So here we are, by all accounts the U.S. has been in a recession for a year, and Vermont's fully beginning to feel the pinch. Just recently Newport, which has the highest unemployment rate in the state, lost another 50+ jobs. With budget shortfalls on the horizon things don't bode well for the Green Mountain State.
And the politicians say cut jobs, and raise taxes.
Slash spending to social programs, and use the rainy day fund.
Doesn't seem to me to be the subscription to put the green back in the mountains of Vermont!
Monday, December 22, 2008
It's Official
Yep, I've offended Republicans, Progressives and now Democrats.
I guess it's what I get for sharing my opinion on other blogs, but to have them ALL gang up on me?
Just tried adding a different dynamic to conversations, but I guess no one wants to here it. All or nothing it seems.
Thet's what I hate about partisan politics, you're either with 100% or against.
Oh well, I guess I'll just keep to myself on my blog and people will have to drop by here for pearls of wisdom.
After all, I work for a living, and drop these pearls of wisdom for free. I may not know the complex in's and out's of state and federal taxation, but I know what fair and equitable is.
I guess it's what I get for sharing my opinion on other blogs, but to have them ALL gang up on me?
Just tried adding a different dynamic to conversations, but I guess no one wants to here it. All or nothing it seems.
Thet's what I hate about partisan politics, you're either with 100% or against.
Oh well, I guess I'll just keep to myself on my blog and people will have to drop by here for pearls of wisdom.
After all, I work for a living, and drop these pearls of wisdom for free. I may not know the complex in's and out's of state and federal taxation, but I know what fair and equitable is.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Taxes and The Modern Era
Make no mistake, I will never sugar coat my disdain for having to pay taxes. Like every good Vermonter, good American, I never really paid too much attention to them, I just did my part and paid them. I loose a good chunk of my paycheck to the Federal and State governments. Somewhere to the tune of 25% of my paycheck between the two.
Because I make so little money, and because I pay my student loans every month, these two governments reimburse me every year when I file my taxes. But this is a sign of our broken system. WHY TAKE MY MONEY ONLY TO GIVE IT BACK? Why not just take less and not reimburse me? It would be less bureacracy, and you'd need less tax money to pay for it. Makes sense to me!
In this day and age I just don't get taxes. The rich have accounts to find loopholes and get them out of paying them, the poor get their welfare and unemployment tax free, who's that leave to pay? People who work for a living, that's who.
Because I make so little money, and because I pay my student loans every month, these two governments reimburse me every year when I file my taxes. But this is a sign of our broken system. WHY TAKE MY MONEY ONLY TO GIVE IT BACK? Why not just take less and not reimburse me? It would be less bureacracy, and you'd need less tax money to pay for it. Makes sense to me!
In this day and age I just don't get taxes. The rich have accounts to find loopholes and get them out of paying them, the poor get their welfare and unemployment tax free, who's that leave to pay? People who work for a living, that's who.
Rainy Day Or Rock Bottom Fund?
Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com
So I guess I have a different opinion of what to with the State Of Vermont's Rainy Day fund. The total I've heard tossed around is like $60 million, but I could be wrong. That's a lot of money when social programs and jobs are being slashed because of budget shortfalls. Should we use up this reserve? I really don't think it's time yet.
If the state needs to dip into the fund to do some triage work, that's one thing. Options and plans are what we need most right now. Some of that money could be used, and wisely so, to keep the state, and some programs running in the interim. But I think to exhaust the fund would be a grave mistake. We have not hit rock bottom yet, and that is when we'll need the rainy day fund the most!
Maybe make a quarter to a third of the fund available for the next year, but preserve the rest intact. Our turmoil right now is a result of Vermont's broken system. How we tax, build revenue and provide money to programs and run the state needs to be overhauled. This is obvious, but no one seems to want to take the lead and provide some good foresight. This is why I say use at most only a portion of the fund as a crutch to limp us along into the next year.
We can't raise the tax burden on people already struggling to get by. At the same time I don't think we should have to bail out every jerk that's decided to live beyond their means. It's no fault of the rest of us. There has to be some sort of balance. I chose to go to college, I chose to hang that noose of of loan payments around my neck. I accept that. Other people with their expensive new cars and enormous homes need to accept they did that to themselves as well.
We as an American, and Vermont society are at an impasse. Free market capitalism has been replaced with social capitalism, as we all shoulder the burden of irresponsible people and their failed American Dreams. I've heard so many people say that they make all their payments on their mortgages, and live within their means, why not just stop paying the mortgage and get bailed out as well? I totally see their point.
So getting back to the rainy day fund, I think we need to have some foresight and look beyond the budget shortfalls of 2009, to 2010, 2011, and 2012. If we use all the money now, there will be none for the future shortfalls. As a state, Vermont needs to tighten it's belt, and reduce spending. But at the same time, address how we will fund the state of Vermont in the future as obviously what we have been doing does not, and will continue not to work.
So I guess I have a different opinion of what to with the State Of Vermont's Rainy Day fund. The total I've heard tossed around is like $60 million, but I could be wrong. That's a lot of money when social programs and jobs are being slashed because of budget shortfalls. Should we use up this reserve? I really don't think it's time yet.
If the state needs to dip into the fund to do some triage work, that's one thing. Options and plans are what we need most right now. Some of that money could be used, and wisely so, to keep the state, and some programs running in the interim. But I think to exhaust the fund would be a grave mistake. We have not hit rock bottom yet, and that is when we'll need the rainy day fund the most!
Maybe make a quarter to a third of the fund available for the next year, but preserve the rest intact. Our turmoil right now is a result of Vermont's broken system. How we tax, build revenue and provide money to programs and run the state needs to be overhauled. This is obvious, but no one seems to want to take the lead and provide some good foresight. This is why I say use at most only a portion of the fund as a crutch to limp us along into the next year.
We can't raise the tax burden on people already struggling to get by. At the same time I don't think we should have to bail out every jerk that's decided to live beyond their means. It's no fault of the rest of us. There has to be some sort of balance. I chose to go to college, I chose to hang that noose of of loan payments around my neck. I accept that. Other people with their expensive new cars and enormous homes need to accept they did that to themselves as well.
We as an American, and Vermont society are at an impasse. Free market capitalism has been replaced with social capitalism, as we all shoulder the burden of irresponsible people and their failed American Dreams. I've heard so many people say that they make all their payments on their mortgages, and live within their means, why not just stop paying the mortgage and get bailed out as well? I totally see their point.
So getting back to the rainy day fund, I think we need to have some foresight and look beyond the budget shortfalls of 2009, to 2010, 2011, and 2012. If we use all the money now, there will be none for the future shortfalls. As a state, Vermont needs to tighten it's belt, and reduce spending. But at the same time, address how we will fund the state of Vermont in the future as obviously what we have been doing does not, and will continue not to work.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Invest In Vermont, And Vermonters!!
Crossposted @ www.greenmountaindaily.com
This started out as a comment, but I decided it was worth expanding and building upon.
I was embarrassed this week to see Jim Douglas, governor of Vermont giving testimony in Washington. It seemingly amounted to nothing more than a beggar looking for handouts. Maybe if he surrounded himself with able, qualified, intelligent, outside-of-the-box thinking people in his administration instead of this cronies, Vermont might have more options. His appearance did not make me proud to be a Vermonter, we take care of our own, and are in much better of a position to do so than the Federal government at this point.
Hopefully this will get a few others to chime in with their thoughts. If you don't learn history, you are doomed to repeat it. We've been through hard economic times before, and we need to do what we know works. It's time for the 2009 New Deal For Vermont, there is no better time to invest in Vermont and Vermonters.
Vermont has one of the best bond ratings of all the states in the union. It's time we take advantage of that to secure funds to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Put Vermonters to work rebuilding, and preparing our state for the next 100 years. We INCREASE state goverment, the biggest employer in the state of Vermont IS already the state of Vermont.
Run with this for the short term, and turn the whole state into a massive public works project to put people to work and prepare us for the future. Put forth a massive concerted effort to rebuild our bridges, roads, and telecommunications. Also of priority would be environmental conservation projects aimed at waste and pollution reduction, recycling and reuse, controlling/eradicating invasive species, and assisting Vermont communities with growth center and economic development. From working on the facilities at state parks, to turning wastes into resources, or building new businesses, there is very little we can't do.
Today's Freeps ran with an article that 2,ooo more Vermonters just signed up for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total to more than eleven thousand receiving benefits. They may have to up the unemployment costs to businesses because here's more money going out than coming in, ad that's not going to help businesses already struggling with payrolls. We're gonna be spending the money whether we get some bang for our buck or not. Let's get these people some work to do! Vermonters are a hardy lot, and would rather do something than nothing.
This is not nearly a complete picture or plan, but it's a start. Dialogue and Yankee ingenuity can and will get us through these hard times. We all need to sit back, look at the big picture, and say what can I do to help Vermont get through this, we're in it together. Right now Vermont's future is being decided for us, let's take a stand, invest in Vermont and Vermonters!
This started out as a comment, but I decided it was worth expanding and building upon.
I was embarrassed this week to see Jim Douglas, governor of Vermont giving testimony in Washington. It seemingly amounted to nothing more than a beggar looking for handouts. Maybe if he surrounded himself with able, qualified, intelligent, outside-of-the-box thinking people in his administration instead of this cronies, Vermont might have more options. His appearance did not make me proud to be a Vermonter, we take care of our own, and are in much better of a position to do so than the Federal government at this point.
Hopefully this will get a few others to chime in with their thoughts. If you don't learn history, you are doomed to repeat it. We've been through hard economic times before, and we need to do what we know works. It's time for the 2009 New Deal For Vermont, there is no better time to invest in Vermont and Vermonters.
Vermont has one of the best bond ratings of all the states in the union. It's time we take advantage of that to secure funds to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Put Vermonters to work rebuilding, and preparing our state for the next 100 years. We INCREASE state goverment, the biggest employer in the state of Vermont IS already the state of Vermont.
Run with this for the short term, and turn the whole state into a massive public works project to put people to work and prepare us for the future. Put forth a massive concerted effort to rebuild our bridges, roads, and telecommunications. Also of priority would be environmental conservation projects aimed at waste and pollution reduction, recycling and reuse, controlling/eradicating invasive species, and assisting Vermont communities with growth center and economic development. From working on the facilities at state parks, to turning wastes into resources, or building new businesses, there is very little we can't do.
Today's Freeps ran with an article that 2,ooo more Vermonters just signed up for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total to more than eleven thousand receiving benefits. They may have to up the unemployment costs to businesses because here's more money going out than coming in, ad that's not going to help businesses already struggling with payrolls. We're gonna be spending the money whether we get some bang for our buck or not. Let's get these people some work to do! Vermonters are a hardy lot, and would rather do something than nothing.
This is not nearly a complete picture or plan, but it's a start. Dialogue and Yankee ingenuity can and will get us through these hard times. We all need to sit back, look at the big picture, and say what can I do to help Vermont get through this, we're in it together. Right now Vermont's future is being decided for us, let's take a stand, invest in Vermont and Vermonters!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
It's On......
Lake Champlain's hardwater season......my favorite time of the year!
That's right, ice fishing is upon us. The recent cold has set ice in some of the bays in the Champlain Islands, and I was able to take advantage of it this afternoon. Bundled up, grabbed my auger and a handline and set out. Fair warning though, it's still a bit sketchy!
I was able to get out on some anchor ice that had locked up. Water temps are still in the mid-upper 30's, so not quite full on freezing yet. I walked further out to some new ice but it was about two turns with the auger and I was through......not really my cup of tea. So I settled in to a couple holes in the anchor ice where a couple deer had walked across the night before.
All in all it was cold and I only had one bite. Then a baby chain pickerel bit hard, I set the hooked, and pulled it out. I released it back through the hole, and called it a day. Only a matter of time now, every night the temps drop, and the ice will get thicker. Pretty soon it'll be time to pull the tip-ups out!
That's right, ice fishing is upon us. The recent cold has set ice in some of the bays in the Champlain Islands, and I was able to take advantage of it this afternoon. Bundled up, grabbed my auger and a handline and set out. Fair warning though, it's still a bit sketchy!
I was able to get out on some anchor ice that had locked up. Water temps are still in the mid-upper 30's, so not quite full on freezing yet. I walked further out to some new ice but it was about two turns with the auger and I was through......not really my cup of tea. So I settled in to a couple holes in the anchor ice where a couple deer had walked across the night before.
All in all it was cold and I only had one bite. Then a baby chain pickerel bit hard, I set the hooked, and pulled it out. I released it back through the hole, and called it a day. Only a matter of time now, every night the temps drop, and the ice will get thicker. Pretty soon it'll be time to pull the tip-ups out!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
What To Say About The Weather
What a roller coaster this fall for temperatures. It's December and since the end of October, temps have gone up and down, up and down constantly. I just don't know what to think, global warming? What causes such frequent change?
Last winter started with a bang. First week of December we got dumped on, and it kept coming. This year, we've been getting hit, then having it all melt off. The bays of Lake Champlain freeze, then it all breaks up and melts away. I guess it is early to be thinking about ice fishing with the lake still at 38 degrees still. I just can't wait to pull my first Salmon of the year through the ice.
I can't help it though. What good are the cold temps withou ice or snow to enjoy it? No skis or snowshoes, no running line of tip-ups. After a year without winter you long for it. Sure it'll wear out it's welcome in a few months, but for now, anxious anticipation reigns.
Last winter started with a bang. First week of December we got dumped on, and it kept coming. This year, we've been getting hit, then having it all melt off. The bays of Lake Champlain freeze, then it all breaks up and melts away. I guess it is early to be thinking about ice fishing with the lake still at 38 degrees still. I just can't wait to pull my first Salmon of the year through the ice.
I can't help it though. What good are the cold temps withou ice or snow to enjoy it? No skis or snowshoes, no running line of tip-ups. After a year without winter you long for it. Sure it'll wear out it's welcome in a few months, but for now, anxious anticipation reigns.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Whaap! Whaap! Whaap!
This is the sound of me beating a dead horse. Governor Douglas does a lousy job for Vermont. Jim=Jobs(FOR HIS CRONIES). How many of us are better off now, heck, even as well off as when he took office?
Douglas bashing is easy, and I'm a great fan, don't get me wrong. But how productive is this in the long run? I think this is where the Governors race this year bogged down. The democrats were able to paint Douglas in a negative light, but unable to make their candidate a better, more logical choice.
The fact is he's our Governor, unless we come up with the votes to override his veto, we have no choice but to work with him. He's going to run our state into the ground unless he gets some help. Our roads will crumble, the budget shortfalls will be huge. He needs to be met at the table with ideas, and if he chooses to reject them, that will be his undoing.
No democrat thus far has been willing to assume a true leadership role or be a leading voice in challenging the governor. Not on his failures, but with new, well thought out ideas. The person Vermont is comfortable getting behind to move our state forward, and pull Vermont out of this slump.
If this person already exists I apologize. It's just that I've never seen any media coverage of you, or heard any of the great things you say we need to do. Where are you? We could really use you........
Douglas bashing is easy, and I'm a great fan, don't get me wrong. But how productive is this in the long run? I think this is where the Governors race this year bogged down. The democrats were able to paint Douglas in a negative light, but unable to make their candidate a better, more logical choice.
The fact is he's our Governor, unless we come up with the votes to override his veto, we have no choice but to work with him. He's going to run our state into the ground unless he gets some help. Our roads will crumble, the budget shortfalls will be huge. He needs to be met at the table with ideas, and if he chooses to reject them, that will be his undoing.
No democrat thus far has been willing to assume a true leadership role or be a leading voice in challenging the governor. Not on his failures, but with new, well thought out ideas. The person Vermont is comfortable getting behind to move our state forward, and pull Vermont out of this slump.
If this person already exists I apologize. It's just that I've never seen any media coverage of you, or heard any of the great things you say we need to do. Where are you? We could really use you........
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