What a difference a year makes.
When liberal lawmakers and low-income advocates exited the House chamber last January after Gov. Peter Shumlin’s 2013 budget address, they were downright apoplectic.
Summoning the spirit — or at least the rhetoric — of Ronald Reagan, Shumlin vowed to take on the so-called welfare state. He proposed capping Reach Up benefits for needy families and diverting a portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit to fund other priorities. The Democrat-dominated legislature quickly rebelled, and many of Shumlin’s proposals died a slow death.
This year, Shumlin sang a different tune.
Not far into the governor’s 2014 budget address, which he delivered Wednesday afternoon to the Vermont House and Senate, Shumlin called on legislators to spend $4.3 million more next year to “move Vermonters out of poverty.”
“In these challenging times, as the federal government continues to make shortsighted cuts that hurt our most vulnerable, our state must do what we can to blunt the damage by allocating our limited resources wisely,” he said.
To that end, Shumlin proposed doubling the state’s investment in rental subsidies and increasing funding for homeless shelters and child-care centers. Notably, he pitched spending $650,000 more on substance abuse and mental health treatment for Reach Up recipients.
It was as if he was pushing the reset button.
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Another session of no help to Vermonters…
” Shumlin called on legislators to spend $4.3 million more next year to “move Vermonters out of poverty.”
Yeah great idea, lets spend more or people’s money to move them out of poverty… only in the liberal utopia that is Vermont does this make any sense whatsoever. How about lets cut the budget by 1 billion dollars, letting Vermonters keep more of their money to “move people out of poverty.”
“Citing the ever-rising statewide property tax, Shumlin called on
lawmakers to “explore any options” that might slow the growth of
education spending. Noting Burlington’s tech successes,”
Actually Pete, BTV is looking at a significant property tax hike… is this the success we are looking to enact statewide? I think I might have identified the problem in Montpelier… success = property tax hikes
The one principle Shumlin appears to be committed to is his continuing political career. He pissed off his base last year, got caught swindling his neighbor and if those weren’t enough the Obamacare roll out has got all democrats spooked generally. For 2014 he’s playing it safe: sweet sugar for interest groups and tough talk about the war on drugs. Inspired.
Much rhetoric but no solutions. Tell us how things are going to get better? When the health care needs to be paid for in 2017 shouldn’t we be planning on how. We can not kick the can down the road. Shumlin by that time will be campaigning for the Senate. With any luck he will not be running VT. 2014 time for a change.