Last legislative biennium, when health care was the big issue, Republican Gov. Jim Douglas and the Democratic legislative leaders would come forth and declare what they'd heard from Vermonters. It often seemed like they were listening to a whole different set of Vermonters.

When House Speaker Gaye Symington told me to today that she'd been out listening to voters in southern Vermont the other day I was half-expecting her to have heard something wholly different from what Douglas heard in the Northeast Kingdom.

It didn't happen, though.

Symington said the message she heard was that voters didn't want to take their frustrations out on their local school budgets, but that they are frustrated by property taxes, health care costs, energy costs and myriad of other pocketbook strains.

Hmmm. That's the same thing Douglas was hearing.

She said she also heard people say they want property tax reform but they're not comfortable with some of the proposals they're hearing. They're scared of having their local control taken away.

Hmmm. Same thing Douglas heard.

They don't like Douglas' school budget increase cap. They're wary of of the education commissioner's school district consolidation plan, and they don't like the Legislature's proposal of tightening the penalty for schools that spend more than average.

Symington said, nonetheless, she thinks that last one has particular promise. Exactly what the governor said.

The only difference is Symington doesn't like the tone of the governor's criticisms - or a good many of his budget choices, and Douglas doesn't like the fact that the Legislature isn't embracing his ideas. If they can just get past that, they might have some common ground. At least they're hearing the same things. Maybe they should go on tour together.

- Terri Hallenbeck