To the editor: State legislature’s priorities do not include us
The Chester Telegraph | Sep 23, 2024 | Comments 1
In a letter to the editor of The Chester Telegraph last week, state Sen. Alison Clarkson talked about the large property tax increase.
In essence, she said they saw the education costs rising rapidly but did nothing about it for three years because they had “free” Covid money they could use to hide the issue from the public.
Now that the “free” money is gone, they see the public reaction to the huge tax increase and now they are at least discussing that they will look at the problem. That’s all well and good but they won’t actually work on the major issues that are driving the education increases such as insurance costs, dealing with the teachers’ unions particularly because they are driving forces in getting them re-elected, and making necessary fundamental changes to the education system itself.
But in fairness to them, they have been very busy working on giving themselves a massive raise, passing a bill that will go after oil producers to pay the state for selling us a product that has kept us warm, and passing a carbon tax that will financially harm many families and businesses.
They have priorities but they don’t seem to include representing us.
Keith Stern
Springfield
Filed Under: Commentary • Letters to the Editor
Let’s get the facts straight: no carbon tax was passed by our legislature, no increase in pay (which would have taken us from $13,000 a year to around $25,000 as written) or any access to basic benefits like healthcare or sick time passed, and the Affordable Heat Act is the bill that is being researched to find solutions to reducing emissions and support low income Vermonters switching to more affordable fuels. It’s a shame that someone running for office makes false claims.
Some of our priorities include housing affordability, resiliency in the face of increased natural disasters with bills like the Flood Safety Act and supporting families with quality childcare.