Op/Ed

The Op/Ed opinion section

Brattleboro Budget Process – A Look Back 20 Years

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

The Brattleboro Selectboard has begun budget season. It’s the time of year when citizens should speak up if they want something funded or defunded. 

It’s also the time of year Representative Town Meeting Reps should be paying close attention, attending meetings, asking questions, and sharing information they learn with those they represent.

It’s quite easy to do nowadays, but wasn’t always this way. The current board likes to mention that they have traditions and that things are done a certain way, but that’s only been the last few years.

More Goals For The Brattleboro Selectboard To Consider

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

The Selectboard was reviewing and adding to their goals at their most recent meeting. There are a few more items they should take up:

End Weigher of Coal Position

This is just embarrassing in 2021. Brattleboro should rid itself of any mention of coal. It’s such an easy thing to do.  Town Managers since Barb Sondag have promised to get this done. All it takes is sending an article to Representative Town Meeting.

Nuclear War is Being Planned! Henry George & Thorstein Veblen Warned War Is Capitalism’s End Game

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Preparations for nuclear war have been in the news, even mainstream news, more than just occasionally:

NATO unveils master plan to defeat Russia in nuclear war, Voice of London, UK., October 23, 2021 [1]

America’s failed weapons test shows Washington is currently hopelessly outgunned by Beijing in the race for hypersonic supremacy International Journal, Oct. 22, 2021 [2]

China says new hypersonic missile a blow to US ‘strategic superiority,’ New York Post, Oct. 17, 2021 [3]

This writer is puzzled by the absence of fear of nuclear war as a topic of concern.

Tax Retail Sales, Churches, Corporations to Reduce Consumer Carnage Holidays

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Holidays are lethal. The undue stress of celebrating holidays wrecks the health of our little golden biosphere. Holidays are also not necessary for our personal well-being, and, in some cases, they are stressful and unhealthful to too many people.

Since the turn of the 20th Century when southern soft drink brands started using Santa Claus as an advertising ploy to increase soda sales in the northern winter markets, the lethal nature of human holidays has been tearing earth’s resources asunder.

Oscar Wilde said, “Give me the luxuries, anyone can have the necessaries.” Even Oscar Wilde would agree today that consumer carnage holidays are a luxury we can no longer afford. The fact that too many of the holidays are religious-based means nothing in the context of people hell-bent on the self-destructive nature of continuing holidays.

Foreseen! A Celebrities Led Movement To Halt USA Nuclear War Preparations

by jay janson | Op/Ed

USA Congress plans to spend a $1.5 trillion on improved nuclear weapons! [1]

“If We Don’t End War, War Will End US,” [2]

Twenty years after the end of the Cold War there are at least 23,000 nuclear warheads still in existence, with a combined blast capacity equivalent to 150,000 Hiroshima bombs. The U.S. and Russia together have over 22,000, and France, the UK, China, India, Pakistan and Israel around 1,000 between them.

Cannabis is Coming – Will Town Taxpayers be the Losers?

by Timmy | Op/Ed
cannabis

As some may already know, I was appointed by the Vermont Senate to represent municipalities’ interests on the Cannabis Control Board’s Advisory Committee. While I wouldn’t claim to have the level of “expertise in municipal issues” that some other longer-serving Selectboard members in Vermont might have, I feel that my past work advocating for the rights of towns, cities and villages does give me some insights, and I’m doing my best to represent local taxpayers during many rapid deliberations over the shape of the upcoming retail cannabis marketplace.

I want to make very clear my opposition to a hastily made decision by one of our sub-committees, the Market Structure, Licensing, Taxes and Fees Sub-Committee, without reasonable input taken and considered from the Vermont municipalities. This committee has evidently already voted to “cap” what local town clerks can charge for a cannabis license to $100 yearly, a laughable amount considering the fact that the state portion of yearly fees being currently considered are between $5,000 and $10,000.

How About ‘Taking a Knee’ Against USA’s Infamously Greater Racist Homicide in Other Peoples Countries?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

The ‘Taking a Knee’ Phenomenon Shows Celebrities have extraordinary power to influence public protest against injustice.

The wide spread effectiveness of the ‘Taking the Knee’ phenomenon is proof that celebrities have extraordinary power to influence public action in protest of social injustice

(This would seem to imply, by the way, that a celebrity’s power to influence brings a higher level of citizen responsibility to speak out – yet so few do.)

Gary Stroud FWD ABC News: Young People Highly Stressed From Government Inaction On Climate

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

Here is disturbing information to show how serious the climate emergency is for youth, our communities and the world. People should take a hard look at this and take action. Not knowing what to do is not an option. The people need to to take action NOW. Be SAFE. Be well. Be Warned. Leave your thoughts below.

Here is a link to the article:

Vermont AFL-CIO: Vote The United Slate – Van Deusen For President – Brown For Executive VP – Working Class Power!

by David Van Deusen | Op/Ed

As we near the 2021 Vermont AFL-CIO Annual Convention (September 18 & 19 at Jay Peak, Northeast Kingdom) I again ask our 11,000+ Union members to support the full United! slate in our internal elections, including Ron Schneiderman (UFCW) for VP At-Large, Danielle Bombardier (IBEW) for Secretary-Treasurer, Dwight Brown (AFSCME) for Executive Vice President, and myself, David Van Deusen (AFSCME) for re-election to the office of President of our State Labor Council.

Since United! took power in 2019 (and again swept elections in 2020) we have transformed the Vermont AFL-CIO into the most progressive State Labor Council in the United States. Through United! we have also seen the Vermont Labor Movement invigorated with our rank & file taking an active part in Conventions and Political Summits (COPE) at levels not seen in decades. Over the last two years:

What? A World Boycott of US Products Until US Stops Its Embargo of Cuba and Leaves Guantanamo?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

A Half-century Long Brutal USA Embargo Against Tiny Cuba! 184 Nations Vote For its End & Against US & Israel

NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) –

‘U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration continued Washington’s tradition of voting against an annual United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to a U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.

The resolution was adopted for the 29th time with 184 votes in favor, three abstentions and two no votes – the United States and Israel. The U.N. vote can carry political weight, but only the U.S. Congress can lift the more than 50-year-old embargo.’

No Government Besides Israel Supports US Embargo

Taliban Falsely Called an Insurgency! Taliban Was the Government of Afghanistan When USA Invaded in 2001

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Taliban WAS the Government of Afghanistan for 4 Years When USA Invaded & Put in a Drug Lord Regime and For 20 Years the Taliban Continued To Govern Half of Afghanistan Outside the Cities and Coalition Military Bases

Chronology:
1978, Afghani King overthrown. Popular women liberating Socialist gov. installed in Kabul.
July,1979, Prez Carter secretly funds its overthrow by fundamentalist war lords.

Who Told a US President to Nuclear Bomb Women and Children? Watch Out! They Might Do It Again!

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Shall we understand that US crimes against humanity, including the use of nuclear weapons on civilians in cities, have been committed in a democracy and under a democratic system of government? Or shall we realize that the source of all this continuing genocidal mayhem and nuclear threat are the wealthy and powerful investors in war headquartered mainly on Wall St. in New York City, who own and control the government.

The Selectboard Is Perfect. Or Maybe The Representative Town Meeting Is A Rubber Stamp

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

The people must make RTM representative and creative, to insure RTM represents the people and looks beyond the money and infrastructure concerns of the selectboard. Join your neighbors.

At the 2021 RTM the selectboard assigned twenty-five articles for the RTM to consider. Many times the debate ended before everyone was finished, and all twenty-five were approved with huge majorities, many above 90% . Does this mean the selectboard is perfect, or does it mean the RTM is an uninformed rubber-stamp ?

At a recent selectboard candidate forum there was a show of hands of people who had read the town charter, and hardly anyone in the audience raised a hand. The surprise was that some people campaigning and on the selectboard had not read the charter, either.

What to Do with $3,000,000

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

BCS proposed graduated distribution of COVID stimulus funds and a “People’s Budget” at the last selectboard meeting (July 6, 2021).
A draft of the technical explanations will be available on the BCS website. This is not a final version, but is pending peer review.

In comments at the end of the meeting the board members expressed some confusion about the funds. They no doubt have their own ideas about spending on infrastructure projects and tax relief for property owners. One member of the board actually said that distribution of the money to low-income people would be inappropriate, although the ARPA legislation specifies the purpose of the funds as COVID relief. This would certainly not exclude payments to low-income people.

Public Awareness of Deadly Racist History versus Celebratory Feelings for Birth of Slave Owners USA

by jay janson | Op/Ed

A lot has happened since the July 4th Independence Day celebrations of 2020 when yours truly saw published:
Not All Americans Celebrate the Birth of a Racist Slave Owning USA Homicidal at Home Genocidal Abroad
Prominently placed statues of famous racists are no longer acceptable, just as policemen shooting African Americans has finally become unacceptable. Why not dispense with the far out illusion of a racist colonial capitalist USA being worth celebrating.’

June nineteenth is now a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

MGHTMRI

by tomaidh | Op/Ed

The only thing we know for sure about CV-19 is that we don’t know ANYTHING for sure.

There are lots of conflicting stories about the ”Pandemic” floating around and no way to tell for sure which of them are accurate.

MSNBC is saying one thing and FOX is saying another.

Vermont Leads The Nation Combating COVID – Now Lets Lead On A Green New Deal!

by David Van Deusen | Op/Ed

Cabot, Vermont, 6/15/21 – With over 80% of Vermonters having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 72% of us fully vaccinated, today [6/15/21] the Governor declared an end to the State of Emergency and the termination of pandemic related social restrictions. It is significant that Vermont is the first U.S. State to reach an 80% vaccinated rate. It is also significant that throughout the pandemic Vermont suffered only 24,339 known COVID infections and 256 total deaths; both our infection and mortality rate were the least in the Nation compared to the 49 other States. And while even a single death is a regrettable tragedy, stacked against Alabama’s half a million plus cases and 11,000 (and counting) fatalities, it’s clear that we fared better than most. And while we are not out of the woods yet, we have also emerged with the 5th lowest unemployment rate in the Nation at 2.9% (Texas by comparison is at 6.7% while Florida is at 4.8%).

How did we do this? Well, while much of the South and other parts of the country fretted about masks being an infringement of civil liberties and the vaccine being part of some insane conspiracy, Most Vermonters from the get go cared about their communities, abided by social distancing, wore masks (even before any mandates came into effect), and worked collaboratively in making our society resilient in the face of hardship.

Illegal UN Sham Partition Torching Palestine Into Civil War a USA-UK Colonial Crime Against Humanity by jay janson

by jay janson | Op/Ed

” WHAT IS NEW TODAY 

• Effective today, the Selectboard has terminated the Townwide emergency order that required face coverings to be worn inside all facilities (public, private, and non-profit) where the public is invited. Individual organizations and building owners can still require face coverings at their own facilities. 

The Town of Brattleboro thanks everyone for complying with the Townwide “mask order” during the 54 weeks that it was in effect. 

• The public may now enter the Gibson Aiken Center without an appointment. 

The number of spectators is still limited for indoor programs. Masks are still required at all times while in the building. 

• At this time, masks are still required inside all Town of Brattleboro government facilities. “

Mourn Not Honor Americans Who Died in Dishonorable ‘Mistaken’ Wars for GOP DEMS & Wall St. Deep State

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:

Humankind is in an ugly period of suffering in the bloody hands of imbecilic investors in war, who own the American government and media and who cannot stop themselves from planning war, even terminal nuclear war, since they know that wars make money. Their funded elected politicians and media praise war on Memorial Day.

Thoughts On The Ski Jump Sculpture

by cgrotke | Op/Ed
ski jump statue

The Town of Brattleboro has been given a gift of a metal ski-jumper-shaped object that lights up. It will be placed near Wells Fountain during the winter season. The selectboard accepted the gift at their most recent meeting.

The gift is in celebration of 100 years of Harris Hill, a truly unique part of the Brattleboro landscape. Creating a sculpture to celebrate is a good idea. And a free gift of a sculpture is a great thing.

The presentation to the selectboard left me with some questions, though.