26 replies »

1. Backing away? Until they turn away, and run at a full gallop, from such insane policies and its effects on the people of Vermont, they’re not doing nearly enough for the poor and middle-class citizenry carrying the bulk of the pain of the implementation of it.

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   • Yes, a couple of them only mention the impact on working Vermonters. No mention of the poor which includes many working people, seniors and disabled. Heat impacts everyone, whether it’s an individual, business or government office. Homeowners will be stressed not only by the cost of heating their homes, but by the additional charges added to goods and services as well as taxes. Just Imagine heating schools and the increase for the education tax! For them to continue down the road with this looks like they have a death wish.

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   • The Democratic platform says that “Climate Change” is the most “existential” threat to the planet”. They must be kidding!!! They are ignoring the most imminent probable erasure of humanity that is here NOW, or can be, TOMORROW!! Nuclear war! Smarten up and smell the roses kids! We are as close as we have ever been, and Democrats want to hug trees! A ” new page filled with joy” won’t fix it!

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2. Only because they want to be elected. Wolf in sheeps clothing. They’ll do as they’re told and vote yes again. Just do not vote for any democrats.

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3. It is becoming clear that voting for anyone with a D after his or her name is a mistake. It’s that simple. Voting them out will help Vermont.

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4. I hope you do more of this polling of candidates. This is excellent work VDC!

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5. ‘Let’s be clear’ as VP Harris loves to say. The ONLY reason they are backing away from this is because their seats are on the line and they KNOW they are getting voted out. I hope every single one of them that voted this BS in gets voted out. ‘Time to turn the page’ as Harris loves to say.

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6. Hmm. Four out of 130 (house & senate) is not what I would call “several.” And of those four, none is what I would call backing away from the concept.

   Chittenden would cap the increase at 20 cents. That’s better than $4.00 for sure, but A) that’s still a vote for a carbon tax on heating fuel, B) that’s still not cheap for consumers, and C) it doesn’t come close to funding the program requirements under the GWSA mandates.

   Sims… I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. She’s voted for the CHS every time she’s had the chance and voted to override the Governor’s veto of the bill twice. She’s a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus that made passing this horrible thing a priority, got an early endorsement for her senate bid from VPIRG as a supporter of their agenda (which prominently includes passage of CHS) and her campaign manager is Justin Marsh, who is also the political director for Vermont Conservation Voters and in that role lobbied for the CHS before the legislature. So are you really going to trust Sims to have your back with a potential $3000 per winter carbon tax riding on her January 2025 vote. I would think not!

   Bray… This is his baby. He’s 100% in on this heating fuel tax, has done everything in his power to keep the public from knowing what it would cost. If he gets re-elected he is sure to double down.

   And Sibilia…. Her response was not what I would call “backing away”. She said, “we can do nothing, pass the report as it stands, or… make amendments.” And, “I believe it would be irresponsible for the legislature to take no action.” So she’s clearly determined to keep on trying to polish this turd!

   I think the real story here is not that a couple (I don’t count Sibilia or Bray) supporters of the Clean Heat Carbon Tax have hedgily, gone somewhat weak kneed in their commitment, but rather that around 70 Republican candidates are firm NOs come January if they’re elected while almost every Democrat remains ominously silent about how they’ll vote. How to interpret that? I’ve got a pretty solid theory!

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   • They’re cult-like.

     Godless people need something to worship and if it’s not God, then they’ll worship his Creation: Mother Earth.

     Ideological thinking submits all reality to its cult-like schemes, with the hopes of achieving a socially and economically redemptive society; this requires fashioning a certain kind of (pliable) human being: hence the need to control the education system and gradually weaken parental controls.

     Ideological thinking is necessarily violent because its schemes do not comport with either human nature or reality. (Remember, ideological thinking submits all reality to its schemes). It doesn’t matter if these schemes are square and reality is round:

     Square peg, meet round hole.

     This is why violence and impoverishment will necessarily ensue.

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   • P.S.: The end-game of all this is a Marxist Totalitarian Society, hidden in the cloak of their euphemistic “Equity”.

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   • Thanks Rob! Love your straight forward assessment! Thank you for ALL you are doing to get the Truth out to Vermont Citizens about this nonsensical overreach by the DEM/PROG Leftist Super-majority in Montpelier.

     Let’s also remember: The Clean Heat Standard is only the beginning stage of what the DEM/PROG Leftist Super-majority has in store for the future of Vermonters and if they are voted back into office.

     The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) Bill H-688 passed in September of 2020, has plans to also take control of ALL the essential day to day Freedoms and Choices of Vermonters. Heating/Cooling is the first category with Transportation and Agriculture to follow. Think of ALL that is encompassed in these categories.

     The Representatives and Senators in the DEM/PROG Leftist Super-majority in Montpelier have lost their way. They each took an Oath to represent the Vermont Citizens of their Districts; to serve to Protect their Constitutional Rights, Privileges and Freedoms. Instead, they are doing the bidding of the Leftist Leaders and Elitists of their Political Parties along with the corrupted and greedy special interests.

     They need to gain the courage to do the job they were elected to do or resign. They are essentially agreeing to the extortion and forced compliance of ALL Vermont Citizens and Businesses to an Extreme Leftist Ideology through the mechanism of over-regulation and over-taxation. This is Tyranny!

     Further than voting “NO” on the Clean Heat Standard, the Vermont GWSA Bill H-688 needs to be repealed, revoked, rescinded!

     Let’s do a survey to ask the Candidates running, “Who will vote to repeal the GWSA Bill H-688 and start over to work on realistic, reasonable and doable Environmental Policy that stewards our resources while also considering human beings Individual Rights, Choices and Freedoms.”

     REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WILL VOTE NO on the Clean Heat Standard!!

     VOTE OUT the DEM/PROG Leftist Super-majority in Montpelier!!

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7. Scroll though the list both house and senate, all the democrats who didn’t answer should not be re-elected. A non-answer is the same as a yes because they already voted yes numerous times. So now they will hide under the rug until the election and do as they are told by the party bigshots. If you fall for this maneuver, you are a useful idiot and have no idea of the destruction you will cause to the people of Vermont.

   These dolts can’t control the weather, the climate, the sun or the moon. We have a clear beautiful blue sky today. The planet isn’t sick, it’s these people who think they can control mother nature by driving you into bankruptcy and those lobbyists and connected grifters are sick as are the corrupted ones pushing this scam. Look what they’ve done over the last few years, how much more can you afford before you are ruined. Rich, liberal elites could care less about you or your future. It’s time to wake up from this progressive nightmare.

   Yes, it is your democratic/progressive representative who’s to blame and so are you for voting for them. The Demo/Prog voters remind me of these sayings, The beatings will stop as soon as the morale improves. Vote with your brain and not your feelings. Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome is the definition of crazy. We The People need to recue Vermont from the legislature now.

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8. So will the ” Clean Air Act ” move forward, well look at all the ” did not reply ” comments, and there is your answer, we have a gaggle of fools in charge and will follow Vermont’s ” Stupid Majority ” agenda, even if it destroys you financially !!

   Be it $.04 or $4.00 per gallon, you will be funding this nonsense they will change the verbiage to make you feel good ” warm & fuzzy “, but they’ll stick it to you down the road, stop the nonsense.

   Wake up people, they don’t care, make a change, and send them packing as they don’t listen to their constituents’ concerns.

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9. Will the Clean Air Act actually make the air cleaner? No. No matter what it costs.

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   • Jay, President George H. W. Bush signed the Clean Air Act that included a provision known as Acid Rain control by limiting the rate of sulfur dioxide emissions from oil, coal and methane at the stack.

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   • Thank you, John. You are correct. I mistakenly cited CHenry’s reference to the ‘Clean Air Act’ – see above. Such is the curse of extemporaneous commenting. Mea culpa.

     Indeed, it is more than apparent that the Clean Air Act, actually first enacted in 1963 and amended many times, has been effective at limiting Sulfur Dioxide emissions in midwestern power plants since 1990, thereby decreasing acid rain in New England.

     But as the common investment disclaimer always tells us – ‘Past performance is no guaranty of future success.”

     Clearly, what we (both CHenry and I) intended to address was the ‘Clean Heat Standard’, which is intended to address CO2 emission reduction standards that cannot (and arguably should not) be achieved given our current ‘acceptable’ technology, no matter what the economic cost.

     Now it would be a different story if there was a concerted effort to rely more on Hydro Quebec power, or to allow next generation nuclear fission electric plants, and ultimately embark on a Manhattan Project equivalent to perfecting fusion power generation. But I see nothing in the specific Clean Heat Standard provisions addressing these energy sources.

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10. I’m not buying it. They’re not backing away, they’re scared about the upcoming election and have decided to sing a different song. After the election they will be reminded of the script which MUST be strictly obeyed, they will then sing together in unison “screw the people”!

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    • Just like Harris,

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11. Either this is an election year back off to look good and therefore get votes OR they saw the numbers and realized just how bad a plan it is. I’m betting on the first one.

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12. After what has gone on in Germany and most recently in the UK (voting to decrease fuel assistance to elder retirees,) the fact the Western/central bank economic calamity is unfolding on US shores now may cause some despots to pause?

    Will the Dem/Progs have the stomach to pull the funding and increase rates on the all ready financially stressed – their welfare voting block and remaining retirees? What happens when the supply lines get clogged with war time shenanigans? What happens now that Saudi Arabia doesn’t want our dead currency for oil anymore? The writing is the on the wall – the Vermont Legislature papered themselves into the corner and the collateral damage (stench of death) doesn’t bother them – they are simply following orders of the Master.

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13. “Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Dover), vice-chair, House Natural Resources & Energy Committee, emailed VDC this morning: “Regarding the Act 18 check back report, the legislature has at least three avenues to consider: we can do nothing, pass the report as it stands, or leverage the ongoing modeling and technical work to make amendments that better serve the people of Vermont.”
    May I suggest a fourth possibility ? You, our duly elected representatives, write a bill that proposes that any such legislation which impacts the citizens of the State of Vermont in such a dramatic fashion, first be approved in a referendum before the whole of the state electorate ? In other words the citizens should have a direct say in any bill which so thoroughly affects the living standard, and conditions of the people of the State of Vermont. Personally I have a problem with our elected officials farming out responsibilities to any entity, (be it a state regulatory body, or an NGO) which their electorate have charged them, our ELECTED officials to oversee. If they can not, or will not do this, that responsibility should be left in the hands of the electorate. To do otherwise just says chicken____ (or even worse, something other than a representative form of government) to me .

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14. For these legislators to *say* they are going to vote no, simply doesn’t go far enough. Ms Sims says nothing is in place YET…well, thats interesting, my once yearly propane fill was already 30% higher than last, money is being taken out of my measly paycheck to pay for other people children to go to day care(MANY MANY of which make 10s of thousands more than me) and then I am hit with higher property tax. All this, just since July is well over $1000 out of my budget. AND NOTHING IS IN PLACE YET??? Geez Ms Sims, I’m not sure I want to stick around for the time things *may be in place. WHEN IS ENOUGH, ENOUGH Legislators??? From an article by R Roper “my husband owns a residential real estate company in St. Johnsbury, and over the last two weeks he has listed more homes than he has in the last two months. And just this morning I asked him, what’s going on? Normally you’ll see people listing their homes like crazy in the spring, right. Snow melts. Things are looking nicer. Let’s list! You don’t typically see that in late August. What’s going on? His response: people got their property tax bills.” Well, that’s pretty telling isn’t it? Additionally all this clean heating mumbo jumbo will fix NOTHING, just like Sen Chittenden said. Except make Vermonters poorer. So, YOU NEED TO DO MORE legislators. ROLL BACK, REPEAT, REJECT the destruction that all this will place on Vermonters. You never should have voted FOR it in the first place. Bruce Roy is correct “ignored thousands of voters’ pleas not to pass this regressive Carbon Tax.” How about you all start representing the people now???

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15. None of these Democrats can say “No” to S-5! They all dance around the issue. The Global Warming Solutions Act and S-5 are both based on a Pagan religion and should be immediately TRASHED! There is no causal relationship between CO2 and global warming. They are simply correlated. Then again ice cream consumption and shark bites are also correlated. The left has seized upon this recent correlation to “create” a crisis that gives them power. We can have a healthy environment without giving up fossil fuels. Fossil fuels make our world a kinder and gentler place to live.

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16. I’m not buying this from these Liberal leftist Dem Swamp Creature period!
    The bottom line is the only way to fix this problem with the Swamp Rats 🐀 🐀 is unseat them and send them down the Road! Wake Vermonters and get off the couch and VOTE Red, Red, Red vote Red period folks ! Get Real and get out and VOTE period!! See you at the voting booth fellow Patriot Vermonters!! The time has come Folks!! Haven’t we had enough, I know I have period!! To much of this $$$$$ coming out of the pockets of hard
    Working Vermonters and Retired Vermonters with fixed incomes to boot!
    If you let them, they will drain you dry $$%$%$%=/÷ $&%$ Remember once it’s written in stone it’s a lot harder to reverse corse!!
    God bless this great county the
    USA 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇸

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17. Don’t believe any of the ones who are supposedly backing off due to the increase in fuel costs, they do this only because they fear not being re-elected. After tjhey are re-elected they will go back to their previous stance. All of them need to be replaced.

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18. Last week, once again, I had to make the very scary (to a flatlander) drive to Saint Johnsbury via the highway. Once again, I will reiterate my impression of Vermont, which is that HARDLY ANYONE LIVES HERE, it’s mostly trees, and anyone who is brave and resourceful enough to make it through the cold and isolation should be getting a BREAK on fuel. If anything raises the climate’s temperature, it will be the fuming of volatile Vermonters if this law is passed and people start to die.

    Don’t end up like this mouse: vote Republican (preferably on paper ballots that are counted by people you trust).

    THE FROZEN MOUSE

    By Ellin Anderson

    Poor little mouse, whose cozy nest
    Was meant for ease and winter joy,
    In your own house, you’ve found your rest,
    Stiff as a toy.

    You slept in safety from all blame
    With puffs of fluff, and food in store
    In wood-stacked shed, but winter came,
    And you won’t scurry any more.

    Although intentions are benign,
    A life is harsh, a life is cruel,
    And circumstances will align
    Such that we play the fool.

    You did not make your home with me —
    I wonder where a mouse should light
    Between the devil and the sea:
    A cat’s mouth, or a waste of white.

    I’ve set you in a snowy fold
    Beneath a dark and sighing pine —
    Was it by chance, or by design
    You died here in the cold?

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