The idea of Barack Obama going back to seek Republican cooperation in another of his bipartisan outreach efforts is almost laughable at this stage -- yet it is a bitter laugh for many of those who helped elect him. It was Hillary Clinton who said we would have "on the job training" if Mr. Obama became president.   Full Story

The possibility that the Bennington area’s radio station, WBTN-AM 1370, could become a historical footnote was driven home last week with word that longtime morning host Rich Ryder has been laid off in a recession-driven cost-cutting move. The decision to drop the popular morning voice of WBTN illustrates the local station’s financial condition.   Full Story

Maybe it’s talk of a massive recall of Toyota vehicles that brings back memories of independent presidential candidate H. Ross Perot, who finally got Americans to focus on the national debt during the 1990s before they completely forgot again during the early 2000s. The current Tea Party movement, with its rabid focus on government spending, is another reminder of the diminutive   Full Story

Those academics who scoff at standardized tests, and over instructors being forced to "teach to the test," should at least admit that standardized testing gives an indication where education dollars should be focused and where the problem areas reside. The annual New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) test scores were released Tuesday, reflecting tests taken by Vermont third through   Full Story

Eerily familiar is the mindset of the nutcase activist nerds who entered the office of Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu’s office in New Orleans Jan. 25 with the usual hidden cameras and posing as telephone repairmen. Veteran right-wing videographer James O’Keefe, 25, who previously used his slippery skills in attempts to embarrass a program aiding the poor, ACORN, and Planned   Full Story

Looking at a graph of the federal debt load since 1940, it’s obvious that it spiked up during World War II (1941-45) and peaked just after the war. The high point (or low point) of the debt in that era reached -- adjusting for inflation -- just about $10 trillion, which is roughly what we owe today.   Full Story

President Obama's rare, if not unprecedented debate with congressional members of the opposition party on Friday in front of television cameras not only made for good TV, but it may have pointed the way out of ideological divide and gridlock in Washington. What we have today is a closely divided nation along many lines, but at bottom conservative versus liberal --- in both the   Full Story

Mount Anthony Union District Chairwoman Sean-Marie Oller certainly was on the right track in proposing development of a school consolidation plan that places all Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union districts under a single regional board. Obviously, this has been a hard sell in the past, and in most areas around Vermont.   Full Story

President Obama executed the first task in pulling his presidency out of the tailspin it appeared to enter after Republican Scott Brown won the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat in a Jan. 19 election in Massachusetts. But that can only bring him back somewhat near where he was at the beginning of his presidency, on Jan.   Full Story

It is easy to become angry with dithering Democrats who have wasted most of the mandate they gained in the past two elections. But whether they are really pulling strings today -- or ever have held more than a few threads of control -- is debatable. What is undeniable is that the neo-con strategy of starving the federal government through tax cuts and fierce opposition to new taxes -- no   Full Story

President Obama can't have it both ways on reform of the financial industry, which led the nation into the Great Recession with wild speculative lending over the past several years. He has to come down either as a reformer or a collaborator. Those options are in stark relief as the president's choice to remain as the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, heads toward a   Full Story

Following the loss of a single U.S. Senate seat, where they still enjoy a 59-41 majority, the Democrats are cringing in corners or running for the hills -- especially on health care insurance reform. Even Vermont Rep. Peter Welch, who thus far has been a solid, vocal supporter of a strong reform bill, now apparently is echoing those defeatist Democrats who are willing to consider breaking up   Full Story

Leaks at Vermont Yankee that have resulted in detection of radioactive tritium at the site in Vernon could not have come at a worse time for those who support continued operation of the nuclear generating plant through 2032. Despite a series of well-publicized maintenance problems in recent years, such as a collapsing cooling tower, it looked as if the Vermont Legislature would eventually   Full Story

New Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts deserves credit even from Democrats after his stunning victory Tuesday over a well-known Democratic attorney general in the race to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat. Mr. Brown ran a focused campaign that caught the angry mood of voters in Massachusetts and around the country.   Full Story

Martin Luther King Jr. was born a long time ago, and his death is now 42 years in the past. But it is a bit surprising to realize that the slain civil rights leader would only be 81 years old if he were alive to celebrate his birthday on Monday. The tumultuous year 1968, when Dr. King was shot to death on April 4 in Memphis, also seems far in the past, but the words and images of him and   Full Story