Category — Vermont

I guess this is how the government will fund the bail out of AIG, the next bank (which will be either Citi or WB).

Go here for the hand in your wallet.

BTW, the bail out of Freddie  and Fannie were not put on the government books. Seems that would have blown the budget. Nah, who would have thunk it? Lets see you keep some of your earnings off the books.

“The reason Social Security isn’t on the books.” says that brilliant economist, Barney Frank, “is that it is ‘voluntary’.”

Isn’t he great! He’s appearing all week; give him a big hand and don’t forget to tip the hatcheck girl on the way out.

We have our own idiots in Vermont like Welch and Leahy, but your clown is in a class by himself.

For those to young, the youtube will give you the original depiction by Ernie Kovacs. The art is really…

I’m trying to track down the story about a woman in Oregon who has cancer. The single payer healthcare system will not pay for her chemo, but will pay for her assisted suicide. At this time drug manufacturers are chipping in to cover the $4000/month chemo cost for up to one year. You want this from the Feds?

Canadian Health Care We So Envy Lies In Ruins, Its Architect Admits

[snip]
Back in the 1960s, Castonguay chaired a Canadian government committee studying health reform and recommended that his home province of Quebec — then the largest and most affluent in the country — adopt government-administered health care, covering all citizens through tax levies.

The government followed his advice, leading to his modern-day moniker: “the father of Quebec medicare.” Even this title seems modest; Castonguay’s work triggered a domino effect across the country, until eventually his ideas were implemented from coast to coast.

Four decades later, as the chairman of a government committee reviewing Quebec health care this year, Castonguay concluded that the system is in “crisis.” [snip]

In Vermont, the legislature is determined to socialize this state to the nth degree with all power residing in Montpelier. What businesses loiter and how many taxpayers remain is unknown; I surmise the number will be small. Who then tithes the elite?

This tidbit is like worry beads while you read the above article in it’s entirety.

[snip]
The Knox County Industrial Development Board’s application review committee met to consider an application from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a Waterbury, Vt.-based company that is considering an expansion in Knox County. Green Mountain already has announced plans to buy a building in the Forks of the River Industrial Park, outlining a proposal to invest $55 million in a packaging and distribution operation that could eventually provide 360 new jobs.[snip]

Vermont isn’t even being considered for the expansion. This doesn’t bother the Democrat candidate for governor who is responsible for these circumstances.

The Logo of Efficiency Vermont is Camel’s Hump as seen from the western side. After reading this article it looks more like a shark cruising for idiots.

We’re From Efficiency Vermont And We’re Here To Help You

I recently contacted my electric company concerning high electrical usage at my residence. After converting from an 80-gallon electric hot water heater to a 95 percent efficient propane indirect unit, my usage went up. My electric company said to contact Efficiency Vermont and they could “help” me. I thought, “Great, finally I will get some value for the extra money being paid out of my electric bills.” Upon review of this government’s Web site, I realized they offered up to a $ 1,000 incentive for converting from electric hot water to other efficient fuels. I contacted the organization and asked if I qualified. [snip]

CA might decide to tax the porn industry. Given the whores we have in office here, a tax of this nature is in order.

Porn Tax Considered As Solution To Budget Shortfall

LOS ANGELES - California state lawmakers are considering an unusual idea to solve the state’s huge budget shortfall: Tax pornography.

The idea was proposed by a state assemblyman, and would impose a 25 percent tax on the production and sales of pornographic videos — the vast majority of which are made in southern California. [snip]

All news clips of the VT and MA legislative and executive actions then produce revenue. Compared to these chunks of degradation, CA porn looks like Mother Theresa at Vespers.

Don’t you just hate this when it happens

Mud, snow to greet Memorial Day hikers

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, 18 inches of snow remained on the ground near the top of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. The snow cover includes some of the 3.5 inches of fresh fluff that descended on the mountaintop Monday. More light snow is likely over northern Vermont summits today and Thursday, the National Weather Service in South Burlington said. [snip]

No snow will fall in the valleys this week, meteorologists said. Instead, chilly rain showers are forecast with temperatures in the low- and mid-50s. That’s about 15 degrees colder than normal for this time of year.

So how is Algore going to fix this?

Luddites loose in La-La land

The price of oil is likely to hit 150 dollars (Canadian, US) a barrel by 2010 and soar to 225 dollars a barrel by 2012 as supply becomes increasingly tight, a Canadian bank said Thursday. (April 24^th) [snip]

Electricity and heat production in the Northeast derives from oil for the most part. In Vermont, there are no oil or coal plants; however, we have a clean energy producer in Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The other energy source, a contract with Hydro Quebec, which proved to be a bad indenture, is defunct in 2009. Whether it is renewed or not, indubitably it will not be at current rates.

This chart comes from a Green Mountain Power bill insert.

Instead of embracing nuclear power as a means of insuring clean energy, the Vermont house:

MONTPELIER — The House voted 81-58 Wednesday for a bill that would require new corporate owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to guarantee more money is available to dismantle the plant when the time comes.

Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, agitated in the Senate to require Entergy (Vermont Yankee owners) to deposit the money to clean up the site now.

This response came from corporate spokesmen.

Vermont Yankee officials, meanwhile, provided fuel for a possible veto by saying that if the bill passes they would likely sell or shut down the Vernon nuclear power plant because it would no longer make sense financially to include it in the new corporate spinoff. That could make the plant more expensive to run as a lone unit and raise the cost of the electricity it produces, he said.

The Luddite fascists in Vermont want the plant closed yesterday regardless of cost to the ratepayers. Money set aside at interest by Entergy, is sufficient to decommission and clean up the site. If this shutdown occurs, average monthly electric bills will go from $100/mo. to $200, maybe $250/mo.

Welcome to socialist economics, these idiots wish to festoon the mountainsides with wind turbines. The cost of electricity will enforce conservation, the desired goal; no other idea makes any sense. And they cannot tell from where the replacement power will come.

Vermont will be a microcosm of a Democrat controlled country if Yobama is elected. Clinton will be just as bad.

Sap run is going strong; the fields sit, tilling time is nigh. Early crops go in this month. Soon the pace of life picks up here in Addison County for there is warmth in the air.

Photo 4/12/2008

Vermont court to decide if disliked prison food is punishment

MONTPELIER, Vt. (Map, News) - When shooting suspect Christopher Williams acted up in prison, he was given nutraloaf - a mixture of cubed whole wheat bread, nondairy cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk and dehydrated potato flakes.

Prison officials call it a complete meal. Inmates say it’s so awful they’d rather go hungry.

On Monday, the Vermont Supreme Court will hear arguments in a class action suit brought by inmates who say it’s not food but punishment and that anyone subjected to it should get a formal disciplinary process first.

Prison officials see nutraloaf as a tool for behavior modification. http://federalism.typepad.com/crime_federalism/

“It’s commonplace in other states as a way of providing nutrition in a mechanism that dissuades inmates from throwing feces, urine, trays and silverware,” said Vermont Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann.

“It tends to have the desired outcome,” Hofmann said. [snip]

Most Vermont inmates given nutraloaf have used their eating utensils to throw body waste. Nutraloaf, however, is served on a simple piece of paper, removing from the inmate’s reach the utensils that can be used to store the waste before it is thrown.[snip]

Christopher Williams, 29, who is charged in a 2006 school shooting that killed two people in Essex, was given nutraloaf after he’d assaulted guards and smeared excrement in his cell.
Since then, his name hasn’t appeared on the list of inmates given nutraloaf.
“His name was nowhere to be found,” Hofmann said. “I presume it was effective.”

What has Vermont come to, serving prisoners wholesome food after they misbehave? Put them on a broccoli rabe diet for a month (that will stop the feces throwing) or beat them to within an inch of stupidity with a waterboard, since it’s impolite to use it as intended. Actually, given the level of intelligence extant, holding up the board should be sufficient.

If the inmates worked on road gangs 10 hours a day, they be too tired to cause troubles. Who knows, they might even recognize the work ethic when they step up to it. The state also saves a large portion of tax dollars used to pay state employees to do the lump work. Realizing additional savings by canceling the cable TV and converting the workout room to additional cell space helps the taxpayers.

Furthermore, having the correctional facilities a bit inconvenient may produce a sharp drop in recidivism, either by modifying their behavior or by leaving the state. I care not which they choose.

Just Say No?

Jeffrey Wennberg on Crime, Drugs, and Vermont’s quality of life

(Wennberg is a former mayor of Rutland)

On Monday, March 24th, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in Rutland to look into the explosion of violent crime and drug offenses in Vermont. Sen. Patrick Leahy, who chairs the panel, notes that while violent crime is growing at 1 percent nationally, it is growing at ten times that rate in Vermont. Meanwhile Governor Douglas and law enforcement leaders have recently made page-one news with statewide drug busts netting crack cocaine, heroin and a significant number of big-city drug entrepreneurs.

And yet, just weeks ago, the Vermont Senate voted 22 to 7 to approve the bill that would give those caught with small amounts of marijuana the choice of participating in the Diversion program, and by so doing avoid a criminal record. Public opinion polls indicate a solid majority of Vermonters support the measure.

So why are they so upset with the burgeoning community dope market in Rutland and Barre, which merely supplies the adjunct desires? They believe a little bit of dope is just the thing to start the day.
Sensitive Vermonters wish to rehabilitate, not incarcerate, to prevent damage to tender psyches. Wagging fingers, wrist slaps and court diversion are the chastisements of preference.

Now that some of the capitalists wish to practice horizontal integration to corner the market, the locals become upset. Is something wrong with their laissez-faire policy that heretofore was undiscovered?
Purveyors of recreational drugs no longer are welcome in town. Now what to do. Since all these interlopers have poor self-esteem from bad potty training, hearing the word no spoken harshly, or poor schooling, Vermonters wished not to further ding their mellow. They simply asked them to go elsewhere.
Via incarceration and labeling, elsewhere however rejected them. The return hegira to Rutland, which holds self-esteem and image paramount produces quandary. For the prodigals are violent, bringing big city solutions to little city Vermont.

Stay tuned; let us see what actually happens after the legislative hand wringing phase. You know the good Senator Leahy has all the answers

Creating a third world country

Conservation is good isn’t it! We can save the planet while joining hands skipping around a tree singing Kumbaya. Often we hear the enviros tell us how dire life for the “poor” is because we splurge on everything from toilet paper to gasoline. Conserve, conserve and more conservation, we are running out of everything. We are not running out of idiots though, that’s the embarrassment. We’re living in a PBS state.

Examination of how the poor really fare with the dreadfully emotional regulations of the barkheads is absolutely enlightening.

First, we must understand every business has a bottom line cost, for product, maintenance and repairs of infrastructure, salaries and then physical plant if different from infrastructure. Profits must figure into this, otherwise why bother producing anything. This is of course anathema to the Loony Left. For the examples, all numbers presume no increase is operating/repair costs, which really is ridiculous.

Let us start with your electrical provider. Generating power costs x (where x equals the bottom line). Determine billing by y (where y is the total class of purchasers). Individual cost of electricity then is x/y. (For the logic and math deficient I’ll apply figures where x=$100,000.00 and y=10,000, therefore power costs $10/customer)

If everyone conserves by reducing consumption by 10%, the electrical company pays only 90% of the monthly costs. To cover the bottom line, they increase billing to y+10% per billing period. So, 10% of $100,000= $10,000.00 divided by 10,000 customers= $1 each. Power now costs $11 per billing cycle.

This causes all who conserve to cut back again, another 9% leaving the monthly bill $10.01 per customer. The company then collects $100,100 to cover $110,000, a short fall of $9900.00. They raise rates by another 9% to cover the billing to $11.99 / customer/period. Conservation saved you how much? Will you conserve to pay the new cost? The next increase is 8%, which is a 24.65% increase over the entire period.

Prohibiting increases by legislative fiat produces a cutback of maintenance, upgrades and/or layoffs of personnel, which of course has many other ramifications; the maximum is living in the dark.

State mandated conservation on driving to cut down on air pollution, global warming or being the greenest fool enfolds the same stupidity.

Police, road and bridge repair, snow plowing etc. rely on sales taxes from fuel sales, vehicle sales tax, registration, fees, tickets and parking/tolls.

Suffice to say fewer gallons vended, cheaper cars purchased, less driving in general cuts into the tax base very quickly. Vermont is a perfect example of the simplemindedness of the conserve to save mentality.

A short numerical example augments discernment: Give an average of 15,000 driven miles per annum divided by a very generous 30MPG =500 gallons of gas x $0.20/gal sales tax=$100.00 to the state. There are approximately 516,631 cars, light trucks and motorcycles registered in the state. (Year 2000 figures) of which about half are trucks excluding farm vehicles. Gas sales tax revenues are about $51.7M/year. Cutting back driving by 25%, the state takes a $12.9M hit to the treasury. I’m leaving out the tourists, diesel fuel sales for trucks and farm machinery, sales tax on oil changes, and other maintenance.

What new taxes or maintenance diminutions transpire to make up the arrears? Charges go up to fill in the revenue insufficiency or things start breaking. Who is going to patrol the byways, fill potholes or repair bridges? The state could make the Big Dig look good!

Try these examples with water, telephone or public transportation.

Who pays the cost?

The poor downtrodden proles for whom the Left professes to care wind up paying for the increases. When taxes on top of self-induced rising costs become onerous, the middle class and well to do move, leaving the “least fortunate” footing the bill. Moreover, pay they will for the basic infrastructure has to exist or the state goes away. I cannot picture the elected elite taking responsibility for the debacle. It must be the poor not paying their fair share. Who’s left?

Far be it from me to advocate excess consumption, I cannot afford it. However, belief in conservation as the road to Xanadu, has to be the product of a drug addled mind. The Teletubbies make more sense.

I don’t think we can afford to do “better.”

Pollina Says VT ‘Can Do Better’

Progressive Launches Campaign For Governor In Essex

[snip]
Progressive Party candidate Anthony Pollina, 56, of Middlesex launched his campaign for governor of Vermont Thursday evening in a high school cafeteria in Essex Junction.
[snip]
This is Pollina’s fourth attempt at statewide office. In 1984 he ran for Congress as a Democrat and lost badly. He gravitated to Vermont’s fledging Progresssive Party soon afterward, worked for U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders in the 1990s and re-emerged as a statewide candidate in 2000. Pollina came in a distant third for governor that year and lieutenant governor in 2002.
[snip]
In his announcement speech to supporters, Pollina sharply criticized Douglas[…]for Douglas’ plan to reduce the top marginal state income tax rate.
Pollina offered a general outline of the themes upon which he’ll rely in the campaign, including support for farmers, small-business owners and seniors. He proposes $80 million in additional state borrowing to fix roads and bridges, wants to boost renewable energy development, and help Vermonters use less heating fuel.

Vermont is a magical place. The rest of the country is in foreclosure, jobs are disappearing, the USD is shrinking faster than Alice eating the cookie and here comes Pollina looking to borrow $80 million.
For what is this sum to be borrowed? To fix the roads and bridges for which previously collected taxes were to repair of course. If there is any spare change left over from this debt overload, Pollina will plant the hillsides with pinwheels to create a superfluity of energy for the CFL abusing flatlanders.
Heating Vermont homes, according to Pollina, is a serious obstruction to life in La-La land. The solution is global warming, which is as close to free as one gets. Since the freebie isn’t taxed at least three times, it’s injurious.
Next time, coverage of the universal health care, plastic bag free living and huge taxes on any item finding official disapproval will suffer discussion.

Not everyone pays all these taxes in every state; some states tax unprepared food, others like New Hampshire tax the scenic view you have from your property. To insult you further all tax, at some level, your view of the coffin lid. Politicians will look you in the eye and tell you most of these aren’t taxes, they’re fees for allowing you to exist.
This list is by no means definitive. Many more state and local “fees” are in place, limited only by the imagination of the “Elected Elite.”
I’m using $1000.00 as monthly earnings for ease of math and understanding. Also, I’m using Vermont as the basis for other taxes, which may or may not have the same rates OR even be collected where you reside. All is computed as single, no exemptions, 0 dependents

Federal Income Tax: @ 15% of gross adjusted = $150.00 X 12 = $1800.00

State Income Tax: decoupled from the Federal when Bush’s tax cuts took place. $434.00

Federal Medicare Tax: @ $1.36% of gross =$13.60 X 12 = $163.20

Social Security Tax (FICA): 15.7% of gross = $157.00 X 12 = $1884.00

The fact that the employer is paying your other half means he isn’t giving that to you in wages. You still pay it.

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA): Average $1.00 to $3.00 per month $1.75 X 12 = $21.00

Workers Compensation Tax: $25.00 X 12 = $300.00

Property Tax: My town = $1.43 per $100.00 evaluation $200,000 =$2860

Renters as well as homeowners pay this. Seriously, do you think the landlord pays your share?
Phone Fees and taxes land Line:

Federal Subscriber line charge $6.40 X 12 = $76.80

Federal Universal Service fee $0.65 X 12 = $7.80

Vermont Universal Service fund $0.24 X 12 = $2.88

Vermont State tax $1.13 X 12 = $13.56

Federal Excise tax $0.59 X 12 = $7.08

Phone Fees and taxes Cell phone:

Federal Universal Service fee $2.01 X 12 = $24.12

Vermont State tax $13.18 X 12 = $38.16

Vermont Universal Service fund $0.67 X 12 = $8.04

Regulatory Program Fee $0.96 X 12 = $11.52

Utility Taxes: $100/month electric bill 4.5% =$4.50 X 12 = $54.00

Vermont residences do not pay sales tax on energy used, they do pay an Energy Efficiency Charge, between 4.5 and 5%, funds the statewide Energy Efficiency Utility
Gasoline Tax: $0.42 cents/gal Federal and State(some states add their tax as a percentage of the per gal charge) Thought this ruling is of interest. The state will have no untaxed gasoline in cars.

At 20 MPG, 100 miles =$2.10 X 15,000 miles/year = $315.00
Vehicle License Registration Tax: for pleasure /year $60.00

Rooms and Meals Tax: Eat out once a week

$30.00 dinner for two = $2.70 = $140.40

9% on everything from coffee to the motel room. Add up all those lattes and bagels for more tax, tip optional
Here’s the annual total of those taxes I can actually figure. You need to add the sales, use and other taxes as you believe you pay them:

TOTAL: $8161.56

Your income: $12,000.00

Percentage of income paid in taxes/year: 68% of Gross

With all this the Congress wants to let the “cuts” expire and raise taxes on “only the wealthy.” Aren’t you glad to be only poor.
Extras:
Sales Tax: Charged on everything except unprepared food and first $110 of clothing, State rate is 6% with some towns adding 1% to that.
Service Charge Tax: Same rates at Sales tax. Placed on services like medical, dental, construction etc. 6% with some towns adding 1% to that.
Use tax: Buy a item out of state for $100.00, pay the sales tax there, bring it into Vermont and pay 6% use tax here.
Marriage License Tax: to make legal what you are doing now, $15.00.
Excise Taxes: Federal taxes on things like tires for the car $3.00/tire added on to the cost, don’t forget the sales tax.
The following taxes you pay when you use any middleman for work, selling or buying, shipping:
Building Permit Tax; A variable fee based on the cost of the project, gets you a piece of paper with writing on it allowing you to alter your own property.
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA
Road UsageTax
Accounts Receivable Tax
CDL license Tax
Inventory Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gross Receipts Tax
Food License Tax
Corporate Income Tax:
Luxury Taxes
Real Estate Tax
Personal Property Tax
Cigarette Tax
Dog License Tax
Hunting License Tax
Fishing License Tax
Liquor Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Inheritance Tax
Well Permit Tax

And what do you think they told the judge?

Cabot men charged with armed robbery

Show clerk an axe, ask for $20

BARRE – Two Cabot men wanted money for snacks, so they held up the Woodbury Village Store, brandishing an axe Tuesday afternoon and demanding the store clerk give them $20, according to court documents.

Brian Rossell, 21, and Robert Martino, 20, pleaded innocent to assault and robbery with a weapon in Vermont District Court on Wednesday. [snip]

The rest of this comedy here.

Notice any similarities in these state climate websites?

Vermont (Governor’s Commission on Climate Change)
Minnesota (Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group)
Iowa (Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council)
Montana (Montana Climate Change Advisory Committee)
New Mexico (New Mexico Climate Change Action Council and the New Mexico Climate Change Advisory Group)
Florida (Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change)
Arizona (Arizona Climate Action Initiative)
Arkansas (Governor’s Commission on Global Warming)

All these websites look the same because they’re all hosted by the same organization and on the same computer system , no less. The websites are hosted by an environmental group called Global Environment & Technology Foundation.

Even more surprising is that the underlying content of the sites and the related state policies they report on are all products of a similar, if not related, left wing environmental organization called The Center for Climate Studies. It would seem states have all but discarded any pretense of open-mindedness and now openly collaborate with a radical environmental group. Indeed, the environmental policies (and climate websites) of twenty one states have been created by these organizations. [snip]

One would want this so as to keep the talking point coherent.

What this says to me is that CCS intends to push through a comprehensive environmental policy, first breaking the policy into smaller pieces to avoid public debate (i.e. alarm). In some instances it plans to avoid public debate by implementing its polices through administrative rules and in other cases by intentionally disorganizing the policy objectives so it is not apparent to anyone outside the process. (for more on CCS read here and here).

Evidence of CCSs influence can already be found in policies making their way through Montpelier. For example, one of CCS’s standard policy recommendations is “Smart Growth.” A paragraph containing this title was passed by the house last week which is somewhat surprising considering how the new policy substantially mimics the existing growth regulations set forth in 24 VSA 2791. I can only assume the new language was included in the bill because its part of the standard “package” of policies provided by CCS. [snip]

All this is standard fare with the Progs. Sneak the language into the bill; do not debate that which will cause uproar. Keeping the voters in the dark predicates every move especially when the ensuing law will prove to be inimical.