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


1.16.2008

 

Tale of two committees

Legislators were so eager to take up the administration’s lottery leasing proposal (and in the process reaffirm their opposition to it) that three committees have scheduled testimony on it this week.

Trouble is, the administration isn’t ready to make the rounds of committees to testify on the lottery. Committees have been told that will have to wait until after the governor’s proposed budget is done. Gov. Jim Douglas delivers his budget address Tuesday.

Two committees nonetheless went forward with testimony from other people on the topic today.
I would suggest that in the second committee, particularly, it strongly would have behooved the members to wait, but three factors prevented that:

1) Legislators resent that the administration isn’t available when they want them to be, and don’t cotton to being told to wait, especially to hear an administration proposal.
2) Legislators, particularly those in the Democratic majority but Republicans too, fairly strongly oppose this proposal and are eager to discredit it. One doesn’t need testimony from supporters of the proposal to accomplish that.
3) If the administration is going to count on $50 million in upfront money from leasing the lottery in its budget proposal, legislators need to start thinking about that.

Not all committees are created equal, though, and here is the evidence of that:

Testimony started early Wednesday in the House Ways & Means Committee – 8:30 a.m. and this is one committees that starts on time. The committee heard from Treasurer Jeb Spaulding, Vermont Council on Problem Gambling Director Joy Mitchell, a representative of the Tax Foundation and the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office.

Committee members had read the Lehman Bros. report that pitches the proposal to Vermont. Though they had not heard direct testimony from the administration, they were familiar with the proposal, which has been out for more than two months. They fairly efficiently collected facts that they can pair later with testimony from the administration.

Downstairs, the Senate Government Operations Committee heard from Spaulding, Lottery Commission Chairwoman Martha O’Connor and Lottery Director Alan Yandow. Yandow was reluctant to say anything about the proposal, as he described it as too vague. The committee made no attempt to take advantage of the fact that Mitchell was already in the building to hear from her. In fact, committee members seemed not to know that she or her gambling council exists.

More alarmingly, they hadn’t read the Lehman Bros. report and some didn’t seem to know there was a report. That suggests that though they also don’t read the newspaper or listen to the radio, where this report has been talked about. What that lack of preparation meant was that they spent a fair amount of their time bantering about misinformation and seeking information from people who weren’t in a position to know it.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Unbelievable! Must be the Senators have spent more of their time drooling over the VPIRG written camapign finance bill then working on an issue important to Vermonters.
 
Leasing the lottery for 40 yrs to wall street - the same wall street that brought us the subprime loans - is at a minimum a reckless fiscal approach by Jim Douglas.

At best, it provides a 1 year bandaid that will require another funding source each of the following years.

What's next? Selling billboards on I89?

Or perhaps like our universities and colleges, we could sell advertising on the statehouse.

Overwhelmingly, Republicans, Democrats, and Progs are opposed to this crazy scheme cooked up by the Governor.
 
More alarmingly, Jim Douglas is prepared to sell Vermonters down the river in an ill-advised privatization
so favored by those in the federal administration who have been ripping off citizens in this manner for seven years now. Save some self-righteousness for them.
 
Douglas should start pointing the finger at his buddies in DC, who cut taxes for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, threw us into this f'ed up, not need Iraq war (billions upon billions)and now wants to reduce the corporate tax. America propered under Clinton, in part, because the feds were able pump dollars back to states at a higher rate. Now it's a trickle and Vermont relies heavily on fed help.

And if Douglas is so concerned about corrections costs, maybe he should call GW and tell him to start moving the Second Chance Act through Congress. Might help the public programs he and Sears are relying on to sell this new plan.
 
Add to that the company that could end up with the lottery is GTECH. This is a company that had a major executive profiteering/SEC scandal just a few years ago.

Douglas is so wrong on this. It just doesn't sit well with Vermonters.

He's also treading water on the unearned income tax. VermontTiger is about to implode over that one.
 
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070130/NEWS05/701300340/1021/NEWS05

The company behind the more than 16,000 machines that spit out New York Lottery tickets has been linked to scandals across the country and around the globe.

Bribery allegations led a co-founder to quit his job as chairman. Its lobbyists have run afoul of the law in several states, including New York. Former government officials have received lucrative consulting contracts.

And in summer 2006, an investigation in Texas found that the company, GTECH Holdings Corp., doled out tens of millions of dollars - some of which went to foreign lottery officials - to expand its business in South America, Europe and the Caribbean.
 
Anonymous said...

"Douglas should start pointing the finger at his buddies in DC, who cut taxes for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, threw us into this f'ed up, not need Iraq war (billions upon billions)and now wants to reduce the corporate tax. America propered under Clinton, in part, because the feds were able pump dollars back to states at a higher rate. Now it's a trickle and Vermont relies heavily on fed help."

He'll never get anywhere in GOP circles taking responsibility for the consequences of his own actions when he could be passing the buck and blaming others for his failures.

What the hell kinda gop is he.

"And if Douglas is so concerned about corrections costs, maybe he should call GW and tell him to start moving the Second Chance Act through Congress. Might help the public programs he and Sears are relying on to sell this new plan."

Save your breath, he'd rather spend three times as much as it costs to educate them as it does to incarcerate them.

Why the hell would anybody look to the party that gave us the Depression, exploding deficits and debt as far as the eye can see.

It's like asking the Klan to participate in Civil Rights Legislation.
 
Anonymous said...

"Leasing the lottery for 40 yrs to wall street - the same wall street that brought us the subprime loans - is at a minimum a reckless fiscal approach by Jim Douglas."

Just think what they could have done to "fix" SS if they'd been able to Privatize it.
 
"It's like asking the Klan to participate in Civil Rights Legislation."

Or asking JW to back up his hotshot mouth with some facts instead of running his yam about squat.

Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
 
The payment for leasing the lottery is in effect an advance against future profits - once again borrowing from our kids.
 
"the same wall street that brought us the subprime loans"

Several mortgage lending companies gave us subprime loans. Please explain how it was "wall street" that brought them to us.
 
JW,

Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.
Ya got Bupkis.

Otherwise you'd be doing something constructive with the knowledge you possess, instead of being a hack blogger harassing people on the Free Press's site.
 
Is Jeb Spaulding running for Governor or what!
 
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080117/NEWS04/801170372/1024/NEWS04
 
Kudos to Terri for pointing out how shallow the legislature's opposition is to so many issue. They don't care about good ideas, they don't even take time to research ones that they've "strongly" opposed. Selfishly, they only care about the ideas that are theirs. They're lazy. Thank goodness there's a governor there who is smart and respectful.
 
"Thank goodness there's a governor there who is smart and respectful."

I agree.
 
"Thank goodness there's a governor there who is smart and respectful."

You must be kidding!

Jim Douglas is the most partisan Governor this state has ever seen - and the most negative!
 
And the idea he espouses isn't original or good;it's simply a page taken from the current federal administration's playbook to benefit private corporations at the expense of the people.
 
Well, isn't that a reassuring performance by our elected legislative representatives?
 
jw you are such a charmer. Perhaps the Freep could make you its Goodwill Ambassador.
 
Anonymous said...

"Hey, jw, did ya ever hear back from Bill Maher on that e-mail?"

Given the fact that you feel the need to Google me and inform me that I'm a 46-year old Major in the USAF, why don't you tell me, little anonymous factually-challenged fella?

Always a pleasure.
 
Anonymous said...

"jw you are such a charmer. Perhaps the Freep could make you its Goodwill Ambassador."

Actually, given their obvious ignorant, ill-informed anonymous nitwit infestation, I'm more of an exterminator, little fella,

All the same, thanks for thinkin' of me, little fella. Ya clearly aren't thinkin' about anything else.

Always a pleasure.
 
Anonymous said...

Thank goodness there's a governor there who is smart and respectful.

"I agree."

Yeah, NH is doin' a lot better now that Lynch replaced that crooked cable-tv crook Benson.
 
"Kudos to Terri for pointing out how shallow the legislature's opposition is to so many issue."

Such as? That's what I thought.

"They don't care about good ideas, they don't even take time to research ones that they've "strongly" opposed. Selfishly, they only care about the ideas that are theirs. They're lazy. Thank goodness there's a governor there who is smart and respectful."

Yeah, too bad Dean's now Chairman of the DNC and no longer running the show in Montpelier. Vermont sure could use somebody who knew what the hell they're doing again.
 
"All the same, thanks for thinkin' of me, little fella. Ya clearly aren't thinkin' about anything else. "

I worship you JW
 
"Yeah, too bad Dean's now Chairman of the DNC and no longer running the show in Montpelier. Vermont sure could use somebody who knew what the hell they're doing again."

Agreed. His main job was beatin' back the lefty loonies in the Legislature under his Governorship. That's why I voted for him every time. We could use him again now.
 
"Yeah, too bad Dean's now Chairman of the DNC and no longer running the show in Montpelier. Vermont sure could use somebody who knew what the hell they're doing again."

"Agreed. His main job was beatin' back the lefty loonies in the Legislature under his Governorship."

Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?

He got us through the first Bush recession and tight budgetary times in spite of the gops.

Now you're learnin', Boyo. It's nice to know we're in accord on the incompetence and general cluelessness that is the jimi douglas experience.

That's why I've voted against him every time, little fella.

He might survive. He might not. He's no lock. If the Dems field the right candidate and Pollina doesn't gum up the works, he can be knocked off.

It's 50/50.

He's got nothing to run on and he's a gop in a State that hates Bush, the War in Iraq, the tanking economy and all things gop.

Always a pleasure.
 
"Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?"

No need to re-write history in support of Dean, who was a competent and moderate Governor. Both of these were good ideas (although Act 60 only put a band-aid on a school funding system that's still way too complicated and expensive). But they were not *Dean's* ideas. He didn't suggest or promote either bill. He signed the Civil Unions law practically under cover of darkness.
 
Anonymous said...
"Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?"

"No need to re-write history in support of Dean, who was a competent and moderate Governor."

I know. It took awhile for folks in the middle to catch on, but, all things considered, the facts have been good to Dean and the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party and they look like they're gonna get better.

The facts certainly appear to have a liberal bias.

You, on the other hand, not so much. History and the facts sure as hell ain't doin' you favors.

"Both of these were good ideas (although Act 60 only put a band-aid on a school funding system that's still way too complicated and expensive). But they were not *Dean's* ideas. He didn't suggest or promote either bill."

Did he actively oppose them or fight against them or veto them, little anonymous fella?

That's what I thought.

"He signed the Civil Unions law practically under cover of darkness."

"What, no broom closet this time, little factually-challenged fella?

Did he veto or threaten to veto the bill under cover of the light of day, little fella?

That's what I thought.

Ya got bupkis.

Dismissed.
 
This is what you wrote at 1:27:

"Yeah, too bad Dean's now Chairman of the DNC and no longer running the show in Montpelier. Vermont sure could use somebody who knew what the hell they're doing again."

"Agreed. His main job was beatin' back the lefty loonies in the Legislature under his Governorship."

Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?"

What were you saying? That they were his idead? Or that his signing them proves something? What does it prove, little fella? What was the stupid point you thought you were making, little fella?
 
This is what you wrote at 1:27:

"Yeah, too bad Dean's now Chairman of the DNC and no longer running the show in Montpelier. Vermont sure could use somebody who knew what the hell they're doing again."

"Agreed. His main job was beatin' back the lefty loonies in the Legislature under his Governorship."

Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?"

"What were you saying? That they were his idead? Or that his signing them proves something?"

Yeah, what once were bills had now become law, little fella.

That's how the legislative process works, little fella. Ya can look it up.

"What does it prove, little fella?"

Well, beyond the previous answer, it proves that you once again have failed to substantiate another in an endless series of ignorant, ill-informed and just plain stupid bogus assertions you persist in making.

Moreover, the only thing you've managed to prove is the only thing you ever manage to prove - that you don't know which end is up and/or what the hell you're talking about and on the odd chance that ya actually know what day it is, who's on the ballot, which party they represent and what they're running for, ya still can't make your case 'cause ya got bupkis for evidence.

Evidently, it remains under cover of darkness.

"What was the stupid point you thought you were making, little fella?"

That you don't have one, little anonymous stupid fella.

Beyond that, it proves that whenever I call your pathetic bluff and it comes to lay your cards on the table and produce something even remotely resembling evidence to back up yet another of your stupid, bogus charges, ya got bupkis.

For example:

"Both of these were good ideas (although Act 60 only put a band-aid on a school funding system that's still way too complicated and expensive). But they were not *Dean's* ideas. He didn't suggest or promote either bill."

SFW. Did he Veto them, little fella?

Are you gonna try and tell me that he couldn't have vetoed Act-60 or Civil Unions if he was that opposed to them? Clearly, you clowns couldn't muster up 100 votes to override his Veto and make your Tunbridge Taliban friends happy in either case, but the fact remains that if he really wanted to Veto them, there was nothing preventing him from doing it.

So much for you ludicrous contention that he was forced to sign either or both of them "under cover of darkness" in a janitors closet.

Once again, ya can't make your case, shmendrik.

If ya could, ya would. Ya didn't, 'cause ya can't.

The list of bogus assertions you can't prove, evidence you can't provide and cases you can't make just grows and grows.

Christ, little fella, why don't ya just write your number on the wall under the message "for a good time, call....and get it over with.

Always a pleasure and then some.
 
Can someone please remind jw of the circumstances under which Dean actually signed the civil unions law? Either Mr. Knowitall didn't live in Vermont at the time, or he was in confinement at the state hospital without acess to newspapers, or he was hazy from state-mandated medication and missed the whole thing.
 
JWCoop10 has left a new comment on the post "The Democrats respond (updated at 3:30 p.m.)":

Anonymous said...

"Your ludicrous characterization that Dean was forced to sign either or both of those bills into law under duress to say nothing of your idiotic "under the cover of darkness" nonsense is not supported by the facts and the facts are as follows, little anonymous fraud:"

Hey douche, I never said he was "forced" to sign those bills. Please point to the posting where I said that.

Nice try. Feel free to point out how Dean's signing of the bills into law is evidence of his opposition to them, little fraudulent fella.

"You cited those bills as evidence of Dean's liberality."

I did, eh? Feel free to demonstrate just where I said they were "evidence of Dean's Liberality," little fundamentally-dishonest fraudulent fella.

I said he signed them into law. That's evidence. Evidence you don't have.


"I pointed out that he didn't originate the idea for either of them, and that he signed the civil unions law quietly in his office, intentionally with no press around."

And when did I say that Dean, or any other Governor of Vermont was part of the Legislative Branch, little fella?

Ah, so we're back to the ole "if Dean doesn't sign the bill into law in front of a packed legislative chamber and wall-to-wall media coverage then it doesn't really count" song and dance, eh? Nice try, nitwit. No sale.

I've got news for ya, little fella. He signed them into law. The fact that the ignorant, ill-informed Tunbridge Taliban likes of you weren't there to hear it is as irrelevant as the Take Back Vermont movement is today.

"The Burlington Free Press and Freyne both reported on this secretive signing of the civil unions bill."

In other words, they said he signed it in the Governor's State House Office.

Really? Then by definition, little fella, it's not a secret, little anonymous fraudulent fella.

"Guess you either can't remember, or you're just a blatant fraud."

No, that would be you, little putz. I remember it just fine. He signed them into law. but thanks for refreshing my memory as to just what a lyin' sack of gop-slop who can't tell a D from a P, what year it is or distinguish your ass from your elbow you are.

I didn't really need the reminder, but I appreciate the gesture, little fella.

Again, Dean signed them into law. That's evidence. Evidence you don't have.

Dismissed.
 
"I didn't. You don't. You can't. "

Take the medication already.
 
Really, get some medication.
 
Anonymous said...

"Really, get some medication."

Really, get yourself a case and some new material, little fella.

Always a pleasure.
 
"Really, get yourself a case and some new material, little fella.

Always a pleasure."

new material? JW buddy... you have the most repeatative and predictable material on this space. Apply the same comment to yourself please....
 
I've been carryin' your ignorant asses for 2.5 months, schmuck. Get yourself some positions with the facts to back 'em up and we'll talk.

You're still doin' the same shtick ya were before I got here. Ya didn't have any facts to back your slop up then and ya don't have any now.

Dismissed.
 
"I've been carryin' your ignorant asses for 2.5 months, schmuck. Get yourself some positions with the facts to back 'em up and we'll talk."

In addition to his charming style, notice how jw seeks to keep meticulous track of exactly how long he's been "here." Has it down to the exact time, including a decimal point.

Wierd.
 
"JWCoop10 said...
Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?"

Burl. Free Press, 4/27/2000, "Dean Signs Civil Unions Into Law,"by Adam Lisberg:

"That division convinced Dean to sign the bill with no fanfare. Though he makes a public ceremony of signing many other bills into law, he said he signed the civil unions bill behind closed doors . . ."
"Rep. Hintgen said that the Governor had failed to show political leadership on the issue, and that the lack of a public ceremony symbolized that failing."
Hintgen referred to it as a "stealth signing."

Burl. Free Press, 4/27/2000, "Law Expected to Haunt Dean," by Nancy Remsen:

"Sensitive to the divisiveness of the debate, Dean signed the civil Union bill into law Wednesday behind closed doors, witnessed only by his staff."

Check Freyne's reporting the same date as well.

So, yeah, Dean signed the bill in a dark broomcloset.

Anyhing else, Mr. history-rewriter?

Dismissed.
 
Ya mean like Act-60 and Civil Unions, little fella?"

Burl. Free Press, 4/27/2000, "Dean Signs Civil Unions Into Law,"by Adam Lisberg:

"That division convinced Dean to sign the bill with no fanfare. Though he makes a public ceremony of signing many other bills into law, he said he signed the civil unions bill behind closed doors . . ."
"Rep. Hintgen said that the Governor had failed to show political leadership on the issue, and that the lack of a public ceremony symbolized that failing."
Hintgen referred to it as a "stealth signing."

Burl. Free Press, 4/27/2000, "Law Expected to Haunt Dean," by Nancy Remsen:

"Sensitive to the divisiveness of the debate, Dean signed the civil Union bill into law Wednesday behind closed doors, witnessed only by his staff."

Check Freyne's reporting the same date as well.

"So, yeah, Dean signed the bill in a dark broomcloset.

Anyhing else, Mr. history-rewriter?"

No, that would be you.

Like I said, little nameless nitwit fella, he signed the bill in his State House Office.

Where does it say he signed it in a broom closet?

That's what I thought.

Nice try, nitwit.

In other words, ya got bupkis.

Dismissed.
 
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