Local Campaign Flyer

I received a campaign flyer today and I thought I'd take the time to portray what the candidate's positions should be if I were to vote for her. I have kept the original headings and the basic content under those headings

Fair Taxes

• School and town costs must be controlled within the annual cost of living; school and town funding should continue to be based on property taxes, not income taxes. 'Ability to pay' is an unrealistic, unmeasurable and unfair standard inconsistent with our heritage.
  

Quality Medical Care for All

• All receive quality health care today when they seek it, thanks to our dedicated providers. The costs of this care should reward an individual's taking responsibility for his/her own health, where possible, with reduced costs for insurance available in a competitive market.

• Eliminate Community Rating.

• Trained caregivers should be compensated based on their performance and demonstrated skills.

Equal Access to Education

• Parents should have the choice of sending their kids to K-12 schools where they can receive the best education, irrespective of where they live. Higher education should be paid for by parents, students and scholarships for those who have demonstrated the ability to succeed but do not have the means to pay for college.
• Education and training that prepares students for the jobs of the future; this education must be provided by teachers and professors that understand future needs, are knowledgable in the subjects they teach, and meet clear performance standards.
• Funding education is primarily a state and local responsibility. If federal agencies dictate requirements that are not within present budgets, they should fund them.
• Support the high standards of the No Child Left Behind Act; insist on legislation that prohibits teacher strikes.

New Job Creation

• Nurturing startup and small business that have a viable business model, a solid business plan and seek competent advice.
• Creating an environment that encourages people to invest in businesses that produce well-paying jobs; reducing the costs of permitting and other well-intentioned (perhaps), but senseless hurdles that thwart business growth.
• Supporting local agriculture that is profitable by buying local produce and products. Discontinue long term taxpayer support for the dying commodity dairy sector. Instead, encourage profitable use of agricultural land and capitalize on the 'Vermont brand.'

Improving the Environment

• Safeguarding Mallett's Bay, the jewel of Colchester, by encouraging the construction of a local sewer system near the lake and penalizing farm and household run-off.
• Ignore the 'feel-good' temptation to think that mankind is responsible for or can remediate increases of fractions of a degree Fahrenheit in the earth's average temperature. Warming and cooling have happened before and will happen again in future millennia. (Note: thawing of the Siberian tundra is thought to produce 100 times the greenhouse gas emissions of all burning of fossil fuels; on the more humorous side: "Artificial" methane emissions come from various sources, such as power stations, coal mining, etc.,but nearly 50% of methane comes from agriculture. Rice agriculture is a contributor, but anywhere from 20% to 60% of 'man-made' emissions originate from livestock (Adam, 2000; Major, 2000).)
• Move toward energy self-sufficiency, but ignore the temptation to think that wind power offers a realistic baseline energy source for Vermont. Instead, support continuation and an increase in nuclear energy as a clean, safe alternative to fossil fuels to generate electricity. Encourage conservation to slow the inevitable increase in demand.

Update 11/8/06: This candidate was elected without my vote and not on my platform!