News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
A provision of the federal law H.1, aka the One Big Beautiful Bill, allows taxpayers to receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your federal income tax of up to $1700 for contributing to a state-based 501c3 organization classified as a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO). The SGO then uses that money to, as its name suggests, … Read more
A proposed amendment to Act 73, Vermont’s sweeping education reform law, would create a single, unified statewide school district in which parents would allocate tuition dollars to any public school. The proposal was introduced by sponsor Steve Heffernan (R-Addison) on Wednesday afternoon in Senate Education. The amendment would move Vermont toward a Unified School System designed to … Read more
This week, on Right Side Up, we discuss solar siting, the Act 181 land grab, and the Education nightmare. 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 Hear It. Comment or submit … Read more
Vermont, once famous for its dairy – I dig a good Vermont Cheddar – is getting cheesy in other ways. Progressive legislators, some of them elected as actual progressives, are always looking for ways to steal money from people. Two facts or rules of progressive political life. First, when it comes to the Elected Left … Read more
For better or worse, the Vermont Legislature has not yet passed any bills into law this year. The Senate last week passed two controversial anti-ICE bills. Both bills passed by a 27-2 roll call vote with only Sens. Russ Ingalls (R-Essex) and Terry Williams (R-Rutland) voting no. Both bills now move over to the Vermont … Read more
Just before I took off for a week’s family vacation, Senator Andrew Perchlik (D/P-Washington) held a press conference flanked by Secretary of State Sara Copeland Hanzas (D-VT) where they were handing out $10,000 and $5000 checks to a bunch of local media outlets. Oh, this is bad, I said to myself with some excitement. I’ve … Read more
The leadership of the House Ways & Means Committee wants nothing to do with allowing Vermonters to access a One Big Beautiful Bill tax credit that would give them a dollar-for-dollar return on money contributed to private school scholarships. Ways and Means, the committee with oversight over all tax policy and legislation, on Wednesday discussed … Read more
I realize not all of my readers are in Vermont, but the issue of a young student trying to bring intellectual light into Vermont’s progressively darkened schools is of national interest. It is shameful that there are many who want to allow only one political voice, including in public schools, often indoctrinating children into far-left … Read more
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