Hansen: Vermont’s new health insurance mandate a step backward
Don’t we have the right to make our own life decisions? Montpelier says no. Our political class finds the clarion call of collective responsibility more seductive than personal liberty.
Keelan: Requiem for democracy
The town of Bennington, one of Vermont’s oldest and most historic places, deserves better than to have only 6 percent of its registered voters come out to vote. I hope that we are not ready to have the pallbearers of the casket of democracy be the lobbyists, bureaucrats and politicians.
Obamacare’s constitutionality comes into question again
In February, Texas and several other states filed a lawsuit alleging that, by reducing the Obamacare tax to zero, Congress eliminated the only basis on which the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality of Obamacare. A sine qua non of a tax is that it generates revenue, Texas argued, and Obamacare will no longer do so.
McClaughry: Poor no more, work first!
Historically, the Vermont welfare bureaucracy has promoted “thinking about getting ready to work” programs, and has stoutly resisted meaningful sanctions for able-bodied people who want benefits but do not want to work.
McClaughry: Illegal immigrant crime a serious problem for sanctuary cities
“An astonishing one in five individuals incarcerated in federal prisons is an illegal alien, which amounts to a $1.5 million bill every day to the American taxpayer.”
3 problems with the left’s new favorite study on Obamacare rates
The premium effects of individual mandate repeal and new rules governing short-term insurance are smaller and more varied than the CAP study suggests. Some people will see premiums somewhat higher than they otherwise would be, but others will pay less for insurance.
Campion: Vermont, the hapless blue state
Vermont, fresh off the news that the state’s idea of fixing its legacy of opposition to business and economic growth is to pay people to stay there, now has at its disposal other states’ models for economic growth that actually seem to work.
Flag Day: The meaning of the Stars and Stripes
“What are you doing to celebrate Flag Day?” It’s a question you probably won’t hear in the checkout line at the grocery store or around the dinner table with friends this week.
Moore: Maple syrup recommendations from FDA are ‘lunacy’
“Lunacy” is a fairly strong term. It should never be used lightly, so why use it regarding this proposed “draft guidance”? Let’s explore it, shall we?
Flemming: Your taxes, game theory and the shutdown
By using Game Theory, we can predict that any compromise will fall in line more with what Gov. Phil Scott wants and less with what Democratic leadership has proposed, helping Vermont avoid a government shutdown. Scott has the self-interest and the leverage to stand firm for stable taxes.
A Debate for Vermont: Is ‘public vs. private school’ a false dichotomy?
Why is the discussion always about the education establishment’s public vs. private schools, and the legislators and special interest groups who enable them?
Johnson: Solving Vermont’s problems without spending $10k per person
The total master plan would be for 50 people to come to Vermont over three years. This plan is deceitful — this is not an economic plan. This chicanery is an ongoing theme in Montpelier.