By Rob Roper As a result of the November 2018 elections, Vermont Democrats and Progressives achieved veto-proof majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. Their first priority flexing this new muscle is to pass a mandatory, government-run, paid family leave […]
Tag: Rob Roper
Op - Ed
Will bond downgrade spark pension reform?
By Rob Roper On Oct. 23, Moody’s, the investors’ credit service, downgraded Vermont’s bond rating from AAA to Aa1. This has significant implications for the state’s ability to borrow money and the cost of doing so. The reasons Moody’s cited […]
Op - Ed
Vetoing the $15 minimum wage was a good thing
By Rob Roper After watching the debate in the State House over the $15 minimum wage it is hard to see how any rational or compassionate person could have, at the end of the day, supported the policy. The potential […]
Op - Ed
“Proficiency-based Learning” reform lacks in proficiency
By Rob Roper Vermont’s student test scores are falling. It’s no longer a blip, but a trend. As State Board of Education member Bill Mathis said, “When you have two different tests showing much the same thing, you have to […]
Letter
Setting the record straight: voter fraud case
Dear Editor, Recently, Ethan Allen Institute President Rob Roper posted an op-ed with the inflammatory, sensational title, “So Second Home Owners Can Vote in Vermont?” Perhaps as intended, Mr. Roper’s attention seeking commentary caused significant confusion and concern about Vermont’s […]
Op - Ed
So, second home owners can vote in Vermont?
By Rob Roper There is a vote fraud case in Vermont, currently in the Essex Superior Court, in which a family of second home owners from Connecticut (parents and two adult children) registered to vote in the town of Victory, […]
Op - Ed, Opinion
Climate resolution is a farce upon a farce
By Rob Roper The last thing the Vermont House of Representatives did before leaving town was pass H.R. 15, a resolution “strongly opposing the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement … and recognizing Governor Phil Scott’s enrolling Vermont in […]
Op - Ed, Opinion
Time to examine equity in public schools
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 […]
Op - Ed, Opinion
School choice: Every student deserves the opportunity I had
By Rob Roper When I was in second grade, my parents moved our family from Virginia to Connecticut because Dad took a job in New York City. They chose the town of Riverside to live in based largely on the […]
Op - Ed, Opinion
First steps toward 700,000 Vermonters
By Rob Roper During the gubernatorial campaign Phil Scott set a goal to expand Vermont’s population from 625,000 to 700,000 over the next 10 years or so. This is a pretty tall order (maybe unattainable), but the governor-elect’s call does […]