This commentary is by Paul Dame, chair of the Vermont GOP.
Many people, including myself, are starting to get their offers to pre-buy home heating fuel for the upcoming winter. My offer was almost 35% higher than what I paid just 6 months ago. Others are telling me they are paying 50% to 70% more than they pre-ordered last year. And winter pre-buying is usually supposed to be a discount — so it makes many of us wonder what this winter might have in store.
But as bad as it will be for Vermonters to be paying hundreds more to get warm this winter, one thing to be thankful for is that if we had been missing just one Republican legislator last May to help sustain Gov. Scott’s veto on a new carbon tax, home heating fuel might have been even more expensive.
Paul Dame, chairman of the Vermont GOP
Despite this set-back, Montpelier Democrats have promised to go back and pass the same bill to override Gov. Scott’s veto — unless they lose some seats. Democrats have not made any changes to their policies in light of the struggles many Vermonters are facing. Their intention is to keep pushing punitive carbon taxes that disproportionately hurt rural Vermonters.
Adding a new carbon tax is bad enough. But because Democrats don’t want to be seen raising taxes in these economic conditions, they proposed to transfer their power to a group of unelected bureaucrats who can add and raise the tax at will and never be accountable to voters for it. Then Democrats could shrug their shoulders to voters in future elections and tell them “It’s not me — it’s the board. Sorry, nothing I can do.” At best it’s irresponsible, at worst it’s unconstitutional.
Unfortunately for Vermonters, this responsibility shirking has become all too commonplace with the Democratic Party in Vermont and across America. If something bad happens, they always point somewhere else, but they never take responsibility for how they are going to achieve a different outcome. We elect leaders to fix problems, not just to message them better. I’m starting to think if we had a famine Democrats would point to the reduction in childhood obesity.
Recently President Biden was asked about the 8.4% inflation we’ve been having, and his response was to brag that after last month it’s down to 8.3%. He won’t take responsibility for the 8.4% increase, but he is going to jump over the fact that it went down 0.1%. That is denial, we need determination. Rather than taking the problem seriously, and telling Americans how he is planning on fixing it he told us our concerns were unjustified because the unemployment numbers were good. Instead of fixing the problem we do have, Democrats weasel out of it by pointing you towards another problem they tell you is worse (abortion, Trump, etc.) — or trying to gaslight you into believing you are alone in your frustration. Republicans want you to know that you are not alone and your concerns are in fact serious. We hear you and are fighting to restore a degree of common sense to Montpelier.
I’ve been talking to several of our House and Senate candidates who have been going door to door in our communities across Vermont for several months. We hear the serious concerns and stories of Vermonters who are having a hard time making ends meet. We understand that Biden’s distraction of unemployment numbers doesn’t help the seniors on fixed incomes when their heating and grocery bills go up, but their pension or social security doesn’t. We know that student loan forgiveness doesn’t make it easier for young electricians and plumbers trying to buy a house in a severely restricted market. We know that “reimagining” and defunding the police does not make Burlington any safer to visit or live in.
Republicans know that we just can’t afford the Progressive Democrat agenda any more. We need to get serious about our essential energy supply and costs for workers and seniors alike. We need to make it easier to build affordable first-time homes to keep young people here, both tradesmen and professionals. We need to fully fund our local police and prosecute criminals to make our streets safer again for workers, students and tourists. While I won’t go so far as to say that Democrats can’t do that, they have made it clear that they won’t. If you think things are better now than they were two years ago, ask your neighbors, your mechanic, your senior center coordinator, your local teachers how everyone else is doing. They will tell you that something is broken and it needs real change not just better messaging. Vermont Republicans stand ready to answer the call, be your voice of reason, address the serious problems we are all experiencing, and focus on creating a Vermont that really works.
Interesting commentary, once again from the public.
You can’t deal with crazy. We can only change ourselves. When the current course has failed for 20 straight years in a row…..
It’s time to cook a different dinner, because nobody is coming over for supper.
Yet time and time again the public nails it, the public at least identifies the problems, which would allow for discussion and change of plans, thereby creating a different result.
Alas the Uniparty LOVES< LOVES< LOVES the way Vermont politics currently is. That is why it's NOT changing…
I am urging all my fellow Republicans not to vote for the “I am not a Republican” GOP candidate Liam Madden. And certainly not for the Democrat Becca Balint. Both of them are lefties more enamored of a far-left activist agenda than they are of Vermont and Vermonters and our needs. Vote for the Libertarian candidate Ericka Redic. She is bold and fearless and will stand up to the Washington, DC Establishment in ways that the other two candidates will not. She ran in the primary as a Republican/Libertarian so it is just fine to vote for her if you are a Republican. Liam Madden stole the election from our two female GOP candidates, and he is not even a Republican. If he has that little regard for Vermonters, that he has to sneak onto our GOP primary ballot under a false pretense, what makes us think that we can trust him in Washington to solve these problems and put Vermonters first? He has said he would not even promise to join the Republican Caucus if elected to Congress. Redick will. And it goes without saying that no good Republican should vote for Balint. Vote for Ericka Redic. If our “fearless leader” Phil Scott can cross over and vote for Joe Biden, and then tell Vermont he did it, I can do the same (cross over for a particular candidate). I am just following the example of my “Republican” governor. We have the serious problems in Vermont mentioned above because we keep electing the same Progressives and Democrats and RINOs over and over again. Time for a change.
The unelected Dem/Prog posse of USA-economy-and-society-destroyers, foisted onto Biden-in-the-basement, is controlling his cue cards and his teleprompter
Whenever Biden speaks, it is THEM speaking, unless he goes “off-script”, creating international brouhahas, which are promptly explained away, as “he misspoke”
That same Dem/Prog posse has decided to screw all Americans by raising the price of “evil” fossil fuel in any way they can, so they can implement more of highly subsidized wind and solar all over the place (which has proven to be an inadequate failure in Germany and elsewhere), such as by:
– Depleting OUR STRATEGIC OIL RESERVES and selling the oil to Asian and European markets at the highest bidder, which means increased prices at OUR PUMPS
– Selling OUR LIQUID NAT GAS to Asian an European markets at the highest bidder, which means much increased costs of heating your house this winter, and using electricity for your heat pumps and HIGHLY SUBSIDIZED ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND BUSES.
We have to go to the polls, IN PERSON, MONITOR THE ELECTION FOR ANY FRAUD, to oust Dem/Progs all over the U.S. in November 2022
What Chairman Dame fails to mention is that he is all in on the “Big Tent ” agenda that gave Madden a victory over two great Republican candidates.
Dame gloated after the Amendment I introduced on April 30th was defeated. It would have prevented Madden from being supported or endorsed by the VTGOP.
Those voting against the Amendment I introduced were intent on protecting Scott, Benning, Walker, Sheuermann, Leffler, Beck and Martin. All transrepublicans that voted for or support Article 22.
Benning voted for it twice as a State Senator and at a forum in Rockingham bragged he will vote for it in November. Scott said he will vote for Article 22 as well.
See, Chairman Dame really doesn’t care about the VTGOP Platform. Neither does Tom Koch, the Rules Committee Chair. They both said at that meeting they don’t want to tell a potential Republican candidate that they must actually represent Republicans.
Because not once have either of them spoke against any of the seven Rino’s I have called out numerous times. In fact they still support them.
Chairman Dame voted for the VTGOP Platform that I and several others worked on for months. Including Benning, who voted for its approval but doesn’t adhere to it. Benning also voted against proposals that would have protected Health Care workers and removed taxes from the pensions of Military Veterans.
Scott has spit in the face of Real VT republicans so many times you need a calculator to add them up.
But Dame shouts with glee, ” Scott is the most popular Governor in America. ”
He sure is, he gets 70% of his votes from the democrats. Why wouldn’t they vote for Scott ? He is a hypocritical liar that supports the left/far left agenda.
But Dame claims to be distraught by the democrats.
At least they are honest when they tell how bad they will screw you.
The transrepublicans pretend to represent you while stabbing you in the back.
I have been and will continue to support Real Vermont Republicans that are Pro Life and Constitutional. And we are doing it without any support from the VTGOP.
Paul Dame has no intent to fight for Real Republicans. It would mess up his Big Tent agenda.
And just think about it Paul…
Governor Phil Scott voted for Joe Biden and Senator Joe Benning is running on the coattails of Phil Scott and supports the Biden agenda
We are being sold out from within
They support article 22 which is the destruction of the family in the state of Vermont
Who in there right mind can support either of those people or get behind them and vote for them to represent us in the Republican party
What’s going on in the state of Vermont at the hands of the Republican party is disgraceful.
There’s absolutely no way Joe Benning should win any public office in the state of Vermont we have a movement to write someone in and that’s what we need to do
It’s time to send a message to the Republican party we do not support the turncoats that they want to cram down our throats
8.4 to 8.3 is about a 1.1% reduction, not a 0.1% reduction. Play it on your calculator. Biden’s “achievement” is an inflation rate over 8% – and he’s proud of it. If he raises taxes, he’ll bring down the rate – and claim it an achievement. The revenue of the government derives from the velocity of money. Once Biden has slowed that down by sucking capital out of the private sector we won’t have the cash-in-pocket for elective expenditures – like electric cars. Either the price comes down or government takes our money, gives it to the EV seller and claims they’re “helping” us buy them. “I’m from the government. I’m here to…” The only entity left throwing money away like confetti on 04 July will be Uncle Sam.