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by Don Keelan
The former Prime Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu, once said, “The Mid-East needs a success story.” And here in Vermont, that is precisely what we need in 2026.
Success is not that of any individual receiving a state/national award, or the placing of 1,000 acres of a mountainside into the Vermont Land Trust, or even a Vermont company announcing a major expansion.
The above is commendable. After years of attempting to find solutions for the homeless crisis, housing, healthcare, illegal drug addiction, and education, a success story has been so needed.
Vermonters could very well be suffering from trauma fatigue and loss of spirit emanating from decades of having to deal with one catastrophic event after another. This raises the question: do we have the stamina to deal with what the State is facing today? Do we believe that success in any area is just beyond our grasp?
The regularity of the traumatic events has been insidious over the past three decades. At the time, we did all we could to address the calamity, only to face another shortly thereafter.
In the winter of 1998, an ice storm devastated much of central and northern Vermont. The damage to utilities, trees, homes, and municipal and business properties was almost incalculable. A life-altering event occurred three years later on September 11th. and within two years, many Vermonters witnessed a family member engaged in war, either in Iraq or/and Afghanistan.
These events were soon followed in 2008 by what became known as the Great Recession, an international financial collapse from which, some conclude, Vermont has never fully recovered. Further trauma soon followed in late August 2011, Tropical Storm Irene.
It was not only natural disasters and world events that were life-impacting, but illegal drug usage was also prevalent throughout the State. Lives were being lost daily, and criminal activity centered on the drug trade was embedded. By 2014, it was out of control; hence, Governor Peter Shumlin devoted his entire ‘State of the State’ address to the crisis.
Other negative events were unfolding: a systemic decline in public school enrollment, spiraling health care costs, and the beginning of what would turn into a housing shortage for seniors, the workforce, and the less fortunate.
And still, the Vermont landscape was not immune to further trauma. In late 2019, a worldwide pandemic, COVID-19, consumed us for the next 24 months. Lives were lost, and livelihoods changed dramatically. Tens of thousands of Vermont students were confined to their homes with monumental negative impact, still being manifested today.
The Scott Administration dwelt with the pandemic daily as best it could. We thought we were finally free of disasters. But the breathing spell was fleeting.
In the summers of 2023 and 2024, central Vermont experienced unprecedented rainstorms that caused flood damage comparable to that in 1927.
And, of course, we must not ignore, especially in Vermont, the impact of Donald Trump’s two presidencies and the attention given to Climate Change, both all-consuming and distracting.
Several years ago, a colleague of mine took over leadership of the local food cupboard, which serves approximately 75 families each week. At the time, I asked him what his goals were. His response was, “in time, I wish to close the food cupboard because we will have eliminated its need.”
I found this statement very positive. Should it not be the goal of our Legislature and Administration to find, once and for all, the solutions to our State’s long-standing issues?
The administration and legislature should recognize that outsourcing to consultants, special study commissions, and NGO’s, along with billions of dollars spent, has only resulted in temporary fixes to the long-standing issues.
What might work is less partisanship and recognition that we all have had ownership for decades. It is time to fix our house.
There is only so much trauma Vermonters should have to endure; however, we will endure. What we, as a State, need most is a success story in 2026; this is within our control.
The author is a U.S. Marine (retired), CPA, and columnist living in Arlington, VT.
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Categories: Commentary
Some of these events are natural, dealing with and living in this world.
Most of the problems you outline are of man made origin, most of which are self inflicted due to an adherence to things that are just not true, many are in fact lies and of ill intent, much of this can be traced upon whom we follow.
To who is the classic Vermont political Bible, Rules for Radicals dedicated? Whom did Karl Marx abhor?
We only need to change our direction.
The real emergency in Vermont is we do not know Jesus Christ. We are blinded with pride, trying to be God, thinking we are so self righteous, and with this mind set we are easily subverted by the liar in chief, the one whom Rules for Radicals was dedicated.
TGBTG
Don Keelan should be running for public office—State Senate at the very least, perhaps something statewide. He really has his head screwed on straight!
Yes, and we need more thinkers like him…
“The Scott Administration dwelt with the pandemic daily as best it could.”
80% vax rate, + 11% all-cause mortality. A legit signal NOBODY talks about. Well, almost nobody… Thanks, VDC…
https://vermontdailychronicle.com/soulia-is-600000-too-small-to-count/
Remember, Mike Pieciak was on the Governor’s covid advisory panel.
You’re whistling past the graveyard, Don.
No matter what others think or comment, it’s like a breath of fresh air, someone tried to put together what many of us have experienced and living with.
It’s not that we don’t want to support the needs of others, but can we do it in a way not to bury our own goals of succeeding, to a place, we can be sustainable, supportive of our family, at the same time meeting in a reasonable way the needs of the community.
I for one, believe in the power of positive thinking, with common sense needed to be implemented, by our local leaders, and federal representatives.
At present, I don’t identify with any of them I could think of.
But I do agree if Don Keegan, ran for office he have my vote…
Anyone that has an ounce of faith in Phil Scott doesn’t belong near any political position in the state of vermont..
He has lied to us about gun laws… phil scott was smirking on the state house lawn with his socialist buddies staring at the people that got him elected governor because of this promise to never support a gun law in the state of vermont as he was signing one into law.
He forced people to take the jab of a liquid that people knew were injuring them and causing fatal injuries for many people across america… He threatened people with the loss of their job if they did not take this experimental jab.
He asked children to squeal on their parents during covid.. Where els, have we seen corrupt politicians ask their children to make criminals of their parents for doing nothing wrong.
It has been exposed that phil scott supports the c c p during meetings with the communist worker party…
He hates president trump, who is doing an excellent job attempting to keep america safe by enforcing the laws of the united states of america regarding immigration and attempting to clean up the invasion that phil scott and jill biden were in favor of..
Phil scott made us a sanctuary state, which we know is failing across america today and creating a terrible burden on taxpayers, forcing them to pay for these people while we go without heat and food and health care.
And today he decides to speak out against ice who have been protecting our streets, taking criminals that have been raping and murdering young girls and trafficking children into the child sex trade..
He is removing criminals from the street sodizing little boys and little girls…
He is removing people committing terrible crimes against the elderly in america..
And we have people and our state that will stand up and defend phil scott, who has done absolutely nothing to protect vermonters, from what is going on in every socialist state in america….
And then we have lieutenant governor john roders.. Told us all he was turning to the republican party.Because the democrat party left him…
In reality, he is now a member of the socialist party supporting people like becca balint and peter welch and bernie sanders…
He is a miniature phil scott just waiting to put the final nail in our coffin..
No, thanks.We don’t need you people.Promoting these disastrous criminal politicians that have been slowly destroying the state of vermont…
Hopefully we come up with some candidates that are willing to run for office.That will do the job that vermonters want them to do.And that is to restore our state to some normalcy and bring back good vermont values and safety into our state..
When I grew up, our state was something to be admired.Now it should be swept into the trash unless something happens to make us a viable vibrant state again..
We will never do it endorsing candidates that want to destroy us..
Vermonters you better wake up…
Ah, Richard, I think you voted for him the last two elections and also tried to torpedo Keith Sterns run for Governor…..forgiveness is not a bad thing. Glad to see you’ve finally seen the light.