by Guy Page
When the 2024 session of the Vermont Legislature began, some Vermonters worried that the veto-proof supermajority could and would do whatever it wanted. Damn the tax hikes, full speed ahead!
But so far, the record shows that if anything, an uneasy sense of caution has set in among supermajority’s leadership under the Golden Dome. Suddenly the invincible supermajority looks, well, vincible.
For example:
1. The legislative pay raise was shelved – bad optics with a Town Meeting school budget revolt looming.
2. The constitutional amendment to control the election, training and discipline of sheriffs lacks the votes in the Senate. Senators aren’t saying why. But ever since Vermont woke up and realized that Sheriff John Grismore – the House impeachment panel’s raison d’etre poster child – kicked that suspect in the midsection BEFORE he was elected sheriff, the ‘get the sheriffs’ vibe has cooled. It seems you can’t impeach an elected official for something done before he was elected. And maybe the whole amendment won’t pass a Separation of Powers challenge. Whoops!
3. H.258, a bill taking away the rulemaking authority of the Fish & Wildlife board from the governor and hunters, lacks enough votes to pass the Senate.
4. The Legislature is now dithering over the $1 billion pricetag to rebuild Vermont’s power grid to suit 100% renewable power.
5. A Homeless Bill of Rights passed out of committee without key provisions sought by homeless rights supporters.
6. And on Tuesday, school budgets were rejected by 31 school districts at Town Meeting – an unprecedented oof-maker to the doughy midsection of Vermont’s professional educator establishment, AKA what free market conservative pundit Rob Roper calls The Blob.
7. Now, a housing bill armageddon looms. In both the House and Senate, hard-charging bills to relax Act 250 to build more housing are stalled in the House and Senate environment committees chaired respectively by Rep. Amy Sheldon and Sen. Chris Bray, two mild-mannered Addison County lawmakers who are utterly intransigent about significant Act 250 housing reform. Vermont is their unspoiled Garden of Eden and they are the angels wielding the flaming swords, lest the corrupters invade.
In short, a lot the Supermajority said they’d do, or wanted to do, they’re not doing. The two bottom line reasons are money and fear. They know taxpayers won’t stand for the huge tax hikes these changes require.
They’re worried about November.
A captain at sea has unlimited power of command, but if he goes too far, he must face an admiral’s board of inquiry once he puts into port. We voters are the admirals. Vermont’s ship of state drops anchor in November. And they know it and they know we know it.
Until the adjournment gavel falls, they still control the process. Who knows what will get snuck into other legislation in the last half of the second biennium? But we do know this: people like Phil Scott, and Vermonters for Clean Environment, and yes the Vermont Daily Chronicle, will be watching and telling. And the supermajority knows it.
Try to do too much, and they lose the Supermajority. Momentum is a pendulum that swings both ways.
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Categories: State House Spotlight
Although I havn’t seen one for a while, there was a bumper sticker going around about 30 years ago in Vermont:
“I Love Vermont, but I fear Montpelier”.
It is true more than ever. I’m not sure if democrats and progressives experience much fear these days, with a voter base made up of a majority of blindly obedient liberals who are so into virtue signaling that they practice it even in the privacy and anonymity of the voting booth.
We should definitely fear those in Montpelier, and our Gov/Gop in particular!
Look below… The “fiscal” governors response to Vermonters voting down school budgets…..we’ll take away their right to vote!
https://vtdigger.org/2024/03/07/stripping-back-local-control-of-school-budgets-phil-scott-says-it-is-on-the-table/
So our Governor wants to take away our right to vote, because it didn’t support the unitparty, Vermonters are more than reasonable
It’s not like we don’t spend money, one of the highest per pupil in the land!
It’s not like we don’t pay our teachers well, will benefits many easily reach $100k +
It’s not like we micro manage, the state has almost total control.
It’s not like we don’t have low taxes & are being cheap, VT has VERY high taxes!
So, the state has pretty much run the show completely, do we have the best education system? Far from it.
Are our children safe in these GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS? Most certainly not!
We have a supermajority of marxist, nwo, United nations pimps mascarading as democrats in Montpelier, because Scott and Dame would rather work with them than build the VTGOP to do anything else. They have complete control to mold the party like they desire.
Instead, they support comrades Haley and Biden, they would rather work with the pimps already under the golden dome than challenge any of the status quo.
Infact they vehemaetly portect the Status Quo and if Vermonter disagree and vote different……
Scott says we’ll take away your vote!
Any adjectives you’d like to use?
We need some change.
It appears that the legislature is indeed somewhat cautious this election year. Not fearful. The key being this is an election year- AND leadership is aware but not acknowledging the dire financial condition they have placed the Vermont economy in. Perhaps conjecture on my part- but should the status quo be maintained in November, look out in 2025. There is a whole lot of money needing to be extracted from empty-pocketed taxpayers to pay just to maintain the largess of programs that have been created.
It’s an utter complete mess, Governor Scott is likely to retire at this point. Would be a good time as the problems are legion at this point. Will be interesting to see what happens.
2026 will be an interesting year for Vermont. I suspect some massive internal positive changes before that.
Neil, I doubt that the apathetic and uninformed voter will change much in November. Those that have been disenfranchised and or too apathetic to vote will stay away. With the mail-in vote, there’s plenty of room for fraud. Expect more of the same. Jim Douglas saw the writing on the wall in 2009 and stepped away, should phil scott do that in 2024 or 2026- It will certainly speed up the demise of Vermont. Because of Vermont’s dependence on federal funds- and leahy’s ability to deliver- this supermajority hasn’t figured out the consequence of there actions.
The train is running at full steam toward the washout, with folks like sibilia, white, bray and a hundred others unable to see the inevitable. Right now, all they see is retaining power in November. Problem is, 70+% of eligible voters can’t see it either.
Best to watch from a distance…
Frank, agreed most voters won’t change. However, reality is going to come soon. Who would want to preside over an economic collapse of the state, is more to my point. Scott can leave soon and have awesome record.
The other factor, Lord willing is we get some leadership change in Washington, to which would be in direct opposition of what is going on in our corrupt little state. It won’t be forgotten what little tools of the United Nations are running the show here, who gave Bernie Sanders fame, who gave Nikki Haley fame…….who supported Joe Biden, who are in charge of the most inept, unproductive wing of the Republican party in the entire country.
Right now, our state leaders are basking on the coat tails of the United Nations running our little state, so they are safe under the UN wings….
Should there be a change in those dynamics, it would be an unpleasant work environment at best. Ideally Vermonters would hear the wonderful words. “Your fired” and new management would come in. TGBTG
With the current Vermont leadership, almost every bill should be stalled. The scariest to me might be the proposal to enshrine rights for “gender identity” in the Constitution while discriminating on religion. People in many blue states are starting to question left-wing policies and hopefully Vermont is part of that this November.
Aw. Look at all those sad little faces in the above photo. OMG, our saintly little proggy critters have to wait a few months before getting rid of more people they dislike.
Maybe they could use this time to go out shopping for some actual professional attire… including matching accessories. Are they vision-impaired, too? Or is the house of mirrors a bit confusing when they’re walking around looking at themselves from all angles?
All we are missing is Lurch rockin’ a hoody and shorts …….
The only thing that the supermajority will pay any heed to is its overwhelming loss at the ballot box. Whoops, in the mailbox. Maybe they trust the mailbox to save them.
should i put up my remember in november sign again///
You took it down ?
There are so many of those clowns in that picture that actually deserve jail time. How about Shelb rep Brumsted? Her husband was a major shill in the whole covid scam who was making millions ‘running’ the hospital. She’s a foul one.
“Clowns” is right – who else wears a sherbet-striped tie with a charcoal grey plaid shirt? It’s all right in your face.
Where’s the red nose?
remember in november sign will be back up on my new wood pile /// good view from a heavy used road///
Guy, What a well woven and beautifully crafted piece. We the people can break records on the Great Vermont Vote Out Nov ’24.
Vincible…. Invincible comes from Latin invincibilis—a combination of the negative prefix in- with the Latin verb vincere, meaning “to conquer.” Vincere also gave English vincible, meaning (unsurprisingly) “capable of being overcome or subdued.”….Thank you Guy Page for the Oh so appropriate use of this delightful adjective !
The photo to me looks about as clueless a bunch as I ever seen come down the pike.
Let’s hope come November they get that far away look in their eyes, like in as far away from Montpelier, as the voters can get them.
Throw the bums out!
Vote Team Trump and the GOP.
There is hope.
For Amy Sheldon and Chris Bray, “Vermont is their unspoiled Garden of Eden and they are the angels wielding the flaming swords, lest the corrupters invade.” Yes, they see themselves as morally superior but they can’t wait to fill the valleys of their Garden of Eden with solar panels and line the ridges with wind turbines to fulfill their Net Zero pipe dream. They have ignored every report from the PUC urging caution on their push for renewables ever since the legislature first considered subsidizing wind and solar more than 15 years ago, when not a single solar panel or wind turbine marred the landscape and Vermont Yankee and Hydro Quebec supplied all the carbon free electricity we needed.
Guy, I had to smile at your analogy of the super-majority being like a captain at sea havign to face the admiral’s board of inquiry once in port. They are already facing that inquiry and ,should it not correct their “course,” we the voters are the “mutiny” in November rather than the admirals.
Yes, great analogy, as well as use of the word “vincible.” I love it. And thank you, Guy, for distilling for us the evidence and fact that the craziness is starting to backfire on them as they overplay their hand. That is some of the most encouraging news to come out of Montpelier in a long time.
Do not be lulled by the communists hesitancy to push forward. Remember this? Hat tip Rob Roper “I am not happy,” says McCormack with stern disappointment rippling through his countenance, “with where the public seems to be on what we’re doing. I get constituent calls telling me that we’re wrong to try to raise people’s energy costs.” They hate you, usually that equates to fear, but they also believe that most of us are too stupid to understand what the benevolent state is trying to do for us. They just didn’t explain it right, we are just too dumb to get it. Guess I should give back my doctoral degree. Understand this, if nothing else THEY WILL NEVER STOP….EVER. They will just do it slower so you don’t notice.
I surmise the hotline to the White House isn’t picking up? They may be coming to grips that their days are numbered. After the colossal fumbling of Super Tuesday and The Biden juiced up on amphetamines sputtering nonsense from an alternate reality, they really haven’t had a good week overall. On top of those serious blunders, the White House admitted to flying in over 320,000 illegals over the border, from parts unknown to parts unknown, into the interior of the United States. The news of this prompted Elon Musk to issue a warning that something is afoot worse than 9/11? Elon reportedly had a meeting with Trump this week as well? The mega-billionaires unloading stock like hot potatoes? Fani Willis getting spanked by her own booty calls and lying about it under oath? More January 6 footage released, Haiti blowing up as well as France, Brussels and many other areas erupting in major civil disobedience? AOC losing her cool screaming at protesters? The UN is moving to Africa? Boom, boom, boom. They are losing control and the gators are death rolling in fear, panic and desparatation. Head of a swivel and fortify the homesteads. March madness is underway.
A sorry looking lot at best. They seem uncomfortable in a group like they wished not to be seen. I hope they don’t dress like that as a rule.
With leadership like this we can’t see a very bright future. McCormack is the perfect example of “I’m right and my constituents are wrong”, just what nobody needs.
remember in november sign is back up for public view/// it is placed on my pile of wood for next winter/// hope it does not offend anyone///
Thanks Guy. A great piece with a wonderful title.
However, I don’t understand that further relaxing Act 250 is necessary to increase housing inventory. On the Islands, we don’t see Act 250 slowing down housing builds. The high cost of housing construction is due to inflation, for which we can thank the Federal government. In Vermont, the driver for increasing real estate prices is economics — supply and demand. Out-of-staters like to be in Vermont because it’s nice here. Vermont has the second highest amount of second homes (on a percentage basis; Maine is #1). Taxing second homes at a higher rate will reduce the demand for second homes and free up some of those properties for full-time, year-round residents. The extra tax revenue could subsidize young Vermonters who are buying their first home.
Are some of our representatives starting to realize that they are “Representatives” not “lawmakers.” ?
Respect the Blob, Listen to the Blob, Love the Blob……
we are supposed to embrace “democratic institutions” a consensus of the institutions…..hey, Vermont is Just like Ukraine, corrupt to the core surely, no free press surely, no representatives, but NGO’s and Non-profits running our show and should we think the taxes are too much.
As our Gov. Scott says,…..”taking voting away is not off the table”
Too bad we don’t have all the money the Ukraine does for all our lemming tendencies to “follow the blob”
great video from Russell Brand below
https://choiceclips.whatfinger.com/2024/03/10/hes-exposing-the-deep-state-no-one-is-ready-for-whats-coming-in-2024/