Opinion
Opinion: Wildfires are a window into the future we don’t want to conside
By JONATHAN P. BAIRD
Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot.
Opinion: Conspiracy from the top down
By MILLIE LaFONTAINE
Dr. Millie LaFontaine is a retired physician who lives in Concord.
Opinion: America’s expensive bad habit
By RICHARD SWETT
Richard Swett represented New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District from 1991-1995 and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark from 1998-2001.
Opinion: The end of my days
By PARKER POTTER
Parker Potter is a former archaeologist and historian and a retired lawyer. He is currently a semi-professional dogwalker who lives and works in Contoocook.
Opinion: We can’t give up on a united America
By JEAN STIMMELL
Jean Stimmell, retired stone mason and psychotherapist, lives in Northwood and blogs at jeanstimmell.blogspot.com.
Letter: Suicide, by any name, is never the solution
Letter: Who is destroying whom?
Letter: Fairness, not just choice, at stake with EFAs
Letter: Lacking fair commercial appraisals
Letter: They lied to us
Letter: Red Lights Matter
When I got my license, and then when I took defensive driving classes for work, I was taught that when you saw a yellow light you were to proceed with caution and stop if you were able. I realize that times have changed, but it seems to me that what I was taught still makes sense.
Letter: Trust professional educators
I was born into a large family in a neighborhood brimming with children. By early adolescence, I babysat for many large broods of up to eight children, many still in diapers. I knew I had all the essential character prerequisites to be a good teacher — including patience, empathy and creativity — but these qualities alone did not make me a teacher.
Letter: The true cost of Beaver Meadow
Letter: Fallout from proposed NH abortion bill
Nine members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives have proposed a new bill which would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. One of the co-sponsors of this bill is quoted as saying “... adoption and state support are the answers,” and that he would “... like to see New Hampshire help pregnant women and parents financially if needed...”
Letter: The irony
I could not help being sadly amused by the irony of the final quotation in the article, “Republicans propose 15-week abortion ban.”
Letter: Pay-as-you-throw is the only way to go
The article on purple bags could have ended at the point where Chip Chesley said solid waste has been reduced from 14,722 tons in 2009 to 5,200 tons today. Prior to 2009 Concord taxpayers paid for every bit of that 14,722 tons. No matter how many complainers the Monitor found (How many complaints, how many responded?) that is a marvelous success. Now I only pay for the trash I can’t recycle, not for the fellow who puts everything out. That’s the difference between 14,722 and 5,200 tons.
Letter: Unfair taxation
I saw Gov. Ayotte’s pronouncement that the state “just needs to live within it’s means” (Monitor, 1/9). The problem is that more and more families, through no fault of their own, are no longer able to live within their means. The reason? Totally unaffordable property taxes. How did that happen? The state’s refusal to pay for items that should be its responsibility.
Letter: What will it take to commit to a sustainable energy future?
The wildfires in California, hurricane in North Carolina, rising water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine and record floods here at home are all signs that our climate has changed. The result is horrific destruction and loss of life. And yet regulators and policy makers are hand wringing about offshore wind development and other renewable energy solutions. In the article by Mara Hoplamazian (1/16) the question was raised: will Gov. Ayotte make changes to the climate policy of her predecessor? New Hampshire stands alone in the region without greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets or clean energy adoption goals. It’s time for that to change as the state contemplates our energy future and our role to reduce carbon emissions.
Letter: Fix the signs
I read Linda Mattlage’s comments about the new clubhouse and I’m glad a photo was included. I’ve written the golf course administrators several times to request that they spell “New Hampshire’s” correctly on all signage.
Letter: NH cannot afford Education Freedom Accounts
In a letter on Jan. 4, a reader argued that it is time to end Education Freedom Accounts on fiscal grounds. According to his reasoning, it is a luxury to spend $27 million on 5,000 students, so they can be home schooled or attend private schools. However, he fails to point out that this expenditure, which seems like a large number at first glance, but in reality amounts to $5,400 per student, allows well-meaning, motivated, and inspired parents to educate their children without extracting an average of $20,000 per pupil from local town budgets. The fiscally minded would note that amounts to over $100 million that could apparently be freed from local school budgets, though personally, I do not take this maximalist view and would prefer some remain as an investment in results-proven local school programs.
Your Daily Puzzles

An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."

A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.

Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.

Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.

Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.