By James B. Hall
For the better part of the last 20 years, the State of Vermont has been under the Democrat Party, in terms of Legislative control and/or the Governor’s Office. The result has been huge adverse economic impacts, more government control of individual lives, and controls of business and industry through environmental acts and Act 250 expansion.
Going back a few years with Gov Shumlin’s drive to close VT Yankee plant in Vernon, which removed 600+ excellent jobs in a heartbeat, plus adding significant electrical costs showing up each month in the customer bills from the power companies across Vermont.
The Federal Agency controlling licensing of this plant had just approved an additional 20 years of operation. But no,no, this could not happen because Shumlin and his warriors, many of whom are still working against common sense and good judgement today in the so called “Climate Change War,” just could not live with the lack of control and money going out of state, while further empowering its users, so the rest is history.
With the expansion of State Government, and the misguided expansion of the State Employee Roster, the tax liability in this state is one of the highest in the country. Our neighbor, New Hampshire, is a state smaller in acreage, but twice the population, and with half the size of state government in place.
Another huge bureaucracy is the VT Dept of Education. This Department is in dire need of a massive house cleaning and downsizing, turning controls in many areas back to the local school districts where the boards and parents can weigh in on the programs. The State of Virginia has taken real positive steps in the areas noted above; the same is in order for Vermont.
Try to get into the Department of Education HQ in Barre. Even with a signed confidentiality agreement, it cannot be done. It took me six months just to find out that there were, at that time, 150+ folks who worked there. Is this responsive government in action?
In summary, I am asking folks all across Rutland County and Vermont to vote Republican this year. In the State of VT, there are candidates for office who are committed to address the issues that are designed to lessen or remove the hobbles that previous legislatures and others in government have promoted and succeeded in getting in place. We have an opportunity to send some new faces to D C; namely Ericka Redic (House) and Gerald Malloy (Senate). Please give these candidates your vote, and by all means do vote on Nov 8.
The author is a resident of Center Rutland.
Categories: politics
It’s long since time for more power to devolve to town meetings. I wish they met more often rather than simply electing representatives for the year.
I totally agree Sandy. Some of us in my town are learning that our Select Board has total control, and it is NOT good. Their control is verified by the Secretary of State office when some of us have attempted to obtain assistance from that office. “The Select Board can do anything they want to”! Do you think maybe Legislature has had any influence with this? Also-this small state (probably) has about twice the number of employees necessary, esp. in certain Depts. As one example, the Green Mountain Care Board has about 35 employees, besides the actual Board members.
Adding the Democratic majority and the like-minded Progressive coalition, we have. A perfect Group Think that has demonstrated its unabashed power in the last few biennial sessions.
Hence, critical thinking and a broad perspective are absent from their deliberations. We need to pick up seats in the coming election.
Democracy is not a panacea, e.g., two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Town Meetings and School Board Meetings are ‘direct democracies’ governed by Robert’s Rules of Order. And the rules give inordinate power to the meeting moderator or chairperson in allowing participants to be recognized.
‘Control’ occurs at the ballot box. And the importance of free and fair elections cannot be exaggerated.