Re: New Hampshire abstains from new public health collaborative
It is more than a little disappointing that New Hampshire is the only New England state to not have joined the Northeast Public Health Collaborative. Though I have thus far approved of Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s governance of New Hampshire, I fear that this abstention will leave New Hampshire behind on a key issue. There is truly no evident downside to participating in an organization dedicated to publishing additional recommendations.
Rather than viewing the cooperative as some sort of opposition group to the present administration, it is better to regard it as a supplementary group to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For those who may oppose it on conservative grounds of small government, I will point out that conservatism does entail an entire lack of action. As the great Conservative Prime Minister of Britain Benjamin Disraeli said, “Individuals may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.”
The role of government, even in a limited form, is for the betterment of society. A cooperative does not crowd out innovation; it does not supersede the CDC. It merely coordinates state actions with little cost to the taxpayer.
Though I title this piece “Live Free and Die” in jest, I want to convey to New Hampshire Republicans that conservatism recognizes certain key responsibilities in the operation of government in service of a strong society. Ensuring societal — and scientific — cohesion through low-cost, limited-government cooperation programs is certainly one. What’s the downside?
Letters to the editor represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
Luke Montalbano ’27 is an opinion editor and writer. He is from Vancouver, Canada and is majoring in Government and minoring in History. On campus, Luke is a Dickey Center War and Peace Fellow, the Co-President of the Federalist Society of Dartmouth, the President of the American Conservation Coalition of Dartmouth and President of the John Quincy Adams Society.
