PRESIDENT HOWARD DEAN

Who would have thunk it? Really, our Howard Dean, presidential timber. Toothpick, maybe a shaving, asterisk, afterthought, or a trivia question. But timber, wow. We could tell them a thing or two, "do to America like I did to Vermont." Wait till some fact checkers show up. That will make Tim Russert's interview on Meet the Press seem like a Kakewalk.

So how has he done it? With a message, a clear, differentiating message repeated over and over. Target it to the Democratic primary voters. Contact those voters, over and over. 

ZIP DRIVE

Go into zip drive, new technology. It is really exciting. Think about it. A paradigm shift. In days of yore, the king, bishop, or general spoke to the citizen through the aristocracy, priest, or captain.

Then came the modern era when politicians spoke through precinct captains. Soon they were replaced by the media, paid and free, the politician speaking to his/her constituents through the media (television, radio, mail, or telephone); their answering through pollsters.

Always there was a filter, little opportunity to have a conversation. Politician/leader speaks to/through another. Until now. All the lieutenants, sycophantic or honest broker, have been supplanted by the Internet, direct communication. The media is not happy. They always determined the early "primary" winner, sorting out the field, declaring who is in the top tier, who is not. Let the people decide. About time. 

DEAN AS NOMINEE

Perhaps. He has got it and them going. He is moving his message to the middle, the family and all. He finishes in the top three in Iowa, the top two in New Hampshire, and drops like a stone in South Carolina. Thanks to the Clintons and their go-fer DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, the primaries are front-loaded. Dean doesn't get enough traction, enough news magazine covers. He currently polls 2-3 percent nationally. No one is paying attention but us. But maybe... 

DEAN AS PRESIDENT

Nope. No way. Can't get by all those states in the South, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain West. Can't be trusted with our defense. Can't break down the values strength of the Bushies. The families Dean envisions are not the families in the red states. 

DEAN AS CARTER

Yes and no. A small state governor nobody has heard of. An early and strong commitment, hard work, repeat visits to key early states, integrity. Message and field work. But there is no Watergate to open that door, no wave to ride. 

DEAN AS MCGOVERN

Yes and no. Anti-war, national health care, small state politician nobody had heard of, hard work, well organized, winning Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Yet Dean's supporters hate Bush more than they hate war. Secondly, they hate Bush, the dolt, cowboy, good ol' boy, the basic instinct guy. Thirdly, they also hate Al Gore for messing up a slam-dunk election with the universe's best ever economy.

But as Dick Morris writes in the New York Post, "Dean turns the Democratic primaries into a killing ground where any candidate who can win nationally is eradicated." (It's a good read. Find it here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/07092003/postopinion/opedcolumnists/58.htm) 

DEAN AS GOLDWATER

"He has motivated our crazy base," writes Eric Fettmann in the New York Post. If we can't win, let's get behind the guy we like, the guy who plays our tune, the guy who stands for us, for something. Goldwater, the "in your guts, you know he's nuts" guy, laid out the intellectual rational for three decades of GOP rule. He stood for something, he motivated people, he intensified the voters, he brought Ronald Reagan out of the woodwork and laid the foundation for Richard Nixon's unlikely return. 

DEAN AS CLEAN GENE Now here is the Dean that intrigues us. Senator Eugene McCarthy ran his flower power, the Internet of its day, campaign, startled President Lyndon Johnson into stepping down and brought on the candidacy of Senator Bobby Kennedy, the last carpetbagger from New York.

The new New York carpetbagger senator is, of course, Mrs. Clinton. She used to say, nope, not going to do it. Going to serve out my term. Gee when did we last hear that? Bill Clinton swore that if elected governor in 1990, he would serve out his four-year term, promise.

As soon as elected, he went on his "listening tour" of Arkansas and guess what, everybody wanted ol Bubba in the White House. If Mrs. Clinton took a listening tour of New York or the country, folks really would tell her, Run Hillary Run. And Howard would be yesterday's news. Ah the few diehards would die hard for Howard. But ninety percent of his base would go zip, off to Mrs. Clinton. Unlikely you say? In England this week promoting her book, Making Believe It's History, she told the BBC when answering the question, might you challenge President Bush next year, "You never know what might happen."

Stay tuned. It is more fun when you know ones of the guys. 

PARADE ON DEAN

"Dean is probably too liberal even for party activists who dominate the primaries. What is likely to do him more harm than his political positions is his short temper." --Parade, July 6, 2003 

CHARLIE COOK ON DEAN

"The key question is whether Dean will wear well over time. There is thin line between feisty and angry, with Dean often coming down on the wrong side of the divide." --National Journal, July 5, 2003 

OUR QUEEN CITY

Nestled snug to the lake, bustling with tourists from Canada and Shelburne, our Queen City hums. Well most of the time. Mayor Peter Clavelle, Progressive, let it be known that he is governor material. He might run if Anthony Pollina and Bernie Sanders do not.

The Mayor had planned to build a multi-modal transportation center on Battery Street by the lake to be full of rail passengers, ferry passengers, bus passengers and the odd hitchhiker. That the Champlain Flyer had her wings clipped by the legislature took away the rail passengers. No problem said the Mayor on July 2 on morning talk radio, "We are going to get this thing rolling."

He paid one potentially uprooted tenant in his desired space over $500,000 to relocate. Anytime Mr. Mayor. Then less than a week later, the Mayor throws in the towel. Via an all-points email he wrote, "The Transit Center does not have strong and broad support." 

A MARKET FOR THE URBAN POOR

We wandered over to his other gem, the City Market, a market for the urban poor. The last downtown super market closed a few years back. Shaw's and Mac Markets were eager rivals to replace the departed Price Chopper. The city had the site, the old police station and parking lot. The poor liked these choices; they offered good, cheap, All-American food, beer, wine without corks, and cigarettes. The Mayor wanted the tiny Onion River Food Coop as his tenant. He rented space from them, he raised money, he found grants, he gamed the process and he got the City Market.

Alas, the feelings he felt for the plight of Burlington's urban poor are unmet. They take the bus or shuttle to Price Chopper in South Burlington. Perhaps they were not used to boar's head meats, stilton cheese, and fine wines. We asked for cigarettes and were laughed at to the delight of the college and yuppie crowd. 

IN SEARCH OF A MESSAGE MERCHANT

They just can't win for trying. The Conservation Law Foundation with others announced at a press conference a couple of weeks back that they were upset that the state had permitted the International Business Machine Company of Essex Junction to send up to 8,000,000 gallons of treated waters into the Winooski. They would file suit.

They meant to punish the state, a new Republican administration, not exactly a fellow traveler, for allowing this travesty. Of course in that the permits are for five years and the new Republican administration had not yet been in the loop, we are curious about their ultimate motivations. Nonetheless, the Burlington Free Press did up an editorial, Green vs. Big Blue. The state did not seem to deserve mention. 

GRANDSTAND TICKETS ONLY

The selectpeople of Colchester took umbrage that the CLF was dogging the Circ Highway. They wrote to Governor Douglas, hold firm, don't negotiate. "The full completion of the Circ has absolutely nothing to do with sprawl as alleged but rather is a necessity to address current population density in Colchester...

"They have not participated in any fruitful discussions with any of the towns or organizations. The CLF offer is a grandstand for publicity." Douglas added, "CLF is on the fringe of environmental policy in our state."

A reporter jumped in to say that CLF told them that in spite of the governor's suggestion that his government was willing to chat with CLF, that no phone calls had been returned. Douglas said, "That is strange that they say that. They had a long meeting just yesterday with Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation Jeff Wennberg." Silence. 

THE LIGHT BILL

According to the Energy Department, Vermont is the third highest electrical rate per kilowatt-hour in the Untied states at 10.9 cents. Only California and Hawaii are higher. 

YOUTH POWER

Governor Douglas appointed sophomore Marissa Cormier to the State Board of Education for two-year term, the first non-voting, the second a voter. Thirty-eight students applied, Douglas interviewed the top four and chose Marissa. Not yet old enough to drive, her mother, a native of Sri Lanka, will have to drive her or perhaps ride with her as Marissa has her permit.

Mrs. Cormier voted for Douglas and will again. "He is doing even better than I expected." Marissa focused in her application on the drug problem in her school. She said, "I know students who are using drugs and I know its impact. Perhaps I can be a resource to the board on drugs in our schools." 

PACKING THE BOARD

Vermont NEA executive director Angelo Dorta expressed his concerns to WCAX News that Governor Douglas is loading the state school board with school choice supporters. Heaven Forbid! The irony! The handsomely-paid VEA director who sends his own child to a private school invests so much of his professional effort in denying Vermonters, especially lower income Vermonters, the access his own family has to school choice.

But wait. Would it not then hold that the previous Board of Education was packed with school choice opponents? The worm turns and now it is shame on the governor's office? Seems that they all act alike.

The Vermont Democrat Party could not be more helpful to Mr. Dorta and his union in their efforts to deny school choice to Vermonters. Democrats supposedly believe in state programs which guarantee egalitarianism. Yet their lockstep hysteria in opposition to school choice confounds this cornerstone of Democrat principle. 

FONDLY REMEMBERED

Professor Vincent Naramore of mathematics at Saint Michael's College from 1959 until 1996 passed away this week. Naramore had been the father of Vermont polling. For years his Salisbury poll predicted the eventual outcomes of races until the politicos got wise and campaigned there skewing the results. He was much loved by an older generation of Vermont's politicians. 

*** MEDIA NOTES ***

TRUE NORTH RADIO TO HOST ANN COULTER

If you read conservative pundit Ann Coulter's book "Slander" last year, it's likely you think of it as Bernard Goldberg's "Bias" on steroids. Now she's done it again. Her new book "Treason" describes how liberals have been wrong on every foreign policy issue from the Cold War to the war on terrorism. "Liberals have a preternatural gift for always striking a position on the side of treason," said Coulter. "Everyone says liberals love America too. No, they don't."

Ms. Coulter is a sharp critic of the left in every sense of the word. Now you can hear her in person on "True North Radio" with Laurie Morrow, Tuesday, July 15, 11:05 am to noon on WDEV 550 AM or 96.1 FM. Visit the DPR website to buy her books. 

TEACHER’S LABOR UNION CONVENTION

Regional press coverage of the NEA’s annual convention was non-existent again this year. That's a shame, because the daily convention news from New Orleans ranged from hilarious to scary. 

One item of business that Vermonters should note was the crafting of a new NEA policy statement on early childhood education. There was, of course, unanimous support for publicly funded, universal preschool programs for all three- and four-year-olds. The lengthy debate was over one sentence; "Because of the realities of the current pre-kindergarten market, NEA does not oppose the inclusion in a state's universal pre-kindergarten program of private non-profit and for-profit providers that meet specified criteria."

Opponents vigorously argued that such language was an unacceptable retreat from NEA's standing policy that ONLY (union-controlled) public schools should have access to taxpayer dollars. A compromise was approved to replace “for-profit” with “non-sectarian.” Kill the church-run preschools first. Then cut out the other private preschools later.

The NEA also mean-spiritedly passed a resolution that read: "The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools." Opponents had unsuccessfully argued that the measure “would punish children for the choices of their parents.” As a body, the NEA had no qualms about administering such punishment.

As for form over substance and fighting tooth-and-nail to avoid accountability, the union directed NEA officials to stop using the title "No Child Left Behind" Act and say instead "Bush's reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act". A resolution to rename the Act "Plan to End Public Education" or "PEPE ('pee pee')" was withdrawn.

Thanks to Mike Antonucci of the Education Intelligence Agency for reporting on the convention in his email "Education Intelligence Communiqué." 

OH HOWARD, YOU ARE SO SWELL

Reading Vermont papers it would be easy to believe that the Dean campaign has taken the country by storm and has both Democrats and the Bush administration quaking in their boots. The truth is a little less dramatic. While Dean is in contention for the number two spot in the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Dean candidacy is hardly on the radar screen elsewhere in the nation. A recent poll by the Pew Research Group shows that only 32% of those polled claim that there is any possibility they would vote for Dean. This makes the Dean campaign statistically indistinguishable from those of Carol Mosely Braun and Dennis Kucinich.

Non-stop puff pieces in the Free Press and elsewhere show that, unfortunately, Vermont print journalists cannot find it in themselves to do critical analysis of Dean. Not a discouraging word from Vermont's print journalists about a former governor who was openly campaigning for president instead of managing his office. He left behind a legacy of irritability, confrontation and missed opportunities to lead Vermont to compromise on divisive issues such as educational funding and civil unions. His legacy is giving the state the highest tax burden in the nation. 

MEDIA DOES NOT SUPPORT THE FIRST AMENDMENT?

The handling of the Dean's announcement raised issues that are hauntingly familiar. The public received prior warning that no political signs were to be tolerated in the several block area of Church Street the Dean campaign used to stage their event. Their meaning was "no signs containing any off-message thoughts as determined by the Dean campaign". The area swarmed with the political signs of Dean supporters, while others complained of abuse and harassment by the Dean campaign.

The handling of the event raises questions about how the City of Burlington gave control of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of political speech to the Dean campaign for an afternoon? Who in City of Burlington administration determined that it was legal to allow Howard Dean to selectively deprive residents of their first amendment rights? 

THANKS FOR A COURAGEOUS STAND

»» Herbert G. Ogden, Rutland: Your piece on John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban," reassures me that you are a true conservative, interested in preserving our core freedoms. Historically, American conservatives did not think that merely placing one's trust in apparently good officials would produce good government over the long run. To deal with our human failings, they created a rule of law. Thanks for trying to uphold that rule, even though it may protect those whom we despise. 

BAN THE AMERICAN TALIBAN

»» Craig Averill, Goshen: John Walker Lindh should be lined up against a wall and shot by a Military Firing Squad. He was directly or indirectly responsible for the CIA agent's death and God knows how many other Americans. He is a traitor in the true sense and the media should look for NO Welcome Home or Hero in this lowest form of filth.

I do not share your feelings and understanding towards Lindh and I reread it four times, hopefully it was humor and you really didn't mean that we failed or mistreated this traitor. I am hoping I am in the wrong for misunderstanding an author whom I usually fully agree with.

It doesn't matter if it is 2003 and not 1943, acts of treason as committed by these individuals take American Lives, lives that you and I know, not so much the wealthy and protected but the lives of our friends and people we grew up with, the True Patriots die and we try to justify actions done against OUR beloved Country by the likes of Lindh. I am confused. Maybe drowning them would be cheaper and take the F.B.I. agent and put him with them. 

Semper Fi and God Bless America

EDITOR'S NOTE: Judge Ellis, the judge in the Lindh case said, "There is no evidence tying him to Spann's death." Spann's father objected. Judge Ellis responded gently, "He [Spann] clearly is a hero. Of all the things he fought for, one of them is that we do not convict people in the absence of proof beyond a reasonable doubt." 

ANOTHER ECONOMICS LESSON

»» John McClaughry, Kirby: Alexey Voinov apparently believes that thanks to the 1981 Reagan supply side tax rate cuts, "the wealthy got all the gravy." The fact is that people in every income quintile experienced a real income increase from 1983-1989. The top quintile did show a higher percentage increase than the bottom, thus widening the "income gap". This always alarms liberals.

Yet the top quintile also paid a dramatically higher percentage of income taxes in 1989 compared to 1983. Every other quintile paid a lower percentage of the income taxes. No matter where you draw the break - top 1%, top 5%, top 10%, top 50% - the higher income bracket paid a higher percentage of income taxes, and the lower income bracket paid a lower percentage of income taxes. 

Mr. Voinov could use a little better acquaintance with the actual data.

»» Rob Towle, Rutland City: I think Alexey Voinov has his two classes confused. Math is an exact and finite science with clear and definable rules and laws. Economics on the other hand, uses Math as one component but also uses Human Behavior Spending Patterns, Government Laws, etc. to foster an educated guess at what will happen. 

The bottom line is if there is no REAL incentive to produce, there will be little or no production. Less production breeds higher unemployment, lower standards of living, and the need for government to keep price controls (i.e. Minimum Wage Increases, Gas Taxes, etc.) as the mechanism to balance the books. Instead of trying to balance the people's money against a government guess at how much will come in and how high each year the raise should be, government should get out of the inflation business and just give us back our money so the economic revolt that started under Nixon and Reagan and reappeared when the Contract For America slashed spending under the Republican Congress can re-occur.

To truly understand the mental anguish of the working man, one must truly have been or listened to a working man. You can't describe a taste that you have never tasted and to use another's report about what something tastes like is a waste of effort and good paper!!

»» Bill Brueckner, Waterbury Center: It seems all you politicos, technocrats, bureaucrats and social engineers have forgotten the fact that the economy is the product of all persons including corporations, partnerships, and individually owned businesses participating in a free market. Similarly to laws of physics, actions and reactions must balance. 

The problems are that we have used government to command, control and regulate elements of the economy to give some advantage over others on the pretense that things are more complicated these days and government knows best. We cannot create artificial economy to spend our way out of depressions. 

Until this nation returns to its founding principles including private, independent, self reliant, free trade and markets without interference from any government, this cancer will continue to be our downfall. This depression is an outstanding opportunity to retread what has been managed to death. The failure of businesses has the same result as pruning a tree with more plentiful and larger fruit in the future. We need to cycle through depressions without placing a chicken in every pot and rely on the resiliency and abilities of the people of this country. 

DISCUSSION OF VERMONT BEING THIRD IN GROWTH OF STATE SPENDING 

»» Neil Gerdes, Roxbury: In noting the increase in the Vermont budget, exceeding the inflation/population increase factor, you should have pointed out that the paragon of right-wing budgetary restraint, New Hampshire, had an increase higher than Vermont's. Looks like fiscal prudence, in context. Check your facts, share ALL of them, not just the ones that appeal to you.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We noticed the New Hampshire numbers but mentioning them would not displace Vermont's. New Hampshire is quite different. The 15 previous years were GOP governors. Then from 1997-2002, Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, was governor. She created lots of new spending to catch New Hampshire up in spending for liberal causes. They were not normal years, as their numbers reflect.

Here in Vermont, we had 12 previous years of liberal government, both governor and legislature. They had spent themselves silly. Nonetheless, they spent themselves sillier from 1997-2002. 

We gave our readers the direct link so they could check it out for themselves and reach their own conclusion. Here's that link again: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-06-23-state-budgets-usat_x.htm 

DISCUSSION OF THE DALEY COVERAGE

»» Joe Flynn, South Hero: In your editorial dissection of the comments made by the Governor and the Commissioner of Public Safety you say, "We all could have done better." I've often enjoyed your weekly publications for as long as I can remember receiving it and I forward on to others who do the same. However, your comments in regard to the death of Sergeant Johnson of the Vermont State Police really rub me the wrong way. We could have done better? What about Mr. Daley? So what if he was stopped for speeding? He had a penchant for motor vehicle violations, drug possession, drug trafficking, fleeing from an officer, and on. But we could have done better? 

Whether he lost control of his car or not, he was behind the wheel. He did not want to get caught plain and simple, why else would he run? He choose to speed off when officers were performing their lawful duties during their traffic stop. But we could have done better? He choose to exceed the legal posted speed limit in an attempt to flee. He choose to put himself in that situation at that very moment. He choose to put other innocent motorists at risk by his actions But we could have done better? 

Once his car ran over and mortally wounded Sergeant Johnson crashing across the highway, he choose to flee when ordered to stay put while fellow Troopers attended to their fallen brother. But we could have done better? Following that he eluded police for several days to escape having to answer for his actions. But we could have done better? Investigations found drugs and money in his car. No wonder he didn't want to be stopped again. He was a repeat offender. No wonder he fled again, he had been here before. But we could have done better? 

You also say "We are known by how we treat the least among us." Well, Mr. Daley was not run over by the police when caught. He was not left for dead. No one had to visit his home and tell his family he won't be coming home that night. No, he was treated as any man or woman be they the least among us or the mightiest among us. He will face the justice system like anyone else. We ought to be known by how we treat people and the State treated Mr. Daley a hell of a lot better than Mr. Daley treated Sergeant Johnson. 

Perhaps the Governor and the Commissioner's words were deliberate and direct. I for one am grateful they didn't mince their words. When I read the Commissioner statement, I said Yeah, good for you! He is a Trooper and always will be a Trooper. He may be a political appointee, but he's no political hack. He's a cop and cops don't like it when other cops get killed. But we could have done better? I don't think the Governor could have done any better. He appointed a good person to the job who expressed how he felt. Amen to that, what a breath of fresh air. But we could have done better? I don't think so. 

RE: DRIVE THAT NAIL IN FURTHER

»» Annette Smith, Danby: Since you mentioned IBM, how much water it is discharging, and the pollution at the site, I thought you should know a little more about IBM's operations.

Of the 3,500,000 to 4,500,000 gallons of water being discharged, how many tons of cadmium, chromium, lead, zinc, nickel and silver do you think ought to be allowed to be discharged into the Winooski River? The state permit allows 50 tons. IBM is not currently discharging that much, maybe half of that. So is 25 tons of heavy metals going into state's waters all right with you? It's not okay with me. I thought this was the sort of thing that the Clean Water Act was supposed to minimize or eliminate altogether. Heavy metals are poisons and they shouldn't be going into our waters.

What the media (BFP reporter was present) neglected to report was that the third person to speak at the public hearing said that in cases like this it is always good to ask what the alternatives are, and that in fact there has been new technology for microchip production developed that reduces the quantity of water necessary by 95% and the pollutants discharged by 95%. This new technology was developed by -- IBM! And it is apparently in use in one of IBM's New York plants.

CLF's point is a reasonable one -- write the permit for what IBM is actually doing, rather than giving them a permit that allows them to use up the entire pollution allowance for the Winooski River. IBM will have to make hardly any changes in its processes to comply with a permit with more stringent standards. CLF's gripe is not with IBM; it is with the state of Vermont's wastewater management division of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Over and over we see that DEC is not really regulating polluting industries, it is simply observing. 

SO YOU WANT TO SERVE?

»» Kaitlyn MacDonald: Regarding Boards and Commissions with Gubernatorial Appointees in your last newsletter... I find it a very frustrating process. I myself have tried two different times to get appointed to a board only to be told there were no openings. I find it a little overwhelming to be filling out an application for each one that I may be interested in only to find there are no openings.

Perhaps it may be helpful for your readers to know which ones do have openings. I often find the process to be an active participant in the 'system' very intensive and difficult to maneuver. This leads me to wonder if this is on purpose or just ignorance on the part of administration. Not to be cynical but this sure is a good way to keep the public out and to give/appoint your friends to the boards. Oh and by the way...I am employed.

Editor's Note: Marty Searight coordinates the search for board members. Her email is marty.searight@state.vt.us. She asks that any interested parties contact her directly and she can try to match their interests with the state's openings. 

THEY LIKE US

»» Herbert G. Ogden, Rutland: While Dwinell often belittles Democrats and his email newsletter, usually take the conservative Republican side, he is no knee-jerk Bush Republican and sometimes prints unusual and disturbing pieces. [The story on John Walker Lindh] is one. Subscription information is at the end. 

LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE

Governor Jim Douglas' proposal that teacher's contract negotiations be put to public votes has engendered contempt or praise depending on the perspective of commentators. Often school budgets are proposed, voted down, re-proposed, voted down again. We hear school officials moaning that the final proposal (which cuts 0.1 percent off the previous proposal) would inflict disaster on student activities.

It is beginning to dawn on Vermonters that they are just pawns in the process. They are becoming to become aware of the real causes and effects of this annual game. Cutting the school budget to the bone (i.e. cutting activities and programs) would never be necessary were it not for the consequences of contracts increasing teacher's salaries and benefits well beyond the level of inflation. Douglas says that we "suffer lower relative incomes" than 15 years ago. Not so for teachers.

Howard Dean often remarked correctly that if budget restraint were not exercised , Act 60 would fail. Act 60 was not designed to constrain costs; all the gears and wheels within it were instead purposely designed to make ever more money available to the educational community.

Education is a public obligation which touches many nerves, pulls on many heartstrings. We would all like to believe that the educational community is composed of uniquely dedicated people, that our young people are being guided by a compassionate and wise community of professionals. This belief unfortunately runs into considerable cognitive dissonance at contract negotiation time.

Teachers are willing to go to the extreme of walking out on their students in order perpetuate the current system of educational inflation. Who else in Vermont threatens or goes on strike on a regular basis? Is this evidence of dedication? Many of us pay a steep price to remain in Vermont. Vermont teachers would seem to have turned this reality on its head, they believe that we the taxpayers should pay a steep price to have the teachers remain in Vermont.

The reality is that salaries and benefits make up by far the largest portions of school budgets. Contain salaries and benefits to the rate of per capita income and population growth and you will do much to contain educational costs. It would be good thing for Vermonters to examine these contract negotiations with a sharp eye, and better thing to have the right to vote on them. Ask them if they want to pay for teacher wage increases and benefits that they themselves would never see?

In a June 12 Free Press story on educational cost containment, one negotiator for VEA predicted that Douglas's proposal would have "disastrous results." Another said that a vote would "disrupt the negotiating process." A third negotiator for the VEA predicted direly that cost containment will lead to staff reductions. This is possible and not necessarily undesirable given the fact that Vermont, with the highest taxpayer burden in the nation, also carries the lowest student-teacher ratio in the nation without any proven benefits.

The educational community may have to get used to the idea that, since the public pays them, the public must have more input on a situation that is out of control. Perhaps it is not the educational community as a whole that is irresponsible, perhaps it is only the politically dominant faction which controls the VEA. It would be a much appreciated act of courage if those educators who understand the economic hardships of their communities would stand up and speak out and move the VEA from its current reckless positions. Douglas has made a concrete proposal. We believe that Vermonters will be supportive of his efforts. 

COALITION OF THE WHINING 

"It is unfortunate that the NEA establishment is talking about ways to hinder the goal of true reform and greater educational achievement opportunities for our children. We've assembled a coalition of the willing to help the kids who need it most; the NEA wants to assemble a coalition of the whining to hold kids back." --Education Secretary Rod Paige

http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-2003/07032003a.html 

TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE! 

"The president of the National Education Association acknowledges that the union is left-wing politically and 90 percent pro-Democrat..." --George Archibald, The Washington Times, July 8, 2003

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030708-121751-6745r.htm 

HANG DOWN YOUR HEAD JOHN DOOLEY 

"I really think the court needs to use as much restraint as possible. And to look at the constitutional provision on requiring a sufficient number of schools in a community and come up with a requirement for a new school funding law is pushing it, very frankly. ...there has to be a determination as to which branch of government makes the laws." --Governor Jim Douglas at his weekly news conference, July 3rd. 

JERRY SPRINGER IS A DEMOCRAT 

Who would have guessed. "Jerry Springer will file papers to run for the U.S. Senate as early as Friday, advisers said. Springer is airing 30-minute infomercials across the nation to raise money and build support for his possible run for the Democratic nomination next year." --Associated Press, July 10, 2003

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=10&u=/ap/20030710/ap_on_el_se/springer_campaign_2 

LAP DANCING ON THE CONSTITUTION 

"Once consent supplants marriage as the important interest served by cloaking sexual activities as constitutional rights, by what principle is any consensual adult sexual conduct not a protected right? Bigamy? Polygamy? Prostitution? Incest?" --George Will

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/will1.asp 

Do you enjoy the Dwinell Political Report? Think of a voluntary subscription. For $25, you can receive the newsletter for a year and help offset the costs of production. Make checks payable to JDLS Publishing, LLC and mail to 610 Mason Road, Randolph, VT 05060.

The Dwinell Political Report is published weekly by JDLS Publishing, LLC.
Portions of the Dwinell Political Report may be reprinted with attribution.

Contact the Editor with news & comments at: Dwinell@adelphia.net or 802.728.4793

The mission of the Dwinell Political Report is to give readers another view of the news that is refreshing, provocative and sometimes irreverent. 

Subscribe here!