In the 23rd episode of “Travels With Charlie — Vermont Politics in Real Life,” host Charlie Papillo discusses the benefit cliffs and safety-net programs with former legislator Oliver Olsen and John Badgewick as they build a bird house.
Image courtesy of TNR
Why do today’s youth not see the value of a dollar and hard work? It’s not just the ‘benefit cliff’. Yes, social welfare benefits are significant. In 2013, John McClaughry pointed out that Vermont’s pretax wage equivalent of the welfare benefit package is $42,350 annually. That was tough competition even seven years ago.
https://vtdigger.org/2013/08/19/mcclaughry-vermonts-welfare-cornucopia/
And yes, education is the key. And, yes, education starts at home. Unfortunately, many parents are still prohibited from choosing the education program they believe best meets the needs of their children and become ever more complacent.
So, what is the ‘magic wand’? It’s School Choice.
Those numbers you speak about are above the average income, let that sink in…..
And School choice it the answer to the inner city education problem too. Coincidence? I think not. Coincidence that Vermont and those in control of the cities like Chicago don’t want school choice? Just another coincidence? I think not.
The educational system is making money off keeping people stupid too. It’s another of the affordability issues in our state. Insane amounts of money are being wasted at epic proportions….it’s why we’re all broke, feeding this black hole called Montpelier.
this is a very, very interesting topic.
The conversation needs to be changed however, it is not a benefits cliff, it is a benefits trap by design. People are making seriously great money by running these programs. The cliff per se, isn’t the program but the lack of opportunity in Vermont, the Affordability issue.
People build fancy apartments, with state, government money, incentives. They the state picks up the difference in what people can pay for rent. Make $4oo per month, the state will say you need to pay $100 toward rent and we’ll pick up the $1100 difference of your $1200 per month apartment.
So say you get better and better….even when you can afford to pay $12oo or more, guess what, their is no housing. We have no housing stock.
We can Build for home ownership, houses that 2 people can afford on minimum wage, but our state not only doesn’t allow it, they don’t want it. The real truth.
The state offers Vermonters 2 solutions, this “affordable housing” option, which is really a life long poverty trap, adopted from the bid cities, that brings people down and takes away self esteem, improvement and hope. OR tiny homes, which is $75,000 custom built shed on a landscaper trailer.
IT’s a trap, it’s on purpose, they keep rolling out more traps, because people are stuffing their pocket with money, creating poverty traps that guarantee a steady income. Why would they want to change?
Want to know where this wonder model came from? Our big cities. Bernie’s trip to the soviet union with their housing model. It’s not a coincidence our DCF profile mirrors big cities social problems.
The American dream is home ownership, it’s a worthy dream and goal. It’s a very safe path to stability and the middle class. It adds stability.
Housing is but one leg of Vermont’s affordability issue.
btw, we are talking legs of the species unafforabilitus centipedus verde montange, it’s a nasty little creature with hundreds of legs know for swiping pennies, coins and dollars from those who visit or live in it’s habitat. It is a swamp creature extraordinaire, left to grow and flourish from within the sewer pipes of Montpelier.
If you see this creature beware……it’s cunning and deceptive beyond belief.