Rutland Herald: The key words in your Dec. 19 editorial are “abandoned … in the coming year.” Abandoned, yes, but not forever, like little pregnant Nell at the home for fallen women.
Now that the financial information is out there, we can start dealing with it. For those who want it to be a spectator sport, here’s a list of the players.
The Legislature, which as all state legislatures behaves toward taxation like a debutante who believes her boyfriend is the only man in the world and will leave her if she doesn’t prostitute herself for him. The state government which, thanks to its able civil servants, already administers a health care program that has retained the same levels of coverage but has reduced premiums (take that, Humana, et al!). The top 1.22 percent of Vermont households, for whom a 50 percent tax rate would leave them with an average post-tax income of $257,000 — but which tax would fund the entire system. The Republican Congress, which will do everything in its power to keep Vermont from having the best health care system in the nation. The Vermont right wing, which will continue to insist on freedom of morbidity and mortality for all. The other 98.78 percent of the Vermont population, seeking to understand that their American way of life doesn’t have to mean bankruptcy, crippling infirmity and early death simply because one falls ill.
So your readers can grab some popcorn, or they can join the fray.
CHUCK GREGORY
Springfield