Okay, I knew I couldn't agree with Brian Dubie on everything.  Today he came out with a cynical attack on his Democratic opponent about his proposal to be fiscally responsible and release nonviolent inmates to save the state millions of dollars.

I don't really care about the day-to-day particulars of the gubernatorial race–beyond my interest as a voter–since I'm not running for that office.  But I have to interject here because the dubious blog post in question really does an injustice to a couple important issues.

First of all, Dubie cites this:

“There are virtually no low re-offense risk, non-violent offenders in prison.”
– Vt. Dept. of Corrections report to the General Assembly, Dec. 12, 2007

Interesting that The Team didn't provide a link to the report.  Don't worry, I found it with my mad Google skillz.

Anyway, the post is chock full of scaremongering about repeat offenders and dealers selling drugs to kids.  It was not very constructive and actually missed a critical observation by Robert D. Hoffman, Commissioner of Corrections:

Before anyone criticizes either the Legislature or the Department of Corrections for considering these choices, I urge them to offer better suggestions for how to limit escalating correctional costs that have escalated on average by 10% annually.

Sadly, The Team didn't take this opportunity to share Dubie's plan to reduce our burdensome corrections expenditures.  The whole point of the DoC's report was to investigate cost savings that many states have been looking for.  Back in 2008 there was a proposal to reform how we deal with nonviolent offenders, and Governor Douglas supported the idea.

So here we are in 2010 discussing the issue which hasn't gone away.  Shumlin says his plan will save $40M, of which $33M he'd reinvest in pre-K education.  That's a pretty compelling idea since level of education seems to be a key component in nonviolent crime.

Recidivism is certainly a concern, and it's an inherent problem when you throw nonviolent offenders into jail.  Since almost all are eventually released, there's always a risk of re-offense so unless Dubie suggests we imprison nonviolent criminals forever, he can never keep his promise to “keep convicted criminals locked up.” 

We'd do better by investing in early education to reduce the potential for crime, reintegrating those who have already done time back into society, and providing real rehabilitation so they won't fall into the re-offense trap.  We'll save significant money through prison reform in the short-term and much more in the long-term while making sure our children get their best chance at success.

Does Dubie's “fiscal conservatism” only extend to cuts in education and taxes for the wealthy?  I'd be interested to hear his ideas on this beyond fear-based rhetoric.

todd

(x-posted at Todd for Vermont House)

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Has anyone else thought that the tone of the Governor’s race seemed to be getting a little too aggressive?  

I thought that the Vermont News Guy expressed it well when he said it’s “post-modern politics come to Vermont.” (http://www.vermontnewsguy.com/not-so-fine-whines)

But it’s not just the candidates.  I almost feel like it is the candidates’ media reps that are ramping this up.  Is it not good enough just to be the plain-spoken yet civil Vermonter not just willing but wanting to run a positive, issue-oriented campaign?  

Even if it is, it looks like the Freeps and even folks here are turning it into a pitched battle just by billing it as one.  When the media asks for sound-bites and back-and-forths, they will get that.  The Fourth Estate needs to demand substance with backing, not just quick sales pitches.  

Now, I suppose it is too much to ask for Lincoln-Douglas debates, but can we at least forgo the Shirley Sherrod-style YouTube videos and the exploitation of voting records and misstatements and just look at the substance? … Once we get some of that substance, that is.    

( – promoted by NanuqFC)

As a candidate, I think about messaging a lot. I’ve tried to keep my messaging positive. We have buttons and T-Shirts and stickers that say “I Like Mike”. Makes some people think of Facebook, which is good for me, if they’re on Facebook. Makes some people think of the very likable Eisenhower campaign messaging in a nostalgic and positive way. I hope it makes people think of me as a friendly candidate that they come to with their concerns and questions.

When I first saw that a “Pure Vermont” tour was coming to St. Albans as part of Brian Dubie’s campaign I thought of white supremacists, the Spanish Inquisition and a host of other unsavory associations. Then I started to think about it some more and things really got scary.

I thought “Pure Vermont” must be referring to Brian Dubie, the man. He’s a likable, good looking Vermonter. He’s the kind of guy some folks would “like to have a beer with”. Remember where it got us the last time we voted on likability over substance?

Wait a minute though. Haven’t I seen virtually billboard-sized campaign signs for B-Dubs sprouting up on barns and on the corner by the interstate off-ramp at Exit 19? Maybe that’s the Dubie campaign’s vision of a “Pure Vermont”. They must really understand that the bigger the sign is, the better it blends in with the natural beauty of our rolling countryside.

When it comes to campaign finance, it’s hard for anyone not to tap their friends from out of state for help buying lawn signs and other expensive collateral. My Aunts in Delaware and California both sent me a little contribution for my campaign. Brian Dubie’s campaign contributions are particularly interesting. I take the PhARMA contribution as a sign of what’s to come of health care reform if Mr. Dubie is elected. Sounds like “Pure Vermont” to me, if you want drug manufacturers to decide who gets what drugs and how much they cost.

A fascinating summary of Shumlin and Dubie contributors here:

http://vtdigger.org/2010/09/16…

I also think that the “Pure Vermont” slogan doesn’t work so well for a campaign that is so obviously engineered by out-of-state consultants. It’s no secret that Harris Media based in Austin, TX was instrumental in crafting Dubie’s slick, but somehow still down-home campaign look and feel. “Pure Vermont” is a good slogan for this campaign, if your vision for Vermont’s future means spending your dollars importing ideas from out-of-state.

In all seriousness, who buys that Brian Dubie’s campaign can be described as “Pure Vermont”? When choosing a campaign slogan I think it’s best to think about how people will take it once they sit with it for a while.

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

I agree with Dubie yet again on fiscal issues:

Well I think there are some housewives that are listening to this radio that think they could probably do a better job than has been done.

This stay-at-home-dad or "househusband" takes issue with the anachronistic, not-so-vaguely-sexist "housewives" remark, but let's set that aside.  I agree with Dubie's inartful point: households can and must do a better job on budgetary issues than the Legislature and Governor have done recently.

Unfortunately, I think the Lite Guv has sorta missed his own point, perhaps because when you have lots of fungible money in your own finances, you think making spending choices is easy.  Not so when you're living paycheck-to-paycheck and have certain mandatory spending that doesn't change just because a bad economy has shrunk your income.  I'm sorry if that's an ad hominem, but I have a feeling in my gut about this guy that makes me think he's never had to balance a household budget the way the rest of us do.

Okay back to the main issue.  A lot of people, not just Dubie, have used such analogies as a justification for cutting government spending.  They suggest that "if a regular family has to balance their budget, the government should as well."

All analogies break down with time, and this one evaporates faster than a dog fart in an autumn breeze (my off-color version of "that dog won't hunt").  Private citizens, of course, don't enjoy the same economies of scale that a government does, nor have access to vast potential revenues in the same manner.

But let's take the analogy as more or less sound.  The subtext is that households can't spend more money than they make, so they cut items out of their budgets.

That's true for the most part.  Us regular folks will perhaps reduce expenditures by cutting their cable bill, not buying so much beer, skipping vacations, etc.  Yet there is a certain amount of spending that is not discretionary, such as for shelter, food, healthcare, school supplies, transportation, etc.    You don't buy gas, you can't get to work and you can't generate income.  You don't feed your family, you are less healthy and your kids do worse in school.  Miss your mortgage payment, you incur penalties and risk losing your home.

Speaking of mortgages, Dubie is aware they are a form of debt, right?  As in, I "own" my home only by virtue of borrowing money from a bank.  In other words, I've essentially spent more on a house than I make because I'm investing in my economic security and have included the amortized monthly payments into my budget calculations.

So borrowing isn't inherently a bad thing.  Without it, most Vermonters would not be homeowners.  Nor could they afford the cars they need to get to work since we don't have very good public transit, at least out in the rural areas where my family lives.

What's more, don't businesses take out loans to buy equipment, upgrade facilities and otherwise expand (or even get started in the first place)?  Of course they do.  It's just a part of doing business, and it takes money to make money.

Thus I'm left scratching my head about why the government should avoid debt at all costs and balance the budget for the sake of balancing the budget.  Instead of borrowing a little bit of money when it could do a lot of good, why should we cut important human services–the equivalent of a family cutting food spending below the USRDA–that impact the most vulnerable and hinder economic stimulus and growth?

I'm especially confused when I see the state's CFO say things like this:

Spending the reserves for other reasons is a bad idea for several reasons, Reardon cautioned. For one thing, it would be using "one-time" money to cover ongoing expenses. For another, it would look bad to Wall Street, which has so far granted Vermont very high bond ratings.

So rather than be fiscally responsible and dip into savings a little, or borrow a little money, we'll just cut services so we have a better bond rating?  Um, isn't the point of bond ratings to help you…borrow money?  Quite a disconnect.

I think the larger problem is exemplified by legislative committee members who are stuck in an instutional and intellectual rut:

The legislators who lead the so-called "money committees" that oversee spending and taxes agree.

"Those rainy day funds are there as our overdraft protection," Sen. Ann Cummings, D-Washington, chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee. "Once we spend them, they are gone."

Rep. Michael Obuchowski, D-Bellows Falls, chairman of House Ways and Means and the Joint Fiscal Committee that meets to manage money when the full Legislature is away, agreed.

Money committee members have agreed "not to use them until it is apparent we are on the road to recovery" at least, Obuchowski said. That way, the money can be used as a springboard out of the recession.

Yes, once monies are spent, they are gone.  That is, unless you're using them to create the necessary recovery and replenish them responsibly when revenues increase, as we've done in the past.  It's part of the reason for stimulus: get the economy going so you can start saving again for the next rainy day.

But to wait until there is a recovery to "springboard" out of the recession?  That's completely backwards, and shows just how much legislators are mired in a form of learned helplessness, waiting for the dysfunctional Federal government to do its job and/or for the recovery to just sorta magically happen without the State being an empowered actor using resources available to it.

These people are saying, "yeah it's raining, but I don't want my umbrella to get wet, so I'll use it when the clouds are breaking up and the sun starts to come out."  In the meantime, we all get soaked from the stuff trickling, er…pouring down.

Back to households again: when times are tight, you cut what you can (discretionary things), dip into savings (it's for a new roof next summer and also for emergencies) and look for more income (taking on another job).  A responsible, balanced approach.

So yes, I agree that "housewives" can do better than the State has.  It's because they aren't just dealing with abstract numbers and political ideology, but with economic reality and family members who rely on them.

todd

PS–Here are a few good sources of information about our so-called rainy day funds, which aren't quite smoke and mirrors but certainly involve some accounting mechanisms that might seem opaque to the casual observer:

• It’s Raining Hard: Tap the Fund
• SUMMARY ISSUE BRIEF: Use of State Reserve Funds
• No cash in Vermont's Rainy Day fund

(x-posted at Todd for Vermont House)

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Watching a Pete Seeger special last night, I got to wondering how the anti-war movement shrank to invisibility. And why we don’t have better songs to mobilize patriotic opposition.

Otherwise, open thread.

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

State Committee members occasionally get odd pieces of snail mail. The one I got recently from the Poultney (southwest of Rutland) Rotary Club qualifies.

It was an invitation to the club’s “Governor James H. Douglas Roast & Toast Gala Dinner.”

Well, turns out they didn’t mean it literally. To help “roast & toast” the governor as a farewell gesture, the Rotarians want their expected 250 guests to pay $75 per plate (grossing almost $19k for the event).

But don’t worry, nothing raucous will happen at this shindig, the Rotarians promise:

The event will be a fun and tasteful affair, bringing friends and colleagues together to celebrate Governor Jim Douglas’ many years of public service.

Begs the question why someone who hates government and wants to shrink it drastically has spent his entire adult life taking a government paycheck. I wonder if he’ll collect his per diem for that day. I also wonder which of those categories — “friends” or “colleagues” —  a Democratic State Committee member would likely fall into.

Of course, if you can’t attend the October 9th affair, you can buy an ad in the commemorative book that will be published:

We hope that you will attend this event honoring the Governor and his wife Dorothy; we promise to make this an enjoyable occasion for all. There will be a commemorative book distributed at dinner, and space is available to place an ad for all to see, be it a promotion for your business or parting words for our Governor. Enclosed you will find a sell-sheet explaining the details. [emphasis added]

A full page ad to tell the world what you’d like to say to the Governor costs $200. A quarter-page ad costs half that.

Rotary is an international business-oriented service club founded in 1905 for men; it began admitting  women only in 1987, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in support of a California chapter which had allowed women in. Its two mottos are: “Service above self” and “They profit most who serve best,” the latter motto changed to its current gender-neutral language only 6 years ago. A quick search using the Rotary International’s “club locator” tool turned up no results for the Poultney club; a search for a website for the Poultney Rotary Club likewise found nothing.

Rotary clubs are described as “a non-partisan, non-sectarian and secular organization […] open to business and professional leaders of all ages (18 and upwards) and economic status.” They have admirable projects, like eradicating polio and awarding scholarships. Maybe inviting Democratic State Committee members to this event is its best expression of its nonpartisanship.

I dunno, but it was a headscratcher as to why I would want to spend money I don’t have to “celebrate” a governor I’ve been working to defeat since 2002.

And, btw, there was no mention of any ribbons for Gov. Scissorhands to sever for old times’ sake. Perhaps the program committee should look into that.

Thanks to “native vermont” (blech – to the name not the individual) for pointing out the following:

(Note: I am publishing the full text of the letter to illustrate an important point – this is fair use and does not constitute copyright infringement. The issue I’m delving into is about communication and the creation of pretend populism.)

From the Times Argus letter to the editor section of Sept 16, 2010:

Published: September 16, 2010

Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard?

Let’s see, if we lie to the Congress it’s a felony and if Congress lies to us it’s just politics. If we dislike a black person, we’re racist but if a black dislikes a white person, it is a First Amendment right. The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims. In public schools, you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word “God.” You can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer. We don’t burn books in America, we rewrite them. We get rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming them progressives. We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea. If you protest against President Obama’s policies, you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy, it was your right.

You can have pornography on TV or the Internet, but you better not put a Nativity scene in a public park at Christmas. We have eliminated all criminals in America; they are now called sick people. We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work. We all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political theology. We still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct. Parenting is being replaced with Ritalin and video games. The land of opportunity is the land of handouts. The similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill was that neither president did anything to help.

How do we handle a major crisis? The government appoints a committee to determine who is at fault, passes a law, raises taxes and tells us the problem is solved, so they can get back to their re-election campaigns.

What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Peg Coutermarsh

Now see if you find any similarities below – hell, see if you find any DIS-similarities:

From Bakersfield.com, posted Sept 17, 2010:

Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard?

Lets see: if we lie to congress, its a felony and if congress lies to us its just politics; the government spends millions to rehab criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK , but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but its wrong to kill a mass murderer; We dont burn books in America we now rewrite them; we got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming it progressives; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but we have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea;  if we dislike a black person we become racist and if a black person dislikes whites, its their 1st Amendment right; if you protest against Owebamas policies youre a terrorist, but if you burn a flag or an effigy of George Bush it again was your first ammendment right.

You can have porno on TV or the internet, but you better not put up a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called ‘sick people’; we can use a human fetus for human research, but its wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who dont want to work; we all support the Constitution but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are politically correct; parenting has become replaced with Retalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between hurricane katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a commitee to determine whos fault it is, then threatens them,passes a law then raises our taxes, tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their re-election campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Do the Google/Ask/Yahoo/Bing/Whatever work:

Congress.org (no date)

Pensacola, Fla News Journal, Aug 25th (minor difference in next to last paragraph)

West Virginia University “The Journal”

Macomb (GA) Daily

The list goes on and on and on ….

And it’s not just the plagiarists who are spreading this:see here. Apparently Ms. Coutermarsh’s letter appeared in a Michigan paper as early as the beginning of July!

PS. To the Times Argus – why don’t you at least google a few lines of some of these letters?

  Why does our lame duck Governor have to fly all the way to Asia apparently just to make it clear there will be no special treatment for foreign investors? What possible reason would Jim Douglas, who is about to leave office and face uncertain employment himself need  for drumming up investors for big Vermont businesses?  

Gov. James Douglas will again go to Asia in search of investors willing to trade capital for green cards next month….  

The state involvement does not imply to the companies that Vermont will ease regulatory or other burdens for the investors, Douglas said. In fact, according to the governor, he makes it explicitly clear that is not the case when he talks with investors.  

“I do not think the investors are confused,” he said.    

Vermont’s approach is unique in that the state, rather than an independent organization, runs the EB-5 regional center. That means the state itself fulfills a role normally done by a chamber of commerce or other economic development organization. Douglas’ role is to meet with and talk to potential investors about the advantages of putting their money into Vermont companies, the governor said.

That’s right, Douglas is off again for his second trip to Asia where he will be looking for EB-5 investors. The State pays the trip costs for Douglas his security detail and Vt. EB-5’s program director James Candido.

It should be noted business leaders take care of their own …eh costs.

EB-5 is the Federal make-an–investment-get-a-visa program run by Vermont. A mere $500,000 invested in an approved project which creates jobs over two years, yields immediate green card for the investor’s family and ,will after a period of time yield the investor  permanent US citizenship.