Vermonters are capable of choice, they make excellent choices from many thousands of options on a daily basis, and they benefit from the ability to select one from multiple alternatives. VPR, PBS, WCAX, VtDigger and all the rest of the debate hosts have no right to keep candidates from compe…
Hurricane Michael’s path of destruction in Florida’s panhandle last week has brought apocalyptic environmentalists out of the woods in droves, reminding us that climate change is causing more and more hurricanes. However, a quick look at the National Hurricane Center’s records (easily found …
In the modern world, such as it is, things have changed dramatically since we were kids. Our environment is drastically different than it was just a few short years ago, and if we’re unwilling or unable to keep up, we’re doomed to have it all pass us by, which some among us might actually pr…
According to John Nassivera in his commentary, “Of babies, bathwater and bishops,” “Since 2004, there have been 3,400 abuse cases reported to the Holy See (Vatican).” I have been unable to verify this statement. He concludes that “less than 1 percent of the world’s priests” have molested chi…
On Saturday, Oct. 6, my heart broke. I felt outraged, silenced and betrayed as I watched the Senate vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
One afternoon in 1991, Fred Hackett invited me to join him on a hike of Camel’s Hump. I considered it an honor, given that he had sponsored the legislation, years before, to make that mountain a state park. The next day we hit the trail an hour earlier than I usually woke up, but it meant we…
There are two certainties in life: We all want to debate taxes, and we all know we’re going to die debating how we should be taxed.
I don’t know about you, but I hate to pick up a newspaper or watch the evening news.
For a century or more, politicians and economists have argued about the relationship, if any, between economic freedom and human well-being.
Fall is here, and with it the return of another school year. The return of our students means we will again be lucky enough to spend our days educating the next generation, seeing them learn new tools and skills and watching their grins when they grasp a difficult task.
Millennials often get a bad rap. But for all the grief they take for being “on screens” all of the time or living at home, their activism may be having a measurable effect on the world. That’s a very good thing.
Gov. Phil Scott’s ongoing financial stake in his former business — a business that continues to seek lucrative contracts with the state — violates Vermont’s new code of ethics. That is the clear position of Vermont’s independent Ethics Commission, as stated in an advisory opinion issued earl…
In a recent editorial in this newspaper editorial writer, Steven Pappas wrote: “The United States needs a major reform of its political system. A democracy should reflect the will of the people. That has not been happening, and it appears to only be worsening.” Further on in Pappas’ editoria…
Why are so many people from Central America trying to get into this country? Why don’t they change their own country rather than coming into ours illegally?
Want to hear something obvious? Raising the minimum wage increases the take-home pay for low-income workers without hurting job growth.
Despite the reported rancor around the budget in the 2018 legislative session, the Vermont Chamber had a very successful year, proving that the Republican administration and the Democratic leaders of the Legislature can work together for the betterment of Vermont’s economy. It’s important th…
Working with several partners and stakeholders, the Agency of Education is contributing significantly to Gov. Scott’s vision of a cradle-to-career education system in Vermont. Recent trends show that Vermont’s economy is strong. Our schools are consistently ranked as some of the strongest in…
The last weeks of the confirmation process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court have been like a stomach-churning flight on the red-eye descending through a bad thunder storm. It takes all our will power to keep from getting sick. We keep asking ourselves, “Why on Earth did I ever …
While I am fortunate to call Vermont my home, I am also proud to have spent many years of my childhood and adult life in North Carolina.
I would like to know exactly what Garrison Keillor did to make it necessary to fire him from National Public Radio (and to kick him out of the Burlington Book Fair). No details, other than an approximate number of complaints and allegations, have been offered. Possibly his sins were egregiou…
The recent Vermont Agency of Natural Resources report that revealed a startling rise in Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions highlights how much work remains for us to meet Vermont’s climate-change goals. Transportation accounts for almost half of these emissions, and proposed federal rollback…
Well, hasn’t this been a week! The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of federal Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court – as rigidly stylized and foregone as any ancient Japanese Noh theater – broadcast live, have elicited millions of passionate responses…
My kids have been actively engaged in recent weeks helping caterpillars morph into butterflies by feeding them milkweed grown in a neighborhood pollinator garden. The caterpillars are currently in the cocoon phase, and upon their emerging from their chrysalis, we will be releasing the butter…
As summer fades into fall, our focus often shifts. We turn from growing our gardens to harvesting them, and from beach time to school bus time. In the world of politics and policies, fall also brings new implementation of laws that were passed during last year’s legislative session. This yea…
“Bravery is contagious.”
For over half a century, the managers of Vermont’s public education system have yearned to consolidate school districts, get rid of “inefficient” small schools and install progressive ideas that the locals were too obtuse to grasp and implement themselves.
Hurricane Florence was on the minds of East Coast residents for several days as they waited for the inevitable, and is still on our minds as the long process of recovery begins in the Southeast.
As reported in The Times Argus, despite troubling news that elevated levels of lead have been found in the water of 16 schools in Vermont, a report recently issued by a number of state agencies declares that the state lacks the capacity to do the extensive testing necessary to determine whic…
My name is Janssen Willhoit, and I am a candidate for Vermont attorney general.
Vermont faces a set of economic and demographic challenges that, if left unaddressed, will continue to erode communities, widen the gap between regions, and stretch the distance between poor families and wealthy families in our state.
I was in high school when the Columbine tragedy took place. It rocked my world. School was a place where I had felt safe, nurtured and engaged, even as someone who had been teased quite a bit for being awkward and different.
Social Security is one of the most popular and successful government programs in the history of our country.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could only look at our household budgets in terms of our incomes and ignore the real costs? But to know how we are really doing, we have to subtract the total checks written from the total deposits made.
Vermont’s Act 148 states that no more food waste will be allowed in trash by 2020. The most logical solution is to compost that waste, which for some people is a natural process, but for others raises concerns.
How can one write a series of commentary pieces on faith and not mention the abuse scandal within the Catholic Church? Of course, the answer is one cannot. While I don’t relish the task, the task must be addressed. It won’t be easy for me to write and it won’t be easy for you to read.
We have just passed our yearly observance of Labor Day in the United States. It is only fitting that we give some thought to the condition of those who labor — and their families. And perhaps it might be worthwhile to consider what relationship religion might have to the history of labor in …
I ’ve been reading about the “Vicious Act” of 1892. That’s the law Vermont legislators passed a century ago mandating consolidation of all school districts within a town to a single district. The law was not popular.
Last spring, poet and activist Andrea Gibson made a stop in Vermont. Andrea is a spoken-word artist. Andrea also goes by Andrew and uses gender-neutral pronouns. "I don't necessarily identify within a gender binary. I've never in my life really felt like a woman and I've certainly never felt…
Patrick Leahy occupies the U.S. Senate seat once held by George Aiken, and a century before Aiken, by Justin Morrill. Aiken and Morrill are two of the most consequential and distinguished senators to ever serve our nation.
Vermont has seen a warm summer, but rainfall in Pittsford has been high enough that we have had a large vegetable crop, as well as far too many weeds.
“Schools are not as good as they were in my day. Kids had to mind then. Not like today. Things are out of control.” Said in a variety of ways, over half the population agrees. The truth is that schools are a lot better in many ways — and worse in others. Among the better ways, since 1971, wh…
The cost of health care in Vermont, not to mention the rest of the United States, is staggering. It now accounts for 18 percent of our Gross Domestic Product, and obviously it is a dominating factor in our state’s economy. Vermont has been a healthcare innovator in many regards, whether it b…
The Vermont Land Trust has a long history of conserving Vermont’s most-productive working lands. As VLT’s president, I’m proud of that track record, but I’m also concerned about our farm and forest economy. These lands and the industries that rely on them are facing real challenges today, wi…
Barrie Dunsmore was the consummate newsman, even in his years of retirement, when failing health sometimes impeded his ability to meet the deadline for his column, which came to me every two weeks.
According to historical documents, it was inevitable that Vermont would become a dairy state. It had the soil, climate and topography that grew grass well. Livestock have the ability to convert this energy to meat or milk. This had already been demonstrated with the livestock that the first …
One bright afternoon on a recent weekend, I was sitting on a small beach on a quiet lake in the heart of the Adirondacks. A fluttering at the edge of my vision caught my attention.
The only reason Vermont has a monster landfill by the lake in Coventry is because 100 years ago dumping trash into wetlands was considered a great way to manage solid wastes. We don’t do things that way now, but due to inattention on the part of the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), there a…
We are now less than two weeks away from Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Two weeks away, and the committee has received only six percent of his total White House records, according to the National Archives. And not a single one of the records we …
When I tell people about the Chittenden County Opioid Alliance’s broad mission to reduce the impact of opioids on our communities, there is a predictable response: “Gosh, that sounds overwhelming.”
This year, one of the most important religious events in the world falls during the month of August, the 19th through the 24th. This is the Muslim pilgrimage known as the Hajj, during which some 2 million Muslims from all over the world arrive in Saudi Arabia to participate in this annual co…
