By Don Turner Every year, when budget writers in Montpelier begin their work--and legislators begin to determine what to spend--the backdrop of these conversations is marked by a unavoidable reality: Vermont has a serious problem with its unfunded liabilities. All together, we have a total liability of just over $8 billion--that’s billion, with a “b.” For comparative purposes, that’s larger than our entire state budget. These liabilities are composed of our teachers’ pension ($3.4 billion), teachers other post-employment benefits, or OPEB ($0.9 billion), state employees’ pension ($2.7 billion), and state employees OPEB ($1.2 billion). We have a little over $3.5 billion of assets, leavi…

On Sunday, 5/19/19, I attended a tragic-happy event: the graduation of my grandson from Vermont’s Green Mountain College that, after 185 years, was closing its doors – his being the last graduating class. It seemed incomprehensible that an established institution in a generally progressive state lacked the funding to continue educating the young – especially a school dedicated to ecological sanity. Is not education among society’s top priorities? And if GMC, as a private college, was in financial straits, was it not the obligation of the state, in the name and interests of the people, to come to its rescue – and possibly absorb it into the public domain? This in turn raised the core issue…

Thinking about the Montpelier Parking Garage, I think this would be a good time to rethink the proposal and maybe divert the $10,000,000 to upgrade the failing infrastructure including streets, sidewalks, water and wastewater systems. Originally this project was promoted to abate a presumed parking Problem. I’ve lived in Montpelier for 56 years and never felt there was a parking problem. It’s all in the economies of scale. If a citizen can’t find a parking space outside their preferred store to shop, they feel there is a parking problem. Usually you can find an adequate space within a short 1/2 mile walk at another location. With this said, I’m sure if you are going to shop the local h…

Residents and Neighbors, It’s been a wet May, but a lot has happened between rain drops. The Vermont Bicycle Shop and Forget-Me-Not Flowers and Gifts held ribbon cuttings in their new locations, while the Reynolds House opened its doors for business. If you watched the Food Network, you may have seen Stefano Coppola from Morse Block Deli competing on “Guy’s Grocery Games”. And Katarina Lisaius from Senator Sanders office visited to see areas where the City is growing as well as took inventory of areas needing a little more support. Barre City had a successful Greenup Day and residents took advantage of the Yard Waste Disposal and Curb-side yard waste pick up programs. City staff prepar…

Four Stars When I talk to other people who grew up in the 20th Century, we are grateful. We had the good fortune to grow up during a time of prosperity and relative unity and sanity. It feels like young adults today are facing more nightmarish problems than we ever had to deal with. It feels possible that the mass movement of people to different continents might lead to civil wars and wars of religion. It feels possible that the stark divisions between coastal America and middle America might lead to the dissolution of the United States as we know it. It feels possible that the technology that has already stolen their attention may also rob them of the dignity of employment…

By G. E. Shuman Okay! It looks like spring and summer may finally be upon us here in the lovely state of Vermont. After waiting only six or seven months, (sorry if that sounded snide) the grass is finally green, the leaves are out, bees and lawnmowers are buzzing around, and my family is actually planning a day at the beach. Wow! I love this time of year in our beautiful state. I even look forward to caring for the lawn and outdoor plants and generally sprucing up the outside of our home. The excitement for those things will soon wear off, but they’re fun for me, for now. Fortunately, they will soon be followed by some great family times for us. Spring and summer events don’t have t…

For Pokemon Fans: 3.5 stars For non-fans: 1.5 stars  Sunday is Pokemon Day in my household. My wife and I go to the park and play Pokemon Go until our phones run out of battery. We hit Pokestops to load up on balls. We catch dozens of Pokemon. We give gifts to our friends around the world. We take over gyms together and fill the newly conquered gyms with our favorite high-powered Pokemon (go Team Valor!). We meet strangers and go on Raids with them. Then we use our curveball skills to try to catch the Legendary Pokemon that we defeated together. Pokemon Go brings my wife and I closer together. And it introduces us to fellow players who we would never otherwise meet. Poke…