Editor’s note: This commentary is by Peter Langella, of Moretown, who works as a high school and college educator.
Dear Gov. Scott,
Your #VTLightsTheWay campaign is incredibly insulting for at least two reasons. First, its existence is predicated on the false assumption that all Vermonters are either Christians or secular Christmas celebrators. Second, it’s the latest piece of evidence in a long list of performative actions that do little to actually help Vermonters beyond some sort of paternalistic, supposed-to-feel-good “togetherness.”
You continually say how much you care about vulnerable Vermonters, but your mantra of “no new taxes and fees,” even during a pandemic where we’re about to face a budget shortfall, only leaves those who were already behind even further behind. You have chosen “nice” and “civil” over racial justice, social justice, economic justice, environmental justice, and the intersecting justices within and beyond.
Yes, Gov. Scott, you have signed a few bills I like into law (gun control measures at the top of the list), and I applaud you for that. Yes, Gov. Scott, you have followed science during the pandemic (although you were the 31st governor nationwide and second to last in New England to issue a mask mandate). But, are you really a singular force behind an amazing response, or is the bar just so low among Republican leaders in the Trump era that you look like a hero for doing the minimum of what every governor should have done all along? To me, it’s the latter. If not for the CARES Act from the federal government, barely any of the pandemic funding programs you’ve rolled out as your own would even exist. So, I’m perplexed every time I hear worship-like soundbites from Vermont citizens and media, as if no one else could have done this. Do you really think that Sue Minter or Christine Hallquist, who would have undoubtedly been among the handful of the most liberal leaders in the country, would have done worse?
No, I think not.
I actually think they would have done better. Why? Because they would have been working to keep us safe during the pandemic while also working toward the converging and intersectional justices listed above. You have not — and are not — focused on that work.
You twice vetoed a universal paid-leave program. It took a legislative veto override to get minimum wage workers $12.55/hour by 2022, not the $15 that often gets talked about, and far from the $23.36 that the National Low Income Housing Coalition says is necessary to be truly livable in this state. It took another legislative override to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act. You have also vetoed multiple bills focused on consumer protection and toxic chemical control, and you have advocated for reductions to K-12 education funding each year in office (reminder, open schools are the only thing saving our economy right now). Going further, under your watch, 25% of Vermont households still don’t have high-speed internet connectivity, 15% of Vermont children under the age of 18 still live in food insecure households, and overdoses from opioid use disorder are up over 30% from last year. And, to highlight the parallel pandemic that’s been raging on this continent for over 400 years, racism; data from UVM show that Black and Latinx Vermonters are still disproportionately targeted by police in this state and receive disproportionately harsh sentences; and, according to a report from Vermont Legal Aid; Black, Indigenous, and other students of color — as well as students with physical or neurological differences — are 2-3 times more likely to be suspended from school, expelled from school, and/or referred to law enforcement.
This is just a sampling of where we’re at with you.
I know some people reading this will say I’m a cynic and an idealogue. I don’t think I am. I‘ll admit I’m angry. I don’t want to donate to any more causes or charities. I don’t want to applaud any more organizations who find funding and save the day on their particular issue. I don’t want to vote for any more politicians who sell me compromises or incremental change. I want justice. I want collectivism. I want to pay taxes into a progessive system that provides a robust social foundation (health care, food, housing, wages, leave, education, physical safety, climate, etc.) for Every. Single. Damn. Vermonter.
Please raise my taxes for this.
Organizations like the the ACLU of Vermont, Justice for All, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, Migrant Justice, Outright Vermont, Pride Center of Vermont, Rights & Democracy, Vermont’s NAACP branches, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Vermont Center for Independent Living, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, Vermont Human Rights Commission, Peace & Justice Center, Vermont Legal Aid, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Let’s Grow Kids, the Women’s Justice and Freedom Initiative, and many others, are all speaking loudly on issues of justice.
Why don’t you hear them? Who are you and your supporters listening to? Whose voices are you centering? Why do you continue selling the masses on the myths of meritocracy and trickle down economics?
People need equitable access to resources and opportunities free from bias, hate, and systemic descrimination, and you give us Christmas lights.
It’s not enough.