I am proud of Bernie and I am wicked proud of Vermont.

[cali]

I know both he and Vermont are easy to caricature. Overly earnest, sometimes self-righteous, crunchy, white latte drinking hippies.

Some Hillary supporters just want him to meet an ignominious end, reviled on the blue side. That's par for the course in a heated political season, and heaven knows, some Bernie supporters wish the same about Hillary. But the movement Bernie is trying to kick start, is rooted in Vermont's progressive values and its culture. We actually have more decent politicians in elected office here than awful ones. Our legislature rocks. As they adjourned, they passed legislation mandating that free birth control and free vasectomies be provided. They balanced the budget without any cuts to the social safety net or education.

<snip>


Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility was successful in getting the legislature to pass paid sick leave and Ban the Box, leading Public Policy Manager Dan Barlow to characterize the session as a success. “There's going to be a lot of people talking about what they didn't pass this year. You know marijuana legislation, they didn't do the ethics reform, the possibility of a carbon pollution tax. The legislature also has some unfinished business around the definition of independent contractor. And you know there's a lot of smaller bills this year that passed I think in other states would be really revolutionary. And Vermont had a whole bunch of them. Things like automatic voter registration when you go to the DMV. Just common sense reforms.”

<snip>

http://wamc.org/post/vermont-legislature-wraps-biennium#stream/0

<snip>

Vermont is poised to become the first state to require public and private health insurance to cover vasectomies without copays and deductibles under a bill Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Monday.

The legislation inserts into state law mandates from the federal Affordable Care Act but goes beyond them to include additional birth control methods, such as vasectomies.

Shumlin, surrounded by lawmakers who supported the bill and officials with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, lamented moves elsewhere in the country to curtail birth control.

<snip>

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3924394-155/vermonth-law-covers-vasectomies-birth-control

The size and the culture of Vermont enable it to a great testing ground for progressive legislation. And we punch well above our weight when it comes to making an impact on progressive issues.

We are proud that Bernie is representing our values. We're proud to be a state that welcomes immigrants and refugees, including Syrians.

At the Vermont Democratic convention, where Bernie Sanders was unanimously endorsed for President. Organic farmer, VT Progressive Party/Democrat State Senator and candidate for Lt Governor, David Zuckerman put it well:

<snip>

When I fight for these issues as Lieutenant Governor, it will be from personal experience. As a legislator and in my daily life, I am working to ensure that when I leave this planet, my daughter is better off than I am. As a farmer, I am working to leave the soil healthier for the next generation of farmers, ensuring that future families can have access to healthy food.

Bernie has awakened the country to these issues on a whole new scale. He has brought Vermont values to the rest of the nation. Bernie has shown that across this country there are YOUGE numbers of people hungry for change, the kind of change we have worked hard to achieve here in Vermont and the kind of change for which we are still striving.

Bernie inspired me to get involved in politics when I volunteered on his Congressional campaign in 1992. I have carried his message and received his endorsement in each of my previous campaigns. I am so proud of what he has done and I’m excited to be running for statewide office when he is running for President. As Lieutenant Governor, I will keep Bernie’s message alive here in Vermont so we can once again be a role model for the nation.

With your help and support, with your continued engagement in the political process, with your insistence on a fair and open process in government and in public life, we can:

Continue to move forward to build a system that protects the rights of women; people of color; and our gay, lesbian, and transgender brothers and sisters

Move toward a stronger, more vibrant economy that pays a livable wage and provides everyone healthcare

Ensure we have a political system that is not rigged and that attracts young people and people of all races, classes, and cultures
Engage small business people, farmers, and entrepreneurs in our emerging economy

<snip>
http://vtdigger.org/2016/05/23/zuckerman-remarks-given-at-vermont-democratic-convention/

[scscholar]

1. Wicked?

Confirmed from VT.

[cali]

3. Couldn't resist. Not a word I actually use conversational, but a regionalism,

though more of a Maine one than a Vermont one.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. As a Mainah, I was wicked pleased to see you use it.

[MADem]

4. That word was first popularized in the Home of the Bean and the Cod.

The Hub of the Universe....

Sometimes accompanied by "pissah," as in "The Sox won? Wicked pissah!!!"

It's just one phrase in the great lexicon of Boston and the Commonwealth, that has spread to all corners of the New England states:


http://centurione.tumblr.com/post/33670100460/wicked-pissah

[cali]

5. Didn't know that. Always thought it started in Maine.

[apnu]

7. People from MA know.

I lived in the 'burbs of Boston for a few years. MADem is wicked right.

[scscholar]

6. I know, but I've noticed...

it's since fallen out of usage in MA, but I've heard it several times in VT the past year, thus my joke.

[Vinca]

8. Having been born in Bellows Falls many, many moons ago, I couldn't agree more.

I need my head examined for taking advantage of a good real estate deal and moving across the river to NH a couple of decades ago. I'm in Vermont every day and will be buying property there again when we downsize. It's the best state in the country.

[oberliner]

13. Does the lack of racial diversity bother you at all?

It seems like it would be surreal to live in a place that is 95+ percent white.

In the case of Bellows Falls, it looks like there are literally no African-Americans or Asian-Americans and only a minuscule number of Latinos.

[Vinca]

15. No. It is what it is.

I don't know where the numbers come from anyway. I live nearer to Brattleboro now and it's a town filled with all kinds of ethnicities. I see them every day. There are real, live, black people, too. I swear!

[oberliner]

16. The numbers come from the US Census Bureau

Brattleboro has 12,000 people. 11,280 of them are white.

I just can't imagine living in a place that is so white.

By the way, have you ever been to the Latchis movie theatre/hotel by the train station? I really like that space.

[Vinca]

23. The bottom line is that Vermont is a very welcoming place to minorities.

The sign at the border doesn't say "Welcome to Vermont, Whites Only." Are they supposed to bus in people for the sole purpose of appearing more racially diverse??? Maybe I'm weird, but I don't pay that much attention to color. White, black, brown . . . who cares? Your remark about not being able to imagine living in a place so white made me laugh. Guess I'll have to start taking a nose count of Hispanics, blacks and Asians I interact with so I'll be sure not to miss anything. As for the Latchis, I've been to it many times over the years. Not so much recently because I prefer to watch movies at home now. When I was young, back in the late 60's, early 70's, the Latchis was the site of my favorite bar. LOL.

[oberliner]

24. I think you misunderstood what I was saying

People look for different things in terms of finding a place to live (assuming they have the option to make that choice). For some folks, being close to nature is important, for others, being in the midst of a big city. For some folks, having a diverse multiethnic community is important - for others, that isn't a critical factor. I am not passing judgement on one or another. I am saying for me personally, I could not imagine living in a place that wasn't extremely diverse. Not everyone shares this desire, and that's fine. If I had the option of living someplace that was gorgeous and progressive but was almost exclusively white versus someplace that was less gorgeous and less progressive but had a much more diverse population, I would choose the latter. Others would choose the former. Such is the tapestry of humanity.

[Vinca]

25. Maybe I'm just an old rube, but I don't see how the percentage matters so much.

If I go to the grocery store I might be in a line with a white cashier or a black cashier, but either way I buy my food and go on my merry way. My current gynecologist is a black woman. Before that I went to a Hispanic male doctor for 30 years. I've also had white men and women doctors. They're doctors. As long as they're competent it doesn't matter what color they are. Yesterday I went to a farm stand for plants, the antique shop where I sell things, a thrift shop looking for goodies and the post office. Along the way I encountered black people and Asian people . . . I don't recall any Hispanics, but then I wasn't checking out skin color. For the life of me I can't imagine how my experience might have been different if say half the people I came into contact with were non-white. This entire state of affairs, which doesn't seem to be bothering people living it of any color, has only become an issue as a way to bash Bernie. It's silly.

[oberliner]

33. That's fair

I just think there is a different feel to a neighborhood or town that is diverse as opposed to one that is predominated by one ethnic group. But as I said, that could just be a person thing from my perspective. Generally speaking, I think greater diversity is something that more communities should strive towards. It benefits the whole community in ways that people don't always realize. Also, I think Bernie is great. I actually had a very good friend who interned for him way back in the 90s, so I got a lot of inside stories on what that experience was like.

[cali]

19. Vermont is changing fast. And it's now 93.5%

Ever been here?

[oberliner]

20. That is cool

Yes, I've been to Vermont many times. In fact, long long ago I spent a summer working with a touring theatre group based in NH and we played shows across NH and VT. There was this neat space in St. Johnsbury that I particularly remember liking but I don't remember many of the details.

Why do you think Vermont is changing these days?

[cali]

22. The minority population has been growing faster since 2000

In particular, the immigrant population has been growing due to a welcoming policies.


People packed Rutland City Hall Tuesday to hear new plans for the city from Mayor Christopher Louras, plans to welcome up to 100 Syrian refugees this fall.

"We will open the next chapter on our city's story by embracing those escaping the horrors of war and oppression," Louras said.
<snip>
Vermont has welcomed about 8,000 refugees since 1989, but this will make Rutland the first place in the state to open its doors to refugees from Syria. Years of civil war in Syria fueled a massive exodus, pushing millions of refugees to seek asylum in other countries.

<snip>
http://www.wcax.com/story/31818005/rutland-to-welcome-syrian-refugees

Could this be the place in St J that you were thinking of?

[patricia92243]

10. Free vasectomies! I had never thought of that - great idea to help men take responsibility for

birth control.

[Demsrule86]

11. Everyone has an opinion...

Vermont is a lovely state...the rest ...not so much.

[oberliner]

12. Does Vermont have a single legislator who is not white?

The first article notes "Our legislature rocks".

Is it not problematic to have a state that is governed exclusively by white people?

[NCTraveler]

18. Not when it mirrors the people of the state.

Equal representation is what we are fighting for. They have it in Vermont, for the most part. The problem is that far too often the county commission in places like Ferguson also mirror the constituency in Vermont.

[oberliner]

21. Perhaps a diverse legislature would encourage more non-whites to consider living in Vermont

Having that kind of diversity could help to promote the idea that the state is welcoming to those groups.

Otherwise, it sort of can become a self-perpetuating situation (i.e. the population is mostly white, so the legislature mirrors that, and because the legislature is all white, it is off-putting for non-whites considering a move, etc).

[cali]

27. There are initiatives to encourage more minorities to move here

Both state and private organization efforts.

Some years back my rep in the statehouse was AA. I voted against him. He was a republican.

[oberliner]

31. That is very cool

And as you mentioned, the demographics are starting to change, which is great!

[cali]

36. The problem is that few people of any ethnicity want to move here.

It's cold and rural.

[oberliner]

37. How's the job market?

I'm thinking the university is the big employer.

[cali]

38. Tourism and farming employ the most people

Particularly value added products like cheese. More and more high tech and also coffee- not just Keurig, there are several others.

Unemployment is 3.1%

[oberliner]

39. What happens to the ski resorts during the summer months?

Do they stay in business year round? I figure they employ a lot of folks in the winter, but what about now?

[karynnj]

29. I know at least one who should count - Kesha Ram, who represents a district of Burlington

in the House and who is running for lt Governor. Whether she wins or not, she is considered a superstar. She has an Indian father and white (Jewish) mother. Not legislature, but important - the superintendent of Burlington schools is black. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2015/02/12/burlington-superintendent-announcement/23303471/

I do not get your constant obsession that VT has a "problem" because it does not have a large POC population. The fact is that since the early 1980s, it has assimilated refugees - many POC. In Chittendon, this includes many Somali, Cental African Republic, Burundi, Vietnamese and Nepali among others. You can not drive through the North end of Burlington without seeing many of these people going about their business wearing traditional garments.

I moved here from NJ - and though it is statistically more diverse as a state, there are enclaves that are FAR LESS diverse than Burlington. (In fact, I have friends in Chappaqua (though they note that they are on the "wrong side of the tracks", it is less diverse than Burlington.)

Not to mention, that judging from the first graders at a local school, the youth are more diverse than the middle aged and the retires are even less diverse. Time alone will make VT more diverse.

[oberliner]

30. Thanks for the info

It's not an obsession of mine. I don't think VT has a problem. I would not want to live somewhere that is nearly 95 percent white. Just a personal preference. But as I said in another response on this thread, everyone looks for different things when considering where to live.

I can also vouch for the fact that there are some very white enclaves of NJ - and I wouldn't want to live in them either!

It is cool to hear about these refugees from around the world being welcomed into Vermont. I think that will certainly enhance the state in many ways. I wish more states were similarly welcoming.

[karynnj]

32. It already has enhanced the area a lot - at least in culture

And food. Two of my favorite restaurants are owned by immigrants. One is Turkish and the other is run by a married couple, one Vietnamese and the other is Nepali. Both very friendly places.

[oberliner]

35. That is awesome

Not to stir up trouble, but I just want to share one article that I read about the experience of being a black person living in VT (it's from 2013):

‘Put yourself in my skin color’

http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131007/NEWS01/710079854/-1/NEWSPHOTOS;

I won't post any excerpts but it does provide some insights from the perspective of a few people of color will live in Vermont who were interviewed for the piece.

[NCTraveler]

17. K&R For the positive nature of your post.

Sanders has been and will continue to be a solid representative for his constituency in Vermont.

[RKP5637]

26. Vermont is an absolutely beautiful state. I remember Vermont well from my youth and later.

And, the people are wonderful.

[SpareribSP]

28. I've thought of moving to Vermont

Sometime, perhaps. I grew up in Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border, and visited Brattleboro when I went home for a bit a while back. Was really interested to see the single-payer work out, shame that it didn't. I love that the state keeps pushing for progressive programs. It's definitely part of the reason why I started listening to Bernie early on.

[PufPuf23]

34. Vermont is the kind of place where the trees are more colorful and numerous than the people

who are mostly freaking hippies and the socialist trees take better care of themselves than those freaking hippies that survive on free stuff.

I think Vermont and Bernie Sanders are an awesome example for all Americans.

Thanks.