Fix The Debt

A coalition of state leaders from both sides of the aisle are standing together to urge Congress to resolve the nation’s growing debt crisis. New Hampshire’s chapter of the Campaign to Fix the Debt will be led by Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau (R) and Manchester Senator Lou D’Allesandro (D). The group is calling on Granite Staters to join this grassroots effort to make resolving our debt a top priority.

Highlights from the Granite State …

The New Hampshire field team held a lively Fix the Debt state launch press conference in the New Hampshire State House Complex. Media in attendance included the Associated Press, the Union Leader, New Hampshire Public Radio, WBIN-TV, the Telegraph, the Concord Monitor, and WMUR.com.

Photo caption: Tyler Peaton, left, and state Rep. Don LeBrun are seen as a bipartisan group launches a campaign in New Hampshire calling on policymakers to address the looming and growing national debt Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

On the morning of the event, AP sent out an electronic media “summary” of the day’s events, and eight radio stations reported on the press conference. In addition, 22 articles and publications that covered the story.

The New Hampshire launch event was very well attended and included the following notable attendees: Mayor Donnalee Lozeau (R) of Nashua; State Senator Lou D’Allesandro (D) of Manchester (in photo, middle); Dawn Wivell, former director of International Trade Resource Council (in photo); and former Congressman and former Ambassador to Denmark Dick Swett (D) (in photo, left). (Photo credit: Emily Corwin / NHPR)

More on the launch in New Hampshire:

“Everything has to be on the table. We have to all be willing to make the hard choices,” explained Mayor Lozeau. “We don’t have the luxury of cherry picking the things no one wants to touch.”

Senator D’Allesandro, who has spent the last 14 years on a Senate committee tasked with producing balanced budgets, says it’s time to act now “This needs a bipartisan effort, and it requires people coming together. Everyone must play a role. Sacrifices must be made.”

New Hampshire’s Fix the Debt co-chairs were joined by several members of the chapter’s steering committee, which includes an impressive list of current and former political leaders such as former Governor Steve Merrill, former Senate Presidents Arthur Klemm and Tom Eaton and Former New Hampshire House Speaker Donna Sytek.

Business leaders also joined the effort to raise public awareness. “Unchecked debt will crowd out investment, slow wage growth and push to fiscal crisis,” explained Dawn Wivell, CEO of Firebrand International, and a former director of the NH Trade & International Resource Center.

The publicly-held portion of the national debt, the measure experts agree is most meaningful metric, equals 73 percent of the U.S. economy and will continue to climb if left unchecked. Wivell urged business leaders to sign the Campaign’s Citizen’s Petition and to call New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation and urge action. “A strong global economy is portably and a sound national policy is absolutely critical.”

The group repeatedly acknowledged the difficulty of the task, but pointed out that fiscal responsibility is the New Hampshire way, and it should be the Washington way as well. Former NH Congressman Dick Swett was reminded of the same fight he faced more than 20 years ago; only this time, he believes the debt problem is worse. “If we don't take care of our fiscal house and spend money appropriately, then we will certainly have terrible problems in the future,” explained Swett.