By Kay Trudell
One of the reasons many Vermonters, and especially conservatives or Libertarians or Independents (or even sensible moderates), are upset with you (legislators) is that you are not serving the people.
Who elected you to drive our fuel prices up so high that we cannot heat our homes or afford to buy a car unless it conforms to the type of vehicle you say we must drive?
Who elected you to rule over the interior of our homes or how we must heat them? You did not explicitly say you would do these things when you ran your political campaigns.
We Vermonters were not marching in the streets demanding that you do these things to us. The only types of governments that order their citizens to drive only a particular type of vehicle, and then pass laws that punish them economically for doing so, are Communist governments. Free market, liberty-respecting, Constitutional governments do not do such things.
And yet here you all are, either passing the laws directly or supporting them with your writings and your speeches, or refusing to oppose them boldly and fearlessly. What about the U.S. and Vermont Constitutions?
Who are you serving? Yourselves or the citizens of Vermont — many of whom cannot afford to buy your mandated cars or convert their homes to your elitist vision of Utopia. Democrats and Progressives in the Vermont leadership positions are governing like Socialists.
Many legislators in both political parties scoff at the GOP Platform and conservatives. As a result, we have no strong opposition party to the socialist/Marxist train slamming down the tracks toward us.
Where are the strong condemnations of these pieces of legislation and many others like it from Phil Scott? We need a governor like Ron DeSantis in Vermont! Now, that is a Republican. Phil Scott’s responses are weak-kneed and placating. He uses his veto pen every so often, throwing a bone to people like me, but I have yet to see a robust condemnation from him of anything the Socialists in Montpelier are doing to us.
What I see going on appalls me — and I am not alone. We the people are being boiled alive by inches, like the frog in the pot of water. The clean heat standards, or whatever trendy name the Vermont Left has come up with, violate the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says that we have the right “to be secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures” and that this “shall not be violated”.
This Socialist piece of garbage legislation strips us of the right to be secure in our houses and effects. It in effect seizes our homes and cars! What will happen to people who cannot afford to implement these mandates (unfunded)??
Will they lose their homes? Freeze in the winter? How can they pay their fuel bills? Drive? Will the leftists in the legislature forbid fuel dealers from servicing us? What other states have these types of Communist legislative mandates? Maybe California. This is all UN Agenda 21/30 and the globalism coming out of the World Economic Forum.
Why does my own governor not more strongly oppose these efforts to feed us to the Socialist beast with every fiber of his being? Most of you in elected office have surrendered most of the ground on social/moral issues. You are passing laws or carrying them out which make us look more like we have the morals of ancient Rome in its declining days. The Democrats and Progressives have gone even beyond that, and are now proposing an unconstitutional bill that attacks churches — H.113.
It is not law, you say. It is only proposed legislation. Why was it even introduced? In the 1803 landmark Supreme Court decision Madison v. Marbury, the justices wrote that any law which violates the U.S. Constitution is null and void and repugnant. You folks are proposing repugnant legislation. Why? Just because you feel you can? You are stomping on both the Vermont and U.S. Constitutions. H.113 is an attack on the free speech of churches, synagogues, etc. The legislators who introduced it should be rebuked. Why not? They wish to rebuke the churches.
What in the world do they think the First Amendment means? Government is to stay out of religion entirely. Winston Churchill condemned Socialism in the strongest words possible. We need a Winston Churchill here in Vermont!
Phil Scott, you are acting more like Neville Chamberlain. I shouldn’t have to be this blunt within my own party — or even outside of it. I am not a serf to an agenda. I am a free citizen of a Constitutional Republic — something the Vermont legislature and governor and some mayors need to remember.
My leadership should be acting on my behalf. What is wrong with them? Obey the Vermont and federal Constitutions! Who are our Vermont legislators serving? Themselves and their personal agendas, looks like. Certainly not the people who elected them.
My husband and I are seniors. Who is going to help us pay our home heating bills in the future? Or buy us a $65,000 electric car? We aren’t poor, but my last car cost me just $28,000 and it was brand new. NOT an EV, by the way. I have never spent even close to $65,000 on a car. Ever.
And you Democrats and Progs, if you think I am upset with my own party’s governor, I am ten times more upset with the things you are doing to we the little people of Vermont. You are ruling us like the nobility of Europe — the reason our Founding Fathers fled from Europe. Do you have no knowledge or respect for the U.S. or Vermont Constitutions? Their attempts to curtail the powers of the government and protect the citizenry from tyranny? You are trampling on them!
My elected leaders in both parties should be ashamed of themselves. All of you need to go back and read the U.S. and Vermont Constitutions, and stop turning we ordinary citizens into your serfs who are having their constitutional rights trampled upon in the name of your elitist agenda. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Have some empathy for your constituents who will be burdened by these oppressive mandates. Serve the people of Vermont, not your personal agendas or the globalist, elitist visions of the WEF.
The author is a Grand Isle County resident.
Categories: Commentary
I am in total agreement with you! Let’s make Vermont Normal Again in 2024! We must vote conservative… We must have a balance of power again in Vermont. We need to stop these legislators from taking our rights!
Thank you!
You certainly have my admiration for putting into words what I could not. Why hasn’t our Governor spoken out more against these socialists in our legislature, maybe also on the way they’re trying to change the way we vote before our next election, to rank choice voting, which will certainly disenfranchise a lot of voters that do not have the time to keep up with every candidate and what they say they stand for!
Remember “Take Back Vermont”? In 2000, after howard dean used the courts to legislate gay marriage(then called “civil unions”) and school funding, Vermont residents and voters began the “Take Back Vermont” campaign to elect more conservative thinkers to state offices.
The results were less than spectacular, dean won re-election, the house went majority republican and the senate stayed firmly democrat.
That was the end of Vermont as we knew it. The values and morals that made Vermont- well, Vermont were usurped for what has being called “democratic socialism”- which is but an interim label for marxism. In the last 23 years, Vermont has become a beta test for all manner of social engineering and programs to insure dependence and allegiance to the state and it’s elitist politicians. To consolidate power in the legislature- and governor’s office and to feed tax dollars to those that support the majority with campaign cash. We have allowed this to happen, thru apathetic voting, political manipulation and not demanding accountability of our “elected representatives”.
We got what we voted for, even though we were lied to all along the way.
“embrace the suck” is attributed to a Marine Corp. expression- it may become Vermont’s new motto, replacing “Freedom and Unity”.
Frank,
The question is: Are Vermont Elected Officials being truly elected by “The People” or are they being selected by the cheaters?
Whom controls the envelopes that contain the ballots controls the elections. All “legally” done in 2020 by condos, balint and krowinski- following orders.
Embrace the suck.
WOW Kay! Thank you!
Let’s also remember: These lawless lawmakers in the Vermont Legislature have acted repeatedly in opposition to their Oaths of Office and our Vermont State and United States Constitutions. YET, in their lack of self- awareness and hypocrisy, they are some of the first to quickly call the acts of others Treason and Insurrection.
Treason is the betrayal of trust of one’s allegiance and Insurrection is the open revolt against a constituted government. As Vermont Legislators ignore and usurp the Vermont and United States Constitutions, they are boldly acting as Treasonous Insurrectionists.
Article 6 of the Vermont Constitution outlines the Duty of Vermont Citizens to hold ALL their elected officials legally accountable. Our Vermont State and United States Constitutions are our Supreme and Foundational Laws.
Speak Out Vermont Citizens and Vote Them OUT!!
Hi vtbeliever: No, I no longer trust the election systems of any states in this union at this point likely any more than you do. I think you instead have misinterpreted my response specifically directed to Patrick Finnie. I was merely addressing the statement he makes as often as is possible which is that he contends that the ONLY people who be “allowed” to reside in VT, in contradiction to the US Constitution itself, are those who can trace their lineage back to the inclusion of this 14th state into the Union or some such. He and a few others, in extremely insular & clannish fashion, insist on holding on to the highly mistaken concept that only “native” Vermonters hold to Constitutional values and are fighting against this onslaught of Communism we are witnessing.
But of course, despite my own regular conservatism on full display on this site on a regular basis, my dozens of letters to the editor & commentaries with VT publications over the decades, my obvious devotion to this state that adopted me nearly a quarter of a century ago through public service on Municipal commissions & my funding of conservative candidate’s campaigns – Mr. Finnie & a few dwindling others continue on their rants to denounce all of those within the entire USA who didn’t happen to be born in Vermont but have chosen to live here and conjecture that they all constitute the enemy of the people here.
I suppose it’s a matter of their own indoctrination from childhood, but the continuance of this ideology is in itself a danger to this state toward our collective patriotic duty to save her from the GENUINE threat she is embroiled in which is an outright Communist takeover by the genuine marauders and traitors of Montpelier and their brethren who exist within each and every state in these days.
The political situation here in Vermont has been allowed to mirror the precedence set by Dems. and loony lefties in Washington. Nobody voted for Biden because they wanted the price of petroleum products skyrocket, but he encouraged that. Nobody voted for Biden because they wanted to do away with the “remain in Mexico” doctrine, so more than 4 million illegals could flood the boarder in a little over two years, but that’s what he did. Nobody voted for Biden because they wanted Russia, and the CCP to test a cognitively challenged President, but that is what has happened. Nobody voted for Biden because they wanted to be entertained by his dishonest, dysfunctional family, but every night we are enlightened as to how it has surpassed it’s own example of how a family should not behave, (unless it’s the Colombos, Gambinos, or the Bannaos) and yet here we are. The nuts are in charge of the nuthouse. All I can say is we’d better get it right this time as we can only hold of the plague of socialism for so long before we end up like Canada, and while they may be a good neighbor, I would not want to follow their dalliance with socialism. So, let’s start here in Vermont and vote them out !
Agreed with all you said. Unfortunately, it will be impossible for them to be voted out by relying upon only “natives” or those “born here” as they are a minority at this point with many of THEM or their offspring fleeing Vermont to other states – where I hope they aren’t hassled themselves for crossing “state lines” to establish residency.
Try not to cut off your nose to spite your face. Again, not all out-of-staters here are progressive or socialist or Democrat, very obviously. Division is precisely what drives this leftist lunacy. A house divided cannot stand and all that…..recognize your allies through their words and their acts — not based upon where they happened to have been born.
Trump was born in Queens, NY. You support him, I presume?
Hello Kathleen,
It sounds like you trust the “Election System” in Vermont? With first-hand experience, I DO NOT. There are many others in Vermont and beyond who DO NOT for many valid and provable reasons.
I believe we have NOT KNOWN what a Constitutional “Free, Pure, Fair and Non-corrupted” election result looks like in Vermont for quite sometime now.
Why do you think the machine counting of ballots was forced on all Vermont Towns? Why do think the Vermont Secretary of State gives access to Vermont’s Voter Rolls to outside non-government organizations? Why do you think the Vermont Secretary of State paid for Vermont to join ERIC, agreeing to work with them and give them access to Vermont Voter Rolls?
There is LOTS going on to manipulate and control our votes and election outcomes.
Just like every other liberal trash heap state, Vermont will be completely ruined by these legislator interlopers from out of state. Two thirds of our legislative bodies are representatives who are not from Vermont. They brought their dirty linen with them from wherever they came from. They want to be big fish in a little pond. Vermont, the Marxist experiment, the democratic socialist experiment. Vermont, a petri dish for all things (Pro)regressive.
The author asks why doesn’t our governor speak up, against the onslaught of socialism/Marxism? The answer is because he’s a fake. The boy from Barre Vermont will go down in history as the worst governor in the history of Vermont.
We all know what he’s done to the state by going along to get along. He spent 20+ years in government kissing political asses just to hold a place at the table of the Vermont uniparty. He’s not the nation’s most popular governor. Think back to who and what his opponents were. Generally speaking, his opponents were never a threat.
At least Howard Dean wasn’t completely gone like the current progressive mess and weak governor we have now. We have allowed this to get to a point where no one knows how to stop this train wreck. The voters here will not accept the fact that they are responsible for their own demise through their voting patterns. They say, “it’s not my Rep”, Yes, it is!!!!!!
TAKE BACK VERMONT, needs a revision for 2024. Maybe the republican party could actually do something like print up some bumper stickers that say, take back Vermont. Then we could plaster them over every sickening coexist sticker in the state. First the media needs a boycott, stop watching the local channels because they are brainwashing you. Stop donating to VIPRG, Efficiency VT, VPR, PBS etc. Educate your friends and make them vote conservative. This next election is critical. With a renewed legislature we can put a stop to all of the insanity coming from the Golder Doom! Either act and get this moving or live as a dependent slave to your progressive masters.
They’re not interlopers from out of state. They are “interlopers” who were born & raised here (such as Senator Dick Sears & Tim Corcoran to name but merely two “native” Vermonters of my own district) who join arms with their brethren originally from other states to “fundamentally transform” this State and indeed this nation into a Communist, fascist, dictatorial-style regime far removed from its Constitutional foundations.
Stop kidding yourselves here – People have relocated from state to state since the beginnings of our colonies (that’s precisely how you and ALL got here) and shall always as it is part of inherent rights within this Union of many States – there are NUMEROUS “native” Vermonters AND newer Vermonters who are seeking to overthrow this free State & Nation and install Communism.
View the ENEMY for who they ARE and NOT where they were BORN via happenstance! A Communist is a Communist whether born in Vermont or in Idaho. I had SIXTH generation “Vermonters” here (envision my bow royale) at a neighborhood gathering during the holidays who left upon my declaration during a related conversation that I was a Constitutionalist and NEVER wished to witness impingements on our inherent freedom of speech.
View your political enemies for WHO they are, NOT where they were born.
Honestly, do you think this type of rhetoric is going to persuade anyone? The party cannot even recruit residents to run as Republicans for many seats because most people don’t want to be identified with the angry, unhinged views you’re expressing here.
Men can be women and women can turn into men…..and you call others “unhinged”??? Prostitution is actually “empowering” for women?? Closing all prisons and allowing convicted felons out into the general populace advances “public safety”?? Open borders for a sovereign nation?? Your weaponized FBI/DOJ infringing upon our freedom of RELIGION & of SPEECH Constitutional Rights??
Try some self-reflection, Marky. True, your Democrat leftist ideologies aren’t “unhinged” though, for they are actually patently psychotic.
Oh, and the intentional cessation of the life of a human being in utero is: MURDER, BTW.
BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!!!!!!!!! A STANDING OVATION TO YOU!
MS. TRUDELL – YOU ARE A GENIUS and it is YOU who ought to be running for public office!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a patriot, you are courageous, you are a defender of freedom, and you have the ability to force tyrants to their knees with your words alone!
By the way, do you by any chance already have a BFF? If not, I’m very much an interested party.
Kathleen, send me a friend request on my FB page.
Hey Kay, I don’t FB any longer. I will attempt to reach out to you via another source.
“You did not explicitly say you would do these things when you ran your political campaigns” – I disagree. They all told you that they were for the climate policies. This is what the climate policies do.
“Where are the strong condemnations of these pieces of legislation and many others like it from Phil Scott” – For once I’ll defend Phil here, he has publicly numerous times, but the voters (supposedly 2/3rds to 1/3rd all across the state) wanted a supermajority of climate change loving taxing progressive commies.
“We need a Winston Churchill here in Vermont! ” – Winston Churchill would fit in perfectly in VT. All for eugenics as well.
Love the energy and agree with most of what you say, but have to point out that according to your comments you aren’t paying enough attention and I find that to be the problem with most Vermonters and in my opinion and if that trend keeps up then we will always have progressive ruling class legislatures until we are part of China or Russia and Vermont and it’s Vermonters are no more.
Brian, although the Dem and Prog legislators supported the climate change agenda in broad and vague politicalspeak feel-good terms, they did not say VERY PLAINLY and openly what they planned to do to us during their campaigns. We voters did NOT demand that they impose these unconstitutional mandates on our personal lives. None of us demanded that they raise the price of our home heating fuels from 40 to 70 cents a gallon or more, or forbid their sale entirely, in the name of saving the planet. I do not recall the name of one Dem or Prog legislator who said during their campaign: “Vote for me and I will double or triple the cost of your home heating fuel.” I didn’t see anyone saying that to the voters.
At no time in history did the commies come in and say that we are going to take control of everything and leave you with nothing then work you to death, yet this is what they did.
It’s your job as a voter and as a citizen to uphold the freedom in this country. Your inability to do so without being told exactly how they fleece you from your money is precisely how we got here.
Wake up, the thief doesn’t tell you they are going to steal from you they come in the middle of the night when you aren’t paying attention.
See the theme. Pay attention. Now that you know vote accordingly and tell your friends and everyone you meet.
This is the party that nationally passes a green initiative and calls it the “inflation reduction act”. In Vermont they pass a law which will jack up the price of a common heating fuel and they call it the “affordable heating act”. Who votes for these people?
Thank you Kay Trudell.
Well written and so VERY TRUE. Wake up VT while you can still afford to..
SUPER PROUD of you Ms. Trudell for this immaculately written article. Thank you and God bless.
Thank you Kay for speaking the minds of proud Vermont Republicans. Will you run for office?
HOORAY!! Thank you for an excellent article on what is going on in this state! My thoughts exactly! You are what we need in the legislature please consider running for office, we need many, many more Republicans .
Amen, Kay Trudell! Vermonters need to do, Stand Up, Do Not Comply with evil. The VT Constitution and US Constitution stands. All of the evil, marxists, so-called Laws are null and void. Our forefathers, relatives have fought for this Nation to be a Free Nation, One Nation under God, the local & federal governments serve the People. The People are Not Serfs. We must bring God back to this State. We are seeing what happens when the People are complacent and reject God. 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Great job, Kay!! And kudos for giving the exact answer to the problem when you wrote: “In the 1803 landmark Supreme Court decision Madison v. Marbury, the justices wrote that any law which violates the U.S. Constitution is null and void and repugnant.”.
Trouble is, aside from myself and a few others I know, folks may agree with what the Court said, but their attitude is “But let someone else do that. I don’t need the hassle”. And there lies the problem.
I’ve spoken several times about my 85-15 rule. That is, applied to this matter, that only 15% of the people at maximum will act. And that’s simply not enough. It was true of “trust ‘the science'”, and it’s true here.
But here’s where people’s heads explode. Let’s play this out. Suppose we ALL decided not to obey non-Constitutional mandates, edicts, executive orders, or even “laws”. What are they going to do, throw everyone in jail? Of course not. At some point even officers of the law will look the other way or even join in (as they are doing in France). And then what? Then, my fellow Americans, we are finally taking the first steps back to the freedoms that our Founding Fathers envisioned and intended.
Or, go the Demonrat way. Tie everything up in court so nothing Conservative can be implemented. Practice lawfare. And while this is going on, work for regime change until you get the restrictions you hope for. I don’t like it, but hey, it works for them.
And while I’m thinking of it, let’s get rid of “ballot boxes” and “early voting” before those practices become so burrowed in it becomes next to impossible to erase them. Seriously, who in their right mind wouldn’t want same-day voting and voter ID? I shouldn’t have to answer that one for you.
Remember, the only reason anyone is pushing “carbon footprint” or “electric vehicles” or “climate change” is because their prior easy money from gun- and drug-running, human trafficking, Big Pharma, and all the US-funded biolabs in Ukraine is being or has been shut down. The evils of carbon are just the latest psy-op.
Bravo Zulu. Take back Vermont!
VOTE REPUBLICAN
Well stated Kay Trudell. I am sure there are many who make Vermont their home have similar thoughts. You pose an interesting question” “We Vermonters were not marching in the streets demanding that you do these things to us”. The only get-out-and-march-in-the-streets people are the usual cultural marxist mobs in Vermont. Where is the rest of Vermont? How about marching in the streets to demand they stop their Marxist/Socialism programs? In the end, there is just too much apathy in Vermont and the cultural Marxists/rulers in Montpelier know it. They, essentially, have carte-blanche to impose their will on Vermont citizens. Until that changes, Vermonters will have to get used to “Mordor on the Winooski” up in Montpelier.
I found this article on the Ethan Allen Institute website. The Burlingtonians didn’t want any part of this, yet the powers that be thought it was fine to inflict it on the rest of Vermonters. Now I understand the TRUE motivation behind S5, considering that Vermonters only contribute 1/10 of 1% of the nation’s carbon footprint. If our legislatures aare truly serious about reducing carbon emissions, perhaps they should stay at home and conduct business via Zoom as they did during Covid. Lead by example!
BURLINGTON HEATING TAX & OPPORTUNITY VERMONT
By John McClaughry
22
February 2021
The climate activists have found a new target for their mandates, restrictions, and taxes – the City of Burlington . They’re pushing a resolution that would lead quickly to a ban on burners, boilers, furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, and dryers that use natural gas. The resolution could also allow a carbon tax on Burlington residents that decide to keep their current heating system rather than converting to electricity. Imagine that! A natural gas free Burlington!
The tax on households that keep on heating with natural gas is another interesting liberal idea. Taxing for not switching to electric heat pumps is like taxing for not buying Obamacare health insurance. Happily Congress did away with the Obamacare individual mandate tax, so the Burlington tax for not doing something the government thinks is good for you, or for the government, or for the planet, is now at the top of the “tax ‘em until they give in” list .
A new organization named Opportunity Vermont has just been formed to fight back against this latest Nanny State plan. It aims to educate Burlingtonians on the unpleasant consequences of adopting the “Burner Ban” resolution. It has launched a petition drive calling on the Mayor and City Council to abandon any proposal that taxes residents who need gas for heat, hot water, or cooking.
Those Montpelier climate tyrants are violating the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution. A document they haven’t read, and scoff at, undoubtedly.