Comments on vt.Buzz ~ a political blog: The view from Severance Corners

It is unfortunate how much anger some people harbo...

2008-10-16T10:43:00.000-04:00

It is unfortunate how much anger some people harbor. The low-end political back and forth hate serves no constructive purpose whatsoever. Some of you need to mature a bit, and try to work in a bipartisan, productive way and leave the cheap shots behind. Let's all grow up a bit please!

I find it amusing how many people have negative co...

2008-10-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

I find it amusing how many people have negative comments about this type of development. This is a designated growth center. People complain about sprawl, this type of dense community is certainly not sprawl. We do have a shortage of housing still in Vermont. I assume everyone complaining lives in a tent, not a house or condo. I would hate for any of you to be hypocrites.

Anonymous said... "Actually, the biggest problem t...

2008-08-02T15:26:00.000-04:00

Anonymous said...
"Actually, the biggest problem the Symington has is that she compromises with Jim Douglas TOO much.""

"The reason she compromises is that she has no vision or agenda that she has brought to her position. With no plan, Douglas routinely gets the upper hand on her, gets public support for his agenda and she has no choice but react to his proposals and compromise to save political face."

If doogie's got so much support for his position, crazy lady, then how come he lost gop-slime Walt Freed as Speaker after his first term and the Dem Legislative Majority has grown progressively larger with each passing election cycle?

That's what I thought.

Symington has been entirely too accommodating and entirely too trusting in her dealings with doogie. Clearly, he's as untrustworthy as he is incompetent.

As in DC, the biggest threat to Vermont is the incompetent-trash executive branch, the veto-override-proof gop-slime legislative minority and the ignorant trash who support them.

Always a pleasure.

"Actually, the biggest problem the Symington has i...

2008-07-30T16:38:00.000-04:00

"Actually, the biggest problem the Symington has is that she compromises with Jim Douglas TOO much."

The reason she compromises is that she has no vision or agenda that she has brought to her position. With no plan, Douglas routinely gets the upper hand on her, gets public support for his agenda and she has no choice but react to his proposals and compromise to save political face.

She is a rank amateur with few leadership skills. I can't think of anyone less qualified to be Gov.

C.A.

sorry ... I mean she skipped the veto session this...

2008-07-30T14:03:00.000-04:00

sorry ... I mean she skipped the veto session this SUMMER.

Actually, the biggest problem the Symington has is...

2008-07-30T13:59:00.000-04:00

Actually, the biggest problem the Symington has is that she compromises with Jim Douglas TOO much.

Remember, this is the woman who agreed to skip the veto session this winter. She just let Jimmy have his way.

Jimmy wanted a "tax holiday" and so she compromised and passed one. Of course, Jim criticized her for that too!
Anyone who says that Gaye doesn’t compromise is either a GOP party hack or smoking some crazy herb.

Nice try but no sale. There is more than enough r...

2008-07-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

Nice try but no sale. There is more than enough responsibility to go around. Shumlin and Symington are far from the great compromisers.

C.A.

Despite what you read on the blogs - It is Governo...

2008-07-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

Despite what you read on the blogs - It is Governor Douglas who won't play nice.

Working together with the Governor is "his way or the highway".

There is no discussion or compromise with him.

Jim Douglas has done more to create partisan bickering than anyone.

It is exactly that. Unfortunately this has become...

2008-07-30T10:10:00.000-04:00

It is exactly that. Unfortunately this has become a partisan issue beyond the point of productivity. The Legislature brings their economist, the Gov brings his economist to rebut.

We can debate this until the end of time but debating won't fix the problem. Increasingly becoming a nanny state as Gaye would like isn't the answer, not to mention unaffordable. It is difficult to name 3 things that a Gov't agency will do more efficiently than a private enterprise.

Face the facts, the VT economy is sliding (in part a direct result of the US economy, in part self-inflicted). Our politicians cannot agree on a solution. Gridlock only delays any corrective actions to make it better. So now we have another $30 million revenue shortfall to cover. It is you and me that ultimately pay this price for their silliness.

In the real world when parties hit an impasse they turn to arbitration to find an independent, unbiased and fair solution. It is time to take a lesson from the private sector. The Legislature and the Gov need to either: (1) lock themselves in a room, eliminate the politics and come up with a plan they will all unequivocally endorse (no press coverage and an agreement not to discuss the meetings or talk against any plan that comes out of it...you know act united) or (2) turn the decision process over to a non-aligned professional restructuring firm(there are plenty infinitely more qualified than our elected officials) to independently assess the situation, propose and implement a get-well plan.

I personally am out of patience with both sides and tired of seeing my taxes increase year after year paying for their ineptness. If they can't work together it is time to throw the bums out.

Captain America

Kavet echoes Symington's comment about the tax hol...

2008-07-30T09:04:00.000-04:00

Kavet echoes Symington's comment about the tax holiday "We (legislators) could have used this money more wisely".
Did anyone clue these people to the fact that they might not have had "all" that money to spend if it wasn't for the tax holiday? The retailers interviewed claim it was their busiest weekend in years.
Kavet supposedly works for the legislature- but sounds more like Symington et al.

I hear Kavet told legislators yesterday that Jim D...

2008-07-30T08:52:00.000-04:00

I hear Kavet told legislators yesterday that Jim Douglas' much ballyhooed tax holiday actually had a negative impact on Vermont's economy. I hope the Symington and Pollina campaigns can get a copy of the transcript and start putting that message out to counter Dennise Casey's multiple ghost written letters to the editor bellowing about how great the tax holiday was.

Gov DOuglas has always run a shrewd, negative camp...

2008-07-30T08:45:00.000-04:00

Gov DOuglas has always run a shrewd, negative campaign with typical GOP fear tactics and "stretching" the truth.

It's right out of the Rove playbook which McCain is already using.

Jim Douglas is tied very closely at the hip of the Bush administration and has been right along.

Douglas goes negative early in every campaign. I'...

2008-07-29T23:06:00.000-04:00

Douglas goes negative early in every campaign.

I'm not saying that the polling numbers are great for him -- my guess is that they aren't as good as some might assume.

But the fact is that Douglas has never run a positive campaign for Governor.

He throws mud early and often.

Anon at 4:43pm has it right. Douglas must have in...

2008-07-29T22:16:00.000-04:00

Anon at 4:43pm has it right. Douglas must have internal polling that is telling him that the race is not going well. There is no other reason to go negative so early or at all. The good news is that his political skills are less then most folks think; otherwise, he would not be helping Symington with name reconigtion. Keep up the good work Jimmy!

He can get a job retiring debt for McCain's failed...

2008-07-29T16:46:00.000-04:00

He can get a job retiring debt for McCain's failed bid. Maybe Barnett will throw him that bone.

my spies tell me this race is a lot tighter betwee...

2008-07-29T16:33:00.000-04:00

my spies tell me this race is a lot tighter between DOuglas and Symington and that's why he's flailing around like this. Jim has been on the public payroll since 1972, and he's desperate to stay at the trough. the real world is a scary place for career politicians.
he doesn't want to be looking for a job in the lousy economy he has created.

or, "Don't Blame Me, I Didn't Do Anything!"

2008-07-29T16:03:00.001-04:00

or, "Don't Blame Me, I Didn't Do Anything!"

maybe JD is promoting speaker gaye because interna...

2008-07-29T16:03:00.000-04:00

maybe JD is promoting speaker gaye because internal polls have her coming in third right now...

Or "Don't Blame Me, Mike Smith's the Governor"

2008-07-29T15:10:00.000-04:00

Or "Don't Blame Me, Mike Smith's the Governor"

I thought that the bumper sticker said, "Don't bla...

2008-07-29T15:06:00.000-04:00

I thought that the bumper sticker said, "Don't blame me, I only cut ribbons."

I thought Douglas would have a "Dump Governor Does...

2008-07-29T14:56:00.000-04:00

I thought Douglas would have a "Dump Governor Doesless" sticker on his vehicle. Seen a few of those in my travels.

Yeah, the same bumper sticker is on each of his "a...

2008-07-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

Yeah, the same bumper sticker is on each of his "annointed", oops, I mean appointed Agency Secretaries and Department Commissioners cars as required for continued employment.

Did you see the bumper sticker on JIm Douglas's ca...

2008-07-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

Did you see the bumper sticker on JIm Douglas's car?

It says, "Don't Blame Me, I'm Only the Governor."

To stimulate job growth: -expand broadband access....

2008-07-29T12:42:00.000-04:00

To stimulate job growth:

-expand broadband access. Douglas promised, but has not delivered.

-complete cell coverage. Douglas promised but has not delivered.

-create a partnership between higher education and business. train workers for the right jobs. Douglas has not delivered.

-we need good roads, safe bridges. under Douglas, our roads have crumbled.

-prepare for the closure of Vermont Yankee. Once their contract is up, rates will spike ... because Jim has not set up a competitive marketplace for power. This will drive business away faster than anything.

I'd do what Pollina suggested years ago. Open Verm...

2008-07-29T12:31:00.000-04:00

I'd do what Pollina suggested years ago. Open Vermont's door to companies that develop and manufacture green and alternative energy. Vermont could have been the place to go right now if people had listened to what Pollina was saying, but they didn't, so now we're playing catch up with other states who opened their doors before us. Say what you will about Pollina, but at least he's able to think outside the box that Douglas has us all hemmed into right now.