Editor’s note: This commentary is by Dustin Degree, a former Republican state representative from St. Albans City, and a candidate for the state Senate representing Franklin County and Alburgh. Prior to serving in the House, Degree was an aide to former Gov. Jim Douglas.
At a time when many Vermonters are anxious for their economic future, and staggering under the burden of rising household costs and taxes, the 2013-14 session of the Legislature was the most expensive in history.
The Legislature voted to raise tens of millions of dollars in new taxes and knowingly passed a budget with a projected structural deficit that could reach $70 million. And, as school budgets went down across our state and county, they failed to make any meaningful changes to education funding and instead forced nearly $100 million in new property taxes on Vermonters.
Fighting for reforms that will ease the burden of working families and reduce barriers to job creation – giving voice to those Vermonters bearing the burden of this crisis – are the reasons I am running for the state Senate.
As I’ve made my way around this spring, affordability is the single, greatest concern. Folks are working harder than ever – frequently at more than one job — just to stay above water.
Their apprehension is repeated by business owners who, unsure if they’ll be able pay employees next week, confront steadily rising utility bills, government fees and taxes – and are paralyzed by the uncertainty of a “single payer” health care plan no one in government has the knowledge, or courage, to detail to them.
This burden is even greater for retired Vermonters who are at risk of losing their homes as costs rise and their income stays the same.
In the Senate, I will pursue with diligence and persistence every policy and reform I can to make Vermont more affordable. There is no greater priority.
Affordability is the greatest contributor to the fact that we are the most rapidly aging state in the nation. Retaining and recruiting our next generation of working families requires both hope and opportunity. Vermont’s job and housing markets offer little of both, and are not nearly as strong as other parts of the country. Facing a mountain of college debt, we shouldn’t be surprised our biggest export is our youth – we’re turning them away at the door.
I know from my own experience in 2012 and 2010, no candidate said they’d go to Montpelier to raise our taxes and vote for policies that make our state less affordable. Not once did I hear any candidate convey a desire to raise the property tax by nearly $100 million.
Yet, year after year, many of those same folks – when in office – hold the responsibility for creating a crisis that literally threatens the livelihood of too many working families.
Politicians who pledge to create jobs and then vote for policies that make Vermont less affordable either don’t understand how our economy works or are not being truthful. Further, any politician who said we couldn’t afford higher taxes when they ran, and then voted to raise them, owes you more than an explanation – they owe you an apology.
After six years of one party control of our Legislature, one thing has become certain: Making life more affordable is not their priority.
The people of Franklin County and Alburgh deserve better. We deserve two senators who will “say what they mean, and do what they say,” and we deserve an honest conversation about the future of our state.
It is my vision, and indeed my greatest hope, to help create an environment where Vermonters of all generations can live, work, raise a family, purchase a home, pursue higher education, start a business and retire with certainty that those in power are actively pursuing a sustainable economic path. Since 2009, the working families, farms and business in Franklin County, Alburgh and all of Vermont have not had that security and too many are breaking under the weight of uncertainty.
I am confident that if we elect leaders who understand the need to change course and implement policies that reduce the day-to-day burden state government imposes on Vermonters, we can revitalize our economy, create good paying jobs and keep a little more of our hard-earned pay each month.
In the Senate, I will pursue with diligence and persistence every policy and reform I can to make Vermont more affordable. There is no greater priority. I will be honest about how state government has failed, how job losses that come with those failures devastate families and outline necessary steps to make things right and to bring Franklin County forward.
It’s been a privilege to talk with so many of you already this spring. If there is one thing I can promise, it’s this, I’ve heard you loud and clear: bring balance to Montpelier and fight for a more affordable and economically secure future. With your continued support, on Nov. 4, Franklin County and Alburgh, will get both.
