
I have been digging through polling cross-tabs, Electoral College maps, political blogs and countless interviews with “experts.” More importantly, I am listening to real people who live in the real world, outside the tight little universe of political operatives and analysts: parents, business owners, teachers, police officer, retirees and veterans. And as a result, I am calling it for Mitt Romney, and I’m calling it big. I say Mitt wins it with 300-plus Electoral College votes. I give him New Hampshire by at least 3 points. And, just between you and me, I think I am being conservative here. If he wins with over 310 Electoral College votes, I won’t be surprised. The simple truth is that you can’t tell a fish it’s not wet. No matter how …
43.20725
-71.53661
107 N Main St, Concord, NH
/articles/the-case-for-mitt-romney
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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Columnist says Hurricane Sandy brought out the best in New Hampshire residents.
Hurricane Sandy, or “post-tropical storm Sandy” as the TV folks were calling her once she hit land in the Northeast, has come and gone and most of us here in New Hampshire are still standing. The impact of the storm in the Granite State, while significant, was nothing when compared to New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. As many as 15 million Americans were impacted by the wrath of the 600-mile-wide storm, millions will be without power for as long as a week or more, and as of this writing 16 in the U.S. have tragically lost their lives. Sitting in my family room early Monday evening, as the worst of it swept through Nashua, I had mixed emotions. I remember fondly the days of my childhood when my mother would open …
Friday, October 26, 2012
Columnist says the father of Navy Seal Tyrone Woods deserves answers.
People who were on the ground, present at the U.S. Consulate in Libya and at the CIA Annex about a mile away, are talking to Jennifer Griffin, one of the most well-respected reporters at the Pentagon, about what happened on the night of September 11th, and it is worse than any of us could have imagined. The CIA operatives on the ground asked for help – three times – and three times they were denied. The attack that began at about 9:40 p.m. at the Consulate was recorded and transmitted real time back to Washington where it was available at CIA headquarters, the Pentagon and the White House Situation Room. Tyrone Woods, former Navy Seal and a member of the small team at the CIA Annex, eventually ignored orders to “stand down” and joined two …
Jack Doheny
9:31 am on Thursday, January 3, 2013
It seems that after each tragedy brought by some deranged nut or nuts there is a run on guns. Those merciless tragedies are horrific in every sense of the word. While guns were the tools of these crazy people it seems to be useless to want to ban guns. As we all know if a madman wants to create havoc they will do it... guns or no guns. more ›