The entire state legislature and governor are up for replacement every two years, regardless of what they do or don't do.

I don’t disagree there.

It does have to do with Vermont. We are now paying tax dollars to both private schools as well as religious schools.

Oh for sure. I’m not suggesting that’s not true. I’m saying that OF COURSE there are homeless folks here that aren’t from here. There are homeless folks everywhere that aren’t from there. They move to places where they can manage to get by. Often that means a warmer part of the country in the winter, but if they can stay closer to where they are from and not have to take a bus all the way to Florida just so they don’t freeze to death in the winter, they will. Again, this is why this is a national issue and not a local issue. We need to stop thinking of it as such.

It’s a win-win, if they get fired for sharing salary information it’s against the law, and they potentially get to work at the same place they presumably enjoy enough to want to return.

How is it that I've been smoking untested weed since 1995 w/ no physical health issues @ all? We are over regulating this to a cartoonish level. Dispensaries look like their products are way more dangerous than what gun stores and liquor stores are selling and that is fucking silly.

I love how this article somehow turned to an attack on organized religion. Easier to attack people already doing a lot than to actually help

It's the legislature. I remember an article in the digger where an Addison county rep didn't want more housing. She said she didn't want to go to bed in VT and wake up in New Jersey. Guess where she's from.

It is definitely true that we are housing people from NY, MA, and NH because it's easy to get a room here. It was in testimony in the legislature recently from one of the Rutland homeless advocates.

-15°F at the moment Wallingford Vt.

I understand where you're coming from, but the tech has come so far. you don't need propane or oil anymore. most new residential and multi family buildings are all heat pump with no backup

Even worse on Mt Washington right now! -45, -105 with wind chill.

I love the tax the hell out of second homes idea. And it boggles my mind why it isn't done. If we lose some rich people in the process we gain residents who pay income tax and spend their salary in the community.

There's no way I've ever heard of to prevent that from going to the work from home crowd.

Daikin 4 zone system has been keeping up just fine. -8 right now and 70 in the house. it's been through -20 before and it did fine. my electric bill will be higher this month, but nothing compared to oil or propane would cost

-13F with some fierce winds coming off Mallets Bay here in Colchester

I have a Fujitsu with an air handler for two adjacent rooms, that's ~8 years old. It's currently -6 out, the air coming out of the vent vaguely warm. We supplement with a wood fireplace insert.

Just hit 19.5 in Vershire - wind not calculated

>There are, and this is the issue, private schools that receive public dollars and are not open to everyone. Those families argue for choice and they receive a voucher. This voucher money draws away from the publicly available education system that is open to all in that area.

Say it louder! If you want to go to a snobby school, you shouldn't get public funding.

Cold and fuckin colder.

Anyone saying this isn't relevant to Vermont, take the time to read this ProPublica story. It's a few years old, but nothing has changed (except now we have to pay tuition to religious schools too): https://www.propublica.org/article/voucher-program-helps-well-off-vermonters-pay-prep-school-at-public-expense

North facing slop at the top of a 1300’ hill in Hartford, -16F.

Mainly because tuition is only available in certain towns. If you want to give every Vermont school kid $17K off their Swiss boarding school, that's great. But right now certain towns get vouchers and school choice, other only have public school as an option.

Got a mix of everything. They've been thru colder than this in years past, some are 7-8 years old, but they haven't had any cold at all this year.

It's not the cold, it's the 50 degree swing that will kill them

Luckily it's not gonna last

Not sure. We are all electric