Tuesday February 7, 2012 You know when the right wing attack machine gets behind an offensive against the Obama administration the issue stands a 50-50 chance of being entirely political, despite all the usual sound an fury. This week there is "Catholic outrage," to quote the usual suspects, over a decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that, under the national   Full Story

Friday February 3, 2012 Vermont lawmakers are talking about a guest worker program that would include state ID cards and registration of workers on farms and in other sectors in which the work is year-round. This idea is worth considering and could also point to a way out of the national immigration stalemate and an end to the bitter controversies that engenders.   Full Story

Thursday February 2, 2012 Republicans have long been masters of playing the macho war card to intimidate Democrats, and Democrats more often than not have caved on these issues -- from early in the Cold War through the War on Terror and beyond. The war card was played by passionately asserting that the Democrats had "lost China," as Richard Nixon and others alleged, were "soft on   Full Story

Tuesday January 31, 2012 Three years after the U.S. housing market came crashing down and left millions underwater on their mortgages -- leading to millions of foreclosures and outright property abandonment -- some seemed to think a turnaround in the market was just around the corner. That is, however, unlikely, if not delusional.   Full Story

Friday January 27, 2012 If Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney does nothing more for his country in his lifetime, the release of his tax returns at this critical juncture in our history could, inadvertently, spur positive, far-reaching change. The glaring inequality of a multi-millionaire member of the vaunted 1 percent of wealth paying an effective tax on his income of around 15   Full Story

Thursday January 26, 2012 President Obama, in his State of the Union Address, argued for the re-balancing initiatives many have long sought -- starting with higher taxes on those earning the most -- and for a greater focus on promoting the middle class and a revival of the American Dream. Those are worthy goals, both in terms of economic fairness and in the positive effect on the economy   Full Story

Tuesday January 17, 2012 A hue and cry for teacher evaluations springs up from time to time but never seems to go far, usually thwarted by the strength of most teacher unions and by the impossible nature of the task. More than likely, though, failure in this area is a good thing for public education.   Full Story

President Obama, in his State of the Union Address, argued for the re-balancing initiatives many have long sought - starting with higher taxes on those earning the most - and for a greater focus on promoting the middle class and a revival of the American Dream. Those are worthy goals, both in terms of economic fairness and in the positive effect on the economy of more Americans with more money   Full Story

Thursday January 12, 2012 It was heartening to see that a bill to create the Working Lands Enterprise investment, promotion, coordination and assistance initiative already has significant support in the Vermont Legislature The legislation, developed over the past year by the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership, an offshoot of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, was formally   Full Story

Wednesday January 4, 2012 Nothing illustrates the dysfunctional nature of Washington-level politics better than the tripe we are hearing over President Obama's decision to appoint Richard Cordray the new consumer watchdog, bypassing stubborn GOP opposition. Also fully in the spotlight are the tactics Republicans have employed in tying up Congress whenever they can't get their   Full Story

Thursday December 29, 2011 Vermont is sometimes derided for its "socialist" tendencies, both by conservatives who live here and by residents of other, less-than-liberal states. But it isn't that easy to pin down Vermont or Vermonters to fit some pigeonhole in someone's imagination. It is also true that the Green Mountain State stresses individualism and the idea of being able   Full Story

Monday December 26, 2011 If anything illustrates the might of corporate interests it is the ability of large companies and their allies in Congress to stall, derail, defang or dismantle environmental regulations and protections. A major case in point has involved the incredible amount of time it took for the Environmental Protection Agency to update rules to curb mercury and other toxic   Full Story

Thursday December 22, 2011 Debate has continued much of the year in Hoosick, N.Y., over whether to retain the current town offices at the former National Guard Armory building in Hoosick Falls or to move elsewhere or build a new office complex. This decision is now pressing because the state Guard has moved from the building and the town is expected to soon have to pay the expenses, which   Full Story

Thursday December 15, 2011 The U.S. Postal Service is awash in "red ink," according to news articles reporting on the proposed elimination of hundreds of regional mail centers, the closure of post offices across the country and other cutbacks to trim a budget deficit estimated to reach $14 billion by the end of the fiscal year.   Full Story

Tuesday December 13, 2011 BothRepublicansand Democrats have discovered that the middle class in this country is hurting and has been in slow decline for decades since the post-World War II boom era. President Obama, after being urged by liberal Democrats throughout his term to focus on those at the bottom of the economic pile, now is channeling Teddy Roosevelt and the progressive movements   Full Story