Opinion

For opinion pieces on any topic.

Sanders Votes No as Senate Panel Backs Tar Sands Pipeline

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, June 18 – Over staunch opposition by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 12-10 for the construction of the Keystone Pipeline which would transport oil from the tar sands region in Alberta, Canada, to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.

Sanders said extracting and refining “the dirtiest oil imaginable” would spew more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and worsen global warming.

Completing the Keystone XL pipeline, he added, would send a signal that the United States is unwilling to lead the way toward reversing global warming.

The Worst Nuisance – Ziz, Ziz

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

Today in Brattleboro, in 1881, the Phoenix reported:

Again we are reminded that one of the worst nuisances is the man who is up at early dawn, making his lawn mower ziz, ziz, rasping the whiskers off the lawn.

I found this interesting, in that it seems to be a frequent, modern-day occurrence as well.

“Caste” = Distinct Social Class, Exclusion From Social Dealings With Others

by CrisEricson2016 | Op/Ed

June 16, 2014 Emily Peyton on VPR Vermont Public Radio is famous for its political caste system, the worst discrimination in Vermont, denying political candidates equal participation in debates, and putting them in “castes” such as the major party “caste” and the minor party “caste” and the independent candidates with little money “caste”, and then  the indpendent candidate with millions of dollars “caste” which includes only U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who receives his money from Democrats and then suddenly switches,  as if false labelling a product, to “independent” after the  Democratic Primary.

It’s 2022! US Military’s Worldwide Genocidal Crimes Against Humanity Special Trial

by jay janson | Op/Ed

by jay janson published widely in its initial version.

BACKGROUND of EVENTS LEADING to the ESTABLISHMENT in 2020, of the SPECIAL COURT to TRY US CITIZENS and CITIZENS of NATO NATIONS for GENOCIDE

It’s now the year 2022. Major world events during the last eight years have altered the economic, political, military balance of power in the world. As expected, emerging economies led by China, India, and Brazil experienced the greatest productivity and financial growth.

Roger Allbee Announces As Candidate for Vermont State Senate for Windham County

by cohnpr | Politics

Roger Allbee has announced that he is a candidate for the Vermont State Senate, representing Windham County, as a Democrat. Allbee will contest the Democratic primary on August 26 with incumbent Senator Jeanette White, as well as several other candidates.  He will enjoy the endorsement of Senator Peter Galbraith who has decided to not seek reelection.

Allbee is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Administrator of Grace Cottage Hospital / Carlos G. Otis Health Care Center in Townshend and is the former Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets for the State of Vermont. Additionally, he is working on VIEWBOOST, a rural tourism application for mobile devices, which connects tourists to places, events and businesses in real time and is using Vermont as a model. 

Senate Passes Sanders-McCain Veterans Bill

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, June 11 – The Senate today voted nearly unanimously for a bill to expand hospitals and clinics run by the Department of Veterans Affairs and to hire more doctors and nurses to provide timely, quality care for veterans.

The bipartisan bill by Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) would let veterans facing long delays for doctor appointments at VA facilities go elsewhere. Their measure also would hold VA officials accountable for trying to conceal patient wait times.

How Private Enterprise Can End The Recession

by tomaidh | Economics

“If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with banknotes, bury them at suitable depths in disused coalmines which are then filled up to the surface with town rubbish, and leave it to private enterprise on well-tried principles of laissez-faire to dig the notes up again… there need be no more unemployment and, with the help of the repercussions, the real income of the community, and its capital wealth also, would probably become a good deal greater than it actually is.”

(John Maynard Keynes, “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money”, p. 129)

How is that different from Bernanke’s “helicopter drop” theory?

Left Forum Conference Betrays MLKjr Ignores US-NATO Genocide

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:
Left Forum, “largest annual conference of left and progressive intellectuals, activists, academics, organizations and interested public.” This year’s theme seems to have been: MLK was Wrong!: Americans CAN make a better USA, WHILE continuing to kill the poor overseas in spite of cost in human and financial resources. Harry Belafonte, Angela Davis, Cornel West, others focused on injustice to Americans, ignored US-NATO genocide

TEXT:

Anti-Free Speech Legislation in Brattleboro

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

Government to people: be quiet!

Over that last few years town government has voted too often against the people.  In 2010 there was a
referendum on Pay-As-You-Throw trash collection.  The police-Fire Project (PFP) and the parking garage were approved by the RTM after being rejected by the people.  In April the people rejected the 2015 budget
by referendum because of high taxes and the PFP, and on Monday (June 2) the selectboard and the RTM adopted it.  (Well, the budget had been approximately $16 million and now it’s ALMOST $16 million.)  After the budget referendum Mr. Gartenstein admitted that the referendum was largely about the PFP, but at recent hearings and at the RTM on Monday the board threatened that anyone discussing the PFP would be declared out-of-order.

Welch Statement on Sanders-McCain Agreement on VA Reforms

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Peter Welch made the following statement after Senators Sanders and McCain announced a bipartisan agreement for reforms at the Department of Veterans Affairs:

“The cost of any war must include the cost of caring for warriors when they return home. That solemn commitment has been shaken by recent events.

Sanders, McCain Reach Agreement on Veterans Bill

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, June 5 – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) today reached a bipartisan agreement to improve veterans’ access to health care and address serious problems facing the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“While this is not the bill that I would have written, we have taken a significant step forward with this agreement,” said Sanders.

At a time when VA medical facilities in parts of the country have waiting lists that are too long, this legislation would give veterans access to private doctors, community health centers, Department of Defense medical facilities and facilities funded by the Indian Health Service.

How Much Do Walmart Heirs Donate?

by cgrotke | Economics

A group battling Walmart has done some research into the chaitable giving of the Walton family.

“Key Findings:

  • Rob Walton, chairman of Walmart’s board of directors, has not made a single contribution to the Foundation.
  • Alice Walton, has not given a single dollar to the Foundation.
  • Jim Walton made one personal contribution of $3 million to the Walton Family Foundation, more than 15 years ago.

Sanders Unveils Employee Ownership Legislation

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., June 2 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was joined this morning by representatives of Vermont-based, worker-owned businesses and an employee-ownership expert at a news conference to announce legislation to help workers who want to form their own businesses or worker-owned cooperatives.

Sanders said employee ownership increases employment, productivity, sales and wages. The federal government, however, has not done enough for employee ownership to realize its full potential.

Sanders Welcomes Carbon Limits – Much More Needed to Curb Global Warming

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., June 2 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) welcomed an Obama administration initiative unveiled today to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, but the senator said real progress on global warming has been blocked by Republicans in Congress who have thwarted every measure to confront a planetary crisis that they deny is happening.

Chairman Sanders Lays Out Legislative Action Plan for Veterans

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., June 1 – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today outlined a comprehensive legislative package to address “reprehensible” behavior by VA officials and to correct underlying problems in access to medical care.

“There must be a culture of honesty and accountability within the VA and people who have lied or manipulated data must be punished. But we also have to get to the root causes of the problems that have been exposed. The simple truth is that with 2 million more veterans coming into the system in recent years there are many facilities within the VA that do not have the doctors, nurses and other personnel that they need to provide quality care in a timely way.”

Area 61, In Brattleboro, Plus, Of Course, Another UFO in Vermont

by Rolf | Rumors

Seriously, I took this photo in Brattleboro, of Area 61, as it is clearly labelled in the photo. There is no other identificiation, and there is barbed wire to keep people out. 

Also, there just happened to be a UFO flying by when I took the photo. What else can we sumrise than that this is a government facility storing you know what, or holding the remains of “you know who”s ?

Who Are “They” ?

by carrottop | Op/Ed

In yesterdays Reformer there was an article about the Police/Fire project and its future.  It talked about the Police & Fire Facilities Oversight Committee.  The article goes on to state that it is unacceptable to the PFFOC to simply repair what needs to be repaired.  They apparantly want a project that will last for the next 50 years rather than a band-aid approach that has been discussed.

Futures Commission Proposal

by spoon | Op/Ed

I am going to be making the following motion under Other Business at the Special Representative Town Meeting

Motion to establish an ad hoc committee of Representative Town Meeting for the purpose of bringing forth proposal for the establishment of a “Futures Committee.”

Brattleboro has been in slow but generally steady decline for the last fifty or so years.  There have been a few mitigating developments such as C&S, Yankee and the growth of the hospital and the Retreat but these have not been enough to stem the tide.  Now they, too, as a whole, are diminishing.  The town has been able to sustain itself only because of an expanding social safety net that includes a huge federally subsidized affordable housing sector (primarily the Brattleboro Housing Authority and the Windham and Windsor Trust).

Third-Worlders! Americans Funding Atrocities in Syria Must Face Trial

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION: Don’t cry can’t be done, imperialists own the courts! Syrians grieving their dead and normal people everywhere have already prosecuted them in their hearts. When enough people demand justice, a way is found. Special courts are created when the court of public opinion is strong! Nuremberg Principles and other laws await use! Only accessories report prosecutable crimes against humanity as mistaken foreign policy-Realpolitik!