OFF TO THE RACES IN 100 WORDS OR LESS

Democrat candidate for governor is...ah well not much traction there. All of Vermont knows that Jim Douglas is the only obstacle to the wacky Democrat legislators's throwing us off the cliff. Hard for what's his name to argue for that to change.

Democrats and Progressives may cheer their stallions for lieutenant governor but there is not enough oxygen to make that race exciting. It is not just the real race for Congressman and United States Senate, there are local house and senate races which will determine whether your property tax puts you in the poor house or not. Treasurer, auditor, secretary of state, and attorney general are in unless some competition appears.

With no opponent, Peter Welch is making the rounds of the special interest groups, local newspapers, and talk shows. He has vacated his property on the left and has moved into the moderate model in the middle. As one lobbyist told DPR, "You go to the Vermont Grocers Association meeting or one of the others and listen to Peter speak, and you think, 'wow, he is on our side,' and then you remember what he has done to you in Montpelier."

THE HOUSE

The Democrats took control of the house on the coattails of John Kerry and the anti-Bush hysteria. Almost twenty house races were won by fewer than 250 votes. The Democrats came to believe that they had a mandate from God to rule without consequence. As their follies come home to roost, their reelection bids will not be so easy. Unfortunately, the Grand Old Party does not seem to have a coordinated campaign, an organization, and a leader kicking butt to make a turnover likely. This is not to say that VGOP is not organized. It is, armed with helpful materials, money and targeting, and voter lists all at the ready.

THE SENATE

The senate has winnable races in Bennington, Windsor, Lamoille, and Franklin Counties in addition to their current stock. The current stumbling block is Bennington County Senator Mark Shepard. Is he in or out of the race to replace Bernie? If he is in, will he resign his seat?

Big questions with big consequences. Mark is a smart, clever, thoughtful, hard working, tenacious, and persevering state senator. He represents his constituents well, he works to keep the press honest, and he challenges his Democrat colleagues to take the minuscule Republican contingent seriously. Though not always right, the GOP establishment clearly sees the potential candidacy of General Martha Rainville as the better bet.

Rule 9 has been threatened but it is unlikely to be used against Mark if Rainville enters the race. Rule 9 allows the National GOP to take sides before a primary and open the floodgates of money and other support, if and only if, the state's three members of the Republican National Committee request them to do so in writing.

If Mark runs, his resigning would allow the governor to appoint a successor, allowing him/her some amount of incumbency in his/her first run for "reelection." If that appointment is former House Speaker Walt Freed, the senate campaign can draw on his experience resurrecting the House Republicans to ruling status for two terms.

THE UNITED STATES SENATE

Bernie beware. The voters do not believe what you believe. As soon as the Tarrant campaign points that out, watch out.

The Tarrant campaign has struck some interesting political ore. Their research found that 62 percent of Vermonters understand that having Bernie lobbing stink bombs, even colorful ones, in the House does not guarantee their support for him as senator.

In any race the electorate looks at the incumbent and quickly makes a decision. If they like him/her, the challenger never gets his/her day in court. Race over. That is why political consultants came up with the negative campaign, which might say, "Look, Bernie is really bad, a demagogue, a fraud, a fellow lining his own pockets by putting his daughter-in-law in a hardly-ever-show-up job and his wife as his 'media consultant' raking in media fees huge enough to shame any modern day Jesse James."

Okay, but people do not really like negative ads, however amusing they are. While they may cause some people to take a look at the opponent, they would not cause 20 percent to do so and then change their vote, the number necessary to win. And negative ads drive up the opponent's negatives as well. In that 62 percent of Vermonters have already decided to give the new guy a look, Tarrant's chances improve.

THE PULSE OF VERMONT

Now take a look at the Vermont Business Roundtable's recent survey, Pulse of Vermont, available at http://www.vtroundtable.org. They have taken four in-depth surveys, first in 1990 and then every five years since.

If this survey is correct, Bernie's gig is up, his scam is over. This from the report, "More Vermonters want to either 'promote globalization' or to 'allow it to continue' than want to 'slow it down.'" If anybody is connected with "harmful globalization" it is Bernie. Recently he held a press conference denouncing Capital City Press's decision to outsource its pre-printing jobs.

"It is not fair to make American workers compete in a race to the bottom against other workers who earn much less. It is not acceptable," Bernie said.

The survey also concludes, "Vermonters believe that economic growth in the state will improve their quality of life. In earlier studies, improving educational opportunities and the environment were most often the two highest ranked priorities. In this year's study, health care and job creation consistently headed the list."

Tarrant knows job creation; Bernie can only talk. Job creation requires a government which attracts entrepreneurs by creating the opportunity to acquire land, permits, and skilled labor, and which has capital, cooperative regulatory agencies, and low energy costs. Bernie advocates policies which empower the Lilliputians to tie up the entrepreneurs.

BREAKING WITH TRADITION

In the last issue of DPR, we took issue with the success of VTNEA in bargaining for teachers' pay and benefits. We argued that the recent strikes in Barre and Colchester and the scheduled strike in South Burlington would result in a push-back by the taxpayers.

We received many emails questioning or praising our judgment, facts, and temperament. We will reprint two of the reproachful letters and our response above the fold in the news section. They have been edited for length. For the entire letters, go to the letters section (below). The other letters also appear in the letters section below. Almost blogging.

THE EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT RESPONDS

Brent Kay, Superintendent, Orange County District Southwest, Randolph: Many people do not know that I worked in the private financial sector. As a result, I used to be on your side. Most of what you wrote comes from people who do not really have a strong grasp about what they are talking about.

1. The 187 Day work myth. I am unaware of any teacher who can get away with only working 187 days. They spend considerable time in the summer months, evenings, weekends, etc. either completing work or completing professional development work to ensure their licenses will be continued.

Yes, there are some professions that require similar things such as CPA's, Lawyers, and Doctors, but by and large once a person is certified they are not required nor monitored to do so.

DPR: The 187 day work year is the contract. Yes, teachers often keep going to school. The recent Barre teachers' contract required the school to pay for teachers' schooling, increasing their education, which usually increases their pay. There are no recent studies to suggest that this education pays benefits to anyone other than the teacher. The students have not shown any significant academic or SAT progress, in spite of the advancing degrees.

Arthur Levine, the president of Columbia University's Teachers College, issued a report blasting the nation's schools of education.

Mr. Levine singled out the "inadequate to appalling" graduate programs in educational leadership and called for the abolition of the Ed.D. Degree. He asserted these programs suffer under the weight of lax admissions standards, weak faculties and inappropriate degree requirements and are often cynically used by their host universities as "cash cows."

Real estate agents and others must continue their education. This is not unique to the academic profession.

KAY: 2. Salary. I would argue that if you compared apples to apples, teachers' total compensation is a mere fraction of their private counterparts.

DPR: If you take the highest paid teacher in Vermont with benefits, he/she costs the taxpayers approximately $133,000 per year including the present value of his/her retirement pension and health care cost. If you take the average of $44,354, his/her annual cost is $98,000. This is hardy a "mere fraction of their private counterparts."

KAY: 3. Outsourcing: I outsource in many professional areas.

DPR: But not teaching. An AP article appearing in the Valley News on October 23, 2005 described online tutoring available 7,000 miles away in Cochin, India. Indians coach American children for $15 per hour as compared to $40-100 stateside. Go to http://www.growingstars.com or http://www.niit.com

KAY: 4. Job Security: The Principal of RUHS was recently directed to RIF nine people.

DPR: It may be that from school district to school district, teachers are laid off for lack of students. But our point is that statewide, there are fewer students than last ten years ago yet more educators.

KAY: 5. Not being fired for egregious behavior...this is just plain wrong. I have terminated many teachers for conduct unbecoming of a teacher. In fact, the Department of Education's licensing division posted all examples of teacher misconduct on a public website.

DPR: That may be in the specific, but the examples are legion of a district trying to replace an unproductive teacher and finding it virtually impossible. Further, there was the recent case at Lamoille Union High School in which a teacher had sex with a subordinate in his classroom during the time frame when students were still at the school and yet he could not just be fired.

KAY: 6. Retirement. Are you aware that teacher pensions in the State of Vermont are non-indexed, contributed to only by the teacher and not matched by the employer?

DPR: We wrote to Vermont's Treasurer Jeb Spaulding. Mr. Spaulding responds:

"Both teachers and the State make contributions to the teachers' retirement plan.When the teachers' retirement plan was created in Vermont in 1947, the system was set up with the State making what would normally be thought of as the employer contribution.

"The teachers' contribution is set by statute at 3.54% (3.4% for the basic pension and .14% to help with the cost of retiree health insurance). For FY 05, the State contribution was supposed to be 8.96% of payroll according to the actuarial requirement. The State actually put in about half of that."

"Retirees receive cost-of-living adjustments if they retired with a normal or disability retirement allowance and have received twelve checks. These adjustments are made each January to those members who have been retired for at least one calendar year, and are based upon 1/2 of the preceding June 30 Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase, with an annual ceiling of 5% and a minimum of 1%."

HEAD BLOWS TOP

Angelo J. Dorta, President Vermont-NEA, Montpelier: We already are accustomed to the mean sarcasm James Dwinell spews in defense of right-wing politics and big business economics. We understand that his agenda favors the privileged at the expense of ordinary people. We know he speaks for the wealthy and rails against taxes, public good be damned. We get it: YES to the "Haves." NO to health care, public education, pension security, job security, and collective bargaining rights for the "Have-Nots."

DPR: According to the Educational Intelligence Agency, www.eiaonline.com, Dorta's assistant, Joel Cook, was paid $117,963 for 2004. If that is so, we might assume Dorta is paid more. That would make him a "have." His home in Underhill is assessed including the two most recent annual CLA adjustments at $248,000. A quarter of a million dollar home. That would also make him a "have."

Teachers' average pay in Vermont is $44,354 according to the Free Press, not counting benefits. This is well above the average per capita income in Vermont of $32,770, making teachers "haves" also.

That said, our point is: the VTNEA has been too successful. Over time, this growth in teachers, their pay and benefits have become unsustainable.

As we wrote, "many in Vermont are upset that teachers are a protected species, with benefits and pay that taxpayers can only dream of." We predict trouble ahead for the union and its members as the legislature convenes this year; the union has overreached.

DORTA: True to form, Dwinell offers up a merciless attack on Vermont's classroom teachers. But this one is over-the-top, a jaw-dropper -- no metaphor does it justice. He calls teachers and Vermont-NEA extortionists and pigs to be "slopped or slaughtered."

DPR: We did not attack the teachers; we only pointed out specifics of their working conditions which are advantageous and seldom mentioned, perhaps taken for granted.

If Dorta did not recognize our Wall Street metaphor, we offer a quote of Captain Jack "Lucky" Aubrey from Master and Commander, "Their greed will be their downfall."

DORTA: Why the vitriol? Because organized public school teachers are one of the last and most visible bastions of resistance in Vermont against the effort to lower wages, reduce health care, eliminate jobs, and decimate pensions for ordinary people.

He tells his readers that teachers should suffer the same fate as all others whose economic security has been beaten down. Teachers, he says, should be satisfied to pay increasing portions of the cost of their health insurance because, after all, everyone else has to. He says pensions are a thing of the past, and he calls teachers "the gilded few."

DPR: We suggested that the teachers are also part of our communities. Their pay and benefits have angered many taxpayers. The letters printed by the Burlington Free Press and the Times Argus during the strikes in Colchester and Barre confirmed that the teachers lacked community support.

Supporting letters were not sent in spite of a "web site with 'talking points' for letters to support teachers" according to the Times Argus. They continued, "One organization has complained that the Times Argus has run letters that are negative about striking teachers. The same organization runs the above mentioned web site." That wouldn't have been the VTNEA would it?

The Barre School Board according to the Times Argus had offered the teachers an annual 4.6% wage increase on a four year contract before the strike. They settled for a 3.08% annual increase for five years.

DORTA: Dwinell, a former executive director of the Vermont Republican party, fails to mention the policies of his chosen political party that have undermined Vermonters' economic security. He does not speak to the roadblocks his political party and its leaders have placed in the way of our state and nation ever getting a rational health care policy for everyone. He does not tell us how his party's policies have elevated a funding problem for the teachers' retirement system to a crisis for the state of Vermont, or how their policies have brought all pension programs in the nation that still survive to the brink of collapse. We know which "few" are truly "gilded."

DPR: Dwinell was also a member of the Lamoille County Democrat Committee, a Democrat candidate for the Vermont Legislature, and a Deputy Campaign Manager for Senator Gary Hart's 1984 presidential campaign. An equal opportunity man.

DORTA: For some, Vermont's economy is strong. While teachers are struggling to save their health benefits, the actual "gilded few" are snapping up million-dollar McMansions. They really do want it all. Dwinell's strategy and that of his political allies for cutting social spending and increasing business/corporate profit for the wealthy is plain to see.

DPR: Teachers' health benefits do not have to be "saved" and are not in jeopardy. They have only been asked to contribute a bit more to the cost of their insurance or to accept an insurance package with a deductible or a larger deductible to allow a small savings in premiums.

The teachers in Barre asked to be treated as others in the area and not have their percentage of health insurance cost contribution increase from 12 percent. David Delcore of the Times Argus did a bit of research. It turned out that teachers in Washington County were already paying between 5 percent in Warren up to 22 percent at Harwood. They accepted a continuous rise in their contribution from the current 12% to 20% by the end of the contract.

DORTA: Dwinell writes: "If there was no union, if school boards could hire and fire at will, the average teacher salary and benefits package would be half the cost that it is today." And that is exactly the point.

Finally: Attack viciously. Ridicule. Conceal your own greed. And never, ever reveal the wealth and privilege you and your friends enjoy.

DPR: That is exactly the point, made without ridicule or viciousness: teachers are now a "privileged" class, part of the "haves", like it or not.

DORTA: No one should nod along with Mr. Dwinell's assertion that Vermont public school teachers ought to suffer economic losses like so many others -- or be vilified in their communities. Rather, we ought to support the proposition that all citizens deserve the kinds of benefits Dwinell decries.

Those few -- gilded or otherwise -- who view James Dwinell as their spokesperson, should take stock of their own standards.

Cordially yours,
Angelo J. Dorta, Vermont NEA, President

DPR: Cordially yours, right! The rich/poor rhetoric is just soooo passé. Dorta, might have been born poor, we do not know. He is no longer. He is paid in the six figures, has benefits and pensions to fit a king, a millionaire in present value terms if not actual, he is no longer a "vanguard of the working-class." The rhetoric rings hollow.

Ad hominem attacks rarely are made by the reasonable mind, mainly because they are not successful. Nor are union ordered school strikes just before the Christmas holidays. The South Burlington teachers' union, which had scheduled a strike, wisely eschewed that tactic for more chat.

Interestingly, the Rutland Herald/Times Argus editorial page appears to be coming on board. They write:

"Some think property taxes might just eclipse the health care debate once work gets under way in Montpelier... Dissatisfaction with high property taxes might provide enough political heat that the education system moves up the priority list... Head counts are shrinking; enrollment has shrunk by about 2.5 percent over the past three years...

"Schools need to consider consolidating, and perhaps so do school districts. There are more than 60 superintendents and a total of 1,200 administrators and administrative staff in Vermont schools. Schools employ some 16,000 people to teach 98,000 students, or about one adult for every six students. Fewer than half of those people are classroom teachers…

"It's hard to imagine we need 60-odd school districts in a state as small as Vermont, and we certainly can't afford that much duplication of effort... The students would also be served by more school choice.

"That means educators taking the initiative to share resources, consolidate where it makes sense and show the general public they are providing the best possible value for the money they spend. Or else, as the pressure grows to cut property taxes, politicians will finally muster the will to reform the education system from without."

BUDDY BERNIE BURNS THE MIDNIGHT OIL

Bernie has waxed profoundly about our energy crisis, how President Bush is cutting funds for fuel oil assistance. It appears that there is something Bernie could do to help but has not availed himself of the opportunity.

According to George Pratt of Bradford Oil, in all surrounding jurisdictions, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Quebec, fuel oil trucks with the triple axles are allowed to haul 11,000 gallons of fuel oil. Not so in Vermont. Here the limit is 6,500 gallons, 5% more or less.

Clearly there is a price advantage, a saving to consumers, in using a tractor and driver to make one trip instead of two. Also it is safer. In that 6,500 gallons is often delivered in an 11,000 gallon trailer, all that oil sloshes around. Even with baffles, as the oil moves forward when you apply the breaks or sideways on corners, makes the semi-loaded truck more dangerous than a full one.

Lobbyist Ed Miller told DPR that congressional members from other states have tacked a bit of writing late at night onto one bill or another to allow the 11,000 gallon trailer in their state. Not so here. Guess they are too busy complaining about all the ills of da big corporations.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?

A 96 percent increase in television scenes with sexual content since 1998 according to Time Magazine prompted us to recall the innocence of songwriters just forty years ago. Take for example the Beach Boys' tune "Wouldn't it be nice," written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, first recorded in 1966.

Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
And we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong

You know it's gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

SILVIA DIES, WARRIOR FOR TRUTH

Joyce Schmaldienst of Winooski recently passed away. She often called the Mark Johnson Show with her nom de plume, "Silva." She regularly called the James Dwinell Show as Joyce from Winooski. As the last show was ending, she appeared in the studio with a box of brownies. She was a generous subscriber to DPR. She will be missed.

BEHIND THE TIMES

A newspaper by that name in Bradford recently closed. It brought to mind our perilous state of Internet connectivity and speed. An international technology business guru residing in Vermont recently wrote, "I just sat through a presentation about how Ethiopia is deploying a 3G network.

"Wow. Another place goes past Vermont. There are very interesting economic stats from Ethiopia and South Africa about the economic effects benefits of wireless telecommunication. It is interesting to note that wireless telecomm creates jobs at all skill levels. Hey, blue collar jobs are created. Oh, yeah, nice wireless network here in the Cape Town convention center to use like this...."

TED KOPPEL COMMENTS

"Koppel was gracious and kept his critique of television news light, noting dryly that he was disheartened by the cable news's 'obsession with being first with the obvious.'" --The New York Times

HOW DID YOU MISS THIS?

The media vets presidential candidates, looking under every rock for a character flaw. Here comes Governor Bill Richardson, D-New Mexico, former cabinet member, United Nations Ambassador, Congressman, vice presidential wannabe, and now presidential wannabe, and lo and behold, what a whopper.

"After being notified of the situation and after researching the matter...I came to the conclusion that I was not drafted by the Kansas City Athletics (in 1968 or any other time.)" He had declared on his resume for almost 40 years the fact that he was drafted by the A's as a wannabe pitcher.

THE BIG STORY

We won. Every paper announced that the "story of the year" in Vermont was Jeffords's unexpected retirement. Thank you, thank you very much.

"Jeffords Will Drop Out of 2006 Race," April 3, 2005: http://www.dwinellpoliticalreport.com/dpr_04_03_05.shtml

WHERE DID YOU GO JIMMY DOUGLAS

The Times Argus outdid themselves. Bold headlines from left to right ran across the entire paper, "Minimum wage set to rise to $7.25 and hour." Intrepid reporter Bruce Edwards quoted a gleeful Christine Meehan, executive director of the Peace and Justice Campaign. "It is something that we have worked very hard toward."

Gee, we swear that we were in the Governor's ceremonial office when he announced, totally unexpected, a bolt out of the blue, that he was recommending two jumps in the minimum wage to $7.25. His caucus, still in control of the House was shocked, but eventually went along. Maybe we were dreaming. It makes sense that Christy really did it. This is not something any Republican would ever support, just ask Angelo Dorta!

BOZOS BLAME BUSH

It seems that the entire media class, Democrat Party, and the Euro class blame President Bush for the demise of the Kyoto Protocol. Its Montreal meeting was a bust not because of Bush but because of a lack of gravitas.

Both the Valley News and the Burlington Free Press claimed that former President Bill Clinton was a "champion of the Kyoto Protocol opposed by Bush." Clinton even ventured north to Montreal to hold hands with swooning delegates. He of course scolded President Bush for his "inaction."

None of that however changes the fact that no media representative seems to have taken history seriously in school. President Bill Clinton did not sign the Kyoto Protocol and never submitted it to the senate. On July 25, 1997 the United States Senate upon due study and consideration voted 95-0 to urge that President Clinton not sign the climate change protocol as it "would result in serious harm to the economy." Russia, China, and India did not sign it either, about half the world's population represented there.

Kyoto required developed nations to bring their total greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below their 1990 levels by 2012. How are they doing? In 2003, emissions were above the 1990 baseline by more than 10% in Italy and Japan, more than 20% in Ireland and Canada (the fawning host and critic of the United States), and more than 40% in Spain.

The evil United States according to Wikinews increased its greenhouse emissions 13 percent during the same time period. Canada increased theirs more than the United States by just over 53 percent but were dubbed "good guys."

HERO OF THE MONTH--CONGRESSMAN MURTHA

Democrat Congressman Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, previous hawk, called on President Bush to bring the troops home. Media coronation followed. Democrat Senator Lieberman, D-Connecticut, previous hawk, called on Bush to stay the course. Media silence followed.

Speaking as the hurt child, the concerned patriot Murtha said according to the Best of the Web, "None, none, zero. Not one call (from the White House). If they had just talked to me, it (my outburst) would not have happened."

THE US HOUSE RACE

»» Senator Mark Shepard, Vermont State Senate: With respect to John McClaughry's comments in the last issue of DPR, I appreciate his viewpoint. He is wrong, however. I welcome the support of any and all Vermonters who want a say in reforming their government, regardless of their party affiliation -- just as I have in my two successful state senate campaigns. I am humbled and encouraged by the strong support I have received from Vermonters throughout our state during this exploratory phase for a U. S. House race. Please visit http://www.markshepard.us for more information.

»» Beth Moll, Bennington: Bravo to Senator Shepard for considering the US House race! We need his positive energy, articulate nature and legislative experience in Washington, D.C. Mark’s down-to-earth and has backbone!

»» Peter Welch, Vermont State Senate: You were gracious to include that Bogosiamn letter in your last report.

THE US SENATE RACE

»» Roy Berkeley, Shaftsbury: When the Democrats do not run a candidate against Bernard Sanders, they are acknowledging a basic and obvious truth: Liberals will vote for a Democrat only if they cannot get a (shall-we-say) "Marxist".

OBJECTIONS TO BLITHE PRAISE FOR THE AG

»» Karen Kerin, South Royalton: Based on following Attorney General Sorrel and never finding him speeding, you said, "Nice to know that the keeper of our laws respects them". Surely, that was tongue in cheek humor. Comrade Sorrel is far from law abiding as he has consistently thumbed his nose at the Vermont Constitution he swore to uphold.

Consider the Vermont Constitution Chapter I, Article 5 which states, "That the people of this state by their legal representatives, have the sole, inherent, and exclusive right of governing and regulating the internal police of the same". The legal representatives are the General Assembly, not the AG, and the General Assembly has not forsworn that role to the AG. So, why is it that we have people who are on some federal prohibited list being prosecuted for firearms possession after being arrested or ticketed for some Vermont offense? The U.S. Supreme Court has stated on numerous occasions that the states have no obligation to enforce federal laws. Does the AG, you law abiding AG, follow the law? No, he actually supports this travesty on Vermont sovereignty.

Consider the Vermont Constitution, Chapter II and discover that the AG is not a constitutional office, although it is an elected state-wide office. Since it is not a constitutional office, the AG has no authority to initiate civil suits against the federal government without the explicit direction of the General Assembly. Ooops, AG Sorrel has done that in our name and managed to lose rather handily as most first year law students would have predicted.

BUT, on the duty to defend the state, bad lawyering cost Chittenden County the Circ and allowed a twisted view of the Endangered Species Act to introduce the gray wolf (a top predator of wildlife, domestic animals and potentially small humans) to prevail. AND you blithely label Sorrel the keeper of our laws that respects them?

OFFICIAL REACTION TO THE VT NEA PIECE

»» Angelo J. Dorta, President, Vermont-NEA [Full letter as received] We already are accustomed to the mean sarcasm James Dwinell spews in defense of right-wing politics and big business economics. We understand that his agenda favors the privileged at the expense of ordinary people. We know he speaks for the wealthy and rails against taxes, public good be damned. We get it YES to the "Haves." NO to health care, public education, pension security, job security, and collective bargaining rights for the "Have-Nots."

True to form, Dwinell’s December 8 e-newsletter offers up a merciless attack on Vermont’s classroom teachers. But this one is over-the-top, a jaw-dropper -- no metaphor does it justice. He calls teachers and Vermont-NEA extortionists and pigs to be "slopped or slaughtered."

Why the vitriol? Because organized public school teachers are one of the last and most visible bastions of resistance in Vermont against the effort to lower wages, reduce health care, eliminate jobs, and decimate pensions for ordinary people. Still, the name-calling is not what amazes us. Rather, it is the embarrassingly naked hypocrisy Dwinell reveals in his so-called "analysis."

Naked hypocrisy

He tells his readers that teachers should suffer the same fate as all others whose economic security has been beaten down. Teachers, he says, should be satisfied to pay increasing portions of the cost of their health insurance because, after all, everyone else has to. He says pensions are a thing of the past, and he calls teachers "the gilded few."

Dwinell, a former executive director of the Vermont Republican party, fails to mention the policies of his chosen political party that have undermined Vermonters’ economic security. He does not speak to the roadblocks his political party and its leaders have placed in the way of our state and nation ever getting a rational health care policy for everyone. He does not tell us how his party's policies have elevated a funding problem for the teachers' retirement system to a crisis for the state of Vermont, or how their policies have brought all pension programs in the nation that still survive to the brink of collapse. We know which "few" are truly "gilded."

All this reveals a strategy

For some, Vermont’s economy is strong. While teachers are struggling to save their health benefits, the actual "gilded few" are snapping up million-dollar McMansions. They really do want it all. Dwinell's strategy and that of his political allies for cutting social spending and increasing business/corporate profit for the wealthy is plain to see

First Direct the justifiable anger of those who have lost benefits, wages, and jobs toward their fellow citizens, including teachers, who still are holding on. Feed the natural resentment of those who have no union or way to resist their losses with exaggerated tales of super salaries and benefits.

Second Bash and batter down the social institutions, public schools, public pensions, collective bargaining, unions that stand in the way of undermining teacher salaries and benefits. What teachers have achieved, after all, is a dangerous reminder to other citizens, a dangerous reminder for the gilded few of what everyone deserves.

Dwinell writes "If there was no union, if school boards could hire and fire at will, the average teacher salary and benefits package would be half the cost that it is today." And that is exactly the point.

Finally Attack viciously. Ridicule. Conceal your own greed. And never, ever reveal the wealth and privilege you and your friends enjoy.

Mr. Dwinell stumbled on this one, quoting from an editorial where a Pomfret resident complains about paying an "excruciatingly high" $26,000 [!] in property taxes. The taxpayer "suggested as 'food for thought' that those with children in school be levied an additional assessment." This would give the millionaires another tax break on the backs of parents.

Reaching out to his comrades in wealth, Dwinell suggests they "read with envy" this sampling of property tax rates from around the country $16,924 on a $3,200,000 home in Coral Gables, $15,985 on a $5,800,000 home in Las Vegas, $11,520 on a $5,990,000 home in Key Largo, $600 on a $1,500,000 home in Sun Valley. Teachers and other regular Vermonters do not relate to houses like that.

Salary for Job Security?

Even as he sympathizes with those paying property taxes on multi-million dollar mansions, Dwinell lists company after company in Vermont that has cut jobs over the past few years, and opines that Vermonters would give up salary for job security. He suggests teachers should feel blessed their jobs aren't outsourced like everyone else's, but fails yet again to point out the policies of his party that have led to massive outsourcing and layoffs in the first place.

No one should nod along with Mr. Dwinell's assertion that Vermont public school teachers ought to suffer economic losses like so many others -- or be vilified in their communities. Rather, we ought to support the proposition that all citizens deserve the kinds of benefits Dwinell decries.

Those few -- gilded or otherwise -- who view James Dwinell as their spokesperson, should take stock of their own standards.

ESTABLISHMENT RESPONSE TO THE VT NEA PIECE

»» Brent Kay, Superintendent, Orange County District Southwest, Randolph: [Full letter as received] Thanks for the email. Many times people don't know or forget that I worked in the private financial sector. As a result, I used to be on the side of the person/people who wrote the article that your provided me. Having experienced the both the private sector and public sector, I feel somewhat qualified to respond...in fact, most of what you sent me is fairly typical and usually comes from people that don't really have a strong grasp about what they are talking about. For the sake of time, I will respond quickly to the first two pages only...it will give you food for thought...please feel free to pass this on to the person who gave it to you.

1. The 187 Day work myth. Yes, a teacher's teaching responsibilities are only 187 days per year. But I am unaware of any teacher that can get away with only working 187 days. They are, in fact, employees of the district for 12 months a year and spend considerable time in the summer months, evenings, weekends etc. either completing work or completing professional development work to ensure their licenses will be continued. I wonder how many private sector people would feel if they had to demonstrate to a State licensing board that they had successfully completed specific and targeter professional development in order to be able to continue working...Yes, there are some professions that require similar things such as CPA's, Lawyers, and Doctors, but by and large once a person is certified they are not required nor monitored to do so. I would also argue, having been a CMA, that the rigors of recertification pale in comparison to that of teaching professionals. I should also add that the relicensing regulations are very poorly developed and managed, but that is something a teacher has no control over.

2. Salary. The article represents the market in Burlington and area and you need to realize that the same circumstances do not hold here in Randolph. Our top teachers make $56K per year. Also, the figured represent the highest paid teachers only. Most of the teaching force never reaches those salaries. And, I would argue that if you compared apples to apples, teachers total compensation is a mere fraction of their private counterparts. For example, I know a computer technology person in Burlington. He is in a fairly low-level job, does not have a degree in computer science, makes $56K per year. Has full benefits comparable to teachers, receives a much stronger pension plan that matches his contributions and it is indexed. I wonder what he would make if he were the highest paid emplyee in his company. I would suggest it would be much more than the highest paid teacher and that bonuses (which he already receives) would be much greater!

3. Outsourcing: I cannot speak for Burlington, but I outsource in many professional areas. Some of the comments here are amusing to say the least...I wonder how businesses would fell if the public were allowed to scrutinize and then vote on their budgets and expenditures. I can assure you that public school expenditures are among the most scrutinized of any field, public or private. But in specific reference to companies moving etc...their are fundamental difference between public education organizations that are not run on profits with that of business that do run on profits - a simple comparision of economic inputs and outputs would enlighten this argument considerably.

4. Job Security: I mentioned to you that I have reduced the workforce of the OSSU by over 10% in the past four years. I am fairly sure that my employees are not feeling horribly secure right now. When John Holmes took over as Principal of RUHS, he was directed to RIF 9 people in his first board meeting. Again, this may come as a surprise, but expenditure controls are very closely monitored/scrutinized in public education.

5. Not being fired for egregious behaviour...this is just plain wrong. I have terminated many teachers for conduct unbecoming of a teacher. In fact, the Department of Education's licensing devision posted all examples of teacher misconduct on a public website. I wonder how business people would fair if their misconduct was made available to thye public in such a public manner? I encourage you to visit the site!

6. The article works hard to promote an image of teaching as one that is stress free with no threats. I would encourage anyone to try teaching for a day...heck, they could start by going into a school and seeing some of the challenges first hand. All it takes is one 14 year old child to claim misconduct and the teacher's career is done, whether they are innocent or not. Simply put, I could not afford to hire someone even if they had been full acquitted of any charges! In business, most events of similar nature would not even be addressed. Most companies are devoid of policies and procedures to handle such incidents...compared to educaiton that is!

7. Holidays...I want you to consider apples to apples here. How many top level business employees have upwards of 6 weeks vacation, never work Christmas and take off the times mentioned in the article. To boot, private sector people have flexibility to choose when they take time off. Teachers don't. Their contracts tell them when they can take time off. Otherwise, they are not permitted to be away from their teaching post (some serious circumstances not withstanding). As for the summer...many teachers work much of the summer, but because schools are not open in the summer months, most people assume teachers are not working.

8. Retirement: are you aware that teacher pensions in the State of Vermont are non-indexed, contributed to only by the teacher and not matched by the employer. For the highest paid Randolph Teacher that means they will retire on about $25000 per year and the amount will not go up. In addition, the government keeps taking money (which is against the law) from the teacher retirement fund to pay for other ventures. This has happened enough that the entire fund is in jeapardy. Lets compare this to the private sector where senior empoyees often receive yearly bonuses, 401K contributions, and have matching employer contributions to their retirement plan. Also, many private retirement plans are indexed and are based on similar formulae that allow for the best or last 3 to 5 years salary.

Anyway, as you can see, I can go on forever on this stuff. You should know that I am no fan of the NEA...I have to deal with them everyday and they are very powerful. Often they do not support what is best for employees and this causes trouble. But, make no bones about it, the private sector provides significantly better total compensation packages than public school systems. In addition, teachers are usually much more educated than their private sector counterparts...not because they want to be but rather because the State mandates that they be!

Email is a hard venue to discuss these issues. I would be glad to talk more in person about any of these issues. Moreover, I want to stress that I believe significant improvements could be made to the public education system's structure...but so could such improvements be made to the private sector...ENRON rings a bell!

GENERAL REACTION TO THE VT NEA PIECE

»» Ginny Duffy, Rutland: Perhaps the taxpayers of Vermont are finally becoming aware of the stranglehold that Angelo Dorta and his union thugs have on the Vermont educational establishment. Mr. Dorta, who spends the majority of his time gracing the House Education Committee room, is a shining example of "do as I say, not as I do". While railing against school choice for Vermont children, he found none of his reasoning applied when he enrolled his own son in private school. You see the NEA makes rules for the rest of us, while they operate in a world that is separate and apart. He opposes merit pay for teachers, thus ensuring mediocrity. The word "excellence" is not part of the vocabulary of Mr. Dorta. Keeping the union fat and firmly entrenched in the educational system in Vermont is his solitary goal. Mr. Dorta and company are dangerous!

»» Hugh Campbell, Waitsfield: That's a fabulous report on the VT NEA and the job they are doing for the teachers in Vermont at our expense. So often those many benefits you pointed out are never mentioned. Is the only way to assuage their thirst for our bucks and get them to pay attention to better teaching of the basics is to reject their salary proposals? Your email suggests an uprising of some sort to bring more focus to the greediness of their demands.

»» Linda Kirker, Former State Representative from Essex Jct., Georgia, VT: What incentive is there for a mediocre teacher to put in the effort to excel if he or she receives the same pay and benefits that a more productive teacher enjoys?

Generally, not-for-profits don't pay as well as the private market, but that doesn't seem to be the case in education. The NEA is leach draining the life from the pocketbooks of Vermont's citizens.

It is time for revision of our education system with a focus on rewarding our best teachers, increasing class size and generating outstanding results for the children while cutting costs. Taxpayers own the schools and are the employers of those working in our education system. Something is very wrong when the owners/financiers have no control over quality or cost.

»» Russell Spreeman, LaPorte, IN (former Vermonter): I read and enjoyed as usual your latest Dwinell Political Report. You really put the position of the teachers into perspective. Where else can someone get a job and do it poorly for years while indignantly objecting to any sort of accountability? An electrician, painter, store clerk, plumber, cab driver, carpenter, or lawyer who do their job poorly will get canned within months, possibly even within days or hours. A teacher can fail to properly teach an ever dwindling number of students and all we are told is what dedicated professionals they are, above reproach to be sure, and they deserve ever more money. Comparisons to regular taxpayers be damned; it's our own fault for not taking such a valuable and vital job as they have.

»» Lani Duke, Rutland: Seems to me there are other ways of cutting school budgets. At Wallingford, voters complain that they have a two-round elementary school, with as few as 11 students in a classroom. Each classroom has a teachers aide as well as an instructor.

I live in Rutland and came here from Colorado only 7 years ago. Children in Vermont schools have a far lower student to teacher ratio than those in Colorado schools.

Eliminate or consolidate the supervisory unions. I asked the recently retired superintendent Jack Kaldy what he did as head of the supervisory union. He said he supervised. He couldn't tell me what that meant. For that, he made $85,000 a year plus benefits. When I went to him with a problem, he said he couldn't do anything.

The supervisory unions were set up at a time when teachers were likely to be less than fully educated. The superintendent's job was to go from classroom to classroom, helping teachers teach better.

Teachers in Vermont do not have a moral standard. I complained about a teacher's behavior to the state licensing board, and was told that a teacher's conduct or misconduct did not affect his or her ability to teach.

My son is in the service and has two children. He talks about remaining in the service overseas until his boys have graduated from high school because he doesn't like the kinds of things his children will be exposed to in a public school classroom.

I was raised in a family of teachers. These teachers had standards. They cared about what their pupils learned, about their mental and emotional health. If a child is not in private school or a charter school, he or she receives far too little basic education, which has been replaced by social engineering, especially in Vermont.

»» Eileen Guyette, Pittsford: As a special educator I ask you to respond to my question. With such gold plated deals, why dose the chronic shortage of special educators continue? Why do so many leave education after five years?

DUNNE TO RUNNE

»» State Senator Matt Dunne, D-Hartland: I am delighted to announce my intention to run for Lieutenant Governor. ...My decision to run came down to four primary reasons:

1. In today’s complex world, the Lt. Governor must bring Vermonters together to find actual solutions to the real challenges facing us: health care, better jobs, affordable housing, energy, protecting our environment, and creating opportunity for low income Vermonters.

2. Vermonters need a Lt. Governor committed to working hard every day with the legislature and administration to effectively translate ideas into actual solutions.

3. I want to make the office of the Lt. Governor into an independent and responsive avenue for all citizens who are looking for help in navigating our state government or wish to make recommendations on how state government can work better.

4. And equally important, at a time when our federal government is failing us, we need a Lt. Governor whose values are more in line with most Vermonters than with the values of those currently in charge in Washington.

...While my official announcement will not be for a while, I will spend the next few months reaching out to friends across the state and building the campaign team necessary to win next November. ...

Web site: http://www.mattdunne.com/

THEY LIKE US

»» Michael D. Caccavo, Esq., Barre: I enjoyed your recent issue, especially in light of the teacher strike here in Barre which started the day I received it. I think one comment you made about Sen. Matt Dunn in the 'Young Men in a Hurry' article could actually be an apt metaphor for the legislature as a whole. You said, "...he was moving into a fog, driving over 85 and driving well beyond his field of vision." Sounds like the legislature to me.

»» Phillip and Ann Johnson, North Ferrisburgh: Receipt of DPR is always a cause for delight in our home. That is even more so this year as we remain convinced that your efforts were a large part of showing Jumping Jim that it was time to retire.

It would have been nice to have Brian Dubie run against Bernie, a race he would have been capable of winning. We have seen via the Vermont Outdoor Guide Association how much Brian does for Vermont, and we are better off with him right where he is. It would not hurt to point out some of his excellent efforts in DPR as he is pretty low key and does not get much press for his efforts.

Keep up the great work; DPR is a joy to read and share.

BINDING INDEED

"Angelo Dorta, president of the Vermont Education Association (VEA), the Vermont teachers' union, announced that teachers would agree to make strikes illegal if contract disputes were settled by law with binding arbitration. How generous of him! The fox would like the key to the chicken coup. And the mice would like cats outlawed.

"Why is binding arbitration one of the most sought-after inclusions of all labor unions in their contracts with management? Answer: Because binding arbitration almost always cuts management off at the knees in order to please whatever union is on the other side of the table. And why is that? Because, in all arbitrations within an industry, the arbitrator faces the same union on one side of the table, but almost always different managers on the other. Unions keep book on arbitrators, and arbitrators like to work. If they don't please the union, the union will erase them from their little black book of acceptable arbitrators and they won't work again."

--The Caledonia-Record, December 30, 2005

FOREIGN AID AIDS FOREIGN LEADERS

"Yassar Arafat saw money as power, so he hoarded it. Personally ascetic (he slept on a cot and wore army surplus clothing), he stole $1 billion to $3 billion of the $7 billion in foreign aid given to the Palestinian Authority. His cronies diverted most of the rest, so only 9.5 percent of the money reached regular Palestinians."

--David Brooks, New York Times, December 29, 2005

CHAMBERLAIN WOULD BE PLEASED

"Responding to Islamist terrorism in Britain and elsewhere, Germany is considering introducing a Muslim public holiday. As Mathias Dopfner, chief executive of Axel Springer, put it: 'A substantial fraction of Germany's government -- and, if polls are to be believed, the German people -- believe that creating an official state Muslim holiday will somehow spare us from the wrath of fanatical Islamists.'

"Great. At least the 1930s' appeasers did it on their own time. But, in recasting appeasement as yet another paid day off, the new proposal cunningly manages to combine the worst instincts of the old Europe and the new."

--Mark Steyn, The Daily Telegraph, September 8, 2005

TALK REMAINS CHEAP

People recognize the basic difference in American-EU relations: America has responsibilities, Europe has attitudes. Indeed, the EU has attitudes in inverse proportion to its ability to act on them. It is able to strut and preen on the world stage secure in the knowledge that nobody expects it to do anything about anything.

--Mark Steyn, http://www.steynonline.com/index2.cfm?edit_id=27

STATING THE OBVIOUS

"Sorry, I cannot let you in (to this R rated movie) without a parent. What do you think this is, an abortion clinic?"

--Cartoon by Glenn McCoy, Valley News, December 3, 2005

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