By Stu Lindberg
In recent weeks the print newspapers and online news sources have covered Vermont politicians making exciting announcements about grants being awarded for an assortment of local projects and initiatives. Gov. Phil Scott and his ribbon cutting ceremonies with state representatives come to mind.
At face value the uninformed citizen enthusiastically applauds such events and looks upon these politicians as heroic for delivering such large sums of money for these projects for “free.” Of course, anyone with a whit of sense knows that there is no such thing as free. Phil Scott and his minions in the two big parties conveniently fail to mention that Vermont state government has a $45 million dollar budget deficit and an $80 million dollar deficit in the education fund. This doesn’t seem to matter as long as money can be found to buy votes from the hapless citizenry.
The French political thinker and historian Alexis De Tocqueville two centuries ago warned us of the dangers of reckless spending and buying votes. He wrote, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and president of the United States also warned us. He wrote:
I sincerely believe … that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity under the name of funding is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” — Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1816.
Not much is said these days about President Jefferson, Alexis De Tocqueville or the debts of the state and federal government. The wisdom of Jefferson and his contemporaries is lost on the majority of present day politicians.
The U.S. national debt is a whopping $20 trillion dollars and growing. That is almost $63,117 for every man, woman and child and $176,300 for each taxpayer. I equate the national debt to a Texas-size asteroid of our own making hurtling toward the world economy. The asteroid is made of unrealistic campaign promises, payoffs to special interests, government grants and every form of pork and waste a career politician can fantasize about.
This asteroid will deprive us of our liberty and hinder our pursuit of happiness as much as one made of iron would deprive us of life. Moving from outer space and back to the ground in Vermont, I ask, what do the voting records of Vermont’s congressional delegation tell us about how these three career politicians — Leahy, Sanders and Welch — have addressed the national debt?
Citizens Against Government Waste is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization representing more than 1 million members and supporters to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government. This organization gives the Vermont congressional delegation a rating of “hostile” in addressing wasteful government spending. Bernie Sanders has the dubious distinction of being rated as the most hostile member of the Congress in trying to rein in the destructive spending appetite of our government. In January 2013, Peter Welch was awarded “Porker of the Month” for attempting to circumvent legal authority to raise the debt ceiling which rests solely with the Congress. Welch distributed a petition to members of Congress suggesting that President Barack Obama be given a blank check to raise the debt ceiling at his own discretion. Say goodbye to separation of powers and hello to dictatorship.
Which raises the question: “Why do good Vermonters continue to elect people that willfully mortgage the future liberty and happiness of our children and grandchildren?”
Stu Lindberg writes occasional commentary for True North Reports. He lives in Cavendish, Vermont.
Vermont is screwed as long as the three fools we have in office hanging around , but why wouldn’t
they pretty easy money !!!
Why do they keep getting voted in , they promise all the free stuff but never have an answer to
how it’s suppose to work ………….. but the minions keep following !!……..SAD .
Vermont is not the Vermont that most of us true Vermonters know, industrious, hard working, independent.
Since the 1960’s there was a movement by Flatlanders to take “Vermont Forward”; hence they arrived, took over government in the ideological mental attitudes they came for. They by regulations and laws to change the state and destroy industry. Example: one “professor” (idiot) from Columbia Univ came to Newfane and wrote an article in The Commons (Bratt paper) that VT is a rural state, can’t have industry, but needs outside economic help. That’s the background for electing people like Sanders.
These voting people have no skills, work ethics and want the Gov to provide. VT is being destroyed from within-property taxes (via the Tax Dept) & costly school systems (unions et al), no rue VT’ers left, forced to move out. ACT 46 is an example. See http://watchdog.org/234455/retirees-vermonts-affordability-crisis/ Also COMMENTS in various articles show the frustration of true VT’ers.
Sanders came from nothing, dirt floor living, from NYC. He found wealth in Govt, hence his $640K home on a Lake Champlain island and decries wealth. That rhetoric is to appeal to the sheepople, pied piper followers. Given the VT educational system, they turn out many Socialist gullible followers.
What can you expect? I’ve followed and read many writings (and saved) of Mr. Lindberg, he’s very astute and right on, a rarity in VT now. Also great are Rep Bob Frenier Orange-1 (who I’ve met) and H. Brooke Paige of Washington (having a lawsuit against the state about ACT 46).
The three notorious VT Congressional people are set for life, being re-elected constantly, and they haven’t done much for VT. Sanders was a disaster for Vets, being on the Senate VA Committee, no response when contacting him on important issues. The only way out for them is like Robert Bird D-WVA, feet first eventually.
VT is the CA of the East.
That’s a question I’ve been asking for over twenty years.
I dont feel sorry for Vermonters who are flushing their state down the liberal toilet. Keep electing communists and this is the end result every time.
Or, to answer the title’s question simply, it’s name recognition. That’s it; nothing more.
The average voter doesn’t take the time to research what, if anything, any of these people have done for Vermont or her people. So, the voter sticks with the devil they think they know.
Unfortunately, that’s just led to wasted votes.
Take Sanders, for instance. Can anyone point to anything concrete the man has accomplished, except get famous for his recent failed presidential run? Is that any reason to vote for him? Please don’t tell me he’s the best Vermont has to offer. How about Leahy and Welch? Has Vermont been anywhere better off with them in office?
Ask yourselves…honestly…what kind of return on Vermont’s investment in them did we get from any of them all these years?
Voting someone in based merely on name recognition is lazy, at best, and irresponsible by us at worse.
“Take Sanders, for instance. Can anyone point to anything concrete the man has accomplished, except get famous for his recent failed presidential run? Is that any reason to vote for him? Please don’t tell me he’s the best Vermont has to offer. How about Leahy and Welch? Has Vermont been anywhere better off with them in office?”
Vermont’s three stooges,my apology to the three kings of comedy,have done nothing for Vermont’s people other than setting themselves for life time of payed salaries/perks. However to a extent I think you are correct in your thought.
I’ve never voted for any of the three and never will,most especially the carpet bagging Brooklynite Communist.
The deliberations of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were held in strict secrecy. Consequently, anxious citizens gathered outside Independence Hall when the proceedings ended in order to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer was provided immediately. A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
WeThe People have done a particularly poor job of keeping,guard ing our liberty.
Bernie Sanders is a profligate and spendrift of tax payer monies; he should be tarred and feathered and run on rails out of the public square. I’m sick of his pablum socialistic mumbo-jumbo.
.Our very foolish education system does not teach what Socialism and Communism is. The teachers themselves, probably don’t have a clue since these generations don’t learn history. Those who vote for the Bernie Sanders of the world think that Socialism is a great sounding form of government, not realizing that somebody has to pay for all the freebies and that history has proven, over and over, that socialism does not work. The failures of Venezuela and Cuba, for some reason, just don’t seem to sink into their dense brains.
Voter fraud