AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – David Schoales, Board Chair
II. CONSENT AGENDA
• CLERK’S REPORT – Approval of Minutes – April 6, 2021
III. Public Comment on Non-agenda Items (10 minutes)
IV. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
• Hiring
As the pandemic unfolded it became clear how dysfunctional the American health care system is. There was even talk among a wide range of people about the urgency for the need for systemic reform. Sadly, when legislators talk that way nothing usually happens. They recognize the problem, say something must be done and then move on to the next pressing issue. Anyone remember gun control?
This has been the case both nationally and on a state level. The Biden administration has done a few things that will tinker with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to undo some of the damage that the previous administration did and make insurance a little more affordable for some people, but it is unlikely they will make any bold moves when it comes to health care reform.
Nick Biddle PhD. will offer brief comments assessing the nature of the Trump presidency and its consequences. In light of those consequences, how might Democrats repair democracy’s damage as they face pandemic, economic turmoil, un-civil cultural war and raging climate crisis? Democratic leaders compare this moment to World War II. What bold steps will work to repair ourselves and our world? General discussion will follow. Please join the conversation. Nick has lived in Brattleboro since 2013. He is a retired professor of Latin American History.
When the pandemic started to take over our lives the spring season of growth and rebirth was providing us with some positive energy. As bad as things seemed, many were able to adapt to a life outdoors making the best of a bad situation.
If the federal government had made an effort to mount a unified response to the pandemic we would now be able to hunker down for the winter with the hope that the spread of the virus was controlled to some degree. Instead, the virus is out of control and the number of new cases continues to climb every day.
It’s true that, given the limited extent of impact and damage in Vermont from the virus, Scott has done a proper job. However he only did what any of us would do. If you recall, one of his earliest public statements was that he was in completely uncharted territory with the pandemic. He didn’t know anything more about it than any of us in the state. So he called the state’s medical team together, got a bit of an education and followed their advice. I’d like to think that all of our governors would have done the same. He was very lucky in this particular crisis to have had the federal government step in fairly quickly with a huge cash infusion that gave us all time to understand and assess the situation and choose our actions under less stressed conditions.
BenjaminFulford.net is a geopolitical news and discussion website from Canadian-born reporter and investigative journalist Benjamin Fulford, now residing in Japan.
According to Fulford, his reports are based on information from a broad range of sources including the yakuza, MI6, the Freemasons, the CIA, the KGB, Mossad, the triads, the Chinese government, Japanese military intelligence, etc.
We are now entering a new phase of pandemic adjustment. The first few months were a novelty and, although many people had a hard time adjusting, it seemed that most people were able to cope while holding out hope for temporary change.
Now that it is clear that we are going to have to change our lives for the long term and that there is no exact time frame for society to re-open, people are losing patience. Early on, people were almost too friendly, trying to be respectful of each other in supermarkets and other places that have been able to remain open. But that friendliness is wearing thin and some people are taking out their frustrations on others.
Then there are the mostly brain-dead yahoos who think their personal liberty is more important than the lives of others as they protest around the country. Thankfully, they are a minority, but they are being supported by Trump. Some governors have decided that reinvigorating commerce is more important than protecting lives. That puts all of us in jeopardy.
We are focusing our efforts on self-preservation and prevention during this time of pandemic. But we will all have more time on our hands for reflection and I urge people to stand back a little and try to take the bigger view whenever possible. It will help with the state of your mental health and it may provide some comfort, even if fleeting.
Most of us have had little experience with the process of death and dying and that inexperience tends to create fear. In past generations death was a part of life that everyone watched play out in their family. They had a chance to understand what lay ahead and they learned acceptance of that inevitability.
Because rubbing alcohol, disinfectant spray, and hand sanitizer are still difficult or impossible to find, here are two ideas:
1. Grain alcohol – BE CAREFUL, IT IS VERY FLAMMABLE! and it’s not cheap ($19- $21), but these are unusual circumstances!
Everclear Vodka is 151 proof (75.5% alcohol) available at NH Liquor Stores. Here is link to the current supply on hand at each store, and what’s on order: https://www.liquorandwineoutlets.com/products/detail/1692/everclear_151
“Scientists at… Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security modeled a hypothetical pandemic on a computer as part of research last October- three months before the deadly outbreak in China. The exercise was not intended as a prediction – but rather served to highlight how governments and industry would respond in the case of a very severe pandemic.”
