As the Legislature returns from their Town Meeting Week sabbatical, Vermont Business Magazine is offering this review of recent vermontbiz.com poll questions, featuring Governor Shumlin's effort on reducing heroin and opiate addiction, the Legislature's rally to make hand-held cell phone use illegal while driving (the governor opposes the bill), and a recent push by lawmakers to use the rooms and meals tax to help pay for the cleanup of Vermont's waterways, most notably Lake Champlain.
What follows are the poll questions, their results and some comments from those who participated (to access the poll click HERE):
The Legislature is actively considering a bill that would ban hand-held cell phone use while driving. New York currently has such a law. How do you stand?
would this include GPS devices?
ban cellphones that can text while moving over 20mph!
No, it's my right to endanger the lives of everyone on the road while I gab.
Why pick on cell phones? There are many other things that distract drivers!
No, enforcement of no texting not successful and more important to focus on
Quadruple insurance rates for people who do it.
Ban cell phone use and texting while actually driving
I am totally opposed to texting, but am ambivolent about talking on a hand-held
Texting is the real problem.
No. Hands-free is proven just as dangerous as handheld. Toddlers are dangerous.
Show me data. Is it worse than eating in the car? Will we outlaw that too?
Excessive laws do not solve problems. They just create more problems.
VT ok=drive stoned w/o cell phones
Permit hands free use of cell phones
Ban texting but NOT cell phone use.
The legislature will have to practice what they preach. Many of them use them.
Might as well ban the radio, and GPS devices too. I'm being sarcastic.
yes, however it needs to be enforced.
Yes ban hand held, but also ban any use of mobile devises for the first two year
Vermont is facing a $70 million budget gap that will require raising taxes. Which tax should be raised?
Income sensitive carbon tax
Carbon Tax
Gasoline and diesel tax
income and corporate
why one or the other? How about cuts and raised tax
Toll Booths as in other states
make Marijuana legal and tax it!
A combination of taxes and cut spending where prudent,
personal income on the rich
progresive tax on wealthy and second homes
Personal income for the very wealthy
Improve government effiiciency and rationalize programs
the rich's personal income and increase capital gains
cigarette and narcotics (meth lab and purchase of marijuana
legalize hemp and hemp products
The rich who can afford it
bring business into vt, give them tax incentives and properly educate our childr
Tax on Tobacco
Consolidate School Districts to Save Money
Eliminate Proerty Tax income sensitivity or significantly reducce its threshold
Bring in big business by giving tax breaks and make up the difference with payro
Temporary increase to sales tax with sunset provision
raise income tax on upper income earners!!!
Out-of-state hunting and fishing licenses
cigarettes, beer and junk food!
personal income on high-income individuals
Churches should pay property taxes. Capital gains taxes should be increased also
personal and corp income plus nickel and dime fees
Supposedly no tax increases are required. If they are, then the income tax.
personal income of the top wealthiest residents
None state needs to control costs
Credit Unions...just banks by another name
Income on the wealthy
Cut the fat and waste.
Anything but the damn nickel and dime
personal income and corporate taxes
Fiscal responsibility means just that
The Rooms & Meals tax has been proposed as a cleanup funding source. Do you agree with raising the R&M tax to pay for the lake cleanup?
Collect sales tax on everything sold.
is NY paying too?
tax problem source
No--the tax is already 9-10%!
REPEAL THE TAX
Any entity which has a stormwatere permit is already paying a yearly SW fee.
Use natural growth in the tax generated by income. No new taxes!
No, the tax should relate to the pollution sources.
I think we should tax those responsible for the problem
a small portion from R&M, not 100% - and back off the muni's - hit the farmers.
Gasoline tax as part funding
Cut grants to not-for-profits. We can't afford more taxes.
we have vt surplus use it
No- not everyone who pays the rooms and meals tax depends on the lake for revenu
Raise the cigarette liquor taxes
Tax soft drinks and junk food
tell EPA to get lost
Broader based tax - we ALL benefit from the Lake
I am sick of the Federal blackmail and the tax is too high already.
Tax the Polluters!
raise the boater registration fees on both sides of the lake
offset with carbon sequestration credits
Vote Republican and rein in the EPA
Tax the polluters. Raise rooms and meals for education and lower property taxes
Get focused, get serious and Just ban phosophorus
Should be split between local stakeholders and tourist users
The tax should be associated with the item it is designed to fund.
Rooms & Meals & Local Stakeholders & any where we can!!!
poluters should pay.
tax should come from boating and recreation tax
marine fuel surcharge
Hunting/Fishing Licenses, water vessel registrations, etc.
Governor Shumlin is making opiate addiction his top legislative priority, do you agree?
Health care for those young, ill and old first. Cell phones and taxes later.
No, it should be stopping the plan to fund my healthcare through my payroll,
No, it should be getting rid of the present legislature
There should be 4 to 6 major priorities.
COMPETITION FOR GMP, VT GAS-HQ DC CABLE, PA NG CANAL DELIVERY
fix exchange by making premiums affordable
Environmental Protection
can I vote yes...but also economic deevleopment so addicts can get a jobt
His top priority should include opiate addiction, cutting taxes and economic gro
a good governor should have many priorities
All of the above including opiate addiction
No, it should be providing Vermonters with accurate costs for a single payer sys
fixing vt's ed funding formula.
Reduce the size of State government to around 1/4 what it is now.
Shun link should fall on his sword. It is the only honorable thing to do.
All of the above
Weatherization and climate change
Education funding
No, it should be ALL of the above first. H
be like the NY governor creating jobs, etc. aggressively
All items above are at least as important....and as Vermont continues to fail to
Dealing with climate change
Enforcing existing immigration laws.
I wish he woud stop changing horses. He was going to reform the welfare system.
No, it should be how to back out of single payor
reworking the education tax
cutting taxes and balancing the budget
Explaining how he is going to pay for single payer healthcare.