Vermont Archives - Page 36 of 39

When A School Board Member Actually Puts Kids First

September 2, 2023 Rob Roper

Curt Hier, a public school history teacher and debate coach for thirty-five years who now runs a business helping students get into college, was elected to the Slate Valley School Board this past March. Hier’s background gives him more insight into the actual workings of the public school system than the average school board member … Read more

America’s Farmerless Farming Future?

September 2, 2023 John Klar

Farmers have steadily declined as a share of the American workforce since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, undermined by technological advances, regulatory strictures, and industry consolidation in farming.

Weed is Still Illegal in New Hampshire so Why is Bud Barn in Vermont Advertising on Keene Radio [Update]

July 16, 2024September 1, 2023 Steve MacDonald

A reader alerted me to this bit of news—Bud Barn, a purveyor of ‘Premium Cannabis Products Made (and taxed) in Vermont,’ is advertising on Keene, NH, radio. Even if they are trying to capture the ears of Vermonters who work in Western New Hampshire, to quote a different local, weed ain’t legal here.

Empty glass jar Image by ha11ok from Pixabay

Business Group Wants 802,000 Vermonters by 2035 – (Ignores Reasons Why People Don’t Move There)

July 16, 2024August 31, 2023 Rob Roper

The Vermont Futures Project (VFP), a spinoff of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, is conducting a statewide tour of what they call “community conversations, and … strategic stakeholder visits in all fourteen counties” to gather input for their 2024 Economic Plan for Vermont.

Does California’s Proposition 12 Threaten States’ Rights?

August 26, 2023 John Klar

The constitutional and economic ramifications of California’s Proposition 12, which banned the sale in California of pork from pigs held in tight confinement, are profound for the American swine industry.

You Haven’t Decarbonized a Damn Thing

August 25, 2023 Steve MacDonald

Vermont Public is playing with words again. A recent piece titled, “Vermont farmers say they need more gov’t help as climate change causes more extreme weather,” almost sounds like Vermont Farmers are saying they need help because of climate change.

Candlelight candle flame Photo by Jarl Schmidt on Unsplash

Vermont’s Energy Burden Report is .. Well, Burdensome

July 16, 2024August 25, 2023 Steve MacDonald

Vermont is a wink and a nod away from erecting statues of Lenin and Trotsky next to the Marx Museum of Modern Democrat Socialism. It’s just down and to the Left on Engles Ave. The place is loony with leftism. So this report about energy burden is a real hoot.

Does Paying Flood Victims to Get Cars That Explode When Wet Make Sense?

August 25, 2023 Rob Roper

Following the recent flooding throughout Vermont this summer, the state very proudly touted a response program that offers victims who lost or suffered damage to their cars the opportunity to replace them with an electric vehicle. Not an internal combustion engine vehicle, just an electric vehicle.

Cow original Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash

Cow and Horse Flatulence: A Farmer’s Comparative Environmental Assessment

August 24, 2023 John Klar

The problem of horse flatulence is not often discussed, yet there are important lessons to be learned from equine methane gas (via flatulence or burp), particularly to demonstrate the fraudulent claims leveled against cows as major polluters.

If You Really Care About Donald Trump, Don’t Let Him Be the Republican Nominee

August 23, 2023 Rob Roper

Many Donald Trump supporters I have had conversations and interactions with share an intense feeling of being cheated over what took place in 2020 that can only be assuaged by running – and this time winning – a Trump/Biden rematch in 2024.

“Gold Standard” Study Shows Charter Schools Outperform Public Schools

August 23, 2023August 21, 2023 Rob Roper

Ten years ago, I took part in a series of debates on school choice opposite Paul Cillo of the Public Assets Institute and Bill Mathis of the National Education Policy Center and the Vermont State Board of Education. I was for school choice; they were opposed.

Vermont Doesn’t Have a Sales Tax Holiday Because …

July 16, 2024August 19, 2023 Steve MacDonald

With a few exceptions, there’s no sales tax in New Hampshire, so states like Massachusetts pretend for a weekend to try and recover some of the commerce lost to the Granite State. But Vermont doesn’t have one (Maine either), and here’s why?

Hey, Burlington, VT: Prostitution was “Legal” in Rhode Island for 29 Years – It DID NOT Go Well For the “Sex Workers”

August 16, 2023 Steve MacDonald

People who profit from prostitution are typically its boosters. They call it sex work, describe it as a right, and dress it up as a noble calling. That sounds great, but what legalized sex work actually looks like is slavery, trafficking, and sexual assault.

Biden Won’t, and Was Never Going to, Be the Democrats’ Nominee

August 23, 2023August 16, 2023 Rob Roper

We are just over a week away from the first Republican primary debate, and Donald Trump was out there bragging how he’ll thrash Joe Biden this time. Candidate Nikki Haley is waving the flag that the real opponent they’re all running against is Vice President Kamala Harris, as Biden is likely to drop dead early-second term.

Vermont Biologists and Foresters Pretend There Will be Room Left for “Forests” in Our Net Zero Future

July 16, 2024August 15, 2023 Steve MacDonald

WCAX has this cute little piece about biologists and foresters colluding “to understand and manage a forest in a changing climate.” This is just a suggestion, but you may want to focus on the reality of what Climate Change politics will do to Vermont’s forests.

Is The Green Energy Transition Falling Off The Rails?

August 15, 2023 Op-Ed

Is the much-hyped “energy transition” starting to crumble at its foundations now? In recent weeks we have seen the following:

American Flag original image by by Dave Sherrill on Unsplash

America isn’t “One Nation” and that Matters

August 12, 2023 Op-Ed

The Pledge of Allegiance is wrong. These United States are not “one nation, indivisible.” They are a federation. This may seem like semantical nitpicking, but it is an extremely important distinction that impacts how we understand the powers of the general government. Black’s Law Dictionary explains the difference between a federal and a national government. … Read more

Vermont Warns Residents About Flood-Related Scams, Fails to Mention Its Own Fraud

August 11, 2023 Steve MacDonald

The people who would use a disaster for their financial advantage are not very different from those who do the same from elected office. The latter has a police force, a flimsy claim to a popular mandate, and pays lip series to justice, but the criminality isn’t much different.

Are Some on the Left Realizing VT Climate Policy Is a Useless Waste?

August 23, 2023August 11, 2023 Rob Roper

A couple of left-wing columnists recently penned articles lamenting the fact that Montpelier keeps flooding every decade or so, yet local and state governments don’t do anything about it and aren’t prepared for it when it happens. A keen observation.

The Sanders Institute for Laundering Campaign Cash Into Relatives Pockets

October 25, 2023August 10, 2023 Steve MacDonald

The Sanders Institute might feel the Bern after a recent Fox News report that showed 200K from Senator Sander’s Campaign funds getting shoveled into the nonprofit created by his wife and stepson to…pay his stepson a “living wage.”