by Pattie McCoy

My tenure in the Vermont House of Representatives has been as a member of the minority party; which is to say I have seen my fair share of ideas and proposals from my counterparts that I do not agree with. I always try to keep an open mind, and most of the time there is room to find common ground on the outcomes we all want, both Democrat or Republican: better economic opportunities, stronger communities, and more comprehensive safety net programs for those who need them. 

This election cycle; however, there is a major shift, as I witness my Democrat counterparts in the Legislature coalesce around Amanda Janoo and her platform. What is specifically jarring is my Democrat counterparts’ vision for Vermont’s economy coming from the top of the ticket in the following instances: 

• In an interview with Population Balance, Janoo said, “economies need to stop growing” and need to “decline in some areas.” 

• Janoo’s work for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance focused on “degrowth” and “post growth” philosophies and worked with governments on policy levers for this managed decline. 

• Finally, in her Seven Ideas for the G7, Janoo called on governments to “abandon the objectives of GDP growth (Gross Domestic Product).” 

There is another word for when the economy is no longer growing, or experiencing an economic downturn, and that word is Recession. I have served in the legislature during economic recessions and lived through many others. Through that experience, I never thought this would be a desirable outcome for anyone, Democrat or Republican, let alone a deliberate part of a candidate’s platform. However, since we are at this point, it is worth reminding Vermonters, and Democrats down ticket, what an economic recession looks like: 

• The last time Vermont’s economy shrank was 2013, impacting the fiscal years 2014, 2015 and 2016 budgets (my first year in the Legislature was in 2015, working on the FY16 budget); Vermont’s economy actually grew by 0.6 percent from 2014 to 2015 and we still faced these budget challenges. 

• In FY15, General Fund revenues were downgraded by $41 million, which was addressed through cuts and one-time funds.

• In FY16, we started the budget process with a $113 million revenue shortfall. We cut spending by $53 million, used $25 million in one-time funds, and, over my objections and those of my Republican colleagues, raised $36 million in new taxes. 

A shrinking economy has broader impacts than the state budget. Our state education fund is primarily balanced on property taxes and the sales tax. Beyond the broader impact of what less consumption (equating to less sales taxes) means for Vermonters’ well-being, less sales tax means an increase in property taxes to make up for the loss of sales tax revenue in order to pay for our schools. A recession, or a “degrowth” or “post-growth” economy, as Janoo’s Wellbeing Economy Alliance focuses on, is a terrible outcome for everyone: fewer jobs, lower wages, and strained public institutions. 

I put this out there because it raises so many questions. Questions at the forefront are:  Who wants this? And why? Are my colleagues, Democrats in particular, prepared to cut spending? Even a 2 percent decline in economic growth amounts to a more than $100 million revenue shortfall. Who do they plan to tax to fill this gap? 

There is a clear choice in this year’s election and I hope Vermonters consider the full consequences of a recession when they go to the polls in November. Spin it any way you want; but “degrowth” or “post-growth” equates to a recession.  

I will be voting for Governor Phil Scott, and Republican candidates down ticket. Vermont’s  economy doesn’t need an economic experiment. It just needs a plan that adds up. 

That is why I’m voting for Governor Phil Scott. 

Pattie McCoy is the House Minority Leader and has served in the Legislature since 2015