IS PERCEPTION REALITY?

The Democrat Senate leadership said at the beginning of the session that we all ran on the same issues; jobs, permit reform, Act 60 reform, and affordable health care. How are they doing?

Not so hot. They are in favor of permit reform but later. It is just too complicated for now. Right. That is the problem. It is just too complicated, difficult, expensive, time consuming, and unpredictable. Rational folks will go elsewhere. Let’s fiddle while Rome burns. 

RENEWABLE ENERGY BUT NOT FROM HERE

The Senate passed a renewable energy bill, zapping in the process local business and therefore jobs once again. Those appearing before the Senate Finance Committee did not support the bill. IBM opposed it, Governor Douglas opposed it, the power companies opposed it, and the Public Service Department opposed it. The Chairman of the Public Service Board could take it or leave it.

No matter, out of the committee it passes 5 to 1 with one abstention. The senate passed it 21 to 3.

That it is harmful to Vermont business does not seem to matter. That our largest employer opposes it does not matter. That there is not enough homegrown renewable energy does not matter. That folks who want to build wind power facilities in Southern Vermont and in the Northeast Kingdom are having difficulty obtaining permits does not matter. That to comply we would have to import renewable energy creating jobs in another state or province does not matter.

Maybe that it is harmful to business and job growth is the point. What seems to matter is that we feel green. Not green as it used to be known, those dirty filthy greenbacks, but green in that we are trendy, into renewable energy but without a plan. 

DAY OF RECKONING

Will the Democrats once again be able to sell their vision to the voters, the vision of pro jobs, pro economy, pro permit reform when it appears that every ounce of their energy is opposed to these things? 

WE FIXED IT THIRTY YEARS AGO

Let’s see. Thirty years ago there were few calculators, no personal computers, VCRs, microwaves, answering machines, cell phones, SUVs, minivans, Pokemon, AIDS, and so forth. Maybe after thirty years and tremendous changes it is time to reorganize our largest state agency, the Agency of Human Services.

Jane Kitchel who has worked in the Agency for over thirty years and its former Secretary began the process over a year ago at the direction of Howard Dean. Now the legislation reorganizing the agency is making its way through the legislative process. But of course... hand wringing.

"I'm concerned that this has not been explored enough. We need more legislative oversight," as if a part-time legislature which cannot find the time for Act 60 or Act 250 reform can find the time to oversee the state’s largest bureaucracy.

Keeper of the status quo, the advocates and their allies in the Senate will no doubt slow down the reform train once again. 

ECONOMICS FROM YOUR TECH CENTER

Mark Johnson’s guest on his show on WDEV Wednesday was MaryBeth Pinard Brace, Cooperative Education Coordinator at the Barre Tech Center. She is also the President of the Association for Career and Technical Education. She expressed some interesting theories.

First she said that there was really no reason to vote down school budgets because everything is pretty much all set. The teachers all have long contracts, which is is the major cost and you cannot do anything about that. So when you vote down a school budget, they can either cut around the edges or cut back programs.

Of course what she did not say is Vermont has the lowest student/teacher ratio in the country, that other states easily outperform us on assessment tests, so that maybe we should emulate them by having higher student/teacher ratios. That’s right, we hope the sky does not fall, have higher student/teacher ratios and lay off a couple of teachers. 

GOVERNMENT, VERMONT’S GROWTH INDUSTRY

Ms. Pinard Brace, as if reading our minds, went on to say that you hurt the economy by laying off teachers. They pay taxes and therefore help our economy. That the teacher’s wage is entirely paid by taxes seems to have eluded her. Of course she is not alone in this thinking. Just last year Auditor Elizabeth Ready went on about losing IBM might not be so bad because our government was such a growth industry. A fellow traveller weighed in to say it is not just the government, the NGOs (non-governmental organizations, usually non-profits) were also booming in Vermont.

What is to happen to all those folks who are not professionals employed in the permit process, government workers, teachers, and non-profit employees going to do? Who might replace the 1,600 jobs that Ethan Allen appears to be eliminating. Or the 8,000 IBM jobs which may be lost to competition? A couple of NGOs, lower yet student/teacher ratios (maybe one on one would be good) and Small Dog Electronics. 

GOODBYE MR. CHIPS

Barre teachers and maybe teachers everywhere in Vermont think that it is okay not just to promote their political views, but to promote puerile ones. High School History teacher Mr. Treece posted on the "dialogue board" the following: "President Bush is the idiot boy king." Later at a school forum Mr. Treece delivered a passionate plea against the war.

Recall how one used to get better grades by trying to please the teacher? It is a time honored tradition. But now to get good grades would you be tempted to be against the war? Something is well out of kilter in Barre. Maybe it is the water.

Other teachers according to the Times Argus have bumper stickers on their classrooms doors, "Impeach Bush" and "Vermonters for a Bush/Cheney Regime Change." How is your school doing?

Read article and letter here: http://timesargus.nybor.com/Story/63591.html http://timesargus.nybor.com/Archive/Articles/Article/63525 

VOUCHERS ANYONE?

"Colorado is on its way to becoming the first state to enact a statewide school-voucher program since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last summer upholding vouchers in Cleveland. Texas and Louisiana may not be far behind.

"The Colorado Senate on Monday voted 36-28 to enact a House-passed bill to allow students in Denver and 11 other districts with eight or more schools rated "poorly" under state criteria to opt out of public schools. Those students can then use 75 percent to 85 percent of its public per-pupil funds, ranging from about $5,000 to $6,000, at private schools of their choice." -- Washington Times, 4/3/03 

WILL THE LAST ONE PLEASE TURN OUT THE LIGHTS

More bad news on the job front this week. As one reader shared, his accomplished son sent out over 200 resumes to land a job. Another noted that an IBMer took over a year to land a job as a driving range manager. It is not pretty out there.

In Swanton, Vestshell Vermont has laid off approximately twelve. Verizon announced that they will be laying off forty-three. Stanley Tools which owns a plant in Pittsfield is laying off a thousand nationally.

There is a bit of sunshine. Mylan in St. Albans wants to add folks but has no permits yet. Of course our friends at CLF who are appealing the town’s extension of their industrial park, will probably weigh in on Mylan’s application. In Windsor Seldon Laboratories plans to come to town and start hiring. 

WHAT CAMPAIGN PROMISE?

When they arrived, it was all love. "We all ran on the same issues, let us work together to get Vermont’s economy moving again." But when it comes to actually fulfilling a promise, ah could we have more time please. Thirty years is not enough.

Here is what one disgusted reader sent us. "We have endured seeing what was once a potentially powerful and prosperous state dragged into a dark age while being told that they were living through one of its heroic periods, under its greatest leader." Sounds like the Dean years....

WE ARE NOT POLITICANS, WE’RE STATESMEN

Peter Welch, D-Windsor and Senate Pro Tem "called a midday new conference to lash out at Douglas... 'We're not going to pass the permit reform bill just because the drumbeat of political warfare is being beaten by the governor.'"

The Governor stayed on track. He has said that every day, not every other day, but every day people tell him of their permit troubles. Business people are thinking of leaving the state. People are being laid off. "Everyday the Senate declines to take up permit reform is another day it is more likely that a Vermonter will lose a job." 

A PROMISE MADE IS A PROMISE DELIVERED

When he was campaigning, Jim Douglas said that he would go to Montpelier and help jump-start the economy. He said that he was going to take his message out to Vermonters and he has. Now Vermonters are calling their senators to find out what is happening. And those senators don't like it.

Welch said, "The Senate is not about to apply a last-minute rubber stamp to a bill..." Douglas retorted, "The Senate has had a bill since February 11th. That they do not have legal physical custody of the bill is not relevant to the process. They could have taken testimony and worked on it. They have wasted months. The Democrat-sponsored O'Neal Report concluded that permit reform was business’s top priority."

The Coalition for Permit Reform, http://www.vermontcpr.org is running full pages ads, "Permit reform. It’s about fairness. It’s about time." It is probably not a coincidence that the organization is called CPR. That is what the state needs. 

FAST FORWARD TO CAMPAIGN 2004

It is about jobs but this time we mean it. Send us back again, pleeeeeease?

Or, we ran this race two years ago. I promised to get Vermont moving again. But I can't with the obstructionist Democrat Senate. Give me a few good Republican senators and together we can end this foolish selfish gridlock and get Vermont moving again.

Which message do you think is going to work? Maybe Welch and team should take a poll or go back to the drawing board. 

I AM NOT DONE YET

Not embarrassed yet, Peter Welch issued another warning on Act 60. "Time is running out." Been almost seven years of disaster, of town against town, of angry citizens defeating school budgets, of a wholesale turnover in the house, a new governor, but now "time is running out." Time is been wasted doing nothing about a very controversial and hated remnant of the glory days of Vermont’s liberals.

Speaker Walt Freed, R-Dorset, has not helped much. Three years and out, nothing, nada, zilch. His hand picked two-term Ways and Means Chair Richard Marron, R-Stowe, has spent man-years producing legislation that nobody supports, last year and again this year. For Marron it is three strikes and bye bye. Property taxes are killing folks. Who cares? 

TIP TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS

Let’s review. It has been over thirty years since Act 250 passed. Here it is, pretty simple:

(1) Will not result in undue water or air pollution.

(2) Does have sufficient water available.

(3) Will not cause an unreasonable burden on an existing water supply, if one is to be utilized.

(4) Will not cause unreasonable soil erosion or reduction in the capacity of the land to hold water so that a dangerous or unhealthy condition may result.

(5) Will not cause unreasonable congestion or unsafe conditions with respect to use of the highways, waterways, railways, airports and airways, and other means of transportation existing or proposed.

(6) Will not cause an unreasonable burden on the ability of a municipality to provide educational services.

(7) Will not place an unreasonable burden on the ability of the local governments to provide municipal or governmental services.

(8) Will not have an undue adverse effect on the scenic or natural beauty of the area, aesthetics, historic sites or rare and irreplaceable natural areas.

(9) Is in conformance with a duly adopted capability and development plan, and land use plan when adopted.

(10) Is in conformance with any duly adopted local or regional plan or capital program.

Since when has providing affordable housing been part of Act 250? Hank Lunde, President of the Stowe Mountain Resort howled, "It is a matter of fairness... It should not be a permit condition. No other ski resort has been required to both provide cash and build employee housing as an act 250 permit condition." 

ZONKER HARRIS DAY

University of Vermont’s famous smoke-in is up for renewal. Temporarily stymied last year by a weekend of entertainment, will grass burn freely on campus this 4:20, April 20th at 4:20 PM? We wrote to Enrique Corredera, the spokesperson for the University.

"We turned a big corner last year and we have no intention of going back to the way things were. We'll be ready if something happens, but it's Easter Sunday so that might help."

All those God fearing Christians are bound to refrain. Not that UVM is unique. At Wesleyan they celebrate Zonker Harris Day, "a day devoted to the celebration of pot smoking." Not to be outdone with seemingly inappropriate behavior, Yale celebrates Sex Week, with seven days of campus wide lectures, film, panels, concerts, and parties for only $35,000 of your parents hard earned money. 

HAVE PASSPORT, WILL TRAVEL

Well it is not so easy anymore. Our daughter’s passport expired. In the old days, you had pictures taken, filled out a form, wrote your check, mailed in the old passport and voila a new one appeared in three weeks.

Now, you must not only have the pictures and the form, but both parents with their child's birth certificate must go to an authorized court house and swear an oath and then maybe they will send in your application. That you already have a passport does not seem to matter. 

RUSH TO JUDGEMENT

In the rush to get the bad guy, we need to remember our constitution and our basic rights. According to the New York Times, investigators of the Washington sniper shootings forgot.

"Lee Malvo asked to speak with an attorney as is questioning began. He was told that he would get a chance to speak with a lawyer but that twenty-one year veteran June Boyle wanted to ask a few background questions. Six hours later, Malvo was turned over to other investigators to be questioned. At some point, he signed a waiver of his right to legal counsel." 

CAMPAIGN SHAKEUP, WITCH HUNT, OR POWER GRAB?

This from the Rocky Mountain News (Full article here: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_1865744,00.html):

"Rick Ridder has resigned, possibly under pressure, as national manager for Howard Dean's presidential campaign effective April 15.

"Sue Allen, press aide to the former Vermont governor, said the resignation was voluntary and that Ridder will stay with the campaign under a consulting contract. She maintained that Ridder 'wants to spend more time with his family' in Denver. Ridder’s children are grown and gone.

"A veteran Democratic activist who did not wish to be identified said that Dean's 'palace guard' in Vermont had been reluctant to give up control and had 'gotten' to Ridder."

So what happened? It is not that Ridder did a bad job. "It should be noted that Dean's staff had grown from three to 30 since Ridder took over the campaign four months ago, raised $2.6 million and spent only $600,000, has 12,000 volunteers nationwide, and is tied for the lead in the polls in New Hampshire." It was not incompetence that sent him back to Denver. 

THE PALACE GUARD

Some point fingers at long time aide Kate O'Conner. "Maybe," says one activist, "but so what. Kate has been Dean's 24/7 person since 1986. She works harder than anyone else. She has his trust. She is completely devoted to him. If she thinks something is not right, she moves on her instincts. Those instincts have made Dean what he is." 

POWER GRAB

In Washington politics, all power is derivative. There are 435 congressmen, 100 senators and one president. The closer you are to each, the more power you have. Clearly the president is the big enchilada.

Being the campaign manager for the president makes you rich and famous. Who would forget Lee Atwater in 1988, James Carville in 1992, Dick Morris in 1996, or Karl Rove in 2000? Who will be the one in 2004? Joe Trippi thinks he is the one. Most folks would do whatever it took be the one.

Trippi surely pushed hard, had a long time relationship with both O'Conner and Dean, used his infighting skills, and took the crown. Can he keep it? It is a long ride to the White House and the bad guys are behind every rock. 

KIPLINGER REPORTS ON WALDO

"War presents Democrat White House contenders with challenges: getting attention amid war news and distinguishing themselves from Bush without alienating troop-supporting voters.

"Paradoxically, the one candidate getting through is unabashedly antiwar. Ex-Governor Howard Dean of Vermont is winning favor with Democrat liberals, early primary state voters, and contributors. Dean pulls liberal support from Senator Kerry, giving more conservative Senator Edwards an edge." 

DO NOT GO TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS

"Times are hard," the New York Times reports from Kumait, Iraq. "The value of the Iraqi dinar has fallen 150 percent since the beginning of the war." 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

A contrite Peter Arnett said, just after he was fired by NBC, "There is a small island, inhabited in the South Pacific, that I will try to swim to. I’ll leave; I’m embarrassed."

The next day on a new job, Arnett had a change of heart. "I am still in shock and awe at being fired. I report the truth of what is happening here in Baghdad and will not apologize for it."

He sounds like the north end of a south bound horse. 

REQUIEM

"Gore's speech was one no minimally decent politician could have delivered. It was entirely dishonest, cheap, low. It was utterly hollow. It was bereft of policy, of solutions, of constructive ideas, very nearly of facts - bereft of anything other than taunts and jibes and embarrassingly obvious lies. It was breathtakingly hypocritical, a naked political assault delivered in smarmy tones of moral condescension from a man pretending to be superior to mere politics. It was wretched. It was vile. It was contemptible. But I understate." --The late Michael Kelly, Washington Post, September, 2002 

WHO IS THIS WISEGUY?

»» Stewart Ledbetter: Could you please provide some background as to just who this Mark Sinclair of the Conservation Law Foundation is? Where is he from? What is his education? What are his conservation credentials? He surely gets plenty of ink... Does he deserve it? 

»» Rob Towle, Rutland City: I find it very amusing that Mark Sinclair claims the permit reform process has apparently been conducted without the knowledge or participation of Vermont Voters. The strange part of this is that maybe the public hearing that my wife and I attended back in February in Room 11 was held by the ANC where about 3-4 hours of testimony was given by all sides of the fence. Apparently he thinks people like Annette Smith only work behind closed doors, but she was there and gave testimony as well.

Mark, what else have we missed?  Was the World Series played or was that decided as well? 

ACT 60 FIX: SPEND LESS!

»» Robert Maynard, Williston: I was happy to read in your April report that "Douglas remains opposed to the increase in the state's income tax rate as proposed in the Act 60 reform plan voted out of the House Ways and Means Committee". Now if he would just point out that the problem with Act 60 is not that the wrong type of tax is being utilized, it is that spending has gotten WAY out of control. Vermont has among the highest per pupil schooling cost in our nation. For all that we spend on education, our results are only about average. It is time that we exposed one of the false premises of the Brigham Decision - namely, that more money equals a better education. There are no data to support such a premise. 

»» Bob Alexander, Londonderry: The current edition, covering both Act 250 and Act 60 points out an interesting set of circumstances. Education is THE major business in Vermont, and it is growing at a astonishing rate.

How about an issue dealing only with the hard facts of the growth of educational funding, both in hard dollars, as well as on a per pupil and % of total state revenues?

Why does every proposal to "fix" Act 60 include raising more money, and none deal with the systemic problems which continually pay out more and more money with no demonstrable increase in quality. Exactly where does the money go; the classroom, the physical plant, administrators, supervisory unions, state administrators? AND how do these expenses relate to inflation over the last five years?

It also mystifies me that spreading more money to teachers who have been unable to demonstrate that they can increase the skills of their students is going to solve the problem. If they could not get the job done at $35K per year why can the now get it done at, say, $40K. How much of the additional Act 60 money has gone to helping teachers get their masters degrees, or in other way enhance their skills? 

DIRECT EXPENDITURES

»» John M. Farmer, Stowe: I am appalled about the high cost of the Vermont Senate elections last fall. In 1990 I spent $450 to retain the Lamoille County Senate seat and Susan Barlett spent over $96,000 to serve a fourth term in 2002! Certainly the finances alone would discourage running for office. Perhaps a four-year term for governor and staggered four-year terms for the senate might be considered. 

HOW MUCH MONEY DID WE SPEND?

»» Senator Mark Shepard, R-Bennington and Wilmington: On the campaign expenditures, we are not sure how you came up with your numbers. In our race for example we attempted to list everything, even including a $1500 ad against me (as a joke) paid for by Dick Sears and Judy Murphy. I thought the ad actually helped me.

Even with this ad we ended up at about $28K (see the report for exact numbers [$26,927.04]). The only additional expense we found out afterwards that was intended to help me was a targeted low cost Right-to-Life mailing. What other things do you have?

I do admit that I had terrific support and we tried our best to spend it all as effectively as we could.

Editors Note: Our effort to quantify the spending by PACs and parties in support of the senate candidates was confusing to many. On reflection, we wish that we had done it differently. We can trace some specific third party spending on media as media reports are required when spending over $500. General campaign help such as voter list development and maintenance, polling and research, GOTV, and general voter contact usually done by the parties are harder to quantify. We made assumptions and used averages. We apologize for the confusion.

IS VERMONT SAFE FOR CHILDREN?

»» Laura Brueckner, Waterbury Center: Notably missing from your excellent report was the mention H.358 that along with H.132 also decriminalizes adult sex with children (even though children are referred to as persons in the legislation to make it seem less sleazy). Sam Hemingway reports the legislature has failed to act on H.194 that requires clergy to report suspicion of child abuse to authorities. This state seems to be at the forefront of decriminalizing adult sex acts with children with H.132, H.358 and H.194's not getting any attention from Peg Flory, chairperson of the House Judiciary Committee.

You were the first to shine light on this type of legislation though media was made aware of H.358. For that you should be commended. Why is media not reporting on this kind of legislation and its sponsors? There seems to be a lack of concern for the minimum protect of children from sexual predators in Vermont. Even our abortion without parental consent and/or notification protects child sex predators. Please continue to expose this kind of legislation and don't protect the sponsors. 

MEMORY LANE

»» Andy Shaw: I saw the plug for Madeline Harwood's memoir in your April 4th letter. Think back to 1974: George Aiken retired, setting off musical chairs as Representative Dick Mallary R-VT sought to "move up" to the U.S. Senate. Chittenden County D.A. Leahy was the Democrat. Jim Jeffords, former Attorney General, trying to rebound from his loss to Fred Hackett in the '72 GOP Gubenatorial Primary, sought the nomination for Congress and was opposed by State Senator Harwood and Lieutenant Governor Jack Burgess. Yes, there were serious Republican primaries at one time! Jeffords won the Primary with 40% - 2,200 votes ahead of Madeline, and then went on to Washington after winning the Genral Election in November. (And Pat Leahy went too, as he beat Mallary.)

I want to say this about my County (Bennington): When Madeline ran for Congress we voted for her! And if the rest of the State had followed our lead, we wouldn't have all these problems that you see today! 

THEY LIKE US 

»» Bette Trucott, Barton: Thanks for the great job that you do. 

CRIMUS
By Captain America 

"We are at a tipping point. We can go the way of the rest of the country or we can do it right." Mark Sinclair, Conservation Law Foundation

Just between you, me, and the fence post, this is the kind of purely self-serving propaganda that really makes me want to throw up and then emigrate.

There is this ridiculous propaganda campaign to convince someone (or is it an attempt at self-convincing?) that the rest of the country is a horrid place of pollution, traffic, sprawl, and Home Depot - a place where everyone lives in disgust of their surroundings and would merrily skip off to Vermont at a moment's notice.

Being Captain America, I actually get out to SEE that country regularly, and you cannot help but notice that the rest of the country is much more prosperous than Vermont (and the gap continues to widen), the quality of life is good in most places, the politics actually tend to be MORE productive and less divisive, and people are at least as happy as people here if not much happier. Not one of my friends who left has ever come back.

Let's see - trying to keep the peasants poor and ignorant as they sink into abject poverty while trying to propagandize them that they are lucky to be here since the rest of the world is a squalid hellhole of misery, that they actually live in paradise. Sound a bit like North Korea to you?

Earth to morons: The rest of the country has done a lot of things right that we've done wrong - we can learn a lot from THEM for God's sake.

Crimus....

Editor's note: Captain America is pseudonym for a local citizen overcome with grief at our condition. We hope to hear more.

STONED 

"Do not give me the excuse that this is an isolated incident and merely innocent youth making honest mistakes! It is a deeply ingrained attitude and learned behavior from their parents, friends, associates, and political representative." --Sergeant Major Arthur Quinn, Retired, Hardwick, Letter to the editor, Times Argus 

A ROCK, A JOINT, OR BOTH? 

"How about a new bumper sticker, 'Come to Vermont and Get Stoned.'" --Shari Kongable, Prattville, AL, Letter to the editor, Times Argus 

FROM A MARINE IN IRAQ 

"I don't care what people back home think. I don't care what people in other places think. I think we're doing a good thing here." --Lance Corporal Joseph Mountford, Barre, Vermont (The Burlington Free Press, 4/5/03, page 3A) 

YOU WANT WHAT? 

In response to Democrat Senators demanding more money for homeland security, "There is not enough money in the galaxy to protect every inch of American from every threat by every fanatic." --Mitch Daniels, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the National Journal. 

IT IS TAX TIME 

"Here's my proposal, which is based on the TV show 'Survivor': We put the entire Congress on an island. All the food on this island is locked inside a vault, which can be opened only by an ordinary American taxpayer named Bob. Every day, the congresspersons are given a section of the Tax Code, which they must rewrite so that Bob can understand it. If he can, he lets them eat that day; if he can't, he doesn't." -- Columnist Dave Barry 

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