This column originally appeared in the Williston Observer on March 5, 2009.
Stimulating Prospects
$44 million in 120 days. A lot of money, very little time.
That's part of the amount that Vermont will be receiving under the stimulus package passed by Congress two weeks ago, and in order to get projects underway quickly, Vermont must decide where that $44 million will go in just a few months: use it or lose it.
The term "shovel-ready" has become ubiquitous, so much so that it has already entered the popular vernacular. The Vermont Agency of Transportation already has an $85 million list of thirty shovel-ready projects, including the Richmond bridge and the Bennington bypass.
Luckily, Vermont is slated to get a total of about $125 million in transportation money in the long run, so all of the state's transportation priorities should get funding.
All together, our federal lawmakers have said that Vermont will be the beneficiary of about $1 billion in stimulus money. Aside from the $125 million for transportation projects, there will also be funds for Medicaid, for job creation programs, and for education spending.
Williston has its own shovel-ready project, and I don't mean the Williston portion of the Circ Highway. The construction of the Allen Brook school expansion could solve many of the town's problems with education.
The temporary classrooms would become an historical curiosity and not a point of contention with the Development Review Board; the Frameworks Committee would be able to heartily recommend the physical separation of grades 1-4 and 5-8; and the town would have plenty of room for future enrollment, when the economy bounces back and housing construction begins anew.
Of course, Williston will have to compete with the rest of the state for funds, but we do have Chittenden County on our side. With a project as large as a school expansion, and a labor base as large as the county's, a large infusion of cash seems logical. Logical, but far from certain. So, we should not count our infrastructure dollars before they're doled out.
The stimulus package will certainly not be a panacea, much as we would like it to be. It will be a stop-gap measure, hopefully a stepping stone on the way to recovery. And it does not help everyone - there is no money, for example, for dairy farmers hit hard by plummeting milk prices.
Some, of course, question the need for or the logic of having the stimulus package at all. It is a fair question - but those who ask it had no problem stimulating the economy of Halliburton and its ilk for six years, pouring billions in "temporary spending" into a permanent state of war.
I put no stock in the counter arguments - it is our time to bear the fruits of our labor.
Our congressional delegation will be holding meetings throughout Vermont to explain the details further. The first and biggest will be held by Senator Patrick Leahy and Governor Jim Douglas tomorrow at Champlain College. The list of workshops shows the staggering breadth of the stimulus package.
From small business loans, to first-time home buyer tax credits; from community block grants to unemployment assistance; from health care IT grants to infrastructure improvements. There is a workshop for everyone.
These sorts of workshops should be held across the nation as well, so that people can see that jobs are coming; that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it will be money well-spent, money that will restart our economic engine. A little confidence will spur buying; buying will spur investment; investment will spur lending; lending will spur building; building will spur job growth, which will spur confidence. And so on.
I do dearly hope that Williston is the beneficiary of some of the funds. But even if not, as projects throughout the state are approved and started, we will feel the ripples as the stimulus spreads throughout the area.
--
I note the passing of Paul Harvey this past weekend. I remember listening to his newscast years ago as I drove to meet my wife for occasional lunches. The tone, pace, and timbre of his voice were unmistakable. Though I had not heard him for a long while, his tag lines, like "And that's the rest of the story," "Page 2," and his distinctive "Good day!" not to mention his famous pregnant pauses, are etched in my memory. Harvey will be missed.
Showing posts with label douglas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label douglas. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Evaluating the local races
This column originally appeared in the Williston Observer on October 23, 2008.
Evaluating the local races
I've had a hard time deciding for whom to vote for governor.
This may come as somewhat of a shock if you've read these words over the past few months. It would not be inaccurate to call me a Democratic Party partisan. But I try not to make decisions purely based on party. And this year, there are three good choices. What's a partisan to do?
I'll circle back to the governor's race - first, I want to offer my support for local Democrats Terry Macaig and Jim McCullough. McCullough is a long-time resident of Williston and a long-serving member of the legislature. Though he may score low on some business group's scorecard, I'm confident that he knows what business needs from Montpelier and will work to that end.
Macaig is also a long-time resident and shares many of my own views on local issues, notably on mandatory minimum sentences and on Vermont Yankee. These are important issues that will need to be worked out carefully and thoughtfully, and I'm confident Macaig will be an important part of that process.
As far as the Senate goes, my family has a personal relationship with Diane Snelling, and I do plan to give her one of my votes. From the Democratic column, I have long experience with Ginny Lyons, Ed Flanagan, and Doug Racine. I still have some thinking to do on my final two choices for Senator.
Guiding those choices will be my goal of maintaining a Democratic majority in the statehouse. However, I think it is good to have a robust and vocal opposition, so I don't want to see the Republicans and Progressives trounced.
And that brings me back to the gubernatorial race. Because I see positives about all three candidates, it has been a process of elimination to come to my decision.
Anthony Pollina has good ideas and he is articulate. I used to hear him on the radio during lunchtime drives, and remember nodding in agreement as he spoke. But in the end, I think his position on Vermont Yankee is dangerous for the Vermont economy, and I fear his health care plan. I would be comfortable voting for Pollina for lieutenant governor - but not for the state's highest office.
Jim Douglas has some good ideas, to be sure. He opposed an increase in the gas tax, his e-State initiative is a positive plan for our future, and he supports Vermont Yankee. However, his refusal to support a clean-up fund for Yankee is troubling, and I disagree with his continued support for unnecessary road projects in Williston and Bennington.
Gaye Symington has a leg up on Douglas because of her party affiliation, and I agree with most of her published positions. I fully support Symington's plan for Vermont's infrastructure. The money we would spend on the Circ and on the Bennington Bypass could be put to much better use elsewhere, improving what we already have.
However, I fear her support for Yankee is limited to the plant's decommissioning. I think Yankee needs to be a centerpiece of our energy plan and we need to work closely with Entergy to that end.
But the biggest reason I have had such a hard time getting behind Symington fully is a basic belief of mine - that the separation of powers is critical to making sure good laws are made. There are so many problems in Washington right now that I think we need to have a Democratic Congress and a Democratic president. I'm a bit afraid of what could happen if the Democrats are flush with power at the state level, though.
So that's it. Do I support Douglas knowing I disagree with him on several key issues, but also knowing that for bills to become laws, they will have to be reasoned compromises? Or do I support Symington, knowing we agree on most issues, but fearing that the checks and balances of our system are in jeopardy when there is little need for compromise?
After some considerable soul-searching, I have decided to support Symington. We have tough times over the horizon, and I think that with the fourth estate keeping a close eye on our state government, the Democrats can pass laws that benefit the state without burdening the taxpayers. I urge you to support Symington, too, and give her a chance to steer us through the coming storm.
Evaluating the local races
I've had a hard time deciding for whom to vote for governor.
This may come as somewhat of a shock if you've read these words over the past few months. It would not be inaccurate to call me a Democratic Party partisan. But I try not to make decisions purely based on party. And this year, there are three good choices. What's a partisan to do?
I'll circle back to the governor's race - first, I want to offer my support for local Democrats Terry Macaig and Jim McCullough. McCullough is a long-time resident of Williston and a long-serving member of the legislature. Though he may score low on some business group's scorecard, I'm confident that he knows what business needs from Montpelier and will work to that end.
Macaig is also a long-time resident and shares many of my own views on local issues, notably on mandatory minimum sentences and on Vermont Yankee. These are important issues that will need to be worked out carefully and thoughtfully, and I'm confident Macaig will be an important part of that process.
As far as the Senate goes, my family has a personal relationship with Diane Snelling, and I do plan to give her one of my votes. From the Democratic column, I have long experience with Ginny Lyons, Ed Flanagan, and Doug Racine. I still have some thinking to do on my final two choices for Senator.
Guiding those choices will be my goal of maintaining a Democratic majority in the statehouse. However, I think it is good to have a robust and vocal opposition, so I don't want to see the Republicans and Progressives trounced.
And that brings me back to the gubernatorial race. Because I see positives about all three candidates, it has been a process of elimination to come to my decision.
Anthony Pollina has good ideas and he is articulate. I used to hear him on the radio during lunchtime drives, and remember nodding in agreement as he spoke. But in the end, I think his position on Vermont Yankee is dangerous for the Vermont economy, and I fear his health care plan. I would be comfortable voting for Pollina for lieutenant governor - but not for the state's highest office.
Jim Douglas has some good ideas, to be sure. He opposed an increase in the gas tax, his e-State initiative is a positive plan for our future, and he supports Vermont Yankee. However, his refusal to support a clean-up fund for Yankee is troubling, and I disagree with his continued support for unnecessary road projects in Williston and Bennington.
Gaye Symington has a leg up on Douglas because of her party affiliation, and I agree with most of her published positions. I fully support Symington's plan for Vermont's infrastructure. The money we would spend on the Circ and on the Bennington Bypass could be put to much better use elsewhere, improving what we already have.
However, I fear her support for Yankee is limited to the plant's decommissioning. I think Yankee needs to be a centerpiece of our energy plan and we need to work closely with Entergy to that end.
But the biggest reason I have had such a hard time getting behind Symington fully is a basic belief of mine - that the separation of powers is critical to making sure good laws are made. There are so many problems in Washington right now that I think we need to have a Democratic Congress and a Democratic president. I'm a bit afraid of what could happen if the Democrats are flush with power at the state level, though.
So that's it. Do I support Douglas knowing I disagree with him on several key issues, but also knowing that for bills to become laws, they will have to be reasoned compromises? Or do I support Symington, knowing we agree on most issues, but fearing that the checks and balances of our system are in jeopardy when there is little need for compromise?
After some considerable soul-searching, I have decided to support Symington. We have tough times over the horizon, and I think that with the fourth estate keeping a close eye on our state government, the Democrats can pass laws that benefit the state without burdening the taxpayers. I urge you to support Symington, too, and give her a chance to steer us through the coming storm.
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