News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
This week, on Right Side Up, the new school maps and the latest bill wording (no school choice), and more on Energy policy.” Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Disagree, agree, Got Something to Say, We Want to … Read more
Going into the November 2026 elections, Vermont Democrats are eager to impress voters with the notion that the Clean Heat Standard, the “Rube Goldberg” carbon tax scheme they passed over the veto of Governor Scott in 2024, is dead and gone. A bad but fading memory to be hopefully forgotten about by this coming fall. … Read more
Skiing is a big part of the Vermont brand, along with maple syrup and fall foliage. Our little state produces an inordinate number of Olympic-caliber athletes, which is both a major source of local pride and a major source of international free media attention promoting tourism – kind of important for our economy. And a … Read more
Let’s start with the equally sad, infuriating, and hilarious news story about Green Mountain Transit’s electric buses, too big to even be useful as doorstops. Electrifying our public transportation system has long been a priority for Vermont’s Net Zero agenda, and it was with great fanfare that GMT touted the purchase of five electric buses … Read more
Braving efforts by opponents to shut them down, two Spaulding High School students are moving forward with the first public meeting of a local high school–level affiliate of Turning Point USA, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Canadian Club on Route 14 in Barre. The event is being organized by Spaulding students Seth Fewer and … Read more
This Week, on Right Side Up, I talk with members of the Vermont Federation of Republican Women about real harm reduction legislation for rural Vermont. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Disagree, agree, Got Something to Say, We … Read more
Pearl-clutching abounds as politicians and pundits ponder a progressive population decline in the Green Mountain State. Vermont is old, white, and clearly not “importing” enough “refugees” to replace the “indigenous” population. The “reasonings” abound. The people born there, the indigenous ones, aren’t having enough children to replace themselves. It is a problem Vermont could solve … Read more
At the January 28 Senate Finance Committee meeting, Sen. Martine Laroque Gulick (D-Chittenden Central) pushed back against the idea that Vermont’s property taxes are too high. “I would love to do a deeper dive when we say the Vermonters can’t afford their property taxes. I’d like to learn more about that,” Gulick, a Burlington resident and … Read more
During testimony in the Senate Education Committee regarding Vermont’s taxpayer-funded universal preschool program (Act 76), Senator David Weeks (R-Rutland) challenged advocates with some stunning numbers. Vermonters gasp when learning our K-12 system spends around $30,000 per student on average (second-highest per-pupil spending in the country). But what about Pre-K? That gasp may escalate to a … Read more
The Vermont Transportation Fund – the pool of money used to maintain our roads and bridges – is facing a shortfall somewhere in the thirty millions of dollars (I’ve heard numbers between $31 and $37 million). If we don’t find a way to fill that hole, the state will miss out on federal matching funds … Read more
This week on Right Side Up, we discuss Republican-sponsored legislation on affordability, Public Safety, Education, and more. Check out Other Episodes and Podcasts here! Check Out The Morning Update Here! – Also available on Rumble, Instagram/Reels, and Steve’s Substack. Follow ‘Grok on X – Rumble – Facebook – YouTube – Signal – Telegram WE ARE … Read more
The Williamstown selectboard wants voters to know the financial downside of the forensic audit of the town’s books to be voted on at Town Meeting. The ballot item was requested in the wake of the arrest of the town manager for embezzling $186,000 from the Tunbridge volunteer fire department. Jackie Higgins served as town manager … Read more
That WCAX Misses or Chooses to Ignore Last week, WCAX’s Calvin Cutler interviewed me for a story he was doing about state senate Democrats putting in a bill to enshrine the federal Voting Rights Act into state law as a hedge against the Trump Administration’s desire to restrict mail-in voting and to ensure only citizens … Read more
Lawyers with Vermont Law School’s Center for Justice Reform Clinic are representing a Burlington cab driver from Somalia who was sentenced for immigration fraud in 2019, but was arrested on New Year’s Day by immigration officials. Hussien Noor Hussien was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on January 1. He is incarcerated in the Northwest … Read more
The Vermont Futures Project’s Economic Action Plan has a page or so touching on childcare. It notes that “over the past decade, Vermont has seen a decline in childcare capacity, particularly with the closure of home-based providers.” Hmmm…. What happened a decade ago that would have precipitated the rapid closing of hundreds of home-based childcare … Read more
The Vermont Futures Project, a project of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, made a big splash last week by declaring our state ranks last for economic momentum. Smack! In a January 7th op-ed, they write: The Vermont Futures Project’s Competitiveness Dashboard shows Vermont trailing most states in economic outlook, cost competitiveness, and regulatory efficiency. Vermont … Read more
This week, on Right Side Up, when gun control legislation, mental health, crime, and victim rights collide, and more about costly climate policy. Check out Other Episodes and Podcasts here! Check Out The Morning Update Here! – Also available on Rumble, Instagram/Reels, and Steve’s Substack. Follow ‘Grok on X – Rumble – Facebook – YouTube … Read more
As the legislature returned to Montpelier for the 2026 session, Representative Gina Galfetti (R-Barre) announced her proposal for a bill that would freeze property tax rates for the next three years. We like this! It is a necessary response to the 14 percent statewide increase in 2024 – an insane 40 percent increase over the … Read more
By Guy Page and Bill Moore An anti-Israel coalition called on five Vermont legislators to resign during a press conference Tuesday at the Statehouse, alleging ethical concerns over their participation in a September 2025 trip to Israel. One of the five lawmakers says she fears for her safety following the action taken by the Vermont … Read more
For years, the City of Burlington has pursued its ‘salesman’s foot in the door’ strategy to begin broader gun bans in the city. Gun-banning Bolsheviks will try anything to get that ball rolling. Get one local, isolated ban, and then work on it until you have made it almost impossible to exercise your right to … Read more