Editor,
Not so long ago, Vermont citizens had direct control over school costs and education taxes. We had local control. If Vermonters knew that local boards were not spending their hard earned tax dollars wisely in educating our town’s children, we could vote “NO” on the school budget. The school boards would go back to the drawing board and present a revised budget.

Today, if local school boards responsibly level fund budgets and even reduce budgets, our education property taxes still go up, often dramatically. The end result of centralized control in Montpelier is if we vote “YES” or “NO” on the school budgets our taxes often still go up. I would say our vote makes absolutely no difference. However it does.

If enough school budgets go down to defeat, our legislators will take this as a sign that they must seize even more control over education. They must of course “fix” the problem they created in the first place. The “fix” includes passing ACT 153 and ACT 46 with the promise that these “forward thinking”, “progressive” pieces of legislation will save money for the taxpayers and create education equality for our children. Of course this promise is totally false, as proven by an even larger education monopoly bureaucracy, higher taxes and stagnant student achievement.

I have listened in bewilderment to local citizens howl in dismay as both their tax money and liberty disappear into the black hole that is growing under the Golden Dome in Montpelier. “We have no choice!” laments one. “We have to comply!” moans another. I have suggested to some of these folks that they stop voting for the same incumbent progressive liberal Democrats and have been met with, “Oh I could never vote for anyone but a Democrat.” “Only Democrats care about people.” “You know those Republicans, they are incapable of caring about people.”

And this my fellow Vermonters is why our beautiful little state is bankrupt.
Stu Lindberg
Cavendish, Vermont