[Riley.]

Originally Posted by NYLIER

I'll tell you another "Holy Cow" situation, Riley. In the May 25th Mountain Times, there is an article about the Chester library being hesitant to allow a Drag Queen Story Hour. So now The Pizza Stone has picked it up. This is for the entertainment of young children. I have seen this online but I never thought this State would go this far, even as Liberal as it is.

We had a couple/few of those at venues in the surrounding areas. Odd thing is, plenty of people bring their kids to these events, so they must be okay with it. Now, I might not care one way or another, because none of this directly affects me, and honestly, trans/gay, whatever, I don't care if you're an adult and this is how you want to live your live, but I wouldn't bring my 3 or 4 yr old to such a thing. I mean, how are they supposed to understand what is going on? It's bizarre.

[atypicalLIer]

Originally Posted by NYLIER

I'll tell you another "Holy Cow" situation, Riley. In the May 25th Mountain Times, there is an article about the Chester library being hesitant to allow a Drag Queen Story Hour. So now The Pizza Stone has picked it up. This is for the entertainment of young children. I have seen this online but I never thought this State would go this far, even as Liberal as it is.

First the Chester police paid out on a discrimination lawsuit. https://vtdigger.org/2022/05/06/unde...ce-department/

Now this DQSH. It was supposed to occur at Whiting Library. A trustee balked, others followed and it was canceled. Pizza Stone picked it up. Now all the library trustees save for one, have resigned over this brouhaha! https://www.chestertelegraph.org/202...ustees-resign/

[old fed]

it's just a damn flag

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by old fed

it's just a damn flag

It’s a symbol of the shift from 1950s ‘Murica where a High School C student could live a comfortable middle class life in a community where everyone was just like them to a Darwinian, multiracial, multicultural 21st century. Vermont as the whitest state on the planet is pretty isolated from the racial and cultural part but it’s a poster child for the socioeconomic problem. Vermont’s leading export is the top-10% of every High School graduating class.

[Riley.]

Originally Posted by old fed

it's just a damn flag

And I would agree with that if what it represents wasn't so divisive to certain communities....which it is here.

Here's an article from the most recent Seven Days on the matter.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/...t?oid=35699348

I don't personally have an issue with crowd funding for a separate flag pole and putting up whatever flags they want to fly there. Question is, who will decide and will decisions be 'fair.'

TGIF

[Riley.]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

It’s a symbol of the shift from 1950s ‘Murica where a High School C student could live a comfortable middle class life in a community where everyone was just like them to a Darwinian, multiracial, multicultural 21st century. Vermont as the whitest state on the planet is pretty isolated from the racial and cultural part but it’s a poster child for the socioeconomic problem. Vermont’s leading export is the top-10% of every High School graduating class.

Valid observation!

There isn't much future here for a young adult who wants to find decent paying work with benefits in the field of their choosing - providing it's not in something like "Diversity Studies," because, frankly, outside academia or non-profit state organizations, that may not get you a job/career where you'll make a decent enough wage to purchase a home (if you are so inclined) or raise a family.

The lack of good jobs here is a big problem. And as I'm sure you also know, the population here continues to age as the younger ones move away.
Another issue, IMO, is that those of us who are at least financially secure (at the moment!) are paying full boat on state property taxes while any young graduates who chose to stay here and work a low paying job get a subsidy on those taxes. Seems unfair but I know they don't see it that way.

[atypicalLIer]

Originally Posted by Riley.

And I would agree with that if what it represents wasn't so divisive to certain communities....which it is here.

Here's an article from the most recent Seven Days on the matter.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/...t?oid=35699348

I don't personally have an issue with crowd funding for a separate flag pole and putting up whatever flags they want to fly there. Question is, who will decide and will decisions be 'fair.'

TGIF

I see it as any flag pole on school property (taxpayer controlled) should not contain a flag which might be considered inflammatory or alienating of the population such as the Gadsden, Confederate, blue line, rainbow, BLM, etc.

[Boston_Burbs]

Originally Posted by Riley.

Valid observation!

There isn't much future here for a young adult who wants to find decent paying work with benefits in the field of their choosing - providing it's not in something like "Diversity Studies," because, frankly, outside academia or non-profit state organizations, that may not get you a job/career where you'll make a decent enough wage to purchase a home (if you are so inclined) or raise a family.

The lack of good jobs here is a big problem. And as I'm sure you also know, the population here continues to age as the younger ones move away.
Another issue, IMO, is that those of us who are at least financially secure (at the moment!) are paying full boat on state property taxes while any young graduates who chose to stay here and work a low paying job get a subsidy on those taxes. Seems unfair but I know they don't see it that way.

Someone should max out their 401k, HSA, and spousal IRA to get their income down. I made $135k in W2 income last year and still got a $1,000 rebate.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Riley.

Valid observation!

There isn't much future here for a young adult who wants to find decent paying work with benefits in the field of their choosing - providing it's not in something like "Diversity Studies," because, frankly, outside academia or non-profit state organizations, that may not get you a job/career where you'll make a decent enough wage to purchase a home (if you are so inclined) or raise a family.

The lack of good jobs here is a big problem. And as I'm sure you also know, the population here continues to age as the younger ones move away.
Another issue, IMO, is that those of us who are at least financially secure (at the moment!) are paying full boat on state property taxes while any young graduates who chose to stay here and work a low paying job get a subsidy on those taxes. Seems unfair but I know they don't see it that way.

My point is that anti-immigrant and BLM in a lilly white and homogeneous state like Vermont seems to be a strange hill to pick to die on. In my opinion, the Vermont K-12 lesson should be that large sections of the country aren’t homogeneous like Vermont and they have social problems because of it. Vermont has a very different set of problems. The state is at least fairly enlightened compared to most of the US dealing with the opiate addiction problem. I think the brain drain that has existed forever is the biggest issue to address though no other rural place has ever solved it.


I think the homogeneous nature of Vermont makes it possible to have public support for more European-style social democracy. You don’t have the tension that those black people and brown people are getting a free ride on your hard earned tax dollars. The people you’re providing the safety net for are your neighbors and are like you. Part of that is a progressive tax structure. Act 60 and then Act 68 were designed to soak vacation home owners, commercial property owners, and high income people. Middle class homeowners couldn’t be subject to much of the school tax or there would have been a tax rebellion.

[Riley.]

Originally Posted by Boston_Burbs

Someone should max out their 401k, HSA, and spousal IRA to get their income down. I made $135k in W2 income last year and still got a $1,000 rebate.

I did and I am now retired. I am not taking any $$ from the 401Ks until I need it and I am not collecting SS until I am 70, presuming I can wait until then. We did get a small rebate last year, thankfully. Not sure what will happen with the updated grand list. They are not finished with that project yet so it will be next year before we find out if we will see an increase. I keep a separate account just for property taxes.