Calls for more climate resilience, less carbon reduction
By Guy Page
The Campaign for Vermont believes the Legislature listens too much to voices on the noisy extremes of the political spectrum and not enough to the quiet majority in the middle. Therefore it has launched a “Petition to Listen” aimed at getting lawmakers to “work for us instead of against us.”
The petition follows months of CFV polling showing that what most Vermonters want – including lower taxes, school choice, affordable quality of life, public safety – are not always aligned with current legislative priorities.
CFV is a non-partisan not-for-profit founded by Bruce Lisman of Shelburne and others, and now featuring a membership roster of thousands of Vermonters seeking state policies that promote prosperity. On the CFV site, Lisman is listed as a petition signer.
The petition intro asks readers: “Are you tired of constant cost of living increases and declining public services? What about state leaders who don’t seem to care? So are we! Instead of complaining we are launching a petition drive to set them straight.”
The petition reads:
Dear Legislators, Vermonters rely on critical state services like infrastructure, public education, housing, and economic development. According to recent Campaign for Vermont polling, Vermonters now believe that the state is failing in the delivery of every one of these key services and that we are headed in the wrong direction as a state.
Top issues that we care about are the cost of living in our state, affordable housing, and public safety. We urge you to focus on these critical issues instead of chasing radical policies that are widely unpopular and will increase the cost of living for Vermonters. Additionally, we need to shift our climate change strategy towards resiliency efforts – building dams, flood barriers, and other infrastructure to protect us from the impacts of climate change – instead of solely chasing carbon reduction strategies (particularly those that have outsized negative impacts on low and middle-income Vermonters).
For too long the extremes at either end of the political spectrum have controlled the narrative despite the majority of us wanting moderate and reasonable policy solutions. In fact, 44% of Vermonters identify as independent voters and don’t affiliate with either major party. Now we are calling on legislators to pull themselves out of these echo chambers and follow the will of the many instead of the will of the few. Work for us instead of against us.
The petition can be signed by any Vermonter here.