VT NEA Mosquito

Roper: A Final Plea for Property Tax Relief

In 2024, when Vermont property taxpayers were whacked with an average 14 percent year over year increase, with some communities seeing nearly 40 percent increases, nobody (or at least not enough) in the legislature asked if citizens could afford this. They just shrugged their shoulders and stuck us with the bill. Same as every year … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up 6-9-2025

This week, we discuss family, Father’s Day, and the energy choices – or lack of them.” Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Agree? Disagree? Submit Op-Eds to steve@granitegrok.com – We want to hear from you, too! Please like, follow, or … Read more

The Vermont Podcast

The Vermont Podcast: Buzz Over Butt-Wipe Becca

Guy and Paul discuss Becca Balint’s butt wiping comment and the response from national media Authors’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Agree? Disagree? Submit Op-Eds to steve@granitegrok.com – We want to hear from you, too! Please like, follow, or subscribe … Read more

Plans planning concepts Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Roper: Climate Action Plan 2.0: Still Not a Plan!

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2020 established the Climate Council and tasked it with developing a plan to meet the greenhouse gas reduction mandates outlined in that law. That was five years ago. Their first “plan,” released in December 2021, was/is, as I pointed out at the time, not a plan. It was/is an … Read more

Elections ahead FI

MacDonald: Is Vermont the Worst State for Election Integrity? (Almost!)

California and Hawaii were Worse The Heritage Foundation just released its 2025 Election Integrity Report. In order to help voters, state legislators, election officials, and all Americans who are interested in ensuring a fair and secure election process, The Heritage Foundation has published this Election Integrity Scorecard, which compares the election laws and regulations of each … Read more

Taxes crushing vermont original Photo by Chris Andrawes on Unsplash

Roper: Vermont’s Insane 9.1 Billion Dollar Budget

Ronald Reagan once quipped that government is like a baby, an endless appetite on one end, and no discipline on the other. No place lives up to – or down to as the case may be — that analogy more so than Vermont. In case you missed it amongst all the hubbub and controversy surrounding … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up 6-2-2025

Right Side Up is back for another episode, covering news and politics in your neck of the woods. This week, some national issues including one featured here on GraniteGrok. Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Agree? Disagree? Submit Op-Eds to … Read more

Cash money bills

Klar: Vermont’s Middlebury College Should Not Receive Federal Funding

Middlebury College was a bastion of eugenics theory a century ago. The school today teaches an offensive array of racist ideologies that are indistinguishable from its eugenics advocacy of yesteryear. Middlebury College seeks to scapegoat former Vermont Governor John Mead for modest pro-eugenics comments made a hundred years ago, obscuring its active and ongoing neo-racist teachings. The … Read more

light-bulb-Man Head Energy Power Solutions

MacDonald: Ben & Jerry’s Latest Energy Virtue Signal?

One of the excuses the Climate Cult makes for ignoring the significant emissions from biomass plants is that, because it is carbon captured by plants, it makes it renewable. Plants capture CO2, so it’s okay to burn them and emit whatever into wherever. This is a cop out. Every fuel on the planet, except nuclear, … Read more

The Stupid - it burnsThe Stupit - it burns

Roper: PUC Refuses to Enforce Stupid, Unworkable Law

When the Democrat supermajority passed Act 18, the Clean Heat Standard, back in 2023 it came with a provision called the “check back” wherein the legislature would have to vote to approve (or not) rules subsequently drafted by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for operating the law’s carbon credit exchange. During the 2024 campaign, incumbents … Read more

The Vermont Podcast

Podcast: Vermont Cited by DHS for Defying Federal Immigration Law

Breaking: Vermont cited by DHS as ‘sanctuary jurisdiction’ defying federal immigration law with Guest, Rob Roper. We will also discuss the Vermont Legislature’s progress on Education Reform, and whether the Clean Heat Standard is ‘dead‘. Authors’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or … Read more

Roper: Democrats Go Full Partisan on Education Reform

Last week, Senate President Pro Tem, Philip Baruth (D/P-Chittenden Central) decided to pull the education reform bill, H.454, off of the calendar where it was scheduled for a floor vote. He did this not because it wasn’t going to pass, but because it was – but with both Republican and Democrat votes. That was too … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Podcast: Right Side Up 5-26-2025

This week, Mike and Dylan discuss Education finance, California’s EV mandate, border security, fentanyl ODs dropping, & Seniors are healthy but poorer.” Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Follow these links for current and past content for the entire podcast … Read more

Taxes crushing vermont original Photo by Chris Andrawes on Unsplash

Roper: Unless It Lowers Taxes, Vote NO

I’m speaking primarily to Republicans because the Democrats are not going to pay attention or care, or, if they do, buck their party leadership – just a quick reminder that back in November 2024, your voters didn’t go into the polls screaming, “We have too many school districts!” They weren’t calling on you to close … Read more

Vermont logo with chinmey

MacDonald: Vermont Didn’t Miss It’s Emission Reduction Target

As reported back in March, Vermont is pretending to be concerned about arbitrary man-made emissions reduction targets. Two months ago, experts predicted the state would miss by as much as 12%. All the usual suspects were pearl-clutching and hand-wringing, despite decisions about the things measured being as arbitrary and man-made as the target. What counts … Read more

open-carry

Page: Gov. Vows To Veto Gun Ban

Gov. Phil Scott today vowed to veto S.131, Burlington’s ban on firearms and a bill that would establish permanent funding and government programs for services to unhoused Vermonters. Neither bill has cleared the Legislature yet. At his weekly press conference at the Vermont State House, Scott said Burlington’s charter change banning carrying guns in bars lacks … Read more

cartoon punch to the head

Roper: Another Unnecessary Hit to Small Businesses

H.461—An act expanding employee access to unpaid leave passed both the House and Senate, its fate now in the hands of Governor Scott. Having failed to pass a taxpayer-funded paid family leave program, lawmakers pivoted to this new mandate on Vermont businesses that they provide up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave to care for themselves … Read more

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