Opinion

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today applauded a Vermont Public Service Department request for an investigation into FairPoint Communications telephone service interruptions, including a nearly six-hour lapse in emergency 911 service on Friday.

A FairPoint equipment failure prevented 45 Vermonters from reaching emergency dispatchers at the Montpelier Police Department and the Vermont State Police in Williston, St. Albans and Middlesex. “That is simply unacceptable,” Sanders said. “FairPoint’s history of bankruptcy and poor service should be cause for real concern in terms of the company’s ability to deliver the emergency services Vermonters need, deserve and are paying for.”

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 – Sharp increases in prices for many generic drugs were examined today at a Senate hearing where three pharmaceutical companies refused to testify.

Generic drugs, copies of drugs no longer protected by patents, historically have cost much less than brand-name prescription medicines. But federal records made public at the hearing show the price for 1,215 generic drugs increased 448 percent on average from July, 2013 to July, 2014. During that period, nearly 10 percent of all generic drugs more than doubled in price, according to the analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that it would be “insane” to construct the Keystone XL pipeline to ship the dirtiest oil on the planet from Canada’s tar sands region to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.

“The scientific community is telling us that we have a narrow window of opportunity to address the crisis of climate change and to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” Sanders said in prepared remarks. “This legislation would move us in exactly the wrong direction toward not only more dependence on fossil fuels but on some of the dirtiest fossil fuel imaginable. That is insane.”

BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 14 – Calling on the Postal Service to avert damaging service cuts and job losses, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pointed to a new report today that revenue for the mail delivery service rose by $569 million during the fiscal year that just ended.

It was the second year in a row that profits rose, mainly because of increases in package deliveries to online shoppers.

Despite almost $1 billion in revenue growth over the past two years, the Postal Service is forging ahead with plans to shut down as many as 82 mail processing plants beginning in January. The closings would put 15,000 jobs in jeopardy.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that a Senate panel he chairs will hold a hearing next week to explore why the costs of certain generic drugs are skyrocketing. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who has worked with Sanders on this issue, will take part in the Nov. 20 hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging.

Price hikes for generic drugs also reportedly have come under scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice. Subpoenas recently were issued to two generic drug makers seeking information about their interactions with competitors, The Wall Street Journal disclosed on Monday.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10 – U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs’ Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on Tuesday’s observance of Veterans Day:

“The truth is that we can never truly repay the debt that we owe to those men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our country. Since World War II, more than 500,000 Americans have lost their lives in war. Millions more have come home wounded in body and spirit. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to provide for the wounded and their families and ensure that all veterans receive every benefit they have earned and deserve.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10 – Welcoming President Barack Obama’s support for net neutrality, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today urged the Federal Communications Commission to protect free and open access to the Internet.

In a l, Sanders said the commission should act decisively. “As you know, President Barack Obama has made a strong statement on net neutrality and the importance of preserving a free and open Internet. I strongly agree with him and so do the American people,” Sanders wrote to Wheeler.

Heres’  why I  think Scott Milne should demand a re-count of the 2014 Election Results; and I’d like to see  a total forensic exam of all the results, not just the Governor’s race, but the majority of people in Vermont are just concerned with the outcome of the Governor’s race.

The Vermont vote totals reported at 100%  show 193,087 votes for all votes for Governor candidates, and 191,504 for all votes for Representative to Congress candidates. The difference is 193,087 – (minus) 191,504 = (equals) 1,583 fewer people seem to have voted for the first item on the ballot.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 7 – After Tuesday’s extremely low voter turnout, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that he will introduce to make Election Day a national holiday.

“In America, we should be celebrating our democracy and doing everything possible to make it easier for people to participate in the political process. Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote. While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy,” said Sanders, who was not on the ballot on Tuesday.

Below you’ll find the complete preliminary vote totals for Brattleboro. Click on the attachment to open a PDF showing the complete numbers.

Official results will be confirmed in the near future.

BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 1 – A United Nations panel on Sunday is set to issue a major report detailing what a draft called “the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts” of global warming.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the new report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected to make the strongest case yet for decisive action to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

“The scientific community across the world is sounding the alarm. Climate change is real and it will have devastating consequences around the globe unless we act boldly and decisively,” said Sanders, a member of the Senate environment and energy committees.