Here are five scary things we learned while writing this week’s feature story on new bills currently before N.H. lawmakers, and what you should be doing about them:

1. Re-run legislation is popping up all over the place. There is a marked push among majority Republicans to revive proposals that were recently defeated. The people of New Hampshire have spoken, yet again we see bills designed to weaken labor unions’ ability to negotiate fair wages and working conditions, bills to bust up gay marriage, bills to demolish the NH Department of Cultural Resources, and bills to withdraw from RGGI and weaken environmental protections. This reminds us of House Speaker Bill O’Brien’s tactic of calling for a vote during sessions when attendance is low. Don’t let bills sneak by you.

2. So, if these bills don’t represent the will of the people of New Hampshire, who are they serving? Many of these are part of a playbook of cookie-cutter legislation organized by fat-cat special interests at the national level and pushed through at the state level with the help of compliant state legislators. Don’t let our state legislature be taken over by national puppeteers.

3. The agenda is gibberish. There’s no coherent platform, plan or agenda, just a mish-mash of special interests. The same majority pushing for expanded rights to carry loaded firearms is also pushing for limits on personal freedoms such as gay marriage. Meanwhile, the very real burden put on our communities by the federal and state fiscal crisis is not being addressed. Demand that our legislators to serve us with a coherent plan to face the challenges of the new century.

4. This is not your parents’ legislature. New Hampshire has longstanding pride in having a large, highly representative body, but its success depends upon on a shared sense of civic awareness. The salient feature of our traditional “town-hall” style of government is that participants could agree to disagree, but with a sense of common purpose. That’s eroding. There’s no better evidence than HB 1533, introduced by a Republican and co-sponsored by nine other legislators of both parties in response to perceived bullying by Speaker O’Brien against those who refuse to toe the party line. Stand up for a free and open exchange of ideas.

5. All politics are now national. But it goes both ways. The success of special interests in state capitals is going to determine their lifespan at the national level. In New Hampshire, we still have 424 representatives and senators, most of whom genuinely want to answer to the people in the communities they represent. There’s no better time to engage them in conversation on these topics, as they’re all up for reelection in November. Make local politics your new hobby. Last year we saw the greatest amount of State House activism we've seen in decades, and it did make a difference. New Hampshire did not pass anti-humanitarian (anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-labor) legislation here that passed in several other states around the country. Presidential candidates are decamping at the same time our legislative activity is heating up. Pick your platforms and speak out.

The Wire is committed to keeping you abreast of these issues during 2012. To find out how to contact your local legislator and voice your opinion on these or other bills today, visit www.gencourt.state.nh.us.