VA Loan Updates

There is a resolution currently being considered in the American Legion, District 8, Department of New Hampshire that urges the New Hampshire Legislature and the University of New Hampshire system to provide, and fully fund, scholarships for today’s Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) warriors who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.

Due in part to corporate-bought Congress and its specious dogmatic opprobrium and apathy to providing a 21st century GI Bill, which could correct the disparities to National Guard benefits, among other things, this scholarship benefit is past its time for us to provide. The charge is, rightfully or otherwise, left to the states to rectify this tragic injustice.

The GI Bill of our fathers and grandfathers had, by some quantitative estimates, a six-to-eight fold return for the investment. Qualitatively, the positive results were, no doubt, exponential if not immeasurable. Not a bad investment of public funds.

UNH President Huddleston intimated to me, at the UNH annual meeting in Concord last September, that the Veteran’s Service Organizations (VSO’s) will be the drivers of this proposal. Drive, we will indeed.

Other initiatives that will bring positive results to this state are also being considered in this North Country by several forward thinking citizens. They include a UNH brick and mortar facility, perhaps in Lancaster or Northumberland/Groveton. This will provide a place for classroom-style continuing education at a reasonable cost, thus enhancing offerings from the Berlin Tech and those available in Littleton.

The increased population of retirees from academia and other professional careers will be a great pot from which to glean educators for two- and four-year math, science and English majors.

Coos County is the only county that has had a net loss in population, every year, for the past decade, predominantly young families. The spurious contentions that other colleges have the lock on educational options up here through online education is weak at best when we read the study released late last year from North Country Council et al. The study shows that 67 percent of the North Country is not online, for whatever reason. UNH and its growing collaborations have made it one of the most efficient, cost effective, best academic universities in the Northeast. We want and need more of that action up here above the Notches.

Politicians constantly give lip service to veterans, the need for continuing education resulting in an educated workforce, and sustainable economic development. Rolling funding to say, Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), back to well-grounded logical days of Benson budgetary, for a few years, will, no doubt, provide many N.H. National Guard veterans who fought, and are fighting, the war on terror with much-needed continuing education. The infusion of these funds, previously destined to be allocated to LCHIP, will be better utilized in UNH and will most likely act as a self perpetuating endowment, if managed properly. This concept will be part of a vital economic stimulus package due to the development of the North Country and the youth that will stay here, and across the state. The business community will see this sustainable workforce/environment and most likely locate here, through aggressive recruitment by Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) and the myriad Economic Development and Rural Development Corporations.

Now to the logical, thinking minds in this Granite State, one can most assuredly see the benefits and positive, exponential return for these investments.

I strongly urge the New Hampshire Legislature, the UNH managers and DRED to wrap your gray matter around, and implement, these concepts. Our future is at stake in these recession like times, so let’s get ahead of the game now.

William J. Cowie
Stark

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