Latest evidence: Their overdose prevention center fiasco….

by Rob Roper

Remember back in 2024 when the Democrats and Progressives in the Vermont legislature passed H.72 (Act 178) establishing a much hyped “overdose prevention center” in Burlington? (No Republican voted for it and the Governor vetoed it only to see that veto overridden by the supermajority). The law basically gave the Queen City around $2 million of opioid settlement money and said, “go for it!” That was two years ago. They’ve blown the money, but still no overdose prevention center!

Republicans at the time argued, well, lots of things. But mainly that that money could be better spent on already existing but perennially underfunded state treatment programs focused on evidence-based prevention, education, and recovery. “Trauma-informed practices that save lives and bring our loved ones home to us safe, stable and healthy,” said Rep. Eric Maguire (R-Rutland City), who, according to his bio, has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Counseling, did graduate studies in Human Services/Criminal Justice, assisted in the development and implementation of the Transitional Housing and Re-entry Program of the Vermont Achievement Center, and is the Board President of Rutland Turning Point, Vice President of the Board of Recovery Partners of Vermont, and sits on the Board of the Rutland Restorative Justice Center. But, hey, why listen to that guy? He’s got an “R” next to his name.

No, the Democratic Socialists didn’t listen, and decided that a federally illegal, state sanctioned drug den in the heart of Burlington’s struggling downtown was the way to go. What could go wrong?

I mean, who could have foreseen that no community in Burlington (or anywhere else for that matter) wants one of these magnets for crime and other anti-social behavior in or near their neighborhood. Or that no landlord in his or her right mind would rent property to anyone or entity that intended to use it for a purpose that is clearly illegal in the eyes of the federal government, and, not for nothing, caters to a class of people not generally known for leaving places better than they found them. Or, if the city found itself forced to purchase a property to house the drug den – using up most or all of the settlement money to do so — no insurance company in its right mind would insure it.

Yeah, it would have taken quite the crystal ball to see all that unfolding the way it did (sarcastic eyeroll). And now they’re talking about buying a van that I guess will drive around the city offering addicts the chance to shoot up or toke up in the back. That’s not sketchy at all. And how would the addicts know where and when to find the van? Would there be like an Uber app that they use to summon this Scooby Doo Mystery Machine whenever they score? Or will there be a speaker mounted on the roof blasting out the drug version of the Mr. Softie tune. The heroin man is comin’!

Anyway, the point is that this was always a stupid, impractical idea — and obviously so to anybody with a modicum of common sense. It’s resulted in two years (so far) of NOT helping anyone suffering with substance abuse and wasting all that one-time money from the lawsuit settlement on consultants, studies, and unsuccessful propaganda campaigns trying to convince people this whole scheme isn’t ridiculous. And now they want another $1.1 million from the state to keep the farce going!

The big question is why was this lunacy the chosen path? Especially when, as Republicans pointed out, there were existing programs in place with proven track records of success where that money could have been immediately invested and had an immediate positive impact, continuing to do so over the past two years. I think the answer lies in the perverse psychology of the Left: they would rather make a statement than a difference.

A federally illegal “safe injection site” meant headlines. Vermont wasn’t the first to have one, but as the second state, we’d still get “leader” cred in the movement. The policy came with the rush of sticking it to the man in Washington and all his uptight rules. And the best part: it was bound to be controversial, really pissing off people who – rightly so because it was so obviously stupid – opposed the idea, setting up a good versus evil dynamic that allowed supporters to massage their tribalist, virtue signaling narcissism muscle. So that’s what they did instead of the thing that was quietly practical, effective, cost efficient, and actually helped the people the settlement money was actually supposed to help.

This attitude in our ruling class is why Vermont is unaffordable. It’s why problems don’t get solved despite gobs of money being taxed and spent. The safe injection site is just one example. Just look at radical healthcare policies like “single payer” that got national headlines but resulted in Vermonters paying the highest insurance premiums in the nation. Environmental policies like the Global Warming Solutions Act that do nothing to lower temperatures or change the weather but cost billions in studies and boondoggle projects. (See the latest Electric Bus disaster out of Willison where five of the rolling time bombs spontaneously combusted, luckily with no school children on board.) The list is endless, but our bank accounts aren’t. Neither is our patience.