Editor’s note: This commentary is by Paul Dame, of Essex, who is the chair of the Essex Republicans and a former state legislator.
In the past week we have all been faced with the news that many Vermonters have been living with for years: Life in Vermont is getting harder and harder to afford. Whatever the Democratic super majority thinks they intended to do, the reality is that our affordability crisis is worsening.
In 2010 Progressives-Democrats told us that if we handed over the keys of our health care system to an unelected, unaccountable group of hand-picked bureaucrats and gave them unprecedented power and control over health care providers, insurers and even patients, that everything would get better. This week we all saw insurance costs were approved to increase at double digit rates for the state’s duopoly of insurers while the government agency (which costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year in salary, per diems, and other overhead) has done next to nothing to stop them. Progressives-Democrats have had nine years to lower health care costs — but they have continued to skyrocket, and now we have even fewer providers in the state than we did 10 years ago. Health care is becoming less available, less accountable and less affordable.
At the same time, we also saw that businesses are concerned after seeing a 16% increase in electric rates through Green Mountain Power. Despite Progressives-Democrats promising everything would be fine after we shut down our nuclear power plant, and spend tens of millions of dollars subsidizing solar panels, we are still seeing big increases. This comes even after the utility received a huge tax break, thanks to the Trump tax cuts. Despite the Progressive-Democrat agenda we have fewer always-on power generation and what is available is becoming less and less affordable.
A recent study showed during the eight years that Progressives-Democrats controlled the House and Senate from 2010-2017 (during which they also controlled the governor’s office from 2011-2016) the income gap they constantly talk about actually grew wider. MeanwhileVermont households making less than $30,000/yer actually saw their income decline. This left many Vemonters with less income with which to pay the higher costs of living. Their entire financial lives became less affordable.
Anecdotally two recognizable and higher-profile young people have also announced they are leaving the state to pursue better opportunities. Earlier this summer Seven Days reporter Taylor Dobbs announced on Twitter that he was moving to North Carolina, and just a few days ago state Rep. Ben Jickling of Randolph announced that he is leaving the Legislature in the middle of the biennium to take a job in Wisconsin.
The events of this past week bring into the focus that giving Progressives-Democrats all of the legislative power has resulted in a Vermont that is becoming more difficult for many of us to afford to stay in. We’ve been implementing the policies of the far Progressive left consistently for 10 years, and things have not gotten any better. In many cases they are even worse. And while Gov. Jim Douglas and Gov. Phil Scott have done the best they could to act as a backstop from even more damaging policies, they can only play the hand they’ve been dealt. By electing Republicans who support the affordability mission outlined by Scott,the Republican legislators and the Vermont Republican Party, voters will have a chance to deal themselves a new hand.
As Vermonters, we need to rise up and demand better results from our Legislature. Too often health care, energy and other policies have been implemented with zero accountability or reflection about their success. We’ve already implemented the ideas of the Progressives-Democrats — let’s try something else. Let’s work to support, encourage and elect people who recognize that we’ve made some mistakes as we’ve set policy. It’s only by being honest about our mistakes that we can learn from them, and improve our situation. When you find yourself in a hole, the first step is to stop digging.
By electing more Vermont Republicans next year Vermonters will reap the benefit of a more balanced Legislature that has a more diverse set of policy perspectives which can enhance the discussion and give us better policy. If you would like to put and end to the affordability problem and be part of the solution the Vermont Republican Party stands ready to help support this message of giving Vermonters the ability to afford the life they want here in our Green Mountain State, and just as importantly a life they can afford for them and for their children.
