Margolis: Penny wise and pound foolish
According to economists, sales tax holidays don’t increase consumption as much as they alter the timing of the consumption, and to a smaller extent the nature of consumption.
Margolis: Politics may get in the way of rebuilding after Irene
The immediate political problem comes from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the Virginia Republican who insists that any additional spending for disaster relief be “offset” by cuts in other domestic programs.
Margolis: “Robo” poll gives Welch, Leahy wide edge, while Shumlin gets narrow win
Only in incumbent-loving Vermont would the approval-disapproval ratings for Shumlin be considered a problem.
Margolis: Pete the Moose will likely survive new bill
If Doug Nelson cooperates, Pete will live out those days where he is right now – inside a fenced area at the edge of Nelson’s elk impoundment in Irasburg. If Nelson does not cooperate, Pat Berry said he has arranged for “Plan B.”
Voters reward parsimonious school boards with overwhelming support
Of the 249 school budgets up for consideration, 246 were approved, said Stephen Dale, the executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association.
The prelude to single payer
Phasing out fee-for-service medicine would not be as revolutionary as switching to a single payer system. But it might be revolutionary enough to bring down the cost of health care.
Margolis: Political pile up over snow
Since 1981, highway travel in Vermont and elsewhere has gotten safer. That has less to do with road-plowing than with safer cars, wider seat-belt use, and less drunk driving.
Margolis: IBM “threat” does not compute
Might IBM really abandon its Essex Junction plant if Vermont Yankee shuts down next year? Or was the suggestion merely part of a concerted (or perhaps not-so-concerted) pro-Yankee political counter-attack by the corporate establishment and its allies?
Margolis: Shumlin plows ahead with fundamental changes
Shumlin intends to make some fundamental changes in the way Vermont governs itself, and he seems determined to plow ahead despite complaints that his goals are too ambitious and too expensive.
Margolis: Budget ballet gets boost from new revenues
The relatively good news does not really put a dent in the projected $150 million gap between how much the state expects to take in and how much it is now obligated to pay out.
