Keelan: Does racism exist in Vermont?
The accusation that racism is alive and well in Vermont is an inflammatory statement and only leads to create divisiveness among those of us who harbor no such thoughts.
Lindberg: Polite political conversation is at an all time low
I keep searching for some common ground between the factions of left and right, Democrats and Republicans. While listening to conversations originating from the most extreme sides of the political spectrum I have found two common denominators that unite average Americans and Vermonters.
Roper: Sponsors can’t deny ESSEX carbon tax favors rich over poor
Poor Vermonters stuck with gasoline powered cars, oil burning furnaces, etc., will end up subsidizing the electric bills of their better-off neighbors who can afford Priuses, solar panels, weatherized homes, electric heat pumps and the like.
McClaughry: The steady erosion of liberty
Just look at the invasions of liberty under consideration in Montpelier. The House, on a vote of 133-7, has just passed a bill forbidding Vermonters from buying appliances that the State finds to be insufficiently energy efficient.
The GOP’s coming Obamacare capitulation
If conservatives don’t coalesce behind something soon, they will find themselves bystanders as their GOP colleagues link arms with Democrats to preserve and enlarge Obamacare, not to repeal and replace it.
Roper: Questioning the highly questionable ESSEX carbon tax
The Vermont House Committee on Energy and Technology is taking testimony on the ESSEX carbon tax bill. Here are some questions our legislators (and all Vermonters) should ask regarding the bill.
Ben & Jerry’s loves the carbon tax — ‘cuz they won’t pay it
Miller shared estimates that the ice cream manufacturer would receive over $800,000 in electricity subsides if the ESSEX carbon tax were to become law. This he described as “obviously not insignificant.” True enough.
Gov. Phil Scott: On fiscal discipline and smart investments
Government systems – and thus previous state budgets – have been designed to grow at around 5 percent a year. My budget grows at less than half that rate, puts us on a stronger fiscal footing and prioritizes investments in growing the economy and making Vermont more affordable.
Here’s what Trump has done for farmers
During President Barack Obama’s tenure, the so-called “Waters of the United States” rule had been strictly defined to apply to “navigable waterways” but interpreted to mean that even ditches or potholes with water in them could be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. This was a huge overreach.
McClaughry: Electric vehicle incentives
Well, there they go again. Let’s put a tax on gasoline and diesel fueled cars and trucks — like the one you’re probably driving — and heap another handout on electric vehicles, which aren’t paying squat toward maintaining our highways and bridges.
To promote human flourishing, economic freedom must be increased
The real magic of the market, described by Adam Smith and the economists who have followed him, is that individuals, by exercising the freedom to pursue their own goals and ambitions, have made possible the rapid economic development of society as a whole.
The ESSEX Plan’s exaggerated growth claim
Our environmentalist neighbors have not been good stewards of Vermont’s economy in their efforts to curb carbon emissions, despite their claims otherwise. If we cannot trust them to make simple calculations like GDP, can we really trust them to implement the ESSEX Plan?