Two newspapers for Sue Minter

local/regional, , , ,

Two of Vermont’s statewide newspapers just endorsed Democrat Sue Minter for Governor – over competitors Republican Phil Scott and “Spaceman” Bill Lee of the Liberty Union Party. The Burlington Free Press and The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus/Rutland Herald (Phil Scott’s hometown paper and its sister publication in the Republican enclave of Rutland) came down solidly for Minter to be elected as Vermont’s next governor.

debatetafreepAlright, I know, I know conventional wisdom is that newspaper endorsements don’t carry much weight, but in an election as close this one is, two solid thumbs up from two newspapers in the final days before Election Day sure can’t hurt.

Both papers praise Minter’s “well articulated agenda” and her considerable hands-on experience in the legislative and executive branches – her full-time, every-day job. Her public-service history makes a notable contrast to Scott’s years as part-time Lt. Gov. Scott. In that capacity he had enough spare time to “work” at other people’s jobs as a publicity stunt on a regular basis.

The Democratic nominee offers a vision for an activist administration that harnesses the power of government to tackle the big jobs, such as rebuilding the state’s highways and bridges.

Minter presents a policy portfolio built on the principle of investing in Vermont and Vermonters, from a plan to offer two years of college tuition-free, to help for parents who need childcare while attending classes, to expanded early childhood education.   – From the Free Press

 And in no uncertain terms The Times Argus assures voters they believe Minter doesn’t play politics, “… she does government.” Minter, the editorial boards say, has the capability to oversee an affordable to-do list that will manage to move Vermont forward at the same time.

In closing their endorsement of Sue Minter, the Free Press says:  A too-narrow focus on controlling increases in the state budget today without clear, explicit priorities about where and how Montpelier should spend money amounts to inaction. This is no time for Vermont to stand still.

Significantly, both papers agree budget and tax priorities will be the greatest challenge for the next governor, a signature issue for Scott and the VTGOP .Yet they favor Minter’s approach to address these concerns and move forward.

The Times Argus graciously says Vermont would not be “steered wrong” under a Scott administration, and I guess that might be so. But do we really want progress, or do we want another GOP governor to drive us around and around their circular track, waving scissors at any ribbon-cutting, like Jim Douglas did?

The FBI and Gossip Cops

National, Uncategorized, , ,

In a letter Friday to congressional leaders, FBI Director James Comey said he will continue an investigation into Hillary Clinton and certain email exchanges. celebfbi

Comey’s announcement came along despite the likelihood that some — or all — of the new emails are duplicates of those already seen by the FBI .He even included a written warning to Congress that he “cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant.” Also significant, voting is already underway in many states, and Election Day is coming up fast. And this announcement, coming so close to voting day, violates longstanding Justice Department advisories regarding investigations.

Reacting to Comey’s precedent-breaking October surprise announcement, two former deputy attorneys general, Jamie Gorelick and Larry Thompson, wrote the following  in The Washington Post:

As it stands, we now have real-time, raw-take transparency taken to its illogical limit, a kind of reality TV of federal criminal investigation. Perhaps worst of all, it is happening on the eve of a presidential election. It is antithetical to the interests of justice, putting a thumb on the scale of this election and damaging our democracy.

They say this is damaging to our democracy, but it’s lucky for Gossip Cops (and maybe the GOP & Donald Trump) Comey and the FBI are on the case.

Phil Scott’s partisan “wedgie” from the past

local/regional, ,

Lt. Governor  and Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Scott tweeted the following from the NBC5 debate between himself, Democrat Sue Minter and Bill Lee last night: “It’s so unfortunate that people create these wedges between us to distract people from looking into the truth about us.”philtweetwedge2

But whoa! Steady up on that high’n mighty horse yer ridin’ there, Phil. Some voters who listened to the debate may recall back in fall 2011 when you, Mr. Scott, clumsily wedged partisanship into what had been a politics-free zone for the Irene recovery efforts.

Here’s what he told his fellow Republicans at a fundraising dinner that he observed – or thought he observed – during the Irene recovery effort: “…. As I crisscrossed the state and witnessed recovery efforts, and saw the truck drivers, the equipment operators, the law enforcement personnel, the National Guard members, the municipal leaders … and it may have been my imagination, but I do believe most of them who were doing the work were Republicans.”

philxthreePerhaps caught up in the moment, alone with GOP buddies at last, he continued hammering the wedge home, for his Republican teammates, making it personal:

“… We are the doers. We’re the ones that get the work done … Isn’t it ironic that with the majority of Vermonters declaring themselves Democrats, that Governor Shumlin would have to lean on Republicans like myself and Neale Lunderville to help steer the ship, to come up with common sense solutions during adversity to get things done.”

Several days after his 2011 remarks and a flurry of criticism, Scott clumsily backtracked. He suggested that he didn’t really mean it and probably wasn’t a good thing to say.

That was then and this is now. Back then, alone with his GOP team Scott thought “…most of them doing the work were Republicans.” Now Phil is shocked – shocked – by such partisan talk and soft-pedals it, since most of them doing the voting are Democrats.

The RSLC, with friends like these…

local/regional, National, , , , ,

I can’t say for TV but the Republican State Leadership Committee’s ads in support of local VTGOP candidates are being run in heavy rotation on Vermont radio this weekend – and, they are … everywhere!!! rslc-ads-2

The RSLC is a national conservative political action committee (founded and advised by Karl Rove and funded with donations from Koch Industries) dedicated to electing state level conservative GOP legislators. Their national big business funded ads, with no intended irony, are attempting to rally Vermonters around a banner for local control.

This spring they pledged $50,000 to target 22 Democratic Vermont legislators for defeat. In the 2014 election when all was said and done the RSLC ended up spending over $300.000.

A funny thing in the latest ad blitz is that three Democrats – Rep. Cynthia Browning (D-Arlington) and two NEK state senators, Bobby Starr and John Rodgers (D-Essex-Orleans) – who have been reliably friendly to VTGOP causes are on the RSLC’s hit list.

The American Conservative Union recently proclaimed the Vermont legislature had a “a small pocket of conservatism” and went so far as to give Democratic State Senators John Rogers, Bobby Starr and House Rep. Cynthia Browning’s 2015 voting records  a big conservative thumbs-up. Rep. Cynthia Browning’s voting record got a perfect 100% from the ACU. And NEK Senators Rogers and Starr came in at 43%, still respectably above the lowest rated VTGOP Senator, Diane Snelling at 29%.[corrected]

While collateral damage to three highly ACU-rated Democratic friendlies, if any, won’t show up until the votes are counted on November 8, the RSLC-funded ad war is keeping a lot of radio stations happily selling ad time.

And you know – as Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers want us to believe – nothing says local control more than big businesses’ national super-PAC ads bombarding Vermont.

Democrat Dick Mazza “anchors” Scott campaign TV spot

local/regional, Uncategorized, ,

Erstwhile Democratic State Senator Dick Mazza is the featured “anchor” in a 30-second TV spot for Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Scott. dick4philState Senator Mazza, supposedly a Democrat, has a long history of crossing sides to support and assist  the VTGOP in statewide office races.(notably Dubie for Governor 2010 and Scott for Lt. Gov. 2014) so this isn’t exactly a surprise.

But now, in 2016, it is one close, close race for governor. The results of VPR poll released yesterday showed the gubernatorial race to be a dead heat with plenty of undecided voters (14%) remaining.  Democratic candidate  Sue Minter has worked long and hard and gained ground over Scott’s early advantage in statewide name recognition. So, now along comes her fellow Democrat Senator Dick Mazza to help … Republican Phil Scott.

What can you say but “Hey, thanks a lot. Dick!”

No discernible debate strategy? Not good Donald … sad!

National, ,

Tonight mercifully, the final of the three presidential debates will be held between Republican Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton the Democratic candidate.

I don’t plan to watch it tonight but will catch up on it tomorrow. So figured I’d at least get a bit of a preview today of what might take place in Las Vegas.  And one of the angles All thing Considered’s (and Fox News) commenter Mara Liasson ponders is the following question:

What is Trump’s strategy? : That hasn’t been clear in the past couple of weeks. [or longer, one could argue] When you type “Is Trump trying” into the Google search bar, the first thing that comes up is “to lose.”

Here’s all of what came up for me on the Google search: is Trump trying …trumpstrategygoogled

I guess he’s got options, but at this point it seems none that are likely to help him win. Sad.

Just the Facts: About Rigged Elections and Fraud

local/regional, National, ,

It seems incredible that such a measure should be necessary to reassure the voters of Vermont, but in the wake of unsupported claims by Donald Trump of widespread voter fraud, our Secretary of State, Jim Condos, has felt compelled to set the record straight:

Just the Facts: About Rigged Elections and Voter Fraud

By Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State

Recent unsupported allegations and sensationalized reporting are sowing seeds of doubt about our democratic process. This undermines voter confidence and calls into question whether all voices will be heard on November 8th.

As Vermont’s Secretary of State and chief elections officer, former State Senator, former City Councilor, and lifelong voter, I’ve been following our elections my entire adult life. I am frustrated by the careless way in which these stories attack our very democracy. They show a real lack of understanding of the true risks.

I’d like to set the record straight.

Vermont’s elections will not be “rigged” and “voter fraud” is essentially non-existent here and across the U.S. In fact, a Loyola University study by constitutional law professor Justin Levitt found just 31 instances of potential voter fraud between 2000 and 2014. According to Levitt, more than 1 BILLION ballots (local, state, federal) were cast in that period.

Vermont’s elections process is nonpartisan, transparent and decentralized to the town level. Any hacking or altering of results would require a conspiracy on a massive scale.

I can assure Vermonters we have taken every precaution to insure our elections are secure. I’m confident my elections team, our IT security staff, law enforcement, and local election officials will continue to protect the integrity of our electoral process.

I have faith in our system, and you should too. Here’s why:

 Vermont’s Election process is decentralized – to the local level. Someone trying to influence or change an election would have to hack into each town’s vote tabulators.

  •   Our tabulators are not connected to each other, the internet or any other software – eitherhard-wired or wireless.
  •   It has been suggested that the memory cards (MCs) in these machines could be tampered with, but from the time the MCs are delivered, 2-4 weeks before the election, the clerks are instructed to keep them secure. As long as the MC is stored securely, it cannot be manipulated.
  •   10-14 days before the election, the clerks complete a logic & accuracy test on the MCs.
  •   Vermont requires a paper ballot for our statewide elections. That ballot is sealed, secured and stored for 22 months after each statewide election.

 After each General election, we randomly audit several towns to insure results are accurate.

Another story that makes for great headlines is the risk of cyberattacks.

Are we vulnerable? There is always a risk and there will always be vulnerabilities, but the risk has been overstated. There are only two confirmed cases of successful hacking in other states, and those breeches were of voter registration databases having nothing to do with election results.

In Vermont, we have taken many precautions to secure our systems and data including a cyber risk assessment, penetration test, and firewalls. We are on high alert and in contact with federal law enforcement to identify and respond to any threats as they arise.

I have faith in our hard-working city/town clerks, local elections officials, and volunteer poll workers who conduct Vermont’s elections. We work directly with those individuals, providing

training, supplies, and other support.

They appreciate voting and cherish it as a fundamental right. They know what it means for democracy and are passionate about ensuring free and fair elections and careful, accurate results. To say that elections will be “rigged” or “hacked” or voter fraud is “very common” ignores the facts and insults their integrity.

Regrettably, the more harmful effect of casting unfounded aspersions is to rattle our confidence and prevent us from voting or trusting the outcome of those votes – a direct attack on democracy. That should concern us all, making us even more determined not to allow such threats to work.

I’m confident in our democratic process and how we have secured our elections. While there will always be vulnerabilities and risks, Vermonters should know they can go to the polls on November 8th and cast their ballots with the full expectation that their votes will be counted and their voices will be heard.

Remember, Your Vote is Your Voice!

Jim Condos is Vermont’s Secretary of State. Vermont’s voter registration deadline is November 2 @ 5PM. Register by visiting your town clerk or online at www.olvr.sec.state.vt.us.

Visit: www.sec.state.vt.us
Twitter: @VermontSOS and   facebook.com/SecretaryOfStateJimCondos

 

Trump, Treason and “America’s Mayor”

National, ,

As he rages through the Democratic process like King Kong on steroids, Donald Trump has few remaining national figures endorsing his behavior.

One of the most steadfast of these is Rudi Giuliani who was once-upon-a-time christened “America’s Mayor” in the national gush of emotion following 9/11.

He seemed the very model of a modern mayor-general, briefly symbolizing the resolution of all New Yorkers to rise from the ashes of the World Trade Center. A hero.

The rest of the nation didn’t really know him before then, so they warmly embraced the narrative.

Pausing in his rush to war with the wrong country, then President Bush addressed the nation and told us to go out shopping. The terrorists were enemies of “our way of life,” and we were not going to surrender that way of life, allowing the terrorists to ‘win.’

But they did ‘win’; not after years and years of resistance, but practically overnight. The transformation began with paranoia and the War Powers Act. It was all downhill after then.

Rudy Giuliani’s unblinking loyalty to Donald Trump, as he attempts to discredit the foundational process in our democracy, is testament to the terrorists’ victory over American ideals.

Giuliani and the hate filled “basket of deplorables” driving the Trump ‘movement’ have handed the 9/11 terrorists a victory beyond their wildest dreams.

Those terrorists only succeeded in killing people and destroying buildings. On the morning after, our time honored democratic institutions and tradition of generosity and civility were still intact. They had yet to be undermined by the enemy within.

Capitalizing on a decade and a half of festering ignorance, fear and xenophobia, Trump and his minions have ginned-up an angry mob that threatens the very foundations of our democracy.

By his example, he has given them license to hate, ridicule and intimidate virtually anyone who doesn’t look like them; and hinted darkly of Armageddon should they not succeed in carrying him to power.

Together they have sold this extremely suggestible sector the fiction that the historic first female candidate for president, with whom they sympathized in the 1990’s when her Democratic dog of a husband did her wrong, has somehow turned into Darth Vader and is about to destroy the Empire.

Donald Trump has so much contempt for the nation he fatuously claims to love, that he refuses to familiarize himself with even the most basic principles of checks and balances that serve as the framework to our democracy. His interest in the law is limited to how it can serve his selfish interests or be exploited for personal revenge.

The steady stream of vindictive hyperbole has finally become sufficiently toxic so that even some traditionally conservative media outlets are beginning to awaken to the danger they’ve unleashed by encouraging this dancing bear. But it’s too little and it may be too late.

Like Hitler planning the destruction of Berlin when the inevitable defeat loomed before him, Trump is readying his followers for schism and revolt by prematurely and openly challenging the legitimacy of the election process.

It surely is treason to sow distrust in the Democratic process among the electorate, tease at the idea of retribution and gleefully fan the flames of violent uprising.

…And Giuliani is aiding and abetting this treasonous madness!

“America’s Mayor” indeed!

Rudy Giuliani: “Voter fraud is this big!”

.

Updated: VT’s Black River Produce sold to giant food distributor

Business, local/regional, National, , , , , ,

Black River Produce joins the long line of Vermont grown companies (Vermont Castings, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and of course, Ben and Jerry’s) to sell out to much larger, out-of-state businesses.

Owners of the state’s most familiar food distributor announced that Chicago food distributor Reinhart Foodservice will purchase Black River Produce/Earth Brothers, Ltd.   of Springfield Vt.   Reinhart’s parent company Reyes Holdings (a beverage distribution conglomerate) is owned by M. Jude Reyes and  in 2010 was the 20th -largest private company in the United States.

The Rutland Herald/ Time-Argus reports Black River was started in 1978 by two friends who delivered fresh produce from Boston to Vermont restaurants and stores.  Black River Produce currently employees 200 people in North Springfield.

The company is one of the standouts in the Vermont economy: Sales have grown 25 percent in the past five years, Black River Produce co-founder Mark Curran said. The company has been recognized by Vermont Business Magazine for its strong growth, he said. The company reported $75.3 million in revenue for 2015.

And to add value to deal the sale will include the four-year-old Black River Meats.

[UPDATE 10/21: When Chicago based Reinhart Food Distributors purchase of Black River Produce is complete it will include Black River Meats label/brand. Black River Meats are processed by Vermont Packinghouse (which operates out of a building owned by Black River Meats-presumably that will now be owned by Reinhart of Chicago)

Since only the profitable label/brand are changing hands the ownership of the plant will not change as result of the sale to the Chicago company.]

This outgrowth is a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse for local Vermont meats that received start-up grants worth $50,000 from State of Vermont Working Lands Grant in 2013 and state funding assistance from the Vermont Economic Development Authority in 2016. It is no small irony that money spent recently by the state of Vermont to grow and support local businesses may have helped to sweeten the sale for the giant Chicago-based conglomerate.

 

Chicago-based Reinhart Foods has almost 30 distribution locations from Boston to New Orleans — and its clients include Burger King, Subway, and the Defense Logistics Agency. A quick Google search reveals that Reinhart of Chicago has a recent history of OSHA-imposed fines and job-related deaths, and that the business holds the lowest rating from Greenpeace for sustainable practices.

Seven employees were injured and one killed at a Reinhart Food Service facility in Virginia in March when a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-high food shelving unit tipped and collapsed onto workers. Workers had reportedly complained about the safety of the racks prior to the fatal accident.

Also in 2016 a Reinhart facility in Massachusetts was fined over $70,000 when a faulty alarm system failed to detect a leak of anhydrous ammonia from a refrigeration unit that uses 27,500 pounds of the substance. Kenneth Shedden, OSHA’s area director for Boston and Southeastern Massachusetts, said although the amount of the leak was small “An uncontrolled release can be lethal and catastrophic,”

And finally in a recent 2016 report on sustainability Greenpeace gives Reinhart a “worst sustainability” rating of 5 out of 100 total points. Says Greenpeace: “Worst of all, Reinhart sources bluefin tuna: a severely overfished species red-listed by Seafood Watch for every single stock in the world. This suggests Reinhart either does not prioritize sustainable, ethical seafood, or is not concerned with the implications of sourcing threatened species.”

It has long been true that Vermonters tend to admire their “little” home grown local businesses like Black River Produce. We do just love all our aging hippie entrepreneurs, don’t we!  But once again, one of those local, homegrown companies has been sold to a very large corporation — some might say a monopoly. This time around it is Black River Produce and Meats, “a key player in Vermont’s local foods movement and one of the brightest economic lights in southern Vermont” that has been swallowed up by what looks like a big ugly fish.

Stupid, stupid- goddamn stupid!

local/regional, National,

Is it possible to become totally desensitized to ‘stupid’?  If so, at least here in New England I think we could blame the Republican Governor of Maine-our own regional Trump-ist.lerump

What I am ranting about is the latest crazy-talk from Gov. Paul LePage (R).  LePage wants to jail local political opponents!

He said Thursday that two leaders of a referendum on raising the minimum wage in Maine should be jailed, echoing comments by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about jailing his political rival.

Long before Trump splatted onto our national political windshield, Paul LePage was New England’s notable governor dunderhead. In a long, long list of stupid declarations he has called for the return of the guillotine; blamed illegal immigrants for a spike in hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and HIV; and challenged a newspaper reporter to duel.

But it seems with Donald Trump on the national scene, an “un-shackled” LePage may be reaching peak stupid. Only last week, before he called for jailing opponents, he suggested the US had descended into anarchy and that:

Said LePage: “…we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country and bring back the rule of law because we’ve had eight years of a president — he’s an autocrat.”

At some point does the ‘stupid’ become so common it is dangerous and toxic to democracy? The saying once was “As Maine goes, so goes the nation,” but we don’t have to follow.