In Vermont Kale is NOT Chicken

That's all I've got to report!

Brian Dubie and the company sandbox

"We call it a creative sandbox for the company,"said Brian Dubie.
Sandboxes get all kinds of uses, just ask the neighborhood cats.

So let’s take a look at a corporation Brian Dubie has invited into what he calls his “creative sandbox” (Vermont): TerreStar, not exactly a shining example of a stable, ethical corporation, but one example of the out-of-state businesses Dubie chooses to import to Vermont.

In August of this year, short of funds and verging on bankruptcy, TerreStar Corp engaged a financial restructuring firm. Not many Vermonters will have heard of TerreStar Corp (integrated satellite and terrestrial telecommunications systems) of Reston VA. However it was promoted and actively boosted by Brian Dubie as a savior for the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) cellular communication problems. He learned of TerreStar and helped the company extensively in his roles as Lt. Governor, chairman of the Aerospace States Association, and as head of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce sponsored Vermont Aerospace Association (VAA).

After Dubie aided the NASDAQ traded company in accessing transmission frequency rights they agreed to pilot its groundbreaking service in Vermont. Specifically how access to these rights was accomplished isn’t clear.
It didn’t go unnoticed by TerresStar’s chairman who said

Vermont officials are so enthused about the satellite plan that they're drumming up interest among other state governments, which face their own sets of issues around getting broadband access to some of their citizens and workforces.

In the Fall of 2007 (shortly before being turned down for a position in the FAA) Dubie, in his capacity as chair of the ASA, flew to California to tour Loral space systems facilities. He met with executives to discuss easing homeland security related export control issues. The connection between these export controls (meant to keep terrorists from getting hold of weapons technologies) and the satellite were not mentioned or explained. This was all in preparation for a March 2008 mock Capitol Hill hearing dealing with issue.

As part of the visit he viewed the TerreStar satellite under construction. His travel on behalf of the ASA is normally paid by Vermont as part of his Lt.Gov. duties. Dubie’s chief of staff described this as a thank-you tour of sorts for the successful development of TerresStar’s satellite. TerresStar’s president later singled out Dubie specifically for those efforts as ASA chair.
Frequent flyer miles or just thanks?

In 2009 TerreStar paid for Dubie’s flight to Karou, French Guiana

, to view the launch of the Arianne rocket carrying the satellite. The Times Argus wrote it up, but no reporter asked who paid for Dubie’s flight.

Troubles at TerreStar
Bankruptcy or similar problems may have been in the cards (or stars?) for TerreStar Corp from the start. Its executives, and its former parent corporation Motient, have a lengthy history of questionable business practices.
In 2005, an institutional shareholder lawsuit described TerresStar’s corporate culture this way:

"Unfortunately, what TerreStar fails to acknowledge in its self-description is how its tattered past of mismanagement and poor execution, alleged Board self-dealings and conflicts of interest, and governance failures resulted in a stock price that has fallen steadily since February of 2005."

Two company officials the brother of the acting chairman and the former chairman of the board (and here) are known to be under investigation or have been convicted of multiple counts of fraud, racketeering, money laundering and other crimes.
The shareholder lawsuit continues:

the operation was run by “a group of hand-picked insiders, which includes other sitting directors, executive management and affiliated consultants and industry service providers,”

What did Dubie know?
It isn’t known whether Dubie knew this history when he was flown in to Kourou, French Guiana to watch the rocket launch. He mentioned a technological risk and weighed engineering questions raised by analysts against $1 billion worth of investments from what he referred to as

"people who think this thing is going to work."

Does he think investor’s money can overcome any problems? Dubie said

"This is hopefully going to result in people up in Newport having cell capability."

But contrary to that glowing prediction, the only immediate benefit of the 15 year life span satellite would be some first responders - if the system works at all - and only after that might others in the NEK see any potential improvement in cell service. In addition TerreStar won’t market cell and broadband service directly to consumers; instead it will sell the technology to other providers.

Given the history of those involved with TerreStar, the first question he could have asked was: what are the chances of success? Sadly, we may be on the verge of learning the answer: in 2010 TerreStar is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.Who may have benefited from Dubie's dual role boosterism as Vermont’s Lt.Gov. and VAA head for the Chamber of Commerce? How much time was taken from his Vermont Lt. Governor duties by literally being flown around the nation and the world lending assistance to promote a test project for this rogues’ gallery of corporate executives running a soon to be bankrupt corporation? What kinds of question would an effective leader have asked from the start?
Dubie’s question:

"I asked them, 'what's in this for you?'" said Vermont Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie.
"They said, 'we are going to launch a billion-dollar satellite, and when we turn this thing on, we're going to need a place to use it.'"

TerresStar’s “promise”:

"The value proposition is to eventually use a wholesale model, where we can leverage the assets to allow existing customers to sell new features (in the future),"chief marketing officer Doug Sobieski

GMD was unable to reach Mr. Soboieski to ask him whether the executives of TerreStar Corp considered Vermont's Republican Lt. Governor to be a "leveraged asset" or a "new feature." Perhaps that is question for Vermont voters.

Also posted on Green Mountain Daily

VSP wants 260 Tasers

After what is being described as a successful test period the Vermont State Police want Tasers, two hundred and sixty of them at a “range” of about one thousand dollars a piece and will come from the state.
Vermont State Police Captain Robert Evans said

“It has been a successful testing and evaluation period, and we’re now looking at purchasing Tasers for all of our uniformed troopers at the rank of lieutenant and below,”

The study commission mentions a successful test period but did Times Argus forget or just fail to mention the $40,000 dollar pay-out made quietly on Thnaksgiving 2009 as a result of State Police Taser misuse back in 2006?
Recently several Vermont towns and citys have had Taser related incidents.

Evans noted there will be a significant amount of training and education for both the public and police officers if the Tasers are funded.

I hope they provide specific details and define what training and education the public needs.
But for now always be compliant and obey all commands speedily and make certain to avoid being Tasered in the chest, face or neck.
Because the Taser Company issued a training bulletin warning that 50,000 volt Tasering could cause an "adverse cardiac event" when shot in the chest. Avoiding the chest, face and neck is now strongly advised. Suggested shot placements currently include back, abdomen and thighs.

Vermont Catamount Health for $1 million less ?

Chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA), Vermont Governor Jim Douglas will lead the nation’s governors at their annual winter meeting in Washington this weekend. Healthcare availability and affordability one of Douglas’ focus points will be a subject of discussion at the gathering in Washington.

Vermont’s Catamount Health the public/private healthcare plan is one innovation Douglas often notes:

“I am proud of the steps we have taken in Vermont. My chairman’s initiative focuses on helping governors lead the way in improving the quality of our system, providing more insurance coverage and addressing key cost drivers to ensure we have a system that is affordable, accessible and accountable.” said Douglas in a press release prior to his trip to Washington.

The supposedly tightfisted governor's pride may be tempered somewhat from the findings of some research into Vermont’s Catamount Health plan. The plan established in 2007 included requirements for an outside efficiency study. Some results are quoted in the Burlington Free Press unfortunately no link to the study was provided.

The research results put forward that the Catamount Health could save $1 million a year if the state had been running it exclusively rather than the private/public arrangement that exists.

Researchers suggested if the same state office that administers Medicaid and the Vermont Health Access Program also ran Catamount, administrative costs would decrease by about $1 million a year.

Peter Sterling, executive director of the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security Education Fund, called the researchers’ finding significant: “We have overpaid at least $2 million to let private insurance do what the state could have done.”

Website Tracking States’ Spending Trackers

Follow the stimulus money .The White House called it the accountability summit Thursday. State leaders charged with spending the stimulus were told they are on the “front lines”. Officials from all fifty states but Idaho attended to be coached on how to make the stimulus work .Cabinet secretaries and administration officials were available for questioning. Accountability and transparency were buzz words at the meeting a major part of transparency is easy availability of information.”Recovery” web pages and easy access to state information regarding stimulus money spending and contracting is key. Stimulus spending has started here in Vermont at the Richmond Bridge. The choice of the very low bidding out of state company makes clear the need for openness. Vt. Secretary of Transportation defended the Maine contractor choice in the paper the other day as questions were raised about the company being from out of state and about the huge difference in bid costs .Nothing apparently is amiss but information access online could be better because accountability is the goal.


A tracker tracker,here is a link http://www.obamaperspective.com/?p=559
to a site by a fellow who is tracking all fifty state’s “recovery” websites. He is tracking how states are handling transparency issues. Posted are links to and brief notes on all states "recovery” homepages. The quality of Vermont’s site (as it now appears) compared to others according to this site gets what would translate as a “meh”.
…..Vermont’s stimulus site includes only the most general information about the recovery plan, such as links to the text of the bill, and to the federal stimulus site,http://recovery.vermont.gov/
More information will follow, a press release says.

The tracking website says “we’re considering adding a scoring system. The Missouri site is noted as best …and for accountability and décor Missouri nails a 9.8! . The Missouri Accountability portal provides comprehensive documentation of grants, contracts, budgets and state employee salaries. All line item expenditures are accounted for, even for minimal expenses. Missouri’s recovery site lists stimulus funds received by the state, with fields for the date of deposit, the funds’ intended purpose, the amount and how the dollars have been spent. http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/Portal/ Missouri is the "Show Me State "

http://www.propublica.org/special/chart-tracking-states-spending-trackers

No surplus left anywhere in the world

“There’s no surplus left anywhere in the world,” not petroleum , maple syrup.This is what Sen. Schumer is talking about ."Everybody is waiting for this year’s crop.”Restaurants in Vermont are rationing maple syrup and not allowing unlimited pouring. As the state’s annual harvest gets under way this week, restaurants and shops are paying as much as $70 a gallon for syrup, said Rick Marsh, president of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association. That’s up from about $40 last year, he said.

Although Vermont may lead the nation in maple syrup production New York State politicians are taking the lead in using the current high price of syrup to reintroduce legislation suggested in 2008.
The plan would provide for access to private land and to create centralized storage and bottling plants .Incredibly they are hoping for the $65 million dollar industry to increase sales by 400 percent! Although Schumer had no statistics for Vermont he did say “Listen to this, we have 289 million maple trees in New York, but we tap less than one-half of 1 percent of them. It’s a large, untapped resource, shall we say.”
Sen. Schumer, newly appointed Sen.Gillibrand and upstate NY Rep John McHugh have proposed legislation to help small producers nationwide.
Maple TAP Act which would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which states may apply for grants to encourage owners and operators of privately-held farm and ranch land with maple trees to voluntarily make such land available for maple tapping.

Quebec, the OPEC of maple syrup accounts for more than 70 percent of the global supply, 5.35 million gallons last year. Vermont, the domestic leader, produced 500,000 gallons. New York, which had a strong year, produced 322,000 gallons. Quebec produces more because it taps over a third of its trees. Vermont taps 2.1 percent.

While supply has dwindled, international demand has increased, largely because of marketing efforts by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, a trade group representing 7,300 companies. The focus has been on Asia, and Japan now accounts for 10 percent of Canada’s maple syrup exports, said Geneviève C. Béland, a marketing executive with the federation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11maple.html?ref=nyregion
http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/record.cfm?id=309291
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601093&sid=ah5DD99EXVkw&refer=home

Vermont’s new two headed recovery office

Vermont like many states is unveiling shiny new websites to provide information regarding their state’s use of funds from the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Well Louisiana, maybe not?
Here is a link http://recovery.vermont.gov/to Vermont’s shiny new site which contains perhaps an excusable amount of self promotion by Republican Governor Douglas. For a man whose party leaders have come close to expressing the desire for Obama’s policies to fail seems to have achieved a good comfort level with this program.
…………

Welcome to the Vermont Federal Recovery and Reinvestment Website:
Thank you for visiting our site. Here you will find information regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as it relates to our state. You can learn about Governor Douglas’ plans for using these resources to strengthen Vermont’s transportation and technological infrastructure; to invest in renewable energy and efficiency programs; and to grow our economy and put Vermonters back to work.

But Two Heads? The Governor has interestingly found the need to appointed two people to head this office in less than a month. In the beginning of February Governor Douglas named as head Jim Bush, the current Assistant Director of Program Development at the Agency of Transportation. ……However just the other day it was announced that The Office of Economic Stimulus and Recovery will be headed by Tom Evslin, who will report to Administration Secretary Neal Lunderville. March 2, 2009.One head must be bigger than the other.
http://recovery.vermont.gov/