This report is by state Rep. Charles Wilson, the House representative for Caledonia-3. He is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry.
There seems to be some praise and some criticism of my reports. I seek to criticize no one, but report on the actions of the state of Vermont and its agenda. Most obvious is the absence of the voice of the people. (Or are we to believe the state of Vermont knows what we need or even dream of?)
Rep. Charles Wilson
There seems to be a huge push in testimony from the state of Vermont in the H.165 bill concerning “universal school meals” to be made permanent, and endless schemes to make the program seem feasible — but will end up as more unwanted taxes on our citizens. Added to this is the battle over school choice and independent schools that could close Lyndon Institute and downgrade St. Johnsbury Academy to prep school status. The real awful threat is that our high school students from Lyndon, Sheffield, Wheelock, Sutton, Newark, Burke and other area schools would have no high school to go to — a tragic loss to them and our entire area. Not only are student populations in public school education at an all-time low, but the teachers unions take as much money as they can from taxpayers to feed their agendas and salaries. The bottom line is always money, not quality education.
Make no mistake, illegal aliens under the name of “new Americans” and other names are flowing into Vermont through our northern border at an alarming rate. Our Vermont Constitution is also being manipulated to allow municipal voting rights to all noncitizens as well. There is much talk of a housing shortage in Vermont but first, where have all our workers gone? Who is buying all the homes and land now? Vermont is becoming a divided, illogical welfare state while the rich pay. It was said of liberty and freedom that “those who had the most, did the least to perform it.”
House bill H.89 — the health care bill for transgender care and surgeries that taxpayers will pay for — was moved along on Thursday, Feb. 9 in a mighty display of “one party rule” politics. Anything is OK now in Vermont.
The solution to all these things listed is to let the Democrat/Progressive/socialists meet the fate of this old saying: “if a herd of buffalo is heading for a cliff, don’t get in their way, but just let them fall.” Then we hope we can put things into common sense again.
We have a right to disagree and do what we believe within the law, but in the state Legislature we take an oath to not do anything knowingly to hurt people, which includes taxing people to death. Beware: Socialism is the first step to a world-wide transition to state-controlled communism.
Did anyone see the House Rules Committee hearing last week? Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) confronted Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) regarding her statement in 2008 stating “this liberal will be all about socializing – it will be basically about taking over – the government taking over and the government running all of your companies.” As her response was first stammering out DNC talking points, she did not retract the statement, but did state “I am not a socialist, “I am a capitalist”. Priceless! The Truth is they all are, but they want it all for themselves through fraud and corruption. Until Vermont addresses the fraud and corruption, I am not expecting anything to change. On the National front, there are ethical, honest people holding many feet to the fire these days and the yelping of pain increases daily! Hallelujah!
I agree with some of this commentary, some not so much.
If you hate what is happening in the legislature, as I do, Repubs better come up with a better platform than their anti-abortion, phony evangelical platform.
Exploiting god may have worked for Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham and Newt Gingrich in the 90s but, those days are gone, stop trying to revive them. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting change.
There are more real women in VT than men and the median age is 25. They are never going to buy into your phony anti-abortion, god politics.
As much as I want more reasonable political decision making in VT, I’m extremely disappointed with Repub thinking.
And frankly, sick of their blaming Dems instead of taking responsibility for the role in creating the VT we have and their do nothing complaining.
I think you’re right, Joy. To an extent. I prefer to see more practical libertarian sensibilities too.
Number one: School Choice. For all of the obvious reasons. Cost. Academic performance. Curricula. Well-being.
Second: Fiscal Restraint – for one thing, change the government’s retirement package from an unpredictable ‘guaranteed benefit’ program to a predictable ‘guaranteed contribution’ program.
These two issues alone will have a profound impact on returning Vermont to being the republic it originally was – Vermontis. Res. Publica.
But whether or not one believes in God is their business. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…”
And I also hope you understand that progressives use the abortion card as much, if not more, than ‘repubs’ do…. “… over and over again…” to be sure. I, for one, think it’s reasonable to understand that undefined and unregulated ‘reproductive rights’ affects more than one person… the one who was born earlier – and the one who is about to be born. We managed to end slavery, after all. The question now is, when, if ever, will we recognize that an unborn fetus has constitutional protections too. When a pregnant woman is murdered, it’s considered a double homicide. Why? It’s against the law, for example, to kill a one-day old baby. Why does 24 hours make such a profound difference?
I have my personal thoughts on the matter. But sweeping the issue under the rug and expecting the debate to take a seat at the back of the room is pure folly.
Jay, we may agree on some issues.
I strongly support reigning in the school budget. The teachers union is untrustworthy and their manipulation around schools budgets every time the vote comes up completely pisses me off.
As for abortion: I’m not with progressives for a number of reasons, which I am not going to go into here – lazy. However, right or wrong, I will not support forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy. She did not create it on her own but, she will be the only one bearing the life-changing negative consequences. I don’t see adoption as a great option.
I do not trust pro-life propaganda so, I am not believing that fetuses are killed immediately following birth. I do not care how many pictures they use to manipulate. I do believe in restricting abortion. But, pro-life would never accept that . They will view it as a stepping stone and always push for more.
For so many reasons, I believe that a fetus has a right not to be born into hell. Too lazy to go into that now as well.
Schools: Taxpayers should not pay tuition to sectarian schools. Religious buildings should not be tax exempt. I don’t care if anyone believes in god or not, either.
My great complaint about repubs, well one anyway, is their political manipulation of god to advance their political agenda. Disgustingly disingenuous.
Joy: This discussion is no more a political manipulation than are your sentiments. I understand your point of view on abortion. Suffice it to say, however, your description of the issue is nothing like the questions I asked you to address.
Take your school budget position, for example. How can anyone reign in a school budget when the majority of voters are members of the education special interest groups profiting from the spending? What happens when two wolves and a lamb are voting on what to have for lunch?
Suppose the wolves were making abortion illegal? Isn’t it strange that government allows a mother to choose the fate of her unborn child, but won’t let her choose the school her child attends when she decides to bear it?
And it’s inaccurate to say that ‘taxpayers’ are paying tuition to religious schools. It’s the parents that receive the tuition voucher. It’s the parent’s decision, not the State’s. Parents can choose whatever school they believe to be best … public, independent, or religious. No one is forcing anyone to choose a religious school. But the legislators (the wolves) ARE trying to force Vermonters to use their ‘government’ schools.
It seems to me that the government-school monopoly has become a religion, a cult, or a sect, unto itself…. a sect that teaches revisionist history, political progressivism, and cultivates gender dysphoria, all without parental permission. Never mind that 60% of its students can’t meet minimum standards in reading, writing, math, and science.
And don’t get me wrong. School Choice goes both ways. If a parent wants to choose the dystopian government school, I have no problem with them making that choice. The choice is theirs and theirs alone.
If you have a better way than School Choice to ‘reign in’ the wolves, whatever their persuasion, let us know. But free enterprise works for me. As Milton Friedman said.
“The great virtue of a free-market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another.”
In closing: this is precisely the level of discussion we should be having. And I thank, again, TNR and VDC for providing the forum on which we can have it. Perhaps, one day, our legislators will have the courage to join the discussion too.
Appreciate the exchange.
I am sure your check is in the mail from the marxists in Montpelier. You nailed their talking points to a T.
The problem isn’t with Conservative Vermonters who stand for what they believe in. It is the VTGOP who stand for nothing. Dame and Koch wanted their Big Tent. It got them Madden who disavowed the Republican Party and it cost them seats in the Legislature.
Representative Wilson is standing up for his and many other Vermonters values.
Not selling out by one compromise at a time.
Thank you Mr Wilson for being a breath of fresh air in the stench of liberal communist who’s agenda is for “our own good” not what is good for us. It’s easy to vote yourself into socialism but much harder to shoot your way out of it…
Vermont would be an entirely different state is it was run by people all like Mr.Wilson.
Yes, this is what you get when you have Liberals in charge, make everything ” Free ”
the only problem with that is nothing is free, someone is paying, and it’s on the back
of middle-class workers.
Now I agree some need help with meals at school. but making H.165 permanent,
is a joke, or it needs some serious guidelines, something that I haven’t seen?
Now House bill H.89, transgender care and surgeries that ” taxpayers “will pay for
why ???
This is a personal choice, if you’re an adult and want to cut your junk off that’s your
business and I’m not paying for your nonsense, and if this is for ” Minors ” then those
who promote this should be charged with child abuse, chemical castration, and the
removal of a young child’s breast, how sick are you fools promoting this nonsense
and ruining a child’s life forever………………………………………pathetic !!
And I hope we see a list of what representatives voted to adopt this nonsense.
Thank You Mr. Wilson, don’t let them grind you down.
“The more a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those who speak it”.- George Orwell