Standard practice for Democrats. When Ralph Wright was speaker he told a Republican freshman to change parties or his committee assignment would be “counting brown trout in the Battenkill”. Not thinking things through, the fellow obeyed and was ousted by enraged voters in the next election.
Good description and overall take on our lawmakers.
My own legislator treated his two years as a field trip with LOTS of selfies and blathering on his personal blog. Couldn't do basic math. I asked him to calculate what it actually cost him to drive his Prius to Montpelier and back, to determine if his compensation was appropriate. Of course, he made money, but he refused or couldn't prorate his tires/battery/insurance/oil changes etc. His response was, "I let the government figure it out".
It continues to be a problem that a great many serious people are just not voting. Not involved. Think it's a waste of time. It doesn't help when leadership is decidedly lacking... everywhere.
We talk about voting them out... but replacing them with WHO exactly? Republicans who voted for Haley? A conservative population that declines to get involved and shrugs their shoulders and then bitches when prog/dem/left maniacs get into power? My district is filled with saddle boomers/Gen X people who have real guilt issues, so they vote with their bleeding hearts. Try to have a logical discussion with them and they shrink away and eye the door and stammer. Then they have the nerve to complain about the massive tax increase this summer. They are definably stupid. Possibly ignorant. But lacking in common sense. And my legislator is their ringleader and poster child. But he's stepping down now (girlfriend is having his second child) and promoting a black woman who claims to be a multigenerational Rutlander. Emily Carris Duncan. Her biggest concerns, in order of descending passion based on a meet and greet: Gender and sexual orientation, hers specifically; reparations; tax freeze... not abatement. And she will win, because no conservative in my district of roughly 7,000 people will step up.
I can't. As you may have noticed at your Newbrook FD presentation, I have a disabled family member who needs constant care. Can't exactly wheel her into the State house during session. And I dang sure can't find anyone willing to help me provide care for her on the level she needs. But where are the remaining 6,999 residents of my district? I sure as heck don't know.
So, this isn't going to get fixed. Not this election cycle and at the rate we are going, the state will be destroyed before any conservative finally lifts their head and says, "wait a minute...."
Did you notice at the aforementioned Newbrook presentation, a distinct preponderance of blue hairs, mine included? Where are the young people? Too dang busy trying to make ends meet. And too disenchanted or beaten down to fight back.
One has to wonder with this sort of leadership at the Democrat Party's head table what a setting Democrat Representative or Senator has to do when they want to cast a vote that is opposite of the Party's direction. There must be a fair amount of thought put into that vote with a lot of negotiating and calculating going on before it is cast.
Standard practice for Democrats. When Ralph Wright was speaker he told a Republican freshman to change parties or his committee assignment would be “counting brown trout in the Battenkill”. Not thinking things through, the fellow obeyed and was ousted by enraged voters in the next election.
Good description and overall take on our lawmakers.
My own legislator treated his two years as a field trip with LOTS of selfies and blathering on his personal blog. Couldn't do basic math. I asked him to calculate what it actually cost him to drive his Prius to Montpelier and back, to determine if his compensation was appropriate. Of course, he made money, but he refused or couldn't prorate his tires/battery/insurance/oil changes etc. His response was, "I let the government figure it out".
It continues to be a problem that a great many serious people are just not voting. Not involved. Think it's a waste of time. It doesn't help when leadership is decidedly lacking... everywhere.
We talk about voting them out... but replacing them with WHO exactly? Republicans who voted for Haley? A conservative population that declines to get involved and shrugs their shoulders and then bitches when prog/dem/left maniacs get into power? My district is filled with saddle boomers/Gen X people who have real guilt issues, so they vote with their bleeding hearts. Try to have a logical discussion with them and they shrink away and eye the door and stammer. Then they have the nerve to complain about the massive tax increase this summer. They are definably stupid. Possibly ignorant. But lacking in common sense. And my legislator is their ringleader and poster child. But he's stepping down now (girlfriend is having his second child) and promoting a black woman who claims to be a multigenerational Rutlander. Emily Carris Duncan. Her biggest concerns, in order of descending passion based on a meet and greet: Gender and sexual orientation, hers specifically; reparations; tax freeze... not abatement. And she will win, because no conservative in my district of roughly 7,000 people will step up.
I can't. As you may have noticed at your Newbrook FD presentation, I have a disabled family member who needs constant care. Can't exactly wheel her into the State house during session. And I dang sure can't find anyone willing to help me provide care for her on the level she needs. But where are the remaining 6,999 residents of my district? I sure as heck don't know.
So, this isn't going to get fixed. Not this election cycle and at the rate we are going, the state will be destroyed before any conservative finally lifts their head and says, "wait a minute...."
Did you notice at the aforementioned Newbrook presentation, a distinct preponderance of blue hairs, mine included? Where are the young people? Too dang busy trying to make ends meet. And too disenchanted or beaten down to fight back.
One has to wonder with this sort of leadership at the Democrat Party's head table what a setting Democrat Representative or Senator has to do when they want to cast a vote that is opposite of the Party's direction. There must be a fair amount of thought put into that vote with a lot of negotiating and calculating going on before it is cast.