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


3.13.2007

 

Is it his?

Sen. John Campbell, D-Windsor, waved a copy of a letter the secretary of agriculture had sent to dairy farmers in late February. It explained how to participate in the "Vermont Target Price Program." That's the state program that will provide dairy farmers with another payment to help them cope with bad weather, high fuel prices and low milk prices. It's a continuation of a program that provided dairy farmers with $8.6 million in assistance during the fall. Lawmakers approved money to cover one more payment this month.

Campbell was waving the letter in protest because he felt the second sentence made it seem the program was the governor's since it included the phrase "his direct payment program."

Campbell argued it was the Legislature's idea to send dairy farmers another payment this winter, not the Republican Gov. Jim Douglas'. The letter, the Democratic majority leader said, "is a total distortion of what really happened."

Secretary of Agriculture Roger Allbee wasn't available to comment Tuesday afternoon on the use of the adjective "his" to describe the direct payment program, but Anson Tebbetts, his new deputy, called back.

"What it looks like to me is a typo," Tebbetts explained. The intended adjective was "this" not "his."

Tebbetts added, "We all know it took all of us to get it done."

-- Nancy Remsen

Comments:
Tebbits is a toady.
 
typo-schmypo

It greatly changes the perception of who cares about the farmers [the most].

Anson - we expect better than this!

These are the kind of tactics that keep Gov Douglas in office.

The stuff that can be explained away oh so easily but have an impact on people's perception - and it keeps happening over and over and over again.

The well-known Gov laugh doesn't make it ok.
 
The author was probably one of those $70,000 communicators Gov. Doesless employs to ensure his teflon coating doesn't get nicked.
 
Governor Windy does it again.

All this guy does is snipe at the Legislature and spend our money on PR tours and toadys.

A real leader would be working with the Legialture to get something done for Vermonters, not sniping from the sidelines and angling to take credit for what others have accomplished.

Ye gads! Can't we find someone better than a slick PR guy to lead our state?
 
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Once again, more legislative time spent on things that really don't matter. Instead of caring who gets the credit for this and that... why not oh i don't know, get something done.

wait, i hear that's too much to ask these days.
 
Isn't it the guvnah who is claiming credit for work done by someone else?

Instead of spending our money on his PR and election and claiming credit for work he did not do, why doesn't the governor get something done?
 
The democratic majority has got Douglas right where they want him.
 
The Progressives have got to get in the Governors race!
 
I'm with Snar"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"y Boy on the Progs: "Sh*t or get off the pot already."
 
Right on. We need a Prog to run for Governor - let see a real candidate!
 
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