vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

10.08.2008

Just a link

We didn't cover the gubernatorial debate last week before the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. It featured Republican Jim Douglas, Democrat Gaye Symington and Liberty Union candidate Peter Diamondstone. Anthony Pollina, now an independent, wasn't included because he was no longer running from a major political party and hadn't shown double-digit poll numbers -- the other threshold for inclusion.

Anyway, if you want to see and hear the candidates' responses to the questions posed by the League on state budget woes, health insurance costs, transportation, corrections, payments in lieu of taxes for state property, giving the state full responsibility for the statewide property tax for education and stormwater -- go here.

-- Nancy Remsen

posted by vt.Buzz | 1:56 PM |

Comments:

While I am grateful that VLCT video recorded and posted the various video clips of the debate the way they did, due to there being 46 separate clips and, as such, it is easier for some when such are provided within a continuous playlist format from start to finish, I took the liberty as well as pains to create one and it is available both, here (via YouTube) as well as here (via 2008 Vermont Gubernatorial Race Watch blog).

# Posted by:

Morgan W. Brown | 7:14 PM, October 08, 2008

WOW,

Finally a debate is hosted with some sort of fairness. It didn't make sense to have Pollina on the VPR debate because there were other Independents on the ballot as well that were excluded...why??

Of course, the other Independent candidates (Sam Young, for example) don't have the money Pollina does so basically Money Talks. At least with VPR.

Local Action Works!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:35 AM, October 09, 2008

Who in earth can stand listening to Gaye Symington?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:36 AM, October 09, 2008

Who on Earth can stand listening to Jim Douglas?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:47 AM, October 09, 2008

WOW...the Liberty Union party is a major political party! Only in VT.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:06 PM, October 09, 2008

Mount Mansfield is the highest peak in the state! Only in VT.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:13 PM, October 09, 2008

Or there is the hypnotizing snake salesman voice of Anthony Pollina!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:37 PM, October 09, 2008

Jim Douglas proposals in his budgets would have created and huge "Shift and Shaft" to local communities that would have cost upwards of $100 million in property tax increases.

Douglas does not want you to know that!

In fact, with all the belly aching I hear over Act68 - it's interesting that its the Legislative Dems who are held responsible -- when it was actually the GOP House majority
(2003) under Speaker Walt Freed and Jim Douglas who pushed for the changes that became Act 68.

It was the House GOP majority and Jim Douglas who demanded that we separate the grand list into residential and non-residential.

So now when the non-residential (i.e. commercial and vacation properties) complain, they should complain to Jim Douglas and his GOP cronies.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:37 PM, October 09, 2008

Ya gotta love doogie's alleged follow up response on PILOT.

Sixty seconds of pathetic platitudes about how we have to stick with what's not working to "grow the economy" that was in much better shape the day his sorry butt took office than it is now without once so much as mentioning PILOT.

Evidently, all gops are doin' the psycho-sarah song and dance where they refuse to answer the questions posed to them, ignore the moderator, their opponents, the facts and reality and simply spew dimwitted delusional dreck about common sense solutions that they've had six years to demonstrate ain't workin' and talk trash about reaching across the aisle to get things done when the next good faith bipartisan effort they make to do anything will be their first.

As gop scum goes, doogie's far from the worst, but at the end of the day, he's still incompetent gop scum and he's got the six year record to prove it.

His own helluva job, hofie may have cut Jacques loose early, but if he was psycho sarah, he would have billed Brooke Bennett for her own autopsy.

Jim may mean joblessness and homelessness, but at least he draws the line at billin' juvenile rape and murder victims for their own autopsies before headin' off to have some counterfeit-krishtin, whack-job preacher lay hands on her to free her of all witches and exorcise of all demon spirits.

Of course, Brooke Bennett was a juvenile. He just might bill the next Michelle Gardner-Quinn for her rape kit and autopsy as a "common sense measure to contain costs."

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:51 PM, October 09, 2008

the thought that the progressives or the democrats have any new ideas is ludicrous! How bout that vermont credit card - do your homework!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:16 PM, October 09, 2008

Gops and ideas. That's a good one, little fella.

You just run that ignorant anonymous, all Ayers, all the time trash and billin' rape victims for their own rape kits clueless-cretin crapolla up the flag pole and see who salutes it on election day, little fella.

That's much more pertinent than the DOW dropping below 8600 for the first time since 6/03 when saddam's statue had only recently been toppled, we'd been greeted as liberators with sweets, flowers and IEDs, shrub had done is Independence Day, phony fly boy action figure shtick, the mission had been accomplished, bush was over 90 percent in the polls, it was only a matter of time before Saddam and his sons were dead, their links to 9/11 were made abundantly clear, his wmd was found and gop-scum and gop-scum policies controlled everything.

Of course, in the gop-slime, bizarro world of Hannity's Amerika, our boys and girls were home well before Christmas without so much as a scratch and not only has the war paid for itself, we've turned a tidy profit, to boot.

How's that been workin' out for ya?

Say goodnight, greasy.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 11:51 PM, October 09, 2008

What are Jimmy D's big ideas?

A circ highway when we can't even pay for the roads we have now?

Telling people to "buy local" and then pushing for a Wal-Mart outside of every village in Vermont?

What's he done?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:36 AM, October 10, 2008

WalMarts all over the U.S. sell Cabot cheese, Ben and Jerry's, Bove's Pastas, all kinds of Maple Grove products, Vermont-made beers and salsas - yeh, let's put them all out of business!

DOH!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:46 AM, October 10, 2008

Wal Marts all over the country pay their workers so badly that they can't pay rent or make ends meet. DOH !!

Wal Marts all over the country hire illegal immigrants. DOH!!

Wal Marts all over the country import cheap and dangerous products from China which have caused half a dozen recalls in the past 12 months alone. DOH !!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:06 PM, October 10, 2008

Idiot, for one thing WalMart hires a lot of part-timers that need work to supplement their retirement! For another thing, with the welfare-state economics of Vermont, the pay is comparable to other businesses. And for a third point, why is it that the workers are satisfied with their jobs there? Could it be the union thugs and their drones are really the ones that want to see WalMart go? Just wait a while - if the Messiah is your next President, then WalMart workers will be FORCED to join a union by the scum-bag union organizers ("better sign that card - we're watching!")

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:45 PM, October 10, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Wal Marts all over the country pay their workers so badly that they can't pay rent or make ends meet. DOH !!"

To the extent that he has the capacity to think anything, Bubbakis "thinks" Vermonters owe it to Walmart to forge their own chains.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 1:17 PM, October 10, 2008

Can you name a major company in the U.S. that doesn't hire illegals? Of course, if they DIDN'T hire illegals, the bleeding heart libs would accuse them of cruelty towards poor working people! Just like the libs whining for so long that "poor" people couldn't get sub-prime loans. So Barney Frank and company forced Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae to make "sub-prime" loans and look where we are today! Thanks, Barney!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:19 PM, October 10, 2008

Sure thing, bubbakis. Barney Frank forced Reagan and a gop-scum Senate to push through the '86 amnesty for "illegals". Gops ruled the roost and did nothing about the problem because their fat cat campaign contributors like Wal-Mart wanted cheap labor they could easily intimidate and didn't have to pay benefits to, bubbakis.

Gops don't give a damn about anything but gops and patriotically parkin' their cash in the Caymans, clueless.

Keep spewin' that psychotic slop, bubbakis. Ya might even sell yourself on that slop if the prices is right at the 43rd Reich's GOIN' OUTTA BUSINESS SALE!

NO OFFER REFUSED FO GOP-SLOP NONSENSE AND ALL OTHER DISCONTINUED ITEMS!!

EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 1:42 PM, October 10, 2008

TOM COSTELLO FOR LT GOV !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:04 PM, October 10, 2008

Can't blame a company for hiring illegals. It keeps costs down!

What a great thing!

Everyone should hire illegal immigrants!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:32 PM, October 10, 2008

Remember: Jim Douglas's family believes in hiring illegals.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:11 PM, October 10, 2008

They don't just believe in it, they DO it.

Jim knows it and he doesn't do anything about it.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:23 PM, October 10, 2008

If a Vermonter would do those jobs then illegals would not have to be hired.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:23 PM, October 11, 2008

Where is there any proof that Jim Douglas' family believes in knowingly hiring illegals?

I thought so.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:57 AM, October 12, 2008

Anonymous said...

"If a Vermonter would do those jobs then illegals would not have to be hired."

Ah, so if Vermont businesses hired illegals, Vermonters made them do it.

Nice try, little nameless-nitwit fella. No sale.

Disappear.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:19 AM, October 12, 2008

Vermonters as well as others are used to welfare and being told by liberals that they don't have to work unless the job is unionized and above minimum wage. Illegals are not afraid to work hard and have not yet been pap-fed the liberal garbage that has destroyed this country. Like Vermont used to be pre-flatlander.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:45 AM, October 13, 2008

Hey Coop.

It's a real laugh riot watching you tell us all about the working world when you can't hold a job.

Keep drinking until you pass out. You make more sense when the only thing coming out of your mouth is drool.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:39 AM, October 13, 2008

Anonymous...

Hey Coop.

"It's a real laugh riot watching you tell us all about the working world when you can't hold a job."

It's not as much fun as watchin' your ignorant anonymous ass spew this psychotic-slop every time you nameless-nitwits have got bupkis, boy blunder.

Once again, I'll gladly take my chances with a tally of all my posts and a tally of all the coalition of the clueless/nameless-nitwit votes at the end of any day, little fraudulent fella.

"Keep drinking until you pass out. You make more sense when the only thing coming out of your mouth is drool."

Clearly, you speak from a vast well of personal experience, little fella. It shows.

OK, I'm warm. Give my best to your mom, take out the trash and you can start tryin' whenever you're ready, little nameless-nitwit fella.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 9:21 AM, October 13, 2008

"Pre-flatlander" Vermont was not about citizens being satisfied with low-paying jobs, although living costs and taxes were so low back then you didn't NEED to make big bucks. Families were satisfied with one car, people could build or buy hunting or lake-front camps back then for almost nothing. If a person didn't like his/her job back then, then move to Pratt and Whitney or join the service. Vermont youth were welcomed everywhere then, because they had not yet grown up with the sense of entitlement they have now. Schools actually taught reading, writing, arithmetic back then, not "Heather has two mommies" and social promotions didn't exist. Kids could make money in the summer haying on a farm, but now VOSHA, the IRS, and probably some "human rights" commissions would arrest the farmer today! Life was good - no jw leftist trash and good, conservative governors and reps who only cared about seeing Vermont run right, then go back to their businesses. A true citizen legislature, not the leftist trial-lawyer garbage we have today!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:57 AM, October 13, 2008

bubba...

"Pre-flatlander" Vermont was not about citizens being satisfied with low-paying jobs, although living costs and taxes were so low back then you didn't NEED to make big bucks...."

None of your delusional dreck is ever about anything, bubbakis. It would be unreasonable to expect your ignorant anonymous ass to start substantiating your psychotic slop at this stage of the game, gomer.

"..Families were satisfied with one car, people could build or buy hunting or lake-front camps back then for almost nothing."

Well, bubbakis, if it's ever 1948 again, you'll be sittin' pretty and your ignorant anonymous ass will have a point.

Alas, it's not 1948, it's not gonna be 1948 again and your ignorant anonymous ass continues to be dumb, to be scum, to have bupkis and be without a case or a clue.

Get yourself a time machine, move to Mississippi or both. Even in Mississippi, you're gonna have to go back in time to realize that fascist fantasy. Just not as far.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:29 AM, October 13, 2008