My hat is off to Tom Salmon. I sure hope that this move helps wake Vermonters up to the real problems that the far left have brought on to Vermonters.
When I served on the Vermont Senate Finance Committee with Peter Welch, Peter pulled me aside during our discussions on what became Act 68 to ask me which tax I preferred raising, income or sales? I replied neither, to which he replied, “then you are irrelevant.” Such a view has clearly been a top guiding principle of Vermont’s legislative leadership.
Soon it became clear that raising the sales tax did not lower property taxes. It only resulted in higher public-education budgets and a higher sales tax, just as Democrat Governor Madeline Kunin’s state economist Art Woolf had testified before the Senate Finance Committee. Those leading the Legislature arrogantly show no regard for people with expertise and understanding.
Auditor Salmon has helped shine light on the reality of our situation. However, Tom Salmon cannot turn Vermont around. Vermonters must turn Vermont around, starting by replacing every legislator (regardless of political party) who helped get us in this mess.
Whether motivated by political power or by fear of political consequences, those who bowed to the out-of-state big-money interests that view Vermont as a beachhead for pushing a set of disastrous ideas on our nation need to be replaced with people who will put the long-term interests of Vermonters first.
Mark Shepard
Bennington
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