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You’ve no doubt noticed how awful life is here in Vermont. Awful and getting worse, what with wages so low and prices so high — especially the sale price of a nice house, or the rent on a decent apartment.

You’ve noticed because the newspapers and the radio and television keep telling you. Across the political spectrum, important people keep proclaiming our woes, especially Gov. James Douglas, who has made “affordability,” or lack thereof, the dominant theme of his tenure.... Read more

In the mid-1990s, when I joined the faculty at Vermont Law School, people often asked if I taught environmental law, given the school’s national reputation in that area. I used to retort — only partially in jest — that I taught law that was concerned about people, not trees. At the time, environmentalism seemed dominated by emotionally detached men fighting over the wild. It struck me as abstract and disconnected from everyday life. In contrast, I was interested in making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.... Read more

By now, everyone in Burlington has probably heard about the swift response from the Agency of Natural Resources — largely the Natural Resources Board and Act 250 officials — to put the kibosh on the “hazardous” composting operation at the Intervale. You know, they’re the same folks who swept in with bureaucratic ferocity when a multi-story section of scaffolding at Vermont Yankee collapsed and thousands of gallons of water spewed onto the ground.... Read more

In Vermont, as across the country, there’s been a lot of talk about jobs and economic development. Bluntly stated, the economy has been lousy for some time now. Yet two months ago, Governor Jim Douglas touted his record in his “State of the State” speech, greatly exaggerating his accomplishments in this regard.

Here are the facts:... Read more

To understand the recent passionate congressional debate about the Iraq war spending bill, and why so many committed antiwar Democrats voted for it, we must understand the difference between protesting and legislating. Lawmakers who understand how to use both are often a movements' most essential actors.

Protesting is a critical part of American democracy. At its core, it is designed to put pressure on government in the lead-up to legislative decisions.... Read more

Chief Justice John Roberts gave a rare interview in this month's Atlantic Monthly in which he discusses his views of the Court. Roberts claims that people will lose faith in the rule of law if they believe that judges simply impose their personal politics. For the United States Supreme Court to maintain its legitimacy, he argues, the justices must act less like prima donnas and more like colleagues willing to compromise in order to reach unanimous opinions.... Read more

Being a relative newcomer to Vermont has certain advantages, including the right to ask stupid questions. Here's one of mine: Why aren't Vermont's Progressives and Democrats doing something to heal their rift, before they allow the Republicans to fill Bernie Sanders' Congressional seat this fall?... Read more

It was encouraging to learn in your March 16 story, "When Working Doesn't Work," that concerned Vermonters want to deepen their awareness of poverty here and nationwide. The story portrayed the type of people poverty usually brings to mind: single mothers with children. The elderly also receive a great deal of attention in discussions of poverty, and rightly so.... Read more

Society is deranged ...It is dominated by moral and emotional morons ...I want sabotage and opposition ...sabotage and opposition ...sabotage and opposition, against militarism in all of its forms.

-- Dorothy Thompson, 1939... Read more

Even here in liberal Vermont, famed nationally for civil unions and Howard Dean, every other car seems to sport a "Support Our Troops" yellow-ribbon magnet. Other magnets announce that the driver is "Proud to Be an American," while another red-white-and-blue variety proclaims that "Freedom Isn't Free."... Read more