For opinion pieces on any topic.
In yesterdays Reformer there was an article about the Police/Fire project and its future. It talked about the Police & Fire Facilities Oversight Committee. The article goes on to state that it is unacceptable to the PFFOC to simply repair what needs to be repaired. They apparantly want a project that will last for the next 50 years rather than a band-aid approach that has been discussed.
I am going to be making the following motion under Other Business at the Special Representative Town Meeting
Motion to establish an ad hoc committee of Representative Town Meeting for the purpose of bringing forth proposal for the establishment of a “Futures Committee.”
Brattleboro has been in slow but generally steady decline for the last fifty or so years. There have been a few mitigating developments such as C&S, Yankee and the growth of the hospital and the Retreat but these have not been enough to stem the tide. Now they, too, as a whole, are diminishing. The town has been able to sustain itself only because of an expanding social safety net that includes a huge federally subsidized affordable housing sector (primarily the Brattleboro Housing Authority and the Windham and Windsor Trust).
DESCRIPTION: Don’t cry can’t be done, imperialists own the courts! Syrians grieving their dead and normal people everywhere have already prosecuted them in their hearts. When enough people demand justice, a way is found. Special courts are created when the court of public opinion is strong! Nuremberg Principles and other laws await use! Only accessories report prosecutable crimes against humanity as mistaken foreign policy-Realpolitik!
You are likely aware of the incredible influence the Koch brothers (Charles and David) are having on US politics. Their combined wealth is over 70 billion dollars which is more than the wealth of any other individual in the U..S. They have used their money to very strongly influence politics in this country through the cover of organizations such as Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners which in turn contribute large sums of money to conservative groups such as the Tea Party. The Koch brothers with their enormous wealth are part of an ever increasing takeover of the US democracy by private and corporate wealth and influence.
DESCRIPTION: Funding creation or bloody appearance of civil wars has been the weapon of choice for post Second World War US imperialism. 32 such US promoted civil wars are listed. US backs fascist terror in Ukraine; makes the Venezuelan economy scream; Obama mouths a CIA fed imperial edit, ” Assad must go!” never mind Assad has overwhelming support. 23 presidents overthrown,18 dictators+ put in office. Why Americans will be prosecuted!
As I suspected, our “leaders” in the U.S. Congress aren’t inclined to require the Obama Administration to release the “targeted kill” memo authored by David Barron before confirming his judicial appointment today. And once again, the mainstream media got suckered by the White House’s PR machine to enable business as usual.
While I encourage all to read , here’s how bmaz, a lawyer and top-level blogger at Emptywheel blog, ends his post on the subject today:
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Are you in mortal danger from a cigarette smoker? Do you think cigarette smokers are drug addicts? Are they weapons of mass destruction? However you perceive cigarette smokers they are not exactly benign harmless creatures of habit, are they? The odd thing is that some cigarette smokers agree and admit they endanger themselves and others, with less concern for their fellow man, woman and child than I like to know.
The Town of Brattleboro is deceiving its people.
Specifically, I note that, next week, the town will host a couple of “visioning” sessions for residents.
The lie is that these sessions are to hear what the people of Brattleboro want their town to look like years from now, so that this common “vision” can be implemented.
The truth is that Brattleboro is a member of ICLEI, the executive arm of the United Nations’ Agenda 21, Blueprint for Humanity, a self-described UN effort to control all human behavior and to impose “universal design” on what it refers to as all “human settlements.”
MIDDLEBURY, Vt., May 16 – U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz spoke at a Vermont Energy Summit today as part of a first-hand look at how Vermont is on the cutting edge of transforming its energy systems from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.
In remarks at Middlebury College, Moniz focused on the need to reduce the cost of clean energy. Vermont, he added, “really looks unique” in terms of public and private cooperation on energy issues.
New FDA rule threatens mutually beneficial and environmentally sound partnership between brewers and farmers
Waterbury, VT (May 14th) – At the Alchemist Cannery today in Waterbury, Rep. Peter Welch unveiled a two-prong bipartisan effort to block a proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule that would likely end the longstanding practice of Vermont brewers providing nutritious and cost effective spent grain to farmers to feed their livestock. The spent grain would otherwise be dumped in landfills or composted at a significant cost to brewers.
Commissioner Recchia to Testify at U.S. Senate Hearing
WASHINGTON, May 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced legislation to give states a greater role in decommissioning nuclear power plants.
Vermont and neighboring states should have more input in the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission process for determining what happens after the shutdown later this year of the 42-year-old Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, Sanders said. Aging plants also are projected to be mothballed in the next decade in Florida, Wisconsin, New Jersey, New York and Ohio.
BURLINGTON, Vt., May 12 – Flanked by Vermont college students and graduates who are deep in debt, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will introduce legislation to help students earn college credits in high school in order to cut the cost of earning a college diploma.
Sanders said he supports a separate bill to lower interest rates on student loans. And, as a member of the Senate education committee, he also is working on ways to bring down college costs.
BURLINGTON, Vt., May 9 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will hold a press conference Monday in his Burlington office to announce legislation to help children from working families go to college. Sanders will be joined by Vermonters who will share how carrying heavy student debt loads has affected their lives.
Sanders plans to introduce legislation in the Senate early next week to help students earn college credits while still in high school. That would cut the time and the cost of earning a college diploma.
I have a few concerns about Pay As You Thow implementation for our town. Although I completely agree that we all need to be responsible for our own waste, I hope we can be very careful about how we choose to create this program. Some of the selectboard members have made comments that indicate an interest in possibly removing this line item from our budget completely and passing those costs directly to our townspeople. In other posts on this site there have been comments about how this is a cost shift and that is true in a number of different ways that we really need to pay attention to.
Currently, our municipal taxes pay for our trash pickup. It is a line item in our municipal budget, and all of the grand list is assessed the tax. That means that businesses contribute to this cost even though our businesses are responsible for providing their own waste disposal. If we go to a PAYT program that is not part of our municipal budget, we will see a reduction of our municipal tax but each homeowner will most likely be paying more since there is no subsidy from our businesses on the grand list. Businesses will have a tax reduction with no corresponding increase in costs.
Since his office didn’t post Senator Leahy’s “comment…on the nomination of David Barron to serve on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals,” I’ll do the honors:
May 6, 2014
“I applaud the administration for making available to all Senators the Justice Department memo regarding Anwar Al Awlaki. All members of the Judiciary Committee were previously able to review this memo, and I am glad all Senators will have the opportunity to do so now.
WASHINGTON, May 6 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called for Congress to act on proposals to curb greenhouse gas emissions after a major new report today warned that global warming could exceed 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the United States by the end of this century.
“This important report is another loud and clear warning that greenhouse gases are rising faster than ever and our refusal to recognize and deal with the crisis could have catastrophic consequences,” said Sanders, a member of the Senate energy and environment committees.
“It is no longer acceptable for a majority in Congress to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence. It is no longer acceptable that coal and oil companies spend millions of dollars to defeat efforts to protect the planet,” Sanders added.
This is the unedited version on the letter that I wrote to the Reformer. (They always seem to cut a handful of sentences.) I don’t usually get involved with politics, write letters, or post things on ibrattleboro, but this issue of cutting services that will especially hurt those with limited income or disabilities was too upsetting for me to ignore.
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In reconfiguring the Brattleboro budget, I think that it is imperative to not cut services that will engender more hardship for middle and low income people. I am especially concerned about the funding for our library.
There is a simple way to solve all of Brattleboro’s current financial problems.
We can solve our budget problem. We can solve our problems of being a hub town providing services to surrounding towns,. We can raise our Grand List and add new jobs and businesses. We can support local farmers. We can pay for the Police and Fire facilities.
It’s not even that difficult.
WASHINGTON, May 5 – Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after the American Legion called for the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki:
“Serious allegations have been made regarding waiting lists at the Phoenix VA. Secretary Shinseki has done the right thing by calling for an immediate investigation of those allegations by the independent Office of Inspector General. I have promised to hold hearings on this issue as soon as we have the facts. While it might be temporarily satisfying to call for firing someone, it doesn’t get us any closer to the truth or solve problems that may exist.
Please help me solve this riddle. If the U.S. Air Force wants to base F-35 fighter jets in Burlington, Vermont because they will be close enough to New York City and Boston to protect them in the event of and attack, then HOW does bombing New York City or Boston with nuclear bombs deployed by F-35 strike fighter jets help NYC or Boston? If you bomb a terrorist in NYC or Boston with a nuclear bomb, aren’t you doing more harm than the terrorist?
