On February 27, 2019

Power to the people

Dear Editor,

In the aftermath of last Thursday’s electoral vote at the State House, the talk being bandied about by some members of the Vermont Legislature that they should give up their power to elect the state’s national guard adjutant general over to the governor is dangerously myopic in lieu of the threatening situation taking place at the federal government level where the executive branch power is being seriously misused by a would-be fascist dictator who is part of a long line of executive power abuses starting in the second half of the twentieth century and getting worse through each presidency.

Already we have seen broad powers given to the executive branch through the 2001 Patriot Act, 2001 Authorization For Use Of Military Force Act, and 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that has created a state of total governmental surveillance unrivaled since the days of the Third Reich. What is needed to counteract all this is to place more, not less, major governmental office leadership positions at the federal, state, and municipal levels in the hands of the citizens by elective public ballot. The heads of governmental departments for agriculture, environmental standards, fish and wildlife, health, finance, public safety, transportation, etc. that make decisions and policy that have a major impact on the public should be directly under the peoples’ elective power. We must demand of our legislators at both the federal and state level that they do their utmost to curtail and reduce executive branch powers. The Vermont Legislature should start by putting the national guard adjutant general election into the hands of the Vermont citizens from now on.

Ralph Corbo, East Wallingford

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

The public reality of private schools

June 25, 2025
Dear Editor, In their June 13 commentary, “The Achilles’ heel of Vermont education reform,” the Friends of Vermont Public Education state that, “Since the early 1990s, we have been operating two parallel educational systems — public and private.” The organization calls upon the Vermont Legislature to create “one unified educational system,” arguing that, “The current…

Alternative steps for true education reform

June 25, 2025
By Jim Lengel Editor’s note: Jim Lengel, of Duxbury and Lake Elmore, started teaching in Vermont in 1972, worked for the state board of education for 15 years, and retired back in Vermont after helping schools all over the world improve the quality of teaching and learning. Our executive and legislative branches have failed during…

Protect SNAP—because no Vermonter should go hungry

June 25, 2025
Dear Editor, As a longtime anti-hunger advocate, a former SNAP recipient, and a proud Vermonter, I am deeply alarmed by proposals moving through Congress that would gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known here in Vermont as 3SquaresVT. If passed, these cuts would devastate thousands of families across the Green Mountain State that rely…

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly of H.454

June 25, 2025
By Sen. Ruth Hardy Editor’s note: Ruth Hardy, of East Middlebury, represents Addison County in the Vermont Senate. She wrote the following reflection (originally posted at ruthforvermont.com) on voting “no” on H.454, the eduction transformation reform bill that passed last week.  On Monday, June 16, the Legislature passed H.454, the education transformation bill that was…