Welcome to the Statehouse, on this day when the corridors and balconies are typically at their most crowded. (Among those looking for a way into the House chamber -- an uninvited bat just spotted flitting around in the lobby[see photo to right].) Gov. Douglas will deliver his 6th State of the State message at 2 p.m., the latest in a series gubernatorial messages stretching back to 1779.

The dissonance of change (word of the moment, post-N.H. primary) hit me like a brick when I sat down just now in the balcony of the House chamber. I'm surrounded by red velvet, looking at a chandelier once lit by gas -- and prepared to blog with people spread halfway around the world (you know who you are).

Others would say continuity, not change, is the real lesson from this annual ritual. I talked with archivist Gregory Sanford earlier this week, and that's certainly his take. It's not quite fair to say "heard one State of the State, heard them all," but there are constant themes.

Vermonters, and their governors, have been complaining about property taxes and school costs since at least the late 19th century. Governors worry aloud about highway maintenance, they call for more economic development and -- almost year in and year out -- ask lawmakers not to raise taxes. Governors have been scolding lawmakers for profligate spending almost since the legislative and executive branches were created.

Take this little excerpt, from the 1890 State of the State: "The tendency of each succeeding Legislature for the past ten years has been to guard the treasury with less and less care against the demands made upon it in the interests of special objects. " That was Gov. Carroll S. Page, speaking when Vermont's state budget was $1,477,898 and convict labor still provided revenue to help cover those expenses. (Sanford has posted all the inaugural addresses -- one form of the State of the State message -- on the Secretary of State's website.)

Money will certainly be on Gov. Douglas' mind today. We know he wants to trim the number of state employees, for example. But, no matter how penny-pinching, every governor wants to make his or her mark by offering something new -- and new usually means "more expensive."

I chatted with Jason Gibbs, the Douglas spokesman, this morning about how the governor puts the speech together. I'll post about that shortly.
-- Candace Page