And now for something completely different.  

That dreary step-cousin of “Vermonters First,” “Vermonter’s For Health Care Freedom” has once again dragged its oxymoronic little self into our peripheral vision.

What caught our eye this time is another one of those pathetic push polls that read sort of like the joke that goes: “when did you stop beating your wife?”

The “poll,” to which anyone could respond (and I did) until it was pulled-down this afternoon, was very similar to a discredited poll by the same group back in 2011.

That previous online poll was cited as a definitive representation of the views of doctors, who supposedly would leave the state in overwhelming numbers if single payer was enacted …until it was discovered that anyone could respond to the poll, doing so as many times as they liked; and that each of those responses counted in the tally.

As only a few individuals even bothered to respond to the poll; and those who did were mostly onboard with the agenda; it was easy to get the desired results.

The poll du jour was sent to all legislators for response, and will no doubt figure in some future attempt to distort the opinion of that body.

Anticipating an early pull-down,  I copied the single question as it was posed, and the four possible responses:

Green Mountain Care single payer has been enacted into law, is being implemented and is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2017. The Shumlin Administration has asked the Legislature to defer consideration of a budget and funding plan until 2015. My view(s) on this issue is as follows:

1) GMC single payer should be repealed with or without a budget and funding plan.

2) Implementation of GMC single payer should be suspended

   until a budget and funding plan are approved.

3) Delaying consideration of GMC single payer financing until

   2015 is reasonable.

4) Comments/other    (a box was provided.)

Nice try guys.  Catch you later.