When evaluating any legislative action, I always step back and ask, “What is the core purpose of this bill?”
In examining the minimum wage increase bill, the purpose - from my perspective - is to ensure that Vermonters working a full-time job are not forced to toil in poverty but rather can experience the dignity of work that earns a livable wage.
For all the devastation that Tropical Storm Irene caused in our state, the storm can perhaps be thanked for finally forcing us to close the infamous Vermont State Hospital and reconsider the care of Vermonters with mental illness. The legislature is now faced with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform...