Letters

Got an opinion write a letter! Please keep your submission to under 400 words whenever possible and include your full name and town of residence for publication. Letters may be edited for AP style and clarity and will be printed at the editor’s discretion and space availability. Email editor@mountaintimes.info.

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VTF&W board a self-serving loop

September 18, 2024
Dear Editor, Editor’s note: The following was submitted to the Mountain Times as an open letter to Governor Scott. To quote Yogi Berra, “It’s deja vu all over again.” Once again, there are members of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board whose terms have expired, this time as of last February, yet they are still…

Keep pets safe this trapping season

November 20, 2024
Dear Editor, The recreational trapping season in Vermont begins on the fourth Saturday of October each year and lasts through March 31st. For some animals, like otters and beavers, this season lasts for five long months. There are no limits on the number of animals a trapper may kill or on the number of traps…

‘You belong here’

November 20, 2024
Dear Editor, A Latin teacher from junior high school once told me that the word “trivia” comes from roots, meaning three roads. The idea was that people would come together where roads meet to exchange small pieces of information — trivia. Here in Vermont, we certainly swap news on street corners, and I’ve had my…

Thank you, Windsor District

November 14, 2024
Dear Editor, Thank you to the Windsor District voters for electing us to represent you in the Vermont State Senate. We are honored to serve and appreciate your vote of confidence. We are grateful to our many volunteers who helped make this victory possible. Thank you for hosting our lawn signs, writing letters to the editor, canvassing…

Ending the stalemate

November 14, 2024
Dear Editor, In October, I announced my campaign to be Vermont’s next Speaker of the House. Today, after an election that eliminated the House supermajority, I want to acknowledge the challenges we face, share why I’m stepping forward and outline my vision for how the Legislature can shift priorities and address Vermonters’ most urgent needs.…

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What happens to campaign signs?

November 14, 2024
Dear Editor, We hope all campaign signs will disappear after Nov. 5. We also hope they will NOT end up in a landfill. Most, if not all, of the signs are plastic, which means they can’t be recycled. However, they can be reused or re-purposed. Think roofing or siding material, killing invasives in your garden,…

Trump’s tariffs: the joke is on us

November 14, 2024
Dear Editor, The first thing to understand about tariffs, that no voters were ever told on the campaign trail, is that the producers in the sending country (China, for instance) do not pay for the tariff. The U.S.-based companies that receive the goods (the U.S.) must pay the tariff. Why is this? First, a nation…

Quarter Pounder packs a wallop

November 6, 2024
Dear Editor, There is a problem with our food systems. The recent E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers has led to illness, hospitalization, and even death. The CDC, FDA, and other health agencies are investigating, with fresh slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties as the suspected sources of contamination. This incident isn’t…

Doing away with the Electoral College would make Vt’s votes matter less

November 6, 2024
Dear Editor, (In response to Matthew Cecere’s commentary, “The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could give Vermont voters more impact”). I’m amazed to see an educator come out in favor of such a ridiculous concept, and to also be in favor of abolishing the Electoral College. No, the Electoral College is not perfect. But, it is…

Don’t be fooled by false promises

October 30, 2024
Dear Editor,  There is no simple solution to the challenges that Vermonters face. There needs to be a delicate balance between what, on the surface, seems like appealing short-term solutions to the cost of living for all Vermonters versus the vision for long-term planning that creates financial stability and growth into the future.  Do not…

Context matters

October 30, 2024
Dear Editor, In an October 23 letter to the Mountain Times, Steve Berry wrote, “John Kerry stated at a World Economic Forum panel, ‘Our First Amendment stands as a major block (to getting things done).’”  You may wonder why Mr. Berry uses such odd syntax, placing part of the quote in parentheses. Maybe it’s because…

Bring balance to Montpelier on Nov. 5

October 30, 2024
Dear Editor, I’m Andrea Murray, and I am running for State Senate in Windsor District because we must make Vermont more affordable. I’m a farmer in Weathersfield, a businesswoman, and a mom struggling too - with a soaring cost of living, high property taxes, and feeling career politicians are not hearing us. It’s now time…

Vote Clarkson, White, Major

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, There’s a reason you see lots of signs for Alison Clarkson, Becca White, and Joe Major now: They are the cream of the crop running for the Vermont State Senate, and Windsor County voters recognize these stellar candidates. These 3 share a deep understanding of our communities’ needs and have records as public servants showing…

Vote for leadership and selfless service

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, As we enter the last weeks of this election cycle, it is important to recognize the characteristics that are most critical in a candidate — integrity, honesty, transparency, and a genuine desire to be sensitive to and to understand the needs of the people of Vermont. There can be no ulterior or self-serving…

Do truth, democracy matter? Or ‘So what?’

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, Don’t we all need to answer Trump’s … “So What!” Last week, unsealed evidence in one of Trump’s legal cases regarding efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election showed that in the hours after his Jan. 6 rally turned to violence and learning Vice President Mike Pence was moved to safety,…

Vote Rodgers for Lt. governor 

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, There are sharp distinctions between the Progressive Democrat Lt. Governor David Zuckerman and his challenger, a former longtime legislator, Republican John Rodgers. Rodgers left the Democratic Party this year and joined the Republican Party, because of runaway tax and spending passed by the Progressive Democratic super majority of legislators and their disregard for…

Vote Rodgers

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, Vermonters should vote for John Rodgers for Lieutenant Governor. For many of us, the Lieutenant Governor race is the only place our vote will make a difference this fall. Unfortunately, it is our only seriously contested statewide race; we know who is going to get Vermont’s three presidential electoral votes; and, in too…

Be informed

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, In early spring this year a small group of longtime school board members — most former, one current — got together to talk about pushing back against the steady attacks on our public schools, which are also longtime. We decided to start a grassroots effort, calling ourselves “Friends of Vermont Public Education.”  Our mission is…

Protect speech

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, People in positions of power and authority have been speaking out against the First Amendment. Recently, John Kerry, the former secretary of state and Democratic nominee for president, stated at a World Economic Forum panel, “Our First Amendment stands as a major block (to getting things done).” For Kerry, democracy and freedom of…

Vote Rodgers for Lt. gov

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, I am writing to express my support for John Rodgers as the next Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. Having previously served as Commissioner of Vermont’s Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation for 12 years, appointed by two different governors with a significant legislative portfolio over six legislative biennia, I worked over an extended period…