The word “historic” is seriously overused these days, too often to describe events more curious than momentous. A case can be made, however, for the events taking place this week in the “veto session”, in which the supermajority Democratic legislature confronts a popular Republican governor. Consider this combination of facts.

In this era dominated by aggressive steps to deal with “climate change”, it’s worth inquiring into what the climate activists are working to install in our public school system, presumably to lead their pupils into supporting a long list of policies on the climate change agenda.

The following tribute was delivered by Mr. Chris Demuth at the Ethan Allen Institute 30th Anniversary Dinner at Burlington, Vermont, on May 31, 2023. At dinner, Mr. John McClaughry was presented with the Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his public policy work in service of Vermont and her people.

The red hot policy issue in the state right now is S.5, the (un)Affordable Heat bill passed by the Democratic supermajority in the House and Senate. Gov. Scott vetoed it last Thursday.

One interest group fared extraordinarily well during the just-completed legislative session. That’s the interest group comprised of Representatives and Senators. Unlike other interest groups, who have to lobby legislators for the benefits they want, the legislators themselves get to vote on their own benefits. This was an opportunity not to be missed.

Up to now criticism of the Clean Heat Standard bill (S.5) has focused on its intended result of driving up prices of heating oil, propane, kerosene and natural gas somewhere from seventy cents to four dollars a gallon, in order to finance $2 billion worth of subsidies to people to quit using those fuels and install “cold climate heat pumps”, “advanced wood heat”, and home weatherization. 

Every time a disturbed or hate-filled individual embarks on a murderous shooting spree, as at the Covenant School in Nashville last month, politicians rush to the media to urgently announce “we’ve got to do something” to stop “gun violence.” 

The latest in half a century of land use control measures promises some needed deregulation of new housing - at the price of limiting it to “compact settlements” (March 2023)

The Vermont Climate Council and the legislative majorities are determined to drive up the price of heating fuel in a futile exercise to defeat “climate change”. How many more thousands of emails and phone calls will it take to change their minds? (March 2023)