December 2025
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The Arithmetic of Decline: Vermont’s Unsustainable Fiscal Path
Vermont’s fiscal math is unforgiving: state spending grows at 5% annually while the tax base expands at only 2-3%. Property taxes have tripled since 2000,…
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VT’s Special Ed Funding Gap: When Federal Promises Meet Property Tax Reality
Vermont’s special education funding gap reveals a broken promise: Congress pledged 40% federal support in 1975 but delivers only 7-10%. Property taxpayers cover the rest—$8.5…
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How VT’s School Funding System Actually Works – Currently
Vermont funds its schools through a single statewide Education Fund, not separate town systems. Local voters approve school budgets each March, and the Legislature later…
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RNESU Holds 5:30 PM Budget Vote at 2 PM?
RNESU approved its FY27 budget at a 2 PM “retreat” the same day the Rutland Herald listed the meeting for 5 PM, raising open meeting…
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The Federal Aid Trap: Vermont’s Spending Problem
Vermont spends more than any other state relative to its economy, with 29.4% of its output going to state and local government. Heavy federal dependency…
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Why Health Insurance Became a Healthcare Payment System — And What It Means
Health insurance in the U.S. has shifted from catastrophic coverage to an inefficient catch-all system. By adopting portable HSAs, transparent pricing, and deregulated markets, we…
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How the Choking Out of Christmas Changed American Culture
For much of the 20th century, Christmas in the United States functioned as a shared cultural event rather than a narrowly religious observance. As institutions…
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Jingle Bells Is Racist? What the Research Actually Says
Former MSNBC host Joy Reid shared a viral video claiming “Jingle Bells” was written to mock Black people, citing a 2017 academic study. But the…
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The Consequences of Ignoring Reality – Part 2
Vermont’s fiscal pressures extend far beyond education funding. Housing scarcity, healthcare costs, workforce readiness, regulation, and demographic decline are compounding in ways that no single…
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The Consequences of Ignoring Reality – Part 1
Vermont’s education funding crisis is not the result of a single law or a broken formula. It is the visible collision point of decades of…
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