The Democrat supermajority passed The Clean Heat Standard (Act 18/S.5) last year over the Governor’s veto. That law appropriated $850,000 from the General Fund to hire three new employees at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), plus some cash for subcontracting out research and technical support – all for fiscal year 2024. FY24 ends in July of this year.
Rob Roper
Bad Information Leads to Bad Policy
Confirmation bias is something we all need to be wary of. We all tend to look for things that support our presupposed notions. It’s a dangerous psychological trap that it takes some intellectual discipline to combat. It requires listening to and understanding counterarguments. This is not a discipline practiced very often – if ever – … Read more
The Democrat Solution to High Property Taxes Is… More Higher Taxes!
Since attaining supermajority status in Montpelier, the Democrats’ education policy can be explained as “give the government school monopoly (the VTNEA, superintendents association, etc.) whatever they want!”
For the Children: Ban Flavored Tobacco, but Not Flavored Pot, Legalize Drug Dens (No Age Limits)
If you want to know why Vermont is in such terrible shape on so many fronts, it is because the people we have elected to make important decisions for us are totally unmoored from any rational approach to problem-solving. They are devoid of any guiding principle, barring an intense desire to get their hands on our money and spend it as they see fit, which is usually not in a fit way.
Clean Heat Standard Exploding on the Launch Pad
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is the state entity charged with writing the rules for and overseeing the Clean Heat Standard (S.5/Act 18). Their first main task in this role was to create a registry of all fuel dealers in Vermont, collecting data on exactly how much fossil fuel is used in the thermal sector, where it comes from, and where it ends up.
State Senator Melts Down After Learning She Can Only Vote Herself a 42% Pay Raise.
Voter anger over the VT Democrats 2023 bill to double their own pay and give themselves a generous benefits package on top has led to some backpedaling here in 2024. The latest version of the new pay raise bill would only give lawmakers a 42% pay raise (about $6000).
The Last Democrat Pay Raise Bill Was Greedy. This One’s Also Corrupt.
Last year, Vermont Democrats and Progressives put forward a bill (S.39) to raise legislative pay by over double, plus a generous benefits package that regular Vermonters working a similar part-time job would not qualify for. Governor Scott vetoed the bill, which passed the House 102-44 and the Senate 19-10 largely along party lines.
My Constituents Want School Choice and Must Be Stopped!
On January 10th, Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Dover) introduced H.634 – An act relating to school closures and the designation of a public school to serve as the public school of the district. It is another salvo against Vermont’s 150-year-old school choice system, “tuitioning,” and the independent schools that thrive – along with their students – as a result of this highly popular and effective program.
Stop Forcing EVs Down Our Throats
VT Digger recently posted an article lamenting that we Vermonters are not heeling to the mandate to transition our vehicles to electric. Alas, “As of October 2023, there were just under 11,000 plug-in EVs registered in the state, David Roberts, a consultant for the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, told the House Transportation Committee.
House Democrats Pass BYOD State Supported Drug Dens
Democrats in the Vermont House voted on Wednesday to spend $2 million to set up a pilot program establishing “safe injection sites” for addicts (H.72) – a misnomer, as it turns out as floor testimony revealed there are multiple ways users ingest their drugs at these facilities.
State Senator Does His Best to Paraphrase Principal Skinner’s “No, it’s The Children Who Are Wrong”
The first meeting of the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee in 2024 consisted of a round-robin series of members sharing their priorities and wish lists for the new session.
Democrats Open 2024 Session with 10% Income Tax Hike
The Vermont Legislature returns to Montpelier on January 3rd, and the Democrat Supermajority’s first order of business in the House is a 10 percent state income tax hike. Of course, the bill is titled “S.56 – An act relating to child care and early childhood education” because, you know, “for the children,” but….
When Is Someone Paying More Than “Their Fair Share”?
We hear politicians spout it all the time when they are raising our taxes: “We’re just making them (of course not you) pay their fair share.” But what exactly is one’s “fair share,” and at what point can one be considered to be paying MORE than his or her “fair share”?
Climate Council Can’t Decide Which Tax It Likes Best
First question: Why do we even have a Climate Council at this point? Why have we ever had one? All these twenty-three (twenty-two, really, because the corrupt Speaker of the House has refused for over a year to appoint a representative from the Fuel Dealers as required by law) unelected, self-important bloviators do is sit … Read more
Colorado: Democrats Know This Isn’t Going Anywhere. So, What’s the Point?
The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove Donald Trump from that state’s Republican primary ballot has sparked quite a bit of outrage, as it should have.
Shock Poll (NOT)! Vermonters Don’t Want to Pay ANYTHING for Democrats’ Climate Agenda
Campaign for Vermont finally asked Vermonters directly the question our elected representatives have been avoiding for years in regard to their Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) fantasies: How much are you willing to pay to support the law’s greenhouse gas reduction mandates?
Former Democrat Speaker of the House Named President of State’s Most Prominent News Outlet
Vermont’s largest online news outlet, VTDigger, announced on December 7th (probably some irony there in the day that will live in infamy) that they brought on Gaye Symington to be the organization’s board president.
An 18 Percent Property Tax Increase Will Not Fix Our Public Schools
The Scott Administration made big news last week when they warned of an unprecedented impending property tax increase for next year of 18.5 percent. Driven by a 12 percent year-over-year increase in public school spending, they anticipate this will add another $650 to the bill of a $250,000 home.
Clean Heat Standard “Not Cost Effective”
So, even the advocates’ number crunchers looking at the Global Warming Solutions Act’s Clean Heat Standard have to admit that the costs Vermonters will have to cover to meet greenhouse gas reduction mandates exceed any potential benefits — by a lot — even after those advocates apply two and a half billion dollars in totally made-up benefits to the ledger via the bogus “Social Cost of Carbon.”