The Gathering Storm 
By Tom Licata

In The Gathering Storm, Winston Churchill’s stated purpose was "to show how easily the tragedy of the Second World War could have been prevented." In Churchill’s time – as now - a storm was brewing but "people were viewing it and not doing anything." In Vermont, an economic and demographic storm is brewing and like Churchill’s time, Governor Douglas, Speaker Symington, Senator Shumlin and others in Montpelier are doing little but viewing this coming tsunami.

Montpelier’s recalcitrant culture continues to ignore Vermont’s approximately $3.5 billion unfunded liabilities (see Vermont’s Economic & Demographic Crisis: Its Symptoms) as well as our nation’s $50 trillion Medicare and Social Security deficit that will surely make its way back to Vermont. And from the highest taxed state in the nation, what is Montpelier’s response? Montpelier’s response is to "shuffle the chairs on the deck of the Titanic" through talk of increased income and other taxes that would continue its modus operandi of obfuscation and distraction. Folks, look at the numbers and demographics; we’re not going to tax ourselves out of this hole!

Aptly put by the Times Argus’s editorial (8/25/07): "That under Acts 60 and 68, school property taxes are already pegged to income for most taxpayers [over 62%]. So it’s hard to see how shifting school spending to the income tax will help middle-income taxpayers, whose income tax is already relatively high." The Times Argus goes on to say: "The Law of Tolerable Pain means that voters generally raise their property taxes until they hurt, but only so much. In that event, the income tax would rise, and then in time, the property tax would rise as well."

I’ve had enough of this nonsense. And I hope you have too. Our children’s future and our way of life are at risk; it’s time our politicians provide a meaningful and comprehensive Long-Term Economic Plan that addresses this looming economic and demographic crisis.

Please sign Vermont’s Tax Revolt Petition (http://www.vermonttaxrevolt.org/petition.php) – and pass the word on to others. Reading through it should convince you that our problems go beyond Vermont's weighty tax burdens.

Ask your Vermont State Senator or Representative of their plan to pay for the billions of dollars of unfunded liabilities and expenses I’ve laid out here for you (read "Its Symptoms", nearby). Show it to them. Then, listen carefully. Listen very carefully. Listen through the obfuscations, distractions and head-fakes. What will become evident is either their lack of understanding of our problems’ magnitude, or their lack of resolve and courage to do what is necessary.

Stabilizing Vermonters' expectations for the future - without the fear of ever-rising confiscatory tax increases - would bring the kind of hope and opportunity Vermonters pine for and deserve. Fiscal discipline is a long-term obligation requiring honesty and a willingness to make the tough calls. A comprehensive Long-Term Economic Plan - one with bold solutions - would provide this.
 

Tom Licata, Burlington
http://www.vermonttaxrevolt.org/