I COME TO BURY CAESAR 

Two United States Senators spoke of their president; he is a "monster...a despot...a weak and imbecile man." Political speech has no libel laws, President Lincoln, the target in this case, notwithstanding. We have witnessed another taking liberty with the freedom to slander laws this week by Lieutenant Governor Douglas Racine.

Here is the man who accused his opponent of negative campaigning for merely pointing out that yesterday Racine thought the sky was green and today he thinks that it is yellow. Racine promised a campaign about the issues. Well he was in full throat Tuesday morning on the Mark Johnson Show, heard on WDKR and WDEV. Racine seems to have taken a page from Marc Anthony, "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him...for Brutus is an honorable man." Racine said that while his opponent is a nice man and has been around a long time, he was not able to balance the state’s checkbook in the last four years and now he has not handled the retirement accounts of the state employees and others in the right way.

Both of these empty charges were set up by his pitbull Auditor Elizabeth Ready, who may yet earn most valuable player award. The first charge we earlier debunked. Even Governor Dean agreed that the problem with the late balanced checkbook could be traced to a state computer system and accompanying glitches which were not the doing of the Treasurer’s office. But it makes an excellent political charge nonetheless. It is a charge that everyone can easily understand. "If you can't even balance the checkbooks why do you think that you can be governor?" Most folks do not pay so close attention as to grasp the subtleties of a political charge.

The second charge of somehow messing up the state employees retirement accounts is another great political attack, easy to understand and easy to question the reliability of such a person. That it is all bunk does not diminish its effectiveness if Racine keeps parroting it. One rule about negative attacks; they had better be true. Well in most states anyway, because if they are not, the press will crucify you. Not here.

Ready, with Associated Press reporter David Gram in tow according to reports, barged into the Monday meeting of the State Employees Retirement Board to "get the story." But the implications made of the story by Racine are false. The board has six members; Douglas is one though not the chair or even the vice chair. Pat McDonald, Commissioner of Personnel is a member as is Sean Campbell, the Governor’s Delegate. The state employees elect the three others themselves. So why are the troubles not the fault of the governor's appointees and thus Racine himself, being such a key part of the Dean years? They outnumber Douglas two to one. Or even the state employees?

There are two other such boards, the Municipal Employees Retirement Board and the State Teachers’ Retirement System. Each has a board which makes the decisions about what investment managers to use and how to conduct the best operation to benefit their constituents. Check out Title 3, Chapter 471, Title 16, Chapter 55, or Title 24, Chapter 125 for the details: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/statutes2.htm

But in Vermont, there is no balancing press to search for the truth, to condemn not just the attacks but the lack of veracity implicit in them. Too bad. 

UP UP AND AWAY 

The race is on to become Vermont's new lieutenant governor. Aviator Brain Dubie ran for this office in 2000 as well. Anthony Pollina stepped down from his governor candidate position to try for second fiddle, desperate for a place in the band anywhere. Senator Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, is trying to move up a baby step from Senate Pro Tem to Senate President. In what now appears to have been a bad move, he gave up his gubernatorial ambitions to clear the path for Racine only to find himself in an unpromising dogfight.

Shumlin not surprisingly raised the most, $61,029, Dubie $38,410 and Pollina $33,350. Pollina spent the most, almost everything, $31,586 followed by Shumlin at $27,533 and Dubie at $9,323. While Shumlin appears to have hired Carolyn Dwyer of Montpelier and Pollina Chris Pearson of Burlington, the Dubie campaign looks to be based on family effort and commitment.

Staff and consultants dominated Pollina spending. Chris Pearson was paid $9,693.20 in payroll, payroll taxes, and reimbursements. Pollina also paid $2,800 to Zatz and Renfrew of Montpelier for consulting. He ponied up $50 for the Meals on Wheels strike fund. The anonymous Progressive Media Strategies of 72 Killarney Drive in Burlington received $6,000. There is no Progressive Media Strategies listed in the phone book. Could someone be using the cheaper residential phone service to run a business? Information had no listing for Progressive Media Strategies either.

See Jane, Run Jane Run

The City Clerk told us that 72 Killarney Drive is owned by Bernard and Jane Sanders. Perhaps they own Progressive Media Services? Ring a bell? Those fine public servants, made millionaires at the public trough, want more by cheating the phone company its due? The former mayor of Burlington is now plying such lofty skies that he may have forgotten that the Queen City has a personal property tax which taxes all business property and inventories if they exceeded $2,500.

We expect that is one reason why Blodgett Oven decamped Sanders’s Burlington to a manufacturing friendly Indiana with most of its inventory and machinery in tow. For the Sanders, it would be computers, phones, video equipment, sound equipment, the sort of things media consultants might have. But alas the assessor’s office has no record of Progressive Media Strategies. Must of slipped his memory or maybe like those big corporations he condemns, little ol' Bernie and family do not like to pay taxes either. Your guess.

We’re # 1

DPR called Verizon. We asked about business phone service in Vermont. There was an audible gasp from the service agent, "Oooh, the most expensive state." Curious, we asked about New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The basic business service in Vermont costs $38/month. Across the river basic business service is $26 and down river it is $20. Cool or what, we are # 1 again. Unlimited service in Vermont is $75.27 and across the river it is $46 and down river $45. And Shumlin maintains that "No one has done more for jobs in Vermont than Peter Shumlin." If he says it, it must be right, right?

When Is An Employee a "Contract Employee?"

Dubie's expenditures were mostly for printing and a $1,000 to Stephen Cassarino of Rutland. Shumlin paid Dwyer $11,881 in fees and expenses. The trio of Lelia Nelson, Sara Putnam, and Narric Rome are now all seasoned political consultants working with the Shumlin campaign. They are of long-standing experience in the political consulting game, of course, with clients, offices, business cards, web sites, stationery, etc. Or maybe Shumlin just does not want to pay the payroll taxes he owes. When is an employee a "contract employee" as Doug Racine calls them? Never. Other significant expenditures were made for lawn signs, bus signs, and printing.

Shumlin’s donations came from the usual suspects, mostly from Vermont: the Gartners of Rutland, former Governors Salmon and Hoff, a few state notables like O’Conner, Costle, Harding, Searles, and Hoyt, Fletcher fixer David Coates, Professor Gierzynski, Dieter and Valerie Gump but not Forrest, Act 60 sycophant Lorna Jimerson, Senators Ankeney, Bartlett, Munt, Chard, and Cummings (like Mel Gibson, he has a way with women), Representatives Keenan, Alfano, Grad, Connell, Vincent Siebert, Donovan, Milkey (that way with women) and somehow Obuckowski and Monti too. Ready and Markowitz (women only) gave but not Sorrell and Dean. And last but not least, bard William Shakespeare, former of Stratford on Avon but now of Marlboro.

Forget Me Nots

It is amazing that only a third of his caucus gave to his campaign. Without Peter’s raising and spending $1,300,000 (his boast, we could only find about $1,000,000) on their behalf in the last election, some would not have won and almost none would have had any power. Back benching is "no fun" in the words of the back benchers. "Ungrateful" best seems to describe them.

Dubie too rounded up the usual suspects: Allen Martin, Anne McClaughry, the Houstons, Jim Douglas, Fred Peet, the Schiavones, Jeff Nelson, Lenore Broughton, Jack McMullen, the Errecarts, Luther Hackett, the Colins, Remo Pizzagalli, and Speaker Freed. Even the Tarrants agreed on Dubie, both Amy and Richard. Unlike donors for Shumlin or Pollina, Dubie had a higher percentage of maxed out donors. And many of his maxed out donors were outside the usual Chittenden County group.

Pollina had to scratch a bit harder. Representative Zuckerman, Shoshana Rihn, Ellen Fein, Marjorie Power, Diana Bingham, Constance Krosney, Stuart and Ellen Friedman, Austin Chinn, Dona Bate, and Henry Hinton all maxed out. So did Ben but not Jerry. Jane Sanders chipped in $200, Bernie zero. Guess that it is better to receive than to give. 

THE PERRY MASON SQUAD 

Not much action in the race for attorney general in spite of the first opposition to incumbent William Sorrell in his career. In the last two cycles, Sorrell directed enough of his supporters into the GOP primary to deny party sponsored write-in candidates, Ed Stokes in 2000 and Cindy Hill in 1998, the nomination. Just as Cindy was receiving her accolades at the Republican Unity Luncheon the day after Fred Tuttle had crushed Jack McMullen, rumors came out of the secretary of state's office that probably Sorrell was to be GOP nominee. We were all relived when the Free Press's Sam Hemingway, after researching the possible cross-over vote, wrote that no significant crossover vote occurred. Right.

Sorrell has received only one contribution, a $400 check from Diane Meyerhoff of Burlington, yet has over $11,000 socked away from previous non-campaigns. Cindy Hill out-raised him in the period by pulling in $900 with two donations over $100 from Stuart and Ellen David Friedman of Essex and Peter Martin of Saint Albans. Larry Drown, the GOP nominee, did not file. 

CLOSED FOR BUSINESS 

Once again the Governor is out after the rest areas. Representative Bob Walker's driving around with a port-a-potty in the back of his pickup truck seemed to scuttle the last attempt. At his press conference this week he said that he favored the closing of the Randolph rest area because "it is silly to have four rest areas in ten miles." When questioned, he said that he was referring to the Randolph and Sharon rest areas. Even though Senator Bill Doyle, R-Washington, pointed out that the rest areas are 25 miles apart on Tuesday, when your name is Dean, what you say is the truth.

Concrete barriers along side our rest areas are a great billboard for "we are not open for business." 

THOSE WERE THE DAYS 

In 2000, Governor Dean proudly ran for re-election on a platform that included support for school choice. One method for accomplishing school choice is to allow funding in the form of vouchers to go to the parents who are seeking a better school for their kids. One like Saint George's where Dean himself went.

Then was then. Now as a candidate driving for the handful of voters who participate in the presidential primaries, many of whom are teachers, he calls vouchers "harebrained ideas" in a speech to none other than the New York State United Teachers Association. Yet Vermont has basically had a well working voucher program for over a hundred years, since 1869, allowing parents in towns without high schools to send their kids with a "voucher" from their town to a large choice of schools, many allowing private schools. We never heard Dean call for the repeal of Vermont's "voucher" plan in his eleven years at the helm.

Dean's inconsistency was duly noted in the Weekly Standard: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/547cchdh.asp, and expanded upon in this week’s Education Intelligence Agency report, on the web at: http://www.eiaonline.com.

GETTING TO AN ITTY BITTY MACHINE CO. 

Word from IBM'ers is that some department heads have told their staff, don't worry, there will be no layoffs in our department this year. By reflection therefore, there will be layoffs in other departments. 

GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF IT 

Word from staffers at Fletcher Allen is that morale is down and the union is up. Even folks opposed months ago are now in favor. And for sure, dude, putting the Dean of Vermont Law School on the wrong-doing squad further guarantees its ineffectiveness. It is back-to-school time at Vermont Law School, with new teachers, students and curriculum and a host of other headaches in front of the good Dean. How can he find the time to sincerely dig into Fletcher's can of worms? 

I'M FOR GOOD. WHAT ARE YOU FOR? 

In a fantasy world, Democrat Treasurer wannabe Ed Flanagan's campaign themes are improving education, creating jobs, and protecting health care. No joke, it is right there in his newspaper ad. Maybe they were just laying around from his run for the United State Senate. Did not know that the treasurer had such an impact on these items. And of course he is the picture of integrity, he says so contradicting every opponent's personal experience in dealing with Ed. 

THE GREEN EYE SHADES 

University of Vermont preaches the good news, tuition is only up four percent while at some state universities it is up as much as nineteen percent. What is not said is that UVM's tuition is the highest in the land by six percent over rival University of Arkansas after their jump of thirteen percent, higher than every other state university. 

THE BECKONING COUNTRY 

Vermont scores again, sending the fans in their Birkenstocks to hugging and swooning Kumbya. In the Small Business Survival Index, Vermont is forty-second. Aren't we proud about protecting our way of life? Read more here: http://www.sbsc.org/ 

MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE 

The arsonist creeped to the cabin in the Northeast Kingdom and laid out his tools. In broad daylight, he struck a match and poof, flames took hold of the remote cabin. It would be his eleventh fire. He was excited. He ran from the scene, jumped in his red car, and raced away. Fortunately, passerbys saw him, reached for their cell phone to call 911, and alas "no service."

They frantically drove to higher ground, to somewhere their cell phone might work. Finally they had a signal, from New Hampshire it turns out. The 911 call yielded a New Hampshire fire truck which never did find the camp. Owner Bob Bancroft said, "Next to my children, it's my most valuable possession." And the arsonist lives to torch another day. Thank you o great ridge line protectors. We have so few in Vermont they must all be protected. 

NO CORN ROAST THIS YEAR 

Nope, the governor recommended that granny's denture benefit be eliminated to save us $168,868. He does "hold harmless" the appropriation of $235,886 for the Governor's Commission on Women though. We are sure that granny is thrilled to know that these women will be in there fighting for her while she gums her corn. That Vermont ranks as the state with the highest percentage of women in power in the county, well above fifty percent, does not lessen our need for the Governor's Commission on Women. 

COMPLAINTS WERE LEGION 

Even for an obscure political rag like ours, we have had complaints coming from workers at the state properties in Waterbury about the unhealthy air. If we had a bigger budget, we might have pursued those complaints. But it should have come as a surprise to no one when many came down with Legionnaires Disease, a sometimes fatal bacterium.

Incredibly, when we asked Governor Dean for an update on a state government problem that could not be more serious, one which could mean life or death for some of his employees, he said, "You probably know more about it than I do." As a CEO of over 8,000 workers, he fled the field when layoffs were announced, too busy pursuing his own ambitions. He is not just governor, he is a doctor, and yet he shows no interest in the health and safety of the people he leads. While Racine runs at the mouth about his opponent, the Dean/Racine team's failure to heed complaints have endangered the very health and safety of the employees they claim to care so deeply about. 

ACCESS DENIED? 

Earlier this month the United States Court of Appeals responded to the appeal of Vermont campaign finance law. In a finding which suggests that they have never been to Vermont, they write, "the fundraising practices in Vermont will continue to impair the accessibility ...to the political system."

Huh? We have too much access. A farmer recently told us that he has seventy-seven abutters, all of whom have party status when he wants to do anything. Folks come out of the woods and form, and then head, a soon to be powerful environmental group. Folks get off the bus and in weeks are experts on VPR's Switchboard Program. It is amazing, the access which Vermonters have. And yet the Court finds that our access is impaired. 

A MEDIA EVENT FOR ACT 60 

Last September Vermont Public Radio polled Vermonters on Act 60. More than half of the respondents said the law is working poorly (33%) or is a complete failure (18%). Another 29 percent said it was working but should be modified. Only 12 percent thought the law is fine the way it is. (Poll here: http://www.vpr.net/vt_news/stories/pulse/spot-1005apd.shtml )

So this September the Act 60 partisans are staging a preemptive media event. According to a draft event brochure, prepared by Allen Gilbert of "Vermonters for Equal Educational Opportunity," the event will take place at the Vermont Law School on Friday, September 13th and will be called "Five Years of the Brigham Decision and Act 60: What's Happened, What's Ahead?"

The invited speakers list suggests a pro-Act 60 class reunion at which Rep. Dick Marron will be served for lunch. It includes Act 60 supporters Symington, Shumlin and Welch from the House and Senate, Robert Gensburg from the ACLU, Act 60 "co-author" Paul Cillo, Allen Gilbert, and Laura Soares (Gilbert's successor in the pro-Act 60 VSBA), and long-standing Act 60 supporters Lorna Jimmerson and William Mathis, adept at tailoring observations to fit any outcome the education bureaucracy requires.

Missing from the tentative list is any hint of an Act 60 critic, except for hors d'oeuvre Marron. No Peter Gratiot, who showed that Act 60 creates unfair tax burdens and is the author of several papers on Vermont's education finance issues in the prestigious Journal of Education Finance. No one from the Vermont Coalition of Municipalities or League of Cities and Towns or Joint Fiscal Office. No John McClaughry of the Ethan Allen Institute, who has run several Act 60 Roundtables and could talk about the pitfalls of the one big school system Act 60 is leading to. No Libby Sternberg of Vermonters for Better Education, who could explain how Vermont's assessments, mandated by Act 60, have received lousy grades from a host of national groups on the left and right.

Nor was Northern Economic Consulting invited, despite their comprehensive annual analyses of Act 60. Perhaps organizers did not like their conclusions, such as: "the total education tax bill for the typical family is 29 percent higher than four years ago" (after prebates) or "Total education spending in Vermont increased by 26.3% from FY98 to FY01" or "The gap between low and high spending towns has not changed much as a result of Act 60" (Report here: http://www.act60.org/2001necrpt1.htm )

The conference conclusions are predetermined: This group will embrace selected "research" to conclude that Act 60 is making all our kids above average with more equal spending ...if you use their test and ignore private fundraising. They'll claim more equal tax burdens ...if you count only those who receive rebates. They will also acknowledge the need to "simplify" the law, but will condemn any real change. Instead, they will endorse the Act 60 "improvements" that came to Lt. Gov. candidate Shumlin in his sleep last May: one giant shark pool. Never mind that his plan addressed NONE of the fundamental problems with Act 60 (that story here:  http://www.act60.org/shumlin_act60.htm).

What do you think? Will the press buy this dog and pony show, this shell game? Sadly, they probably will. Even though the great propagandist Jack Hoffman is gone, there will be others. 

THANKS FOR FINANCE REPORTS 

»» Dick Tracy, Sharon: Nice piece on the results of your research into campaign fundraising reports of the various candidates for state office. Your point that "it should not be left to the DPR to be the only in-depth messenger" is well taken. I imagine many Vermonters share my wish for the free time and resources to be able to duplicate or assist in your efforts. For now I can only offer my appreciation for what you do.

Clearly, we cannot rely upon most of the Vermont print and broadcast media to bother us voters with such dry but pertinent information, especially when the truth about where campaign dollars used by the political left are coming from might occasionally paint their favorite candidates in somewhat less than glowing colors. Keep up the good work of holding their feet to the fire of accountability.

»» Lara Broadwell, Burlington: Nice job with the analysis on the campaign finance reports. Another interesting fact to mull over. Con Hogan has only reported receiving 48 donations since the Burlington Free Press released its poll of June 10/11. That's approximately $9700 raised, 11 of those donations were from out of state interests. I am no political scientist but it does not look to me like a heck of a lot of support over the last seven weeks for the independent from Barre.

Editor's note: Lara's husband Brad is employed by the Douglas campaign

REGARDING THE "OFFICIAL PORTRAIT" 

»» Representative Sylvia R. Kennedy, Chelsea: I have in my files, a letter from none other than Howard Dean, M.D., Governor concerning his official portrait. I am not aware that this custom of asking others to help fund such a project ever existed before Gov. Dean. Since I have not had time to research the cost and where the money came from for other Governor's portraits that hang in the halls of our beloved State House, I simply placed this letter in my files. But after reading your article on the Offical Portrait, I've decided it's worth sharing with you. Here, verbatim, is the letter.

June 14, 2002

Dear Friends of the State House,

As you know, I will be leaving office in January 2003. Traditionally a portrait of a departing Governor is painted at the end of their tenure. Earlier this year I selected renowned Stowe portrait painter Carroll Jones, and I am very pleased that the portrait will include Lake Champlain and other features of Vermont's superb landscape. To date, I have raised half of the purchase price, and I am hoping that the Friends of the State House and other supporters who care about the quality of the State House art collection can contribute the rest.

As you know, I have been a strong supporter of the Friends of the State House for my entire term as Governor, and I look forward to the honor of having a portrait created by an important Vermont artist hanging in this glorious building to which we have all dedicated so much time and effort.

If you are able to contribute, please make checks payable to the Govenor's Portrait Fund, and mail checks to Harriet Johnson, Office of the Governor, 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05609. We need to raise $16,500 and any amount that you send would be a significant help toward that goal.

With deepest appreciation,
Sincerely,
Howard Dean, M.D.
Governor 

BOYCOTT NOT TO BLAME 

»» George Chappell, Windsor: My friend, Tom, has been working too hard if he really believes there's an element out there worried about Vermont enough to boycott the state. Doesn't the economy have just a little to do about the downturn in out-of-state visitors? If he were to check with Maine, which calls itself "Vacationland," he would find that Maine's having some of the same problems we're having. I had to go to Maine a couple of weeks ago and couldn't believe the light traffic on a summer's day, or the modest price of a lobster dinner at the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth.

Tom is diligent and hard working as a selectman in Brownsville, and more often than not he is perceptive about issues. But does he think any political group could keep people away from Vermont, one of the most beautiful states in the nation, and spoil the fun of Lake Champlain ferry boat captains spinning yarns about Champ? He should take a vacation and enjoy our state. Friend of mine a few years ago rowed a boat around the perimeter of Lake Champlain. Now there's a wholesome activity! 

MANDITORY ENTERTAINMENT 

»» Michael J. Hebert, Vernon: While on vacation get a copy of "The Legislative Body" by Robert A. Pittman [fake name - it was written by an anonymously legislator]. It is the truest piece of fiction you will ever read. It's about the Vermont Legislature and many of our "representatives" are easily recognized. Folks like the tall, slender, President Pro Tem of the Senate, from Windham County with a substantial nose. Who could that be? Also the Windsor County Senator who received a do-nothing job finding a cure for our prescription costs. Give it a read. It should be required for all Vermonters!

Editor's note: Follow the link on the front page of our web site for a synopsis and ordering information.

THEY LIKE US 

»» Laura Brueckner, Waterbury Center: Your 8/9/02 report was absolutely fab! Love it. What great fun. I laughed so hard when I got to the part about Ready's campaign contributions to another candidate's campaign being like her paying off a credit card debit! Too bad these folks are actually candidates for office.

»» Herb Hillman, Stowe: Another great issue!

»» Representative Robert Wood, Brandon: I enjoy reading your report. 

GUILT, THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING 

»» Susan Sweetser, Essex Junction: You are doing a remarkable job! My Catholic guilt got the best of me. Enclosed is my paid subscription for this year...and last year...and the year before. Keep up the incredible work. 

THE MEADOW MUFFIN ACT 

"The 2002 Farm Security Act recently emerged from the legislative process very much the way a steaming wad of processed vegetation emerges from the digestive tract of a cow. ... Thanks to the Farm Security Act, over the next 10 years, you'll be providing farmers with 70 percent MORE stability for a total of $180 billion. At this rate, in a few years farmers will be so stable they'll have to huddle in their root cellars for fear of being struck by bales of taxpayer-supplied cash raining down on the Heartland states from Air Force bombers. Perhaps you are asking yourself: 'Wait a minute! Isn't this kind of like, I don't know ...WELFARE?' No, it is not. Welfare is when the government gives money to people who produce nothing. Whereas the farm-money recipients produce something that is critical to our nation: votes." --Dave Barry 

HE WHO KNOWS US BEST 

A Vermont reader of the New Republic took note of their cover story on "the most intriguing presidential candidate," our own Howard Dean. He wrote the editors that their statement that under Dean Vermont has "'earned a business-friendly reputation which has contributed to the state's strong economy' ...couldn't be further from the truth. Vermont isn't remotely business-friendly. Our state has very few good job opportunities, and for that reason it continues to hemorrhage young people..." --David Donadio, Middlebury 

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