By Guy Page
A Progressive legislator and a free-market columnist disagree over whether the legislator was misquoted in his remarks about a controversial tax increase on the Floor of the House.
On Wednesday, VDC received the following email from Rep. Brian Cina (D/P – Burlington).
“I would appreciate it if you corrected your publication, acknowledged that you made a mistake, and quoted me properly. Your publication continues to do this to me. Do you follow standards of professional journalism?”
The quote in question was first in Rob Roper’s Substack column and then March 29 in VDC, in a commentary titled: “Democrats say, “Read My Lips: Yes! New taxes!” Republicans say, GET REAL!.” Roper quotes Cina speaking on the March 26 House floor debate of H.721 (pg. 878), which expands Medicaid eligibility by raising the corporate income tax:
“Read my lips: Yes! New taxes!”
In his April 3 email to VDC, Cina wrote, “Here is what I said: “Madam Speaker: Read my lips, yes, new taxes on corporations, so that Vermont can take this important step forward toward guaranteeing the human right of health care to all Vermonters.” He then offered a rewrite of Roper’s paragraph.
VDC asked Roper to respond to Cina’s criticism. In brief, Roper said his column referenced the context of the vote on raising corporate taxes. Furthermore: “I stand by my conclusion that the spirit of your words transcends that single issue and encapsulates the attitude — and the voting record — of you and your colleagues this biennium.”
His entire response to Cina, openly cc’d to VDC, appears below:
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the note.
Here’s what the article I wrote says…
on the floor of the House following a vote to make Vermont the state with the highest corporate taxes in the nation, Progressive Democrat Brian Cina of Burlington took up the microphone and told Vermonters, “Read my lips: Yes! New taxes!” Cina’s — what should we call it? Attitude?… Promise?… Threat? — is characteristic of the Dem/Prog supermajority under the Golden Dome. He/they mean it!
It’s not just the corporate tax they’re jacking up, it’s the 20 percent property tax increase they just slammed us with, the new $100 million payroll tax that kicks in in July, the 20 percent hike in DMV fees that started in January, the 70 cent per gallon home heating carbon tax that’s coming after 2025, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. They’re also looking at sales tax increases and/or expansions, a tax on internet software, a sweetened beverage tax, a Clean Transportation carbon tax on gas and diesel to go along with the Clean Heat carbon tax, the Renewable Energy Standard bill that just passed the House will add as much as a billion to our electric bills, an income tax surcharge that would give Vermont one of the highest marginal income tax rate in the country while kicking in at one of the lowest income thresholds….
So, I did put your quote in the correct context of a vote for an increase in the corporate tax. I stand by my conclusion that the spirit of your words transcends that single issue and encapsulates the attitude — and the voting record — of you and your colleagues this biennium. If if erred in that you, in fact, have not voted for a significant number of bills that significantly increase taxes, fees, and regulatory costs for Vermonters, I’ll happily write a correction. But, you’ll have to show me where I’m wrong here.
Thanks again for reaching out. For what it’s worth, I appreciated your comments and vote on S.18.
Respectfully, Rob
Cina’s comment has elicited significant comment on VDC. New columnist Michael Stack (“When the Taxpayer Just Stops Paying”, April 2) said Cina’s comment is a real-life example of the adage, “belligerence is the truest sign of lack of ability.”
To his credit, Cina – an outspoken, flamboyant figure in the State House, sponsor or co-sponsor of 175 bills and resolutions this session, and an early leader in the need for state-level understanding of Artificial Intelligence – responds to many of his emails, even those from critics. A longtime VDC reader emailed him on the morning of April 3:
“Good evening, Mr. Read My Lips Yes New Taxes!, Thank you for your comment, and sarcasm duly noted. If I were a member of a body delivering the highest education cost in the nation, replete with such abysmal results, I do not think I would be quite as arrogant as you. Unfortunately, I have noticed that those least prepared for legislative duty seem to be most interested in it.”
During the afternoon, Cina replied:
“Ha ha so funny.”
The exchange occurred this week as the assistant majority leader Jana Brown (D-Richmond) mailed to VDC and other news outlets a string of commentaries defending the supermajority’s votes on housing, Act 250, the budget, and climate change. Two (by Reps. Marc Mihaly and Larry Satcowitz) have already been published by VDC and a third will be published soon. This is the first House majority initiative directed to VDC in its seven years of publication.
Contribute to Vermont Daily Chronicle via Stripe.com – quick, easy, confidential
Categories: Media
Good story Rob! Just the facts!
I believe you forgot the discussion regarding enabling statewide local option taxes.
To Cina and his cohorts (of which, there are many): soak up the spoils while it lasts – Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Let it be so.
OH Melissa, we are going to tax our way to prosperity, FREE MONEY for everyone!
If we raise our taxes to 60%, think of how rich we’ll be!
And if we’re lucky we can do a 100% tax and then dole it out, and because of the economic scale, everyone will have more money! There won’t be any nasty company taking all the workers money.
Sadly there will be many who believe this economic theory….and do today.
Mr. Cina, like many of his ilk, has the same pedigree and biography of other installed Bernie hatchlings from the leftwit casting couch – ala AOC. From his grifter trained Ivy-league biography: “I worked very hard throughout school, and despite being from one of the poorest high schools in Bergen County, I was able to attend Dartmouth College due to their commitment to need-blind admissions and their generous financial aid. I graduated from Dartmouth in 1998 as a Senior Fellow, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. I moved to Burlington, Vermont, to be an Americorps member at Spectrum Youth and Family Services. While at Spectrum, I fell in love with the profession of Social Work. I eventually attended the University of Vermont where I received a Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2005.”
The poor lad comes from New Jersey – where in NJ? “Bergen County is one of the largest commercial hubs in both New Jersey and the United States, generating over $6 billion in annual revenues from retailers in Paramus alone” …”The county is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, with a median household income of $109,497 (compared to $89,703 in New Jersey and $69,021 nationwide.)”…”Bergen County has some of the highest home prices in New Jersey, with the median home price in 2022 exceeding $600,000.[14] The county’s park system covers more than 9,000 acres (3,600 ha).”
There is nothing more disturbing than poor rich kids who are nothing more than lying liars from Liarsville.
Cina is a treat. He acknowledges he is of Italian descent then claims he “doesn’t identify as white”. Descended from the Roman Empire, the original “colonizers”, yet he boldly pulls a Rachel Dolezal and pretends to be a minority for the privileges. Like those “Abenaki” Pretendians in Vermont who pretend to be indians for the privileges.
From my public records demand;
“———- Forwarded message ———
From: Brian Cina
Date: Mon, Jan 4, 2021 at 2:37 PM
Subject: public comment
To:
I submitted a request to speak in public comment regarding 5.05, Mayor veto of community
control of police.
I am an ethnic Sicilian-American of multiracial and multicultural background, and do not
identify as White. I live in the City of Burlington.
Thank you!
Patrick, I am also an Italian American of Sicilian decent, a third generation American. My Sicilian ancestors were forced into slavery by Muslims in the Mediterranean. The Sicilians who came to America were descriminated against due to their dark skin. By the mid 1950s, 5000 Sicilians had been murdered vigilant style by the KKK due to their dark skin. Despite my ancestry and the fact that I am a third generation American, the EWSD equity director and the state equity office informed me that I am still accountable for slavery because I am white, so whether he likes it or not. Mr. Chia is white. Maybe he should call the state equity office for clarification. I do not accept responsibility for slavery and will never apologize.
Oh and I forgot Cina actively coordinated with Max Tracey to institute race based apartheid to the public comment period during the Jan 4 2021 council meeting on police oversight. Text messages (obtained after months of needless wrangling with the idiot) show him texting with Cina during the meeting to put Cina’s preferred speakers in front of actual BTV residents based on skin color. I can’t paste in a clip of the actual text message but transcript goes;
1/4/21 Cina to Tracy at 2019 – “Theres a BIPOC youth who hasn’t gone yet, names (redacted) did his name make it in?”
Ahh…arrogance and hubris are a requirement for the marxist. cina is but a useful idiot for the donor/NGO class that directs this legislature. cina’s zeal and lust for power- as indicated by his name on 175+ bills this biennium show his marxist totalitarian beliefs. His alleged racial identity preference also bears out his desire to be a member of the nomenklatura, ruling over- not serving Vermont. It is amusing to read about cina’s attempts to spar with Mr. Roper, but I suspect it’s not much of a challenge for Rob.
Does it really matter what Mr. Cina actually said?
It is unequivocally clear that the supermajority Democrats-Progressive alliance in the Vermont Legislature is passionately committed to raising taxes.
In South Burlington (SB) where I live my house has a 2021 appraised value of $380,100. That is 13% BELOW the average single family home in SB.
Prior to the school budget begin voted down (yesterday) for the second time, my City Tax bill (municipal + education taxes) was on target to increase by 12.2% in FY25 (with an education tax rate that increased 14.5% from the current year).
If in the following three years after FY25 my City Tax bill also increased by 12.2% then my City Tax bill in 2027-2028 would be MORE THAN $11,000.
Keep in mind the maximum education prebate a Vermont taxpayer can receive on their education tax assessment is $5600. So as each year passes and education taxes continue their climb into the stratosphere even low and middle income Vermonters will be economically crushed by the devotion of the supermajority in the Legislature to “spend, spend, spend.”
Remember the State Education Fund is the sole entity legally responsible for paying for public school education in Vermont. To keep the Fund sufficiently capitalized its multiple revenue streams need to maintain a steady flow of money, and the only way to do that is through taxation.
At the State (not federal) level if you are going to “spend, spend, spend”, then you will have to “tax, tax, tax”… and that does appear what the supermajority Democratic-Progressive alliance is devoted to doing.
I hope that this is quoted word for word out of his email:
“I would appreciate it if you corrected your publication, acknowledged that you made a mistake, and quoted me properly. Your publication continues to do this to me. Do you follow standards of professional journalism?”
It seems he might have meant “improperly” but instead was accurate
Ha! I missed that till you pointed it out! It is the leftist expectation though, isn’t it. “You made a mistake and quoted me properly.” Digger would certainly never do such a thing!
Taxes on Corporations are ultimately taxes on people: Owners, Shareholders, Customers, Employees. A piece of paper in the Secretary of State’s office is just a legal construct for actual people to pay the taxes. So “Yes, new Taxes”.
The increase in flack demonstrates that Rob is clearly over the target. I wouldn’t be surprised to see if Mr. Cina threatens to extort Rob and/or VDC with a lawfare suit for defamation. It’s happened here before.
Hang in there Rob. You’re doing just fine.
More taxes – matter who is being taxed – will get passed on to Vermonters. The REPRESENTATIVES need to start representing the people and not their wide eyed childish ideas of saving the world by just throwing money and more regulations and taxes at the problems. Goodness gracious!
They DO NOT represent us….. they don’t care to. They are following the cliff CA is going off and the UN agenda. They don’t care what they do to us or the state.
By the last line in your article “”””his is the first House majority initiative directed to VDC in its seven years of publication. “”””
WE ARE MAKING AN IMPACT!!! GO TEAM CONSERVATIVE!
I have to laugh when I hear “Human right to healthcare”. Don’t these folks know that your rights end when you have to involve other people?
could some one in new jersey be buying vermont state bonds/// you have to create more debt so you can borrow more money/// any questions///
My solution: Vote the rascals out of office.
Of am I being too simplistic?