By Tom Evslin Editor’s note: Tom Evslin is an entrepreneur and author from Stowe. He is a former Douglas administration official. The U.S. government talks the talk about Covid vaccination but doesn’t walk the walk. The CDC and the FDA say “get vaccinated” but they don’t act as if they really believe in the efficacy of…

Dear Editor, Most people don’t know what Home & Community Based Services (HCBS) are, let alone their importance to many disabled people. People who are physically disabled often depend on others to perform “activities of daily living” like getting in and out of bed, dressing, bathing, preparing meals, toileting and transferring to and from a…

Dear editor, Recently I had the opportunity to tour the newly repurposed Cortina Inn, the beautiful property that my wife Breda and I owned for 33 years, which is now under the management of a family that is now offering a new kind of hospitality — perhaps the most essential kind. Long known for Sunday…

Dear Editor, Since Dec. 2018, “Vermonters for Vermont” Initiative has been talking about educating every Vermonter about freedom, liberty, individualism, independence, innovation and personal responsibility. We have been defending and promoting our Constitution, free markets and taking risks. We have been working to educate and encourage Vermonters to learn what Montpelier and local governments are…

By Anne N. Sosin, Liz Winterbauer and Annie Hoen Editor’s note: This commentary is by Anne N. Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College; Liz Winterbauer, a consulting epidemiologist currently supporting national Covid-19 testing efforts; and Annie Hoen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Geisel School of Medicine…

Dear Editor, You may have seen some of your neighbors in front of TD Bank on Bonnet St. (Route 30 in Manchester) holding signs. You may have asked yourself: “Why are they there? What are they protesting? What do they want?” I’d like to answer those questions. We are there because TD Bank is one…

By Angelo Lynn The Washington Post published an interesting column Tuesday, July 13, by Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, in which the columnist noted the current rate of Covid-19 infection in South Dakota and Vermont were “remarkably similar” and rated among the lowest three (along with Massachusetts) in the country. It’s a…

By Laurie Cox The summer I turned 13, a friend told me how she made a lot of money picking strawberries. It sounded like a relatively easy deal, so my sister and I decided to give it a try. Lunch sacks in hand, we ferried to a nearby island and were loaded in the back…

Dear Editor, In Michael Long’s letter “OneCare is not the problem with Vermont’s health care” published in the July 7 edition, he asserts that “fee-for-service … is the reason health care in the U.S. is the most expensive, but not the most effective.” That’s a questionable claim at best. Canada, for example, largely continues to rely on…

Dear Editor, I’m writing this, to welcome you new residents to Vermont. It’s been an intense year and a half; I’m sure you must feel relieved and grateful for having been able to find refuge and make a new start during such a challenging time. I, better than most, know what it’s like to pick…

Dear Editor, Education finance in Vermont is an often hard to understand and quite complex system. Act 59 of 2021 created the “Task Force on the Implementation of the Pupil Weighting Factors Report,” a group of eight Vermont Legislators who will spend time this sum- mer, as the name implies, determining the best path forward to implement the recommendations…

Dear Editor, I have never understood why vehicles needed to be able to go so fast. First, it could cut down on high-speed chases and crashes. For police, this could mean less time monitoring for speeders and focusing on more important things. Obviously you can go 60 mph in a 25-mph zone and still injure yourself…

By Madeleine May Kunin Editor’s note: Madeleine May Kunin was the 77th governor of Vermont, serving from 1985 until 1991. She is the author of “Coming of Age, My Journey to the Eighties.” Her new book of poetry is “Red Kite, Blue Sky.” The six conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court flicked a green…

By Alis Headlam Editor’s note: This commentary is by Dr. Alis Headlam of Rutland. She was an educator for more than 40 years and retired in 2015. Horses wear blinders, called blinkers, so that they will not get spooked when they go into high density areas or traffic. When people wear self-proclaimed blinders they do so to…

By Angelo Lynn The organization Let’s Grow Kids has been at the forefront of an effort to establish legislation that makes having children in Vermont more affordable and, as it should be, desirable. It recent years it has not been affordable, and therefore, to many, not a desirable option. That’s to Vermont’s great detriment. If the state…