By Faith Gong Editor’s note: Faith Gong has worked as an elementary school teacher, a freelance photographer, and a nonprofit director. She lives in Middlebury with her husband, five children, assorted chickens and ducks, one feisty cat, and one anxiety-prone labradoodle. In her “free time,” she writes for her blog, The Pickle Patch. I…

  By Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak  Saving for retirement should be easy, but tens of thousands of Vermont workers lack access to a workplace retirement plan. Many of these workers are not saving a penny for retirement, and this is a major threat to Vermont’s economic future. That’s why I am so excited my new…

  Dear Editor, Killington Fire and Rescue was once a respectable agency made up of members that love the town they serve. Now it has gone from a group of people that are there to help the neighbors, to a boy’s club forcing out anyone the current chief and his buddies do not align with.…

Minimum wage boost needed Dear Editor, On March 29, Vermont senior U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was grilling Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on the illegal union-busting activities used by that corporation.  In order to embarrass our senior senator, Schultz shot back with the fact that Vermont has a paltry minimum wage of only $13.18/hour. His…

  Dear Editor,  The American Red Cross experienced a concerning shortfall in blood and platelet donations last month. The Red Cross collected over 26,000 fewer blood donations than needed in May to meet the needs of patients. The need for blood is constant, with someone needing a blood transfusion in the U.S. every two seconds.…

  By Dan Smith Editor’s note: Dan Smith is the president and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. Since 1986, the Vermont Community Foundation has been a source of enduring philanthropy that supports the strength of Vermont communities. The ability to work over decades offers an important perspective on how conditions change over time.  Given that…

By Megan Sullivan Editor’s note: Megan Sullivan is the vice president of government affairs for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The 2023 legislative session has been underscored by new and increased taxes and fees on both individuals and businesses, leading to $150 million of likely cost increases for Vermonters. This significant burden is particularly concerning…

  By Anore Horton and John Sayles Editor’s note: Horton and Sayles are executives at Hunger Free Vermont. Hunger is a solvable problem, yet in the federal debt limit deal, one of the negotiated “tradeoffs” is to take food off our neighbors’ tables. People over 50 and under 55 who receive SNAP benefits, known in…

Dear Editor, Reading about the housing crisis in Vermont and all over the country, and how a judge could change in one stroke of his pen the fate of hundreds of unhoused Vermonters, it is one grave sign that our society and our governments (federal, state and local) are moving toward a catastrophic end. I…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times. Gov. Phil Scott’s expected veto of the budget last week, and his more recent veto of a legislative pay raise, struck their mark with the expected outrage by the Democratic-dominated Legislature.…

  By Guy Payne  Editor’s note:  Guy Payne is executive director of SEON (Sustainable Energy Outreach Network). Embodying the New England dream entails not only appreciating the region’s natural beauty, history and culture, but also actively engaging in the community and building a sustainable home. To live the New England dream, you must first build…

  By Veronica Raussin Editor’s note: Veronica Raussin is the community outreach coordinator for Addicted.org. On Memorial Day, millions of American families took  time to honor the memory of those who lost their lives fighting in one of the nation’s wars. It can be challenging for families who recently lost a loved one.  We must…

  Dear Editor, Two years ago my spouse and I, ages 74 and 75, resided at the Sonesta ES Suites in Burlington. We stayed there for four weeks. We paid. We awaited a new condo to be ready that we had purchased.  We soon noticed that there were others housed there because of being homeless.…

  Dear Editor, In response to a local Protect Our Wildlife representative’s letter in Front Porch Forum I’d like to offer a timeline as to how we sportsmen and women lived without “help” before the advent of non-consumptive users. This information is available to the public on the Fish and Wildlife Department’s timeline page.  Here…

  By Jim Hurt Editor’s note: Jim Hurt is a resident of Woodstock. Here is the gist of recent recommendations to the Vermont Climate Council calling for the profitable renovation of Vermont’s two wood plants, McNeil and Ryegate, thereby transforming them into negative-emission power and storage stations. These stations will emit very little but remove…