Mountain Times - Volume 48, Number 24: June 12-18, 2019

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8 • Opinion The Mountain Times • June 12-18, 2019 OP-ED Did Dems blow it? Could you do better? By Angelo Lynn As news of Vermont’s legislative session wraps up, the overall reaction to the session was that the Democrats and Progressives fell short of accomplishing several key measures – namely, implementing retail sales for marijuana, taking the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, passing a favorable family leave bill, finding a way forward on Act 46 (school consolidation and governance), as well as numerous environmental issues. Dealt a supermajority in the Legislature, the early hype was that these and other progressive measures would be a slam dunk in the House and Senate, leaving it up to Republican Gov. Phil Scott to wield a possible veto and face voter wrath. Instead, Democrats squabbled, Scott stayed largely on the sidelines and the Democratic advantage crumbled in a mix of egos and fractured interests. The session wasn’t a flop. It didn’t accomplish all it could have, but it made progress in several important areas. But on many topics that generally have consensus among Democrats and Progressives, it was a case of the devil being in the details, and a failure of leadership to see their way to suitable compromise. Among Democrats and Progressives there was blame all around, with some political novices suggesting they could do better. Lynn, page 9 Encourage children to choose summer reads By Duncan McDougall Summer is a magical season for kids – a time when they finally get to make many of their own decisions. Except when it comes to reading. This summer millions of children will be slogging through a school-assigned reading list. And that may not be such a good thing. Educators have long been aware of the “summer slide,” when many children, especially those from low-income families, experience a disturbing decline in their reading skills. Though summer reading lists are intended to help prevent the summer slide, a three-year study, by the U.S. Department of Education underscores the power of letting children decide what they want to read. Researchers tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 low-income children. They learned that children who selected several new books of their choice from 600 diverse titles at a spring book fair experienced the same positive impacts as if they had attended summer school that year. That finding is no surprise to the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). For 21 years our organization has helped 250,000 disadvantaged children select new books to keep that match their unique interests – and get them excited about reading. CLiF serves children in low-income housing developments, homeless shelters, and rural communities. We work with refugee and migrant children, children of prison inmates, and many other at-risk groups across New Hampshire and Vermont. We arrange fun, stimulating author visits, writing workshops, and storytelling activities given by skilled professionals who can inspire young readers and writers. CLiF’s Summer Readers program is aimed directly at preventing the summer slide. Rural towns, schools, camps, and libraries across New Hampshire and Vermont can apply for a dynamic presentation by a professional New Hampshire or Vermont storyteller. After the presentation, children browse through scores of titles and select new Summer Reading, page 35 LETTERS Barnes is a man of integrity, give him a chance Dear Editor, I was pleased to learn recently about the Hermitage’s plans to restructure. I hope that the Hermitage will re-emerge successfully and that Jim will be given the opportunity to make good as he has done consistently throughout his career. It is well recognized that the Hermitage has fallen on tough times and many creditors are owed money. But please also understand what is far less recognized - that Jim is a man of honor, integrity and compassion. He will strive to do everything within his power to make things right, given the chance. I first met Jim when we worked together in Connecticut at Oakleaf Waste Management from 2005-2011 - a time when we were taking Oakleaf, the company he started from scratch in 1995, to its meteoric growth as a $650 million successful, profitable enterprise. Today I live and work in Vermont - A place I love and have called home since 2012. On many occasions, I saw Jim’s compassion and his desire to help others regardless of the cost or sacrifice. On one particular occasion I was traveling with Jim to Minneapolis for a business meeting. When we arrived, my back suddenly went out and I was unable to move. Jim helped rush me to the nearest emergency room where I was treated promptly. I knew he needed to get back to CT, so I began to make arrangements for my wife to fly out to Minnesota to be with me. Jim made it clear to me that that wouldn’t be necessary. He said to me, and I’ll never forget his exact words, “Jim Barnes leaves no man behind”. Here I was with the most successful person I’ve ever met, a former winner of Ernst and Young’s National Entrepreneur of the Year award and he was more concerned about me than returning to his own family or to work. Somehow, though I could still barely move, Jim got me discharged from the hospital, pushed me in a wheelchair through the airport and we caught the next flight later that night. Marc Okrant, Chittenden What really happened in Montpelier Dear Editor, A lot of grumbling and criticism has greeted the end of this session of the state legislature, both how it ended and what it accomplished. Lost in all the noise is the fact that the legislature is elected in a two year cycle. . Bills that were not disposed of in this session can and will be picked up in the next, in January 2020, just as they were left at the end of this one. So, the two bills that are causing all the kerfuffle among Democrats and others—the paid family leave and raising the minimum wage—are not dead. All the work done on them will be carried over to the next session where you can be sure they will be considered again. As to the criticism that this legislature somehow is a great disappointment. We should not expect a group of 94 people of different genders, geography, age, income, personality, ethnic background, race, etc. to agree. These are complicated issues with many facets. They affect many people in different ways, in different parts of our state. Also contributing to the disappointment is the mistaken belief that the Democrats have a super, veto-proof majority. Therefore they can get anything they want. They do not. At best a veto override would require votes from other parties. And all those diverse Democrats would have to agree. Nevertheless the House passed 37 bills! They address issues such as broadband, workforce, abortion, childhood sexual abuse, waiting periods for handgun purchasing, banning plastic bags, fair and impartial policing, funding for clear water, and on and on. With all the attention on paid family leave and raising the minimum wage the substantial accomplishments of this session of the House of Representatives have been overlooked. The result is a distorted picture of what really happened in Montpelier this year. The delay of those two bills should not define this legislative session. Bill Kuch, Springfield
The Mountain Times • June 12-18, 2019 CAPITOL QUOTES • 9 CAPITOL QUOTES “I’m saddened to hear of the passing of former state Rep. David Ainsworth. David was an exceptional public servant and showed it in every regard. His commitment to community, family - and, of course, his farming - was unmatched. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him, and I send my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” Said Gov. Phil Scott. On the death of Rep. David Ainsworth at age 64... “Rep. Ainsworth leaves a strong legacy as a fifth generation Vermont dairy farmer and public servants in the Royalton and greater Vermont communities. David was a committed public servant and will be sorely missed. My deepest condolences are extended to his family, his community and his colleagues,” Said House Speaker Mitzi Johnson. “There are a number of people who come from more urban areas who don’t understand what farm life is all about, and David was a really strong voice for the farmers,” Said House Agriculture Chair Carolyn Partridge D-Windham to the Valley News. Lynn: Considerations to jumpstart discussion continued from page 8 For summer fun, let’s put that boast to the test with a challenge to readers: study the key issues and propose solutions to a few of the tougher statewide and local issues. Everyone can participate by reading and contributing ideas through letters to the editor. Let’s see if we can find consensus on a measure to present to our fellow legislators. One idea is to do this with a couple of friends or neighbors, as two or three opinions in a room help focus and fine-tune ideas – and it brings neighbors and friends together (and try to avoid arguments, though that is a natural part of the legislative process.) Consider the follow four hot topics: • Minimum wage and family leave. Is raising it to $15 by 2024 the best idea, or are other options preferable? What are the pros and cons? Can you leave it to the free market and still have that be what’s best for workers and the economy? On family leave, it should be a win-win for businesses and workers, but why is it so hard to find the right mix of benefit to cost and what’s the preferred solution? • Enacting a Green New Deal for Vermont. Could the state get a jump on a future job market by being an early adopter of greener policies? What measures are on the table and what should be pursued in the next session? • Act 46: Consolidating school district governance is one thing, consolidating schools is another. How far should the state go to force mergers and consolidation? What can and should small towns do to resist, if they oppose closing their school? What’s the best end result for students? Here’s a bit of backround and basic facts on the first topic, minimum wage and family leave, to get you started as a basis for informed discussion: • Vermont’s current minimum wage is $10.78, with wages going up each year based on a factor of inflation. Under Act 176, which was passed in 2014, the minimum wage rose to $10 an hour for 2017, then to $10.50 on January 1, 2018, and then on the first day of the year thereafter the minimum wage would increase by the percentage increase of the Consumer Price Index with a cap in case the CPI exceeded 5 percent. As noted by the conservative-leaning Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont is currently tied with Arizona for the sixth highest minimum wage in the U.S. Other New England states currently have the following minimum wages for 2019: Massachusetts, $12 (certain farm workers will still be pegged at $8 per hour); Maine, $11; Rhode Island, $10.50; Connecticut, $10.10. New Hampshire has no minimum wage, so it defers to the federal minimum wage of $7.25. An important note, largely lost in this year’s hullabaloo over Democrats not being able to send a minimum wage bill to Gov. Scott, is that the current bill provides for an inflationary increase, which will be about 2 percent. So Vermont’s current minimum wage of $10.78 will increase to about $11 on Jan. 1, 2020. • Among progressive states, much has been made about a theoretical “livable wage,” which studies have pegged around $13.50 or so in Vermont for 2019, but which would also rise with inflation. That’s one of the reasons why the Legislature picked a $15 minimum wage for 2024; to keep within that “livable wage” metric. Whether that is right for Vermont is up for debate. • The reasons for a rise in the minimum wage are obvious: $15 an hour translates to about $30,000 annually (for easy figuring: 40 hours per week, times 52 weeks is roughly 2,000 hours annually, times the rate; $10 per hour, then, would be $20,000 annually.) Currently, for a family of four, living on less than $24,000 is below the poverty line. Also, there’s the theory that a rising tide AMONG DEMOCRATS AND PROGRESSIVES THERE WAS BLAME ALL AROUND, WITH SOME POLITICAL NOVICES SUGGESTING THEY COULD DO BETTER. floats all boats. That is, if we keep the minimum wage above the poverty line, or higher, that sector of the economy pours more money back into the local economy, which increases business, etc.; plus subsidies to those families from some state aid programs would be reduced. • The reasons against a higher minimum wage argue that it would be an added burden to some businesses, that some businesses as a result might reduce hours for those wage earners (to reduce costs), and that a few businesses might be forced to close. (Readers should also note that Vermont exempts farm workers from the minimum wage provision.) There are many arguments around this idea, but it’s primarily that it would be detrimental to the business community. For the family leave issue, the issue revolves around how generous to make the program; what’s too burdensome for businesses; should employees contribute to the plan; and to what degree, if any, should the state be involved and at what ongoing expense? That should be enough of a start to foster good discussions. For extra credit, read Act 176, the state’s current minimum wage law and read more about the pros and cons of a higher minimum wage from qualified sources. Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times.
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Mountain Times - Volume 48, Number 24: June 12-18, 2019

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