by Steve MacDonald
Republished from GraniteGrok
Vermont’s Legislature is working out the final details of Gov. Phil Scott’s proposed $8.4 billion budget. That’s over $12,957 for every man, woman and child in the state. Guess how much New Hampshire’s is.
The final budget for the Granite State will be around $13.9 billion, or $9,743 per resident. Except it’s not. Vermont writes a budget every year, while New Hampshire’s budget is for two years. The spending equivalent per resident per year for Vermont based on the estimated 2024 budget is $12,957. For New Hampshire it is $4,871. Vermont’s government spends 62% more per resident every year. For what?
Some other numbers
The Granite State has twice the population, more than twice the labor force, and a GDP of $82.94 billion (2022) compared to Vermont’s $31.4 billion (2022). New Hampshire has lower and fewer taxes.
WalletHub ranked Vermont as having the fourth highest tax burden by state. New Hampshire was 48th. The Tax Foundation estimates Vermont’s effective tax rate at 12.5% (47th) and New Hampshire’s at 9.6% (16th).
There are other variables, and everyone has work to do, and yes, there are a lot of federal funds used in both state budgets. But those are costs that, if the feds went belly up tomorrow, the state would have to shoulder (more taxes) or cut.
Overall, New Hampshire is consistently safer, has a higher standard of living, has lower welfare and poverty rates, and has better health outcomes.
Democrat rule has placed Vermont in hospice while we wait for it to die like every other Democrat-run hell-hole in America.
Note to Free State Projects. Where are those tens of thousands of liberty-minded folks we were promised? If they don’t get here soon, it could be too late because the cauldron of poison bubbling in Vermont has been spilling across the Connecticut River for years. If we don’t dilute that influence, we may all be looking for another state in which we have some hope to live free before we die.
Categories: Commentary
Taxation is theft.
Vermont is stealing three times more from you than New Hampshire would.
When you have the Liberal, Progressive, Democrat majority in government, this is what you get. We need a bill passed that makes sure there is equal government representing all the people but never again a majority controlling House and Senate. People have to do their homework now before they vote and not rely on the news because half of the Democrats are wolfs in sheep’s clothing!
They want to make programs for everyone plus save the planet all at once regardless of who it hurts or bankrupts!
Yes, we have far too big a government for a tiny state and the people working for the state would never think of giving up their jobs now to make the cost go down plus all the special interest groups raping our state that all but run it anyway! Good luck finding a place to go, Feds are raising interest rates again!
“Vermont per-resident state spending almost 3X more than New Hampshire” That’s because we have 3 times as many lazy Socialists that believe that the government owes them a living from cradle to grave than per capita New Hampshire, and as of yet the old truism that “Socialism is a good idea, until you run out of other people’s money to spend” has yet to hit the fan. When it does, and it will, don’t be on the wrong side of the fan.
Vermont has successfully integrated the age of entitlement into it’s psychological profile and expectations. The results are yielding dividends on a scale unimaginable . We have only to look at Burlington, I mean Winooski, I mean Montpelier, I mean Brattleboro, I mean Rutland, …..I mean …, well , you know what I mean with the great and ever improving conditions there.
More to come to a town near you.
NH motto is “Live Free or Die” VT is now “Come to VT to Die”
Stealing this!
It is so sad 😭 8 million a month on the crazy Motel so called homeless problem when half the people are really not Vermont residents, they come for the free benefits, sad, sad!😢😢👎👎🇺🇸🇺🇸 when I was in the army we lived in tents and slept in sleeping in the field, would be good enough for so called homeless 👎👎
According to Beckers Hospital Review, New Hampshire is in the top 10 states to work as a nurse. Vermont shows up on the 10 worst states to work as a nurse. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/rankings-and-ratings/10-best-worst-states-for-nurses-in-2023.html
Vermont does spend more than New Hampshire, but the numbers in this commentary are exaggerated due to significant differences in education spending. All education spending in Vermont is in the state budget because Vermont has a statewide education fund. Much of New Hampshire’s education spending is buried in local budgets.
I’m certain that the governor is anticipating an influx of money, a cash cow $$$ fund from the number of abortions and transgender reassignment surgery services all without parental consent, all out of state that will be coming to Vermont for services they can’t get in their states. I hope the states will sue Vermont for not acknowledging parental rights and really the individuals rights for being lied to by a provider who knows a complete reversal isn’t possible and never discloses that fact to their patients.