Editorials
Editorials are opinions supported by the newspaper intended to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and/or inspire readers to take action on an issue.
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Health care failure: Half-steps aren’t going to cut it
June 18, 2025
By Patrick Flood Editor’s note: Patrick Flood, of Woodbury, is former commissioner of the Vermont Dept. of Mental Health and the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, and former deputy secretary of the Agency of Human Services. Because of failed leadership and misguided waste of Vermonters’ money, our health care system is on the…
Want lower taxes? Then let’s reform education the smart way
June 11, 2025
By Bryce Sammel Editor’s note: Bryce Sammel, of Barnard, previously served on and chaired both the Barnard Academy and Mountain Views school boards. Vermonters are rightly worried about taxes. With rising costs across the board, including property taxes, health care and energy bills, many residents, especially those without school-aged children, are asking a fair question:…
Extending a hand to our northern neighbors
June 4, 2025
By Mike Pieciak, Vermont Treasurer Let me start as directly as I can: I’m sorry, Canada. You didn’t elect our president, but you’re paying the price for his policies. In Vermont, we’re feeling the consequences too. Trump’s reckless tariffs are more than economic burdens; they’re straining relationships that have taken decades to build. They’re making…
Education reform: Trust Vermont values
May 28, 2025
By David F. Kelley Editor’s Note: David Kelley is a Vermont attorney. He lives in Greensboro and is a former chair of the Hazen Union School Board. He was part of the legal team that represented more than two dozen rural elementary school districts that appealed forced mergers under Act 46. The road to education…
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Must H.454 be medicine that’s too awful to swallow?
May 21, 2025
By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the publisher of the Addison Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times. On Thursday, May 15, the Senate Finance Committee gave H.454, the Legislature’s revised school funding bill, its final review and sent it to the full Senate to vote on this week. House and Senate…
Vermont can hold polluters accountable
May 14, 2025
By Sen. Nader Hashim and Rep. Martin LaLonde Editor’s note: Senator Hashim is the chair of the state Senate Judiciary Committee and Rep. LaLonde is chair of the state House Judiciary Committee. When floodwaters tore through Vermont in July 2023 and again exactly a year later, they left more than physical destruction in their wake.…
Rutland can’t afford to lose Head Start,or the programs that keep us together
May 7, 2025
By Leslie Burg Editor’s note: Leslie Burg, Manchester, is a community member of the Rutland Head Start Policy Council and an emerita professor of literacy and disabilities at Northeastern University. Show the state and the country that Rutland will not stand by while its most vulnerable residents are abandoned. Rutland is a city that represents…
Migrant workers’ arrest should shock Vt. dairy farmers
April 30, 2025
By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the publisher of the Addison Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times. When federal agents from Trump’s “big-brother” government descended on the Pleasant Valley Farms dairy in Franklin County this past Monday, they arrested eight migrant workers in their homes and placed them immediately into the Northwest State…
The real enemy isn’t fear, it’s how we let it divide us
April 23, 2025
By Stanley McChrystal Editor’s Note: Stanley McChrystal, who is retired from the Army, is the former commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan and the former commander of Joint Special Operations Command. He is the author of the forthcoming book “On Character: Choices That Define a Life.” This commentary was first published…
The wave must continue to grow
April 16, 2025
By David Moats Editor’s note: David Moats, of Salisbury, is editorial page editor emeritus of the Rutland Herald, where he won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his editorials on Vermont’s civil union law. The festive atmosphere on the town green in Brandon during the “Hands Off” protest on April 5 did not mask the seriousness of the…
Decision-making for Vermont’s future
April 9, 2025
By Seth Bowden Editor’s note: Seth Bowden, Jericho, is president of the Vermont Business Roundtable. Vermont stands at a crossroads. In fact, we’ve been there for some time. Economic growth, affordability and social equity must converge to create a sustainable and prosperous future, yet the existing conditions of our communities prevent them from doing so. …
Upset about Trump cutting crucial services? Speak up!
April 2, 2025
By Angelo Lynn If you’re worried that Trump’s proposed cuts to the administration of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will negatively affect the benefits you or a member of your family may receive, you should speak out. If you’re worried that privatizing the U.S. Postal Service will reduce rural delivery to your mailbox, negatively impact…
Scott’s ‘affordability’ is not solving problems affordably
March 26, 2025
By Angelo Lynn Before Vermonters label Gov. Scott heartless for denying “children, pregnant women, disabled Vermonters, veterans, and those fleeing domestic violence” access to the motel voucher program set to expire on April 1, voters should consider the governor’s position. For the past several terms he has run on the mantra of “affordability,” not aiding…
Sunshine Week: Access to government records and information is more important than ever
March 19, 2025
By Tanya Marshall Editor’s note: Tanya Marshall is the Vermont State archivist, chief records officer, and director of the Vermont state archives and records administration, a division of the Vermont secretary of state. As the days get longer and snow melts, it is fitting that this is Sunshine Week—an annual celebration of government records and…
Vermont stands poised to take among strongest efforts in the nation to protect our children
March 12, 2025
By Jonathan Haidt Editor’s note: Jonathan Haidt is the author of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” a 2024 book which argues that the spread of smartphones, social media and overprotective parenting have led to a rise in mental illness. Vermont is at a critical…
It’s going to take all of us: Education transformation
March 5, 2025
By Speaker Jill Krowinski Each legislative biennium begins with a range of issues that need to be addressed — some are straightforward, while others are extremely complex. Many are brand new, while others are perennial topics. This session is no different as we take on the work to address the pressing challenges in our state. …
Expanding the Killington Select Board: pros, cons
February 26, 2025
By Polly Mikula Voters in the town of Killington will be asked to consider expanding its current three-member volunteer Select Board to five at Town Meeting Day this Tuesday, March 4. The question has been on the ballot before, and the measure failed, but there may be more appetite for it this time. Unfortunately, there…
Resist the billionaire playbook: What the oligarchs want
February 19, 2025
By U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders I do not often find myself in the habit of thanking Elon Musk, but he has done an exceptional job of demonstrating a point that we have made for years — and that is the fact we live in an oligarchic society in which billionaires dominate, not only our politics…
Vt’s future is a choice between scarcity and abundance
February 19, 2025
By Kevin Chu Editor’s note: Kevin Chu is the executive director of the Vermont Futures Project, an independent non-partisan organization pursuing answers to their mission question: How can we use data to support the evolution of Vermont’s economy towards a thriving future full of opportunity for all? Personal growth is universally celebrated. We encourage people…
