By Angelo S. Lynn While Gov. Phil Scott’s coup to have the state negotiate teachers’ health care benefits has been the unforeseen show-stopper of this legislative session, that a bill moving toward legalizing marijuana made it to the governor’s desk […]
Category: Op – Ed
First 100 days: A president struggling to get on track
By Lee H. Hamilton I have significant differences with Donald Trump’s political stances, but I want him to enjoy a successful presidency. It’s good for neither the country nor the world when a U.S. president struggles or fails. Yet I […]
Wind energy: Bad for you, bad for the environment
By Annette Smith Prospective neighbors of wind turbines heard all the promises: “Quiet as a library.” “Like a baby’s breath.” “The same decibel level as a refrigerator.” The more brazen wind developers claimed, “You will not hear them.” Then the […]
Creating a “climate economy”
By Linda McGinnis Vermont is made up of communities that care about each other and our beautiful surroundings. It comes from our respect for the past combined with a passion for a sustainable future. It’s about taking care of what […]
We need to safeguard the “public” in public office
By Lee Hamilton For the last few years, I’ve been keeping a file of clippings about the erosion of transparency and candor in government. I’m sorry to report that it’s getting rather full. This is not a good thing. Public […]
Trump leaves climate action to us
By Duane Peterson The American government has officially reversed course on protecting us from climate change. National security is the central priority we expect from the federal government, so this is truly alarming, for our nation and our planet. But […]
How to handle the Russia mess
By Lee H. Hamilton The recent announcement by FBI Director James Comey that his agency is investigating links between members of President Trump’s campaign and Russia has upended Washington. Yet there needs to be an even stronger and broader investigation […]
Time to examine equity in public schools
By Rob Roper Equity and access to educational resources has been a hot topic surrounding the rules (or changes thereto) governing independent schools that accept tax dollars through Vermont’s tuitioning system. Some argue that if a school takes state money […]
2018 budget turns the page on Vermont’s spending crisis
By Don Turner Last week, Montpelier turned the page after an eight-year spell of overspending and financial irresponsibility. Since 2009, the House Republican Caucus has advocated for an annual budget that does not raise taxes or fees, balances overall spending […]
Education reform needed
By Will Patten On Feb. 1 I attended a meeting of Vermont business leaders to discuss the importance of early childhood education. Governor Phil Scott came to address the group and received a spontaneous and enthusiastic standing ovation—not because he […]