On June 7, John Walters posted a piece titled, “What We’ve Lost” on his blog, the Vermont Political Observer, which he describes as “Analysis and observation of Vermont politics from a liberal viewpoint.” Many Vermonters enjoyed Walters “Fair Game” column in Seven Days from 2016-19, which gave us a weekly update on the goings on at the Statehouse.

One of the most serious coming effects of climate change as declared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will be rising sea levels. Global Mean Sea Level has risen steadily by  around eleven inches since 1940 and the IPCC projects an acceleration as higher global temperatures cause the oceans to expand. Let’s say it might rise by two feet by the year 2100.

A month ago the Biden Administration came up with a super new idea – creating a Disinformation Governance Board within the Department of Homeland Security. The Board could stamp out disinformation about the Biden program, and like Big Brother  listen in on anything you say.

The horrible school shooting in Uvalde, Texas has brought forth impassioned demands to “do something”, but as Sen. Cruz pointed out, the people making the demands rarely if ever have any idea what to do that would sharply reduce such shootings.

After the horrific Uvalde school shootings, many Americans are asking themselves if they are at greater risk of being killed by homicidal maniacs with guns than the rest of the Western world.

Drew Cline of the Josiah Bartlett Center reports how the New Hampshire legislature passed a recycling advancement bill over green objections. He writes “Companies they think they have a breakthrough concept:  chemical, or advanced, recycling. It has the potential to increase plastics recycling and decrease solid waste. Naturally, environmental activist groups hate it.”

The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI-P), a stealth carbon tax on gasoline and diesel, died last December when the only three states that originally agreed to participate all backed out. That was one down. The Clean Heat Standard (CHS), a stealth carbon tax on propane, natural gas, kerosene, and heating oil was just successfully vetoed by Governor Scott. That’s two. The next piece of the Global Warming Solutions Act up for consideration is Vermont participation in the California Clean Car & Clean Truck Standards – an ultimate ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

An unforced error is when a politician volunteers or says something stupid and/or politically harmful without realizing its effects. President Biden offered an excellent example of an unforced error when last month when he announced formation of a Disinformation Governance Board, and dispatched Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to build support for it.

Vermont Climate Council’s Clean Heat Standard – a disguised carbon tax on Vermont  homeowners, renters, businesses, schools, hospitals and municipal governments, fell one vote short of passage on Wednesday.