Talk or Action?

Most politicians would rather take refuge in the comfort of big ideas than risk voter retribution by trying to solve specific problems. It’s both easier and more comfortable to stick… Read More

VT Agency of Human Services – we can do better.

Human Services Secretary Doug Racine recently acknowledged his own agency’s defeat in reducing childhood poverty in Vermont – a concession that frankly astonishes me. The Agency of Human Services is… Read More

Just Let the Non-profits Take Care of It.

As a society, we’ve committed to certain government roles and responsibilities like national defense, tax collection, business regulation, and administration of justice. Our commitments, however, to a postal system, transportation… Read More

East CharlotteTractor Parade

Quick. Pop quiz: what’s free, fun for all ages, and brings neighbors and friends together for a half-day of loud, smoky excitement? Answer? The East Charlotte Tractor Parade! After an… Read More

The Future of Vermont Health Care

Vermont has committed to meeting the standards imposed by the new federal healthcare law and also to pioneer a single-payer system by 2017. And while few would debate the need… Read More

Heroin in Vermont

The danger in believing we are special is that it can blind us to what’s right under our noses. We mix and drink our Kool-Aid and then bask in our… Read More

Chittenden County Police, Fire, and Rescue: Time to Consolidate?

This is the kind of question that causes people to stare at their shoes during Town meeting. “Does the greater Burlington area, from Milton to Richmond and Charlotte really need… Read More

Jobs in Our Town

I’m generally suspicious of prognosticators and gurus, whether they’re predicting the end of books or the end of the world. I don’t worry about things ending, nor do I fear… Read More

UVM’s Challenge & Opportunity

  Listen 3:23   UVM was kind enough to admit me to its junior class in 1966 after I explained my abysmal record at Kenyon College and the life lessons… Read More

Vermont Needs Better Government Transparency

When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United, there was little dissent from the justices about transparency. If businesses and those with the means were now free to… Read More

When Words Collide

The essence of a good cultural collision is usually found in language, the malaprop’s a good example. Growing up in Morrisville in the shadow of Stowe’s social ascendancy in the… Read More

Vermont’s Working Landscape: A Worthy Investment

In time and perhaps with age, we learn to doubt or at least question the predictions of gurus and futurists. Our landscapes are riddled with the remnants of “model communities”… Read More