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


6.08.2007

 

Who said what to whom when?

The Douglas administration is in a fevered state over proving that the Department of Public Service proposed the idea of helping people take out lower-interest loans to make their homes more energy efficient back in February and April. So fevered that gubernatorial spokesman Jason Gibbs has this morning sent two "urgent" e-mails on the subject.

This is in response to legislative leaders' accusations that the proposal Douglas made public yesterday a last-minute attempt to pre-empt Al Gore's input.

The proposal made to legislators during the session looked like this:
As part of the Departments review, it shall identify opportunities
including but not limited to the following strategies:
- Empower consumers
through better education and improved access to energy efficiency service
through an efficiency information clearinghouse;
- Promote greater access to
financing for investments in thermal efficiency at favorable rates;
- Encourage the development of a stronger and more effective market for efficiency
services;
- Empower local public institutions and community groups to better
access capital, knowledge, and professional advice for efficiency
improvements;
- Encourage thermal efficiency improvements through tax
incentives;
- Establish more effective thermal efficiency programs that
strategically target opportunities at the time of consumers make major
investment decisions in homes, businesses, or equipment;
- Foster improvements to existing standards and codes to ensure that all new construction and remodeling designs are built and maintained according to the best standards that can cost-effectively be achieved.

Indeed, it indicates that the administration was thinking along the lines of the sort of program Douglas proposed yesterday. But it's not exactly fleshed-out with specifics and it's not something the governor apparently persisted with in meetings with legislative leaders. He might have been having too much fun watching them hang themselves over the ever-changing tax that goes with their bill.

This is a case of the two entities - the governor and the Legislature - sitting with their backs to each other, arms folded stubbornly, entrenched in their own ideas. Will they ever come together on this issue? It's hard to imagine.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
The governor and the legislature may have their backs to each other with their arms folded. However, if there were a Democratic governor and a Democratic legislature Montpelier would have its hands in Vermonters' wallets even more than is now the case. Better arms folded than hands in the wallet.
 
Agreed.
 
I am with ya there!
 
No, Jim Douglas and his fellow Repugs
are happy to have their corporate campaign underwriters keep their hands in your wallets as much as possible. And why wasn't his plan
'fleshed out' by now--except that he spends so much time cutting ribbons and going on propaganda tours he doesn't actually do the real work of figuring out the hard issues.
 
Oh, here we go again with the Democratic "talking points." "Corporate campaign underwriters." So, please, tell us exactly who the "corporate campaign underwriters" are and exactly how much they've each given to Douglas.
 
Where are the Progressives in all this?
 
Apparently lost on the media & the public is how this Douglas Administration is in the pockets of Vermonters!

Here's a question...

When is a fee, a fee?
When is a fee, a tax?

Answer: A fee is a fee IF the Governor proposes it! A fee is a tax when the Legislature porposes it!

The Douglas Administration year in and year out proposes millions of dollars in NEW AND INCREASED FEES EVERY YEAR!!!

Last year he proposed and the legislature went along with more than $9 million in increased Motor Vehicle fees to pay for highway construction.

This year the Douglas Administration proposed an increase - inc. new - to many fees totaling over $2 million.

Then each year he proposed decreases in Town Highway Funds leading directly to property tax increases when towns struggle to meet their needs.

That's Gov Douglas - taking money from Vermonters pockets every year!

AND THE MEDIA LETS HIM TO DO IT AS THEY FOLLOW HIS SPIN!
 
Where are the Progressives in all this? I thought they were there to make a difference.
 
So who's smarter, Douglas, or the Legislature (which eventually knuckles under anyway)?
 
Why aren't the Progressives brave enough to take Douglas on?
 
Because there are no Progressives that are qualified to be Governor, or who have ever served in statewide office long enough to have sufficient name recognition. Name one. Zuckerman? Not a chance. Abbott? The failed candidate for Auditor? No way. Pollina? The disgraced spoiler in the 2002 Lt. Gov.'s race whom Dubie publicly thanked for helping him win that three-way race with Shumlin? Ya, right.
 
WEll, then what will they run for? They need to run in a statewide race to keep their party status.
 
A Progressive should run for Secretary of State - I would vote
for a Progressive in that race.
 
I would vote for the most qualified person in any race. In order to be Secretary of State you need to know about municipal law and election law and state record-keeping law and public access law and all that. In order to be Auditor you need to know about accounting, etc. In order to be Lt. Gov., I guess all you need to be is an amiable dope. That is, unless you think the Governor might die and the dope will actually take his place.
 
So.............clearly the best race for a Progressive is Lt. Governor...
 
Yeah, you don't have to have any skills whatsoever.
 
Clearly that is the case - have you ever had a conversation with our current Lt. Governor?
 
You would have to be crazy to do that!
 
I have no interest in having a conversation with out Lt. Gov. I'd only end up hanging myself by the neck with a rope mid-conversation. I just trust him to be sober in the cockpit.
 
Is it more dangerous to be under the influence or asleep in the cockpit?
 
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