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A 40-year-old from Buenos Aires City was the lucky winner of the raffle for libertarian deputy Javier Mileis first monthly paycheque this week and while the lawmaker was happy to follow through on his campaign promise, he probably isnt as pleased with the result.

The winner reportedly registered at the last minute on Tuesday night, competing with almost one million participants competing for the sum of 205,596 pesos (around US$1,000).

"The winner is called Federico Hugo Nacarado, 40, who registered last night at 9.10pm," Milei confirmed on Wednesday.

However, the ideology of porteo Nacarado is far removed from the liberal economist since he considers himself to be a fanatical Kirchnerite.

"I love Cristina[Fernndez deKirchner]," maintainsNacarado, who works in the construction sector. He said his wife entered him into the raffle "because you have to if there is a contest going.

Mileis parliamentary salary will be raffled the same way every month, Libertad Avanza sources informed, open via https://mipalabra.javiermilei.com to all Argentine-born citizens aged over 18.

How are you doing, Javier? Thanks a lot, the money will come in handy, Nacarado told the deputy in a brief dialogue maintained via Todo Noticias television news channel, telling him that much of it will go to pay off bank overdrafts.

"At least he made a good start because he kept a promise, he commented on Milei and his recent incursion into politics.

"At home we are super K, the winner later told La Nacin, naming his three favourite Argentine politicians as first, Cristina Kirchner, then (Buenos Aires Province Governor) Axel Kicillof and third,Mximo Kirchner."

As for the ultra-liberal and anti-system economist Milei, 51, his comment was: "That money is mine, I can spend it like any other deputy or burn it in public or seek a form whereby that money stolen from the people returns to the people."

Just 25 years after swearing in on December 10, the deputy raffled his December salary of 200,000 pesos in a street overlooking a Mar del Plata beach at the height of the holiday season, transmitted directly by television news channels. The name of the winner emerged ahead of the presence of Milei himself.

The libertarian sprang from the academic world and political consultancy when he created his La Libertad Avanza party in 2020 which rubbishes what he calls the "political caste" and considers the state "the enemy, a violent oppressor who robs us of the fruit of our labours," in his words.

In the November 14 midterms, Mileis party finished third in the City of Buenos Aires with 17.3 percent of the vote, winning two seats in the Chamber of Deputies although not represented in the rest of the country.

The initiative was criticised by many of his fellow-deputies while the Agencia de Acceso a la Informacin Pblica, an autonomous government entity, began an investigation to corroborate that it complies with personal data protection legislation, given the possibility that the real aim of the raffle was to assemble a data base of possible voters.

"What does Milei live from, how does he pay his bills?" asked deputy Sabrina Ajmechet, of the centre-right opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition, warning that if legislators do not collect their salaries, "only the wealthy could enter politics."

"I pick up money for my work, as outlined by Article 74 of the Constitution," said his ally Jos Luis Espert, another ultra-liberal economist, differentiating himself from Milei, who argued that he renounced his earnings from private activity before swearing in as a deputy on December 10 and that he will live in future from economics lectures.

TIMES/AFP/PERFIL

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Milei raffles off monthly pay and the cash is won by a Kirchnerite - Buenos Aires Times

WASHINGTON, DC Gov. Chris Sununu laid out some of the work he says the state needs to continue to do to be the best place to live and work in the nation in an interview at the Cato Institute Thursday.

The libertarian think tank in Washington ranked New Hampshire Number One among the states for fiscal, regulatory, and personal policy in 2021. But it has recommendations for improvement.

Entering his fifth year as the state's chief executive, after recently announcing he plans to run for a fourth term rather than for the U.S. Senate, Sununu, a Republican, said his agenda going forward is to work on existing issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, reduce overdose deaths, increase school choice, pass right-to-work legislation, agree to his version of paid family leave which is "not an income tax" and try to tackle the lack of available housing as the state grows in popularity and prosperity.

While COVID-19 "is still very much with us," and on his front burner, Sununu said he would resist government mandates over the choice of businesses and hospitals to decide whether mandatory vaccinations among employees and mask-wearing among visitors and patrons was necessary.

In much the way he said local control has been the hallmark of the state's success, he said individual choice over government mandates always work out better saying those approaches are eventually "doomed to fail."

He criticized teachers' unions in general saying they are "out for themselves."

"I try not to be a union basher," Sununu said but he called their approach a "failing model."

Sununu said he embraces school choice now and going forward particularly for low-income families who find that their public school is not working for them, and he noted the popular voucher approach the state has taken for that demographic.InDepthNH.org reached out to both the NEA-NH and the New Hampshire Democratic Party for a response to the interview that was livestreamed but did not immediately receive a response from NEA-NH.

NHDP Chair Ray Buckley said: "Instead of attacking New Hampshire teachers and pushing a costly school voucher program that will gut public education, Chris Sununu ought to be doing his job and working to fund public education for all students in New Hampshire."

"Chris Sununu and the NH GOP need to end their obsessive culture war on U.S. history that's hurting Granite State children, and let teachers teach," said Buckley.

Sununu traveled to Washington D.C. for the policy conversation with William Ruger, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, and Jason Sorens, an adjunct scholar there, and the director of the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College.

The conversation was virtual and was watched by many with three questions taken at the end of the hour from the public in a chatbox.

Both Ruger and Sorens are authors of Freedom in the 50 States, its sixth edition which is an index of personal and economic freedom in America by states during 2021.

In 2020, Florida was ranked the number one state on the basis of how their policies promote freedom in the fiscal, regulatory and personal realms but in 2021, New Hampshire returned to the number one position with Florida second, Nevada third, Tennessee fourth, and South Dakota fifth.

The 50th or the worst-ranked state according to the Cato index was New York while neighboring states Massachusetts ranked 30th, Vermont 43rd, and Maine 43th.

Sununu said the top five states on the list produced by the report are where "people flock to."

The report indicates that due to the pro-freedom direction of New Hampshire and its legislative policies it is likely to be harder for other states to "regain the crown" next year.

New Hampshire's 400-member House of Representatives, considered by Sununu to be the most representative in the nation, flipped from Democratic to Republican control a year ago with more than 100 endorsed Freedom Caucus candidates being elected. They are all up for re-election this year.

Sununu called it an honor to be considered the number one state for freedom and said "who you elect matters."Sununu said he was fearful that the next generation is shying away from politics because it has become so divisive and personal but he urged those in states which don't have the freedoms that New Hampshire enjoys to run for office or get civically engaged as the best way to make a difference and see change.

"Stay positive," he said. "You need hope."He gave an example of success in that regard as the town of Walpole which built affordable housing which looks like a barn and in character with the community.

He said the state needs to engage the business community and entice and empower them to be part of the housing solution as a way to fight against the "NIMBY" or not in my backyard philosophy obstructing housing development.

He also pointed to his efforts to reduce taxes as part of the reason the state is doing so well noting that he reminds his father John, a former governor, that he was not able to do what he has done.

The report had some concerns for New Hampshire from its freedom-loving perspective.

It said New Hampshire's regulatory outlook is not so sunny and noted: "the granite state's primary sin is exclusionary zoning."

It recommended that the state needs to legalize gambling, pass a right-to-work law and that local governments need to get a handle on school spending and taxation.

Sununu was asked by a caller about legalizing marijuana and said the state has decriminalized it under his watch and he would be receptive to bills that would handle it in the right way, but he worried about the state's drug problems and does not want to exacerbate or diminish advances to turn that crisis around.

Sununu said the bottom line for freedom in New Hampshire is that local control means individuals have more of a say. That brings with it an inherent sense of freedom from government and the ability to engage at a micro level to come to a consensus and see meaningful change and feel that individual voices are heard, which is not a top-down government at all but by the people and for the people, he said.

A copy of the CATO report can be found here.https://www.freedominthe50states.org/

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.

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Sununu Goes To Washington To Talk To Cato Institute About New Hampshire - Patch.com

The Texas Constitution

Fun facts about the document that guides the laws of the Lone Star State.

John C. Moritz/USA TODAY NETWORK

AUSTINPop quiz Question 1: What do Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas have in common when it comes to politics? Answer: All have gone Republican in every presidential election this century.

Question 2: Pull Texas out of the mix, and then what do they have in common? Answer: They are all currentlyrun by Democratic governors. That's something Texas has not been able claim in almost 28 years. In fact, Democratshaven't won any statewide elections in that long, and there have been about 100 of them during that time.

By way of illustration, an online site for lottery players puts the odds of someone matchingthree of the six numbers in a Lotto Texas drawing at about 1 in 75. The payout for hitting three of six is a modest $3. But it stillmeans a Texas Democrat has a better chance of winning at least part of the Lotto jackpot than getting elected statewide.

So why can Democrats win at least sometimes in red states but not in Texas? There's not a one-size-fits-all answer, but there are some clues. And, like the Lotto analogy, evidence suggests that a little luck is often involved.

Let's look at Kentucky. It's home to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, arguably the most powerful Republican currentlyholding elective office. And it's arguably even redder than Texas. Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 30 percentage points in 2016and crushed Joe Biden by 32 points four years later.

But between those blowouts, along came Democrat Andy Beshear. In 2019, one of the nation's few odd-year state elections, Beshear challenged Trump-backed Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Beshear had come out for expanded Medicaid for economically distressed families and sided with public school teachers, whom Bevin had targeted as "selfish" and "ignorant."

More: MORITZ: 2022 is almost here, so now's time to start paying attention to midterm elections

Beshear, then the state attorney general, whose father had served as Kentucky governor, benefited from voters being turned off by Bevin's sometimes pugnacious behavior.He also ran into a bit of luck. Bevin's vote tally was just a hair'sbreadth below 50%, and pundits said the 2% pulled by the Libertarian candidate was enough to vanquish the Republican incumbent.

Louisiana elected Democrat John Bel Edwards governor in 2015, toward the end of Barack Obama's presidency. Recall that the Obama era midterm and off-year elections were brutal for Democrats, especially in the South. But Bel Edwards, who happensto share the same last name as Louisiana political legend Edwin Edwards (there goes that luck thing again), stuck to bread-and-butter issues as a way of not getting intertwined with his state's antipathy toward Obama.

Bel Edwards, who is not related to Edwin Edwards,was reelected in 2019. It didn't hurt that he is a gun rights advocate and anti-abortion in heavily Catholic Louisiana. And he campaigned heavily and turned outthe vote among Black Louisianans. The racewas close, but a win is a win. And the next year, Trump took Louisiana by a comfortable 60-40 ratio.

More: MORITZ: How unfamous people with famous names have fared in Texas politics over the years

Kansas is so Republican that no Democrat has carried the state in a presidential election since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. But in 2018, a good year for Democrats nationally, Laura Kelly pushed back against Trump's hard line on immigration and vowed to expand Medicaid. Kelly also aggressively courted Republican moderates who were uncomfortable with both Trump and former Gov. Sam Brownback.

So what does all this mean for Texas in 2022, not only in the governor's race but down the ballot as well? The easy, and perhaps flip, answer for Democrats is to pray for a long overdue change of luck. The harder, and so farunattainable, answer is tofind some way to make your own luck.

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.comand follow him on Twitter@JohnnieMo.

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MORITZ: Democrats win in other red states, but in Texas, they're unable to crack the code - Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick| Press-Citizen opinion writers

The start of a new year is a time to think about beginnings and purposes.

Take the U.S. Constitution: it sets out our national purposes, the resolutions for our shared government, in its preamble. Part of the preamble, to provide for the general welfare, deserves special consideration this year.

The Constitution replaced the failed Articles of Confederation, which foundered upon the Tragedy of the Commons. The tragedy occurs when everyone has access to and motivation to exploit a resource, but no one has the responsibility to maintain it. That resource is then depleted or spoiled for everyone, like an over-fished lake.

The Articles had no mechanism for putting the common good over state-level interests. The Constitution created a strong central government with an obligation to the general welfare of we the people, while leaving states and local governments to look out for local interests.

And it worked. Our national commitment to the general welfare mostly managed our internal competitions, while our federalist structure encouraged local initiative and problem-solving.

Alexis de Tocqueville, who toured America in the 1830s to learn why our revolution flourished while Frances had failed, believed our strength lay in our ability to come together at all levels to solve problems democratically: As soon as several of the inhabitants of the United States have conceived a sentiment or an idea that they want to produce in the world, they seek each other out; and when they have found each other, they unite.

That commitment to the common good recovered even from the Civil War and was reinforced by our common experiences during the Great Depression and World War II. President John Kennedy famously captured Americas commitment to the common good, despite the Red Scare, desegregation and other contentious issues of the moment: Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

But starting around Kennedys death, we entered into a decline in both trust in each other and trust in government. Commentators from conservative David Brooks to liberal Matthew Yglesias have written about this decline in trust and how, correspondingly, civic participation suffers.

Factors from the media to partisan rancor to Americas wars have contributed to this loss. But these declines also line up with the rise of libertarian philosophy, which at its best amounts to live and let live, and at its worst becomes screw you, Ive got mine.

We have increasingly seen more of the latter than the former. As this selfish and isolationist philosophy has permeated our social fabric, weve seen social involvement erode along with our commitment to the general welfare. Prominent examples include our decreased communal willingness to pay for family assistance, educationand public health.

In short, the decline in our commitment to the general welfare is linked to our loss of faith in our common good and our common goodness. We believe we can renew that commitment and that faith by building up local communities.

And there is good news. President Donald Trumps election spurred many to consider the state of our institutions and to act. Civic participation has increased: established groups have gained new members and new energy, and new groups have formed to encourage political engagement, mutual aidand neighborhood engagement.

Meanwhile, concern for the consequences of inequality and skepticism of the libertarian ideal are rising even among the business leaders we would expect to most benefit from them.

Our country faces a conflict between selfishness and distrust on the one hand, and civic and community spirit on the other. Its consequences are profound, impacting our health, our children, and our planet.

As de Tocqueville warned, America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

For our part, we will recommit ourselves to civic participation and furthering the general welfare in 2022. We ask you to join us.

Writers Group members Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick live in Iowa City. And biannual time changes must be abolished.

Read more from the original source:
Opinion: Let's make 2022 the year civic participation, and looking out for the common good, returns - Iowa City Press-Citizen

Stephanie Piro| Special to Foster's

ROCHESTER - We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays.Dont forget, the library will be closed Monday, Jan. 17in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

If you are looking for something to do in the winter weeks to come, why not include the library in your to-do list? Whatever your interests, we have you covered! From magazines to DVDs and everything in between, including great downloadable resources, all you need is an active library card. No card, and live in Rochester? Just bring in your photo ID and a recent proof of address (recent mail, car registration, lease, etc.) or if you are a property owner, we can look you up on the Town tax rolls, and we will sign you up for a card.

For out-of-towners who would like to use our resources, we have two options for you to join the library. A $30 will give a 6-month membership and $60 will give a year membership to you and everyone in your household.

The library is excited to offer a new program for local writers. The purpose of this writing group is for people to have a designated time and space to work on their projects individually surrounded by others for moral support. The session will run for two hours with a fifteen-minute break for people to socialize if they wish and the library will provide light refreshments. The group facilitator, Madeline, ran a similar group at a library in Washington State with great success.Join us Thursday, Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Rose Room (2nd floor of the library). Call Abby, our Programming Librarian, at 603-335-7550 with any questions.

Main Desk Librarian (and syndicated cartoonist) Stephanie, and Main Desk LibrarianKarylhave created a series of weekly animated videos recommending book, DVD and other titles available at the library. Enjoy our animated suggestions for titles to start the New Year! See them on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.

This week RPL librarianAmyshares a recent favorite: Although I am not a huge nonfiction reader, 'A Libertarian Walks into a Bear' was recommended to me and I found myself engrossed in the story immediately. It is a thoughtfully written chronicling of a political experiment in Grafton, N.H., by the Free Town Project starting in 2004. The author,Matt Hongoltz-Hetling, is a reporter for the Valley News in Hanover, N.H.He also includes the history of Grafton in an effort to explain why Grafton was the town of interest. Whether you remember John Babiarz running for governor of N.H. or not, this book will have you hooked on his story and all of the other characters as well as the decisions that were made in an effort to be free.I enjoyed every minute of this book. I appreciate Hongoltz-Hetling's writing style.He broke up the information into chunks and delved into why the town was plagued with fires, bears, and terrible roads with humor and wit.I give it five stars!

We are always happy when Kait has some new recommendations. You may not know it, but RPL LibrarianKaitis a Queen of social media and book blogging and her Instagram has many followers. Her recommendations for this week are: Happy 2022!

I would like to share the 22 YA books publishing in the first half of 2022 that Im most excited about! From a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer book to a queer marching band story and everything in between, I hope you will find something to enjoy from this list. Happy reading! (Publication dates are listed after the titles):

When You Get the Chanceby Emma Lord (1-4);The Storytellerby Kathryn Williams (1-11);In Every Generationby Kendare Blake (1-25);Fire Becomes Herby Rosiee Thor (2-1);Mirror Girlsby Kelly McWilliams (2-1);No Filter and Other Liesby Crystal Maldonado (2-1);A Million to Oneby Adiba Jaigirdar (2-15);The Chandler Legaciesby Abdi Nazemian (2-15);Bright Ruined Thingsby Samantha Cohoe (2-15);The One True Me and Youby Remi K. England (3-1);This Golden Stateby Marit Weisenberg (3-1);One For Allby Lillie Lainoff (3-8);Forward Marchby Skye Quinlan (3-8);Alice Austen Lived Hereby Alex Gino (4-5);Message Not Foundby Dante Medema (3-29);Does My Body Offend You?by Maria Cuevas (4-5);Scouts Honorby Lily Anderson (4-5);Queen of the Tilesby Hanna Alkaf (4-19);Why Would I Lie?by Adi Rule (5-1);I Kissed Shara Wheelerby Casey McQuiston (5-3);See You Yesterdayby Rachel Lynn Solomon (5-3);You, Me, and Our Heartstringsby Melissa See (5-31)

For more book lists like these and other bookish fun, follow Kait Plus Books atkaitplusbooks.comor @kaitplusbooks on social media! (Most of Kaits list recommendations can be found in the library. Some are available on the Libby app.)

Cold and flu season protocols: Cold and flu season, as well as COVID-19, is upon us. If anyone in your family comes down with COVID-19, contact us for help with items you may not be able to return on time. Call us at 603-335-7549 or 603-332-1428 with any questions. While we love to share our books, we do not want to share germs! Please remember that if you or your child is too sick to go to work or school, you are too sick to visit the library.

Winter Story Time: Winter Story Times are almost full! Call us at 603-3357549 or come to the library to check for space availability. The programs are free and begin the week of Jan. 10 and will run for six weeks.They will start in our meeting room and will last about 20 minutes. We will share three to four books alternating with finger plays, songs, and movement, and then follow that with a 30-minute Stay & Play in the Childrens Room.This time will be for children to participate in unstructured play and socialize, while adults will have an opportunity to meet other families in our community.

We respectfully request that accompanying adults wear masks during Story Time.

Collage Rainbow ~Take It & Make It Craft: Families can pick up a kit beginning Saturday, Jan. 8 through Saturday, Jan. 15 or until they are gone. Pick up times are during library open hours only. The kits will be inside the Childrens Room entryway. (One kit per child please).

Main Floor: Beatlemania: Whether or not you watched the Get Back documentary series on Disney+, or are a new or old Beatle fan, we have a fab display filled with books, DVDs and CDs of all your favorite songs. Check out a few and have your own Beatle festival.

Are you a local artist interested in exhibiting your work at the Rochester Public Library? We would love to hear from you! Please email a short bio with images of your work to RPLReference@rochesternh.net

Having problems with a new smartphone or tablet? Want help setting up Libby or hoopla so you can read or listen to free ebooks and audiobooks? Emerging Technology SpecialistJessicais here to help you if you need it! Give us a call to make an appointment at 603-332-1428 or RPLReference@rochesternh.net.

Contacting RPL: Visit the Librarys website: https://rpl.lib.nh.us/; Email the reference librarian Rplreference@rochesternh.net. Message us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rplnh/ or https://www.facebook.com/RPLChildrensRoom

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Take in the winter activities at the Rochester library - Foster's Daily Democrat