Dear Editor,
One aspect of Vermont news is complaints that thousands in Vermont will lose out if the federal government does not enact a new stimulus that provides further unemployment benefits.
Yes, that is a real possibility. Of course, Vermont’s Democrat Senators Leahy and Sanders and Representative Welch bear responsibility for that outcome, since they hang tough with the Democrat leadership in refusing to agree to a compromise on a new stimulus. So any Vermonters adversely affected should contact their senators and representative with demands to pass the new stimulus that the – gasp! – Republicans are in favor of.
But Vermont has it within its power to correct the problem. The new General Assembly, as usual overwhelmingly Democrat, could simply provide for payments to those unemployed in place of what the Unemployment Insurance system would otherwise grant. No, this doesn’t have to be through the UI system, but could be a simple Covid-based relief measure. Even if the governor doesn’t agree, the Legislature seems to have its usual Democrat margin to override a veto.
This would be Vermont’s opportunity to be really, really, a national leader in being independent of the Feds, not with some picayune anti-global warming thing, but with real hands on for real people. It’d be the sort of thing for which Vermonters used to be proud, not with a continual hand out to Washington and whining that the potentates on the Potomac aren’t handing out the largess fast enough.
Let’s hear it for Vermonters helping Vermonters.
Sincerely,
Bruce Graham
Chester, Vt.