Vermont Tiger

Close Finish

by Geoffrey Norman

Thank God for New York.  Otherwise, Vermont would be dead last in this ranking of states according to their economic competitiveness.  The study's findings are sufficiently grim to inspire a headline writer at the Herald to describe the state's outlook as "desolate." 

And they accuse us of being extreme.

The conclusion of this study comes as no surprise to anyone who regularly visits this site.  What is interesting is the company Vermont keeps.  New York does worse than Vermont.  Rhode Island, Maine, and New Jersey are ranked just above us. 

Now, compare that group of losers with the states in the study's top five: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Virginia, and South Dakota.

In none of these states would it be difficult for most Vermonters to find agreeable "lifestyle" arrangements.  Virginia might be marginal since so much of its character has been infected by the Washington D.C. virus.  But Colorado?  Utah?  These are cool places to live.  And South Dakota is a real sleeper. 

Bad enough (though predictable) to be ranked in the bottom five, but the indignity of keeping company with New Jersey & New York is almost insupportable.

Inescapable Facts ...

and the need to face them
by
Tom Licata

Thank you for inviting me to speak here today.

I would like to thank all those who have helped organize today’s event.  I would especially like to thank Kristin, Jon and Jessica for their efforts.  Freedom and prosperity are inexorably linked and – in part – it is why we gather here today.

The mission of Vermonters for Economic Health is simple:  To promote economic health and fiscal responsibility in Vermont.  In a recent WSJ/NBC News poll, Americans were asked which economic issue facing the country concerned them most.  Respondents chose deficit reduction over health care by a ratio of 2 to 1.

In addition to celebrating the principles of freedom and independence on this July 4th holiday, it is the promotion of economic health that draws me here today.

The (Stimulus) Beat Goes On

Washington is laying out $18 million to redesign the recovery.gov website. 

The economy will be turning around any minute now.

Climate "Models" - Now With Fine Print

by Dan Foty

Down in Australia, the "climate modeling agency" (?!) has seen fit to add an interesting disclaimer regarding the results that emerge from their "models"....

Australia's own climate modeling agency stresses climate change scenarios are based on computer models that "involve simplifications of (real world) processes that are not fully understood. Accordingly, no responsibility will be accepted . . . for the accuracy of forecasts inferred" from its reports.

(Emphasis mine.)

Translation:  "If you believe any of this stuff, that's your fault - because we sure don't."

This is progress - but things won't be complete until the disclaimer reads, "For Entertainment Value Only."

Speaking of which.... what did ever happen to JoJo Savard?

Study, Study, Study

It sometimes seems that the only growth industry in Vermont is the production of studies.  We have studied everything and then, we study the studies and conclude that what is needed is more study.  The most recent of these undertakings is an

unprecedented statewide conversation on the values, visions and practical priorities of Vermonters as they look to the challenges ahead.

Okay.  And what have we learned from this "conversation?'

Well, we are now aware that

"With its small scale and strong values, Vermont is an incubator of ideas, a center of innovation, and a laboratory for creative solutions. A history of ingenuity allows Vermont to respond to local, national and global challenges in a unique way, and Vermonters want to embrace that leadership potential in many areas ...Vermont should be intentional in developing itself as a laboratory of innovation in public policy, education, energy and the economy, civic and community life, and act as a model and a leader for the nation."

But suppose after reading that passage, your response is, "Yeah, yeah, but where do I go to get a job?"

Well, the study is not indifferent to your need and it has concluded that

The Vermont economy should grow from Vermont values and assets.

And, furthermore

We need to build partnerships, to line up across our differences, and advance a common economic agenda today to build the prosperity of the future.

Which is a great help to us all and the last word.

Until the next study.

Court Costs

Vermont's courts will be closed – and the people who work in them furloughed – for more than two business weeks this fiscal year.  This is not due to a sudden decrease in frivolous lawsuits.  It is about money.  Vermont doesn't have enough to pay for a full-time judicial system.

The courts are an essential feature of civil society and no one argues that the rule of law can be privatized.  That the state must take this measure speaks to the severity of its budget difficulties.  But Vermont seems to have money for Amtrak subsidies; money to buy conservation easements to protect farmland from the predatory developers who are overrunning the state; money for a union-shop school system that can keep hiring more teachers and giving them pay raises even as the number of students to be educated declines.

You make your choices, then you spend your money.  We seem to be choosing to cheat on the foundation so we can pay for custom windows and doors.

Sign Of The Times

What a concept:

Spending stimulus money to tell people you are spending stimulus money.  Very ... er, stimulating.

As Mark Steyn discovered in Vermont, there are ways in which "the stimulus" seems designed to stimulate only itself.

Getting It Wrong And Getting In Deeper

The economic stimulus that was supposed to be working by now ... isn't.

"Our bad, "says the Vice-President of the United States.  We underestimated the severity of the economic crisis.

That the government got it wrong is not an especially shocking development.  Getting it wrong is something people in government reliably do and some, like the recently deceased Robert McNamara, have been able to turn getting it wrong into something resembling an art form adorned with charts, numbers, and confident predictions.  All of it not just wrong, but flamboyantly, transcendently, murderously wrong. 

Too Many Credit Cards?

  by Art Woolf

The Burlington Free Press profiles Rock Art Brewery, a small microbrewery in Morrisville, VT.   How did the Matt and Renee Nadeau, who started the company ten years ago, finance its start-up and growth?

For years, the couple financed the upstart brewery on 12 to 15 credit cards, revolving the debt from one low-interest rate introductory offer to another.

Granted,

They [the credit card companies] were flooding the market with this cheap credit,” Nadeau said. Those days are gone, but the free wheeling credit offers of recent years, which helped torpedo the nation’s real housing market, played a crucial role in getting Rock Art off the ground

It's very likely that the restrictions the new credit card reform bill has put on the credit card industry will make it much more difficult for future entrepreneurs like the Nadeaus to realize their dreams.  They are too small, and future profits too uncertain, to obtain venture capital funding.  They probably don't have any deep-pocketed relatives, and no bank would lend them the cash they would need.

Emerson Lynn On Politics

Walmart now the darling of our liberals?

The National Retail Federation says it is “flabbergasted” that Walmart has decided to offer its unqualified support for an employer mandate requiring companies to provide health insurance to their employees.

The traditionally anti-union company also received the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union as well as the left-leaning think tank, Center for American Progress, which has startled Walmart watchers even more.

Liberals for Walmart?

What’s up?

Surprise! Tax Rates Actually Matter!

Tucked deep inside Mark Steyn’s excellent (as usual) weekend column is this bit of astonishing news:

"Last week, the donut chain Tim Horton’s, which operates on both sides of the border but is incorporated in the state of Delaware, announced that it was reorganizing itself as a Canadian corporation to take advantage of Canadian tax rates."