Opinion

Commuter Tax in Brattleboro

Brattleboro is a hub for the economy in Windham country. The population is about 12, 000 and swells to some 30,000 during the day. Many people from outside the area and from New Hampshire enjoy working in Vermont, but they do not contribute to the local tax base.  I propose a 5%  commuter tax like they do in NYC or other places.  In a sense

This is already done in Vermont, at the ski slopes, the price of a lift ticket pays for town services.

It is time that there is a commuter tax in Brattleboro.

During the internationally empowered grand jury proceedings that will eventually investigate the astounding number of US crimes against humanity the Papacy will not escape attention for not only having been accessories after the fact, but also collaborators in innumerable cases of homicidal use of US Armed Forces and CIA on four continents

Was King’s death fortunate or necessary for investors? The violent history of the American empire is replete with stories of seemingly pointless assassinations always characterized by media as senseless acts of individuals acting on their own, assassinations that nevertheless brought investment opportunities for investors on Wall St. either by chance or plan? For crime prevention, indict, prosecute the beneficiaries!

While staring at the New York Times front page photo of the bat-winged nuclear-capable B-2 Stealth Bombers up in the blue sky on their first non-stop long-range mission from the US on their way to a practice sortie to end in a mock bombing drop of inert munitions on a range off South Korea’s coast, I ponder.

The thought that ‘enough is enough’ will apparently never arise in the mind-set of those commanding the first planet-encompassing space-age military, blown up now to an uncontrollable magnitude and fueled by an uninterrupted flow of trillions of dollars by ledger line pre-occupied elite of the speculative investment banking community; a community possibly still being led by multi-war promoting confidants of ninety-eight year old David Rockefeller.

While Senator Sanders may portray our Social Security programs as solvent, it really depends on your reading of what actually happened. The Social Security coffers as it stands today may very well be in the black – as best as in the black can be for a program that’s post Baby Boomer era.

With most of us Baby Boomers closer to our sunset than our sunrise the “contributions” we pay into Social Security is not the same as before. We are increasingly dependent on what the younger generations put into this Roosevelt-inspired retirement piggybank. Unfortunately, the population scale of our young folks shrink into the shadow of a huge and very needy Baby Boomer population.

GMO foods? Why not mix wine grapes and marijuana, or beer hops and marijuana?

Have fun with genetically engineered and genetically modified foods and cross- breeding? Would it be legal now in Colorado and Washington?

I was thinking today about genetically modified and genetically engineered foods, and the lack of labeling, so far.

Martin Langeveld had a very interesting on Thursday March 28, 2013.

He started by taking BABB and the Reformer to task:

The board of Building a Better Brattleboro is proceeding with a request-for-proposals process for the River Garden without holding meetings for public input. “It’s time for Brattleboro to cut its losses and move on,” writes the Reformer editorial board with respect to the River Garden, urging the town to “figure out a way to add the River Garden back to its grand list and move on.”

Open Letter to Governor Peter Shumlin on the subject of Economy of Vermont

Governor,

Why doesn’t Vermont have a Medical Marijuana Expo to attract Tourists and bring money into the State like they do in California?

There was much talk at the recent Representative Town Meeting about “sending a message” to the School board and Selectboard.

One clear message was that people are reaching a breaking point with tax increases. We heard repeated stories of fixed incomes, dropping salaries, and rising costs making it increasingly hard to get by in our hometown. 

Another clear message is that budgets were approved as presented. Attempts to cut budgets failed, and Representatives approved all expenditures.

Which message was sent, and which was heard?

If you do not try then you fail.

I see the internet as a tool for colective problem solving. As a community the internet gives opportunity for the many great ideas to be seeded into the minds of all who wish to subscribe to finding solutions to many of the daily challenges we all face.

A term “Crowd Sourcing” seems appropriate to describe how I see this tool can become effective in finding solutions, such as the current financial crises our area is facing.

The Vermont Legislature is still churning out “Hate” Bills against low income Vermonters and Disabled Persons
on “Benefits”.

This constant harrassment of poor people and people with diseases is unjust and un-American.