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Pages tagged "commentary"


Commentary: Large Tax Changes on the Table

Posted on EAI Commentary by John & Anne McClaughry · February 22, 2021 4:13 PM · 1 reaction

The Vermont Tax Structure Commission has delivered its report, and its recommendations should trigger an intense debate. Switching public education support to the income tax and expanding the sales tax to include services will be very controversial. It’s regrettable that the legislature didn’t begin with a performance review, to decide what state government should be doing with $4.5 billion a year, and then address the tax structure needed to pay for it.

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Commentary: Lax Emergency Laws Leave Vermont Vulnerable

Posted on EAI Commentary by David Flemming · February 22, 2021 3:57 PM · 1 reaction

If we don’t transfer more power from the governor to the Legislature during emergencies, a ‘climate emergency’ declared by a future governor could be catastrophic for Vermont democracy.

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Commentary: More Funding! More Funding!

Posted on EAI Commentary by John & Anne McClaughry · February 09, 2021 9:52 AM · 3 reactions

The Public Utility Commission, at the direction of the legislature, has “joined the chorus of voices seeking climate action”. Its all-fuels energy report takes note of the state’s ambitious carbon dioxide emission reduction goals, and almost screams what’s needed on every page: “More Funding!”

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Commentary: Closing the Educational Performance Gap

Posted on EAI Commentary by John & Anne McClaughry · January 26, 2021 3:12 PM · 1 reaction

A discouraging report from the American Enterprise Institute finds that the expenditure of billions of new dollars on public education has done almost nothing to close the reading and math gap between higher- and lower-income students.  Maybe we should be looking for more promising alternatives. 

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Commentary: Retirement Fund Blues

Posted on EAI Commentary by John & Anne McClaughry · January 12, 2021 7:00 AM

Vermont’s state employee and teacher retirement funds, plus their associated Other Post Employment Benefit obligations, now total $5.657 billion – a Billion dollar increase in just the past year. The pension funds are just 66.4% and 52.3% funded, respectively. The clock is ticking toward calamity, including downgrading the state’s credit ratings.

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Commentary: Candid Comments Reveal Illogic Behind Vermont’s Climate Policy

Posted on EAI Commentary by Rob Roper · January 01, 2021 8:49 AM · 1 reaction

Responding to an email inquiry from a concerned citizen about the real impact – and cost -- of the Global Warming Solutions Act, passed last spring over the veto of Governor Phil Scott (R), Representative Scott Campbell (D-St. Johnsbury) admitted, “Let me start by repeating that no one, least of all me, believes Vermont can stop climate change — or even affect climate change.  It’s tempting to focus on that narrow issue because of the specific metrics in the law, namely the required greenhouse gas reduction thresholds (leaving aside the unfortunate name of the Act),” and, “GWSA will not ‘mitigate’ climate change…” Thanks for the honesty!

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Commentary: Goodbye to TCI

Posted on EAI Commentary by John & Anne McClaughry · December 29, 2020 11:01 AM · 1 reaction

On December 21 Gov. Phil Scott bailed out of the proposed 12-state Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), at least for 2021.  Only three of the twelve hoped-for state participants have agreed to implement TCI (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island). Eight others, including Vermont, agree to keep on meeting, talking and negotiating, but the process is likely on life support. The twelfth state, New Hampshire, wants nothing to do with TCI.

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Commentary: TCI Looks DOA

Posted on EAI Commentary by Rob Roper · December 01, 2020 4:51 PM · 1 reaction

The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), referring to the organization itself rather than the policy, has put off publication of their final proposal for a multi-state, regional carbon tax on gasoline and diesel fuel for well over half a year. Originally, they promised to release it in the spring of 2020, then hinted at summer, and are currently operating under a promise to do so this fall – a window rapidly closing. Presumably, the delays are part of a strategy to hold off until a politically opportune time. It doesn’t appear such a time will ever transpire. Increasingly, TCI looks dead on arrival.

The latest blow comes from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who, up until a very short time ago, was TCI’s biggest cheerleader. But now, according to the Boston Herald, “Gov. Charlie Baker said governors are re-evaluating support of a controversial carbon tax designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions….”

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Commentary: Combating “Welfare for the Rich”

Posted on EAI Commentary by John & Anne McClaughry · December 01, 2020 12:39 PM · 1 reaction

A new book “Welfare for the Rich” explains the many ways that government policies benefit the rich, leaving the not-rich to hold the bag. We need to “raise the hue and cry” to put a stop to it.

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John's Commentary: Election Law Reforms Worth Considering

Posted on News by John & Anne McClaughry · November 17, 2020 4:04 PM · 1 reaction

This turbulent election season is now over, at least for Vermont. It’s a good time to peruse a menu of election law reforms that the next legislature should seriously consider.

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