…a number of self-employed Vermonters…do not have enough income to survive in the new Vermont of high taxes and fees; energy and real estate. I too am Vermont broke.
…few legislators and their attendant lobbyists forage for Vermonters who have a get-by income and few salable assets.
I finally realized that an interesting book was banging in my head, demanding to be set free. Let the Vermonters talk about their existence in this state, which is being taken over by a new culture, brought to Vermont by the people moving up on Interstate 89 and 91. (In April of this year Forbes published an article with the headline “Tax Happy Vermont Becoming A State Where Only The Rich Can Afford To Live.”)
I call my new book project “The Vanishing Vermonter … An Endangered Species” or maybe the subhead should be, “The Loss of a Rural Culture.” What do you think?
So far I have taped and photographed nine Vermonters, as they talk about what has been lost or gained, at least to them. I hope to have 20 profiles with portraits and a few essays. I will include images of Vermont.
Vermont is a bellwether state. Our canary in the cage is gasping, our lead sheep is bleating. The hope and pride of my people has become fragile.
ht/ Sam S.
Direct quote from the article:
“I kept my political contributions to the minimum, but now there is no expendable money to give to those running for state offices.”
I would LOVE to know who he donated to, who he voted for.
Time for Vermexit
Fascinating read. I’ve only been to Vermont once back around 2000. I could not see any industry or commerce. Just tourism. Not saying there wasn’t any. But it wasn’t apparent. Hippies selling wares.
And then there was the leftist politics. Free shit for deadbeats.
That was nearly 20 years ago. I saw a lovely state dooming itself to implosion.
Green Mountain boys they’re not.
At this point the original 13 colonies of the revolution are all pretty much junk. Mass, NY CT RI PA VA MD VT NH NJ are all fucked by leftists GA NC SC aren’t totally overrun yet. But they’re targets hanging on by a thread.
Depressing.
Vermont, Illinois, California. Everything a liberal could ask for. Except human nature and reality. All 3 states have created fiscal catastrophes they cannot recover from. Hopelessly bankrupt. The democrat party has the majority of voters convinced they can spend their way out of bankruptcy. Sorta like drinking your way to sobriety. After being slammed in the face with loss of jobs, savings, and real estate, the clueless spoiled brats give up on their dreams of a socialist utopia and move to fiscally responsible conservative states where there are jobs, affordable homes, and a dearth of obamasons. Liberals never learn. First chance they get transplanted liberals vote for candidates who promise the same policies they just ran from. They never learn.
Oh noes, not another VT hit piece. They’re just too delicious to pass up!
VT did not become a socialist hellhole overnight, i.e. they elected Bernie as Mayor of Burlington 81-89, then sent him on to the House, and moronic Sen. Leahy (the semen courier) has been in office since ’73.
I have several family members (by marriage), surprisingly all conservatives. One BIL and SIL live in the southern part of the state (Rutland) and I read about their mayor bringing in 100 Syrian “refugees” in Oct. without so much as a public hearing. I called them to alert them and I think I was more upset than they were!
Have another SIL in Burlington who professes to be a devout conservative, and I put together so much info on the “muslim refugee resettlement” scam and why this is a bad idea. She actually said, “but they’re just poor victims from a war torn area and we are called by God to help them”. I BLEW A GASKET!
So I fear Mr. Miller is not unlike most Vermonters I’ve experienced. They’ve live an insular existence.
Drip, drip, drip, it’s a slow death.
I visit often, but I don’t stay long.
If this fellow is really upset, he needs to vote with his feet. Vermont is beautiful, but so are a lot of other states. But my guess is that for much of his life, he was o.k. with these policies – due to the changing business climate in his field, he’s feeling the pinch.
@ PHenry, you omitted DE. I just moved 1800 miles to get away from it.
(VT is f-.d, but it wasn’t in the 13)
Sounds like what is needed is a liberal (see what I did there?) application of the Politician Realignment Kit: rope, tall tree or lamppost, politician, some assembly required.
But then begs the question, Who will bell the cat?
@anon. You’re right. VT was part of NY. My bad.
Libertarianism, man.
NO Borders
NO Sovereignty
NO WARS
NO War Drugs
Lower Taxes
NO Consequences