by Dave Stahler, Sr.
As I sit at my desk in the rural setting of the NEK looking out at the snow covered trees after a not so bad storm, I decided to peek at my unread emails. I say peek because often times there are many that go contrary to my NEK nature…not that it is necessarily a good or bad nature to have!
The below article caught my attention by its title: “State must help Burlington police, house its homeless”. Since I have come to the realization many years ago, painful as it sometimes is, that I learn more from listening to/reading the words of people I might philosophically disagree with than those that I do agree with, I read the below article. After reading it, I find myself conflicted with the author’s views. I get it about the need to help people in need. I really do. However, I don’t get it about the self-proclaimed richest town in Vermont needing to be bailed out by the mostly not so rich other towns in Vermont. Seems like Burlington would have the ability and drive to do so itself.
I have also learned in life that you sometimes learn more by asking questions rather than by just making statements. Therefore I have the following questions regarding Mr. Bossange’s below article:
-Basic question is: Why should I, or any other Vermont taxpayer outside of Burlington, be expected to help pay for their self-imposed social and economic problems?
-What lesson are we teaching when/if we help bail out Burlington? It seems to me more like group punishment: Johnny was acting up in class so sorry, everyone will therefore not be allowed to go out to recess today, not just Johnny!
-Does bailing out Burlington remind you of the national taxpayers bailing out GM and Chrysler a few years ago? Does bad management/governing practices mean public tax dollars should always come to the rescue? Does this bring better or worse subsequent practices?
-Does John Bossange also believe that most/all other Vermont towns, that also have social, police, and economic problems, should also be given Vermont taxpayer money to solve these problems? Should all Vermont towns be given “emergency money”?
-Why is Burlington suddenly at such a breaking point that it needs money, and a lot of it, from the rest of Vermont’s taxpayers? Did the folks in Burlington not see this coming?
-Since, according to Mr.Bossange, Burlington is apparently the so-called “engine” that keeps Vermont running, how come the owners of the engine, the Burlington voters and their leaders, have allowed their engine to decline into such a state of disrepair?
-Does he believe that the money in the various State of Vermont funds was put there to bail Burlington out of its current woes rather than being used equitably for the appropriate needs of all other Vermont towns? I ask Mr. Bossange: ever hear of DEI?
-Why does Burlington need money for their police and homeless people more than the other towns in Vermont? Does the rich man who squanders his assets suddenly become more needy when he becomes broke than the poor man who never had money to begin with?
-In being supportive of those in need, do we give the once rich man more money because he once had more money and/or the ability to earn it than to the poor man who is less able to earn money? There’s that DEI thing again!
-Why should the rest of Vermont’s taxpayers fund Burlington’s police force when the folks in Burlington, their leaders and the voters by their OK, defunded the police a few years ago? Are the rest of us in the state expected to pay for their mistakes?
-Why should the rest of Vermont’s tax payers pay for the results of Burlington’s support of lax penalties for drug traffickers and felons, since most of the Vermont legislature’s “soft on crime and drug traffickers” legislation comes from Burlington’s state legislators?
-Since it is recognized and agreed upon by almost all political factions that the drug issue is the prime driver of Burlington’s and rest of the state’s woes, why not pass laws making Vermont the one state where you do NOT want to be caught trafficking drugs?
-Why is our liberal Vermont legislature, controlled mainly by Burlington and Chittenden county legislators, actually moving to soften the penalties for drug trafficking rather than hardening them? Why are they also attempting to reduce our prison system size?
-Does Mr. Bossange believe that the prosecution work, or lack of it, done by State’s Attorney for Chittenden County Sarah George has made the public safety factor of Burlington better or worse since her election in 2017? Just asking.
-Why is our Vermont legislature constantly adding more judges that operate a revolving door judicial system when they should be doing just the opposite? Does Mr. Bossange believe that this is having a positive or negative effect on Burlington?
-Does Mr. Bossange know where the money will come from to replenish the funds, under his plan, that he would rob from our Vermont state funds? Will the Burlington taxpayers pay this money back, with interest, thru higher Burlington real estate taxes?
I am running out of time this morning to ask more questions, however I have not run out of questions.
Author is a resident of Lyndon Center and a retired Vermont businessman.
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Categories: Commentary
The gist is: Burlington wants the rest of us to pay for their mistakes and mismanagement of funds. They would like us to be co-dependents in their folly. Mistakes are often made, but if one is never made to be accountable for their mistakes, then one will never learn. It is time to let Burlington be accountable for its own mistakes. Too bad they squandered so much. Too bad their local electorate continued and continues to support poor management. Now they want to behave like socialists and extract money from the rest of us. Well the rest of us says no to Burlington and urges Burlington to put on their big boy pants and solve their own problems.
“they want to behave like socialists and extract money from the rest of us.” They are Socialists.
I loved this question. “In being supportive of those in need, do we give the once rich man more money because he once had more money and/or the ability to earn it than to the poor man who is less able to earn money?” In my opinion, we should not, but do you remember the “squeaky wheel” axiom ? Rich people seemingly can squeak louder, and because of their former status as rich they are connected. They have the ear of more influential people. That is the status of Chittenden County (the greater Burlington area) in the State House as compared to rural areas in Vermont. As long as representation in Montpelier is decided by population, we rural people will be subject to the politics of urban Chittenden County. The only way out that I can see is to let places like Burlington, that are failing because of hairbrain policies, fail. When the failures become undeniable, and the consequences unbearable, maybe those who support these polices will have a “come to Jesus” moment, and change. Until then we, again, in my opinion must allow them to fail, because they will . Maybe then they will help themselves out of the quagmire that they have put themselves in .
Exactly. But I fear the Chittenden County/Burlington Legislative muscle is too strong for less endowed legislators to overcome. See: “The Vermont Climate Council” which is responsible for “the Global Warming Solutions Act”.
Their fault, their problem
Well said
Dave, I have an always admired your clarity of thought. The thought of bailing out a systemically inept government is a wealthier community is utterly repugnant.
Often, the best way to teach people to not to be irresponsible is to let them cope with the natural consequences of their own choices.
Most parents know that method as tough love.
Excellent questions and food for thought
Why would any sane person want to enable and encourage poor behavior and lack of leadership. Vermont will become just like burlington if our current state legislature has its way. No THX.
As a Burlington voter who is NOT on the local bandwagon, I will add another example to Mr. Stahler’s list of questions. The Legislature allocated $32 million for statewide PCB testing and remediation planning. Burlington legislators saw fit to claim $16 million from that fund for the Burlington High Shool demolition project. And so, how many other school districts across the state will go untested (and students remain at risk) because of Burlington’s greed?
Speaking of food: ‘Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.’
Let’s provide the incentive for Burlingtonians to learn to fish for a change. We’ll be doing Burlingtonians, not to mention the entire State, a tremendous service,
They made their bed.
Makes sense. Now ask yourself, since Vt is pays into the national tax coffers the LEAST of any state, why should other states bail them out on big ticket federal funding projects?
I will add some more bad news to this Commentary.
All Vermont citizens who pay education taxes contributed to the new high school being built in B-town. This is due to the fact that all public school funding in Vermont comes from the State Education Fund.
When a Vermont citizen—no matter where they reside-writes a check for their local taxes the dollars for education taxes becomes the property of the State Ed Fund. Even though your check is made out to the community, once deposited the education taxes are property of the State of Vermont.
Now costs for school buildings–whether maintenance or new construction—gets rolled into local school budgets. There is only one school budget voters support or reject, and that budget can and often does include maintenance. In the case of B-town their last budget included costs for new construction (as will their future budgets as no community pays for such large projects in one year).
Once your education tax dollars are in the Ed Fund they lose their identity in terms of where they came from. In addition few if any school districts in Vermont raise sufficient monies from resident primary homesteads to pay for the entire cost of their school budgets. The Education Fund which has multiple revenue streams essentially pays for what the community cannot raise on its own.
So B-town’s new high school became part of the B-town’s school budget and the money for that budget comes from the State Education Fund (this by the way is Vermont State law). Since all Vermont residents who pay education taxes have their dollars deposited in the Ed Fund, when B-town gets its budget allowance from the Ed Fund, B-town is getting money from ALL Vermont taxpayers.
I live in South Burlington (SB). In 2020 the “leadership” of the School District and the School Board wanted to demolish the middle school and the high school (both 50-60 years old) and build a new super school for the low, low price of $209.6 million dollars. Add in interest on the bonds to pay for the construction, estimated at $135 million dollars over 30 years, and the total sticker price would have been about $345 million dollars.
Voters rejected the proposal by a ratio of 3.8:1. A small group of citizens were able to convince residents of the economic devastation the new super school would have caused for BOTH residents AND the State Education Fund.
Note: when brought to the voters the proposal was listed as costing $209.6 million dollars, even though concerned residents protested at an egregious level of deceit. Apparently the School Board and School District felt the voters did not need to concern themselves with the $135 million dollars of interest tied to the bonds for construction which they (residents) AND the Education Fund would have been responsible for!
It is important for the reader to understand that had the project been approved every resident in Vermont who pays education taxes would have contributed to the new super school, complete with a 700 seat performing arts center, a 2-story eatery-atrium which would have rivaled what you find at Google or Facebook, and of course an Olympic quality athletic facility!
I might make mention at this time that the initial proposal for the FY25 school budget in SB has a cost per (every!) student of $28,600 dollars (that is total dollars to be spent divided by the number of students currently).
In terms of per pupil public school spending Vermont is #2 nationwide. Only NY spends more per student, but Vermont always covets the #1 spot and I fear this year’s estimated 12% increase (projected by the Commission of Taxes) in public school spending statewide will put us on the road to being #1!
So fellow VDC readers you have been granted the privilege of contributing to the cost of the new high school in B-town, but only the actions of concerned residents in SB saved you from contributing to a new super school in SB. That said, if the current proposed FY25 budget in SB passes you will have the privilege of contributing to the $28,600 cost of educating one child for one year (!)in one of Vermont’s most prominent communities.
Ain’t Vermont grand!
Burlington the ” Queen City ” is no longer that, it has become a cesspool from all the
liberal nonsense from a stacked city council, that is just a gaggle of fools, that know nothing except liberal nonsense………………..Debt, Drugs, Crime ” gun “crimes are the latest from big city thugs or mini gangs turf wars for the drug trade, and don’t forget
the onslaught of homeless destroying the city from within ” Trash & Tents “…………….
Now you can see that Miro is bailing, he has always been in over his head, but he thinks he can run ” ruin ” the state as Governor !!
Vermonter’s better wake up, the state house is already full of liberals, and their nonsense and if Miro gets his wish……………. you’ll be sorry, just look at Burlington.
The only help Burlington needs, is to shed the liberals.
Oh, it’s much worse than you even know……lol
So for about 15 years Burington, NEVER did a reassessment. lol…So they’ve been jacking up all our rates and getting a free ride, while the rest of us suffer.
AND
Some how in their charter they couldn’t raise it more than like 25%….they are still massively underassessed?!
AND
The state sends tax payer money every year to towns for reassessment, to the amount of enough to redo the assessment every 10 years regardless of going up or down in Value…Where did that money go????
AND \
Sewage????Brown trout and beach closures since i went to UVM in 1986, yet if you want to add a bedroom to your NEK paradise, you’ll have to pony up some big money? Burlington….they’ve done nothing, and when they finally do, they’ll be sending us that bill too. Perhaps after they’ve had to pay $30k for every resident, just like every other Vermont house, perhaps then we can help out.
AND
TIFF projects???South Burlington, Burlington….where they take money from the education fund across the state to build the little marxist pet projects….
KEEP DIGGING
VERMONT GOVERNMENT IS A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION
AND
We’re paying $60,000 a year to house their homeless in a one room hotel…
AND
We’re paying $500,000 for a one bedroom affordable house that has modest finishes to boot.
AND
We’re subsidizing the rent of anyone in Burlington earning LESS than $42,000 per year, when the average Vermont wage is $35,000.
AND
They are importing drug dealers with their honey pots from out of state, giving our fledging, no permit required drug dealers a free place to stay and find some lovin’
AND
Burlington is constantly trying to do end runs to overturn our constitutional rights
AND
Burlington has created a monopoly of crappy health care, where you have to wait for 6 months for major visits and 1+ years for a physical…..
AND…….
And let’s not forget EB-5!!!!!
AND….where do you think the Drag Queen Story hour came from????
yeah, and where the h3ll is the VTGOP?????
AND The VTGOP could just point out all the fiscal crimes across our state and we’d perhaps get some relief. We could strive for fiscal transparency where by a huge tax base would understand they are getting fleeced…..that would be any retiree with a home valued more than $500k, any business, any, ANY SECOND HOME OWNER!!
AND….We have an unaffordable, drug riddled, epically dysfunctional schooling system on every level….
BECAUSE some people are apparently ok with that.
And Don’t look at VT DIGGER, Front Porch Forum or 7 Days to bring this out, the VDP wouldn’t allow that….and they being arms of the VDP
AND A TON OF REPRESENTATIVES DO NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we the commentators are the bad ones for pointing out obvious, glaring no-brainer issues…. we’re the reason why the VTGOP has no money, no candidates, etc. etc…It’s painfully obvious to 112,704 Vermonters that the VTGOP is not working for us but pimpin’ for the new world order….you will own nothing and be happy. Supported by the top leadership and apparently every county rep too…otherwise they’d do SOMETHING different.
Amen! 👏🏼🏆
we voted against act 60
So liberal leaders from Burlington advance pro-crime and drugs policies, and then want the rest of the state to pay for the results of the policies.
WOW!! So well said Dave! Yes sir, the voice of reason once again comes from a conservative from the Northeast Kingdom! Keep on writing and I’ll keep on reading. Good Bless you and your family and have a Blessed and Merry Christmas..