Governor Scott, please stop with the campaign rhetoric and help us make your priorities a reality instead of a mirage.
By Rep. Marc Mihaly (D Washington-6)
In his State of the State speech in January, Governor Scott laid out two important goals for his administration: Build more housing affordable to Vermonters and deal with rising crime. We all share these laudable goals. The question is: Does the Governor deliver? The answer lies in his proposed 2025 budget. That’s where the proverbial rubber hits the road.
What’s in the governor’s recommended budget isn’t pretty. The governor’s budget makes the state’s housing and criminal justice situations worse, much worse.
On housing that’s affordable to Vermonters, the Governor’s budget cuts funding by 80 to 90 percent from last year. Under that budget, we’d never solve our housing problem.
What the governor says, as he chastises the Legislature, is that the housing “solution” is to reform Act 250. The Legislature is in fact in the process of reforming Act 250 (though the Governor doesn’t like the bill because it balances both housing development and thoughtful long-term consideration of our natural and working lands). But Act 250 updates won’t produce a single affordable home for a simple reason: High construction costs and high interest rates mean that without government assistance, the free market can’t produce housing most Vermonters can afford. We could abolish Act 25o and every other state and local permit requirement, and all we’d end up with are a bunch of $700,000 mansions in places we don’t want them. Governor, if you want to provide housing affordable to Vermonters, you have to help pay for it.
Sadly, the same is true with public safety. Everyone agrees that what deters people from committing crimes is the reasonable certainty they will be punished quickly. Right now in Vermont, the time from arrest to trial is two to three years, due to court backlogs. We need to reduce the backlog, which requires better funding for the judiciary, for state’s attorneys, for public defenders, and support staff.
Instead, after announcing that crime is a problem (who could disagree?) what does the Governor do in his budget? Again, it’s not pretty: He cuts the judiciary, and his budget would force the layoff of state’s attorneys and public defenders. Friends, that means that the problem will get worse—longer delays, more crime.
The Governor insists that we don’t have the money, and that we must live within our means. He says again and again he won’t raise taxes. Well, I wish he’d told us that in his State of the State (as in “Friends, housing and crime are important but I can’t spend any money to do anything about it.”) If we want to move forward on top shared priorities – at a time when fiscal responsibility requires real leadership – we need to be willing to make tough decisions like this.
The governor is wrong. We can do something about these key issues. We can raise the revenue we need to really address housing and crime, without raising taxes on middle-class or less well-off Vermonters. The legislature is now considering bills to restore meaningful funding to do something about our housing needs and reduce crime. These bills will raise taxes on the wealthiest Vermonters, those earning over $500,000 per year, and the largest corporations. And we’re proposing to restructure the tax on real estate transfers to reduce the tax for properties under $750,000 and increase it for the high-end houses priced over that. We’re NOT proposing to increase the tax burden on middle class Vermonters. These taxes on the very wealthy will recoup only a fraction of what they’ve gained from repeated federal tax cuts for the rich over the last three decades.
In other words, the Legislature takes the Governor’s goals of affordable housing and improved public safety seriously. The Legislature, unlike the Governor, is taking action on those priorities. Governor, I hope you come on board and make your State of the State speech a reality instead of a mirage.
Rep. Marc Mihaly (D) is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He lives in East Calais and represents the Washington-6 district in the Vermont House of Representatives.
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Marc, When will you and the rest of the tax and spend progressives get it through your heads that the Governor is not the the biggest portion of Vermonters problems, it’s you legislators that think you are the saviors of the people. When I think of you people, the best way for me to describe your understanding of “helping” the people is to compare it to a scene in the old TV sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies” where Jethro keeps butting into a conversation between his Uncle Jed, and banker Drysdale. Jethro thinks that he is “helping” Jed, but he doesn’t understand, he’s actually digging the hole deeper. Finally Jed has to tell Jethro, “quit helping boy, quit helping me”! When will you people “quit helping” us ? When you have bled us dry ? It’s to late then Bub.
The answer to all problems is “MORE MONEY”. The problem is I don.t have more money. All the money I saved for retirement goes to pay property taxes. I can’t sell my properties because of all the rules and regulations. I have to pay $30,00 per month to EV but have never received any help from them. I am pretty much hopeless for the State of Vermont and myself. I have a joke. Every new program that the Legislature comes up with has a clause that excludes, Ruth . from any benefit. Your programs are not helping me. A lot of commenters tell people to wake up. Well I say the legislators should acknowledge we don;t have the money they want. I had a very nice Easter and was extremely happy that I could buy two five pound bags of potatoes for $3.00 at Hanafords. Yes, it;s that bad that a bag of potatoes is an Easter treat.
vermont is the land of self serving scumbags and that includes the govie///
Re: “…the Governor’s budget cuts funding by 80 to 90 percent from last year. Under that budget, we’d never solve our housing problem. ”
Rep. Mihaly: Thank you for coming to the VDC public policy forum. But the housing issue isn’t about raising taxes. If the investment is warranted, I suspect taxpayers won’t mind making the investment.
Please explain how increased funding will solve Vermont’s housing problem. How do you propose to allocate the additional funding? What positive results do you anticipate? And how quickly will your additional investment yield those positive results?
I’m not supporting Governor Scott’s budget priorities either. Frankly, your missive does smack of progressive infighting, not bipartisan politics. But at least you’ve taken the time to address us here on VDC and I’m sure all VDC readers will appreciate your explanations, as opposed to reading more perfunctory press releases from Governor Scott.
We look forward to your continued engagement.
Well, well, well. I searched and searched for Rep. Mihaly’s response to my questions. And lo and behold – I couldn’t find it.
Now where is that cake I’m supposed to eat?
“What’s in the governor’s recommended budget isn’t pretty” – True story. The government has no authority to force their hands into your property and paychecks. Anything that you pay must be directly related to what you are using.
Article 1. [All persons born free; their natural rights; slavery and indentured servitude prohibited]
That all persons are born equally free and independent, and have certain natural, inherent, and unalienable rights, amongst which are the enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety; therefore slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.
“But Act 250 updates won’t produce a single affordable home for a simple reason:” –
Article 2. [Private property subject to public use; owner to be paid]
That private property ought to be subservient to public uses when necessity requires it, nevertheless, whenever any person’s property is taken for the use of the public, the owner ought to receive an equivalent in money.
” we’d end up with are a bunch of $700,000 mansions in places we don’t want them. ” – So you want the state to steal our money, to build “expensive construction”, then take our money again to and give it to people so they can make us purchase those expensive construction projects for much cheaper than the costs we paid to build it? This is your GENIUS solution??? It doesn’t matter if they sit around doing a bunch of drugs all day, or are criminals?
What’s wrong with your brain? You don’t have the constitutional authority. The VT constitution specifically says you cannot do this. You are admitting to the crime with your little letter. Try starting a gofundme or start a home charity instead of illegally stealing money that doesn’t belong to you. If you knew what costs were, you’d realize that the government increases all costs, so you helped create the high costs of construction. You caused the poor economic situation by not following your duty to protect our rights to our property.
Start with decreasing costs if you aren’t going to quit your state job and go help the poor, like anyone who actually cared about the poor would be doing. Your agents are the U.N. global government, and you are a traitor to the well-being of the local people you are required to represent (the majority and minority). YOU are making it so only people that want mansions can afford to live here. Get smart.
Article 9. [Citizens’ rights and duties in the State; bearing arms; taxation]
That every member of society hath a right to be protected in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and therefore is bound to contribute the member’s proportion towards the expense of that protection, and yield personal service, when necessary, or an equivalent thereto, but no part of any person’s property can be justly taken, or applied to public uses, without the person’s own consent, or that of the Representative Body, nor can any person who is conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms, be justly compelled thereto, if such person will pay such equivalent; nor are the people bound by any law but such as they have in like manner assented to, for their common good: and previous to any law being made to raise a tax, the purpose for which it is to be raised ought to appear evident to the Legislature to be of more service to community than the money would be if not collected.
“Everyone agrees that what deters people from committing crimes is the reasonable certainty they will be punished quickly. ” – Nice gaslighting. What deters crime is a loving family environment where people aren’t stressed over the increase in costs the government illegally impose on them. Government costs are the number one enabler of domestic stress.
You aren’t doing anything to secure schools, and make sure children are instructed in firearm safety. That would have been helpful when a child picked up a gun and crack in the school playground a few months ago. Instead you harass gun owners (the people who “punish quickly” the deadly criminals), with any law your California lobbyists throw at you. You’d also rather put all guns into a database that hackers/thieves get and distribute to gangs so they can go gun theft shopping.
Why does it matter if you pay more court operators to process someone who did crimes with a slap on the wrist? Are you stealing our money and paying to house these criminals here when they came from somewhere else? Are you importing criminals and druggies? The problem is that when they are processed in court, they are not separated from society anyway, and you know this is what the people are complaining about. Nice typical politician diversion.
Have you made drugs illegal, but not “super illegal”, so a black market and crime thrives? Just allow doctors to give these drugged idiots a prescription for their vices and get these gangs out of here. The “much needed money for healthcare” could come from selling drugs to people that like to do drugs in a much safer way, and that would be money that doesn’t fund crime. The druggies are more likely to also get the help they need. Write them a damn prescription already! The drug war is lost!
“We can raise the revenue we need to really address housing and crime, without raising taxes on middle-class or less well-off Vermonters.” – No you can’t do that, and you have never done that. You really are a pervert aren’t you? Increasing costs on one group of people is an increase in costs to everyone. That money that would have went to someone who needed it now goes to complete waste.
However, YOU STILL ARE AND HAVE, INCREASED COSTS ON THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HARMED THE MOST! Nice political diversion by cherry picking 1 funding source though.
” In other words, the Legislature takes the Governor’s goals of affordable housing and improved public safety seriously. ” – In other words you will steal money that doesn’t belong to you and waste it to exacerbate the problem, and later complain about not enough money for your program into the future of infinity. You will consult United Nations and California lobbyists for all your orders, and execute accordingly. You will in the end, do nothing to help with housing such as becoming a home builder, and do nothing about safety other than pay your court friends more money to do nothing. Got it!
Source: Vermont Law and Graduate School: Marc Mihaly is a professor emeritus at Vermont Law School where he served as the School’s eighth president and dean from 2012 to 2017. He previously as associate dean for VLS’s Environmental Programs and director of its Environmental Law Center where he initiated the VLS Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, the Institute for Energy and the Environment, and VLS on-line Masters degrees. He also serves as chair of the board of the Vermont Land Trust, and is a member of the board of directors of Stone Environmental, a national consulting firm based in Montpelier.Mihaly received his BA degree from Harvard College and his JD degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After service in the U.S. Peace Corps in Central America, he served with the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society and the environmental unit of the California Attorney General’s Office. In 1980, he co-founded Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger in San Francisco, one of the nation’s leading and largest public interest environmental law firms…”
Lawyers, guns, and money – the SHTF. Interesting the pedigrees and biographies of the installed regime all seem to read the same. Carpetbagging, Ivy-league trained, community activist, grifting, trust funded despots. Best armageddon ever!
“In Rev. 16:16 the scene of a the struggle of good and evil is suggested by that battle plain of Esdraelon, which was famous for two great victories, of Barak over the Canaanites, and of Gideon over the Midianites; and for two great disasters, the deaths of Saul and Josiah. Hence in Revelation a place of great slaughter, the scene of a terrible retribution upon the wicked.” Let it be so.
As a lifelong Vermonter, I really wanted to comment on this Democratic empty collection of words for us little people. When you see comments like this, “We can do something about these key issues. We can raise the revenue we need to really address housing and crime, without raising taxes on middle-class or less well-off Vermonters”, raise the funds means more taxes. We are all less well off because of carpetbaggers like this demo/progressive.
If it didn’t cost $10,000 to install a septic tank on rural land, that would be a good start to a more affordable house, but now that I know the background of the writer, his environmental connections say it all, he is one of the connected class to the “Green Money” to save the world by stealing our money.
I can’t compete with the two previous comments but, I can say this. The reason Vermont is unaffordable, broke and circling the financial toilet drain is because of politicians like this who have enriched themselves somewhere else and have come here to fix a state that was never broken. If you want to know why Vermont is broke, just keep voting Democrat/progressive. It is the little people who get things done, create and take care of the state. Politicians shuffle papers, give speeches, talk out of both sides of their mouths, create problems that didn’t exist then lie to the people by saying, we can fix this. None of what’s happening to destroy Vermont has been caused by Republicans, they haven’t been in power for 40 years. Democrats and progressives ignore our state constitution and violate their oaths of office in doing so and nothing happens. The Lobbyist and out of state money run Vermont. And how are all you little people (who might be reading this) doing as a result of who you keep electing?
This message is to Rep Mihaly and others who are in his camp as like minded brethren.
First, maybe Mihaly doesn’t get it, and I believe he does not, but the concept of raising more money in the form of taxes and fees to the State Government has been going on long enough so the definition of insanity was passed at mile marker 1963, the year that Phil Hoff became Governor. Programs, Taxes and spending, over and over and into perpetuity. If all this money collected was the answer we would be debt free and the taxpayers would be getting refunds or dividends on their investments.
But all of this exercise has succeeded in driving out business,industry, and manufacturing from the State of VT. The state at one time, was the envy of our neighbors because our Grand Lists across all of VT were as close to an ideal mix of Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural, Residential and Businees cross sections as
could be had, and the results were very, very rewarding during those times. But the Liberals, many of whom had just moved in, wanted change, and this is what we have here now.
Anything that the Liberals cannot control, they want them gone. The latest being Vt Yankee in Vernon compliments of Shumlin and his warriors. This mind boggling exercise cost Vermonters the cheapest power market in the history of the state, and the Feds had just given a twenty year renewal in licencing to operate. So they (the liberals) have been cool to Hydro Quebec’s offer because the liberal crowd cannot control this entity of the power business. They cannot control the gasoline business, so that has to go the way of VT Yankee. That exercise is underway as we speak.
So if you like what is happening, stand by, it is just about finished, because there is no money, wealthy working people have moved, with more poised to do the same, the populous is being taxed beyond ability to pay, and it just keeps rolling along as though there was enough money coming in. Anyone believing there is enough money coming in (which under this crowd there never is) you must be under some kind of spell.
The two Party system has morphed pretty much into a uniparty, so if there comes from all of that a new taxpayers party or some name along those lines there may be traction enough to make some changes in momentum at least of the opposition.
What I see for the imediate future is not a good picture.
Unfortunately, with so many capable folks moving, we are left with the lack of any of the types that were of the mind that Gov, Richard Snelling had. God Rest His soul.