Just as Chicago dealt with long ago, in recognizing Midway Airport bumps directly up against core residential neighborhoods (and thus built new airport at O'Hare); just as Denver dealt with more recently, in buying land farther out & moving airport to new location, long past time for "Burlington" airport (entirely located in South Burlington) to be relocated.
Imagine if Vermont Democratic Party (and Weinberger and Richards) understood that the airport has vast negative impacts on the very demographics Democrats pretend to care about. Imagine if Vermont Democratic Party and Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin had not flushed over $100 million of real tax dollars down the toilet in their ill-fated pursuit of universal health care. Imagine what that money could have done for the state, including economic development and VTANG.
They could have already had a regionally governed airport, in southern Franklin County, with its own direct exit off the interstate, with zero negative impact on anyone. They could have built VTANG its own state-of-the-art, separate base for the F35s. Instead, Shumlin, Weinberger, Richards, Shap Smith, and rest of Vermont Democratic Party, stood by in steadfast support of throwing away all of those tax dollars on universal health care plan that everyone told them was unrealistic from get-go. They have stood steadfast in favor of lose-lose F35 basing in inner core of Chittenden County, to directly attack health and home values of the most vulnerable.
Dems offer zero alternative. Mintner & Hallquist both deserved to lose to Scott.
Declan was a great man. Flexible, kind, thoughtful and talented in his field. When training for an event many years ago, he helped me fine-tune everything with testing for V02 max; lactate threshold, etc. Rest in peace and God bless.
How can they call themselves an environmental group when they actively supported the weakening and undermining of Vermont's landmark land use planning law, Act 250, not to mention Governor Kunin's Act 200? How many tens of thousands of tax dollars were spent developing comprehensive plans, careful zoning regulations, wildlife consultants, wetlands mapping, creation of natural resources protection zoning, creation of open space protection zoning, etc.?
And VPIRG and their once pro-environment allies in the Democratic Party, people like Tony Klein (now retired), Chris Bray, etc. abandoned all of this. They supported the legislation to fast-track all industrial energy projects derived from wind or solar, regardless of zoning, regardless of Act 250, regardless of Comprehensive Plans. Total exemptions. There is nothing pro-environment about it.
Like the farce of the F35 fighter jet basing process Mr. Leahy?
If only our Congressional delegation cared as much about their actual constituents as they did about posturing for the media. Senator Leahy would do well to serve the people he was elected to represent but given he seems to have no interest in doing so, he could at least be honest with Vermonters about his undue influence during the F-35 basing process. The people of Winooski; South Burlington; Burlington; and Williston have not forgotten. Democrats talk the talk while walking the military-industrial walk, regardless of negative impact to health and home values of the very demographics they pretend to care about. At least the GOP is honest about their priorities.
Leahy lost significant credibility over the last 10 years and probably should have retired already.
Shap Smith may be fine human being in his private life but as far as his public life, he will be interminably connected to disasters of Peter Shumlin gubernatorial years. Shap Smith was Shumlin's legislative hand-maid on numerous disasters that hurt Vermont Democratic Party and its brand, perhaps permanently.
(1) The ill-fated exploration of universal health care that literally threw away well over $100 million of real taxpayer dollars. Pursuing something that numerous people said from the get-go was totally unrealistic and unfeasible for a small state like Vermont to go it alone. Think of the hours and hours worked by tens of thousands of Vermonters to pay that $100 million plus in taxes that this state will never see back. Think of the real good that money could have done for any number of priorities, whether cutting real estate taxes; investing in schools; given back to Vermonters so they can just have more money for their own health care; name-your-priority, it doesn't matter.
(2) Basing of F35 fighter jet in Vermont's most densely populated area, regardless of negative impact to health and home values of very demographics Democrats pretend to care about. Shap Smith shamefully suppressed and sidelined legislation proposed by his fellow Democrat, George Cross of Winooski. To examine true economic impact of F35, including negative impact.
Shap Smith legacy tied to Shumlin and voters know it too.
What a joke that F-35 fighter jet Democrats like Patrick Leahy deign to comment on military-industrial matters. They are the ones who engaged in corruption to force Obama-Biden Pentagon to abandon objective standards & rating system to base F35 in Vermont's most densely populated area, regardless of negative impact to health & home values of very demographics the Democrats pretend to care about. Patrick Leahy's legacy is in the dump. Should have retired long time ago.
While fully agree that Bush was terrible presidency, certainly with respect to Iraq War, these are the same Democrats that stood by as Obama continued disastrous Bush-Cheney wars his entire 8 years, and expanded the Bush foreign policy of neo-con, intervention first regime change against other countries that never attacked American soil. I.e., Syria, Libya, Yemen, Ukraine. This is how someone like Trump gets elected in first place. Because Obama-Biden and Democrats lied about changing Bush foreign policy.
So long as F-35 fighter jet is flying over Vermont, the Congressional delegation has zero leg to stand on. Take care of things you can actually control such as your own addiction to military Keynesianism uber alles before you comment on anyone else.
As things stand right now, Trump hasn't lied to start a war, like Gulf of Tonkin to escalate Vietnam or like Bush-Cheney, with fake, nonexistent WMD in Iraq. But we know Leahy and his office has repeatedly lied about F35 fighter jet basing process, while Bernie and Peter Welch have stood by like Leahy's lap dogs on whole thing.
BTW, who was president most responsible for Vietnam disaster? Democrat Lyndon Johnson. And Democrats controlled House and Senate then.
Re: “Pandemic Grounds Some Commercial Flights but F-35s Continue to Prowl Skies”
There is talk of a trillion dollar infrastructure stimulus bill being negotiated in Congress. How about our Congressional delegation, with Senator Leahy's seniority, puts together a win-win for Vermont? Set aside some money to build VTANG their own dedicated and independent base, in a more rural part of Vermont, such as Franklin County or the Connecticut River Valley. Or for a new airport altogether, in Franklin County, with its own dedicated exit off the highway?
There is no reason VTANG cannot be properly honored; and the people of Winooski, Burlington, South Burlington, Williston, etc., the most densely populated area in the entire state, simultaneously honored.
Current situation with the F35s is not feasible in the long term and is going to be a drag economically on the area. I have heard from UVM students, anecdotally, who came to Burlington with such high hopes and now have zero interest in staying here long-term after graduation because of the jet noise. Like, why would I want to live in Winooski with this?
If Chicago could build O'Hare when it became apparent Midway was bumping up directly against neighborhoods; if Denver could do it more recently, so can Burlington. Or, at the least, get VTANG their own state of the art facility.