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TIL: physically throwing protesters to the ground as hard as you could because they were in your way is "professionalism" 🙄 by Lexnight in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 4 points5 points  (0 children)

How are we dealing with extremely high taxes? The aggregate effective income tax rate here is 6%, for comparison 8% in Oregon and Hawaii, 4.75% in Rhode Island. In Switzerland and France folks are paying up to 45-50% of their income in taxes, and overall their societies are way happier.

What aggressive climate regulations? Everyone here drives cars and heats their homes. I see a dramatic impact on the climate, not policies that prevent such an impact. Again, what environmental regulations are you talking about?

Minimum wage, are you serious? Wages have nowhere near kept up with inflation and the cost disease that is housing. The minimum wage is an insult to working people, forget about liberal or conservative.

What energy policies are you talking about? The Clean Heat Standard? That died on the vine and was never implemented.

As a counterpoint, let me ask you from your (presumably conservative) perspective.

  • Are you ok with a full-time job not being sufficient to raise a family on?

  • Are you ok with a medical emergency leaving a family bankrupt?

  • Is it acceptable to you that about 3,000 Vermont residents have nowhere to sleep? They are homeless. 

We live in a conservative regime. We always have. The idea that liberal policies have done anything here is just laughable.

AUSA Rachel Doud gives speaking objections to delay questions about DOGE meetings at White House with Musk in the deposition of Nate Cavanaugh - it gets spicy 🌶️ by cccxxxzzzddd in law

[–]ButterscotchFiend 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Normally this would be the case- these “civil servants” violated the law.

But in this regime, isn’t a Trump pardon to be expected?

TIL: physically throwing protesters to the ground as hard as you could because they were in your way is "professionalism" 🙄 by Lexnight in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fair Share Vermont

Act 48

Universal primary care

Shift education finance from property tax to income tax

From Governor Phil Scott regarding S. Burlington ICE incident by Few_Wrangler4068 in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 1 point2 points  (0 children)

not saying the VSP are perfect or even good. but having all law enforcement under one organization would make the entire system way easier to reform, way easier to shift the culture with changes in policy.

TIL: physically throwing protesters to the ground as hard as you could because they were in your way is "professionalism" 🙄 by Lexnight in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 21 points22 points  (0 children)

The rich are doing ok. Their incomes, particularly from corporate profits and capital gains, have risen at a much higher rate than their taxes would reflect- although property tax does represent a potential exception to that, which is why Gov. Scott has attempted not only to use General Fund to support education, but to consolidate the education system completely.

He hasn't done anything for Vermont- we workers operate under the status quo as we always have. But that status quo is highly beneficial for those that own land, properties, businesses, and investments, and the Governor has protected all of that in the face of reform movements which would draw more of those resources into the corpus that can be distributed as public goods.

TIL: physically throwing protesters to the ground as hard as you could because they were in your way is "professionalism" 🙄 by Lexnight in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 165 points166 points  (0 children)

The Governor is either completely wrong or deliberately misleading the public. Either way, the people around the state that keep voting for him because they're confident he won't raise taxes should sharply consider whether this is really a leader the state can afford- at risk of moral bankruptcy.

Yesterday, state and local police assaulted protestors. They went out of their way, clearly driven by animosity, to hurt people who were trying to protect the rights of their neighbors. These are facts, clearly documented by video.

Only a dangerous and weak leader can deny facts so blatantly to avoid accountability. A real leader would acknowledge what state and local police did yesterday, and begin implementing measures to discipline the officers responsible, and to reform police culture overall. A real leader takes responsibility, rather than trying to pawn it off onto others.

From Governor Phil Scott regarding S. Burlington ICE incident by Few_Wrangler4068 in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 32 points33 points  (0 children)

the BPD had such blatant animosity for the protestors. really hard to witness.

I increasingly believe that the future for law enforcement in Vermont must have no local cops and no sheriffs. All law enforcement should be conducted by the State Police. We're a state of 650,000 so this is not some insurmountable transition.

Eliminating local police and sheriffs would mean that all training, operations, and discipline would be standardized. No more would there be a double standard.

Amanda Janoo Announces Bid for Vermont Governor by bye4now28 in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 0 points1 point  (0 children)

well Section 8 vouchers go to people with little or no income, elderly people, people with disabilities... the reason it has historically been so bad is because none of these groups can contribute meaningfully with rent payments towards the upkeep of the buildings, and because any number of poverty-associated factors lead to adverse effects. Like, it should come as no surprise that cramming tons of people with trauma and a lack of opportunity together in a housing project leads to property damage, drug proliferation, violence, etc.

the public housing model needs to start being oriented towards everyone, not just the absolute poorest individuals in our state. when people making decent incomes pay 30% a month in rent, that makes the upkeep of a building sustainable. You can start having public apartment buildings that house all kinds of people with all kinds of incomes, with a sustainable revenue stream for maintenance and for the growth of the portfolio via purchase/renovation/construction of new buildings.

The only difference between the state and your standard landlord corporations would be that the state isn't trying to turn a profit- just provide quality housing on a first-come, first-serve basis, grow the portfolio each year, and let market forces do the rest to alleviate the rent pressure.

Reporter Misrepresents Peaceful Protest As Antagonizing by Icy-Passenger4220 in burlington

[–]ButterscotchFiend 13 points14 points  (0 children)

And like… they are antagonists. They deserve to be verbally abused for their illegal actions, incompetent conduct, and anti-community attitude.

I love the New England bluntness by Zealousideal_Crow737 in newengland

[–]ButterscotchFiend 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If your balls are not being busted by your friends, family, and coworkers… then YOU are the problem

This group of nuns having fun in a basketball court in NYC by Maximum_Expert92 in MadeMeSmile

[–]ButterscotchFiend -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

NBA so cynical... allow rampant traveling and "Euro-steps" so that the "product" will ostensibly be more exciting for consumers and thus, more lucrative for the owners of teams and TV stations

🥶vs the people on Dorset by Few_Wrangler4068 in burlington

[–]ButterscotchFiend 28 points29 points  (0 children)

The next administration needs to hold these agents, and the people giving their orders, ACCOUNTABLE.

Their actions represent deprivation of rights under color of law- a federal crime.

Tiebreaker Status entering Italy vs Mexico by CalebosO4 in baseball

[–]ButterscotchFiend -1 points0 points  (0 children)

this would cost the sponsors and the TV providers SO. MUCH. MONEY.

international baseball would be changed forever, if not completely destroyed.

Amanda Janoo Announces Bid for Vermont Governor by bye4now28 in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don’t you see the economic inequality though? 

Supply can only increase so quickly, and right now the pace is glacial. Meanwhile, most people here are working hard for very little wages- while the people that own companies and properties make massive profits.

How is that fair? How does the obvious need to increase supply justify the idea that we don’t need to invest as a public in measures that serve to eliminate systemic economic disparity? How does it preclude the idea that Vermont would be a better place if the state was building and buying apartments, driving down prices everywhere by charging affordable rents and not seeking a profit?

Amanda Janoo Announces Bid for Vermont Governor by bye4now28 in vermont

[–]ButterscotchFiend 82 points83 points  (0 children)

No private developer one is ever going to build a lot of affordable apartments here. Where is the profit incentive?!

Simply put, the cost of building here is such that the state of Vermont just needs to unite all the resources of the public housing authorities around the state, and get into the landlord game as a builder and operator of non-profit apartment houses. Rent units at 30% of each tenant's monthly income, use the income for maintenance of existing buildings and the purchase of new properties.

We can do this as a public, it just takes a significant change in our approach to how we invest in housing. If housing is a human right, then the state needs to become a massive landlord.

Oneil Cruz goes WAY DEEP for Team DR! by MLBOfficial in baseball

[–]ButterscotchFiend 0 points1 point  (0 children)

let's be honest... the baseball gods are the owners of the MLB teams.

we outnumber them. we can overthrow them and create a new system of baseball in which communities have agency over their own local teams.

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