Heading into the homestretch of the 2024 Campaign, it’s been an exhilarating experience to see how Kamala Harris has re-energized Democrats across the nation.
Here in Vermont, Democrats will continue listening to Vermonters on the concerns most vital to them;
Addressing the damage done by another year of Climate induced floods…helping keep Agriculture’s prominent place on the Vermont landscape and our economy…working for Economic, environmental and racial-social justice…and of course, working to keep Vermont affordable; from Property taxes to health care, housing and much more. As the economic landscape has devolved into the Have-Nots and Have-Yachts, economic justice looks like trying to give working and middle class families the kind of breaks that Millionaires and Corporations have been getting since the 2017 Trump Tax bill. It’s time for Fair Share Tax Policy and I’ll be working to bring that sense of fairness to tax policy in Vermont .
Climate Change has certainly taught us that we have to relearn what we thought we knew about weather. What we used to call a “100 Year Storm”, next became a “50 year Storm” and in some places, as Florida has seen this year, it might as well be called the worst storm in…2 Weeks. 40m years ago, climate scientists predicted what were seeing now. Wrming means creating storms and clouds that can hold more moisture and dump it in other large and localized areas. Right here in Putney we had our taste of it, in 2021, when we saw 8 inches in one July night tha wiped out 13 roads and a bridge causing a MIllion$ in damage.
That’s why I voted for the Climate Super Fund bill, to make BigOIl pay for cleaning up the messes they’ve caused, not Vermont taxpayers.Just like we forced the Tobacco Companies and Opioid manufacturers to take responsibility for the harm they caused, we need to make sure Big Oil companies take some of their record profits and cover the costs of the damage they’ve caused.
Housing is another concern that we do well to address and hope in the next year we can get on the same page with our Governor to make the investments needed. Housing is a barrier to our Economic growth. New workers need a place to live as to growing families here. The Free Market has failed us in this regard. Similar to Broad band expansion, this is where Government needs to step in and make the investments needed to move Vermont forward.
Education and health Care are 2 more concerns that are currently in unsustainable situations. The trajectory of costs to provide quality education and health care are unsustainable , at a time when we need this more than ever. Again, Government investments and intervention, especially regarding pharmaceuticals may be the only way we get a handle on keeping education, health care affordable .
As always, feel free to be in touch at [email protected]
-mike