tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669Fri, 08 May 2026 08:14:50 +0000economic developmentFailed Trade PoliciesHousingWal-MartHealth Care CrisisEnergy PolicytaxesPromoting Good Jobs and Healthy Communitieshttp://highroadvt.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (JK)Blogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-4467828924226345326Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:14:00 +00002009-02-11T17:59:31.464-08:00 <!--[endif]--> http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2009/02/2009-unified-economic-development.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-9041759410463916588Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:51:00 +00002008-06-18T17:01:11.792-07:00economic developmentHealth Care CrisisHousingtaxesHear podcast of economist Jack Rasmus, author of The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush on "Is the Economic Crisis Over - or Just Beginning?" on High Road's Equal Time radio program.http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/06/is-economic-crisis-over-or-just.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-6796688516071346948Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:32:00 +00002008-04-29T14:40:25.377-07:00First thing, please sign the petition. Tuesday, April 22nd, more than 33 advocacy groups, including the Vermont State Employees Association, Vermont-National Education Association, Vermont AFL-CIO, and High Road Vermont, representing tens of thousands of hard-working Vermonters called on Governor Douglas and the General Assembly to resist the urge to slash programs, and instead invest in Vermonthttp://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/04/budget-cuts-legislative-leadership-like.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-1089833232968141247Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:53:00 +00002008-04-03T14:57:47.360-07:00economic developmentApparently Jim Douglas’ old campaign slogan, “Jim = Jobs,” was only a little bit right By Doug Hoffer in Seven DaysIn Vermont, as across the country, there’s been a lot of talk about jobs and economic development. Bluntly stated, the economy has been lousy for some time now. Yet two months ago, Governor Jim Douglas touted his record in his “State of the State” speech, greatly http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/04/is-vermont-really-on-job.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-6056202292320504958Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:36:00 +00002008-03-27T13:40:37.509-07:00economic developmentToday, as we enter a recession that threatens to become severe, there are indications that this may become the deepest economic crisis since the 1930s. This has the potential to cause widespread suffering because it is taking the form of a crisis of stagflation, that is simultaneously an economic downturn and rising prices. Along with rising unemployment, recession would eventually result in http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/03/downturn-measures-needed-traditional.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-4623019049508543261Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:34:00 +00002008-01-31T09:54:23.487-08:00economic developmenttaxes As the above chart reveals, under the Bush administration's stimulus proposal, over 70% of the rebate would go to the top 40% (income above $47,000) and less than 10% would reach the bottom 40% (income below $27,000). According the analysis by the Brookings-Urban Institute Tax Policy Center, 55.9 million households would get no rebate at all from the plan, in part because many households pay nohttp://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/01/its-bad-deal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-8978588414420354910Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:41:00 +00002008-01-23T14:47:21.565-08:00 On the cusp of economic history By Katrin Bennhold January 22, International Herald Tribune DAVOS, Switzerland: Is economic history about to change course? Among the chieftains of politics and industry gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, a consensus appears to be building that the capitalist system is in for one of those rare and tempestuous http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/01/fnothing-like-little-catastrophe-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-3595616284995160236Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:31:00 +00002008-01-23T14:35:33.782-08:00Economics Journalist Robert Kuttner on the “Most Serious Financial Crisis Since the Great Depression”: “This is the Result of Rightwing Ideology and the Political Power of Wall Street”Democracy Now! interview with economics journalist Robert Kuttner and Robert Weissman, co-director of the corporate accountability group Essential Action and editor of Multinational Monitor magazine. More...http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/01/most-serious-financial-crisis-since.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-7262777981381262699Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:57:00 +00002008-01-18T16:59:38.549-08:00economic developmentBy Lawrence Mishel, President of the Economic Policy Institute Jobs.That’s the word that has been missing from the debate about how to contain the damage from the recession that members of the nation’s political, corporate and media still stubbornly deny has already begun. But the recession is about paycheck economics—jobs, wages and family budgets. When most Americans don’t have the cash or the http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/01/rx-for-recession-economic-strategy-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-3139466497706672296Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:03:00 +00002008-01-11T06:05:50.780-08:00economic development In his State of the State address, the Governor said "As a result of our steadfast focus on economic growth, in the last five years, we've created 12,000 new jobs".First, according to the VT Dept. of Labor, "employment" is up 11,100 in the last 5 years, not 12,000.Second, the Gov. was referring to "employment", which includes the self-employed and those who work without pay in family http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2008/01/jim-those-12000-new-jobs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-8347218810976839492Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:07:00 +00002007-12-23T15:09:31.487-08:00economic developmentOnce again, the monthly press release from the VT Dept. of Labor failed to provide sufficient historical perspective. Here is the data the DoL did not show you. After regaining the jobs lost during the recession, we've gained only 3,500 net new private sector jobs in the last three years (and the annual figure has declined each year). Vermont Net Priv. Sector Job Growth: Nov. - Nov. 91http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/12/jobs-rest-of-story.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-8887301302040712089Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:45:00 +00002007-12-18T09:54:32.723-08:00economic developmentWal-MartBy Arindrajit Dube, T William Lester and Barry EidlinThis study finds that Wal-Mart store openings lead to the replacement of better paying jobs with jobs that pay less and are less likely to provide health benefits. Wal-Mart's entry also drives wages and benefits down for workers in competing industry segments such as grocery stores.http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/12/downward-push-impact-of-wal-mart-stores.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-1066537299479854866Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:30:00 +00002007-12-17T14:33:48.990-08:00economic developmentWal-MartHow a Higher Wage Standard Would Impact Wal-Mart Workers and Shoppers by Arindrajit Dube, Dave Graham-Squire, Ken Jacobs, and Stephanie Luce In July 2006, the Chicago City Council passed a "Big Box Living Wage Ordinance," mandating that all retail stores larger than 90,000 square feet and operated by companies making more than $1 billion a year in revenue pay workers a minimum hourly http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/12/iving-wage-policies-and-wal-mart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-6177890307074463352Sat, 08 Dec 2007 01:49:00 +00002007-12-07T18:09:54.377-08:00Energy PolicyHousingVermonters are facing a 26 percent hike in their heating fuel bills this winter. The fuel assistance issue needs to be front and center in more minds in Vermont than it is. It can be summarized as follows: Last year, if a household was at or below 125% of federal poverty and applied for fuel assistance for the full seasonal benefit, they were awarded, on average about $1,370. This year's http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/12/home-heating-aid-effiency.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-8468947273964337122Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:59:00 +00002007-12-06T16:01:45.714-08:00HousingStatement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Bush Administration Mortgage Rate Freeze Plan After sitting idly by for months while countless Americans saw their dreams slip away, the Bush Administration has put forth a plan to deal with the subprime mortgage crisis that is both too little and too late. The plan to freeze rates that was outlined this afternoon would cover only a small http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/12/inadequate-mortgage-rate-freeze-plan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-3827902260504283844Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:11:00 +00002007-11-28T12:20:53.762-08:00HousingIt’s out. It’s not resetting interest rates that are the big factor behind the surge in home loan defaults YET. Most of the defaults happening today are for mortgages under a year old and so hadn’t even hit the two year reset mark. (Nationwide, more than half of the subprime delinquencies and foreclosures this year were loans that hadn’t reset.) Its not lending to people with poor credit scores. http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/11/f-word.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-3481783320817039999Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:56:00 +00002007-10-12T11:02:24.859-07:00Wal-Martby James Parkson AFL-CIO Blog:A new report shows Wal-Mart—the world’s largest retailer, which made nearly $12 billion in profits last year—is squeezing money out of local communities by trying to reduce its property taxes, the main source of revenue for schools, roads, police and fire protection. The giant retailer has sought to reduce the property taxes it pays on 35 percent of its stores andhttp://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/10/wal-mart-fights-paying-fair-share-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-5337769178744434815Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:09:00 +00002007-10-08T09:14:45.012-07:00Vermont's Joint Fiscal Office published Vol. 2 of the Tax Study last week. It contains important information that helps debunk the mantra about VT having the highest "tax burden" in the country. By calculating tax liability for 24 different hypothetical filers in 12 states, they show clearly that VT's progressive income tax (and various sales tax exemptions) helps moderate the cost of taxes http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/10/vt-tax-study-info-debunks-tax-burden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-2084487176780189566Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:30:00 +00002007-10-03T13:33:40.605-07:00Energy PolicyReprinting a comment by Traven at the Prog Blog:CVPS wants what GMP has - “Alternative Regulation” - which may not use the deregulation word, but produces similar results. Effective earlier this year, GMP was granted permission to pass along the volatile wholesale cost of power to electric users. Under the alternative regulation scheme, GMP customers may see their electric bills change four to http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/10/backdoor-electric-deregulation-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-8631536855793819022Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:01:00 +00002007-09-26T09:13:01.980-07:00economic developmentDoug Hoffer comments on Monthly Jobs Report:In the latest Dept. of Labor press release, the Commissioner stated, “job growth continues on its modest growth path [but] we continue to be concerned about recent downward trends in labor force and employment."It's good that the Commissioner has acknowledged a problem. But a longer term perspective would lead one to characterize job growth as anemic, http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/09/anemic-job-growth-new-policies-needed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-368388398261481661Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:46:00 +00002007-09-24T07:13:31.674-07:00economic developmentRich & PoorRutland Herald editorial: "...It is not an accident of nature that our economy has worsened the economic plight of a majority and enriched the very richest. It is how our policymakers have designed the system. The question is how much longer the majority will allow those policies to widen the gap between rich and poor." Read More..."Between 1989, when inequality in the region was low, http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/09/inequality-growing-faster-in-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-5874978327864954187Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:06:00 +00002007-09-10T16:14:44.944-07:00On yesterday's "Vermont This Week" (9-7-07), Mr. Roper (chair of the VT GOP) said that "the biggest expense that Vermonters are facing right now is the cost of their taxes". That is inaccurate. A simple calculation shows that for a median income family with a median priced home, state & local taxes represent about 6% of their household budget, while transportation, housing, and food are all morehttp://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/09/truth-taxes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-7521840787851252719Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:57:00 +00002007-08-15T06:02:26.030-07:00Rep. Sue Minter, who represents Waterbury, Duxbury, Huntington & Buels Gore, is a member of Vermont's House Transportation Committee. Her Op Ed in the Sunday Times Argus calls attention to reality that, "In the face of state budget shortfalls, the Douglas administration has chosen to delay transportation repair projects all around the state":I wish I could say that I was surprised by the deadly http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/08/aging-bridges-ignored-at-our-peril.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-8685142013062004391Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:19:00 +00002007-08-08T15:21:11.687-07:00From VT Democratic Party newsletterLast week, the governor grabbed a pair of giant scissors and snipped the ribbon at the McDonald's in Barre. Though we realize it's just one unfortunate ribbon in a long line that have met the same fate, and that we all like to indulge in a little fast food every once in a while, this particular ribbon cutting exposed a few inconvenient truths about Jim Douglas http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/08/jim-mcjobs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2765936185507053669.post-7546809120390251023Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:35:00 +00002007-08-07T08:39:11.980-07:00economic developmentTo the Burlington Free Press editor:Sunday's article about Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility ("Business group pushes for change", August 5, 2007) quoted the Secretary of Commerce on Vermont's tax credit program: "It's a critical program that returns money to the state."The only way this misguided program can return money to the state is if the businesses would not have invested money http://highroadvt.blogspot.com/2007/08/wasting-economic-development-resources.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Traven)0