Editor’s note: This commentary is by state Rep. Mike Mrowicki, a Democrat who represents Windham-4 (Putney, Dummerston and Westminster) in the Vermont House of Representatives.
These are times that are testing our faith in ourselves, each other and our democracy — as well as our tradition in Vermont of keeping it civil.
While there have been instances where lines were crossed — around civil unions and firearm reforms — for the most part, we have kept it civil.
There are fault lines showing up though in our landscape of civility. Policy differences are growing more pronounced and the DC modality seems to be leaking into Vermont.
Will they be a residual anomaly dripping down from Washington? Or is this how things will be? Time will tell, but we all have a role.
As the time-tested Native American story goes, will the angry wolf inside us, or the compassionate wolf inside us, prevail?
The answer is the one we feed will prevail.
There’s too much at stake locally to get swept up in those DC distractions, with concerns that compel us to both think globally and act locally.
Climate challenges us to come together, lest the Earth shake us off its back like a dog that’s just come out of water.
As climate deniers continue to pivot from “There’s no problem “ to “What can little old Vermont do?”, I see things differently, but hope my answers are respectful.
I’ll start my answer with: What some of us are saying is, basically, why not just use our resources more wisely?
Then, I’ll note immediate health concerns, from higher incidences of Lyme disease to more respiratory distress, like allergies and asthma. Is it just coincidence that the southern counties of Vermont are ground zero for Lyme here? And as warming continues, will that spread north?
And, we’re not quite New Delhi, but the Vermont Health and Climate Alliance, comprised of medical and health professionals, are calling for climate actions based on what they’re seeing in their practices, that is undeniable. And what we do here can make a difference here, as it did with acid rain.
On the local economic scene, while corporations and a select few are making a lot of money in this economy, it still hasn’t reached many middle-class working families.
Most of us are working harder just to tread water and keep from going under.
My wife and I work five jobs between us and we’re not alone in that.
It’s the stratification of wealth, upwards that’s squeezing working families, and that big squeeze often gets misdirected locally. When I hear complaints about taxes hitting working families, I remind them that we now have a cohort of individuals and corporations in this country that pay little or no tax. We pay more, so they don’t.
It’s what I call an upside-down situation where the rules are fixed to benefit those who need it least. That consolidation of wealth upwards, more than local property taxes, is what’s squeezing working class families. It’s just that it’s easier to see your property taxes.
And, don’t expect a fix from the feds on that soon — at least not until the next blue wave reaches DC. What we can do in Vermont, though, for working families, is start with paid family leave and a higher minimum wage.
Working families also need help with a health care system that’s costing more and provides less. Between rising co-pays and deductibles, health care is again becoming less accessible and the costs of prescriptions keep rising, driven by corporations putting profit first, before people. That’s another big part of the big squeeze on working families here.
Vermonters work hard, and indeed, produce a diverse array of goods and services.
And a diverse array of opinions, with the above-mentioned history of keeping it civil in Vermont. It’s something to be proud of, in this day and age. We have our differences, but know we’ll have to see each other around town, or the state.
That, as much as anything, may be why “going negative” in a Vermont campaign doesn’t work. Vermonters have consistently voted in opposition to incivility.
And we’re smart enough to know it’s one thing to call someone a socialist, but another, entirely to invoke Josef Stalin over policy debates, as has been showing up in these green hills. Most of us know that Stalin killed millions of his own people. That is hardly akin to policy differences because someone has suggested taxing the price of pearls.
The “Vermont Way,” that often gets talked about, for the most part is inclusive and civil, and I will work to keep it that way.
Personally, I’m finding it helpful to take a deep breath when the rhetoric starts heating up and offers more chaos. A deep breath and a polite “no thanks.” We don’t need that here, there or anywhere.
I’m convinced better days are ahead of us. And faith in ourselves, each other and keeping it civil will guide us and pull us together towards those better days.
