Agreeing with the Toms – Salmon & Jefferson
by
P.G. Behr
It is rare to find a Vermont Democrat espousing fiscal responsibility. Thus, it was very refreshing to read Montpelier Report by Thomas Salmon, our state auditor, in the July 2 edition of The Vermont Standard. Mr. Salmon, who has been on active duty in Iraq, returned to find, to his dismay, a dysfunctional Legislature hell-bent on passing a budget which failed to face reality, and imposed new taxes on already overtaxed Vermonters.
Mr. Salmon said, among other things, “Vermonters cannot bear ever-greater tax burdens and the Governor and Legislature must work cooperatively to protect Vermonters from higher taxes. Despite the fact that Vermont is receiving approximately $700 million in stimulus money, the current budget eliminates important tax deductions and introduces new taxes that make Vermont less competitive than its neighbors from both a business and personal perspective while leaving unaddressed serious problems concerning health care costs, the unemployment fund and pension obligations that will continue to exacerbate budget strains in the future.” Significantly, Peter Shumlin, Shap Smith & Co. paid him no heed.
Tom went on to say, mildly, that “our state must look to gaining
efficiencies (translation: reform and reduce state government)
wherever possible while ensuring that our citizens receive the services
they truly need. Painful, advanced prioritization is required.”
Our State Auditor is to be commended for his courage and common sense. It is rare that I that I advocate activism among politicians of any stripe, but I can’t imagine anything better for Vermont than an inquisitive, even intrusive, auditor. Go for it, Tom.
There is a new website available to Vermonters interested in the workings of our state government called www.vttransparency.org. It is a joint (bi-partisan) effort of the Ethan Allen Institute and the Public Assets Institute.
Topics of the site include state revenues, state spending, state compensation, education finance and many other subjects. The flyer for the site says “As citizens, we need to know where and how government spends our tax dollars, how government raises those tax dollars, how legislators voted on important legislation…etc.”
I have visited the site, and did not initially find information I sought, but it is very possible that I did not spend enough time to do so. I will certainly spend additional time accessing the various categories of information, and if I can’t find answers, will take advantage of the site “suggestion box.” Readers are encouraged to visit the site, and decide for themselves on its merits.
The flyer quotes Thomas Jefferson, who said “We might hope to see the finances of the Union as clear and intelligible as a merchant’s books, so that every member of Congress and every man of any mind in the Union should be able to comprehend them to investigate abuses, and consequently control them.”
My sentiments, exactly.
(P.G. "Pete" Behr is a regular columnist for the Vermont Standard where this essay first appeared.)
Tom, if you mean what you say, if you are the real deal, run for Governor, preferably as an Independent; a Democrat will do.
Posted by: Richard | July 17, 2009 at 06:03 PM
The Donks don't want to hear it from Tom anymore than they wanted to hear it from Randy Brock or Jim Douglas.
Shummy & Shap know better than everyone else. Just ask them.
Posted by: Ed G. Mann | July 17, 2009 at 08:21 PM