By Cynthia Prairie, Editor, the Cheshire Telegraph

If you were having trouble putting your finger on that one thing that bugs you about the Whiz Kids on the Winooski (aka the Vermont legislature) you only have to read the recent apologia of House Speaker Jill Krowinski concerning the ill-considered Act 181.

But first, let’s recap what happened last Tuesday: House Committee on Environment Chair Amy Sheldon issued an Oopsie on two of the more onerous parts of Act 181 — Tier 3 and the Road Rule — and called for their repeal.

Then on Wednesday morning, Krowinski chimed in, praising Sheldon and issuing her own mea culpa.

“While this has been a time of deep frustration for many Vermonters, I do think it highlights something great about our state: Vermonters voiced their concerns, we heard them, recognized the issue, and we are taking action to make sure that areas of Vermont are not unnecessarily harmed. This is similar to our efforts on education transformation. After listening to Vermonters from every corner of the state, we’ve taken their feedback and incorporated it into our current education bill, H.955.

“Vermonters have been clear that a top-down approach, whether it be land use policy or the administration’s proposal to force school consolidation into five districts, is not the right approach for shaping the future of our state.”

No doubt, it’s good that she finally realized that the top-down approach to lawmaking has got to end. But how is it possible that she has been in the legislature for 14 years and it took statewide anger over two back-to-back crappy pieces of legislation for her to understand that she and other House members are supposed to be listening to constituents? It’s in her title: Representative.

But there, in black and white, she summed up the problem with her leadership and with Montpelier in general. Krowinski outlines two instances in which the General Assembly listened to constituents — after the fact. And she seems to think that that deserves, if not praise, at least acceptance.

For years I have watched from afar — and rather sporadically — the baffling actions of Montpelier. I have complained here before about the lack of southern Windsor County representation in our Senate delegation. Well, it looks like we are not alone in being ignored.

I’ve never seen a legislature so completely out of touch with a large portion of its state. You would think that they believe south central Vermont and most of Vermont’s rural inhabitants are “cave-dwellers,” as my outgoing senator supposedly called us at a Vermont Solutions Summit almost two years ago.

Why did our Senate and House members fail to inform Vermonters about such sweeping and burdensome proposals such as the education reform bill, Act 181 and — let us not forget — the stunningly short-sighted Clean Heat Standard, before they were even proposed? And why did it feel each time like they were shoving the legislation down our throats?

Would it have been too much trouble to hold summer rural forums, considering the fact that these lawmakers should be in their home districts for at least seven months of the year? Do they not speak with their members who belong to the tripartisan Rural Caucus? Do the members of the Rural Caucus actually speak with their local “cave dwellers”?

Don’t be surprised if, come November’s General Election, voters whittle away at the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate again, echoing the last election that ended the Democratic super majorities in both chambers.

If the last election proved anything it is that rural Vermonters will indeed come out of their caves in force when they aren’t being listened to and when their way of life is being threatened.