About 37,000 American troops are stationed in South Korea. Bass worries about the strain a Korean military flareup could place on U.S. defenses. He says America's ability to dispatch troops to hot spots around the globe has limits. The 1996 New Hampshire elections were the most expensive in state history and lawmakers in Washington and Concord are looking at ways to scale down the influence of money on politics. The flow of soft money and independent expenditures has reformers concerned.
Soft money is a contribution made to political parties.
Independent contributions are those made by third parties. There is a limit on money that can be contributed to individual candidates, but none on the amount of soft money, a loophole that has been growing during each election cycle. Various proposals would limit the influence of political money with public funding as well as discounted or limited free television time. The nonprofit business has been operating with volunteers for two years, and the trustees say it is unrealistic to continue. Board members say the Nashua Artists Association may be able to fill the void.