State-Local

There is one item on that agenda that is so absolutely essential to human survival that we must not set it aside even to attend to other problems. That essential is clean water. Without it, life, human or otherwise, will simply be over... in relatively short order.

The weekend edition of the Messenger carries an editorial by Rob Roper of the right-wing Ethan Allen Institute advocating for Vermont to join 24 other states in passing a so-called "Right-to-Work" law. The timing is odd since this red-flag originally saw the light of day way back in August, when it was carried by Vermont Digger.

Many will heave a sigh of relief that, after a stressful decade of mysterious leaks and other concerns, the flawed Vermont Yankee reactor will go out with a whimper rather than a bang.

Doug Hoffer, Vermont State Auditor, ran in the primaries as a Progressive. He must really be well-liked. Not only did Progressives elect him – so did Democrats and Republicans in each of their primaries.

Talk about your circular firing squads – the already-measly ranks of Vermont conservatism are in danger of being decimated from within, as various worthies battle for pieces of a very tiny pie.

The Democrats rule the Vermont Senate with a supermajority, and Republicans are hoping to win no more than two or three seats next year. So why have a few key Dems endorsed a Republican for one of the state's highest offices?

The Boy Scouts were given an option – plead their case in front of Montpelier, Vermont's City Council for why they continue their anti-gay stance, or be barred from fundraising during their Independence Day parade. The Scouts decided not to show up at all, forfeiting their concession spot in the process.

The American Legislative Council, the far-right lobbying group that is the clearinghouse and writer of much of the pro-corporate legislation sweeping the nation today, is trying to break into traditionally independent-minded Vermont. Republican state Rep Bob Helm is pushing ALEC's agenda as his own in a new op-ed.

In the debate over the use of tasers one of the claims made by taser proponents is that the use of tasers saves police departments money because their people are less likely to be injured, and that as a consequence they save money on their workers' comp premiums. However, a report just completed by the Vermont chapter of the ACLU demonstrates that Vermont's taxpayers are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for the improper police deployment of tasers.

Like many places across the country, there is mismatch between the average rent and a worker's income in the Green Mountain State. You might not be surprised to learn that a recent report demonstrates, once again, that Vermont is one of the hardest places to afford housing. Without rent control in place, some legislators are looking at a minimum wage increase and sick leave guarantees to help balance the equation.