Essex Republicans Blog

       As Americans, we’re often reminded of issues facing our society.  No doubt real obstacles impacting lives of Vermonters. And we must continue pressing forward in addressing these head-on. Trendlines of Improvement - Past Measures      However, we also need acknowledge by nearly any metric - health, education, economic opportunity, personal liberties - the average American lives at a higher standard than nearly any cohort in human history. Diseases that ravaged prior generations have been controlled. Poverty and violence continue declining from peaks in past decades. Individual rights keep expanding to more identities. The trendlines point upward.      Importantly, the rights and reforms we continue to fight for have their underpinnings in the Western philosophical tradition. Concepts of individual liberty, human dignity, and reason that developed from classical Greek and Enlightenment thought still guide our notions of justic...

     It is no secret that Progressive politicians like Senator Sanders and Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George portray our nation's criminal justice system as "broken." The thing of it is, our United States developed a comprehensive system of laws and correction practices to protect public safety and uphold justice. While no system is perfect, our current model plays an important role.      Critics point to high rates of recidivism as evidence of failure. However, the fact that many offenders reoffend does not necessarily mean the system itself is to blame. Little doubt regarding complex societal factors contribute a large share to criminal behavior.  We as a society should definitely consider the substantial costs of incarceration AND the greater costs of crime to communities overall.      While progressives point to high recidivism rates as evidence of a failed justice system, we cannot place the onus solely on society...

       Vermont’s Act 60, passed in 1997, sought to make education funding more equitable across school districts through a statewide property tax system. Over 75% of school budgets now come from local property taxes. While well-intentioned, implementation of Act 60 funding formulas cultivates a temporal disconnect: towns and school boards can vote to increase spending without constituents feeling immediate tax consequences. This accountability gap has precipitated year-over-year increases in education budgets often exceeding inflation and economic growth, despite steady decreases in student populations. The unfortunate budget Vote-to-Tax gap fosters a unique dynamic: Taxpayers rarely trace rising tax burdens directly back to specific prior-year school budget decisions. This reduces voter agency and perceived value from their tax dollars. School boards experience psychological distance from tax implications their budget votes ultimately trigger . This can promote over...