When and if we finally act, we overlook the connected nature of our problems, and so our “solutions” are too narrowly focused and generate unintended consequences on which we pile new legislation.
Schubart: Vermont — Reactive or Reactionary?
Author: Bill Schubart
Bill Schubart is a retired businessman and active fiction writer, and was a former chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization for VTDigger.
Bill Schubart: Health care — a lucrative business or a definable right?
If the health care system continues as it is now — managed for profit even in the “nonprofit” realm — we’ll never achieve the goal of improving our national wellness.
Schubart: Vermont State Colleges and the headwinds of privilege
Colleges need to be reinvented, transformed, so they acknowledge change and fiscal realities — and guarantee a quality, accessible education for learners of any financial ability.
Schubart: Social media, free speech, and the right to bear arms
Bill Schubart is a retired businessman and active fiction writer, and was a former chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization for VTDigger. The term “social media” has never made linguistic sense to me. It seems like an oxymoron. To me, “social” implies my predigital childhood, where people I knew walked and talked […]
Schubart: Reinventing community schools could bring broader success
Rather than consolidate and close smaller schools, we should expand their mission to become vital community assets.
Schubart: Christmas wish list or New Year’s resolutions? You decide
We can emerge stronger and wiser, or we can settle back into the “old normal” where Vermonters continue to struggle to find employment that pays enough to afford housing, food, health care and education.
Schubart: It’s time to question our public school curriculum
Missing from the discussion is the quality and relevance of our public school curriculum to the current and emerging needs of today’s Vermonters.
Schubart: Vermont politics unusual in U.S.; can we continue to bridge the gap?
My friendship with later-to-become Vermont state Sen. Fred Westphal was a profound lesson in how to talk and be friends with someone whose ideas you revile, a social discipline we would do well to pursue today.
Schubart: America is ignoring carbohydrate addiction
We’ve done little or nothing from a policy perspective to stem the immense damage done by addiction to refined carbohydrates, which are propelled untaxed into our food systems and with government subsidy.
Schubart: New prison? Or invest in citizens, and avoid $50,000 a year per inmate?
We must look to the causes of crime in our own communities, flaws in the criminal justice feeder system, and then continue working together to diminish the need for spending $180 million a year keeping Vermonters behind bars instead of investing that money in community-support systems that reduce criminal behavior.
Schubart: Where’s the leadership on affordable broadband for everyone?
Although a significant amount of fiber-optic cable has been installed in Vermont, the ‘last mile’ connectivity remains a steep investment challenge.
Schubart: Pandemic provides opportunity for non-profit rethinking
An increased need for nonprofits’ help and more pressure on donors could create a chance to collaborate and consolidate.
Schubart: Vermonters — along with all Americans — are hostage to Pharma
The largely deregulated drug industry is one of the major drivers of increasing health care costs.
Schubart: Do we recapture the past, or face the challenges revealed by the pandemic?
Vermont has a unique opportunity to reimagine the future.