The Mountain Times - Volume 48, Number 38: Sept. 18-24, 2019

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Opinion 8 • The Mountain Times • Sept. 18-24, 2019 OP-ED State’s ed fund has holes By Don Turner This year, legislators and Gov. Phil Scott crafted a budget that is quite reasonable in the aggregate. New taxes and fees are fairly limited; important investments are made in a number of areas (from clean water to broadband deployment) and the budget growth rate is just 2.6%. Over the past five years, spending increases have been reasonable as well, with just 2.2% annual growth. However, despite the good and bipartisan work to produce a genuinely reasonable budget, there still remain three systemic issues in the state budget that threaten the long-term financial stability of Vermont. These three issues are: systemic holes in the education fund, growing required payments to address our unfunded liabilities, and a new social services crisis that’s relatively recent. When the next recession hits, our ability to finance these continued trends will be put to the test. Holes in the education fund have become a routine expectation under the Golden Dome. When Legislators deal with shortfalls in the general fund, they have two choices: raise taxes and fees or cut spending to cover the losses. But in the education fund, repeated annual holes Turner > 11 The arts, humanities can be a problemsolving force By Bill Schubart I recently attended a quiet conference that brought together leaders and innovators in the arts, humanities and public broadcasting. We met for two days to explore how the arts and humanities, writ large, contribute to articulating and solving some of society’s most intractable problems. The program opened with a heads-up ceremony by Vera Sheehan of Abenaki Arts acknowledging and honoring the land and its earliest inhabitants. It was a wonderful reminder that we white Vermonters are not the beginning of civilization. The program looked at major challenges Vermont faces, such as health care, economic development, diversity, support for veterans, and equity and inclusion. Presenters gave examples of how Vermont’s cultural organizations have both told stories and offered solutions. One of the more compelling was a Flynn Mainstage dance program performed by a company of Vermonters with Parkinson’s, followed days later by a flash mob performance on Church Street. There are myriad examples of how cultural organizations have transformed struggling communities by making them arts hubs which then attract tourism, engage communities and create economic activity in new enterprises and jobs. Nicola Smith who co-wrote “Deployed,” a play about women veterans and performed by Northern Stage at V.A. Medical Center in White River Junction, explained how her work had uncovered and dramatized the staggering degree of sexual abuse in the military and the psychological damage it incurs among veterans. Societies and economies have always been informed and transformed by the arts and humanities. Vermont’s own cultural non-profits: The Vermont Arts, Humanities and Folklife councils; the Vermont Historical Society; The Flynn Center; Catamount Arts; Burlington City Arts; Schubart > 9 LETTERS Why this climate strike is so important Dear Editor, For many of us who are now middle-to-late aged and have primarily led a middle class life, the current climate crisis may not be ringing any “do something now” bells in our consciousness. After all, we have seen modern society muddle through a number of crises in our lifetimes. We have also had the benefit of an Industrial Age and all the time-saving, creature comforts it provides. We have had access to reasonable education and highly advanced medical care. In short, the best of times. However, the youth of today do not see their lives within that context. The irrefutable fact of science that our emissions are causing irreversible climate change, and that only one decade remains in order to shift that trajectory, is a reality that young people cannot remove from their consciousness. Without dramatic systemic changes to our consumption habits, our energy sources and usages and our waste habits, our young people face a very altered existence. They will be facing increased catastrophic weather events, mass species extinctions, mass human migrations due to desertification and sea level rise, food shortages and compromised air and water, to name a few. How can we expect them to sit in school and prepare for a future looking something like the one that us older folks had when we know full well that it is not their reality? This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is an Earth issue. Solutions exist, and many other countries are implementing them with justice and success. Solutions in energy production and usage, transportation, food and waste systems, reforestation and sequestration are available now. Our children and grandchildren are demanding that we act consciously and boldly now, to give them a chance at a decent life on a living planet. Do they somehow deserve less? Please support your young people during the Global Climate Strike Week, Sept. 20-27. Candy Jones, Volunteer, 350 Rutland County There’s nothing wrong with milk Dear Editor, I’ve read a couple of letters lately that suggest we don’t need milk. I almost cried! I was born and raised on farms in Rutland County. During World War II, while my three older brothers served in the Marines in the South Pacific, my sister and I were the farm hands. We were in our early teens. I loved it. I especially liked getting the cows before milking. I can still belt out “Come, Boss.” I love cows. I drink a lot of milk — whole milk. I’ve read that doctors state our bodies need what is removed from whole milk for skim milk. I’m healthy and have good bones. I’ve fallen several times in my life and have never broken a bone. There may be people that don’t drink milk or eat milk products. Not me! I love milk, whipped cream on my shortcake, pudding made with milk, ice cream, butter and cheese. Life is too short not to enjoy all that good food. I’m always glad to read about the devoted farmers up at 4 a.m., working 10-12 hour days, 365 days a year. How many folks can say that? Alice Munson, Weybridge Help hurricane impacted animals Dear Editor, We’ve all seen the horrific images of destruction across the entire Grand Bahamas Island. The reality of the situation is hard to imagine but we’ve experienced our own tragedies in Vermont because of extreme weather, so we have a sense of the suffering of the people and the animals. This is a plea for help that will save lives if we act immediately. A rescue organization, The Big Dog Ranch Rescue”(BDRR) in Loxahatchee, Florida, heroically flew to the island and rescued 90 dogs. One heart wrenching story showed three family dogs in need of help. Rescuers were able to coax two of the three to safety. The third dog was so frightened she ran away. She had to be left behind – for now. The volunteers plan on returning this week for more dogs. VVSA Humane Society called BDRR to ask if they owned dog traps. They do not. Having volunteered following Hurricane Katrina, we learned that animals left behind were so traumatized, they were too Rescue > 9
The Mountain Times • Sept. 18-24, 2019 CAPITOL QUOTES • 9 CAPITOL QUOTES [On the Working Families Party endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren over Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sept. 16] “Any time there’s a vote like this, there’s going to be people with some negative feelings about the outcome. But an endorsement of Warren is not a non-endorsement of Sanders. We have been big supporters of both of them, and we have nothing but praise for the Sanders campaign,” Said Maurice Mitchell, Working Families Party national director, to the Washington Post. “Grateful for the Working Families endorsement today. Together, we’re going to make the big, structural change we need so that government works for all of us—not just the wealthy and wellconnected,” Said Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “(The campaign) is built from the support of millions of working people across the country, with our leading donors being Walmart workers, teachers and nurses. We look forward to working with the Working Families Party and other allies to defeat Donald Trump,” Said Sanders’s campaign manager Faiz Shakir in a statement. Rescue: Appeal to aid Bahamas dog rescue operation > from page 8 terrified to come to those trying to save them. A vision we’ll never forget was on the last day of the rescue effort. A Great Dane and a Chihuahua stood together at a distance watching us, too frightened to approach. They were left behind. The orders were to shoot all remaining animals after rescuers left. But we can help these dogs! VVSA purchased three dog traps that should arrive before BDRR departs. Our goal is to send as many traps as they can carry on the plane, and purchase 70-inch long traps (that > VVSA owns that works every time) ASAP. Prices range from $200 to $800. Schubart: Arts and humanities point the way forward We asked if they needed cat traps. They said no. No cats survived, nor did birds. If you’d like to contribute to this rescue, buying traps in quantity reduces their cost. Donations are tax deductible. Checks can be mailed to VVSA Humane Society, PO Box 100, Bridgewater, VT 05034. Please note: “Grand Bahamas Rescue.” Any amount ‘What to you is a real Vermonter?’ The conventional answer I’ve heard and tacitly subscribed to all my life is: a white person, often from an agrarian background, descended from at least three generations of the same. The orders were to shoot all remaining animals after rescuers left. is appreciated, and time IS of the essence. If you would like to contact BDRR directly, their number is 561-529-1424. Ask for Robin Friedman. We send them our most sincere gratitude for their undertaking. Thankfully, these animals (unlike the people) are allowed into the states for sanctuary. Sue Skaskiw, Executive director, VT Volunteer Services for Animals Humane Society from page 8 Rokeby Museum; Shelburne Museum; Vermont Authors Project; Billings Farm and Museum; Old Stone House; Vermont College of Fine Arts; Center for Cartoon Studies; Vermont Studio Center; Clemmons Family Farm; as well as the cultural programs of Vermont’s 20-plus colleges and 250 libraries all enrich our consciousness of and discussion about how society and the economy affect our lives. As issues like environmental degradation, higher ed failures, health care access and cost, homelessness, small school closures loom larger, the stories we tell one another through the arts and humanities lens become increasingly important and intrinsic to our understanding of how to find our way forward. For example, the Young Writers Project and the Vermont Youth Orchestra probably tell us more about ourselves and our future leaders than the many demographic reports we see. But unlike most other civilized countries, the United States, which hasn’t seen fit to offer a national health care system, also denies significant support for our cultural heritage, museums, public broadcasting and arts and humanities organizations. The budget for the National Endowment for the Arts is less than a third of the $437 million budget for the military’s 130 marching bands. Support for perhaps the most illuminating aspect of our lives, our capacity to share our stories and experience, is left largely to philanthropy and the modest support that states can afford to invest. All of Vermont’s cultural nonprofits have a rich treasure trove that chronicles our shared experience throughout our history, much of it languishing in libraries, small museums or in private hands. A concerted effort to digitize images, story, music and artifact is needed to literally turn our cultural nonprofits inside out and make them available to all of us and to other peoples and cultures around the world. Support for public media is vital for many reasons, but in the arts and humanities it can play a vital role in the broad dissemination of our cultural record and our dialogue about the future. As the conference ended, we were asked for our significant take-aways. I offered two moments that I found particularly enlightening. One was the memorable Abenaki land ceremony, which made so clear that we are all part of a continuum of stewardship… hardly, as we imagine, the beginning of civilization. The second was from an African- American choreographer and professor who said they’re often asked if they’re a real Vermonter, to which they ask back, “What to you is a real Vermonter?” The conventional answer I’ve heard and tacitly subscribed to all my life is: a white person, often from an agrarian background, descended from at least three generations of the same. The professor went on to suggest that a state trying to attract more young people and immigrants might want to develop a less exclusionary definition. What if the simple answer were, “Anyone coming to Vermont out of appreciation for its values, land and people.” What I learn from the arts and humanities continues to transform me even at the age of 74. Bill Schubart is an entrepreneur and writer who lives in Hinesburg.
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The Mountain Times - Volume 48, Number 38: Sept. 18-24, 2019

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