(Promoted per GMD policy. Welcome to the stretch. – promoted by kestrel9000)

Our campaign has continued building momentum towards a victory on Tuesday. Today, I am happy to announce six city council members from Burlington have endorsed me for governor.

Thank you to Ed Adrian, David Berezniak, Nancy Kaplan, Mary Kehoe and Council President Bill Keogh for their strong endorsement and the work you will do during GOTV efforts in Burlington.

These six local leaders represent more than 70 percent of the Queen City, Vermont’s largest bloc of votes.

If we are truly going to solve the challenges we face as a state, we must make our local leaders problem-solving partners. Challenges for Change is an example of how community leaders were shut out of a process created by the legislature and the administration in a top-down way from Montpelier.

These elected officials represent 17,000 voters in Burlington and we plan on enlisting these community leaders to bolster turnout in their neighborhoods. I know this will have a tremendous impact for our campaign in Chittenden County and throughout Vermont.

The complete statement of the council members can be found below the fold.

The Democrats have an excellent pool of candidates but each of us independently has drawn the same conclusion. Deb Markowitz has turned around the Secretary of State’s office with an expectation that government is supposed to serve the people, and that the office must deliver services. Deb has proven her effectiveness as a chief executive. We will all greatly benefit by allowing her to implement her policies of efficiency, effectiveness, and practical problem-solving across all of Vermont. Most importantly, she is the candidate who is most likely to beat Brian Dubie in November’s general election because she is energetic, engaging, passionate and has broad appeal highlighted by her six statewide victories, including winning every single city and town in Vermont. She is the candidate who sees the big picture rather than focusing on a single issue or ideology. Local government, and all Vermonters, are confronting many challenges right now and will continue to do so in the near future. Deb Markowitz is the partner we need because when she sees a problem, she solves it. For all these reasons, and more, we hope the primary voters will join us in supporting Deb Markowitz for Governor.”

The Democrats have an excellent pool of candidates but each of us independently has drawn the same conclusion. Deb Markowitz has turned around the Secretary of State’s office with an expectation that government is supposed to serve the people, and that the office must deliver services. Deb has proven her effectiveness as a chief executive. We will all greatly benefit by allowing her to implement her policies of efficiency, effectiveness, and practical problem-solving across all of Vermont. Most importantly, she is the candidate who is most likely to beat Brian Dubie in November’s general election because she is energetic, engaging, passionate and has broad appeal highlighted by her six statewide victories, including winning every single city and town in Vermont. She is the candidate who sees the big picture rather than focusing on a single issue or ideology. Local government, and all Vermonters, are confronting many challenges right now and will continue to do so in the near future. Deb Markowitz is the partner we need because when she sees a problem, she solves it. For all these reasons, and more, we hope the primary voters will join us in supporting Deb Markowitz for Governor.”

(Markowitz responds to a commentary from earlier today.  Promoted as part of our standard policy regarding seekers of statewide office. – promoted by JulieWaters)

A lengthy essay posted this morning raises what its author calls “serious concerns” about the health plan I announced earlier this month. The only ones with concerns about my proposals should be pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry – the real players in our current bloated and wasteful health care system that has anything to lose by keeping things the way they are. I may not have sat through committee hearings in the State House, but I have spoken with doctors and other health care professionals throughout Vermont and they tell me insurance forms not only increase costs for doctors and consumers, they are also being used to confuse patients and deny legitimate claims. My experience is just different than those in this Democratic race. I don’t believe all of the answers to our problems lie in Montpelier. In fact, they rarely do.

Specifically, this morning’s post accuses me of failing to understand “that there already is a national billing standard and creating another ‘standard’ would either be unenforceable, or worse, would actually add to the administrative burden if enforced.”

My proposal involves building on the already standard Medicare and Medicaid forms and creating and enforcing uniform standards or their use. This is not just a good idea, it is the law. The health care reform bill passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this year requires the adoption and implementation of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of health information by 2013. My proposal involves making Vermont one of the test labs for this program. The GMD essay assumes that the federal government would never agree to this. In fact, Washington is already looking for places to create pilot programs as a first step toward implementing the law nationwide. Vermont is the perfect size for such a pilot program. Therefore, Vermont’s request for a waiver to establish such a program, far from being a waste of time, is something the system actually requires.

In Vermont, all of our insurance companies use separate forms. Doctors and patients must fill out maze-like paperwork to get reimbursed for care. My proposal is simple: If you want to do business in Vermont as an insurance company, you will use one standardized form.

Doing this is especially important because, as a study published in the June 2010 issue of the respected medical journal Health Affairs found, “excessive administrative complexity costs physicians nearly 12 percent of their net patient service revenue.” The article proposes simple billing and paperwork reforms that would meet the mandates of the new law and, in the process, save both doctors and their staffs many hours per week. The resulting efficiencies, if implemented nationwide, could save Americans $7 billion in annual health care expenses. This is what we mean when policy wonks talk about ‘bending the cost curve’. It is exactly the sort of reform that must be implemented nationally if we are going to fix our health care system, and for which Vermont is an ideal laboratory.

Furthermore, this standardization of paperwork is only the beginning. The Health Affairs study focused only on billing issues in doctors offices, but notes that the savings it foresees there will ripple through our entire health care system.

Make no mistake: Vermonters cannot afford to keep things the way they are. I have long said that I support a health care system where everyone pays for care and everyone receives care. Streamlining the maze of paperwork now associated with health care is not only the best way to begin cutting costs – it is an absolute necessity. My proposal will make Vermont a national leader in this effort rather than simply throwing up our hands and declaring the current system bad but inevitable as both Brian Dubie and the original poster do.

Here is the real question Vermonters, and all Americans, must face going forward: are we willing to work together, take on the insurance companies and build a health care system designed to put patients, rather than corporate interests, first? If the answer is yes, then we should be look for creative solutions for containing costs and embrace the opportunities afforded by health care reform for Vermont to become a national leader. Doing that will require careful study of professional data like the study in Health Affairs, not simply declaring that the insurance industry’s way is the only way.

In Vermont, all of our insurance companies use separate forms. Doctors and patients must fill out maze-like paperwork to get reimbursed for care. My proposal is simple: If you want to do business in Vermont as an insurance company, you will use one standardized form.

Doing this is especially important because, as a study published in the June 2010 issue of the respected medical journal Health Affairs found, “excessive administrative complexity costs physicians nearly 12 percent of their net patient service revenue.” The article proposes simple billing and paperwork reforms that would meet the mandates of the new law and, in the process, save both doctors and their staffs many hours per week. The resulting efficiencies, if implemented nationwide, could save Americans $7 billion in annual health care expenses. This is what we mean when policy wonks talk about ‘bending the cost curve’. It is exactly the sort of reform that must be implemented nationally if we are going to fix our health care system, and for which Vermont is an ideal laboratory.

Furthermore, this standardization of paperwork is only the beginning. The Health Affairs study focused only on billing issues in doctors offices, but notes that the savings it foresees there will ripple through our entire health care system.

Make no mistake: Vermonters cannot afford to keep things the way they are. I have long said that I support a health care system where everyone pays for care and everyone receives care. Streamlining the maze of paperwork now associated with health care is not only the best way to begin cutting costs – it is an absolute necessity. My proposal will make Vermont a national leader in this effort rather than simply throwing up our hands and declaring the current system bad but inevitable as both Brian Dubie and the original poster do.

Here is the real question Vermonters, and all Americans, must face going forward: are we willing to work together, take on the insurance companies and build a health care system designed to put patients, rather than corporate interests, first? If the answer is yes, then we should be look for creative solutions for containing costs and embrace the opportunities afforded by health care reform for Vermont to become a national leader. Doing that will require careful study of professional data like the study in Health Affairs, not simply declaring that the insurance industry’s way is the only way.

(Promoted for the usual reasons. – promoted by JulieWaters)

Today I launched a health care initiative to implement a health care system that will relieve the financial burden on government, families and businesses caused by sharply escalating health care costs so Vermont can concentrate on job creation. It starts with a commitment to seek a federal waiver to allow Vermont to implement health care for all.

As governor, I will work aggressively to make Vermont a national leader in health care reform once again. I will work with our federal delegation to get a waiver to allow Vermont to ensure that every Vermonter has access to the doctors, medicines and care they need

But I am realistic. I realize that waiver will not come overnight, but Vermonters need help right now. That’s why I have outlined the following steps to help cut health insurance abuses and reduce health care costs. We can implement these swiftly when I am governor.

Eliminate Insurance Company Abuses and Costly Health Care Overhead

The Journal Health Affairs estimated that medical paperwork and the labor costs to fill and file that paperwork costs doctors and patients more than $7 billion nationwide, including millions in wrongly denied claims because of insurance company loopholes designed to confuse. I will launch a pilot program statewide with the largest hospitals and doctors groups to implement standardized billing procedures that will reduce overhead in health care, cost consumers less and eliminate headaches for medical professionals.

A Public Option in Vermont to Compete

The federal health care reform efforts mean that soon nearly 75,000 Vermonter will have access to

more affordable health care, more than 18,000 Vermont seniors will see the “donut-hole” in Medicare Part D cut in half, and 11,500 small businesses will qualify for tax credits to offset payments towards employees’ health care costs. While we need to go even further in Vermont, as I outlined above with a self-insurance system, I am excited to implement the Health Insurance Exchange component of health care reform when I am governor.

As early as March 2011, states will apply for federal grants to design health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals buying health insurance on their own. The exchanges will look just like Expedia or Orbitz, where consumers can choose the type of plan they want and see different options. This ensures that they will find the lowest price possible. As governor, I will make sure Vermont leads the nation with an innovative state health care exchange that includes a public option.

Until we can implement a universal system, this is another step forward to make sure the health

insurance monopoly ends and a level playing field is created for consumers.

Quality, Affordable Prescription Drugs  

Reforms at the federal level make Medicare Part D more affordable, but seniors, families and business are still paying too much, and pharmaceutical companies’ profits continue to soar. As governor, I will institute a cross-border program to make sure Vermonters pay the same costs for safe, quality prescription drugs that our Canadian neighbors pay. There have been bipartisan efforts in Congress to make the importation of prescription drugs safe and legal.

Unfortunately, lobbyists continue to block these efforts. As governor, I will fight the drug companies to make affordable, quality prescription drugs available from Canada for Vermonters.  

(Promoted, as per site policy on serious statewide candidate diaries. – promoted by GMD)

Today is an important day for our campaign for governor. Because of the generosity of nearly 2,000 Vermonters it is possible for me to speak directly to the entire state about my jobs creation plan–JumpstartVT–and why I am the leader who will keep Vermont the best place to live, work and raise a family.

(Continuing site policy of promoting candidate diaries. – promoted by GMD)

Today, I announced that if I am elected governor I will eliminate the daily meal allowance that currently comes with the job. Vermonters are suffering and our state budget is suffering. That means that this is a luxury that Governor Douglas, and governors before him, enjoyed that is fundamentally out-of-touch and unaffordable.

Vermonters pay our governor a good salary, so a meal stipend is an unnecessary luxury at a time of belt-tightening statewide. 23,000 Vermonters are suffering as our economy fails to rebound. I know the savings realized by ending the governor’s per diem is small in the context of the entire budget, but it sends an important message: Shared sacrifice is important and Vermonters want a leader that understand the struggles they are going through.

If packing a bag lunch from home is good enough for working Vermont families, it should be good enough for our governor.

Shay Totten first reported that Vermont governors are currently entitled to a meals allowance of $61 per day not only when they are traveling on state business, but also on ordinary days when working in Montpelier. That perk costs taxpayers around $16,000 per year.

Vermont house and senate members are entitled to a per diem when they are in Montpelier attending sessions. Under current practice, however, governors receive the per diem every day they work. The governor should receive an allowance when traveling representing Vermont, but at a time when we irresponsibly cut some social services, it simply seems wrong to spend this money.

It’s a small gesture, but an important one. Money is tight for everyone these days and being careful with the public’s dollars has to start at the top.

(Promoted as part of our ongoing policy to promote 1st person pieces by major candidates for statewide office in Vermont. – promoted by JulieWaters)

When I released JumpstartVT—my jobs and efficiency plan for Vermont, I said that my focus would be on the 23,000 Vermonters out of work and on keeping our state the best place to live, work and raise a family.

We have had Vermonters from across the state and editors from the largest papers in the state telling me a plan is exactly what Vermont needs and that my plan is a great start.

I agree that it was a start. Today, I continued to show Vermonters I will create jobs as governor and do the right thing when it comes to our energy future.

In JumpstartVT, I laid out the beginning of my energy plan.  We are at an energy crossroads with contracts for 2/3 of Vermont’s electricity expiring within 5 years, an aging nuclear power plant, and some of the oldest and least energy efficient housing stock in the country.  We send more than 2 billion dollars out of state because we only supply 10% of our energy from local production.

As governor, I will provide the strong leadership we need to ensure Vermonters have access to clean, safe, secure and affordable energy today and into the future.  Not only will I make sure we are investing in energy efficiency – removing barriers for Vermonters to retrofit their homes and businesses, but I will also create incentives for businesses and families to invest in renewable energy.

My energy plan is not just good for the planet but it is also good for our pocketbooks because investments in energy efficiency and in renewable energy will create jobs for Vermonters and will help support Vermont businesses who manufacture clean energy technology.

Today, I want to announce an important component of this plan: HomeGrownVT.  HomeGrownVT would exempt alternative energy sources from property taxes.   Other states – like Montana and Florida have implemented such a policy and have seen great results. In Vermont, this initiative will help grow clean energy manufacturing jobs and will make it possible for more Vermonters to invest in renewable energy to save money, help us move off of fossil fuel and take control of our energy future.

I know Vermont needs to grow jobs and to do that we need to start making things again. In JumpStartVt my economic development vision is to focus first on helping Vermont’s existing businesses succeed and grow.  This is a change from the Dubie/Douglas approach of focusing on trying to poach the next husky or IBM from another state.

The clean energy manufacturing sector offers these Vermont businesses a great chance to grow, while enabling Vermonters to save money, lower energy costs and reduce our carbon footprint

HomeGrownVT would lower taxes by exempting solar hot water systems, wind-generated electricity, biomass facilities and other renewable energy sources from consideration when assessing a home or business’ value for property tax purposes.

Today, Vermonters adding green technology to their homes, offices and factories often find that their property taxes have increased because  the newly-installed green technology has increased the value of their property. Under my plan these hidden tax increases would end. The exemption would last for up to 10 years.

We need to create the right incentives for job creation and energy savings. Taxing someone for doing the right thing and contributing to the economy is wrong.

Sunward is a great example of how Vermonters can save money, invest in the economy and have a real impact on carbon emissions. Sunward sells a typical solar-powered water-heating unit for about $6,200. Vermonters can receive up to $2,700 in federal and state credits to offset this cost. If just 10 percent of Vermont homes (24,000) installed this type of system each house would reduce their energy bills by $500, reduce their carbon emissions by 20 percent and contribute nearly $155 million to our state’s economy.

I think it is interesting to note that The Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst estimates that 16.7 jobs are created for every $1 million invested in clean energy technologies. This could mean thousands of new jobs for Vermonters in clean energy manufacturing, installation and other related fields.

My energy plan will also raise Vermont’s ranking among renewable energy producers nationwide. Vermont currently ranks 41st for electricity derived from renewable energy, producing only 1,110 MWH.That is just not good enough, especially when our neighbors like New Hampshire ranks 28th (2,389 MHW) and Maine ranks 8th (7,945 MWH).

My plan to encourage new energy projects will grow jobs, increase our affordable renewable energy portfolio and relieve the financial burden homeowners and businesses face when investing in clean energy technologies. This is the type of forward thinking and planning Vermont needs in its next governor.

(In keeping with the GMD policy of featuring first-person diaries by candidates to statewide office on our front page, here is the latest from Deb Markowitz: – promoted by Sue Prent)

I want to thank all of the Vermonters that signed our petition and put the heat on Brian Dubie. This weekend he pulled his anti-Vermont advertising on the New York Times.  

I think it is important to point out that this is the second time in as many months that he has changed his position on an important economic issue. In March, he reversed his support for the Seal of Quality program, a 30-year old program for branding, marketing and regulating Vermont products after we asked him to reject the governor's decision:  

After meeting Friday with Douglas and Allbee, Dubie changed that, saying he now understands the program is not being eliminated, but instead taking a hiatus while adjustments are made, and he agrees with that…“I’m in total agreement with his plan,” he said. Free Press 3/28/10

Vermont has challenges to jumpstart our economy including making Vermont more affordable for businesses and families. I have worked to help our local officials become better job ambassadors and saved businesses by cutting fees. I'll bring this experience to the governor's office. Lt. Governor Dubie needs to show better decision-making before he uses his campaign advertising to paint Vermont in a bad light, but I appreciate his change of tone.  

(In keeping with our policy of promoting diaries by candidates for statewide office to the front page, here is the latest from Deb Markowitz: – promoted by GMD)

I just sent a video message to supporters and wanted to make sure the GMD crowd had it as well. It is an update to my post earlier in the week.

Help me tell Brian Dubie to stop the ad now. Sign our online petition below.