VTDigger

News in pursuit of truth

Support VTDigger

Rigorous nonprofit news for Vermont.

Trending headlines
  • How to get the Coronavirus vaccine
  • Latest coronavirus news
  • Town by town Covid data
  • 65-plus Vermonters now eligible for the vaccine
  • 'Virus in Vermont' series
  • Business
  • Criminal Justice
  • Education
  • Energy & Environment
  • Health Care
  • Politics
  • People & Places
  • Obituaries
  • Data Projects
  • Press Releases

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.
 

Schubart: Vermont — Reactive or Reactionary?

By Bill Schubart

Mar 1 2021March 1, 2021

Statehouse with balloons

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.


Bill Schubart: Health care — a lucrative business or a definable right?

By Bill Schubart

Feb 15 2021February 15, 2021

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

By Bill Schubart

Feb 4 2021February 4, 2021

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

By Bill Schubart

Jan 29 2021January 29, 2021

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

By Bill Schubart

Jan 12 2021January 12, 2021

Lincoln School

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

By Bill Schubart

Dec 27 2020December 27, 2020

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

By Bill Schubart

Dec 7 2020December 7, 2020

education

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?

By Bill Schubart

Nov 16 2020November 16, 2020

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

By Bill Schubart

Nov 5 2020November 6, 2020

donuts

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?

By Bill Schubart

Oct 11 2020November 5, 2020

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?

By Bill Schubart

Sep 24 2020September 24, 2020

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

By Bill Schubart

Sep 9 2020September 9, 2020

Family Center of Washington County

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

By Bill Schubart

Aug 27 2020August 28, 2020

prescription pills

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?

By Bill Schubart

Aug 14 2020August 14, 2020

Vermont Statehouse

Vermont has a unique opportunity to reimagine the future.


Posts navigation

Older posts

Popular Stories

  • Educators, public safety workers, more high-risk people eligible for vaccine
  • Scott said vaccines prevent spread of Covid-19, and so eased the rules. Was he right?
  • Burlington, Brattleboro, Montpelier and other municipalities approve pot shops
  • Read all of VTDigger's 2021 Town Meeting Day coverage
  • Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger narrowly wins fourth term


Obituaries

Dr. Samuel Hutchins III, veterinarian, volunteer, husband and grandfather Carrie Lee Baker, writer, poet, artistic soul and mother Anna Whiteside, a passionate, independent, business woman; a lover of nature, family and community David Watts, lawyer, outdoorsman, volunteer

More obituaries

The Daily Digger

Don't miss the best of VTDigger

Recent Stories

Advocates say proposed mental health facility isn’t what it should be

By Katie Jickling

Mar 3 2021, 10:47 AMMarch 3, 2021

Town hall, swimming pool, major streetscaping project approved in St. Albans

By Michelle Monroe

Mar 2 2021, 10:19 PMMarch 3, 2021

‘Like a hospital’: Newport prison outbreak surges to 137 cases

By Lola Duffort

Mar 2 2021, 10:15 PMMarch 3, 2021

Podcast & Video

Related Story

All Podcast & Video


Related Story

Press Releases

Author Kara Richardson Whitely joins Come Alive Outside’s board of directors

Top 10 scams of 2020 released by Attorney General’s Office

CVMC opens vaccination clinic at the Berlin Mall

Submit Press Release

Commentary

Julie Wasserman: UVM authors incorrectly credit health care savings to all-payer

Betsy Bishop: Forced to send workers home, employers now embrace the change

Kathy Urffer: Fish should have safe, easy passage at Connecticut River dams

More commentary

Politics

Town hall, swimming pool, major streetscaping project approved in St. Albans

By Michelle Monroe

Mar 2 2021, 10:19 PMMarch 3, 2021

Bennington voters elect 3 to selectboard and reject a mayoral question

By Emma Cotton

Mar 2 2021, 10:09 PMMarch 3, 2021

Allaire sails to reelection in the race for Rutland mayor, beating six challengers

By Alan J. Keays

Mar 2 2021, 9:42 PMMarch 3, 2021

More politics


VTDigger

News in pursuit of truth

VTDigger

News in pursuit of truth

ABOUT

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Underwriting
  • Site Policies
  • Newsletters
  • Careers
  • Obituaries
  • Submit Press Release
  • Donate

NEWSROOM

  • Alan J. Keays
  • Anne Galloway
  • Ellie French
  • Emma Cotton
  • Erin Petenko
  • Glenn Russell
  • Grace Elletson
  • Jim Welch
  • Justin Trombly
  • Katie Jickling
  • Kevin O'Connor
  • Kit Norton
  • Lola Duffort
  • Michael Dougherty
  • Paul Heintz
  • Tom Kearney
  • Xander Landen

BUSINESS STAFF

  • Florencio Terra
  • Jim Lehnhoff
  • Libbie Pattison
  • Libby Johnson
  • Marnie DeFreest

VTDIGGER


A publication of Vermont Journalism Trust

26 State Street, Suite 8
Montpelier, VT 05602

[email protected]
(802) 225-6224
www.vtdigger.org

MAILING LISTS

Special Topics
Trending headlines
Stories on these topics
VTDigger
  • VTDigger: News in pursuit of truth
  • Home
  • NEWS
  • Business
  • Politics
    VTDigger regularly publishes stories about Vermont politics. We cover state elections, the Vermont Legislature, the governor’s office, state agencies and major political parties. Jasper Craven covers politics for VTDigger. He can be reached at [email protected]
  • Criminal Justice
    VTDigger covers criminal justice issues including Vermont legal issues, Vermont courts and the Vermont Department of Corrections. Elizabeth Hewitt covers the criminal justice system for VTDigger. She can be reached at [email protected]
  • Health Care
    VTDigger publishes daily stories on health care. We cover the state’s hospitals, the state’s psychiatric care system, the Green Mountain Care Board, insurers, state health care policy, Medicaid and Medicare. Erin Mansfield is VTDigger’s health care reporter. She can be reached at [email protected]
  • Energy & Environment
    VTDigger publishes stories about Vermont environmental issues, including water quality, toxic waste, climate change and biodiversity. Our environmental reporter is Mike Polhamus. He can be reached at [email protected]
  • Education
    VTDigger publishes a wide range of stories about Vermont’s educational system from early childhood education issues to public and private K-12 schools to higher education. Our education reporter is Tiffany Pache. She can be reached at [email protected]
  • People & Places
  • Press Releases
  • Commentary
    Commentary policy VTDigger.org publishes 12 to 18 commentaries a week from a broad range of community sources. All commentaries must include the author’s first and last name, town of residence and a brief biography, including affiliations with political parties, lobbying or special interest groups. We have a minimum length of 400 words. We have found the ideal length is approximately 800 to 1,000 words. We provide some copyediting support, but we do not have the staff to fact-check commentaries. We reserve the right to reject opinions for matters of taste and accuracy. Commentaries are voices from the community and do not represent VTDigger in any way. Please send your commentary to Cate Chant, [email protected] and Anne Galloway, [email protected]
  • Obituaries
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Election 2020
  • ABOUT
  • About VTDigger
  • Underwriting
  • Send A Tip
  • Make a Donation
  • Policies
  • FAQ
  • Calendar
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • YouTube icon
  • RSS icon
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
✕
VTDigger

FREE
VIEW