Dear Editor, Now that the truth is out of the bag, thanks to Vermont Digger and others, it is clear that our Legislature passed Act 48 with the intent to capture and control Medicare and Medicaid payments and services. What is unclear is, with all the denying coming from the administration and their representatives, did…

Dear Editor, The November elections are over, and though I was not re-elected as Representative for my district, I am feeling appreciative of my supporters and honored to have served for the last two years. I remain optimistic about our future. When we take stock of our assets, and plan with intentionality for the communities…

Dear Editor, We would like to deed our house to the State of Vermont. We have a nice home in a “gold town.” Our house has been listed for sale for over a year. We have lowered the price significantly and still draw little interest. Although we had never planned to move out of Vermont,…

Dear Editor, On a typical foggy morning in September I was commuting to work on my bicycle and every car was shrouded in a 50-foot cocoon of visibility. It occurred to me that what I was seeing was similar to how so many of us live in our own protective cocoons, and how we cope…

Repealing the option tax will make it harder to pay for upcoming expenses Dear Editor, In response to Mr. Freund’s letter “Repeal once percent option tax for a stronger community” in last week’s edition (Nov. 13-19), which I read carefully, he makes some valid points. But what he failed to do is offer any solutions…

Dear Editor, With Thanksgiving around the corner, we’re entering a time of year that is often a period of reflection and optimism, highlighted locally by the approach of the Gift-of-Life Marathon. Growing up, my mother taught by example, and one of the lessons was about the importance of donating blood. She was unable to donate,…

By Steve Costello When I was a little boy, one of my favorite stories was the folk tale about stone soup. I remember being inspired by the thought that stones could be the key ingredients in what turns out to be a delicious meal for an entire community. They can’t, of course, but the magic…

Dear Editor, In response to Diane Rosenblum’s letter to the editor last week titled “Oppose the option tax” I just don’t understand why one would write such a letter without facts. Green Mountain National Golf Course does not have $5 million debt. As of Dec. 31, 2013, the debt was $3,850,000. There has been no…

Dear Editor, Local option taxes were authorized by the state legislature to “reduce the dislocations in those municipalities that may be caused by reforms to the method of financing public education under the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1997.” In other words the option taxes were authorized to mitigate the egregious tax increase caused by…

Dear Editor, I fully support the recent Mountain Times letters endorsing retaining the 1 percent option tax. True the original purpose was for economic development, however, times have changed and Town needs have changed. Just like Green Mountain National Golf Course, which when purchased, was thought to be able to provide sufficient economic income growth…

Dear Editor, I believe that the Killington Resort plan to repeal the 1 percent options tax is a perfect way to galvanize this community. When one takes a moment to look at the effect this could have on our community as a whole, the benefits are overwhelmingly positive. From the residents, to the businesses, to the…

Dear Editor, I’m 72 years “young” and strongly support modification of the Killington Option Tax as suggested by The Resort. The suggested modification of the option tax is NOT the elimination of the option tax, only the elimination of that portion applicable to sales and use tax. Because I shop in Killington, a portion of…

Dear Editor, Rutland County is a wonderful place to live and raise children. However, some families do not have the resources and support they need, and children end up in the state’s custody for a variety of reasons. Some have been abused, neglected, and/or abandoned by their parents or other caretakers; others are the subjects…

Dear Editor, The Rutland Area Prevention Coalition thanks all of our partners around Rutland County who helped in the celebration of National Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 23-31)—a time set aside to stress the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, especially among youth. Anti-drunk-or-drugged driving messages are appropriately part of this event, and we thank the 10…

Editor’s note: The Mountain Times receives many questions from readers every week about Killington Resort and Pico Mountain operations. Mike Solimano, president and general manager for Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, has agreed to answer some of the most common questions received. The Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo is coming up next week (Nov. 13-16).…