DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE 

Amazing. At his weekly press conference Jim Douglas came within a moment of raising his voice and pounding the desk. He had just represented that this was not his style; his predecessor's perhaps, but not his.

What got his goat? Permit reform or lack of it. Pushed by a disbelieving press about its need? Maybe it was Representative David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, saying, "There is a lot of hype and myth about the problems in the permitting process." Maybe it was the question suggesting that the Senate thinks permit reform is just too complicated to complete in one session.

"Not a single day, not a single one, went by during the whole campaign that I did not hear stories about the permit process. Not one! Business has heard for years that we are 'working on it.'

"It is not credible for us to say that we need another year to consider this legislation and to put it off. I am working now with two companies who are considering moving out of Vermont just because of the permit process.

"One case is a consolidation, the company deciding where to put their future plant. The other is actively negotiating with New York to move there."

THE MAD HATTER INQUIRES

Well, can't you just fix the permit problems for them, asks the press?

"What? The permit is on appeal. It was appealed by an out-of-state group who hijacked the application late in the process. This is not an isolated case. I heard about them everyday on the campaign trail."

But you are never specific?

"Channel 22 was with me when I talked with a business owner in Franklin County. After complaining about the process, I asked him if he would do it again. 'No way,' he said, 'No way would I ever put myself through that again. If I had had any idea of how awful the process was I would still be making my product by myself in my basement and would not have created these jobs.'" 

GET A JOB, DA DA DA DA 

Now that the chairs are filled, let’s check it out.

If you were a House Republican who voted for civil unions and subsequently lost your election, you got a job: Richard Mallary, Anne Ginevan, Cathy Voyer, and Bruce Hyde. If you voted against civil unions and subsequently lost, look for your unemployment check.

If you were a public spirited banker, you got a job: Charlie Smith, Mike Smith, Dan O’Brien, and Michael Quinn.

If you were an executive director of Vermont’s Republican Party, you got a job: Susan Hudson, Neale Lunderville, and Ruth Stokes.

If you are a Republican and ran for a constitutional office and lost, you got a job: Bruce Hyde, Mike Bertrand, John LaBarge, and John Hall.

If you were a Dean appointment and a woman, you got a job: Bonnie Rutledge, Pat McDonald, and Cynthia LaWare.

If you were a Snelling appointee and have not had enough, you got a job: Wibs McLain and Tim Hayward.

Governor Douglas was quoted in the Free Press, "I have tried to appoint as many women as possible to positions of responsibility." No mention of people of color. 

TEST SCORES ARE IN 

The results are in for the 35th annual Doyle (Senator William Doyle, R-Washington) Poll from your town meeting day participation. The results represent over 8,000 responses from over 120 towns in all fourteen counties.

Answer Yes, No, or Not Sure. We do not present the "not sure" results.

1.) Do you support Act 60? 31% Yes, 69% No

2.) Do you believe that the environmental permit process needs to be changed? 74% Yes, 26% No

3.) Are you optimistic about the future of Vermont’s economy? 60% Yes, 40% No

4.) Should Vermont require a photo on driver’s licenses? 78% Yes, 22% No

5.) Should Vermont set limits on medical malpractice judgments? 68% Yes, 32% No

6.) Do you believe Governor Douglas was right asking for new a Board at Fletcher Allen? 93% Yes, 7% No

7.) Should the legislature increase the beer tax by 2 cents for drug abuse programs? 72% Yes, 28% No

8.) Should seriously ill be allowed to use marijuana under a doctor’s supervision? 78% Yes, 22% No

9.) Should the Vermont Constitution be amended so that the candidate for Governor with the highest number of votes (plurality) be enacted? 81% Yes, 19% No

10.) Do you think the Vermont Legislature is doing a good job? 50% Yes, 50% No

11.) Do you think Governor Douglas is doing a good job? 81% Yes, 19% No

12.) Do you think Howard Dean makes a good presidential candidate? 41% Yes, 59% No

13.) Should Vermont have a 4-year term for governor? 75% Yes, 25% No

Two additional bits of information. Undecideds on the legislature and the governor's performance were high, 40 and 43 percent respectively. Only 30 percent think that the legislature is doing a good job.

Clearly Act 60 is not liked, now more than ever. Clearly permit reform is seen as necessary. Interestingly, neither seems on a legislative fast track. And of course Waldo remains persona non grata here in Vermont.

You can get a copy of the survey here: http://www.vermontGOP.org/doyle_survey.html 

WHO'S CIVIL RIGHTS? 

There has been a lot of pain and agony in Randolph. You may have read of the brutal murder of Tara Stratton by a convicted violent sex offender. Tara's mother is rightly incensed that no one told her that the murderer, the father of her daughter’s boy friend, had a violent and sexually abusive criminal record. The information is not easy to find.

When Vermont passed Megan’s Law in 1997, a legislator told DPR that the then liberal House was very concerned about the criminal’s rights. The criminal paid his price to society, leave him be. The national Megan’s Law was created in response to a murder/rape of a child by a previous violent sex offender who lived in Megan’s neighborhood in New Jersey. 

VERMONT STYLE MEGAN’S LAW

You could go online, type "sex offender registry" into the LexisNexus search engine for Vermont’s statutes. When you do, up pops Title 13, Chapter 167, Section 5402. "The Department of Public Safety shall establish a sex offender registry."

We called and asked if we could find out if a weird neighbor had a history of sexual offense. "No," we were told by Sherry, the Sex Offender Reply Coordinator, "That information cannot be disclosed to the public through the Public Safety Department. It is not allowed by law."

But Section 5411 states: The Department "shall release relevant registry information necessary to protect the public concerning persons required to register under state law if the requester can articulate a specific concern about the requester’s personal safety or the safety of the requester’s family." 

BIG BAD JOHN

We are not talking about another day older and deeper in debt. We are talking about a bus driver who allegedly abuses children, a parent’s nightmare. "Why does Big John give me candy," a kindergarten student asked her mother. "Because he likes you," said the unsuspecting mom.

Should the school have known whether or not John had a record of child molestation? Vermont passed a law in 1996 allowing background checks for school employees, but school officials could only check one's Vermont record. If the molester moved here from New Hampshire or Mars, you were not allowed to check. Gotta protect those convicts' rights. We feel your pain. 

I WANT MY RIGHTS

Later the House changed its ways and allowed a national search. Now your school can do a background check on your bus drivers across the land. Ah, but there is a catch.

What if a bus driver had been investigated fourteen times for child molestation based on parents' complaints? Nope, can't get that information. Supposed he was charged but the charges were dropped because folks just did not want their children to testify. Nope, can't get those either.

And there is another catch. Title 16, Chapter 5, subchapter 4. "Any person employed by a school on passage of this act, shall not be subject to the provisions of this act." Any school employee as of July 1, 1998 was exempt. Ten previous convictions, it doesn't matter. 

VT-NEA HAS RIGHTS

As one school administrator told DPR, "VT-NEA probably had some say on this. They have a lot of power." This does not sound exactly like those Vermont Public Radio ads by VT-NEA; it is all about your child. Nope, never is, never was with VT-NEA. It is about pay, benefits, and protection for their members. It should be and they are very good at it. But so hypocritical.

Big John Ashworth has been charged with multi-counts of child molestation and possession of child pornography. Though he had previously admitted the crimes to the police, he plead innocent. He is home on bail. Not gonna do it anymore.

John was hired before 1998 so no one could do a background check. According to the Herald of Randolph, Superintendent Brent Kay said that "police advised that there had been previous allegations that had never been substantiated." 

LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES 

From the Secretary of State’s web page, "In 1996 the Vermont Legislature adopted the most comprehensive and aggressive campaign finance law in the nation. The law limited campaign contributions to candidates, PACs and political parties, it defined and limited related expenditures on behalf of candidates, and set limits on candidate spending. The law also included a public finance provision for candidates for governor and lieutenant governor."

So how has it worked? No candidate in a competitive race has accepted public financing. National parties whose donors are unknown significantly fund Vermont’s statewide races.

The cost of the three governor races prior to the law were: 1992-$386,324, 1994-$345,410, and 1996-$191,703 for an average cost before reform of $307,812. Since the law passed the cost of the governors’ races grew: 1998-$1,120,792, 2000-$2,258,992, and 2002-$2,235,028.

After the reform to get money out of politics, the average spending for a governor’s race over the last three cycles is now $1,871,604, a 600 percent increase. 

WHEN A TAX IS A TAX, JUST SO YOU KNOW 

There was Senator Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille, waiting and stewing on Public Television. She listened to Administration Secretary Mike Smith defend Governor Douglas's budget plans to cut the state wide property tax. When asked about an income tax, he said that our tax burden is already one of the highest in the land plus an increased income tax would adversely affect the governor's economic recovery efforts.

Given a chance to respond she quipped, "A tax is a tax is a tax. If you increase the deductible on Medicaid, you have just increased the tax on that person. If you increase the co-pay, you have just increased their taxes." 

AD HOMINEM CONDOS 

In a recent Forum essay in the Free Press, Senator Jim Condos, D-Chittenden, writes, in the last paragraph, "You should get your facts straight before attacking people."

So why did Condos pen an attack in his first paragraph, "He relies on misinformation, apparently provided by Libby Sternberg." Well is that a fact, or a Condos fact? 

SAY WHAT? 

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan told the United States via national security advisor Condoleezza Rice that we are legally responsible for providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqis. Of course, that has been the plan all along.

But we find Mr. Annan’s statement a bit odd. First, he says that we are there illegally but then we must do what he constitutes as legal. Secondly, Mr. Annan was responsible as Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping for the 7,000 odd deaths in the "safe area" of Srebrenica, Bosnia in July of 1995. 

KILLING FIELDS 

It was then that the largest genocidal massacre occurred in Europe since Hitler. Annan wrote, "The Bosnian Serb forces ignored the Security Council." No that couldn't be true, someone ignored the Security Council. "Their leaders negotiated while their forces executed thousands of men and boys...executed and buried in mass graves, hundreds buried alive, men and women mutilated, children killed before their mothers’ eyes." And this in his "safe area" the Serbs ignoring the Security Council and negotiating in bad faith. Now, where have we heard that lately?

The next year, Mr. Annan met with the Mothers of Srebrenica. "I am happy to have the opportunity to meet with you," Annan cheerily announced. "I want to hear your concerns." Our concerns are that you promised us a "safe area" and now all our husbands and sons are dead. Got it? 

PARLEZ-VOUS CHUTZPAH? 

An Associated Press story tells us that the French are seeking a big role in post-war-Iraq. Oil contracts and reconstruction contracts. Seems that Saddam promised them. A bonne chance monsieur. 

A DANGLING CONVERSATION 

We are sort of having this conversation worldwide but without definition. In the old days if you wanted to conquer you invaded. After awhile, conquistadors tired and went out of vogue. Maybe a hundred years of war bored people. So in 1648 they signed the Treaty of Westphalia to end the Eighty Years War and the Thirty Years War. They confirmed sovereignty over lands. This ended the Holy Roman emperors' predatory practices and recognized the sovereignty federalist princes. 

SOVERIEGNTY

Everybody loved sovereignty but what if human rights were grossly abused, what then? In pre-War Germany, we did nothing. We did not even let a ship of Jews land in Florida when we had the chance. We watched the terror of Stalin and heard of deaths of 60,000,000.

Mao matched Stalin body for body. We watched Idi Amin in Uganda slaughter hundreds of thousands. We watched while Saddam gassed thousands. We watched as thugs slashed and bayoneted hundreds of thousands in Burundi and Rwanda. Crimes against humanity.

The Treaty of Westphalia was not working. There is evil. There has always been evil. Evil doers were allowed to wreak havoc on their own citizens. It was not our problem. Or was it? Not our country, not our deal. So what are the rules of war today? What do you think they should be? Are we our brother’s keepers? 

NATION BUILDING?

We toe dipped in Somalia; beginning by militarily supporting relief efforts. Soon we advanced at the United Nations urging to engage in "nation building." One Blackhawk down and we turned tail and ran. We then ignored the slaughter of 800,000 in Rwanda and Burundi. Also a like number in Bosnia. Then guilt struck, or at least a change of heart. Maybe we should shoulder the role of protecting citizens from their own governments.

We bombed the Bosnia conflict into submission. We intervened in Kosovo. We violated the long held rules of sovereignty. It was a new world. Then came Afghanistan, now Iraq and who knows where else later, Burma, Zimbabwe, Libya, Morocco, Iran, North Korea? 

WARNING LABEL, DO NOT REMOVE

Top dogs do not last forever. Make sure the rules you want for us are rules you want for others. For example, maybe Mexico does not like how we treat Mexican-Americans and sees constant human rights abuses. Do they bomb? Maybe China thinks we abuse Chinese-Americans. Do they impose economic sanctions? 

THE COST

Don’t forget the cost. If it were not for sanctions on Iraq and Libya and meddling in anti-government agitation in Venezuela, a barrel of oil would be $10 not $40. This is costing us billions. The unsettling Iraq problem shuts down economic growth, decisions, and wealth creation. Then there is the cost of foreign adventure and then the cost of rebuilding, not now budgeted by the administration. How much can we pay?

President John F. Kennedy promised in his Inaugural Address; "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Will we? 

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

Recall that we have been down the no sovereignty road before: the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, and the Spanish and the Roman Catholic Church in Latin and South America. Each knew best.

Then came the British Empire where the sun never set. They brought control, order, institutions, investment, and infrastructure. But they were not appreciated any more than the others. 

A WORLD SAFE FOR DEMOCRAY

The Americans' day dawned. We ran off the Native Americans at a heavy price to the Native. When Woodrow Wilson tried to make the world safe for democracy, a Holocaust was his reward. When America created the New World Order, Black Hawk Down was its reward.

The law of unintended consequences always works. The economic sanctions on Iraq returned Saddam to power. He always had control of political power and patronage. Now he had control of people’s life, no obedience, no food, you die. Beware, the Ides of march and all that. 

VERMONT MADE THE NATIONAL NEWS, AGAIN 

Confirming that we may not be a state for everyone, Fox News ran this story. "A group of Vermont teenagers threw rocks at a uniformed female Vermont National Guard sergeant last week. Friday's incident took place in Plainfield. The woman decided she would no longer wear her uniform outside of work."

AP Story here: http://www.boston.com/dailynews/086/region/Some_National_Guard_members_re:.shtml 

WHERE'S MY ANTI PORNO CHIP? 

Just to make sure that teenagers keep acting up, Choreographer Pat Leahy appears to be targeting and churning them up them in his recent government paid literary effort. This is the description of the letter to the teenage son of a reader.

"My son received a letter, not I, from Pat Leahy, which contained a speech which Pat thought my son would be interested in. It was all about how the Bush Administration is incompetent in their diplomacy and dishonest and ruinous. I suspect that it went to just the young voters. This is not information, it is campaign literature." 

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 

The New York Times carried a picture of Rachel Corrie, a peace activist standing in front of a bulldozer in her orange jacket speaking through a bullhorn. The caption read, "Rachel Corrie trying to talk to the driver of an Israeli bulldozer before it killed her."

Okay, let’s see. If Joe pulls a gun on Sue and the gun goes off and Sue dies, is the story, "Joe shoots Sue?" Or is the story, "Gun shoots Sue?" 

GOVERNMENT PRESCHOOL NOT THE SOLUTION 

»» Senator Hull Maynard, Rutland: Your comments on this bill [S.166 - the Government Preschool bill] mirror my own. It was conceived in almost secrecy from the Senate Education Committee. Its gestation period included much time when the number of copies were deemed classified. Your criticisms overlooked the cost of transportation for a program that I would presume would not be full day.

Each mention of this bill has been accompanied by a graph showing physical development of a child's brain almost 90% developed by age 5 thus the need for this bill. A closer look at the graph shows 85% of development between ages of 0 and 3! Maybe the school bus could pick the children up at the hospital delivery room.

Better to accentuate programs already in place than start an entire new division of public education at the unnecessary expense of taxpayers and private preschool providers.

In addition more incentives for day care providers to get some certification as preschool teachers so that their meager earnings might be subsidized even more that the $1,000 reward for accreditation.

Keep up your good work. 

»» Stephen P. Farrington, Stockbridge: Dear Windsor County Senators and Representatives; I wish to let you know that I am strongly opposed to Senate Bill S.166, establishing government preschools.

Children are not wards of the state. Responsible parents, not state bureaucrats and self-interested teacher's unions, should be in control of their children's educational opportunities, style, and content. For the hundreds of years that parents were in control, the people of our little state were a beacon of free thought, independence, and leadership to the nation. Sadly, now, the sovereignty of the state here supercedes the sovereignty of the individual.

What will this bill do to our tax burden, already the highest in the country? What will it's mandates do to the hundreds of private preschool providers already struggling to make ends meet in Vermont? Do we want all Vermonters to have only one choice of preschool; the state's preschool?

When will the Senate finally be happy? Will it be when every child in Vermont is yanked from its mother's arms at birth to be safely inculcated with the political and social values of those in Montpelier?

Fascism is defined by it's elevation of the state's sovereignty over the sovereignty of the individual. When the rubber meets the road, even the most truly liberal ideals of a free society seem to be easily subordinated to selfish political interests of a band of "fascists in liberal's clothing" who rule in Montpelier. God forbid the teacher's union doesn't endorse you for another term. 

AWAITING AN ANSWER 

»» Steve & Ann Stein: I have just completed my 2002 taxes and see that the tax rates for 2002 vs. 2001 are much higher. I understood that the rates were adjusted to reflect changes in federal tax policy, but that this would keep Vermont revenues steady.

An adjusted federal income of $128,000 paid $7,326 to VT in 2001 and $7,732 in 2002. This is a 9.5% increase. I do not recall a 9.5% increase in the 2002 tax rates being passed in the legislature.

Could anyone please explain this to me? 

CUT SPENDING AND TAXES 

»» Karen Kerin, South Royalton: The last thing we need in Vermont is to drive more businesses and people out of the state. We on the eastern side of the state are not competitive with New Hampshire and this is going to make it far worse. Reason seems to be thrown out the window in this time of tough economic conditions. What is needed is to cut spending, not seek more ways to squeeze more tax money out of a suffering economy. People just can't afford it. One important point that must be remembered: This notion of soaking the rich always results in higher costs being passed down to people on low or fixed incomes, thereby diminishing their meager resources even further. 

ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY 

»» John McClaughry, Kirby: Back in September, Secretary of State Colin Powell explained to the French foreign minister, that if France was prepared to support a tough resolution demanding that Saddam Hussein disarm or face serious consequences, then France would have to be equally prepared to support a second resolution authorizing armed force against him. According to the New York Times, the French picked over every word of Resolution 1441, agreed to it, voted for it, and committed to support a war resolution if Saddam failed to perform.

Then France switched sides. Why, we don't know for sure. Perhaps it was the risk of losing lucrative oil contracts in a post-Saddam Iraq. Perhaps it was a resentful President Chirac's urge to bring down the upstart Americans.

Now the French are shocked to learn that a U.S. President takes tough UN resolutions seriously, and is willing to use armed force to rid the world of a vicious dictator who has for 12 years mocked UN resolutions demanding that he get rid of his weapons of mass destruction.

French perfidy at the UN has dramatically crippled both American friendship with France and our support for the UN. Most thinking Americans understand that for better or worse, it has fallen to the United States to shoulder the heavy burden of leading the people of the world toward peace, prosperity, and freedom. And those people should thank whatever God they pray to, that America, which fifty-five years ago so generously brought defeated Germany and Japan into the family of democratic and prosperous nations, again has a President with the vision, courage, sincerity and faith to lead us in that role. 

HYPOCRITES 

»» Paul Chandler, Newport: My son is stationed in Kosovo. I do not recall the protesters at the time of the bombing of Serbia. In fact, the picture in the Free Press with the guy holding the banner "Down With Capitalism" says it all. These protests are organized by professionals who think they should be provided for without working. Why is it that you never see these guys in places like the Sudan or Indonesia where there is real oppression? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Editor's note: And here's an article that tells who is footing the bill: http://gopusa.com/news/2003/march/0320_antiwar_funding.shtml 

OUR FOUR STOOGES 

»» Ed Malila, Milton: As many of you know, the main stream media ABC, CBS, & NBC has only reported one side of the war with Iraq, as usual; the anti war side. That's all you see on these stations, making Bush & Blair out to be the bad guys. If you just listen to those stations you would think the US was an imperialist country taking over the World. Students and others around the world are easily lead down the War for Oil path. But, we have a LEADER now in the US, who knows there are 2 million pounds of chemical weapons and where are going to end up if we don't disarm Saddam; and answer is not in Iraqi cookies. Bush knows and will not do a Clinton and look the other way.

The three Stoogies (Jumping Jim, Socialist Bernie & Left wing Pat) from Vermont are now joined by a fourth - Howard. These four are not and have not supported America's future and I hope Vermonters remember this in the future elections.

They are part of the new obstructionist party (Democratic) that will do anything to stop progress in Washington at any cost. Remember in November 2004. 

QUISLINGS??!! 

»» Herbert G. Ogden, Rutland: Did France go to the Security Council before parachuting into Cote d'Ivoire? No, but I believe they claimed to have been invited. Who invited us into Iraq?

Did China go to the Security Council before invading and annexing Tibet? No, and do we want our country to be in that company?

Did Russia go to the Security Council before invading Chechnya? No, but it had been part of Russia for generations. Last I knew, Iraq wasn't part of the U.S.

Did Saddam go to the Security Council before invading Kuwait? No, and do we want to be in that company?

Did Al Queada go to the Security Council with its complaints before September 11th? No, and do we want to be in that company?

What does this all have to do with Quisling, anyway? The Norwegians in World War II neither chose nor liked Quisling. You don't mean to insinuate that whoever leads a post-occupation Iraqi government will be a Quisling, do you? 

WE NEED A MEGAN'S LAW 

»» Wendy Wilton, Rutland: I enjoy just one of your newsletters far better than a month of Sundays of the Rutland Herald.

The case of the young Randolph woman/VTC student is very disturbing. Even more disturbing is that the man who allegedly tortured and killed her was a previous sex offender, but Vermonters were not able to know that until he killed this young woman and his name made the media along with his record. If we had public access to the sex offender registry in Vermont, perhaps her death could have been avoided.

Unfortunately, in Vermont, Megan's Law is interpreted in a very "conservative fashion" --meaning that offender's rights to privacy are regarded as more important than the effort to protect Vermont women and children from sexual offenders. Our neighboring states of New Hampshire & New York provide this information about high risk offenders via Internet to their citizens. Why don't we? Vermont is protecting child molesters and serial rapists by default...and this is deplorable.

There is a petition drive under way from the Rutland area, by Rutland First, to encourage the legislature to allow public access to the high risk offender information in the VT sex offender registry with nearly 700 signatures to date. Copies were sent to the legislature last week. It will be interesting to see how our representatives respond.

Another chilling fact: Currently there are 1,500 sex offenders registered in the Vermont sex offender registry, of which DPS assumes there are 300 or so "high risk" offenders. There are currently over 2,500 sex offenders in Vermont's prison system, many of these are "maxing" sentences due to the nature of their crimes (likely high risk offenders), and will present an incremental growth to this registry over the next few years...based on those facts alone, many feel it is time to allow public access to the registry. The US Supreme Court ruled two weeks ago, also, to support the registry access aspect of Megan's Law. 

A THANK YOU FOR A CAMPAIGN PROMISE KEPT 

»» Joseph M. Cousino, South Burlington: President Bush has kept his promise regarding tax relief. For 2002, my federal tax liability fell by 11.5% had everything been equal to 2001. So what does that mean? That reduction in liability is equivalent to:

4 car payments (I lease...my payments are on the low side) or 
2.5 months groceries or
3 months mortgage payments (I have a small mortgage) or
1 year of gasoline for our cars or
16 months of home heating costs or
22 months of electricity costs or
clothes for my son or 
much needed assistance toward my incredibly high property tax bill to the City of South Burlington.

Does anyone think for one minute that the Democrats would have even thought about lowering income taxes had Al Gore been elected President? Not a chance.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor. 

GOOD QUESTION 

»» Laura Brueckner, Waterbury Center: Where is the media now that the Killington real estate tax case is before the Supreme Court? 

THEY LIKE US 

»» Senator Hull Maynard, Shrewsbury: Great newsletter this week and always. Especially about the Stars and Stripes Ice Cream. Your sense of news, your ability to research altogether are worth more than you are being paid.

»» Bob and Sally Treat, Manchester Center: We appreciate receiving the Dwinell Report. Keep up the good work.

»» Mike Seely, Dorset: I don't know how I came to receive this, but it's a great read. I'm a recent emigre to Vermont after leaving the state for 35 years (no jobs here for me back then).

»» Ed Wilson, Morrisville: Keep up the great work.

»» Roy Berkeley, Sharftsbury: You guys do a great job.

»» Emilie Mattesich, Burlington: Great write-up. Keep it up. 

STOP CALLING IT THE "SENATE PLAN"! -  I INVENTED IT! ME! ME! 

"I was astonished upon my return to learn that the 'Shumlin plan' to reform act 60 had passed the Senate 29-1 in my absence. Congratulations to the Democrats in the Senate for bringing along so many Republicans to a simplified school funding formula that will improve educational opportunities for all Vermont's children." --Peter Shumlin 

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