Here is a link to Al Norman’s article on Sprawl-Busters about the Governor’s endorsement of Walmart.

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Good for the Vermont Natural Resources Council, once more doing the dirty job that no one ever seems to want to do!  

They’re calling out the Governor for endorsing developer Jeff Davis’ plan to put a Walmart in the little town of Derby.  He’s comparing location of that gargantuan poverty mill to Bill Stenger’s high-end plans for neighboring Newport.

All I can say is, if they are in any way the same, we’d better take a much closer look at Mr. Stenger’s intentions.

The VNRC’s remarks are far more polite than my thoughts at the moment:

We’re especially disappointed to see the Governor supporting big box sprawl. We are very concerned that this development – which is the wrong scale in the wrong place – will undermine Newport City, one of the many downtowns that the State and so many others have been working hard to revitalize.

Governor Shumlin is making precisely the same statements about Walmart coming to Derby that Jim Douglas made a decade ago about St. Albans.  

To this seasoned veteran of the Walmart wars, Peter Shumlin might as well be a Republican.

Let’s review:

.He opposes increased tax contributions from the wealthy.

…And now he endorses the “Walmartification” of Vermont.

He even parrots the same lie about folks being unable to buy underwear locally that was a feature of the ignorant arguments for Walmart in St. Albans.  

It is beyond me to guess what kind of special underwear Mr. Shumlin imagines is available only at Walmart; but those of us who live and shop in the real world are fully capable of buying cheap underwear and socks in either St. Albans or Newport.  My guess is that he gets his own knickers from far pricier places than JC Penney and the dollar store.

The Governor has disappointed me a-plenty over the past couple of years, but never more so than when he endorsed the completely false premise that Walmart means local prosperity.  

He’s “hopeful it won’t be greeted with lots of opposition” and hints darkly at “forces outside the Kingdom” which he fears might get involved.  

I’m hopeful that there will be plenty of opposition; and as someone “outside the Kingdom” will welcome the opportunity to share all that we in the Northwest Citizens For Responsible Growth have learned throughout the past decade about how Walmart impacts communities and how Mr. Davis works his way through the permit processes.

I wonder whether, over in the Kingdom, the Governor has as casually appointed District Commissioners as he did here in District 6?

When he had barely assumed office, aided in no small part by the efforts of progressive minded folks like myself who abhor the exploitation of Walmart,  the Governor made it clear that his loyalty is to the monied class of developers and pocket padders.  

Brushing aside our objections, he reappointed as commissioner, a man whose family business has recently re-located from downtown St. Albans City to Exit 20, so as to take advantage of the Walmart and other potential development out there; all of which has been and will be under review by that commissioner.  

Not surprisingly, Davis’ Walmart slipped through Act 250 like butter.

Anyone like that on the District Commission for Derby?

 It seems the ranks of the working poor are increasing, and holiday sales at best were lackluster. I won’t try to prove that these two things are closely related but I do suspect they are in the same family.  

The Washington Post has an article about a report from The Working Poor Families Project which covers the increase in size of the working poor population in the US. The report says that despite 27 consecutive months of new job creation

nearly a third of the nation’s working families earn salaries so low that they struggle to pay for their necessities. […] [M]any of the occupations experiencing the fastest job growth during the recovery also pay poorly.

In 2011 over 70 percent of low-income families and half of all poor families were working, yet not earning enough to meet their basic living expenses.Notoriously underpaid jobs such as retail jobs, food preparation, clerical work and customer assistance are also among those that have experienced the most recent growth.The report also notes that in addition to the increase in the number of working poor there’s the growth in income inequity. Working families in the top fifth had incomes 10.1 times larger than the lowest fifth of working families in 2011.

Year-end financial reports say consumers in the US limited their holiday spending, producing a disappointing, lackluster season.

Target [department stores] reported flat December sales while the owner of Victoria’s Secret for once fell short of sales expectations. Macy’s, despite decent results, said it would close six stores this year.

Two exceptions were high-end department store Nordstrom’s, which had sales up 8.6 percent (remember the growth in income inequity?), and deep discounter Costco, with sales up 9 percent. Analysts blamed overall weakness on worries over the fiscal cliff and even the Sandy Hook mass shooting. But no analysts suggested that a growing portion of the population with little or no “extra” money to spend might also be factor.

And with that it is almost impossible not to mention another thing. This would be the well known old story that even automaker Henry Ford understood that it was beneficial for everyone to pay workers enough to buy a little more than just necessities. And in 1914 Henry Ford paid his workers five dollars a day – much more than other manufacturers paid.

According to Wikipedia, using the consumer price index, Henry Ford’s “a little more-than-just-necessities” wage  would be $111.10 per day in 2008 dollars. For an eight hour day that is $13.88 per hour. And even though inflation is pretty low, in the last 5 years there’s some, especially in medical care, peanut butter, tires, just to name a few.

So, when Walmart hires its 100,000 vets, is it going to pay them $13.88 per hour?  

In every one of his ham-fisted efforts to evade the gun control issue, Governor Shumlin has consistently called for a 50-state solution. And when asked for his opinion on possible new laws or regulations, he has consistently said he would wait for Vice President Biden to finish his review, and for the President to announce concrete steps — saying that he had faith in the process and the Administraiotn.

Well, today the waiting is over. President Obama announced a series of 23 executive orders aimed at tightening federal regulation of weapons and enhancing gun safety and public awareness. He also plans to introduce legislation that calls for…

…a ban on assault weapons, limits on high-capacity magazines, expanded background checks for gun purchases and new gun trafficking laws to crack down on the spread of weapons across the country.

And now, the Governor will have to make a decision. Does he stand with the President (in whom he had such faith), or does he stand with the National Rifle Association?

Or does he finagle his way around it?

Again?

(I thought GMD could use a flight of fancy just about now; and no one provides more satisfying ones than does Petey.   – promoted by Sue Prent)

University of Chicago…5 minutes ago…

A spokesperson for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists revealed today that the famous DOOMSDAY CLOCK, set up in 1947 to monitor how close THE END OF THE WORLD is, has been found to be running about five minutes slow.  The Bulletin set the DOOMSDAY CLOCK at Five Minutes To Midnight in 2012, and announced this Monday that it would stay at Five Minutes To Midnight for the rest of 2013.  But, according to Bulletin spokesperson and Atomic Scientist Andy Polack, an anomaly now exists regarding the CLOCK’S accuracy, as the U of C custodian in charge of the CLOCK apparently never adjusted the CLOCK to accurate time in 2012.

“Yeah, I know, it’s kind of a screw-up, I guess, but Hell, we’re Atomic Scientists here, not The Timex Group.  Truth is, the damned Clock’s been running slow since 1949, but we always adjusted for that, and then set the big hand–it’s the Big Hand, right?–we set the big hand for the so many minutes to DOOM or The End Of The World, or whatever you want to call it.  I guess last year, Frank, the custodian in charge of the Clock, had some overtime pay issues here with the University, and was out on some kind of wildcat strike protest the day he was supposed to set the Clock right.  He got fired, and the University simply replaced him with…well, I guess you would call it a part time ‘scab’ custodian last year, and we all kind of forgot the most important thing Frank used to do with the Clock, and then the goddamn Custodians’ Union made the University hire a guy full time with overtime and benefits to be in charge of the Clock, and, well, seems like maybe somebody forgot to put setting the right time on the Clock in the new job description, or whatever, and, well…so all through 2012, after we did our DOOM setting at Five Minutes To Midnight, the Clock was actually running five minutes slow.  So, when we here at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists say The End Of The World is five minutes away, it’s actually not.  I guess the Doomsday Clock should actually read Midnight or close to it, but, you know…shit happens.  Anybody got the time?  My watch is fucked-up.”

Polack said the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the University of Chicago will be hiring the CLoseButNoCigar Big Clock Company to come in and fix the DOOMSDAY CLOCK so it will not run slow anymore.  “And, of course,” Polack explained, “we don’t want it to run fast either.  That would really screw-up our projections on The End Of The World.  The CloseButNoCigar Company comes with this great recommendation from this group called Montpelier Alive in Montpelier, Vermont.  Seems CloseButNoCigar has been doing a great job over the years with the Big Clock located up on Montpelier’s City Hall tower.  And, I want to add, just so people won’t get all panicky or pissed-off, that we figure the Doomsday Clock isn’t really EXACTLY five minutes slow–maybe we’ve got about 30 or 35 seconds before the ACTUAL End Of The World, and that’s plenty of time.  Hell, that’s a SHITLOAD of time when you’re talking in terms of The End Of The World.  Hey, just look at how those Mayans fucked-up.  And they didn’t have to worry about or factor in the stuff us Atomic Scientists constantly deal with–like Jodie Foster announcing she’s GAY, or snow in Israel, or the new Neil Diamond CD.  I think we here at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists have done a pretty fair job over the years on being like really close in our estimates about The End Of The World.  I mean, it’s the CLOCK that’s fucked-up, not us.  And we’re going to fix that.  So, let’s just say for now that it’s 30 Seconds To Midnight, and leave it at that.  AND, of course, hope and pray that nothing EARTHSHAKING happens for the rest of 2013.  Then, in 2014, we’ll probably go digital.  Maybe have a beeping alarm built into the CLOCK, just in case, and maybe do a New Year’s Eve thing with it like they do in Times Square.  I don’t know.  There’s all kinds of stuff we can do.  We’re Atomic Scientists.  And we want the DOOMSDAY CLOCK to be…well…like COOL.  Once it’s running right again, that is.  So thank you all.  And hey, what time did you say it was?”

Peter Buknatski

Montpelier, Vt.

So there’s this. Two different divisions of the Vermont Attorney General’s office are involved in the Macadam Mason case. He was the Thetford resident who died last June after being Tasered by state trooper David Shaffer.

Over here, the criminal division is investigating police conduct; specifically, was Shaffer justified in firing his Taser?

And over there, the civil division is defending the state police in a lawsuit filed by Mason’s partner, Theresa Davidonis. The civil division has refused to share any investigative documents with the plaintiff, citing the ongoing investigation by the criminal division.

Last week, a judge ordered the criminal division to provide an update on its probe, and explain why it’s taking so long to complete. Yesterday, the chief of the division said it was “a complicated case,” but added that it should be done in “two to three weeks.”

Meanwhile, on Monday in civil court, the civil division moved to dismiss Davidonis’ lawsuit for lack of evidence.

Hmm. One division withholds the evidence, the other tries to quash the suit for lack of evidence.

Maybe this is exactly how the system is supposed to work, but it sure does look bad.  

The civil division has previously argued that the withheld documents are “entirely irrelevant” to Davidonis’ claim. Those documents include:

…the audio recording of Shaffer at the scene of the incident, formal statements made by all VSP personnel who were present, documents related to Shaffer’s Taser training and Mason’s autopsy report.

I’m not a lawyer or anything, but that documentation seems kinda-sorta, y’know, relevant to me. I’d even say it’s crucial. And again, maybe this is how the system works — lawyers routinely file motions to dismiss, even if they know there’s no chance of winning — but good God, it makes the AG’s office look like a con man running a three-card monte game.  

Emphasis on educational priorities in Governor Shumlin’s inaugural address was met with restrained enthusiasm by Progressive legislators, who spoke out today in a press release.

Like many of us, they recognize that the devil is in the details, and as desirable as pre-K and higher educational opportunities are for Vermonters, how those initiatives are funded is critically important.

Already known for his reluctance to raise tax contributions by the wealthy, the Governor’s address suggested only one potential funding opportunity, the Earned Income Tax Credit.

The legislators are concerned that the Governor’s vision for redirecting support from the EITC will mean that new educational opportunities will be built on the backs of those least able to afford it.

Asking the Governor to take another look at alternative funding for the initiatives, Anthony Pollina (P-Washington) made the following observation:

Diverting money from the Earned Income Tax Credit shifts funds away from those who need it the most.  It is a new tax that hits lower-income Vermonters hardest.  Some may say this is not a broad based tax.  But it is worse; it is a tax targeted at those least able to afford it: low-income Vermonters, working families, and others struggling to make ends meet.  It is tax that would affect over 40,000 Vermonters.  The Earned Income Tax Credit is recognized as one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in Vermont.  Cutting it contradicts our focus on building a state budget that puts people first.”

His concerns were echoed by Chris Pearson (P-Chittenden) and Susan Hatch-Davis (P-Orange)

Susan Hatch-Davis:

“As someone who represents an area of the state with a high level of poverty, I want to say this funding source is a bad idea.  It will hurt families who are continuing to struggle in this economy.  This change isn’t a question of scaling back and buying a Lincoln instead of a Cadillac.  The Earned Income Tax Credit helps families afford groceries and heat.  This is bare-budget stuff.

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Addendum by jvwalt: I was at today’s announcement, and I’ll attach a few more points to Sue’s summary… after the jump.

Additional notes by jvwalt:

Rep. Chris Pearson said that “using the earned income tax credit to fund this is not a serious proposal. I have yet to hear from any Democrat who supports this idea. Republicans have articulated their concerns, and Progressives are solidly opposed to this funding scheme.”  He noted that he’d just heard Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott speak out against an EITC cut, and said he couldn’t remember the last time he jumped up and down at something Scott said.

Pearson also said the Progs are working on alternative funding schemes, and implied that they might be trying to work around Shumlin’s steadfast opposition to income tax hikes:

We’re preparing some packages that would look at more than just the income taxes we’ve proposed in the past. There are a number of things where Vermont is quite unique; for instance, we’re one of only eleven states that doesn’t tax natural-resource extractions. There are some tweaks to the estate tax we could look at.

Standing in the background at the Statehouse news conference as the Administration’s Ghost-In-Chief, Human Services Secretary Doug Racine. He’d apparently been dispatched to represent Shumlin’s point of view, which he dutifully delivered. Racine noted that the EITC has grown by about 45% in the last seven years, due to increases in the federal allotment. (The state EITC piggybacks on the federal, so the two rise or fall in lockstep.) “The Governor… sees an opportunity to shift resources to a place where we an get a better bang for the buck.”

Racine estimated that the typical EITC recipient would lose about $370 out of a total annual benefit of roughly $2600.

And on the one hand, yes, it’s substantially more than recipients were getting just a few years ago. But on the other, I doubt that too many of those recipients are feeling particularly flush these days. And, as Pearson noted, while the Governor objects to “broad-based tax increases,” a proposed hike in the income tax on high earners would affect about 4,000 families — while Shumlin’s proposed EITC shift would affect more than 40,000.  

Seven Days Off Message tells us a reception was held at the Statehouse last Wednesday to honor the late Peter Freyne. Political columnist Freyne was with Seven Days for 13 years and wrote the Inside Track column. One remembrance at the time of his death said “He held everyone, regardless of political party, accountable for their words and deeds.”  

…he drew plenty of earthly praise Wednesday afternoon at a Statehouse reception this paper held in his honor. As several speakers noted, Freyne would've been thrilled with the attention – including speeches by former AP Montpelier bureau chief Chris Graff, Sen. Patrick Leahy and Shumlin. We'd tell you what they said – including a choice gubernatorial pot joke – but, alas, it was off the record.

I’d bet it was good gubernatorial pot joke, too bad we’ll never know. I suppose someone in attendance at the event – sponsored by a newspaper and celebrating a reporter’s life – might even have noted the irony that this was all said off the record. At least we get an off-message hint.  

It isn’t that hard, actually.

Yes, we find our share of reasons to criticize the Governor. For one thing, bad news is always more fun than good news. For another, we have pretty tough standards for liberal politicians. But there are some very good reasons why Shumlin was named “Most Valuable Governor” by The Nation.

So I’m taking a brief time-out from the usual snark and criticism to say a few good things about the Governor.

There are three very important issues on which Shumlin has staked out very progressive stances. First, he is one of a very few leading American politicians who pays serious, consistent attention to global warming. While the political establishment is obsessed with deficits and the national debt, Shumlin shines a spotlight on a much greater threat to our long-tern stability. And while most politicos are enthralled by the temporarily “cheap” energy from sources like tracking and tar sands, Shumlin has stuck to his vision of a green energy future for Vermont.

Second, he is the only politician I know of, who’s in a position to do something about it, who is committed to single-payer health care. Yes, there are plenty of questions about the specifics: What about the working poor? What’s the funding mechanism? WIll he have to give away the store in order to appease the business community? Can he make the system efficient enough to bend the cost curve? But at least he’s making the effort, and he’s made single-payer a cornerstone of his governorship.  

Third…

… at a time when public-sector unions (and workers) are under widespread attack — and his own budget is under immense pressure — he is a vigorous defender of those unions and workers. As quoted in The Nation:

“What is puzzling to me about the current debate about state budgets is that the focus has been not on bringing people together to solve common problems, like we have done in Vermont, but on division and blame. I do not believe that those to blame for our current financial troubles are our law enforcement officers, firefighters and other state employees whose services we take for granted.”

As The Nation rightly concluded, “Not many governors talk like that — or mean it.”

There are other things I like about the Governor. He has a real commitment to making government work as well as it possibly can. That’s not a sexy issue, but it’s critical: an effective government is the best argument for the liberal cause. Examples: the Dashboard and Spotlight initiatives, aimed at making government more transparent and accessible online; and the (belated) crackdown on buggy IT contracts.

When I look over the range of issues, I see a relative handful where I disagree with Shumlin. Gun control, the makeup of the emerging mental health care system, his resistance to an income-tax increase for high earners. Those differences are emphasized by his air of self-confidence that comes across as arrogant (and sometimes actually is), and his stubborn refusal to change his mind — or to admit it when he does change his mind. That makes him seem more obnoxious and contrary than he actually is. And makes him an easy target for the basement blogger class.

But when I look at the issues, all of them, I find that agree with the Governor more often than I disagree. He deserves a lot of credit for the things he’s done or begun to do. And he should expect our continuing scrutiny, and our criticism when we believe it’s warranted.  

Generic Thumbs Edition.

The Washington Electric Co-op, for declaring its opposition to a proposed three-year moratorium on new utility-scale wind projects. WEC has a solid track record for supporting renewable energy and being responsible to its customers. It’s small and local. It was sensitive enough that it chose to install wired “smart meters” rather than the wireless type. In its statement,  WEC says a wind moratorium “would be a serious, regressive and damaging mistake.”

WEC notes that we are already feeling the effects of climate change, in a statement issued during our dramatic mid-January thaw; and says that Vermont’s clean energy goals cannot be met “without incorporating some commercial scale wind projects into our landscape at selected and appropriate locations.” And regarding the allegation that Vermont is charging willy-nilly into wind power at the behest of big corporations, WEC says this:

Since 2002, three Vermont Governors have each established an open process for discussing wind siting issues, establishing criteria and encouraging public input. Although the commission established by Governor Shumlin is still at work, the efforts conducted by the Douglas and Dean administrations have been heeded and respected as projects have been considered. Vermont has now been considering, planning, debating, legislating, implementing and regulating wind generation for well over ten years. Vermont should not and has not “rolled over” for developers of wind projects, and the projects that have been approved have been subjected to tough rigorous review.

I’m sure the anti-wind folks will have a ready explanation for WEC going over to the dark side, and I’m sure I won’t buy it.

 Jim Deeghan and the credibility of the Vermont State Police, the latter now under repair. The disgraced former state trooper has pleaded guilty to taking more than $210,000 by faking time sheets, work reports, and traffic tickets. And also, according to the Freeploid, “not forwarding case paperwork for prosecution,” which would seem to suggest that some reported crimes were tossed in the dumpster by Deeghan. Yikes.

Authorities are stoutly insisting that Deeghan was a single bad apple. As far as we know, that’s true. But we also know that the system was unforgivably open to this kind of fraud. Given that, plus the loose talk that tends to circulate in an environment like a State Police barracks, the state has to count itself awfully damn lucky if Deeghan was, in fact, the only one to pad his overtime.

I’ll also give a tiny “Thumbs Down” to a rather ludicrous statement from Colonel Tom L’Esperance, VSP Director:

L’Esperance said he believes the 30,000 calls for state police service since the Deeghan case was uncovered in July shows Vermonters still have faith in the department.

Yeah, sure. Those Vermonters had so many options to choose from when they needed to report crimes.

And while we give a “Thumbs Down” to Deeghan and the VSP’s stunningly lax timesheet system, there’s an accompanying “Thumbs Up” to the Freeploid’s Transparency Tracker, Mike Donoghue, who should now be able to get access to all the documents that had been withheld pending resolution of the case. Given the Freeploid’s devotion to the cause of transparency and the irresistible juiciness of l’affaire Deeghan, I think we can look forward to lots and lots of articles from the keyboard of Mr. Donoghue.

After the jump: An honorable departure, a questionable one, treasure in a cornfield, and more gubernatorial fumbling on gun control.

Longtime Freeploid reporter/editor/etc Candace Page, who has announced she will retire in the spring. Page spent most of her career at the Burlington Free Press; 33-plus years in all. For the past seven years, she’s covered the environmental beat. The Freeploid’s story announcing her retirement summed up her accomplishments like this:

The winner of numerous journalism awards, Page is regarded at the Free Press and beyond as possessing an extensive knowledge of the issues she covers, and of her native Vermont; cultivating a rapport with sources from all walks of life; and being a “consummate storyteller” with a deep command of the language.

Couldn’t agree more. We wish her all the best, and thank her for her long and valued service.

 The freely revolving door between government and private sector, for allowing unseemly spectacles like this:

Karen Marshall, who spearheaded Gov. Peter Shumlin’s universal broadband expansion efforts, will be the new president of VTel Data Network. The company, based in Springfield, Vt., received $116 million in federal stimulus grants in 2011 for broadband expansion in rural, underserved areas of the state.

Nothing against Marshall, but it just looks really bad when you have a top Administration official leave public service for an executive job with one of the companies she dealt with. What’s worse, as VTDigger reports, the announcement came less than two weeks after the Shumlin Administration had announced a $5 million grant to VTel. Marshall insists that her contact with VTel regarding possible employment did not begin until after the grant was announced. If true, it all happened incredibly quickly; executive moves like this are usually a matter of months, not days.

There may be nothing at all fishy going on here, but the optics are terrible. It doesn’t reflect well on the credibility or independence of the Shumlin Administration. Methinks we need a few more ethics laws.

Jesse Rodriquez of West Camp, New York, for pioneering a potentially lucrative market for Vermont agriculture:

Vermont State Police who arrested a man on drug and traffic charges have found 2 ounces of cocaine in a cornfield after a brief chase.

Yeah, Rodriquez left his car and ran into a cornfield, where he tried to dump his drugs before he could be arrested. But hey, sounds like a delightful way to spice up the old Corn Maze business. “If you stash it, they will come.”

The Keene, NH-based contractor, Baybutt Construction, for screwing up a whole bunch of projects on both sides of the Connecticut River. Baybutt is apparently on the skids; it’s been failing to pay subcontractors on a variety of jobs, and its headquarters is scheduled to be part of a foreclosure sale on February 1 — generally a bad sign for the future viability of a commercial enterprise.

Here in Vermont, Baybutt was the contractor on a renovation of a state office building in Brattleboro, and the town library in Rockingham. Last week, the Rockingham Selectboard voted to terminate its contract with Baybutt because of its failure to pay subcontractors or to secure a required performance bond.

The contractor’s apparent implosion has put several projects on hold, and left numerous subcontractors holding their respective bags. I haven’t seen a total figure for its outstanding obligations, but it’s likely they run well into the seven figures. Double yikes.

Our best buddy Governor Peter Shumlin, for continuing to flail unconvincingly around the issue of gun control. Yeah, he still insists upon a 50-state solution because “if states have different laws, you’re going to have different outcomes.” Not sure what he means by that; elsewhere he has argued that state-by-state doesn’t work at all. If different laws result in “different outcomes,” doesn’t that mean the state laws do have some effect after all?

Beyond that, he’s making it just a tiny bit clearer that he really isn’t in favor of any significant new national gun regulation either. Mass shootings, he told VPR, are caused by “factors other than gun laws”:

“It isn’t as simple as putting a particular gun lock on, or banning a particular weapon or banning a particular magazine. It’s more about looking at what we have become. Our approach to violence, our approach to mental health treatment, our glorification of violence.”

Again, the Gov is offering a slightly softened version of National Rifle Association dogma — shifting the blame away from guns and ammo, and toward mental illness and a culture that glorifies violence. Yeah, good luck reforming our entire culture.

Further, Shumlin refused to take a stand on potential measures like an assault-weapons ban or tighter background checks because “none of [those] things… will solve the problem.”

Uh-huh. So what you’re looking for is a measure that will completely solve the problem once and for all. Nothing halfway; nothing that would merely make it harder for someone to shoot up a school.

Maybe we should apply that same principle to the War on Terror, eh? Airport security is out because it “doesn’t solve the problem.” Homeland Security? Shut it down; it “doesn’t solve the problem.” Military missions and drone strikes? Uh-uh; they “don’t solve the problem.” What we need, if we are to follow Governor Shumlin’s reasoning, is a measure that will separate mentally ill terrorists from deadly weapons and change the cultures that glorify violence.

I can hardly wait to hear him try to dance around Joe Biden’s recommendations.  

I was only six

I’d never heard

Of gun control

I was drawing

Flowers that day

That’s all I remember

Why don’t you

Remember us?

I don’t hear much

About us from you

Mostly you’re talking

About gun control

Why is that all you care about?

You can’t control a gun

If you can’t control yourselves

Are you stupid?

I was drawing flowers

To take home to my mother

Bloody flowers now

All over the country

What will a six year old

Draw tomorrow in school?

I know what I would draw

And I would show it to you

I would make you see it

Make you feel it

Peter Buknatski

Montpelier, Vt.

Seems the NRA (and all of us) have forgotten THE CHILDREN. There is something sick about a society that cares more about its ‘constitutional rights’ to shop for and buy Corporate Products than it cares about its CHILDREN.  GUNS are a Big Business in this country.  Just like Big Oil, the Car Industry, WalMart, and all the other Wall Street Robber Barons.  BIG BUSINESS NEEDS TO BE REGULATED!  And we need to regulate ourselves.