Category: Commentary

Is Drag Queen Story Hour like blackface? the Pro argument

“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?”

Berry: Trickle-down totalitarianism

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.

Koch: Vermont has a spending problem

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!

Roper: Property tax commission brainstormers suggest more taxes, bake sales

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 Puts the You in U.N.

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.

Climate hysteria is destroying our youth

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.

Soulia: Don’t worry, The state will pay for it

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.

Koch: Throwing tax money at a problem won’t solve it

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? 

Heck: Lamoille County’s battle cry!

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.

McGuinness: is the State of Vermont responsible to provide mental health care to your children?

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.

Fernandez: The pager attacks in Lebanon:

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.

Rep. Harrison: Start your Engines! The race to Nov. 5 has begun!

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.

AG Clark: We’re Voting on the U.S. Supreme Court this November

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

Manley: Temps don’t track CO2 release

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.”

Roper: Lawmaker’s Defense of Unaffordable Heat Act is Indefensible

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.

Rep. Sibilia: Doing Nothing is Not Going to Protect Your Pocketbook

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.