Don Bettencourt
Historical Details
Position on Issues
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the “Education Freedom Account” program, which gives students access to the per-pupil share of state school funding to spend on private school or home school expenses?
"Why should only wealthy families have access to schools outside their zip codes? EFA's make that option available to low income families. History has shown time and time again that competition is the best way to improve economic efficiency and quality. Home schools, private schools, remote learning, and NH's 'Learn Everywhere' program are the best alternatives for a very large number of students. Nobody is suggesting we close the public schools but it's time to explore new ways to improve educational outcomes for ALL students."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire ban abortion after 24 weeks gestation, with exceptions for cases of rape/incest and health complications?
"We should have an honest public discussion about abortion. Most people agree that abortion is wrong during the final hour of a pregnancy b/c it's a human life, not 'embryonic tissue' at that point. How about the day prior? Week prior? Month(s)?. We should not be ending babies lives. Science can help us determine when that 'tissue' becomes a baby."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the first trimester (e.g. after 6 weeks gestation)?
"When does life begin? Most would agree that's a 'life' when the heart begins beating after 6 weeks of gestation. Others would say 'not until 15 weeks' when your baby looks like a 'little person' 6 1/2 inches tall with eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and well-defined fingers and toes. NH says it's 24-weeks. At that point the baby is about 11 1/2 inches long, weighs 1 pound, and is gaining 6 oz per week. Almost everyone would agree that's a baby in the womb a few hours, days, or weeks before delivery. When did it become a life? Science now says that an organism exists after fertilization that did not exist before. It even has its own unique DNA at that point. If it's a life, it should be allowed to live. Let's see if we can reach a consensus on when that occurs."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the second trimester (e.g. after 15 weeks gestation)?
"When does life begin? Most would agree that's a 'life' when the heart begins beating after 6 weeks of gestation. Others would say 'not until 15 weeks' when your baby looks like a 'little person' 6 1/2 inches tall with eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and well-defined fingers and toes. NH says it's 24-weeks. At that point the baby is about 11 1/2 inches long, weighs 1 pound, and is gaining 6 oz per week. Almost everyone would agree that's a baby in the womb a few hours, days, or weeks before delivery. When did it become a life? Science now says that an organism exists after fertilization that did not exist before. It even has its own unique DNA at that point. If it's a life, it should be allowed to live. Let's see if we can reach a consensus on when that occurs."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3?
"Absolutely. Parents should be able to decide how long to protect their children's innocence not teachers and/or political activists. K-3 students should be learning how to read and write, about critical thinking, and about math and science."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the state law that bans teaching certain concepts, such as the idea that people may be "inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously"?
"We should be teaching students reading, writing, math, and science. We should not be teaching students that racism is OK as long as it's directed at 'white privilege' and that freedom of speech applies only to woke concepts."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should NH add an income tax on earned income?
"Every dollar left in a citizen's pocket is a dollar that will be spent more efficiently than one spent by the government, and will increase that citizen's freedom in 'live free or die' NH by allowing it to be spent on things that matter most to them, be it food, shelter, wants, needs, or charitable donations. The 'NH Advantage' (no sales or income tax) has provided decades pf prosperity for NH. Why would we want to end that?"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should NH add a broad-based sales tax?
"A sales tax is the most regressive of all forms of taxation, affecting the very first dollar spent by each citizen each year. That means that the lowest income families pay the highest sales taxes measured as a percentage of their wages."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire add a tax credit for businesses that contribute to student loan repayment for employees?
"Our state government shouldn't be playing favorites. By offering a tax credit to companies who contribute to student loan repayment for employees, NH's taxpayers will be subsidizing profitable, typically larger companies that can afford to offer to repay Student Loans. Who will pay those extra taxes to make up the lost tax revenues? All other NH taxpayers, including those smaller companies and families struggling to survive in today's environment of high inflation."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire lower business taxes?
"It's in NH's best interest to attract and encourage businesses to thrive in our state. As a small manufacturing business owner, trying to survive in a state with among the highest cost of living in the U.S., more than once I've been forced to go further into debt to pay NH's Business Enterprise Tax which is basically a 'sales tax' on wages. For each dollar we pay our workers, we have to send an additional percentage of that amount to the state. Could there be a better way to dissuade entrepreneurs from relocating to NH?"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire add a tax on capital gains?
"Ditto -- see comments for broad-based income tax above. No state or country has ever taxed itself into prosperity."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire increase the tax on cigarettes?
"According to truthinitiative.org, 'Tobacco use disproportionately affects many marginalized populations?including people in low-income communities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBT individuals and those with mental illness.' So the question is, should we force those groups to pay more than everyone else just because they are addicted?"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire government do more to address climate change?
"The U.S. represents roughly 4.2% of the world's population (333 million of world's 7.9 billion) and NH's population (1.4M of U.S.'s 333M) represents just 0.02% of the world's population. Let's be honest -- adopting the left wing's chosen technologies, wind, solar, and biomass, will not only have a negligible impact on worldwide air quality, but will likely make it slightly worse when factoring in the environment impact of: mining and manufacturing them; the amount of acreage that would need to be cleared; the disposal of hazardous materials for wind and solar at the end of their short (15 year) lives; and the high carbon emissions of biomass. Until the Left is willing to embrace zero-emission nuclear technology, let's not invest in technologies that make no economic sense for NH."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support giving voters who register without ID on Election Day a ballot that only counts if they return identifying documents to the state before a deadline?
"There are very few reasons that voters can't register to vote in the first place, which makes verification easier. If they opt to register on Election Day, they need to be able to verify their eligibility before their vote counts."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire add a fee or mileage charge for electric vehicle owners to help pay for transportation and/or electric infrastructure?
"Yes. Gasoline is taxed to provide funds for highways. Electric vehicles cause just as much wear and tear on the highways. Why shouldn't their owners contribute to those costs? By the way, those so called electric cars should more accurately be called coal-powered, natural-gas-powered, oil-powered, nuclear-powered, depending on the dominant fuel source used to generate the electricity they each use."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire add restrictions to the governor's powers during a state of emergency?
"The Covid-19 crisis exposed the dangers of extending emergency powers beyond the duration of the 'emergency'. We were told that draconian measures such as closing churches were required to avoid overburdening our hospitals. Yet as of mid-August, NH's 26 hospitals have a total of just 13 Covid-19 patients combined and still operating under a state of emergency."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should the state do more to encourage municipalities to remove zoning barriers to housing development?
"Encourage Local Zoning Changes for Housing Development - Whenever possible, we should err on the side of local control and personal property rights. Our state motto is 'Live free or die'. Property owners should have the freedom to determine how to develop and manage their property, but if that freedom is to be abridged, it should happen at the local level where both owners and voters can debate the issue -- not in Concord where legislators cannot possibly understand each locality's unique circumstances."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire extend the renewable portfolio standard past 2025, requiring public utilities to obtain more than 25% of electricity from renewable energy sources?
"Even left-wing film maker Michael Moore makes clear in his film 'Planet of the Humans' the obvious flaws in forcing a transition to renewable energy, especially solar, wind, and biomass. The only renewable energy that makes economic and strategic sense for America is nuclear power -- especially SLF (slightly used fuel) nuclear technology which would not only produce zero-carbon emissions, but also eliminate the need to store spent nuclear fuel after it is 'slightly used' with current conventional nuclear power technology. https://www.biggreenradicals.com/michael-moore-blasts-solar-and-wind-energy-in-documentary/"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire guarantee the right to access abortion before 24 weeks?
"When does life begin? Most would agree that's a 'life' when the heart begins beating after 6 weeks of gestation. Others would say 'not until 15 weeks' when your baby looks like a 'little person' 6 1/2 inches tall with eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and well-defined fingers and toes. NH says it's 24-weeks. At that point the baby is about 11 1/2 inches long, weighs 1 pound, and is gaining 6 oz per week. Almost everyone would agree that's a baby in the womb a few hours, days, or weeks before delivery. When did it become a life? Science now says that an organism exists after fertilization that did not exist before. It even has its own unique DNA at that point. If it's a life, it should be allowed to live. Let's see if we can reach a consensus on when that occurs."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire increase public access to reports of police misconduct?
"Yes. No citizens should be above the law. If someone has reported misconduct, the public should have access to that report."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the option of mail-in ballots for all voters, not just absentees?
"If you haven't seen the video '2,000 Mules', watch it with an open mind. Mail-in ballots open the doors wide to fraud."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should NH legalize the recreational use of marijuana?
"I know that that this ban reduces liberty but so does the ban on arson. I don't think we should be making it easier for more people to become impaired drivers, or discover marijuana as a gateway to other recreational drugs."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by allowing home-growing and private use without sales?
"A very close, lifelong friend of mine had his life more or less destroyed by recreational marijuana. This kid was a highly intelligent, ambitious teenager, raised in a good/great home in a Boston suburb. When he arrived at (a prestigious) college, his dorm became the go-to place for anyone who wanted to smoke weed at any hour. Halfway through junior year, he had lost all interest in studying and dropped out of school. He lived in a box truck for a while and took 'a smarter path through life than his siblings' (his opinion). That meant ditching traditional family value such as marriage and raising children. 'Life was supposed to be fun, not work.' Today he regrets that path and I regret not trying harder to help him escape it. The last thing we need in NH is better access to recreational weed."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by licensing growers and private retail locations?
"A very close, lifelong friend of mine had his life more or less destroyed by recreational marijuana. This kid was a highly intelligent, ambitious teenager, raised in a good/great home in a Boston suburb. When he arrived at (a prestigious) college, his dorm became the go-to place for anyone who wanted to smoke weed at any hour. Halfway through junior year, he had lost all interest in studying and dropped out of school. He lived in a box truck for a while and took 'a smarter path through life than his siblings' (his opinion). That meant ditching traditional family value such as marriage and raising children. 'Life was supposed to be fun, not work.' Today he regrets that path and I regret not trying harder to help him escape it. The last thing we need in NH is better access to recreational weed."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by establishing state-run cannabis stores?
"A very close, lifelong friend of mine had his life more or less destroyed by recreational marijuana. This kid was a highly intelligent, ambitious teenager, raised in a good/great home in a Boston suburb. When he arrived at (a prestigious) college, his dorm became the go-to place for anyone who wanted to smoke weed at any hour. Halfway through junior year, he had lost all interest in studying and dropped out of school. He lived in a box truck for a while and took 'a smarter path through life than his siblings' (his opinion). That meant ditching traditional family value such as marriage and raising children. 'Life was supposed to be fun, not work.' Today he regrets that path and I regret not trying harder to help him escape it. The last thing we need in NH is better access to recreational weed."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire raise the minimum wage?
"Can we all finally agree that government-mandated minimum wages have become irrelevant? On June 16, 2022, Walmart announced that it would increase the average pay of pharmacy workers to more than $20/hr and offer more frequent and automatic pay raises. What a great example of the private sector's ability to respond quickly to market conditions. A government-mandated $20/hr would be disastrous for the U.S. economy, but a Walmart $20/hr wage puts the risk of failure and the reward of success exactly where it belongs - on Walmart. A one-size-fits-all minimum wage mandated by politicians and regulators, regardless of local cost of living and economic strength, may help incumbents win reelection, but the private sector can determine minimum wage rates far more efficiently."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire increase the size of solar panel installations that may participate in net energy metering?
"Even Michael Moore now admits that solar energy's economics don't work. Google 'Michael Moore Planet of the Humans streaming' to watch his documentary released in April 2020."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire increase subsidies and tax credits for business investment?
"Let's give subsidies to ALL businesses in the form of lower taxes for all citizens. That will attract employees as well as businesses to NH. When Amazon was shopping for a new headquarters location, many cities bent over backwards to subsidize one of the world's most successful corporations. How would that help the average citizen?"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire increase the base amount of per-pupil funding it provides to local school districts?
"Should NH taxpayers pay more to fund public schools? Not if the goal is to improve student performance. Most objective studies show very little correlation, let alone cause and effect, between higher spending and student performance. Teachers contracts should reward high performers in terms of student outcomes, not longevity."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should the state permanently increase how much tax revenue it shares with towns and cities every year, beyond public school funding?
"Where do state revenues come from? Taxpayers. This question might be reworded, 'should the state government determine where your tax dollars are spent, or should you?' Local control of those funds will require that elected Selectmen and School Board members justify their funding requests to local taxpayers who are keenly aware of the differences between 'wants' and 'needs'."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the gradual phase-out of the Interests and Dividends tax?
"Let's be honest. The Interest and Dividends Tax is an income tax in a state that claims to have no income tax. Not only that, but it discourages seniors from relocating to NH because retirees typically depend upon dividends and interest to fund their retirement. We should be trying to attract families of all ages to NH rather than discriminating against some demographic groups."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Do you support Gov. Sununu's proposal to allow employers and employees to opt-in to a private, paid family and medical leave insurance plan, based on a pool of state employees, excluding coverage for personal illness?
"If employees can choose whether opt-in or opt-out, and employers can decide whether or not to subsidize the program, all parties can retain the freedom to decide whether or not they can expect a good return for their investment."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the state’s current system of public school funding, with each district’s total funding primarily dependent on local property tax revenue?
"This is a hot button issue that pits teachers unions again parents and wealthy communities against needier ones. Terms like 'adequate funding for education' are thrown around with a smug, 'you aren't paying your fair share' implied. Instead of facing off in battle, why don't we take an honest look at the relationship between education costs and student outcomes? This Cato Institute chart shows that while inflation-adjusted cost per pupil of education more than tripled from 1970 to 2014, there was virtually no improvement in Reading, Math, or Science scores: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa746.pdf Let's measure public school success based on student outcomes, not on the size of the public schools' budget."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire continue to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which requires utilities to purchase allowances for every ton of carbon they emit?
"NH needs to find ways to reduce its high energy costs if we want to attract manufacturing jobs. This program may require 'utilities to purchase allowances', but utilities just pass that cost through to NH consumers. This program is not justified by an honest cost/benefit analysis. Again, political favoritism shouldn't dictate these decisions."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire repeal the ban on abortion after 24 weeks gestation?
"When does life begin? Most would agree that's a 'life' when the heart begins beating after 6 weeks of gestation. Others would say 'not until 15 weeks' when your baby looks like a 'little person' 6 1/2 inches tall with eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and well-defined fingers and toes. NH says it's 24-weeks. At that point the baby is about 11 1/2 inches long, weighs 1 pound, and is gaining 6 oz per week. Almost everyone would agree that's a baby in the womb a few hours, days, or weeks before delivery. When did it become a life? Science now says that an organism exists after fertilization that did not exist before. It even has its own unique DNA at that point. If it's a life, it should be allowed to live. Let's see if we can reach a consensus on when that occurs."
Undecided| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire create a road usage fee?
"I would consider replacing other more-regressive taxes, such as the gasoline tax, with a usage-based fee as long as we had a mechanism to ensure it would not provide a net increase in 'fees' (aka taxes). In general, those using our roads should pay for our roads' costs. The question is, how to most efficiently collect those fees?"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire create a statewide family and medical leave program, paid for with a percentage of employee wages, with no opt-out?
"I am against any form of income tax and a percentage of wages is certainly an income tax. Also, it should be up to the employee to decide whether or not they want this 'insurance' program, just like they can opt in or out of health insurance. Employees have earned their money. They, not the government should have the freedom to determine how it should be spent."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should NH pass stricter gun control laws?
"Guns don't kill - criminals do. And guns are used far, far more often by law abiding citizens to prevent crimes, including rape, robbery, and murder, than they are by criminals to kill. Stronger NH gun control laws, which only law-abiding citizens submit to, will do absolutely nothing to prevent criminals from using guns to commit crimes."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire provide student loan debt repayment programs for workers in industries with labor shortages?
"There's a word missing in the question. It should read, 'should NH taxpayers repay student loans for some workers?' That's not fair to my low income neighbor who worked hard in college and lived within her means for years to repay her loan? I'm a strong believer in personal responsibility. If you take a loan, you need to repay it."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire add tax incentives for affordable housing development?
"Another way to word this question is, 'should government shift the tax burden from a politically-connected business to private citizens?' When a developer pays less of its fair share of taxes, someone else is forced to pay more."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2020
Should New Hampshire allocate tax revenues for private and home schooling costs?
"Private schools and home schooling put the focus on the students' needs and 21st technology gives students access to some of the best teachers in the world. Programs such as Prenda's microschools offer far more economical and effective student outcomes than schools featuring large buildings and bloated administrations."
