By Gov. Peter Shumlin Last month, the Vermont Senate passed a bill to end the failed War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition in Vermont. This was a big step forward for our state. Bringing marijuana out of the shadows […]
Category: Op – Ed
Op - Ed
The yoga of politics
By Wendy Reese Teaching yoga for 15 years, I’ve come to know that yoga improves balance, strength, flexibility and the ability to surrender. Unknowingly, I became a student of yoga from a most unlikely teacher when I volunteered for a […]
Op - Ed
Overspending threatens to bankrupt Vermont
By Don Turner The Fiscal Year 2016 Appropriations Act promised that the state legislature would embark on a “multiyear process to align state spending” in order to balance overall revenues and expenditures. By delineating comprehensive measures, the budget bill aimed […]
Op - Ed
Education Reform: start earlier to yield better outcomes, reduce costs
By Rick Davis The recent Picus report on Vermont’s education spending suggests the state can save money by reducing spending on special education. While I agree generally with that statement, we need new thinking about how we get there. Artificial […]
Op - Ed
Yankee, divestment votes fail to put Vermonters over special interests
By Richard Mazza, Robert Starr, and Peg Flory In recent years, the political winds of promised change have blown in and out of Vermont like a nor’easter. But as the dust has settled, we seem to be falling short, in […]
Op - Ed
Citizen advocates, good governance ensure all Vermonters are heard
By Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources When I was first elected to public office at the age of 37, I was lucky enough to have a mentor, Tom Lehner, who had spent most of his career in […]
Op - Ed
Patrick Kennedy: Say “No” to marijuana legalization
The epidemic of drug addiction and overdoses gripping Vermont, and our country at large, cries out for reform. We must change the perception that jail is an effective treatment for the disease of drug addiction, and give mental health issues […]
Op - Ed
How to tell if Congress is working again
How to tell if Congress is working again By Lee H. Hamilton There have been encouraging signs that the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill wants to make Congress function again. They’ve talked about a series of changes to make the […]
Op - Ed
Tweaking Act 46 for kids’ education
Shap Smith By House Speaker Shap Smith The first major hurdle of the 2016 legislative session was resolved this past Saturday when lawmakers approved a tweak to the cost containment threshold in Act 46, last year’s education governance reform bill. […]
Op - Ed
60 reasons I love Rutland
By Steve Costello I’ve long believed that one of Rutland’s greatest problems is a tendency toward overly negative self criticism, so when I heard about McNeil and Reedy’s contest celebrating its 60th anniversary, I was thrilled. The contest is simple: […]