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Editorial by Guy Page, Publisher
For one bright and shining moment, more precisely the 28 minutes between 2:30 and 2:58 PM Wednesday afternoon, it looked like Vermont property taxpayers might not get hosed after all.
But that hope died abruptly in an act of personal pettiness and arrogance by Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski.
At 2:30 PM Thursday, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders and a handful of other administration officials briefed the press on the Governor’s promised path forward to save us from the huge tax hike embedded in H887, which he vetoed.
They outlined a specific, doable five-point plan, presented in a meeting earlier that day to Krowinski and others, that would reduce school spending by $124 million.
Whew! Short-term crisis averted. Sure, it tapped out reserve funds and surpluses. But it bought a year’s time for a new Legislature to develop a longterm, structural fix. We hoped.
Then, at 2:59 PM, Krowinski rained on our little parade. Hard.
Krowinski blamed the governor for the coming train wreck of unaffordability, because – wait for it – Gov. Scott Didn’t Attend The Meeting In Person.
“He chose not to attend the meeting,” Krowinski said in the first paragraph of her press release. “….His absence undermines the collaborative spirit necessary to address the critical issues facing our state.”
Krowinski goes on to strain credulity by saying
- “the Governor still has not provided any feasible alternative plan.” (What – FIVE specific recommendations not good enough?)
- “The Governor proposed stripping kids of access to school meals.” (Wrong again, Madame Speaker. the plan would revert to the generous, federally funded school meals plan.)
- “Vermonters need tax relief, and our bill does this.” Emphatically NO IT DOESN’T. It reduces a lethal 20% tax increase to a merely crushing 13.8% tax increase by shifting the difference to two brand new taxes on Vermonters.
Krowinski then bookended her dismissal of our hopes for tax affordability with another peevish shot at chief executive who had the to not Attend Her Presence.
“The Governor has stated that he wanted to work together on this issue, but the fact that he did not show up to this meeting, it is impossible to see this as nothing more than election year politics rather than a true commitment to collaboration.”
Scorn ME, does he?! Ohh…He’ll pay dearly!
No, Madame Speaker. It is US who will pay. Not for his alleged effrontery, but for yours. You put your own self-serving sense of decorum over relieving the pain of tens of thousands of homeowners and renters who now must wonder whether they can afford to live in their homes, be they rented or owned.
In reality. Madame Speaker – it may be you who pays. Not financially or physically of course. But politically? Your supermajority exists at the sufferance of the voters. And after this latest stunt, for some voters, the August primary and the November election can’t come too soon.
But meanwhile, Krowinski will insist the House supermajority flex its muscles next Monday and override the governor’s veto of H.887, the last-minute school funding ‘reform’ bill that rewards the self-entitled educational establishment with zero spending cuts and placates glaring voters with a mere 13.8% property tax increase plus two new taxes.
Peter Hirschfeld, the Vermont Public reporter who always seems to ask the most important question, asked an administration official yesterday what harm the 13.8% property tax increase would do. Her answer: “Not being able to afford rent. Increasing the homeless population. Pushing more people into poverty. Causing more people to leave the state.”
What a shame. Could have been avoided. Still could be, if enough rank and file supermajoritarians say enough’s enough. But that leadership won’t be coming from Jill Krowinski. What good’s owning a supermajority if you can’t show it off?
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Categories: Commentary
IMPLOSION. Vermont – the “Green Implosion State”.
Krowinski must have a short memory. Her predecessor, Mitzi Johnson, was voted out of office because of heavy handiness that was coming back to bite constituents. She hasn’t been heard from since. Maybe someone should do a welfare check.
And they WONDER why the Vermont people are going to finally start booting them from power soon… Looking at the supermajority, and I include until-recently legislator Mulvaney-Stanak in that, their arrogance and public disregard for the people they swore to serve is becoming impossible even for their supporters to ignore. It’s not even their ideals that are wrong: THEY are what’s wrong.
Perhaps krowinski is upset that phil scott didn’t set up a meal plan for her.
More likely, the arrogance and entitlement of Chittenden County liberal marxists is on full display by krowinski’s pettiness- and a real solution to the problem is not desired by the marxists. Based solely on past legislative action, no solution is required, just talking points.
The spin is strong in this one.
You vote these clowns in, and this is what you get, they don’t care, it’s all about their agenda……….. your concerns mean nothing, they are the ” Super Majority ” and they will do what they want !!
Wake up people, vote this ” Stupid Majority ” out
Listening to this woman brings back memories of the same lack of accountability, scapegoating and inflammatory and unfounded hostile accusations made by school boards against parents who challenged school equity and BLM policies. Now the governor knows how demoralizing it is to communicate good faith with United Nations aligned eco-fascists.
It is almost as if the Legislature has declared war on the citizens of Vermont. With a misguided display of self importance and ego Ms. Krowinski has guaranteed that Vermont’s most vulnerable populations will suffer a direct hit from H887. Sure, everyone will feel the pinch but not all will have the means to survive the coming storm. Vermont’s aging population, a large percentage of which are low income, are already stretched to the limit with the increases in health insurance, heating fuel, electricity and food, will be forced to either sell out or see their homes lost to tax sales. I am a member of this aging population and after having to retire for health reasons, I now face the possibility of having to leave my home of over 30 years. I’m hoping that Ms. Krowinski has a spare room to rent or at the very least will let me pitch a tent in her yard. I mean, it’s only fair that the person who killed any chance of a temporary resolution be held responsible for the damage. It is time to elect people who are willing to put the political BS aside and actually represent the interests of the people of Vermont. What our legislative process has turned into is nowhere near what it was originally intended to be. Not even close.
Re: “It is almost as if the Legislature has declared war on the citizens of Vermont.”
Almost?
It’s not so much that the cost of education is increasing 13.8% over what is already the highest education spending in Vermont history. According to the Agency of Education, Vermont’s $2.7 Billion education spending covers fewer than 73,000 K-12 students. Do the math. And then look at what we’re getting for the investment. Uneducated, indoctrinated, and confused students and their families who have virtually no input and can no longer afford to live here.
It’s not just ‘war’. They’re winning it.
That’s what happens when Vermonter’s vote in Adult Children into legislation. When the vote party lines instead of knowing the individuals track record, the content of their life and the way they do things. Most Vermonter’s spend zero time on determining the best person for office. They just check a box because they are Democrat or Progressive.
Unfortunately if we call, text or email our representatives..if they are democRATS, they will not vote to uphold the governor’s vetoes…..vote them out before we all are on the street..homeless and hungry ( oh we can call the Burlington mayor for food)
The Truth is the People have the power – they choose not to use it. Madam Speaker and the despots double down to raise the taxes and fees of all stripes. Phil shrugs. The People must decide now if they pay them or default. What would a landslide of tax defaults look like – would it be overwhelming? Would it set the Beast back on it’s heels, weakened without our labor and money to feed off. They choose to weild fake authority and no one is going to stop them. When will Vermonters weild their authority to send them a collective “will not comply” and let the cow chips fall where they may? Take back Vermont or let it be destroyed. The ball is clearly in the People’s court.
I agree that property tax relief died this year in a petty act of arrogance – the Governor’s. The administration’s most recent proposal to use the education fund’s stabilization reserve to temporarily lower property tax rates was a fiscally irresponsible non-starter intended only to make the Legislature look bad. The Governor has been in office for years but has never been willing to use any of his considerable political capital to put forward necessary but politically unpalatable reforms. This is not the kind of disingenuous leadership the state needs.
You live in an alternative universe where the leftist loons in the Legislature can do no wrong. Thanks for the laugh.
This reminds me of an incident that took place at a kindergarten, long ago and far away. As a special treat, we five-year-olds were allowed to visit the college across the street, whose Education Department ran the kindergarten. It was winter, and we were told, very sternly, not to get snow on our boots beforehand. But Johhny got snow on his boots, and was made to stay at the kindergarten alone except for an aide. I barely remember this very exciting trip to see where the college girls lived and went to school: Mainly, I remember Johnny’s teary face as he was kicked off the bus and sent back to the kindergarten. I suppose it could have been worse: The petty and authoritarian teacher could have canceled the entire trip. Get it? Phil got snow on his boots, and now we all have to suffer. Perhaps the person referenced in this article would find her level of competence supervising small children…oh, wait, whoops — yikes! “Previously, she worked at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, her last role as the VP of Education and VT Community Affairs.”
PLEASE find some Republicans who could actually get elected!!!