WALDO WATCH

Everybody is talking about Howard Dean's recent operation to detach his tongue from his brain: the press, television news, senators, and presidential candidates. Even the Burlington Free Press editorial ladies wrote, "Try a little tact." The Times Argus editorial page ran a cartoon with a picture of Dean with a footprint on his butt: "Man kicked by his own ass."

Remember how the West Danville folks run a contest each year on when the ice goes out of Joe’s Pond? They hook up a clock to a big brick on the ice, when the brick sinks, the time is known. The winner of the ice lotto walks away with hundreds.

We offer a Waldo contest: when will Howard Dean’s rule at the Democrat National Committee come to an end? Not his last day on the payroll, but when he announces, "I have ignored my family for too many months now and wish to return home."

You send to us the date of his departure and we will post it. The winner will receive a free life-time subscription to our newsletter! Hah, it is free anyhow, you say. Right you are. So we will throw in a book.

MONEY TALKS

"Former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe was like a vacuum cleaner," says Rutgers University political scientist Ross K. Baker. "Dean is kind of a dustpan." -- http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_23/c3936057_mz013.htm

Bullsh!t walks, the only question is when. And your entry is?

SENATOR ANYONE?

The track seems clear. Former Lieutenant Governor Doug Racine’s trial balloon seems not to have cleared the first set of trees. All his fellow lefties have endorsed Bernie Sanders for Senate, including that self proclaimed Northeast Kingdom moderate Senator Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia and Orange. Even Seven Days deemed Racine, a "has been."

Speaking of "has beens", How-weird Dean is not out of the running yet. Addicted to himself and publicity, Dean may decide that another endeavor might be in order and jump into the senate race. Weirder things have happened.

CAMPAIGN SCHOOL

Both Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie and Zillionaire Rich (we know that is redundant) Tarrant sent representatives to a recent wannabe school in Washington.

Tarrant once again laid an egg at the recent businessman of the year awards in Burlington. When accepting the honor, he told a few jokes so far from the audience's point of reference that nobody laughed. The audience was filled with representatives of the Montpelier associations, folks who regularly report to their members on the stuff of Montpelier and the political sweepstakes.

Tarrant once again failed to work the room, to go to the tables to introduce himself, to chat, to show a moment of political savvy or the common touch.

THE LOWER CHAMBER

Senator Peter Welch, D-Windsor, seems intent to join the crowding field for Vermont’s Representative to Congress. Welch, an ambulance chaser whose ubiquitous television ads proclaim "you don’t spend a dime until I make money for you", seems a bit old for a Congressional freshman. The average age of a freshman class is probably no more than forty, and here comes Welch near sixty. He was first elected to the state senate twenty-five years ago.

We wonder why he is not a bit more patient. If he waited four more years, the governor’s office would be his for the asking. Or why not throw his hat into the United State Senate race?

Senator Matt Dunne, D-Windsor, is thirty-five years old, has announced, and already owns a Washington home. Former Senator Peter Shumlin says that he is in for sure. Welch is an enigma.

THE GENERAL IN CIVIES

Major General Martha Rainville, R-Williston, has the right stuff. She was recruited by the Democrats, but she realized that she did not fit with them. Once she announced her decision, the Democrats attacked. With a chuckle, she said that was expected and is the way it is done. She has visited Washington and Washington has visited Vermont.

Though not a candidate, she is seriously looking at a race for the House of Representatives or Senate with decision time being the first of the year. Her values of family, integrity, and faith define her. Her belief in local control, less government in people’s lives, and asking folks to take personal responsibility was out of line with the Democrats.

In her current job as Adjutant of the Vermont National Guard, she has experience working with families, health care issues and education. The job has given her experience on defense and security issues, international politics, and Vermont business.

Dressed in soft colors, we watched as she held your gaze when answering questions. She was patient, complete in her answers, direct, confident, and cool. Her first election to Adjutant was not unlike her current approach. She believed that the Guard needed a new direction. Others urged her to run. Once committed, she contacted every voter. She made her case. It was up or out. And up she went.

LIAR LIAR

It was an amazing event. Hoping to upstage the governor, the Democrats held a rally as the special legislative session ended and just at the end of the governor’s weekly press conference. Senate pro tem Peter Welch, D-Windsor, presided. His was a deceitful and despicable performance. But that is just our opinion. It was a performance which gives politicians and trial lawyers a bad name.

This from Welch, "We had three confrontations with the administration, the pension bill, the budget bill with the Vermont State College rider, and health care. We are baffled as to why the first two vetoes were important."

Fact: There had been only one veto.

"The pension bill was about the people whose money was in the pensions having the major role in deciding about how their money was invested."

Fact: The retirement obligations are the obligations of you, the taxpayer. It is a defined benefit plan. The "people whose money it is" comment is a lie. Benefits will be paid the beneficiaries from the retirement accounts if the money is there. If it is not, the taxpayer is obliged to pony up the money for the teachers and state workers retirements.

"The state college rider drove the Governor to overblown rhetoric, way over the top. The veto determined the rhetoric."

Fact: The Governor never vetoed the budget bill with the rider.

"We added the rider in the face of a veto because a promise was made, and a promise was delivered."

Fact: The promise was made, humiliation was delivered. It was painful to watch Professor Dawn Carleton concede, the individual most affected by the change in the retirement benefit at 55 years old because of Multiple Sclerosis.

Professor Carleton said sadly, "We are not winning. We want to avoid the cost and the pain of not having a budget. We are reasonable. We do not want to be in the way of the budget and all who need it."

Question to Welch: Was the promise made before or after the Unions gave the Vermont Democrats $132,000?

"I disagree with the governor about what we accomplished. We passed legislation for transportation, corrections, capital budgets, Medicaid, clean energy, and renewable energy."

Fact: Not twenty minutes earlier, the Governor said exactly the same thing, giving credit to the legislature for passing the exact same bills which Welch mentioned. There was no disagreement.

A CERTAIN DEMOCRAT IS STILL AN ASS

"The governor called us the 'Democrat Party', not the 'Democratic Party.' How could he do that? That is Washington speak. He said that I am the 'Democrat' leader, not the 'Democratic' leader."

Fact: Peter is a Democrat. Peter Freyne of Seven Days piped up sheepishly, "Well maybe that was my fault as I call you a Democrat." Welch, now experienced at throwing in the towel, said, "Well maybe we should just drop this." This was not about policy but about politics, in particular Welch’s political future. It was not pretty.

A NEW DAY IN TOWN

The last legislative biennium was unique. This uniqueness was in part why it was so successful. Uniquely, nobody in the legislature was running for higher office.

Jim Jeffords’s announcement triggered an avalanche of pent up political ambition. Senator Matt Dunne announced for Congress. Soon Senator Peter Welch may announce for Congress. Representative John Tracy announced for mayor of Burlington. Senator John Campbell will announce for Lieutenant Governor. Former Senator Scudder Parker will announce for Governor.

Ambition affected the legislative process. Governor Douglas acknowledged so much at his news conference. "Senator Jim Jeffords's announcement made the pressure of politics and the future of politicians more important (than their constituents) which was not entirely constructive. The focus on the next general election is not helpful and had an impact on the legislature and the end of the session."

GAYE TO THE RESCUE

Saving the day for the Democrats was Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho. Nervous under the glare of the television lights and the media stare, she spoke genuinely and proudly about the work of the House, its committees, its chairs, and its Republican members who had made legislation either better or at least more acceptable to the Governor.

While Senator Welch was full throttle in name calling, Symington said, "I want to resist the 'he said, she said' bickering. I met with the Governor so that we could come up with something that he could sign without a veto. I was not clear to me until the very end that the governor was so opposed.

"The health care study group will work with all of us. We will all listen to the public. We will have a larger audience. Health care, costs and access, is the big issue. We do not want to lose sight of that."

SUMMER CAMP

The Democrats funded a summer study committee to work into the Fall to come up with more and better health legislation. The John Tracy, D-Burlington, super committee on health care spent months wallowing and concluded with no viable solution.

Governor Douglas campaigned on his ideas for health care reform. He won 59% of the vote, 181,000 Vermonters voting "Jim." This does not impress the Democrats; they gave Douglas's ideas all of a half a day’s consideration before continuing their plans to take over Vermont's $3,000,000,000 health care industry. Peter Welch complained that the Governor only had eyes for private solutions to health care. Why not?

Consider the following. Howard Dean pushed Vermont towards a government health system. Having watched Hillary-care go up in smoke, Dean decided on an incremental approach. In passing community rating, he did as much damage to private insurance as possible. By packing more people onto Medicaid and including more medical services, he broke the bank.

What would community rating of your car insurance look like? Regardless of one's driving record, all car insurance costs would be the same. If your record was clean and another's included DUI's, speeding, and reckless driving accident resulting, your rates would be the same. Is the fair? Where is the personal responsibility General Rainville spoke of?

DPR called Blue Cross. The cost of a health policy in Vermont with a $3,500 deductible for a family of four is $998.77 a month. Check out what similar policies cost elsewhere according to http://www.ehealthinsurance.com

1 Kansas City, MO $171.86

2 Long Beach, CA $180.00

3 Columbus, OH $182.28

4-5 (Tie) Tucson, AZ $184.88 Mesa, AZ $184.88

6-7 (Tie) San Jose, CA $190.00 San Francisco $190.00

Without Dean and the Democrats' community rating and cost shift, we too could have a competitive private solution and not have a health care crisis. Government is not the solution; it is the problem.

Senator Peter Welch said, "The problems this state faces are so enormous." Well yes, thanks to Welch and his ilk.

SNEAK ATTACKS

The governor fended off the Vermont College labor dispute’s sneak attack. Score a point for Jim.

The Democrats however prevailed in sneaking the early education bill into the budget, providing Act 60 money for public schools to add two more grades, Pre-K and Pre-Pre-K. Score 100 points for the Democrats. Another promise made, and this time a promise delivered to the unions. The devastating language is only a few lines.

Sec. 162b. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SERVICES
(a) School districts may offer early childhood education services through direct provision of services, collaborative programs, or direct contracting with other public or private providers, or any combination of these, and a school district may obtain funding for these services by counting resident early education pupils in its full-time equivalent enrollment pursuant to Vermont State Board of Education Rule 9200.4, as in effect on June 1, 2005. School districts are encouraged to collaborate or contract with existing public and qualified private early education service providers. -- http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2006/calendar/sc050604a.htm

This was good business for the unions. Give the Democrats $132,000 and receive in return $100,000,000 for your members. Hey, give the Democrats 1,000 points for that.

THE GOV THROWS IN THE TOWEL

Douglas wrote some strong language of disapproval of the Democrats’ disdain for the pubic input and the legislative and committee process. Tough said the Democrats, like it or lump it.

Douglas may as well fire the entire Commerce Agency. Here is an estimated $60-70,000,000 "company", the day care industry of Vermont, employing 6-7,000 people, which he is about to obliterate with his signing of the budget bill.

What do you think that the Governor would do if some enterprise approached him and said that they were interested in bringing a business to Vermont which would employ 7,000 people? Out would roll the red carpet. Instead Douglas is rolling the lobbyist-less, unsophisticated, tax paying, hard working, small business people of the pre-school industry and casting them to the wolves. This is a disgrace.

Douglas at his press conference said, "It is not over. I will speak with the Commissioner of Education and the Board of Education. We will look at our rule making options. The legislature is beginning to hear from the voters." We wish them all luck.

WHO PAYS?

How do you finance a hostile takeover of the large day care industry by the government? With your money. As if Act 60 and the Common Level of Appraisal was not impacting us enough.

Add another $100,000,000 annual bill to your property taxes. Reduce state revenues by the taxes paid by the private day care industry. Add to that the increased income level for prebate qualification and tack more millions on the property tax. And you have a train wreck.

Word leaked from the Governor’s office. "The early ed issue is too muddled. We are afraid, afraid to take on that issue, because the Democrats would paint Douglas as anti-child, anti-early education. We are cringing, just hoping that we don't get anything thrown at us." The bill for Douglas's reelection ambition is only $100,000,000 a year. With that we might support campaign finance reform.

THROW THEM ANOTHER BONE

Here is another tidbit, the "agency fee." Okay, you are a teacher, you do not believe in teacher’s unions, and you do not wish to join. That is fine, but you will pay dues anyway. Read on.

"'Agency fee' means a fee for representation in collective bargaining, not exceeding teachers’ or administrators’ organization dues, payable to the organization which is the exclusive bargaining agent for teachers or administrators in a bargaining unit, from individuals who are not members of the organization.

"Teachers shall have the right to or not to join, assist, or participate in any teachers’ organization of their choosing. However, teachers may be required to pay an agency fee pursuant to an agreement negotiated under this chapter."

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2006/bills/passed/H-299.HTM

SELF ESTEEM AND SAVE THE WHALES

Elementary education in May moved into saving the world. Math homework asked, "If it takes one tree to print a newspaper, how many trees are killed if your parents read ten newspapers a week?" Homework in the fourth and second grades was identical.

Also in the homework bag was a twenty page booklet, "You are special." The booklet was about self-esteem, page after page about how evil low self-esteem is. "You don't like yourself. This means you have low SELF-ESTEEM. Low SELF-ESTEEM is bad. It makes you feel sad, lonely, and unlovable."

Two professors, Pearl and Sam Oliner of Humboldt State University, studied altruism and write a book on their findings, The Altruistic Personality. They chose to study the people who saved Jews during the Holocaust as "altruistic." They found that many of these people had low self-esteem.

These folks saved Jews in part to do good, to enhance their self-esteem. They also found that the many Nazi SS Troops had high self-esteem. But according to our public school, low self esteem is bad. Hogwash. There are many lovely people who have low self esteem.

LAST IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The United States regularly finishes dead last among the industrialized countries in its students' comprehension of math, science and technology. We offer a small reason.

In our local schools, testing was completed during May. Since then, our children have been to Echo in Burlington, Pizza Putt in South Burlington, Montshire Museum in Norwich, Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Plum Island, MA, and Silver Lake Campground in Barnard. They have had ice cream day, field day, and bad hair day. The have watched six movies during class. Our son got the joke. They had been studying oceans so of course they watched Finding Nemo and Whale Rider, both good movies, both already seen, neither a scientific essay.

All of these are great activities for the parents to do with their children this summer or on weekends. To just blow off the last four weeks of school seems reprehensible. The education community criticizes No Child Left Behind. But all these children were left behind for the final ten percent of their class time.

DUMBER THAN A SHRUB

That intellectual, a product of the best private schools, a fluent French speaker, loved by the entire civilized world -- Senator John Kerry, had lower cumulative grades than President Bush while each was at Yale. Who would have believed it? Bush’s grade average was 77 and Kerry’s 76. Kerry received four D’s, geology, two history courses and political science. Bush received one D in astronomy.

Kerry has finally allowed his Navy records to be released and with them his grades. Commentator Rich Galen wrote, "Kerry appears to have refused to release his Navy records not because of medical data which might have supported the Swiftboat Veterans claim that some or all of Kerry's injuries were minor, but because they contained an official record of his barely mediocre grades.

"Kerry could have chopped the Swiftboat Veterans advertising and word-of-mouth campaign off at the knees at any point by releasing these records, but he was more concerned that he would lose his standing as the intellectually superior candidate in the race than in responding to the attacks."

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL

This week’s Times Argus had an exclusive: Secretary Mike Smith was spending $60,000 on a new office. The story led the news at the top of the first page. How many times did you read about your taxes gouging you $100,000,000 annually to support public pre-school? Zero. Let's get our knickers in a knot over a $60,000 one time charge but ignore an annual $100,000,000 knock. To not inform an uninformed but invaluable group of Vermonters was a crime.

SCHOOL CHOICE RED HERRING

»» Carl Edwards, Lyndonville: School Choice without including transportation is nothing but a lark. Of course this will add to the cost of education but hey, it's only money. If Dorta wants to send his kids to a private school at his cost, it is totally up to him. He's not asking for the state to ante up. Don't tell me you have taken up the "that's not fair" whine that Conservatives love to attribute to liberals.

Editor's note" No, that is hypocritical. If you talk the talk, walk the walk.

BETS ON HOWARD'S END

»» Charlie Russell, Randolph Center: What we see from the right is apparently not visible from the left - Howard is the centerpiece of a behind the scenes debate between the progressives and the moderates within the Dems party, he is evidence of the smaller, but far-more-vocal, extreme left's influence on national politics.

I predict an awakening (far from religious) within the party. Howard Dean has shown the moderates that they have tolerated the far left's foolishness for too long and that it is past time that they re-exert themselves and put the Democrats closer to "main stream". The socialists won't take this laying down - but Howard will be out August 31.

»» Pete Jorgensen, Tunbridge: Waldo's done on August 31, 2005. End of summer; end of Waldo. (Mid-week, slow news day prior to Labor Day weekend which signals a "time for a fresh start.")

»» Laura Brueckner, Waterbury Center: Dean leaves his position just before the holidays. Nov 5, 2005.

»» John McClaughry, Concord: My pool entry: Dean out November 9.

»» John Cueman: Waldo will announce on November 14th, 2005 that he is leaving his post at the DNC to return to Vermont to become the Chief of the Brattleboro Retreat.

»» Jeffrey Pascoe, South Burlington: More and more of the older and wiser Democrats are quietly pushing for Dean's removal. If not because of his style, then because his style is not effective in raising cash. At the rate he's generating negative press, I'll be surprised if Dean isn't forced to step aside before the end of July. Let's say Friday, July 29th.

DEAN VERY EFFECTIVE

»» Russell Spreeman, La Porte, IN (formerly of Colchester): A letter in the Friday 6/17 Burlington (VT) Free Press credits Howard Dean for success at fund-raising. He certainly has been effective. I'm a registered Republican who normally only makes a modest donation to my party during election years. I'm far from wealthy, I work hard for my moderate income, I pay my taxes, and I try to live by God's laws as well as man's laws.

After being told by Howard Dean that I'm evil, that I've probably never earned an honest living, after having my religious beliefs and moral convictions trivialized by him, I decided to start donating annually my party instead of every four years. I'm far from wealthy, but it's worth my money to counter the negative, mean-spirited little man who publicly professes to hate me and my kind.

OPINION EDITORS

»» Laura Brueckner, Waterbury Center: The Burlington Free Press is back to its early 90's habit of not printing too many letters critical of Howard Dean and/or leaving out his name. Mine are scraped, as was my letter stating they had picked Bernard Sanders as their favored candidate.

LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE

»» Rep. Kathleen Keenan, D-St. Albans: I understand that many of the big issues were offensive to you and your readers but to really look at what the legislative session accomplished you should dig a little deeper than the narrow focus you have and check out what did pass that will benefit Vermonters and report on them also; plenty, I know came out of Commerce and my committee worked very hard, put in very long hours and somehow the superficial reporting does not recognize the care and dedication of my members!

THEY LIKE US

»» David Ayer: Thanks for cutting through the fog.

»» James Ehlers, Colchester: Thanks for all you do.

WHAT WENT WRONG, WENT WRONG

"The House and Senate Democrats realized that they could not agree among themselves on a plan that they thought was worthy of support. They knew that they could scuttle the entire program by funding it with a payroll tax which the governor had declared unacceptable.

"They will try to blame it on the governor. The only trouble is, it will not wash. The governor was open to any number of alternative funding sources; the only one he ruled out was a payroll tax because it taxed small businesses which are on unstable financial ground. The inevitable result was that the health care bill hit the wall, a triumph of politics over policy."

--Representative Tom Koch, R-Barre Town

I’M SPECIAL

"It is preposterous that the Vermont College professors can work fifteen years, retire at fifty-five with free health care for life, free dental care for life, and half-pay for life. People in my district, Vermonters, never get to retire and never have health care for life."

--Representative Rick Hube, R-Londonderry

DRAFT DODGER IS NO WHITE CHRISTIAN

"To Trudy Erhard, who employed Howard Dean as a dishwasher at the Golden Horn restaurant in Aspen, Colorado when he was a ski bum avoiding Vietnam, Dean is a radical who never grew up. 'He was a complete and total loser, and it is coming out more and more,' she says."

--George Neumayr, The American Spectator, June 10, 2005
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8285

PLEASE SAY IT AIN’T SO

"Access to a waiting list is not access to health care" -- Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin.

"Canadians wait an average of 17.9 weeks for surgery and other therapeutic treatments, according the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute. The waits would be even longer if Canadians didn't have access to the United States as a medical-care safety valve.

"Canada is the only nation other than Cuba and North Korea which bans private health insurance, according to Sally Pipes, head of the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco and author of a recent book on Canada's health-care system." (Vermont via community rating and cost shifting has effective "banned" them as well.)

--The Wall Street Journal
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/?id=110006813 

WHOSE AFRAID OF LANGUAGE?

"If a blogger attempts to use the words 'freedom' or 'democracy' or 'Taiwan independence' on Microsoft's new Chinese Internet portal, he gets the message: 'This item contains forbidden speech. Please delete the forbidden speech.' How pathetic is that? Not just for the Microsoft-spined Corporation, which should be ashamed of itself, but for the Chinese government, which pretends to be a world power but is terrified of words."

--Mark Steyn, The Daily Telegraph, June 6, 2005
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/06/12/do1203.xml

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