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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


3.16.2007

 

Cross about crossover

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said he spent a little time today hiding under the table in the Senate Transportation Committee, trying to avoid committee chairmen and chairwomen and lobbyists who want more time to work on bills.

On the door of the pro tem's office is a sign that says:

It's crossover
The answer is no.

Fondly, Peter
(no exceptions)


Crossover is the Legislature's self-imposed deadline for getting bills out of committee and ready to cross over to the other chamber. It hasn't in recent years been strictly adhered to. Shumlin, who's been out of the Legislature for four years, said he didn't realize that until Friday afternoon, but now he's beginning to see why so many people are mad at him. He shook his head in mock shame at the way things were done while he was away.

Leaders in both chambers were holding firm to the deadline today, and that meant bills were flying out of some committees. House Commerce worked until after 11 p.m. Thursday on the broadband bill. Plenty of committees are still at it.

Across the hall from each other, House Judiciary and Education were working on death and taxes (physician-assisted death and education funding). As Benjamin Franklin said: "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes."

Certainty aside, it appeared that wrestling with death was actually easier than wrestling with taxes.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
"Fondly, Peter" is just code for what's really happening behind that closed door.... ;-)
 
Yeah - fondling something or someone else...
 
Everything is about sex to a conservative.

They just can't stop thinking about other people's genitals.
 
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
 
Probably busy licking the boots of Joel Cook and the rest of the NEA slugs. No property tax reform EVER until NEA toadies (dim-ocrats) thrown out of office. Put some legislatures with backbone in that will stand up to NEA union bosses instead of begging for money from them.
 
I've looked at the finance reports for all of my local legislators and none of them have taken money from the NEA.
 
I've looked at the finance reports for all of my local legislators and none of them have taken money from the NEA.
 
That's because they keep their contributions under $101. Look at the NEA PAC's finance report and you will see a long list of $100 contributions.

You also have to take into account the "bundling" that goes on. They can direct lots of small amounts of money from individuals to candidates that go unreported.
 
Anyone who doesn't realize that the dim-ocrats are bought and paid for by the NEA is absolutely certifiable. (Admitting it is a different matter)
 
Your words are without merrit.

Democrats care about education and want strong schools lead by competent professionals.

Repubs just want to take all of the money from education so that they can spend it on wars in the middle east and $100 million bridges to nowhere.
 
Your words are without merrit.

Democrats care about education and want strong schools lead by competent professionals.

Repubs just want to take all of the money from education so that they can spend it on wars in the middle east and $100 million bridges to nowhere.
 
The Repubeicans are controlled by the oil companies.

I'd rather go with the teachers than the oilmen.
 
If dimos are so concerned about competent education professionals why do they fight merit pay for teachers, which would weed out the slugs and reward the good ones? Answer: because the union bosses tell them thats the way it is going to be.
 
That's just factually inaccurate. Merit is a factor in compensation decisions in schools.

Furthermore, you didn't dispute that the Repubelicans are bought and paid for by the oil companies -- not that you can.
 
Union, yes!
 
Repubs run by oil money?...I suppose that's why mushroom head Welch has oil co. stock
 
All of you people that hate oil companies - try walking or riding a bike, or please just shut up. Oh, and by the way, wouldn't it be fun to look at the inherited stocks or investments of all of these pinhead liberal chicken-littles (Gore, Dean, Schumer, and all of the lefties in the Vermont Senate and House)!
 
Hey Bubba. Are you a teacher? If not, quit yappin', get your teaching degree and shut the heck up. Then you can fight the system you loathe from within. But that would require getting up from your terminal (which you seem to be at far too much for someone with a life)and getting engaged in change. Rant, rant, rant because you can't , can't, cant...
 
Bubba, you can thank unions for having all this free time to write your nonsense on the weekends.

If Democrats are being bought off by a measely $100 campaign contribution, one can only imagine what Douglas is doing with the thousands he takes in from private interests - like Corrections Corporation of America.
 
Unions haven't contributed anything to anyone but their bosses and a bunch of worthless politicians since the 50's. All they do now is protect slugs that are so lazy or incompetent they would be fired in a minute in the real world.
 
Back to the issue at hand, I'm glad crossover is here. Hopefully now we see the legislature get back to work and do something, anything.

Thus far they seem paralyzed by issues beyond their control, and beyond the scope of what Vermonters elected them to Montpelier for in the first place.

Time will tell whether this legislature will be judged on the work that they did, or did not do. Most legislators should just feel lucky this isn't an election year, there might be hell to pay at the polls.

Rednalsi
 
ditto
 
education, death with dignity, efficient use of energy are beyond their control?

Huh. You don't seem to understand the issues.
 
No, I just understand how to set priorities, and stick to the them, while not being side tracked by new issues.

Resolve old problems before we tackle new ones.

The people of the state are practically screaming education funding reform, only to have it fall on deaf ears. Instead the legislators see dignified death, and energy efficiency, as convenient issues to use to forget about what most Vermonters want them to be working on.

I do understand the issues, I just don't understand why the legislature leaves so many unresolved.

Rednalsi
 
Understand the issues? Hate to break it to you, but if you haven't read the news lately you must be aware that the Dem's proposals on education, on "death with dignity", and especially on "energy efficiency" (a/k/a the new tax on heating fuel) are all in deep, deep, deep trouble. As any State House observer will tell you, this Legislature - more so than any Legislature in recent history - is very much at risk of going home almost completely empty handed.

If you think the editorials are bad for legislative leaders now, just wait until six weeks from now when adjournment talk heats up and no major bills have been passed!
 
The House has a lot of members and a lot of committees.

They are able to focus on more than one issue at a time.

Education Committee & Ways and Means is focused on Education & Property taxes.

Health and Welfare can focus on Death with Dignity.
 
Focus on more than one issue at a time? All the Dems (especially big nose) seem to wnat to focus on is Death with Dignity for Douglas.
 
House members would be much more productive by hosting forums around the state packed with their political cronies. THEN we'd have progress.

Legislators have no idea how much one can learn from cutting a ribbon. It's downright enlightening!
 
Education reform will never happen until the teachers union mafia like grip on schools is over. Good luck. The happiest people are those that get to take voucher money and send their kids to private school.
 
Non-union private schools are the last hope for this country. No drivel like being forced to read "Why Mommy is a democrat" or "Billy has two mommies"!
 
I don't know if blaming teachers is the answer. I am no fan of the NEA, but teachers have a lot on their plates these days.

Between the regulations, budget constraints, parents, administrators, talented and gifted kids, the average kid, the kids that qualify for special ed, curriculum, behaviors of kids, I-pods, T.V., video games, school sports, club sports, and trying to make education fun it's a daunting task that can be overwhelming.

Kids feel like school is prison, and they'd rather do anything than be there.

I must have been naive, it just seems like school was simpler in my youth.
 
That was me.

Rednalsi
 
Close Bellows Falls Union High School and start over. That would be education reform!
 
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