(Issue recap: The legislature passed a bill requiring Entergy to guarantee that the decommissioning fund will be sufficient to shut down VY when the time comes – if not through its actual balance sheet, at least through a line of credit guaranteeing Entergy can’t just disappear outright, or through the sneaky corporate shell game its currently pursuing, leaving Vermont taxpayers with a staggering bill. The corporate community aggressively rallied behind Entergy to keep any and all precedents for meaningful corporate accountability off the books.)

Got an email last night from a Vermont Yankee activist making, what strikes me, as a very sound prediction on what’s around the corner for the issue of the decommissioning fund:

I predict that the Guv will veto the decommissioning bill ….  here is how I think it will happen.

ENVY (Entergy Vermont Yankee) and the Guv will agree to some written document “committing” ENVY in an Infomercial sense.  It will be legally meaningless, but none the less, the Guv can use that document as a fig leaf to veto the Decommissioning bill.  The Guv can claim the bill is unnecessary as a result of the “agreement” his administration reached with ENVY.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to bet against that prediction.

Albany Times Union

HUDSON, N.Y. – Workers at the Kaz Inc. factory here will be watching this summer to see whether their latest product sends mosquitoes to their doom.

Kaz, which employs 400 people in this upstate New York town, is busy making and shipping its latest product – the Mosquito Vacuum, a high-tech trap designed to reduce backyard mosquito populations.

The Mosquito Vacuum is designed to run around the clock. It requires a standard 20-pound propane tank, access to an outdoor electrical outlet, and a bait cartridge that’s inserted into the machine. For those worried about global warming, company officials say the carbon dioxide generated is equal to what a small dog would create.

And while the Mosquito Vacuum might be considered a “guy” product because it requires a propane hook-up like a gas grill, Kaz executives believe it will also be a huge hit with mothers who want to keep their kids free of mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus.

It will be sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s home-improvement stores nationwide at a price of $279.

You may ask “Why single out the Mosquito Vac.?” Because it’s there,and given the state of the Nation and the VDP it is easy to get peevish about vacuums .

The mosquito vacuum: a symbol .How many current policy problems can you find that relate to this product? This is produced in the USA by a multi-national company. 400 manufacturing jobs here in the North East are riding in this vacuum’s sales .Rust belt, regional jobs,hard to find jobs,check to check jobs, ,jobs that people need .Jobs in potential jeopardy.

This item uses propane and electricity so add fuel prices and electric rates to the mix,maybe take a quick pass at Global warming.They will be sold this summer in Big box stores at a  sprawl mall near you, development issues,maybe zoning laws/environmental regs. are tied in too. Who knows what mosquito bait cartridges might contain?

Lastly what does it really do ? It protects,provides peace of mind for dad ,mom and the family .It fills the newest American need ,takes the fear from our back yards.Fear of mosquitoes carrying disease ,not just a homegrown disease ,but foreign (terrorist?) disease carriers.West Nile virus . Also notice the price. You may have some money left from your federal tax stimulus check to pay off some interest on that troublesome credit card debt.

Have a great Summer, fear free ,while enjoying both the “Gas Tax Holiday” and “Vt.Sales Tax Holiday”. Are they good to us or what ? Always thinking about the future .Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.

I write this letter with some pangs of guilt. After all it was us Vermonters as a group who introduced you to Doug Jimless, and apparently that was not to your benefit.

Droppings, remember when Jimless told you there were no jobs up here in Vermont? Well, as it turns out he was the worst possible candidate for a jobs coach we could have set you up with.

This morning in the Barre/Montpelier Times Argus I read the following (I added my own hiliting):

A St. Johnsbury company has closed, putting 80 people out of work.

W.T. Solutions, a sewing contractor, closed Wednesday afternoon and plans to move to Newark, N.J.

Owner Marie Bouchard of Conway, N.H., says she has been losing money every year for five years.

She says the problem is there are not enough qualified people to hire in St. Johnsbury, so she did not have enough workers to fill large contracts.

The company makes garments for the military and other outlets.

(St. Johnsbury company closes; 80 lose jobs, Times Argus, 05/03/08)

My dear, dear Droppings … I am so sorry I told you to take a left towards Montpelier that day instead of a right towards St. J. You never would have been taken in by that shyster jobs coach Doug Jimless, you would have had a decent job in St. Johnsbury, and you would still be near your family and friends.

My mom, Venis, wants to say hi too.

With a heavy heart,

Venis’ Son.

Sometimes a bad idea just keeps coming back.

For instance, early in the session the Department of Corrections tried to get the right to charge prisoners a $5.00 copay to go to the doctor.

That's right: we've got you locked up, we control where you go, who you see, what you do, and if you're unlucky enough to get sick you go to our doctor, and we're charging you for it. 

This was early times, and by January 17 the Ways & Means Committee voted to ditch the copay, but the idea got stuck back in the fee bill earlier this week.

Late this afternoon we confirmed that the copay is out, and will not be resurfacing.

Anyone who is concerned about health care, decent treatment of prisoners, or logical public policy should thank Rep. Carolyn Branagan (R, Georgia) for her help in squelching this bad idea once again.