Democrats: Bad for Jobs 
By Rob Roper

At their first debate, all five Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidates made one thing perfectly clear: If jobs, our economy and shoring up our social safety net are your top priorities, you shouldn’t vote for any of them in 2010.

The most revealing question was over whether or not to re-license Vermont Yankee, a business that, among other things, employs six hundred Vermonters, supplies the state with fully one third of all its power dependably and at competitively low cost, and generates roughly $16 million in tax revenues to the state each year. Given steadily declining revenues leading to severe cuts in state spending, this is money our social safety net can ill afford to lose.

Nevertheless, Doug Racine captured the sentiment of the entire group of Democratic candidates when he said, "I see no reason to continue the operation of Vermont Yankee after 2012." Ignoring the reasons outlined above, regardless of the consequences of killing all the jobs the plant supplies and many it supports, all five Democrats were in favor of shutting this economic engine down in 2012.

Why?

Susan Bartlett’s answer was the most ludicrous. When asked about the how she saw the balance between the environmental concerns and economic sustainability, she said, "I think it is way past time that the environment be talked about first." Is she kidding?

In 2007 when the beginnings of our current tax/revenue crisis and economic decline began to reveal themselves in earnest, the Democrat led legislature’s number one priority was global warming – the environment. That didn’t change in 2008 even after things really started to get bad with issues like five dollar a gallon heating fuel. Then in 2009, in the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression, the Democrats’ supermajorities did manage to switch gears. They took up same sex marriage.

While all Vermonters share a reverence and respect for our natural surroundings, Bartlett’s statement is way off base. In fact, it’s way past when the people of this state -- people who need jobs and a solid social safety net – deserve to be "talked about" first by our elected leaders. Not last.

Matt Dunne’s response was similarly ideological at the expense of Vermonters. Speaking about the "green" movement in general, Dunne said, "I know one way we will not be in a leadership role. That is if we re-license a depreciating nuclear facility," Dunne said.

Translated, he’s smart enough to recognize that Vermonters are suffering economically. He’s smart enough to realize people aren’t going to voluntarily double or triple their electric bills for wind or solar generated electricity so long as Vermont Yankee is supplying a more reliable product at a lower cost. But instead of sympathizing with struggling businesses and households, Dunne echoes Bartlett’s sentiment that, lip service aside, the people should not come first. Instead, they propose to eliminate the superior, cheaper product and force the ratepayers and taxpayers to pony up dollars they don’t have for a type of power they wouldn’t otherwise buy.

Deb Markowitz, taking up where Dunne left off, justified her opposition to re-licensing with the argument, "Vermont Yankee is not a part our energy future. Our future lies in local renewable energy and efficiency." While most people agree that we should be perusing all avenues to meet our growing power needs (including nuclear), and wind, solar, geothermal, etc. hold exciting potential, it is not rational to believe Vermonters will put enough wind turbines on our ridgelines between now and 2012, to replace the power currently generated by Vermont Yankee.

Without any realistic local alternative to Vermont Yankee in place, the loss of six hundred jobs at the plant, the loss of tax revenue, and the spike in the price of power driving the cost of doing business in Vermont up and employers out would be a severe blow to our already staggering economy. It would kill jobs. It would lead to the further shredding our social safety net. Yet, all five Democrats marched in lockstep that this is exactly what they would do if elected next November.

Today, Vermont needs leaders at all levels who will put the economic needs of the citizens first. We need to be creating jobs and generating revenue. Unfortunately, these five Democrats come from and represent supermajorities in the legislature that share their ideological agenda that is reflexively opposed to the conditions and policies that allow job and revenue growth to occur. So, not only must we deny these five Democrats the governorship in 2010, we need to replace the majorities in the house and senate as well. Until that happens, it will be very difficult for the people of this state to prosper.

Rob Roper Lives in Stowe