By Angelo Lynn Contrary to Trump’s juvenile tweet in the wake of Iran’s missile attack on two U.S. military bases in Iraq that “all is well… so far,” any realistic assessment of America’s position in the Middle East over the […]
Category: Op – Ed
How presidents get their facts
By Lee H. Hamilton Here’s a basic truth about people who make decisions on public policy: they rarely have all the facts they want. Over the years, I’ve sat in countless meetings in which, after we’d reached a sticking point, […]
The president is on trial; so is the Republican Senate
By Sen. Jeff Flake Editor’s note: As this country enters a new decade and tries to put the first two tumultuous decades of this new century behind us, Americans face a peril unknown in the country’s 220 year history: a […]
We need a progressively funded, union-based Green New Deal
By David Van Deusen As president of the 10,000 member Vermont AFL-CIO (and as a former organizer with the Sierra Club), it was with keen interest that I read the recommendations of the Transportation and Climate Initiative. This group, representing […]
The case for impeachment is a case for our democracy
By Angelo Lynn In recent impeachment hearings, during which House Democrats called on three judicial scholars for their constitutional interpretation of what acts would be grounds for impeachment, the evidence was overwhelming that President Trump’s attempted bribery of Ukraine’s president […]
Is Vermont’s DPS waging war on the state’s solar industry?
By Angelo Lynn In a little noticed Department of Public Service review of the state’s current net-metering structure, the DPS recommends to the Public Utility Commission that the net-metering rate be reduced from the current 17 cents per kWh to […]
We need to focus on our business environment
By Rob Roper Gov. Phil Scott recently took some heat from the media over a statement he made following the announcement by Energizer that they would be closing their Bennington plant and moving its operations to Wisconsin. The governor said: […]
Keeping small schools, small towns: ‘It just comes down to math,’ Gov. says
By Angelo Lynn As advocates of small schools and those supporting school consolidation come to terms with declining enrollments and rising costs, here’s the conundrum both face: consolidation is the right short-term answer to cost-cutting to contain higher and higher […]
Youth protest climate change
Editor’s note: This commentary is by Lili Platt and Evelyn Seidner, Vermont Youth Lobby organizers and students at Harwood Union High School, Montpelier High School and Burr & Burton Academy respectively. Despite our state’s green reputation, Vermont has not made […]
The philanthropy challenge in higher education
By Dan Smith Nationwide, approximately 50% of all students pursuing higher education attend community colleges. But only about 1.5% of total private donations for higher education directly support the mission of community colleges. This occurs despite many compelling factors at […]