By Rob Roper Equity and access to educational resources has been a hot topic surrounding the rules (or changes thereto) governing independent schools that accept tax dollars through Vermont’s tuitioning system. Some argue that if a school takes state money it should accept any and all comers. But what about public schools? There is a…

By Don Turner Last week, Montpelier turned the page after an eight-year spell of overspending and financial irresponsibility. Since 2009, the House Republican Caucus has advocated for an annual budget that does not raise taxes or fees, balances overall spending with revenue growth, and promotes economic vitality in Vermont. We are proud to support a…

By Will Patten On Feb. 1 I attended a meeting of Vermont business leaders to discuss the importance of early childhood education. Governor Phil Scott came to address the group and received a spontaneous and enthusiastic standing ovation—not because he had cut business taxes or gutted regulations but because a few days earlier he had…

By Angelo S. Lynn Congressional Republicans called Trump’s bluff Friday, March 24, and guess who backed down? Trump did, with his tail between his legs. Trump had tried to make it a game of “chicken,” carelessly threatening Republican opponents last Thursday that if they didn’t pass TrumpCare he would “come and get them,” but it…

By Angelo S. Lynn By now, the biggest sin of the GOP health care bill is well known: it’s a tax cut bill masquerading as a health care plan. Simply put, it takes health care away from lower-income and middle-income Americans who need it most, and it cuts taxes on the rich and super-rich by…

By Lee H. Hamilton As you watch the healthcare proceedings on Capitol Hill, imagine what things might be like if we lived in more functional political times. In particular, what if Congress were run by pragmatists? It would not change the issues at hand. On the one side, you’d have the Republican majority in Congress,…

By Sen. Patrick Leahy This is the first Sunshine Week, since it began in 2005, when the public’s right to know has been under direct assault, and on several fronts. “Fake news,” “alternative facts,” retaliatory restrictions on press access by the White House, and demonizing attacks on the working press are eroding the public’s access to…

By Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos An open government makes for a better government. This is Sunshine Week and it is being celebrated all across the nation.4.1x7  In reality, it should be celebrated every week – not just this week – in Vermont and every other state. Here at the secretary of state’s office, our operations…

By Adam Grinold, Lyle Jepson, William Colvin There is a scene from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” set in days of the Black Plague. Eric Idle moves through a village, calling “Bring out your dead!” John Cleese appears, a body slung over his shoulder. As he negotiates offloading the corpse to Idle, the body interrupts;…

By Sen. Dick McCormack Refugees Before I take issue with Governor Scott I want to thank him for his reason and courage in condemning the bigoted banning of refugees based on their religion. We Americans have many conflicting opinions, but the things that unite us are greater than the things that divide us. Mutual respect…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger “It is almost impossible to start a small business now,” said the president of the United States the other day, and he knew why. It was, he said, “because of regulation.” As has been noted elsewhere, Donald Trump and fact do not always inhabit the same realm. Depending on how “small…

By Lyle Jepson and Mary Cohen Imagine a future for Rutland County in which young families move into efficient new homes close to high-paying advanced manufacturing jobs … recent college graduates shop downtown for “first day of work” wardrobes before starting jobs with local companies where they worked as student interns. … construction workers in…

The average nondegree grant is $1,800 By Scott Giles  Governor Phil Scott’s budget request to invest an additional $1 million in the nondegree grant program will pay off in real opportunities for Vermonters who need education and training for jobs that are waiting to be filled.  In fact, over the next decade, seven out of…

By Lee H. Hamilton As a country, we make a habit of looking forward, not backward. But I’m going to ask you to turn your attention back a few weeks, to Barack Obama’s Jan. 10 farewell address to the American people. I’ve been reading presidential farewell speeches for many years. Most of them give good…

By Lyle Jepson Vermonters can no longer ask their economic development organizations to work in isolation and still expect success for our communities and our businesses. Over the last year, the Rutland region has proved that a common vision and a common direction – forged through persistence and hard work – can rapidly transform a…