Tomorrow is Election Day. We encourage everyone to get to the polls and vote.
There are major contests to be decided including the most important one of all, the race for the presidency.
In New Hampshire, voters also will select a new governor, two representatives in Congress and a host of state senators, representatives and other offices. There are constitutional questions to be decided as well.
In Massachusetts, voters will choose a new senator and select representatives to Congress — two of those serving segments of the Merrimack Valley. There are also races for state representatives and senators as well as ballot questions to be decided.
Here again are the candidates and positions we have endorsed. Our purpose is not to “tell you how to vote” but to express our opinions on these important races, as newspapers have done for most of their history.
For president: Mitt Romney. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is presidential and has a strong grasp of the economic principles needed to lift our country out of the doldrums. His is a message of optimism that resonates with the American people. Under President Obama, our economy has stagnated and our national debt is soaring. The course of the nation must change.
Our choices in New Hampshire all reflect the need to keep spending under control, both at the state and national level. Our recommendations are:
For governor: Ovide Lamontagne, Republican. Lamontagne wants to maintain New Hampshire’s fiscally prudent course. His opponent, Democrat Maggie Hassan, wants more “investment,” that is, more of your tax dollars.
For Congress, 1st District: Frank Guinta, Republican.
For Congress, 2nd District: Charlie Bass, Republican.
Question 1, prohibiting the legislature from enacting an income tax: No
Question 2, giving legislative statutes precedence over court-imposed rules: No
Question 3, calling a constitutional convention: No.
Likewise, our choices in Massachusetts emphasize fiscal conservatism. We recommend:
For senator: Scott Brown, Republican. Brown has been an independent voice for Massachusetts. His opponent, Elizabeth Warren, would be a tool of the Democratic leadership.
For Congress, 3rd District: Jon Golnik, Republican. We like Golnik’s sense of urgency on the risks of the growing national debt.
For Congress 6th District: Richard Tisei, Republican. Tisei will put an overdue end to the Washington career of John Tierney. The fiscally conservative, socially liberal Tisei will be a welcome addition to the Massachusetts congressional delegation.
For state senator, 1st Essex District: Paul Magliocchetti, independent.
For state representative, 2nd Essex District: Leonard Mirra, Republican.
For state representative, 16th Essex District: Marcos Devers, Democrat.
For state representative, 17th Essex District: Kevin Cuff, independent.
For state representative, 18th Essex District: James Lyons, Republican
For register of deeds, North Essex District: John “Jack” Wilson, Republican.
Question 1, auto repair information: No.
Question 2, prescribing medication to end life: No. “Death with dignity” sounds compassionate, but there are too few safeguards in the bill to earn our support.
Question 3, medical marijuana: No. Again, plenty of compassion here. Too few controls to assure that this doesn’t become a pot-smoking free-for-all.
“Corporate personhood” question: No.
