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Randolph area legislators combined to level a sustained attack on the policies of Gov. Jim Douglas at the annual legislative breakfast sponsored Monday by the Chamber of Commerce. Rep. Jim Hutchinson and Sen. Mark MacDonald, both Democrats, had criticisms of Douglas’s budget priorities, while Rep. Patsy French leveled a strong critique of last year’s "think twice" bill on education funding, which was a compromise between Douglas and Democratic leaders. The breakfast attracted 35 Chamber members and included a vigorous Q&A session, which could have gone on far past the 9 a.m. end time. Hutchinson, who started his second legislative term with a seat on the prestigious Appropriations Committee, had the toughest criticisms of the Republican governor. Noting that Vermont has always had a balanced budget, even though not legally required to, he charged that Douglas has broken with that tradition in his January budget address. "The governor’s budget was not balanced, though it was presented as such," he declared. The budget seemed to have expenses and income in line with each other, but closer inspection showed that certain expenses were not listed, such as: • The cost of the 2008 elections, estimated at $500,000 or more. • The cost of a raise in pay for state employees, which last year added $12-15 million to the budget. In addition, the Randolph legislator said, the Douglas budget cut road money to towns by $6 million, which will require local property taxes to go up to make up the difference. He also mocked the administration’s proposal to lease out the Vermont lottery for 40 years for $50 million. "Nobody in Montpelier thinks it’s a good idea," he said. Sen. MacDonald also criticized Douglas’s budget. He said he was hoping for something worthy of former Republican Gov. Richard Snelling, who brought both parties together to forestall threatened deficits in the 1990s. Republican Rep. David Ainsworth of Royalton spoke briefly but offered no defense of the budget. He said that, as a first-time legislator, he was mostly there to listen. Education Spending Both Reps. Hutchinson and French addressed the question of education spending and defended the state’s funding policies under Act 60 and Act 68. Education spending increased dramatically for several years, Hutchinson acknowledged, but that was because the poorer towns needed to catch up. Spending increases have leveled off in the last two years, he noted. French agreed that education spending in such areas as health insurance and energy and special ed administration have been rising quickly. "But in terms of basic education of our children, I don’t thingk we spend too much," she said. She criticized the "Think Twice" legislation as having been rushed through. It will put school budgets at a disadvantage since people will be confronted with two budget alternatives "with very little information" about them, she said. "For me, it’s a problem." Other Issues Considering that the breakfast was held at the Gifford Medical Center (perhaps explaining the fact there was no table salt for the scrambled eggs), there was little discussion of the cost of health care, another major issue in the legislature this year and last. Gifford President Joe Woodin declared the crisis in not one of health care quality or accessibility, but of cost, noting that businesses increasingly can’t afford to provide it for their employees. Hutchinson phrased it differently: "There’s no health care crisis," he said. "There’s a health insurance crisis." Woodin declared he is no fan of insurance companies either, which impose arduous and overlapping, often contradictory, standards of care on hospitals. Other topics brought up from the audience included: • Legislation proposed by Sen. MacDonald which would impose a 12% sales tax on the sale of homes. If the homes became full-time residences, the tax would be forgiven over six years, he said. Questioned by former Sen. Stephen Webster, MacDonald admitted he didn’t think the bill would pass. He wanted to raise awareness, he said, that 10% of home sales in Vermont (9% in Orange County) go to out-of-staters for a vacation property. This hurts Vermonters who are trying to buy new homes, he said. • Hutchinson discussed legislation he is sponsoring that permit the easier sale of raw milk. Currently a maximum of 25 quarts a day can can be sold, and only on the farm premises. "I grew up on raw milk, and I still drink it today because it tastes like milk," the representative from Peth proclaimed. Rep. Ainsworth, a dairy farmer, said he too drinks raw milk but isn’t sure Hutchinson’s bill will pass muster on the Agriculture committee. |
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