vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

11.18.2008

Bad news on the rise

The Joint Fiscal Committee has gathered in Montpelier for a day that is expected to include dour news.

Chairwoman Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille, put it this way. "I jumped out the window, but I have a one-story building so it didn't hurt much."

A physical yesterday showed her blood pressure's surprisingly not high. So she expects her heart to make it through the next few months. "I'm not so sure about my soul," she said.

Legislative leaders this morning sent this letter to the governor.

Dear Governor Douglas
We are sobered by our recent
conversations with the legislature’sconsulting economist, Tom Kavet, in
preparation for today’s meeting of the Joint Fiscal Committee.
It is clear that the current economic crisis is hurting
Vermonters and significantly impacting our state revenues.
Despite the care of prior budgeting and last summer’s
rescissions, we have more difficult choices ahead if we are to bring our fy2009
budget into balance and prepare for fy2010.
These extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary
cooperation between political parties and branches of government. Today,
the Joint Fiscal Committee will review preliminary revenue forecasts for the
remainder of Fiscal Year 2009 and for Fiscal Year 2010. The forecast the
Emergency Board will hear today is bleak.
We have asked our Joint Fiscal Office staff to work with your
Administration to develop a list of ideas to address the shortfall for fy2009.
We recognize that the federal government is discussing options for economic
stimulus that may affect Vermont’s outlook or present new options to us. We
will continue to work with the National Conference of State Legislatures and our
federal delegation to encourage steps that will have a meaningful impact on
Vermonters and minimize the impact of the economic crisis on Vermonters. Given
the level of uncertainty of federal response, the size of the projected revenue
shortfall, and the already painful impact of earlier budget rescissions, it is
impossible now to determine what the process will be for making
adjustments. Like you, we have received a great deal of feedback from
Vermonters asking for an opportunity to provide input and ideas. Certainly, we
need to ensure that whatever process we work within allows Vermonters’ concerns
to be heard. For now, the important first step is that our staffs
work together to develop a list of options to consider. We look forward to
working with you to ensure that state government faces these challenging times in
a way that works for all Vermonters.
Sincerely, Senator Peter Shumlin
Representative Gaye Symington

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 10:57 AM |

Comments:

You hint at things being bad but you have not told me anything that is bad. Isn't this part of what is happening in the economy and making the economy worse?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:33 PM, November 18, 2008

Our hobby legislators and career governor are big on sending superficial letters and conducting "conversations" about the direction Vermont is moving in but when it comes to actually finding new revenue streams, they are completely devoid. Maybe we should stop pissing away taxpayer dollars to let them hold their annual social club at the statehouse.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:57 PM, November 18, 2008

And how is Douglas supposed to "find new revenue streams" inasmuch as he is burdened with a totally anti-business House and Senate? Vermonters don't want new businesses and revenue as evidenced by their vote for House and Senate this month. I never want to hear a dimocrat complain ever again about not having enough revenue!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:32 PM, November 18, 2008

Jim = Jobs !!

Thanks for your GREAT leadership Jim Douglas.

We sure are in great shape under your leadership!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:21 PM, November 18, 2008

55 percent of Vermont voters need to have their heads examined. Douglas is driving Vermont into a very deep ditch. Pointing fingers at the legislature won't be enough for Jimmy (or bubba) this time around.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:04 PM, November 18, 2008

The above two posts are what I have come to expect from liberal apologists. Just babble on, don't bother to answer the questions!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:11 PM, November 18, 2008

The above post is what I have come to expect from right wing apologists. Just babble on, don't bother to answer the questions!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:21 PM, November 18, 2008

Status quo it is. Full steam ahead?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:27 PM, November 18, 2008

Shumlin and Symington - you have got to be kidding!!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:03 PM, November 18, 2008

I'm sure Symington and Shumlin have indeed "have received a great deal of feedback from Vermonters asking for an opportunity to provide input and ideas." Yes, the "advocates" for spending on their programs/issues, the members of the state employees' and teachers' unions, etc. have no doubt been burning their phone lines and filling their inboxes with calls to raise taxes, tap the rainy day funds, and keep the money flowing.

Unfortunately, these Vermonters had two candidates for governor who ran on that platform and both of them topped out at just under 22 percent each, total 44 percent.

The candidate who ran on a platform of fiscal austerity; reducing spending; growing the economy and state revenues; and not raising taxes got over 53 percent.

# Posted by:

Independent Vermonter | 7:42 PM, November 18, 2008

Independent Vermonter said...

"..The candidate who ran on a platform of fiscal austerity; reducing spending; growing the economy and state revenues; and not raising taxes got over 53 percent."

Yeah, and Vermonters gave him a Legislature with even larger Dem Majorities to keep an eye on him, too.

Ya can't claim one without acknowledgin' the other, Indy.

I've gotta deal with two more years of doogie/dubie debacle incompetence and you've gotta deal with President Obama, Congressman Welch, even larger Dem Majorities in the Legislature and the rest of the Statewide Offices goin' to the Dems.

Clearly, that's how Vermonters want it.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:53 PM, November 18, 2008

Douglas is a jersey barrier to real progress in Vermont. I would have called him a pylon, but that's a little too sexy for Capt. Whitebread.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:10 AM, November 19, 2008

OK - just ONCE I would like to hear a Douglas-basher answer EXACTLY what a governor in Vermont should do! Please, no idiotic generalities like "thousands of green jobs" without details - and don't forget to take into consideration the anti-business make-up of the legislature. Any takers?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:24 AM, November 19, 2008

Close the captial gains loophole and produce $20+ million in new revenue.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:18 AM, November 19, 2008

Agree.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:33 AM, November 19, 2008

Douglas has not done any of the things he promised he'd do. Bring jobs to the state, build the circ hiighway, lower taxes.

He hasn't done what he promised he'd do.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:38 AM, November 19, 2008

Who has blocked the circ highway?
Who is responsible for Vermont's high taxes?
Who blocks all reasonable permit reform which might bring in new businesses?

If you picked the dims and progs who have control of the legislature, then you are not the idiot that posted the above at 11:38.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:04 PM, November 19, 2008

I went from the Williston mall to the Essex mall, past IBM and Taft Corners in less than 10 minutes the other day. No traffic to speak of at all. What justifies this highway?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:48 PM, November 19, 2008

Bubba admits that Dougals can't deliver on any of his campaign promises.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:52 PM, November 19, 2008

"I went from the Williston mall to the Essex mall, past IBM and Taft Corners in less than 10 minutes the other day. No traffic to speak of at all. What justifies this highway?"

I live near Taft's Corners and can tell you during commuting hours it can take 30 minutes to travel from
Rt2 to Mountain View Drive 2 miles away.

For people trying to get out of there driveways onto Rt2A, it is nearly impossible.

But don't let facts get in the way of the data collected on your one and only trip to the Essex Mall.

Build the CIRC.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:55 PM, November 19, 2008

Build the circ? Where is the money going to come from??

You going to raise taxes?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:58 PM, November 19, 2008

bubba said...

"..If you picked the dims and progs who have control of the legislature, then you are not the idiot that posted the above at 11:38."

No, you'd be bubbakis.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 2:06 PM, November 19, 2008

bubba said...

"OK - just ONCE I would like to hear a Douglas-basher answer EXACTLY what a governor in Vermont should do!.."

Govern effectively and be competent and qualified.

Your boy just went down on three pitches without ever getting the bat off his shoulder, bubbakis.

The doogie/dubie debacle is the problem.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 2:14 PM, November 19, 2008

30 min commute time. Same for any road leading into Burlington, from the interstate, Shelburne Road,etc.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:19 PM, November 19, 2008

It takes twenty minutes from Burlington to Williston going the other way. These are manageable commute times.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:21 PM, November 19, 2008

For a 2 mile drive? ....it's manageable if you aren't sitting there. All you tree huggers should think about the pollution being generated by those idling cars.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:58 PM, November 19, 2008

"30 min commute time. Same for any road leading into Burlington, from the interstate, Shelburne Road,etc."

Another traffic problem. In an area that has 50,000 people its a joke.

If someone would learn how to synchronize traffic lights, half of the problem would be solved.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:00 PM, November 19, 2008

Douglas can't figure out how to fix the roads and bridges we already have?

How will he pay for this huge new project ????

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:07 PM, November 19, 2008

Make 89 a toll road.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:09 PM, November 19, 2008

Have you ever commuted in a large city? Get real 20 -30 minutes is nothing.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:40 PM, November 19, 2008

No on a the toll road. Not going to subsidized spoiled IBMers.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:41 PM, November 19, 2008

It's a federally funded highway. Vermont is prohibited from making it a toll road by federal law.

Douglas promised a highway that he had no means to build.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:21 PM, November 19, 2008

Some simple solutions: car pool; start a little earlier or a little later; find an alternate route.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:29 PM, November 19, 2008

Is 91 a fed highway? Jeezum, states rights already.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:33 PM, November 19, 2008

Anonymous said...

"No on a the toll road. Not going to subsidized spoiled IBMers."

Absolutely not on the toll road. It's been bought and paid for a dozen times over.

Ike conceived the Interstate Highway System primarily as a benefit to National Defense. Let the Pentagon pave the damned things.

As a matter of fact, you can have Halliburton and KBR do the work as part of their plea agreement.

Blackwater goes straight to hell.

It's already been bought and paid for a dozen times over. Take it out of Iraq and the Star Wars budget.

That goes for mass transit, too.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:08 PM, November 19, 2008

Anonymous...

"Is 91 a fed highway? Jeezum, states rights already."

Yeah, actually, it is. The I in I-91 and I-89 stands for Interstate, little nameless-nitwit fella.

Feel free to check.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:11 PM, November 19, 2008

Anonymous said...

"For a 2 mile drive? ....it's manageable if you aren't sitting there. All you tree huggers should think about the pollution being generated by those idling cars."

That's why you should take mass transit, little fella.

You should move to Orange Country, CA, if ya wanna be an anonymous, factose-intolerant gop, little-fella.

Then you can see what happens when you have too many cars and trucks on too few roads with no mass transit and find out what traffic bottlenecks are all about.

It's best when you turn off the AC, roll down the windows and take a deep breath. Those wildfire particles and smoke will clear your sinuses right up.

Ya know, you can start tryin' any time now, little fella.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:20 PM, November 19, 2008

States rights?

We took tens of millions in federal money for that highway -- you weren't yelling about states rights then.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:23 PM, November 19, 2008

Don't confuse the whacks with the facts. Bubba and his brain-dead bupkis brigade are totally factose-intolerant.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:55 PM, November 19, 2008

NEWS ALERT....NEWS ALERT...

Coopy has a newly approved, cut and paste phrase 'factose-intolerant'. Way cool Coopy. Where did you steal that from?

You used it really well in your last 2 posts.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:14 AM, November 20, 2008

So, what you're saying, little fella, is that your ignorant, anonymous, factose-intolerant ass has still got bupkis.

Gee, thanks for clearin' that up, little dude.

Ignorant, anonymous trash with bupkis talkin' about talkin' points. That's a good one, little fella.

You delusional ditto-heads spew the same drudge dreck and Vermont Tigers trash on a daily basis. You'd be lost without that psychotic slop.

Actually, I got the term factose-intolerant from Colbert, little clueless-cretin fella.

It does go with anything you scum-vote schmucks serve up, so, either get yourself a case and a clue or get used to it.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 8:25 AM, November 20, 2008

So Terri, what do you intend to do about the continued abuse from this JWCoop10 fellow?

Hmmmmmmmm?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:12 AM, November 20, 2008

Anonymous said...

"So Terri, what do you intend to do about the continued abuse from this JWCoop10 fellow?

Hmmmmmmmm?"

Ah, so it wasn't you who posted this:

"Anonymous said...
NEWS ALERT....NEWS ALERT...

Coopy has a newly approved, cut and paste phrase 'factose-intolerant'. Way cool Coopy. Where did you steal that from?

You used it really well in your last 2 posts."

In addition to spending the past few months posting my name, address and phone while routinely trashing my wife and kids by name and offering google map directions to our place, little fella?

Ah, I suppose that was the other anonymous poster.

Clearly, your factose-intolerance and hypocrisy know no bounds.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 1:49 PM, November 20, 2008

Just a thought but big kids just ignore posts like that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:00 PM, November 20, 2008