No Decision In Montpelier

For those of you scoring the fight at home, here is the lowdown on the repeal of Act 82.  (Which is a pretty fair indicator of the general Montpelier mood.)

Governor:  Against.

Within an hour of the House vote, the governor also pounced on the House decision to "unravel" the progress that had been made to put the brakes on school spending and property tax growth.  
He rejected the argument that the two-vote provision would confuse voters calling that claim "insulting and demeaning to Vermonters." 

House:  For.

House Education Committee Chairwoman Janet Ancel, D-Calais, argued the cost-containment merits of the tougher spending penalty on the House floor.
"What we are proposing now isn't a retreat. It's a more effective way to do it," she said. "It builds on a proven mechanism."

Senate:  Indifferent.  (Of course, when you say 'Senate," what you mean is "Shumlin.")

Shumlin said he wanted to stick with the agreement lawmakers had reached with the governor. He explained that he never liked the spending penalty and didn't favor strengthening it. While he said he didn't have high expectations for savings under the two-vote mechanism, he argued, "it does give voters information and it doesn't penalize them for the choice they make."

And we pay these people.