If there’s one thing to know about Gov. Peter Shumlin’s legislative chops, it’s this: When you’re playing checkers, he’s playing chess. And he’s probably just a few moves shy of taking your king.
Which makes it hard to imagine the governor didn’t anticipate the tripartisan shit-storm kicked up by his proposal to fund child care subsidies for low-income Vermonters by cutting a popular tax credit used by other low-income Vermonters.
The $17 million switcheroo has been panned by Republicans, Progressives and even Shumlin’s fellow Democrats, who have variously called it “half-baked,” “a tough sell,” “worse than a broad-based tax,” and a case of “balancing the state budget on the backs of some of Vermont’s poorest citizens.”
The debate is still young, of course. Shumlin only announced his plan last Thursday during his inaugural address and likely won’t reveal many of its details until next week’s budget address. Who knows? Maybe it’ll catch fire once we know more about it.
That said, it’s never too early to get all cynical and suspicious-like. Does Shummy have some ulterior motive in putting forward a plan that would surely rile up Montpelier’s chattering class? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, we here at Off Message are happy to provide… (drum roll please)…
The Cynic’s Guide to Shumlin Conspiracy Theories:
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
When I first heard about this my first thought was, what happened to “Success by Six”, Gov Dean’s program? I would think that must be or was funded somehow. Does it still exist?