Discover More from This Category: Commentaries
It’s time to change how and why we name things after people
December 20, 2023
By Lucie Lehmann Editor’s Note: Lucie Lehmann of South Burlington is a former state director for now-retired U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland. She is a member of the board of the Green Mountain Audubon Society. Just in time for the gift giving season comes word of yet another honor bestowed on retired…
More nursing seats are coming to Vermont State University
December 20, 2023
By Sarah Billings-Berg, VTSU dean of nursing and health sciences Ready for some good news about nursing in Vermont? I bet you are. I know, reports haven’t always focused on the good news. As recently as last year, news reports focused on nurses retiring, how we don’t have personnel or facilities to educate new…
Justice for Palestinians and security for Israel
December 6, 2023
By Sen. Bernie Sanders There have been five wars in the last 15 years between Israel and Hamas. How do we end the current one and prevent a sixth from happening, sooner or later? How do we balance our desire to stop the fighting with the need to address the roots of the conflict?…
Moving energy is the key to Vermont’s 100% renewable energy future
November 29, 2023
By Peter Sterling Editor’s note: Peter Sterling is the executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont. There’s good news ahead in the fight against climate change. Utilities, business owners and energy experts now acknowledge there’s an affordable path to achieving what was once just a dream for environmentalists — a 100% renewable energy future for…
Charting a path to sustainability at the Vermont State Colleges
November 22, 2023
By Lynn Dickinson Editor’s note: Lynn Dickinson is the chair of the VSCS board. The optimization plans at Vermont State University (VTSU) chart a path toward financial sustainability by 2027, something that has eluded its legacy institutions for far too long. When we set about this work nearly four years ago, we knew that…
Vt. needs meaningful treatment of substance use
November 15, 2023
Dear Editor, It is time for our legislative body to make a full commitment to truly funding meaningful treatment to Vermont’s epidemic of substance use disorder in the creation of appropriate treatment facilities. I applaud the recent meeting at the Rutland Paramount Theatre with lawmakers, the governor and local law enforcement. I was buoyed…
Second-look legislation can make Vermont’s legal system more humane
November 15, 2023
By Jessica Brown Editor’s note: Jessica Brown is an assistant professor of law and director of the Center for Justice Reform at Vermont Law and Graduate School in Sharon. Earlier, she was a public defender for 24 years in New Hampshire and Vermont, in both the state and federal legal systems. Vermont thinks of…
Green for nothing, green for free
November 8, 2023
By Jim Hurt Editor’s note: Jim Hurt is a resident of Woodstock. News flash: Enlightened Republicans have been sighted deep in the forest, traveling in small herds with Bigfoot and other tree huggers who are guiding them gently back into the light. These tired, huddled conservatives are yearning to be free of Trump’s shadow. They…
The bear facts: people food is the problem
September 13, 2023
By Brenna Galdenzi Editor’s note: Brenna Galdenzi of Stowe is the president of Protect Our Wildlife. It’s tempting to claim that bear populations are “exploding” in Vermont, but the uptick in bear sightings is largely due to the animals having learned, over time, that food is easily accessible in people’s trash cans, bird feeders,…
Vermont needs more construction workers
September 6, 2023
By Guy Payne Editor’s note: Guy Payne is the executive director of SEON - Sustainable Energy Outreach Network. In Vermont’s rugged terrain, a novel career path is emerging, blending craftsmanship with sustainability. The state’s housing demand and industry’s need for skilled hands are fueling the call for carpenters. But beyond carpentry, lies a more…
The common man? We prefer to encourage the uncommon
January 4, 2023
By Lawrence W. Reed and David Flemming Editor’s note: Lawrence W. Reed is president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education. David Flemming, a policy analyst at the Ethan Allen Institute. All of us have heard, perhaps many times, complimentary references to the so-called “common man.” He (or she) is widely regarded as praiseworthy simply…
It pays to listen to one’s inner self
January 4, 2023
By Sas Carey Editor’s note: Sas Carey’s new book, “Marrying Mongolia,” is being published by the International Polar Institute and will be released in February 2023. Her healing practice in Middlebury can found at.lifeenegyheal.com. The documentaries and Mongolian work can be found at nomadicare.org. When you follow your inner guidance or calling, amazing things can…
Trump was the middle finger of the proletariat
December 28, 2022
By Tom Evslin This commentary is by Tom Evslin of Stowe, an entrepreneur, author and former Douglas administration official. The Trumpenfinger to the elite wasn’t meant to be pretty. I’m being optimistic in using the past tense about the former president. I do hope he’s fading from the political scene. However, there are important reasons…
Christmas spirit, 2022
December 22, 2022
By Julia Purdy After the Gospel, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is probably the best known story of Christmas in the English language. Since 1900, the entertainment industry alone has produced at least 50 versions for film and TV. We enjoy the “Carol” like a box of Christmas candy, a cornucopia of special effects thanks…
Homelessness is a crisis of housing, not unhousable Vermonters
December 15, 2022
By Anne Sosin Editor’s note: This commentary is by Anne N. Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College. A recent Vermont Public story profiled a home health worker who, after nearly 30 years of steady service, now earns $18 per hour. That…