It seems that a week cannot go by without another example of how misguided our lawmakers are here in Vermont. Just when I think we have reached the apex of foolishness, another crisis comes along that requires yet more legislative action.
GUN CONTROL
So the “Republican” governor gets elected and states that no new gun laws are needed in Vermont. Then there is another shooting and the left wasted no time in using another tragedy to push their disarmament of America agenda. Then, a plot is uncovered of a planned school shooting right here in Vermont. The governor makes an about face and joins the gun control side. Then 90 minutes after his dog and pony show signing of the new firearms bills on the State House steps, our esteemed Vermont Supreme Court rules that the person being held without bail for threatening to shoot people at the Fair Haven school cannot be held without bail because he has committed no crime. The shooter’s legal representative says he is going to push for dismissal of the case and believes that will happen. You have got to be kidding me. So, the legal system is infringing on the rights of someone who has been found to be planning on killing many innocent people, while the “intended” actions of this same individual were used as the excuse to infringe on the rights of thousands of law-abiding firearms owners.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The Legislature wants us to dispose of our “dirty fossil fuel” appliances and purchase energy-efficient (approved by them) electrical appliances. That’s a great idea, especially when the power utility companies cannot reliably provide electricity. Twice this winter we have lost power for extended periods of time, and if we didn’t have a gas range to heat and cook on, we would have been up the proverbial creek.
The Carbon Tax … I mean the Essex Plan … I mean the Market Decarbonization Plan. In case you have not heard about this, it’s the plan for the state to tax “dirty fossil fuel,” keep some amount of the money to manage the program and grow the state government even larger, and then use the remaining funds to improve the efficiency of less fortunate people’s homes. In other words, it’s another redistribution of wealth scheme. Following the global warming agenda all the way to the top you have the U.N. wanting to tax the wealthy countries, and then giving money to the poor countries (after they skim a chunk off for themselves). This is just what rural Vermonters need … to pay more money for gasoline and home heating fuel while struggling to afford to live in Vermont. It has been stated many times by many very knowledgeable people that nothing Vermont does to mitigate the effects of climate change will make any measurable difference. So, let’s keep making it more and more costly to live day to day so our state can wear its environmentalism on its sleeve.
Here’s one of my favorites. If you are caught burning your trash you will lose your hunting and fishing privileges for one year. As if to imply that people who hunt and fish don’t know any better than to not burn their trash.
VEHICLE INSPECTION
New legislation last year, now it costs $50, pass or fail. As vehicles continue to be designed with more and more useless features, if they are not functional you would fail. Due to the outcry from those who the Legislature is supposed to be representing, they are now back-peddling on what will constitute inspection failure. This is a killer for people on a fixed income. On the brighter side, now the state knows how many miles you drive per year and can now come up with some kind of vehicle operation tax scheme.
If you follow the annual reports by publications and moving companies that rate states by metrics such as affordability, livability, best places to retire, highest/lowest taxes, states that people are moving to/moving out of, you will see a pattern and it shows that the states that are democratically (i.e., liberally) controlled generally fair the poorest. The handwriting is on the wall.
Steve Allen lives in Waitsfield.
