If you have heard any news from Vermont lately it is likely a story about the allegations of fraud in an EB-5 regional center here. The SEC is investigating a pair of Vermont developers for running what some reports are characterizing as a ponzi scheme, improperly using money from investors intended for new projects to make up for cost overruns and or losses from earlier projects. In total, these developers have taken in about $350 million in EB-5 funds some $200 million of which was allegedly
Recently I sent a message, modified from a template provided by the Stop the Vermont Beverage Tax group, to my state representative and the governor expressing my opposition to the proposed two-cent per ounce tax on, some, sugar sweetened beverages. (I wrote about this issue previously, here for example.) The content of my message was:
On the WCAX news tonight they reported about “a pilot Driver Restoration Day” to be held in March where people who have had their driver’s license suspended for failure to pay traffic tickets can get their license back by paying some small fraction of the fine. According to the press release from Governor Shumlin’s office, about 22,000 Vermonters have had their license suspended for “failure to pay overdue traffic fees and fines.”
Given that, in a rural
The usual suspects, Vermont statists, are at it again. They are seeking to manage the behavior of citizens in a direction that they deem to be “better” and to penalize those who do not fall in line.
This latest assault is the renewal of a proposal to impose a 2 cent per ounce tax on beverages that contain added sugar such as soda and sports drinks. Based on prices at a local minimart, this would result in about a 27% increase in the cost of a bottle of soda. Supporters of the law
I happened to notice a tweet passing through my feed referencing an article in the Burlington Free Press about gasoline prices remaining high in the Burlington area. Apparently gasoline in Vermont averages about $2.41 per gallon, higher in the Burlington area, while the national average is $2.05.
On Thursday, January 8, 2015 the joint legislature of the state of Vermont will perform its obligation to elect the next governor of the state from among the top three candidates from the recent general election: Governor Peter Shumlin, Scott Milne and Dan Feliciano. The legislature has this obligation because none of these candidates received the 50% plus 1 required by the state’s constitution. This is not all that uncommon in Vermont, and happened most recently in 2010.
Largely, the
So this was the good news I came home to after going to see the final part of the Hobbit trilogy. (Excellent movie, by the way. Good action, loved Billy Connoly as Dain Ironfoot, and my god but Galadriel is revealed as a truly bad-ass elf lady.)
Governor Shumlin revealed that the plan to pay for Vermont’s single payer system would involve taxes that are, to use Shumlin’s word, enormous. Apparently the plan would have called for an 11.5% payroll tax (think your social security taxes,
Recently the Vermont GOP held a gala event featuring New Jersey Governor Christ Christie. While the press was barred from the event, a couple of articles (they are available here and here) are available from people apparently at the event that gives some idea of what took place. These two articles highlight the real problem faced by the Republican party.
After recent election losses and receiving most of the blame for the government shutdown,