Category: Commentary

Brown and Despathy: Outsourcing responsibility 

This situation highlights examples of Vermont’s dilemma with unelected bodies and the State’s ongoing efforts to centralize and control. As decades of poor policy have compounded, it is imperative to evaluate the current situation and assess potential solutions. The same bodies created to address our problems have exacerbated Vermont’s affordability challenges.

Green: Blueberries, apples, and oranges

At last February’s legislative breakfast held at the municipal offices in Stowe, Rep. Dave Yacovone (D-Lamoille) put forth the bold proposal—as his solution to a question (which I don’t remember now) someone in the audience asked—to levy a tax on everyone in Vermont who makes over $500K a year. 

Crow: How will we know if Vermont’s healthcare reforms are working?

Now, Vermont has a unique opportunity to put many of those ideas into practice. Through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, the state is expected to receive nearly $1 billion over five years to strengthen healthcare access, support providers, expand the workforce, and improve health outcomes. Combined with this year’s healthcare legislation, Vermont has an unprecedented opportunity to reshape healthcare delivery.

Soulia: Vermont: The Amber Mountain State

Amber is striking because it preserves a moment forever—a leaf, a wing, a fragment of life suspended in golden resin. It allows us to look backward through time, capturing a world exactly as it once was. But what makes amber so mesmerizing is also what makes it dead. The moment inside can never change again.

O’Brien: Being smart about A.I.

Will the use of artificial intelligence promote a human-centered economy which recognizes the natural desire of the human person to work towards some end which is his own? Or will artificial intelligence become a new means by which some few impose their will upon the economic sphere and create a machine economy which treats people as objects with no higher needs than the energy required to keep the data centers of industry humming? 

Vermont Chamber: Vermont is in trouble

Staying the course is not a viable option. It only gets worse from here if nothing changes. We are aging, shrinking, and pricing out our own children, workers, and entrepreneurs. Schools face consolidation, taxes are climbing, and employers struggle to fill jobs. We’re too dependent on federal funding to support state spending. A housing shortage is driving up prices, slowing economic growth, and leaves young people feeling forced out. 

Morrison: Vermont’s healthcare crisis is real – S.190 wasn’t the solution

Vermonters have every reason to be frustrated with the state’s healthcare system. Costs continue to climb, insurance premiums consume a growing share of household budgets, and access to care remains uncertain for many families. That frustration helped fuel support for S.190. But good intentions do not always produce good policy. Breaking down the problem with S.190 will help Vermonters understand the Governor’s veto and why this legislation was not a real solution.

Green: Pilgrims and Providence

Some reading this might be familiar with stories which may have, over time, taken on an almost mythical quality regarding George Washington’s apparently indestructible nature. But for those who aren’t, we will look at a few of these instances which, when seen amidst the whole tapestry of divine orchestration in the weaving together of our republic, must certainly be regarded as one of the most spectacular threads.

Gray: Building the housing Vermont needs

Whether we live in Swanton, Guilford, Pownal, or anywhere in between, Vermonters take pride in our self-sufficiency and resilience. When we see a problem, we fix it, whether it’s a broken fence or a broken economy. The next two years of the Trump administration will almost certainly see Washington punishing so-called “blue states” like Vermont with less federal help than ever. No one is coming to save us, so it’s up to us to invest in ourselves, and our communities.