[fatlazyless]

Today's Laconia Daily Sun had its' lead article on how the towns of Belknap County are spending lots to educate their students and then a large number move away to college or a job and do not stay in the area. It's like, well.....we work so hard to educate them, and then they all leave. Our best assets are moving out. The article talked about the greying of New Hampshire and the aging......eek.... baby boomers. Maybe the state can change its' name from New Hampshire to Cow Hampshire to Grey Hampshire.....boo-hoo!

New Hampshire is the only state in the country which imposes property taxes on schools above the twelfth grade. About 15 private colleges, state wide, have closed up in the past 40 years. Belknap County used to have Gunstock College and Belknap College. A number of parochial-church affiliated high schools as well as private high schools like the Holderness School and New Hampton School all benefit from their tax-exempt status. So, it makes me wonder, how does Dartmouth College manage to survive in NH for so long?

This little paper, the Laconia Daily Sun is something like a 20 page tabloid which I think has been out for seven years now and it does a much better job than the Citizen of Laconia, a daily, and the Meredith News, a weekly, in its coverage and writing of Lakes Region governmental meetings and political issues. A free give-a-way, not on the internet, published Mon-Sat, and has lots of display and classified ads; so probably has lots of readers, too.