(Well stated. It would behoove those debating the budget in Montpelier to read this. – promoted by simplify)

One of the most important lessons I’ve gained in life is that when you have a problem, you have to figure out what’s causing it and get down to the root of the matter. Governor Shumlin’s proposals to cap Reach Up and limit the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are a clear example of misunderstanding the problem and therefore calling for a solution that won’t fix it.

The things I hear coming from Montpelier and some newspapers these days don’t ring true with what I’ve faced. I’m a single mom of two children, born and raised in Brattleboro. I’m also proud to have attended college and received two degrees. I work full time and volunteer in my community that I have invested in and value so much. Yet, like many members of my community, I sometimes struggle to meet my family’s needs, such as healthcare, higher education, childcare, transportation, housing, healthy food and dignified work.

For the last 18 years, I raised my children on under $23,000 a year. I’ve shuttled between many different social services, including Reach Up, to sustain my family. I worked up to three jobs at once, yet still continued to live in poverty. Even between a day job, an afternoon job and a night job, I never made more than $17,000 a year. My current job is my first with benefits. It is pretty clear to me that we suffer from a poverty economy that just does not create enough jobs with livable wages.

Meanwhile, in Montpelier, the story goes that we have a budget deficit and our only option is for “everyone” to tighten their belts and take more cuts. I’m asking people across Vermont to compare this story with our reality. We are not in a budget crisis; we are in a revenue crisis. We live in a system that doesn’t make sure everyone contributes equitably. Poor and low-income people pay a greater proportion of their income to taxes, compared to businesses and the wealthy. Yet each year, poor and low-income people are expected to bear the brunt of cuts to public services.

The heart of Vermont’s problem is a system that puts corporate profits before people and families. We need to change this system. We need a People’s Budget. This means first looking at the human needs in Vermont, then raising the money in an equitable way so that we all give what we can and get what we need.

Our budget reflects our values. It ought to reflect our desire to create the kind of caring communities where we would never leave anyone behind. Every one of us has the right to live in dignity and meet our full human potential. The Governor’s proposal to cap Reach Up and slash the EITC is an attack on all our state’s residents – particularly women – who struggle to meet their fundamental needs in a system that makes people poor and keeps them poor.

It’s also important that our public dialogue reflects the highest values our community aspires to have. It is shocking and heartbreaking how quickly this debate has encouraged stereotypes and resentment to come out of the woodwork in our communities, criticizing poor mothers and families who are trying to get by. We must remember that raising a child can be very hard for anyone, and all families need support at different times.

Today’s budget and revenue process tries to pit us against one another in competition over a slice of the state budget. But our communities can do better than that. We have the power to recognize that there is enough to go around, if we create a Vermont in which the people – our fundamental needs and our human rights – are the top priority.

-Shela Linton, Brattleboro

April 16, 2013