Vermont Water Cooler

06/07/2022

Harvard/Harris Polls just did an extensive survey on public opinion regarding a number of topics. Very insightful! Especially check out the section on abortion policy (slides 38-46) that offer a more nuanced look at where majorities stand: 90% oppose unregulated abortion throughout all 9 months of pregnancy. This is relevant to Vermont as Proposal 5/Article 22 would enshrine a right to exactly that in our state Constitution. https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HHP_June2022_KeyResults.pdf?fbclid=IwAR21rKOD3Xj0LLyTN1jQLrNoFsSmIo-HJvQzJZiYhmZ_WyISAcwHCpm9OuA

01/07/2022

Watch every Democrat LT Gov. Candidate advocate for a "Clean Heat" Carbon Tax on home heating fuels (oil, propane, natural gas, and kerosene) to make them even more expensive than they already are....

01/07/2022

Every VT Democrat but three (House and Senate) voted for the Global Warming Solutions Act over the Governor's veto. Every Democrat but four (House and Senate) voted for the Clean Heat Standard Carbon Tax over the Governor's veto. No Republican voted for either bill. If you don't want to pay even more for gasoline, diesel, and home heating fuel after November 2022, who to vote for should be pretty clear!

29/06/2021

Interesting political demographic analysis from the NYT: "Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters are to the right of white Democrats on many issues. Many voters of color are skeptical of immigration and free trade. They favor border security, as well as some abortion restrictions. They are worried about crime and oppose cuts to police funding. They are religious." https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?abVariantId=0&campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210629&instance_id=34110&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN®i_id=98973301&segment_id=62026&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F58b5f824-3616-5b32-95f4-5747d9abc23a&user_id=b0762c2137390a36c8a81688fda72020

The Pew Research Center, which does some of the country’s best polls, classifies all Americans as being in one of nine different political groups. The categories range from “core conservatives” on the right to “solid liberals” on the left, with a mix of more complicated groups in the middl...

08/02/2021

Due to some operational changes, Vermont Water Cooler will not be posting content this week. Please stay tuned and we will have some additional updates to provide next Monday!

06/02/2021

A Winooski man who raises money for BLM agrees with the Norwegian who nominated BLM for the Nobel Peace Prize that it is the “largest and strongest social movement in the world today, fighting racial injustice.”

Find this and other articles from WCAX at the VTWaterCooler.com

06/02/2021

Lawmakers harassed by angry constituents last spring when Department of Labor couldn't process unemployment claims are getting an earful again, now that DOL has sent huge batches of 1099 to the wrong people. Everyone wants answers.

Read more posts from VT Digger at VTWaterCooler.com

06/02/2021

Do Vermont schools mete out discipline unfairly, based on race and gender? A bill reviewed by the Senate Education Committee wants to know if Vermont suffers from this national trend.

Find this and other articles from True North Reports at VTWaterCooler.com

05/02/2021

A spontaneous argument outside the food court escalated into a shooting. The South Burlington cops are looking for Tyshane Smith, age 18.

Find this and more postings from Fox 44 at vtwatercooler.com

05/02/2021

The staff of Vermont's largest abortion provider have joined the American Federation of Teachers and look forward to bargaining for a new contract.

Find this and more content from VBM at VTWaterCooler.com

05/02/2021

Whether you're a low income rider or a law school professor, fret not! The federal government has a multimillion dollar grant for you.

Find this and more postings from Seven Days at vtwatercooler.com

05/02/2021

Is the ho-hum job of state auditor now an engine of Progressive change?

Find this and more postings from Seven Days at vtwatercooler.com

05/02/2021

The teenaged Wunderkind of the Burlington GOP wants state chair Deb Billado to resign for insufficient enthusiasm in criticizing then-President Donald Trump for his alleged role in the Capitol riot. Now his leadership is under attack.

Read more posts from VT Digger at VTWaterCooler.com

05/02/2021

The good news is that more than 55,000 Vermonters have at least their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. The bad news is that new cases and deaths are being reported daily.

Find this and more postings from VPR at vtwatercooler.com

05/02/2021

A Rutland County woman realized she needed to do something to make her drive slower so that she could (legally) visit her grandchildren. Naturally, she started swimming in near-freezing water.

See this and more posts at the Vermont Water Cooler

05/02/2021

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has received more than $26 million in federal funding through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) to support public transit across the state, Gov. Phil Scott said today.

Read this and more articles from the State House Headliners at VTWaterCooler.com

05/02/2021

If you are not aware of S.30, it is a bill that relates to prohibiting the possession of fi****ms at three types of locations, and as portrayed it garnered a number of Senate co-sponsors.

Read this and more articles from the State House Headliners at VTWaterCooler.com

05/02/2021

Gov Scott & Department of Health:
As information is released that some COVID cases are linked to ski resorts, it appears there is a giant gap in enforcement in these areas.

Read this and more articles from the State House Headliners at VTWaterCooler.com

05/02/2021

So far Vermont’s homeless have been remarkably free of Covid-19 - perhaps due to all of that time outside? But now that frigid temps have driven them indoors, the State of Vermont should give them higher vaccination priority to prevent a potentially catastrophic outbreak, three Rutland County senators say.

So far Vermont’s homeless have been remarkably free of Covid-19 - perhaps due to all of that time outside? But now that frigid temps have driven them indoors, the State of Vermont should give them higher vaccination priority to prevent a potentially catastrophic outbreak, three Rutland County sena...

04/02/2021

Whether Vermont gets two inches of snow or two feet of the fluffy stuff, the state’s new vaccination centers will be open.

04/02/2021

Like baby sea turtles crossing the sand, newly introduced bills - some new ideas, some retreads - make their way slowly through the committee and floor process in the Vermont House. If successful, the process will be repeated in the Senate and then go to the governor’s desk for his signature. The race is won by the quick and powerful - and baby sea turtles are neither. So in the Legislature, it helps to have friends who are.

Like baby sea turtles crossing the sand, newly introduced bills - some new ideas, some retreads - make their way slowly through the committee and floor process in the Vermont House. If successful, the process will be repeated in the Senate and then go to the governor’s desk for his signature. The ...

04/02/2021

2020 was a year to forget for the Vermont Department of Labor. A big, interstate IT revamp plan fell apart, the pandemic hit, and then the crotchety old computer system itself crashed under the weight of State-of-Emergency-related unemployment claims. At one point the governor himself was delivering the unemployment checks to the post office! Now the 1099’s for the Year That Shall Not Be Named have been recalled, due to a ‘printing error.’

2020 was a year to forget for the Vermont Department of Labor. A big, interstate IT revamp plan fell apart, the pandemic hit, and then the crotchety old computer system itself crashed under the weight of State-of-Emergency-related unemployment claims. At one point the governor himself was delivering...

04/02/2021

Virtual, yes. Warm and comfy, no. This month, participants in the numbing natation known as the Seventh Annual Memphremag Winter Swim Festival will be swimming the freezing waters of Vermont, Ireland, and yes, Alaska.

04/02/2021

Takara Matthews of Franklin County proudly represented Vermont, her Abenaki culture, and US armed services veterans at the January 20 inauguration of Pres. Joe Biden.

04/02/2021

It’s amazing how easy it was for Gov. Scott to build a generous, tax increase-free budget after the federal government delivered freighterloads of greenbacks to his office door.

04/02/2021

No word on whether the shooter outside the Gamestop store in the University Mall in South Burlington was an angry hedge fund operator…..Just kidding. But it’s no kidding matter when shots are fired and you are told to ‘shelter in place.’ Metaphor for the New American Reality - except in the latter, there is really nowhere else to go.

No word on whether the shooter outside the Gamestop store in the University Mall in South Burlington was an angry hedge fund operator…..Just kidding. But it’s no kidding matter when shots are fired and you are told to ‘shelter in place.’ Metaphor for the New American Reality - except in the ...

04/02/2021

The 41-mile Vermont Gas pipeline built in 2017 in Addison County wasn’t built deep enough in some places, and didn’t have the “sign-off” of a professional engineer, the State of Vermont says.

04/02/2021

The pandemic may be bad for a lot of things, but it’s GREAT for the languishing sport of snowmobiling.

04/02/2021

At least five Vermont communities will ask Town Meeting voters if they want retail ma*****na stores in their towns.

Find this and more postings from the AP at vtwatercooler.com

03/02/2021

Budget issues and a letter signed by ‘50 prominent Vermonters’ including three former Democratic governors bashing the Vermont press for its sexist and racist bias.