Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 18 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today decried “outrageous” eavesdropping by the National Security Agency on some of the United States’ closest allies.

Sanders is cosponsoring legislation that would significantly rein in the sweeping surveillance activities of the NSA and other intelligence agencies.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, the senator also voiced concern that the U.S. actions could undermine cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after Senate Republicans on a party-line vote blocked consideration of a measure to raise the federal debt ceiling:

“I find it incredible that every Republican voted against a motion to even let the Senate consider legislation to pay our bills and prevent a default. We are entering very dangerous territory.

This is a listing of agency-by-agency contingency plans. This outlines exactly what each agency is allowed to do, and all the things which… during the shutdown… they are NOT allowed to do.

Agency Contingency Plans http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/contingency-plans

“Below are the links to contingency plans for agencies across the Federal Government. The page will be updated as more plans are posted.”

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today attended oral arguments before the Supreme Court in a case that justices could use to throw out some legal limits on contributions by individual donors to political campaigns.

“Freedom of speech, in my view, does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government,” Sanders told a rally outside the Supreme Court after the one-hour oral argument.

The court’s ruling later this term in McCutcheon vs. FEC could further erode campaign finance laws and extend the controversial 2010 Citizens United ruling which opened the floodgates on campaign spending by corporations and wealthy individuals.

A reader made this comment at the end of a news story about the government shutdown:

Ted Testerson
Republicans – Can I burn down your house?
Democrats – No
Republicans – Just the 2nd floor?
Democrats – No
Republicans – Garage?
Democrats – No
Republicans – Let’s talk about what I can burn down.
Democrats – No
Republicans – YOU AREN’T COMPROMISING!

The next “Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast” will take place on Friday,  October 18, 2013 at the Gibson Aiken Center, downstairs, hosted by Senior Meals. Doors open at 7:30am.

We plan to hear from Ann Braden of Gun Sense Vermont  ~ ~   The presentation will include the current state of Vermont gun laws and proposals for change.

Is there a need for a change? Here are some statistics to think about and explore:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) cosponsored a bill to compensate federal workers furloughed because most of the United States government is shut down.

“Federal workers in Vermont and around the country should not have to pay the price for the House Republicans’ refusal to keep the government open,” Sanders said. “These dedicated workers have families to feed and bills to pay and we must make it clear that when this is over they are going to get paid.”

Many federal employees in Vermont are among the 800,000 federal workers furloughed since the government ran out of funds on Tuesday to operate most agencies.

Montpelier, VT. (September 16th, 2013)- Joined by higher education leaders from across Vermont, Representative Peter Welch announced legislation this morning at the Community College of Vermont in Montpelier that addresses the nation’s sky rocketing college costs. Across the nation, college costs have risen 1,120 percent over the last 30 years, with outstanding student debt now at $1.2 trillion.

“A college education, the gateway to the American middle class, is slipping further and further from the reach of working families. Federal loans and grants are a lifeline for college students. But students continue to lose ground because financial aid increases are being eaten up by college tuition increases,” Welch said. “This legislation creates a partnership between the federal government and our college administrators to cut unnecessary federal regulatory costs and encourage cost saving innovations.”

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 15 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today issued the following statement after Lawrence Summers withdrew from consideration to succeed Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman:

“I applaud Larry Summers for withdrawing his name from consideration. The truth is that it was unlikely he would have been confirmed by the Senate. What the American people want now is a Fed chairman prepared to stand up to the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street, not a Wall Street insider whose deregulation efforts helped pave the way for a horrendous financial crisis and the worst economic downturn in the country since the Great Depression. The Fed now must help develop policies which create millions of decent-paying jobs and rebuild the middle class.”

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 15 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that the Senate must call the bluff of House Republicans demanding deeper cuts in Head Start, Meals on Wheels and other programs for working families.

A proposal set for a House vote this week includes the deeper spending cuts in a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down after the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. The proposal would lock in across-the-board cuts known as sequestration but carve out an exception for the Pentagon, which would get a $20-billion boost.

September 12, 2013

“I’ve always felt that the multiple billions spent on missile defense are a monumental waste of money, on technologically challenged systems, and I am emphatically against putting one of these sites in Vermont.”

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[Text of letter to Senator Leahy, below:]

Washington, DC – Congressman Peter Welch will hold a telephone town hall meeting this evening with Vermonters regarding the President’s plan to respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

To join the call, dial (toll-free) 877-229-8493 and enter PIN code 13785.

To Senators : Pat Leahy and Bernard Sanders and Representative: Peter Welch

First off I want to make it perfectly clear that I am against supporting death directly or indirectly, regardless of who did it. However, the elephant in the room, the huge issue here that NO ONE wants to acknowledge is …

Did Assad’s forces do it?

The fact that this fundamental question continues to remain unaddressed by you is very telling. I wrote an open letter to all of you just a few days ago. This letter was also sent out to local news media. I got form letter responses back from every one of you. Not one ZERO, NADA NONE of you felt that this question needed to be addressed.

How Horrible for us all that Obama looks more and more like Bush.   And don’t be distracted by the chemical weapons.  When he finally gets his incontrovertible “proof” that the Syrian government used poison gas, remember, Obama himself says it is a civil war. 

He has no humanitarian motive here: to die from poison is no worse than being blasted or burnt or bled by other kinds of weapons.  Obama’s plan will only lead to more war, more revenge, more poverty and wasted dollars at home thousands every second, more and more destroyed innocent lives. 

No one should be fooled by this new rush to war.  Don’t be fooled, and don’t be slienced, and don’t be morally castrated !   Show your heart ! Show yourself ! Show your guts ! 

Submitted to: Burlington Free Press, Rutland Herald, Brattleboro Reformer, iBrattleboro

September 5, 2013

Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Bernard Sanders
Representative Peter Welch

Assad is winning the war in Syria without the use of chemical weapons. Further he knows that using chemical weapons would invite foreign intervention into this war. This would be an extraordinarily stupid thing to do. Assad maybe many things but NO ONE has ever called him stupid.

Congressman Peter Welch made the following statement in response to President Obama’s remarks this afternoon on Syria:

“Congress has a clear Constitutional responsibility to authorize military action. Consistent with this profound responsibility, I have strongly advocated that President Obama send any plan for military intervention in Syria to Congress for review and authorization. I am pleased that he has now agreed to do so. I will be an active participant in the forthcoming debate and will be mindful throughout of the enormous sacrifice we ask every day of the men and women of America’s military and their families.”

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 – Sen. Bernie Sanders issued the following statement today after President Barack Obama announced that he will ask Congress to authorize military strikes against Syria:

“The use of chemical weapons by the Assad dictatorship is inhumane and a violation of international law. However, at this point in time, I need to hear more from the president as to why he believes it is in the best interests of the United States to intervene in Syria’s bloody and complicated civil war. I look forward to the Senate debate that will be taking place in the very near future.”

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday welcomed the Justice Department’s release of guidelines for enforcement of federal marijuana laws in light of action at the state level.

Leahy has pressed the administration for such guidance since last year, when he wrote to the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) after two states voted to legalize small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Leahy also announced earlier this week that the Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next month titled “Conflicts between State and Federal Marijuana Laws.” Deputy Attorney General James Cole, who released DOJ’s guidelines on Thursday, will testify at the hearing.

“This is the right decision for Vermont as we move to a greener energy future.

Entergy’s announcement today confirms what we have known for some time.  Operating and maintaining this aging nuclear facility is too expensive in today’s world.  Vermont utilities no longer have contracts with Vermont Yankee, and our regional grid is not reliant upon it for stability.  Vermont has made clear its desire to move toward more sustainable, renewable sources of electricity, and many of our surrounding states are doing likewise. 

Vermont Yankee was built with an expectation that it would operate for a limited period of years.  While it is no secret that Vermont and Entergy have disagreed on how long that should be, it is now clear that Vermont Yankee is a part of the energy past, and will not be a part of our energy future.