Vermonters who don’t pay close attention to politics may have been surprised this month (July 2024) to find their paychecks a little lighter than expected, the result of a new payroll tax passed into law last year (Act 76).
No, a 14% Property Tax Increase is Not a Decrease.
If you thought the biggest, most brazen political lie from this past week was “Joe Biden is sharp as a tack,” you would be wrong. That prize has to go to Vermont state Representative Mike Mrowicki (D-Putney), who said in an op-ed that he and the Democrat/Progressive supermajority “…lowered property tax rates — with a yield bill that’s fiscally responsible.”
Fossil Fuel Companies Won’t PAY for “Climate Change” – Vermonters Will
Vermont has just done something hailed by Climateers as groundbreaking and memorialized by The Week with the headline: ‘Vermont becomes first state to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate change.’
Really?
Mystery Meats for US Troops
Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE), which has received more than $500 million in Department of Defense funding, recently announced it is soliciting proposals to develop “innovations in food production that reduce the CO2 footprint of food production at … DoD operational environments.” Translation: The Pentagon is funding research and development of novel cell-cultured fake meats to feed US soldiers.
Night Cap: Wither Goes the Office of Racial Equity?
In my last article, I noted that back in February 2023, the Director of Racial Equity, Xusana Davis, warned in testimony that the Clean Heat Standard in its then-current form was not an equitable piece of legislation, listed a number of problems with the bill, and hasn’t been heard from since.
Equity Advisory Committee Members Souring on Clean Heat Standard
Members of the Equity Advisory Group (EAG), which is assisting the Public Utilities Commission in developing “fair and just” rules to govern the Clean Heat Standard (CHS) carbon tax on heating oil, propane, natural gas, and kerosene, made some surprising—and welcome—remarks during their June 11 meeting.
Have Fake Meats Exceeded Their Shelf Life?
Following years of marketing hype proclaiming that fake meats would transform the food industry and modern diets, sobriety has descended on the industry as manufacturers wrestle with declining sales, dissatisfied customers, and difficulties achieving profitability.
Who’s Banning Books Now?
The legislature passed just this year S.220 – An act relating to Vermont’s public libraries. The ostensible need for the law was summed up by the WCAX headline, “Vermont Senate advances bill to discourage book banning.” This was, in great part, a reaction by our legislators to parents around the country objecting to highly sexualized materials … Read more
Is EV Manufacturing Exceeding Demand?
Car manufacturers make little, if any, money on EV sales. A dearth of charging stations discourages new buyers, who are also put off by high sticker prices. Sales of new electric vehicles have dropped off, as have used resale values.
Who Made Vermont Use Fossil Fuels in the First Place?
Last week, I took Vermont Democrats to the rhetorical woodshed over a new law to charge fossil fuel companies for the cost of climate change. It was a fun ride but long-winded, so I published it on Substack.
Night Cap: Expert Gives Masterclass In Why The Thing They Came To Advocate Won’t Work
When you’re getting big bucks to hold a public meeting and nobody from the public shows up, what do you do? Get one of your employees to play the role of “good citizen.” This is what happened at the first legally mandated public outreach forum that was supposed to inform the public about the Clean … Read more
The Furor Over Fake Meat
Iowa has become the latest state to signal hostility toward fake meat food products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on manufacturers who mislabel protein-based products as meat.
Night Cap: Black Christian Nationalism
The politicization of Americans’ faith traditions has recently devolved into the newfound leftist phrase “Christian nationalist,” often combined with race as “white Christian nationalism” and then touted as a threat to the nation. But in seemingly racist arrogance, these Christ-haters ignore the history of black Christian nationalism.
Who Wins “Biggest Dunce” Award for the Biennium?
This is the 150th Behind the Lines post since I started this page eighteen months ago at the beginning of the 2023-2024 legislative biennium. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed, shared, and grown the audience over the past year and a half, and welcome to many new subscribers who have joined in the last few weeks!
Of Course, Vermont Has an Unconstitutional Religious Test
Have you ever seen someone you used to know whom you thought was put together well? Then you run into them years later, and they look like they just gave up. That’s Vermont.
Biden’s “Social Justice” Undermines Food Supplies
A recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) concludes that Tyson Foods is responsible for dumping billions of gallons of contaminated water into American waterways. Though efforts to curtail water pollution are surely important, aspects of the so-called “scientific” report are cause for pause.
How Does New Hampshire Spend Half the Money for Better Results?
This question was posed to me the other day by a friend (I will paraphrase and omit the profanities): “How is it that New Hampshire, a state roughly the same geographic size of Vermont with about twice the population spends half the amount of taxpayer money that we do?”
Fossil Fuel Companies, the Ball Is in Your Court
Apparently, Vermont is the first state to start forcing companies that sell fossil fuels to contribute to a climate clean-up fund.
Social Justice Ideology Compromises “Real” Science
Once upon a time, scientific inquiry was premised on ideas of objectivity, factual analysis, and avoiding bias. The advent of social justice theory, post-modernist thought, and climate alarmism have polluted the waters of many once-prestigious science journals. This political transformation of what was once called science has given rise to pseudo-scientific partisanship on both sides … Read more
When Gasoline is $100 per Gallon
It is a mathematical fact that gasoline in the U.S. will eventually rise to $100 for a gallon (perhaps $130 for those interested in higher octane). This is not fear-mongering but basic arithmetic and economics. Here’s why.