Pure Leadership RV Tour: Behind the Scenes

Current Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas came to the aid of gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie this past weekend on a two-day tour across Vermont. It consisted of eight rallies in seven counties. Together they promoted Dubie’s vision as outlined by his 26 page ,ten-point plan for growing jobs and building Vermont’s economy.

Take a look now behind the scenes at the Dubie/Douglas Pure Leadership RV Tour and inside Governor Jim Douglas’ imagined thought bubble.

"I believe strongly in Brian's candidacy," Douglas said of Dubie. "I believe he's the best person to lead our state for the next few years."

Right .I believe strongly he wins only if a miracle happens and that’s the only reason I let them haul me out here on this Pure Leadership RV Tour. What’s with all this creepy ‘pure’ stuff anyway? Suppose that language must bring in the fringe money. That Texas money guy Brian had dinner with, Crow was his name, the one with all the statues of dictators he must like that. Why did the Dubster get hooked-up with this out of state campaign crew? They don’t know Vermont from Texas or Virginia anyway.
Next few years’ .Oh hell if Brian tanks young Gibbs will be all set to glide in after his grooming tour as Vt. Secretary of State.
Note to self: remember to tell Jason to watch that late night driving. Can’t afford to lose anyone our line-up is pretty thin now.

Douglas noted. "What we need is balance in Montpelier,"

Man that’s Brian, pure Brian all right, a great big counterweight, door stop, or anchor.
That’s balance.

Douglas said, citing Shumlin's proposals for government-run health care and universal preschool. "I think we know what happens when politicians make promises."

Heh,promises,promises yeah I’ve been there, Jim=Jobs, E-State up and running by 2010, man, the stuff that I pulled off in this office.

Asked whether Dubie ever lobbied him on issues, Douglas couldn't provide an example, but he said, "Brian is not at all reluctant to tell me how he feels about things in a respectful and cordial way.”

Provide an example! Ah, the remaining Vermont press. They want an example! I should give it to them. Lord, I don’t think I had a serious conversation with Brian in eight years. He always drones on about how he’s an airline pilot and then I zone out and almost doze off. How long is this RV tour for eight stops?
Ugh,paid my dues, the stuff I do for this party… going to owe me big-time after this Pure Leadership RV Tour.

Unimagined quotes from Burlington Free Press

The Douglas borne manner of upper bracket tax relief

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas is asking all Vermonters to make sacrifices during these difficult times. State services are being cut to the bone, state fees are being increased and there is talk of cutting unemployment benefits.

However minus any hint of shared sacrifice Douglas has proposed replacing a 40% capital gains tax exemption removed last year that favors those in upper income brackets. This move and other changes he proposes would, according to the Times Argus, result in $9.9 million loss of state revenue.

He attempts to justify this by rising the fear that Vermont’s rich will have no incentive to stay unless their taxes are lowered.

Douglas would revoke the first of those changes, restoring the old capital gains exemption, but not the second, leaving the reductions in the top income tax brackets in place.

Douglas acknowledged last week that if his proposal were enacted it would effectively be a tax reduction for top earners. Vermont's having among the highest top margin rates risks driving wealthier Vermonters out of the state, Douglas said.

"We have to make sure there are people in those brackets in the years to come," he said. "I think we are going to see fewer of them."
In addition, Douglas would roll back changes made last year that reduced how much money could be excluded from Vermont's estate taxes.

How deeply Governor Douglas’ fear will touch those experiencing Catamount health cost increases, cuts in human services, housing support service cuts and limited state Medicaid programs remains to be seen.
No explanation was offered why an exodus of upper bracket Vermonters didn’t leave the state in droves over the past year. Perhaps some sympathy could be had if he were to document the coming exodus, show the empty mansions, the derelict condos, the luxury cars packed high with goods abandoned along the highway in hurried flight from the tyranny of a closed capital gains tax loophole.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas shuns stimulus signs

Gov. Douglas and Tom Evslin (Vermont's chief recovery officer)have decided to shun the Federal Recovery signs that Sen. Judd Gregg earlier sought national legislation to ban. “Axe the Stimulus Plaques” Gregg said and declared them "Simply for political self interest “. He introduced a bill in the senate “that would have prohibited the use of stimulus funds for signs that say a project is being carried out using those funds.”
It seems Vermont will as Gregg desired forego the signage. The savings are small in context and the symbolism high. Vermont's Recovery Officer says

“here in Vermont we decided that we’d rather spend the stimulus highway dollars on roads than signs. We have lots of projects but we don’t have signs. Once I explain almost everyone agrees with this decision.”

For me this begs the question, would Jim Douglas stop his trademark aggressive ribbon cutting habits if it would save a few thousand dollars?

Obama’s Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood(R) says of the signage "Signs tell a story, and the story being told is hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being spent to rebuild roads, resurface roads, resurface bridges,".

I agree we should proudly display what our tax dollars are doing for us.
The new Federal Recovery logo and sign compare favorably to the Blue Eagle of the depression era National Recovery Act. It is a visible symbol of what good government can do on a practical local level .The signs were to be posted for transparency and so the people that drive the roads know how and where their tax stimulus dollars are being used .They were to be the visible symbol of America back on the move. Florida, Texas and Virginia have not put up the stimulus signs.
Tom Evslin Vermont's chief recovery officer claims the signs cost $1500 each and you need at least two for each project. The exact form for the sign and the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) logo are spelled out in federal guidelines along with a”recommendation” that the signs be displayed. The Federal Highway Administration designed the recovery act signs in two sizes. Given the scope of the projects overall and the small savings in this seems petty. It has been reported that the cost of the signs can vary depending on size some running as much as the New York state behemoth of 84 square feet(about the same as three sheets of plywood )and costing $6,000 to $8,000 each to the diminutive and reasonably priced Illinois sign at about 45.5 square feet and costing $300.00.

Other Signs
Criticism of Vermont stimulus transparency from Vermont's Times Argus newspaper about two weeks ago .

Philip Mattera, lead author of "Show Us the Stimulus: An Evaluation of State Government Recovery Act Web Sites. said " Vermont does a serviceable job of explaining in what government sectors the recovery money is being spent. What the Web site does not do, he says, is offer a geographical breakdown of where in the state that money is being spent.
"And that would be useful to know, so people can know how available money is distributed in different parts of the state," he says. "And there's no information up there about specific projects that are being planned with the money."

A stage in Biloxi

A small stage in Biloxi
Center stage to a large degree was his for the taking as some of the bigger lites of the Republican party were no shows Arnold Schwarzenegger ,Sarah Palin ,Tim Pawlenty and Bobby Jindal failed to attend .Governor Mark Sanford may still be resting after hiking to South America . This past weekend Vermont’s Governor Jim Douglas debuted as chairman of the National Governors Association. Recently greenwashed online as the 8th greenest governor in the nation Douglas moved his performance on to Broadway or eh Biloxi. Haley Barbour RGA head and the former head of the RNC back in the Contract for America glory days has a soft spot for the new chairman Gov.Douglas .After the last election he described Douglas as “being stronger than a field of garlic up there in Vermont”. (It is wonderful to think when they are alone together Barbour calls him Jimbo.)

Last week some here in Vermont were most atwitter in anticipation about this milestone in Douglas’s career. “This month Douglas adds to his resume the chairmanship of the National Governors Association. The timing is fortuitous. He assumes a leadership position that will give him incredible national exposure in what will primarily be a bipartisan setting.” Chris Graff corporate spokesman for National Life of Vermont gushed
Sadly it looks like Governor Douglas may see his new role in simpler terms, mainly balking, balking at unfunded federal mandates.

Several governors joined Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in calling on Congress to revise requirements by this fall for secure driver's licenses that are intended to help boost national security. The governors said federal mandates for the licenses are too expensive, and 13 states have voted not to participate in the Real ID Act passed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In response NGA Chairman Douglas sagely noted that "Security standards are only useful if people are willing and able to use them," said Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican.
Such comforting simplicity in a world so complex , many things in life are only useful when people are willing and able to use them.
Who could have predicted that he would shine so brightly in Biloxi, a star in the Republican field of garlic indeed?