EDITORIAL. Rutland Herald, January 6, 2010.
As legislators gather on Thursday to hear the eighth and final State of the State address from Gov. James Douglas, they ought to be alert to signs that Douglas plans to solve state budget problems by shifting them onto the shoulders of local property tax payers.

Continue reading Serving the public

Kids Count

In What Others are Saying on August 3, 2009

EDITORIAL. Rutland Herald, July 31, 2009.
Vermont’s commitment to services for children, including education, has to be an important factor in the state’s continuing success in discouraging harmful trends such as teenage pregnancy and smoking.

Continue reading Kids Count

Open government goes beyond access

In What Others are Saying on May 5, 2009

EDITORIAL. Burlington Free Press, May 5, 2009.
There’s little point in opening government records to the public if the information is too difficult to find, sort through or taxes the everyday understanding of the average Vermonter.

Continue reading Open government goes beyond access

Review of S.137

In What Others are Saying on April 15, 2009

ANALYSIS. April 8, 2009
Tom Kavet’s analysis of proposed “Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” S.137

Continue reading Review of S.137

A Capital Idea

In What Others are Saying on March 20, 2009

REPORT. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, March 2009
At present, nine states – Arkansas, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin – offer substantial tax breaks for
income derived from capital gains.

Continue reading A Capital Idea

Back to the chalk board for Douglas

In What Others are Saying on January 18, 2009

EDITORIAL. Times Argus, January 18, 2009
A contradiction lies at the heart of the plan of Gov. James Douglas to impose state controls on local education spending. An understanding of that contradiction unmasks the true nature of Douglas’s deceptive attack on public education in Vermont.

Continue reading Back to the chalk board for Douglas

My Turn: The new New Deal for Vermont

In Resources What Others are Saying on December 17, 2008

OPINION. Burlington Free Press, December 17, 2008
Rather than cut social services and increase taxes, Vermont’s political leadership needs to consider a radical notion: allowing the state government to use the rainy day fund to cover vital social services and issue bonds to finance public works.

Continue reading My Turn: The new New Deal for Vermont

Everything ought to count in budget crisis

In What Others are Saying on December 17, 2008

EDITORIAL. Times Argus, December 14, 2008
When you close down the courts, you are closing down the government. And yet that was the possibility outlined by Chief Justice Paul Reiber as he described ways the state’s judiciary might meet budget-cutting targets proposed by Gov. James Douglas.

Continue reading Everything ought to count in budget crisis

The one tax that should be raised

In What Others are Saying on December 16, 2008

OPINION. Bennington Banner, December 10, 2008
Vermonters, like everyone else, want good roads and safe bridges. At the same time Vermonters, like everyone else, do not want to face higher tax rates, especially in the face of what could be a prolonged recession. Now we have come to the point where these two wants are in serious conflict.

Continue reading The one tax that should be raised

Possible state ed surplus use raises concern

In What Others are Saying on December 9, 2008

ARTICLE. Bennington Banner, December 9, 2008
The state’s education fund will have a $20 million surplus next year, according to the Douglas administration, but some lawmakers, think tanks and policy advocates are raising eyebrows at how the administration may spend it.

Continue reading Possible state ed surplus use raises concern