Opinion

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told the American Legion today that he is “deeply troubled” by unacceptable backlogs in processing veterans’ disability claims.

“I refuse to accept the status quo,” Sanders told the Legion’s annual conference at the Washington Hilton hotel. 

While the Department of Veterans Affairs has processed more than 1 million claims a year for each of the past three years, the number of new claims has outpaced the department’s ability to process the paperwork.

Watch the full Selectboard Candidate forum, which was held Friday, February 22, 2013.

This forum was sponsored by The League of Women Voters, and moderated by Francine Vallario.

I’m running for the three year seat because it takes that long to learn how to do the job with at least moderate effectiveness.  I’ve lived long enough to know the value of experience, practice and training.  If I do a good job and the voters want me back I will remain on the board for additional terms.  My experience is especially valuable at this point because with three new people coming on there is a possibility that among the five member Selectboard we could have an aggregate experience of only 4 years, or less than one year per person.

Brattleboro Citizens Breakfast – Video
February 15, 2013

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast

February 15, 2013

Gibson-Aiken Center – Brattleboro VT

Moderator: Daryl Pillsbury

Wednesday, February 27, at 5:00 PM is the deadline to register to vote in the Town and Town School election. If you are registered to vote in the town you reside in, you do not need to register again.

If you are unsure if your name is listed as a registered voter in your town or for more information about voter registration and early voting, contact your town clerk. In Brattleboro, call 251-8157.

Office hours for the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office are 8:30AM – 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. In addition to regular hours, the office will open Saturday, March 2, from 9AM to noon for early voting and will be closed Tuesday, March 5, election day.

Voting on March 5, will be held on at the B.U.H.S. gym on Fairground Road. Polling hours are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Feb. 20, 2013) – In Brattleboro tomorrow, Rep. Peter Welch will announce legislation to curb the practice of employers requiring prospective or current employees, as a condition of employment, to provide access to password-protected social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. 

Welch will make the announcement at the Vermont Department of Labor Brattleboro Resource Center at 10 a.m. The Resource Center provides job seekers with access to personal computers, the Internet, educational resources, and information on employers.

Welch’s full public schedule for Thursday is copied below.

Thursday, February 21^st:

Mr. Schoales is running for a 1 year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

Why do you want to be on the Selectboard this year?

I am concerned about the future and whether we will have a strong enough community and local economy to weather the challenges ahead.  When I saw that Dick and Dora were leaving it seemed like it might be an opportunity to be part of a more collaborative board that could work well together toward strengthening our community and economy.

Why run for the 1 year seat?

I prefer to come back to the community for signatures every year rather than risk feeling entitled to the position. That’s why I have always taken one-year petitions for the town school board seat.

This year, two candidates are hoping to get your vote to become Moderator of Representative Town Meeting. 

Lawrin Crispe is one of those candidates, and his interview follows.

Tell us a little about yourself…

David Sanger, New York Times chief Washington correspondent, offers a look inside the Obama Administration’s use of innovative weapons and new tools of American power to manage rapidly shifting global threats and challenges.

Sanger has been part of journalistic teams that has won the Pulitzer Prize twice. In 2011, his team was a finalist for the Pulitzer for International Reporting for coverage of Japanese nuclear disaster.

His background also includes reporting on economic and foreign policy and how these issues effect U.S. competitiveness and relationships with America’s major allies. Sanger has also bee bureau chief in Tokyo for six years. His most recent book is Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power, Crown, 2012.

Unauthorized proposal would hurt rural communities, cost jobs

WASHINGTON – Twenty-four senators, led by Tom Udall of New Mexico, are challenging the postmaster general’s authority to discontinue Saturday mail delivery later this year without congressional approval.

In a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, the senators acknowledge the financial challenges the Postal Service is facing and urge him to work with Congress to address these problems through bipartisan reform, such as the Senate legislation passed last year.

They also point out that a shift to five-day service could lead to further declines in mail volume and revenues, worsening the U.S. Postal Service’s overall condition.

This year, two candidates are hoping to get your vote to become Moderator of Representative Town Meeting. As with Selectboard candidates, we’ve sent emails and invitations to use the site to communicate with voters to each.

Douglas Cox is one of those candidates, and his interview follows.

….

Tell us a little about yourself…

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) today introduced comprehensive legislation on climate change.

Boxer is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Sanders sits on the environment committee and also is a member of the Senate energy committee.

Under the legislation, a fee on carbon pollution emissions would fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. The proposal also would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices.