Phil4NH

This what hope looks like!

This is what hope looks like!

"Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been."

Wayne Gretzky

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Like many of you, I have been a little down since the elections in November. I could not believe so many good people voted for the deranged felon. Every day there's a new flood of crazy and dangerous stuff coming out of the regime in Washington. Lately, though, I'm starting to see a very small silver lining around a very dark cloud. Hence Wayne Gretzky.

Our country is like a jumbo jet right now, where drunk 1st class passengers have taken over the cockpit, tied up the pilots and are flying the plane themselves because they "know better." They are ignoring the control tower, the flashing red lights on the console, pleading from economy class, and even the laws of physics. They will eventually crash the plane unless something changes.

So where is the silver lining? Ok, maybe there is none for the plane, but the country is not literally a plane. We do have some power to oppose the crazy stuff. We need to use it and try to avert the huge crash. And it may not be one huge crash but a series of smaller "crashes" that will cause pain but where we can recover or even come out better off in the long run.

This is where hockey comes in. We know where the puck is going, we just don't know exactly when it will get there. Trump is setting us up for an economic crisis comparable to 2008 or even worse. Add to that, he may start a war.

We need to dominate that stretch of ice and wait for the puck. Trump won on the economy, and he and his minions will lose on the economy. Keep on saying publicly and privately that Trump is setting us up for disaster. Explain over and over WHY what he is doing is so dangerous. Offer an alternative vision of a future where we are stable, prosperous and at peace. Talk sense to the people in power over and over and make sure everyone hears us doing it.

We cannot get discouraged or distracted by every outrage or crazy "tweet." Skate to where the puck WILL be, not where it IS!

So the silver lining? Well, I *HOPE* that once the entire country wakes up to the danger we are in (ideally BEFORE the big crash) we will have an opportunity to engage in real reform like we have not seen since the 1930s.

Our economy and our institutions were broken even before Trump and his goons took over. We cannot just defend the way things are/were. This country needs big structural reform. I am a capitalist, and support the free market, but you don't have a free market when a handful of oligarchs control the economy. We need to tax the oligarchs out of existence. We need to use that money to make sure that our social safety nets (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare etc.) are well-funded and available to the next generation. We need to make sure that kids get quality education, and adults have access to ongoing skills training so they can get the best jobs available and use their talents fully. And so much more, too. Don't get me started....

There is much we need to do, but it is not impossible. The oligarchs up in 1st class may have given us an opening.

God bless us all.

Phil

Dear Neighbors:

Just a note to thank all of you for all of your efforts in the recent election. It was wonderful to see so many of you coming to the polls. While my own race was not successful, and the national elections were a severe disappointment, we should not lose hope. We should all continue to speak the truth and work to protect democracy and to improve everyone's lives.

Personally, I plan to run again in 2 years, so I hope to see you then!

Happy Holidays! Phil

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Here’s a few pictures taken at the polls today. Now we wait….

A great time at Epsom old home day with the guys from Ponderosa Waste, which provides waste management solutions in central New Hampshire. It is so important to support local businesses!

We all had a wonderful morning at the Pages Corner Cemetery, where the Dunbarton historical awareness, commission, and the Black Trail of NH unveiled the Scipio Page Memorial.

We had a wonderful time at the Pembroke Allenstown old home day. The weather was perfect, and everyone was in a good mood. We have a great starting lineup on team democracy this year.

I’m here with Maggie Goodlander, our next representative in the US Congress for NH District 2. Maggie is an incredible person— She has shown a lot of courage support of the rule of law and democracy in America. She will make an outstanding member of Congress and I am proud to be among her friends. She is here with her husband, Jake, and her mother, Betty Tamposi, who is another dear friend.

On a recent visit to Chicago, we visited Valois Restaurant in Hyde Park, reputed to be President Obama's favorite diner. I still think of the Obama/Biden years as the gold standard for sound policy, a high ethical standard and all-around sanity.