By Doug Hoffer Voters receive a lot of information during campaigns and it’s important to check the facts. For example, Lt. Governor Scott recently said “We’ve lost nearly 2,500 workers per year since 2010” (Aug. 31, Burlington Free Press). This is true, but misleading. Workers are part of the labor force, which consists of those…

By Roger Allbee The Vermont dairy industry is again reeling from low commodity prices, caused by overproduction, a glut of imports, challenges in our export markets, and poor economic growth. The stark reality is that the current pricing mechanism for non-organic milk, in place since the 1930s, and other constraints results in an unfavorable longer…

By Lee H. Hamilton I’ve been involved in politics for the better part of a lifetime and have spoken at a lot of public meetings over the years. There’s one question, I think, that I’ve heard more than any other: “If I want to be an informed citizen, which sources of information should I consult?”…

By Lee H. Hamilton Politicians spend a good bit of their time complaining about the media. But why should they have all the fun? I’m going to join in, though I tend to get upset about different things than most sitting politicians do. You see, I don’t actually mind when journalists—whether in print, on television…

By Angelo S. Lynn In a rare development, members of a major political party are rising up against its presidential nominee in growing numbers. Among these is a well-known grass-roots group of Republicans, called R4C16.org, which has posted its endorsement for Democrat Hillary Clinton. It is signed by “a raft of Republicans who have served in GOP…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger.org OK, Vermont. You’re still special. At least for now, at least when it comes to politics. “Attack ads don’t work here” is the oft-repeated Vermont boast. In other states, Vermonters like to say, candidates can get elected by tearing down their opponents. Not here, where folks demand civility of their politicians.…

By Angelo S. Lynn These Olympic games may be the perfect distraction — and contrast — to the political embarrassment that has otherwise dominated national news. Rather than seeing the worst of ourselves as reflected in Mr. Trump — his insults, sarcasm, put-downs and pathological lying — the nation sees the best of itself in…

By Dave Silberman A recently VPR poll found that 89 percent of Vermonters view opioid and opiate addiction as a “major problem,” and that more than half of us know someone who has been personally affected by this devastating disease. Fortunately, when the Legislature reconvenes in January, they will have the opportunity to pass a…

By Angelo S. Lynn The die has been cast: Clinton will be the Democrat nominee. She has won the majority of the pledged delegates, she has won more states and contests, her steadfast support is across more demographic sectors of the population and far stronger in the most populated regions of the nation. She also…

By Gov. Peter Shumlin When I came to office in January 2011, I pledged to work every day to help make Vermont a more economically secure place to live, work, and raise a family. Back in 2011 our state still faced serious headwinds from the Great Recession. Vermont had lost nearly 10,000 jobs in the…

By Lee Kahrs, The Reporter One year ago, I wrote my first View From Here column. It was June 2015 and the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 5-4, legally recognized the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry. In writing that column, I came out to The Reporter readership. It wasn’t a…

By Deb Bucknam Last year Governor Shumlin issued an executive order “banning the box” for applicants for state employment. Last month, he signed a bill ordering that all private employers “ban the box.” Banning the box means that no employer can ask on an employment application if an applicant has a criminal record. In signing…

By Rebecca Holcombe A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, confirmed that transgender students should be able to use the bathroom that is consistent with their gender identity. This is the right decision. I think of a family friend, who spends every day worrying about whether his transgender child will still…

By Lee H. Hamilton If there’s a theme that sets this political season apart, it’s the voters’ utter disdain for most of the people who practice politics. They’re fed up with politicians, they’ve lost faith and confidence in the political “elite,” and they don’t believe that the realm where politicians ply their craft—government—works. The two…

By Lee H. Hamilton I had the good fortune last week to spend some time in Washington, D.C., with about a dozen former members of Congress. As you’d expect, we got to talking about the current Congress. Very quickly it turned out that the same question was troubling all of us: Why is it held…