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 much for the far-Left members of his caucus (which, who are we kidding, is pretty much all of them), so basically a years’ worth of work got flushed down the toilet and what we the citizens are going to get as a result is an educrat special interest wish-list – more spending, less accountability, and higher taxes — slapped together in less than a week by the fringiest elements of the already fringie majority party.
According to Vermont Public, formerly known as VPR and futurely known as Where Did My Public Funding Go Radio, Baruth explained that he would not move forward with anything that required Republican votes to pass the 17-13 majority Democrat body. “I made a promise to people in the caucus that I wouldn’t bring a bill that had a little bit of Democratic support and a lot of Republican support.” Translation: I’m just a partisan hack.
Senate Majority Leader, Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D-Chittenden Southeast) went into even more detail on the partisan hackery on WDEVs Vermont Viewpoint. Hinsdale described how the reality dawned on her that “an unexpected Republican wave” occurring last November meant that she and her party might have to, Heaven forfend, work with Republicans to pass legislation, but, nope, not going to happen on her watch. (Side note: the Republican wave in 2024 was only unexpected for those too blinded by arrogance and partisan ideology to see the massive voter dissatisfaction with the Democrats’ policy priorities and decisions, including their mishandling public education that led to a 14 percent property tax increase.)
Hinsdale explained, “As the Pro Tem, Phil Baruth, and I started to see the writing on the wall that we were not just moving a bill forward that represented compromise, we were starting to move a bill through our committees that are pretty much evenly Democrat and Republican that was going to compromise our values as Democrats.” In other words, working in a bipartisan fashion to honor clear message sent by the voters was just too icky for these clowns.
“So,” she goes on, “in making this pivot to try and keep the Democratic Caucus together on a bill that we can all [all Democrats that is and screw the Republicans as well as the taxpayers] support and feel heard in, there is simply no room for someone to get off the bus and say this just doesn’t feel right for me.” In other other words, not only is what Democrats are doing totally partisan, they are pressuring their own members who have moral or practical objections to voting for this inevitable crap sandwich to do so anyway – never mind your constituents let alone your conscience – in the name of pure partisanship. Real responsible way to govern! And shame on any remaining sane Democrat if you cave to this bullying.
Hinsdale’s objective, she states, is “an education finance reform package that Democrats can be proud of.” Not all Vermonters. Just Democrats. And let me remind everyone here that the policies proudly passed by Democrats over the past several decades – Act 60, Act 46, Act 127, etc. — are what got us into this fiscal fiasco sprinkled with falling test scores, undisciplined classrooms, and students brimming with mental health issues to begin with.
So, you know what…. Fine. If the Democrats want to own this product, I say “all yours!”
Republicans should wash their hands of the whole thing. You tried. The Republican Governor put forward a plan at the beginning of the session. Republicans in the House and Senate worked and made compromises to move the process forward toward a bipartisan conclusion with “something in it for everyone to hate” at the end of this session. The Democrats kicked over the table in the final week like spoiled children wanting all the toys for themselves and not having to share. You don’t want Republican help? Go for it. You own it now, property tax increases and all. Enjoy.
As for Governor Scott, he should rescind his threat to call the legislature back into session if they fail to deliver an acceptable bill to his desk – one that LOWERS property taxes. At this point, such a threat only gives the Democrats leverage. Instead tell Baruth and Hinsdale NOT TO COME BACK until they grow up and are willing to work on a truly bipartisan solution that delivers the tax relief Vermont voters screamed for in November 2024. There is no sense wasting time and taxpayer money extending the session if a “Democrat values only” attitude is what the Democrats are copping. And if they can’t or won’t negotiate in a bipartisan fashion, the voters will just have to resolve the impasse in November 2026.
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