Our Legislature’s leaders in recent years have bragged incessantly about “doing the work” when really they’re just been leading endless virtue parades.
Our Legislature’s leaders in recent years have bragged incessantly about “doing the work” when really they’re just been leading endless virtue parades.
This isn’t Welch’s first attempt at such legislation. A similar version introduced in 2021 failed to gain traction in Congress.
So, free advice to Republicans House members here…. Run your own candidate for Speaker. Don’t back either of these two. Put forward a candidate who will run on and articulate the agenda that just propelled you all to a historic victory
“Former Turning Point director indicted for stealing from New Hampshire nonprofit.”
I genuinely feel like in the past four years since graduating college we have been living under a dark, dystopian government.
In 2020, I measured my dad’s care for me with a single metric: his vote.
Appointments to health-related agencies are important bellwethers of how much influence Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will bring to bear in the incoming administration.
If Baruth and White represent the worst kind of ideologically, out of touch radicals who see politics as a means to wield power over their constituents rather than represent them, Ram Hinsdale represents the worst kind of self-serving corruption.
Did the teachers counsel the kiddos that Trump is Hitler, and they will all be deported soon? Nothing like kiddie fear-porn by public servants inflicted on others’ children.
“Why is it socially acceptable – as a form of entertainment – for men to put on dresses, make up and high heels and act out every offensive stereotype of women (bitchy, catty, dumb, slutty, etc.) – but it is not socially acceptable – as a form of entertainment – for a white person to put on blackface and act out offensive stereotypes of African Americans?”
The comparison between drag shows and blackface is clearly nothing more than an excuse to be both racist and homophobic at the same time.
You not only failed to question the lies, challenge the lies, call out the lies, you actively enabled their lying. You circled the wagons around the Democrats’ talking points. Made champions out of the liars and silenced the critics.
In the online Marketplace of Ideas, there is no more stimulating Vermont food-for-thought stand.
What is more surprising? A Republican governor in a Democratic state, who stands against everything Trump espouses and who voted for his opponent, wins the governorship for a fifth time with 73 percent of the vote.
In the food processing sector alone, immigrants account for 35% of meat processing workers, 34% of workers in commercial bakeries, 30% of the labor in fruit and vegetable processing, and 25% of workers in seafood and other food processing
The hounds did not first ask whether these individuals were Republican or Democrat. Companion dogs have been attacked by bear and coyote hounds.
Along with their clergy roles, they were 1st Lieutenants in the U.S. Army’s Chaplain Service in WWII. Because of their commitment, they became “Immortal,” as you will soon find out.
There is also the reality of amending the Global Warming Solutions Act. Strike the mandate. Replace it with a Vermont Strong set of goals to achieve any carbon reduction that reduces my cost of living.
“The Democrats’ arrogance is what’s wrong with this country. Bad food, bad education, bad healthcare… is hidden by liberal speech, Obama smiles, and more EMPTY promises, which Trump took advantage of (which any good sociopath will do).”
Going into Election Day, officials and pro-democracy advocates braced for the worst. What a difference a day — and a result — makes.
Vermont Republicans should say as loudly as they can, “GOT IT!,” put forward a full repeal of the Clean Heat Standard, and dare the Democrats to blow it off or vote no.
The Clean Heat Standard is slated to return to the legislature in January for another approval, which is now less likely. The original sponsor of the measure, Senator Chris Bray, D-Addison, was one of the lawmakers to lose re-election last week.
We should make peace with the climate, and each other
At its peak, [VT Yankee] the plant provided around one-third of the state’s electricity, all without emitting greenhouse gases.
Elon Musk wrote on X, “The people of America gave Donald Trump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight.”
With the election in the history books, what will Vermont look like when a new Legislature takes charge two years from now?
The traditional Democrat Party is dead. It’s gone. Progressivism has absorbed it. Progressivism is a euphemism for today’s postmodern-Socialism.
Wrenner frequently emphasizes her independence from party leadership, but her voting record suggests otherwise.
But with vote by mail, what happens at the kitchen table does not stay at the kitchen table where, if we are to take the marital dynamic portrayed in the ad as its presented, this husband would be looking over his wife’s shoulder as she made her choice.
For these reasons, there is no excuse to not know the effect of our vote. We need only compare the policies of the Trump years to that of the Biden-Harris years.
And most of what folks think of when hearing the term is the peculiar leaders of these governments and the antisemitic atrocities of the Nazis.
Imagine if anti-gun advocates displayed a sign in their front yard stating, “This household is against gun ownership; there are no firearms here.”
FoMoCo’s third-quarter losses are being made public just two months after the company announced it was killing a planned three-row, all-electric SUV.
Foremost, with 65% of all women in support of reproductive rights, it’s no wonder why Mr. Trump is failing to gain the support of women. His creepy behavior and engineering the repeal of Roe v. Wade will be the downfall of Mr. Trump’s campaign.
“In Gaza, no figure loomed larger in determining the war’s trajectory than the 61-year-old Hamas leader. Obsessive, disciplined, and dictatorial, he was a rarely seen veteran militant who learned Hebrew over the years spent in Israeli prisons and who carefully studied his enemy
The legislature also needs to be more mindful of what Vermonters can afford, and we need to repair our economy so that our children don’t have to leave the state in order to earn a decent living.
atiently He waits as we build bombs with our tax dollars to have them dropped on innocent children around the world only to spend more tax dollars to have innocent babies murdered in our mother’s wombs.
Rob Roper tells the Public Utilities Commission why supporters’ claims about the Clean Heat Standard “are observably, demonstrably, and obviously false.” So can you.
Because of a lack of a “culture of safety,” bystander professionals fail to speak up.
The only candidates on the ballot that will not destroy the home heat industry, which my coworkers and I rely upon to support our families in Vermont, are Republicans.
As Vermont’s cost of living rises and its tax environment becomes increasingly burdensome, the state’s ability to attract and retain talent, businesses, and investment has come into question.
They love to hate the “MAGA” people (and all the baloney propaganda they have invested in maligning them), and there is no pivot to hating “MAHA.”
In recent decades, the state’s approach to control has evolved into land-use policies, zoning laws, and environmental regulations—most notably Act 250—all of which continue to impact Vermont’s rural communities.
With basic CC interest at about 22% someone’s making a lot of money. They, will make a ton more when we are forced to only use credit cards. But by far the biggest fear is government control.
VP Kamala Harris said in a recent interview that “freedom of speech is a privilege.” To this I would counter that, no – it is a right, and an inalienable one at that. Just imagine how astonished these same powerful people will be if they succeed in collapsing the First Amendment, and then are silenced by opposing forces in the future.
Most letters to the editor report how ‘nice’ the candidates are. But that’s not the main qualification?
Although we can improve the way we pay for education, we have more of a spending problem than a funding problem, and until we figure out how to reduce our education spending, our tax bills will continue to go up, regardless of whether those bills are for property, income, sales, or some other tax!
Is this Vermont’s goal, to force Vermonters out of the state?
And this one really gets the old jaw to drop: “Bake sales.” Yeah, sure! At an average cost of $2 each, we would only have to sell around 100 million chocolate chip cookies to cover the current over-spending gap – assuming parents foot the cost of ingredients. Sound thinking here from the brains of those charged with preparing our young people for future of success.
Agenda 21 is not a conspiracy theory; it is a real plan of action created by the United Nations in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit. The document outlines voluntary steps nations should take to achieve sustainable development, including land use planning, protecting ecosystems, managing resources, and reducing carbon emissions.
Truthfully I do not blame these kids at all. It’s what they’re being taught, (that the world is going to end in 5 years) and its all because of us terrible humans! I went through the Vermont schools system, and I can remember laying in my bed at night as a middle schooler, unable to sleep because I was afraid the ice caps would melt and flood everywhere.
To be crystal clear, I’ve never sent an anonymous letter to anyone, ever. Notwithstanding that fact, the Democrat party continues with the claim that “despite criminal interference on his behalf, Democratic and Independent voters in Guilford and Vernon will reject MAGA extremist Jason Herron.”
The common refrain seems to be, “Don’t worry, the state will pay for it.” However, this mindset creates a dangerous financial spiral that leaves both residents and the government worse off. As state spending grows, so does the expectation that it can cover an ever-expanding list of social programs and environmental goals.
There are many issues that are causing great concern among Vermonters, as I am hearing from most of the people to whom I speak in my Brattleboro District 7. I encourage all to spread the word, raise questions, and speak out. This is a critical time for all of us here in Vermont.
So, for the Republicans to take control of the senate for the first time since the 1990s, they would have to hold the seven seats they have, win eight more, plus that LTG race. Can they do it? There is a path!
Fish and Wildlife is well aware that the fisher population is in danger due to rodenticide poisoning and other threats, however they still allow a recreational trapping season with no limit on the number of animals that may be killed.
Unlike Phil, John was a Democrat when he was in the Vermont legislature. “The Democratic Party, when I first entered politics in 2003, looked after working class and poor people,” Rodgers said. “And they don’t do that anymore.”
John not only supports Vermont’s traditional rural way of life, he lives it. He farms the Rodgers Family 200-year-old farm in the Northeast Kingdom. He harvests timber off the Rodgers land and trucks it to local timber mills.
Frequently, those on the hunt for more tax revenue suggest that the sales and use tax law should be expanded to charge the tax on services—think attorney fees, physician and hospital charges, automobile repairs and maintenance, and the like. How about making the person who cuts or styles your hair a tax collector? Or maybe the neighborhood kid who cuts your lawn?
The cartoon characters laugh and cheer as they sing “…we don’t know where we’re going but we’re merrily, merrily, merrily on our way…!” Well, that’s our legislature and their Clean Heat Standard …and, so, where are we going with VT-CHS?
I also concur with the Governor that the Supermajority’s policies do not represent Vermonters overall views and more importantly their purse strings. Our families expect reasonable legislation with policies that will help hard working Vermonters. Not drive them out of the state. At the Lamoille County Field Days, folks told me they want to see the return of local control of their school budgets, programs, and staffing.
Nothing illustrated their fake news more than the lies told by Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance during the recent two televised debates. Certainly Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz both did their share of embellishing some truths and falsehoods and exaggerating answers. But very seldom did they lie, and when they did, they did not repeat it.
Of course you won’t touch the third rail of questioning why the Vermont political sky is so blue, because it takes courage to push back against the establishment here in the Green Mountain State.
So, is anyone in authority systematically looking into just how rampant these sorts of things are? No! Instead, we are constantly being gaslit that Vermont’s elections are not only just fine, they are the cleanest and most perfectest ever since going in on all mail all the time. This is observably false.
On top of Vermonters dealing with 30-100% inflation and lingering hardships from Covid lockdowns, the Democrat Supermajority in our Vermont legislature have over-ridden our Governor’s vetoes and raised our taxes more than 5 times! You would think they would not want to increase tax burdens on their Vermont constituents at this time.
The October 7th attack was not based on the popularized righteous fight against “the Israeli occupation” or “the brave Resistance of the Palestinian people against European-capitalist-colonial- Zionism,” as taught in too many Western universities and colleges to impressionable and malleable-minded student bodies.
My own two daughters are leaving state and will probably never return because they just cannot afford to live here. As a member of my local fire department and rescue squad, I have witnessed firsthand the destruction that the opioid epidemic has inflicted on Vermont families.
Based on my experience in government, those who are protected from accountability act increasingly irresponsibly.
The State of Vermont believes it is their responsibility to provide mental health care to your children. No wonder mental health services expenses have gone up at public schools! Many people and parents think these services are needed. Please be aware of the potential dangers of turning over mental health services to the State via the public school system without parental direction, consent, and oversight.
Attallah also commented on the pager attacks in Lebanon, in which Israel has not officially claimed responsibility: “Taiwan manufactures pagers, and Israel injects them with a few milligrams of explosives, and then it does it again, and it can do this yet again in the future, in a way that will be much more lethal and criminal.
The shoe of elitism just doesn’t fit John Rodgers: it is time for Dave Zuckerman to pick up his glass slipper and put it back on his own foot where it belongs.
From the passage of Act 60 (school funding) and the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) to a recent data privacy bill, the Vermont legislature seems increasingly comfortable crafting laws that require court action to enforce.
To watch this story develop from the beginning to what it has become is incredible. The work we are doing is truly having an impact, and I think that’s all we could ever ask for.
If elected, I pledge to be a “NO” vote on the “Clean Heat” carbon tax and any bill raising costs to heat our homes. Both incumbent senators twice voted for this home heat carbon tax system and voted twice to override Governor Scott’s veto.
The Rube Goldberg Carbon Tax unworkably complicated? Pshaw! sneered its sponsors. Misinformation! cried the media propagandists.
Facts matter. There was a path to lower property taxes this year and next year. The Legislature chose not to take it.
I am often a Republican but always an American. I voted for Trump in 2016 to a large degree because he wasn’t Hillary Clinton and voted for Biden in 2020 because he wasn’t Trump. Although I disagree with her on many domestic issues, I will be happy to vote FOR Harris if she consistently articulates a strong foreign policy.
And let’s attribute to most of those who are homeless the desire to improve their conditions and obtain permanent shelter. Vermonters are generous and compassionate; we want to help. The question is the best way to help, regardless of a person’s most recent place of residence.
The other day, I finally succumbed to Fear Of Missing Out and saw Matt Walsh’s Am I Racist? in the theater.
Our municipal clerks are doing the best they can, but our laws don’t give them any tools to detect mail-in ballot fraud.
Only a handful of Vermont real estate housing developers could contend with the cost, time, and technical/legal aspects of prosecuting the local/State approvals.
The next legislative session will be critical in many areas, including education finance and property taxes, rising health care costs, lack of housing and heating costs. Our towns were particularly hard hit with education property taxes this year (Chittenden 24%, Killington 29%, Mendon 22% and Pittsfield 29%). Key lawmakers chose to proceed with their property tax bill rather than find a compromise with the Governor.
In Sanders’ speech, there is never any mention of Hamas terrorists consistently hiding behind innocent Palestinian civilians because that would be raining on their proper propaganda parade.
The profound impacts of a president’s judicial appointments can be seen in, for example, President Trump’s handiwork in ensuring Americans were stripped of their right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Dobbs overturned nearly 50 years of legal precedent, dismantled women’s rights to make our own healthcare decisions, and clouded and confused the future of reproductive liberty for millions of Americans
All able-bodied homeless, if a resident, should be required to work to help offset the conditions of their homelessness and get invested in the local workforce to help compliment our labor force.
During the September 4 meeting Kornheiser said, “I honestly don’t know what problem we’re trying to solve.” A line she repeated a handful of times throughout.
This quest will ensure that the massive machinery of the Vermont school system with its highest in-the-country ratio of staff to students stays sufficiently overfunded. The education system has become an entrenched and bloated bureaucracy, concerned primarily with perpetuating itself, which is the nature of a bureaucracy.
During my academic studies (1990’s), this hypothesis of “CO2 Causes Global Warming” was so incredibly debunked, it was not even discussed among students or faculty. So I began researching it to find out what the new evidence was that has caused it to become the foundation of so much taxation and political rhetoric: “The science is proven.”
The qualities of a patriotic citizen can be seen in one who obeys the law, respects authority, contributes to society and community, performs civic duties, shows courtesy and respect for the rights of others, is trustworthy and honest, demonstrates tolerance, accountability, and shows moral courage when needed.
But there are additional issues as well: environmental requirements that are stricter than federal requirements; investigations related to historic preservation and archeological studies; and a permitting process that seems to have no end!
While second homeowners do contribute to the tourism industry, particularly in resort towns, short-term rentals are frequently blamed for driving up property prices in areas already suffering from limited housing stock. This raises important concerns about how these properties affect both home sales and rental markets across Vermont.
It will increase your heating bills, and that is the real issue. Sibilia ignores the many local critics of the Unaffordable Heat act from right here in Vermont – including our Governor, who vetoed the idiotic scheme twice. She ignored them when they testified before her committee, ignored their thousands of phone calls and emails urging her and her colleagues to vote ‘no’ when the bill was up for passage.
“One such reform might be migrating public school personnel management structures more toward merit-based principles and systems while diminishing those based on longevity. Such would reduce pressures on both operating and retirement budgets while maintaining high levels of competency in our classrooms.”
I wasn’t planning on running. What changed my mind? I got my property tax bill!
Many people with a variety of relevant expertise testified before House and Senate Committees that completely transforming how we heat our homes and businesses, make hot water, and cook our food was going to be wildly expensive, incredibly disruptive, and logistically difficult if not impossible because, duh.
But what’s really behind these rising heating costs? Global oil prices, which are completely out of our control. Big oil companies set prices that Vermonters have to pay. And while small, local heating oil companies are doing their best to help, six have closed this past year alone. These closures mean fewer choices for Vermonters and more dependence on big companies that raise prices whenever they want.
Vermont has had a housing issue my entire real estate career. We have been unaffordable for 40 years! Vermont citizens are always last.
Mixed with hatred of former President Donald Trump, Democrats find the identity Trifecta of Harris electrifying. But political honeymoons do not last forever.
As more parents hesitate to vaccinate their offspring, government authorities claim their worries are due to disinformation or misinformation. The conflict has caused states to track medical and religious exemptions from school vaccination mandates.
The assumption is that such inspection is proof of something guaranteeing a better public health outcome when there’s no evidence that this is the case. The COVID debacle aside, State and Local departments of Health combined with national standards have failed to stop every instance of commercial food poisoning or death.