Editor’s note: This letter is by Stu Lindberg, a resident of Cavendish.
Windsor County state Sen. Dick McCormack, a Democrat, recently opined about the climate crisis and how government must implement “a worthy and non-negotiable response” to this crisis).
What is this “worthy and non-negotiable” response? In the summer of 2018, the new Act 250 commission was busy crafting this response. The commission’s purpose was to realign Act 250 in order to address the climate crisis. The following legislators served on this commission: Rep. Amy Sheldon (D), chairwoman; Sen. Dick McCormack (D); Sen. Chris Pearson (P); Sen. Brian Campion (D); former Rep. David L. Dean (D); and Rep. Paul Lefebvre (R). The worst idea to come out of this commission was to “encourage” rural Vermonters to move into “compact urban centers,” the idea being that rural Vermonters create too much carbon, therefore our lifestyles are undesirable and must be eliminated.
“Keep in mind that Vermont covers and area of less than 10,000 square miles. Vermont’s geographic area occupies 5/1000 of 1 percent of the planet’s surface. Vermont has less than 1/100th of 1 percent of the world’s population. Our population is around 620,000. The energy consumption of Vermont is the lowest of all 50 states. Since 1990, Vermont’s forests have removed more carbon dioxide than Vermonters have produced emissions.”
The commission’s use of the word “encouraging” is the nice, greenwashed way of saying “forcing.” Government is power, legislation is force. The law is force. This is why special interest groups spend so much time and money lobbying the government. History is full of examples of governments using force in violation of human rights, which include the right of property ownership.
Hitler “encouraged” Jews into ghettos and concentration camps. Stalin “encouraged” the relocation of millions of his fellow citizens into the gulags of Siberia. The Chinese government, as I write this, is “encouraging” the relocation of 250 million of its rural citizens into high rise apartments in cities. This could never happen in the United States, right? Wrong! The U.S. government has a poor track record of “encouraging” its citizens into compact urban centers, internment camps or reservations. From the 1830s until the 1870s, Native Americans were forcibly moved off their ancestral lands onto reservations. During World War II, Franklin Roosevelt, a progressive Democrat, relocated Japanese Americans into internment camps. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. government forced rural Vietnamese citizens into strategic hamlets. Politicians through ignorance or outright deception or simple ruthlessness justify these actions by using the bogeyman of an imminent “crisis.” The real crisis is the misery inflicted upon those of us trying to live our lives, enjoy our liberty, and pursue some measure of happiness.
The Constitution of the United States is supposed to protect our rights to property and liberty. “America’s Founders understood clearly that private property is the foundation not only of prosperity but freedom itself. Thus, through common law, state law, and the Constitution, they protected property rights-the rights of people to acquire, use and dispose of property freely,” wrote Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute.
Sen. McCormack claims to be a staunch civil libertarian as well as an expert on the Constitution. I am told he carries a copy in his pocket and reads it before each legislative session is convened. I believe this. I think he knows exactly what it says and what it doesn’t say, to the last letter. He just doesn’t care. A common denominator for all these dispossessed people I have mentioned is that they were disarmed of their weapons. Their right to self-defense was legislatively removed. It should come as little surprise that Sen. McCormack has a voting record that proves he is an enthusiastic advocate of restricting the right to bear arms.
Your friend in Liberty,
Stu Lindberg
Cavendish, Vermont
David Horowitz said that inside the heart of every liberal/Progressive there was a hidden totalitarian screaming to get out. If this isn’t a perfect example of the truth of his comment, goodness knows what is. These politicians have (1) Either zero knowledge of either the Vermont or the U.S. Constitution, or (2) Ample knowledge but an agenda-driven determination to run roughshod over both documents. They are blooming tyrants who are trampling our rights. Stop voting for Democrats and Progressives. If you have been, you have done this to yourselves. Stop it!
Under the panic and hysteria of ‘climate change’, the Vermont House has introduced H868 to ‘build a regenerative economy’ for Vermont, emasculating the towns and cities in favor of 11 ‘Peoples Assemblies’, organized to shift elections from Constitutionally prescribed polities of cities and towns to administratively created apparatus, not for the purpose of the welfare of the people of Vermont, but to ‘restore the Earth’. To justify this ultra vires legislative scheme, the sponsors from Burlington and their cabal point to unspecified ‘world’ ‘climate emergencies, mass extinction, and ecological collapse, as a consequence of human economic activity over the past 400 years.’!!?? From these vagaries, which posit no actual specific past or current harm to Vermont based on any substantial evidence beyond the obvious norm, there should be little doubt that legislative counsel squelch this unconstitutional power grab before it gets out of hand like Act 46. Time to retire McCormack and his cronies and restore Vermont to prosperity the old fashioned way, free enterprise and business investment; an economy based on confidence not fear, and certainly not for the worship of the Earth over the welfare of our citizens.
Exceptional response Mr. Payne. It is time to quench the fires of fear mongering and relight the fires of common sense as well as Science fact. These “agenda driven” legislators do not uphold their Oath of Office to protect the people and have no place in Vermont. EVERY able bodies registered voter needs to turn out in 2020 and clean out the Montpelier Cesspool. #802VT Alliance
This is all part of the United Nations agenda 21 and 2030 weather they know they are putting it in to play or not is another question!! Don’t believe me do some research on it. Buy a book on amazon about UN agenda 21. Very scary stuff for a one world government with no freedoms at all only what they say. And if it happens or people in government will be right there living with us wondering what the hell they did all in the name on saving the climate.
When the gestapo state of VT forces people to move into “compact urban centers,” are the unoccupied properties to be taken over by the money people ie Rockefellers and such?
Seems to be the plan of the NWO.
Not too keen on the illustrious senator. Several years ago, I had a conversation with him where I suggested his position on an issue which I have long since forgotten, was not a particular acceptable one. The conversation became quite heated and the good senator took serious exception because I had the gaul to disagree with him. Like most of the folks in Montpelier, they resent someone voicing an opinion contrary to their views.
California’s Governor “Moonbeam” Brown was prepared to sue Donald Trump for the cost of damages to California because of climate change. After Trump was in office less than four months. And California’s weather comes from the West, from the Pacific – not even the Great Humbug Obama could do anything about it. Nothing Vermont does about weather will change the Vermont climate, either. Great and wonderful strides have been taken since the seventies in reducing pollution, in cleaning the air and the environment but there is a principle of diminishing returns at work – like the Green fanatics in California and in Australia that demanded the land be left alone, no fire roads, no fire breaks, dead “owl habitat” and bark beetle killed trees be left standing, deadfall and brush not cleared or burned off in the wet season. They got what they asked for. Unfortunately, so did many millions of other people who allowed them to cow the politicians into legislating those mandates. Vermonters would do well to remember what happened and resist the demands of the AGW religious fanatics.