Opinion

For opinion pieces on any topic.

Sanders: Cold Shoulder for Global Warming on Sunday TV

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 – A group of senators today asked network television executives why there has been “shockingly little discussion” about global warming on Sunday morning broadcast network news and interview programs.

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) cited a new Media Matters for America  which found that only 27 minutes of air time was devoted to discussions about climate change during all of last year on Meet the Press, This Week, Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday – combined.

Sanders Calls for Limits on NSA Surveillance

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 – The National Security Agency director, responding to an inquiry by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), did not rule out collecting intelligence on members of Congress.

“In recent months, the American people have learned that a record of virtually every telephone call made in the United States is placed in an NSA database, that as many as 35 foreign leaders – including some of our strongest allies – have had their cell phones monitored, and that the NSA has intercepted Americans’ emails and monitored their Internet traffic,” Sanders said.

Which is More Corrupt – The Garden State or the Green Mountain State

by Not Signed In | Op/Ed

New Jersey has been known for its culture of mobsters, hooligans, and political dirty tricks for many decades. When I was a kid, anytime the topic of New Jersey was discussed, my Dad would smile and say – “Yep, that’s where all the crooks are”. He always had a twinkle in his eye when he said that. Naturally, it made me want to move to New Jersey as soon as I was old enough. New Jersey sounded really cool, like a land of fun and excitement…especially, while growing up in the coal mine region of Pennsylvania.

ALDI First Impressions

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

I dropped by the new ALDI supermarket on Putney Road today. The place was buzzing with people checking out products and prices, and staff were getting used to working in a new building. I had two immediate impressions of the supermarket.

First, the prices were low. Very low. Other supermarkets in the area should be worried about losing people looking for lowest prices. ALDI means business and appears ready to compete.

How low? Can of black beans was 59 cents. Bottles of wine under $5. Chicken breasts for $2.69 a pound. Pineapples for $1.29 each. Milk was $2.29 a gallon. And so on. Anyone looking to pay less will be in here.

The Mammoth in the Room

by spinoza | Op/Ed

Was it natural selection, maladaptation, or human greed that killed-off the woolly pachyderm? It’s not critical now because the species is gone, and I bring it up only as a metaphor to set the stage for this article.

I don’t like to explain an analogy in advance. There may be implications or reverberations from the imagery that might trump the reference. Suffice it to say, this great and noble beast, who roamed these very hills and valleys is no longer around to give direct evidence of what went wrong.

Which brings me to the topic at hand. Lately I’ve been wondering about the predicament of our elected officials. To whom are they ultimately accountable? Whether the scale is the local school board, or Congress, we see without any deep investigation, affinities to the establishment, or private interests, or the sitting administration, that conflict with those of the voter or constituents.

The Good With The Bad: 2013 in Review

by Lise | Op/Ed

If you asked me at any point during 2013 what kind of year I thought it was, I would have said lousy.  From a personal perspective it was trying to say the least.  Perhaps the brightest spot for me was fulfilling my 2012 New Year’s resolution of launching the new, improved iBrattleboro site on schedule in February 2013 thus marking the site’s 10th anniversary with a decided upgrade.  That felt good.   But personal issues aside, 2013 was an unusually mixed year with surprising news both good and bad.  First the bad.

The Boston Marathon bombing was a depressing incident through and through and while we may never know what really happened there, we can be sure that things like that will happen again. This year saw a continuation of random shootings, in malls, workplaces, and other typically safe places that seemed to pick up steam last year with the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.  Perhaps in time we’ll become desensitized to such events but not yet.

Commentary: Thoughts on Pathways Out of Poverty

by Norsehorse | Politics

*Updated* (view *Update* added to third paragraph)

Last Monday (December 30, 2013)  Governor Peter Shumlin announced his newly established initiative to address matters of poverty within Vermont, which he dubbed “Pathways Out of Poverty” and includes a Council that will meet three times a year (membership list, here).

News coverage can be found, here (via WCAX – Channel 3 TV – News; includes video; 12/30/2013); here (via VPR News; 12/30/2013); here (via vtdigger; 12/31/2013); and, here (via Times Argus; 12/31/2013).

In addition, read the set of anti-poverty advocacy and service provider coalition priority recommendations submitted to Governor Shumlin (dated: September 23, 2013; via Vermont Public Radio), here. *Update*: View a digital copy of the official Executive Order for the formation of the POoP Council (via Google Drive; no sign in required), here.

Is the NSA Spying on Congress?

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 3 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today asked the National Security Agency director whether the agency has monitored the phone calls, emails and Internet traffic of members of Congress and other elected officials.

“Has the NSA spied, or is the NSA currently spying, on members of Congress or other American elected officials?” Sanders asked in a letter to Gen. Keith Alexander, the NSA director. “ ‘Spying’ would include gathering metadata on calls made from official or personal phones, content from websites visited or emails sent, or collecting any other data from a third party not made available to the general public in the regular course of business?”

Sanders Calls for Minimum Wage Increase

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 31 – With minimum wages set to go up on New Year’s Day in Vermont and 12 other states, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today renewed his call for an increase in the federal minimum wage.

“States and communities are not waiting for Congress to raise the minimum wage. They are doing the right thing because the simple truth is that working people cannot survive on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, or $8 an hour or $9 an hour. If people work 40 hours a week, they deserve not to live in dire poverty,” Sanders said.

Long-Term Jobless Benefits Expire Saturday

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that Congress must restore unemployment benefits that expire Saturday for 1.3 million Americans, including some 600 Vermonters, who have been out of work for longer than 26 weeks.

Unless Congress acts, jobless benefits will lapse during the first half of 2014 for an additional 1.9 million people, including another 2,300 Vermonters.

“It is not only immoral to cut off help for workers struggling to find jobs, it is also bad economics,” Sanders said. “At a time when long-term unemployment is near a record level, cutting benefits will hurt the rest of the economy and cause even more jobs to disappear.”

The Stage for Change and Thoughts Going Forward – Brattleboro Taxes

by David Dunn | Opinion

I think everyone, including the Select and School Boards, recognizes that Brattleboro has a major property tax problem coupled with an imminent economic crisis. I think the Town needs to take aggressive steps toward a functional solution.

As the former head of the BUHS Board and its Finance Committee for 10 years, I/we faced a budget crisis every year. We recognized that there was an advocate for every budget dollar – and then some. I remember the public debate, scrutiny and pain we faced when we cut programs or tried to implement cost savings through change. We can no longer afford this brutal, slow process.

You Break It You Buy It

by spinoza | Op/Ed

Since the Selectboard supervened in the matter of the skatepark location, reversing their previous commitment, annulling the vote of town meeting, backing-up their resolve by forming a skatepark search committee, all in the name of a solution, I’ll take this as the price of progress. But a few lingering questions continue to puzzle me.

That there are no skaters on the committee, although peculiar, this is not my primary concern. There is a stalwart member of BASIC, and a longtime Rec. Advocate aboard, this brings some consolation in that regard. But I do find it bizarre; would a golf course be sited without a golfer, or outdoor musical venue without the ear of a musician?

Kudos to Kruz

by tomaidh | Op/Ed

I don’t think I ever agreed with anything U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas) has said. But this time he hit the nail on the head:

“Friday, December 20, 2013 3:55 pm WASHINGTON, D.C. —,”Today I voted against the National Defense Authorization Act. I am deeply concerned that Congress still has not prohibited President Obama’s ability to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens arrested on American soil without trial or due process.

Brattleboro Fiscal Policies

by JohnWilmerding | Op/Ed

Of course I have been reading the latest opinion letters about Brattleboro finances and taxes. I agree there is a fair bit of sentiment being expressed about this issue, with most of it against higher property taxes.

There is, however, another side of the story. The major reason for tax increases coming over the next two years is that Representative Town Meeting approved the bonding of the Police & Fire Station improvements, which bonds may reach about $14.1 Million. The full weight of this bonding will be phased into our tax rates over two years’ time, because of the Selectboard’s decision to apply for the bonds in two stages: $5 Million initially to fund the planning phases of the project, and the rest the following year.

The Coming Storm.. Brattleboro Taxes

by David Dunn | Op/Ed

I am watching the discussions about the budget, growing obligations, new expenses and concomitant higher taxes, with concern. The lack of public input over the continued escalation of property taxes is confounding. The fact that Brattleboro continues to pursue this path, given the current economic situation and future portended, seems like trying to deny the coming tsunami. While income sensitivity is a panacea for some, the property tax bite has moved beyond unreasonable into unsustainable. The fact is, Vermont has the third highest tax burden in the nation and Brattleboro has one of the highest tax burdens in the State.

Sanders to Vote ‘No’ on Defense Authorization Bill

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 – The Senate set a vote for late tonight on a Department of Defense bill that would authorize $625 billion for the military. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he will vote “no” and issued the following statement:

“At a time when the United States has a $17.2 trillion national debt and when we spend almost as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue for us to take a hard look at the waste, cost overruns and financial mismanagement that have plagued the huge Defense Department for years.

Vermont Wins $37 Million for Universal Pre-School

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 – Vermont today won a $37 million federal grant for a statewide, pre-kindergarten program at public schools.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of the Senate education committee, worked closely with federal officials and Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration to secure the grant for early childhood education.

Sanders said, “Psychologists tell us that, in terms of human development, the most important years are birth through four years of age. Yet, in terms of early childhood education, our nation does a very inadequate job in making quality pre-kindergarten education available to working families. This major federal grant will significantly improve early childhood education in our state and better prepare our kids for school and the challenges and opportunities of life. I am very appreciative that the Department of Education provided Vermont with this major grant.”

Welch Lauds Rutland’s Record Breaking Blood Drive

by Not Signed In | Politics

Rutland, VT. (December 18th, 2013)- Rep. Peter Welch issued the following statement after it was reported that Rutland’s Gift of Life Marathon blood drive collected 2,337 pints of blood, beating the national record for a single community in one day.

“In the end, it wasn’t even close. Yesterday, Rutland showed Vermont and the nation that it has heart — big time heart. And it demonstrated what a community can accomplish when its residents work together on a shared goal,” said Welch.

Sanders Statement on Court Ruling Against NSA

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after a federal judge declared that the bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records by the National Security Agency is likely to violate the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches and probably is not effective in fighting terrorism:

“I applaud the D.C. District Court’s ruling today on the NSA surveillance program. In my view, the NSA is out of control and operating in an unconstitutional manner. Today’s ruling is an important first step toward reining in this agency but we must go further. I will be working as hard as I can to pass the strongest legislation possible to end the abuses by the NSA and other intelligence agencies.”

Contact: Michael Briggs (202) 224-5141