(A quiet, pithy reference to the history of Vermont’s leadership. – promoted by NanuqFC)
According to A History of Vermont (1916), almost immediately after Fort Sumter was fired upon and the Civil War began:
Towns voted to raise money on their grand list, and subscribed to equip the militia and support the families of volunteers…[The Legislature] voted seven dollars per month pay in addition to the thirteen dollars offered by the [Federal] government ; had provided for the relief of the families of volunteers in cases of destitution, and had laid the first war tax, — ten cents on the dollar of the grand list.
Vermonters could have shrugged their shoulders and said it wasn't their problem. Our little state was far away from the fighting, yet we responded to the call with great aplomb and sacrifice so that we might preserve the Union and, true to our abolitionist history, set other people free.
While we're perhaps known for a certain amount of rugged individualism, we don't shirk our responsibility to each other. Sometimes it takes the form of helping replace the cemetery fence. Or dropping off canned goods at the food pantry. Or holding special events to raise money for people whose children are sick.
That's all well and good, though sometimes things happen that require more concerted effort from a larger community to deal with. For instance, right now our tax dollars are helping victims of Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana. Last year they helped Vermonters hit by Hurricane Irene.
We were lucky in Franklin County, feeling very little of Irene's fury, but people headed down south to help out folks who lost their homes and businesses. And when Fletcher suffered from road washouts a few months before that, state government and the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave us a boost when our relatively small Town budget would have been overwhelmed by necessary repairs.
Our Founders established the Constitution to “form a more perfect Union”—which Vermonters died defending a couple generations later—and to “promote the general Welfare.” They recognized we're all in this together, and we honor their foresight as we take care of our neighbors just down the road and far to the south of us.
ntodd
Great dIary, Todd.
And an excellent opportunity to contrast the Vermont “we’re all in this together” attitude with the “I’ve got mine, you’re on your own” attitude of the Republicans.
NanuqFC
In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. ~ H. L. Mencken
see this piece in the Addison County Independent
http://www.addisonindependent….
this, i think, is a key that we cannot and must not forget.
the state can and should be the general operating system for its citizens. and its citizens should direct how that system works.
even if reagan made welfare and government dirty words.
and nowhere does it say anything about “promote the corporate welfare’.
I’ve been saying that if today’s TeaBircher Republicans had been around in the 1950s, when the top income tax rate was 90%, they would have demanded we concede the Cold War to the Soviets and abandoned the Space Race because taxes were too high and would interfere with the growth of business.
The historical record is clear: taxing the insanely wealthy is GOOD for economic growth.
I’ve seen this time and time again. Republicans take the White House and shut off the flow of money (that’s why it’s called ‘currency’!). The economy slows, unemployment goes up, wages fall. The Dems take the White House and start up the flow of money again, business increases, unemployment falls, the deficit gets better, budgets get balanced.
Then GW Bush was installed as Acting President and after 6 years of Super-Majority, they slowed the flow of money so much that credit froze and we were a week away from having no food in the grocery stores!
For the last 4 years Obama has been trying to get the flow of money going again, but he’s been thwarted at every turn by the insane-right.
The GOP is so crazy that they WANT total global economic collapse. They must want that because that is the only outcome of their inhumane policies.
If today’s Republicans were around in 1860, they would have sided with the South. I’ve even seen descendants of Vermont Civil War dead flying the ‘rebel’ flag, dishonoring their own family’s sacrifice!
As a good Vermont citizen I’ll pass along the info I got this morning:
This Saturday, Aug. 8, at 3pm, OCCUPY CENTRAL VERMONT will hold its Monthly Assembly at the Guerrilla Garden on Main St., Montpelier. (across from City Hall)
And also this Saturday, Kellogg-Hubbard Library is having a BEER GARDEN, catered by Three Penny Taproom, on the library lawn from 6pm to 9pm. My fantasy–Librarian Bartenders.
Todd wrote:
Uh, yes, but they also died defending the independence of the nascent country and its concept of constitutional government half a generation before their home place was even granted admittance to it.
NanuqFC
If ever the spirit of liberty should vanish from the rest of the Union, it could be restored by the generous share held by the people in this brave little State of Vermont. ~ Pres. Calvin Coolidge