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Messages - j_gluck
1
« on: December 03, 2012, 09:31:27 PM »
Want Your Giving to Really Mean Something?
If you've been thinking about community service but just haven't found the right 'gig', here's a special opportunity for you. Meals on Wheels is in desperate need right now! Help our proud Vermont seniors remain in their homes for as long as possible, by delivering warm smiles, hot meals and providing a vital safely check on their well being. Your visit is as important as the nutritious meal you bring. Please call Lisa at CVAA 865-0360 or 800-642-5119 or email lisat@cvaa.org.
2
« on: December 03, 2012, 09:30:12 PM »
Want Your Giving to Really Mean Something?
If you've been thinking about community service but just haven't found the right 'gig', here's a special opportunity for you. Meals on Wheels is in desperate need right now! Help our proud Vermont seniors remain in their homes for as long as possible, by delivering warm smiles, hot meals and providing a vital safely check on their well being. Your visit is as important as the nutritious meal you bring. Please call Lisa at CVAA 865-0360 or 800-642-5119 or email lisat@cvaa.org.
3
« on: July 14, 2012, 05:01:29 PM »
Henry - thanks for your kind words. It has taken a lot of work to get to this point. We're glad you like what we did. Regarding the comment about heating. When we first moved in it took 1000 gallons of oil per season to heat the house, but adding insulation and new windows has helped a lot. 5 years ago we installed a high-efficiency wood boiler, with fuel oil backup, in the basement. We fill it twice a day with logs and it keeps the house - and basement - nice and warm. We use about 6-8 cords of wood per season and haven't bought fuel oil since we installed it. The only time we use fuel oil is when we are on vacation. We're having an open house tomorrow - 7/15 - from 1:00pm-4:00pm for anyone who is interested. You can see a few more pictures at our Picket Fence Preview page http://www.picketfencepreview.com/buy-a-home/view-property/id/4546Joel
4
« on: April 04, 2011, 09:30:31 PM »
For another point of view, please go to the Physicians for a National Health Program website - http://www.pnhp.org/Just to clarify - the numbers in this quote from their website are national, not Vermont-only numbers. The U.S. spends twice as much as other industrialized nations on health care, $8,160 per capita. Yet our system performs poorly in comparison and still leaves 50.7 million without health coverage and millions more inadequately covered.
This is because private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork consume one-third (31 percent) of every health care dollar. Streamlining payment through a single nonprofit payer would save more than $400 billion per year, enough to provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage for all Americans. Our current system is broken and leaves many un- or under-insured. Vermont can be a leader in this effort to join the rest of the industrialized world in implementing a single-payer system.
5
« on: April 04, 2011, 09:21:24 PM »
Dr. Hsiao was hired by the Legislature to develop three options for universal healthcare coverage for VT. He presented his report in January and will continue to work with the Legislature and Shumlin administration as they move forward. Here is his information page at the Harvard School of Public Health - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/faculty/william-hsiao/He is an economist who studies the economics and health proficiency of healthcare systems in the US and around the world.
6
« on: April 04, 2011, 09:11:34 PM »
Carolyn, I would be interested in knowing where the doctors at NWMC are getting their info about the Healthcare bill. According to this article - http://vtdigger.org/2011/03/22/200-docs-from-39-states-say-they-would-move-to-vermont-if-single-payer-is-adopted/ - and others I have read, a majority of doctors would welcome a single system that cuts down on paperwork and allows them to practice medicine. The system we have now is flawed and broken and I commend the Governor for having the vision of a single-payer system for Vermont and working hard to make it a reality. Everyone needs to keep an open mind on this issue. There are many issues still to resolve, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make this work. Joel
7
« on: January 24, 2011, 11:31:44 PM »
mkr - I'm not sure what others you are talking about that have shown an interest in moving to St. Albans. I agree with GamingWeasel that having a Wal-Mart will not be good for the other local businesses and could stifle growth.
Another aspect of Wal-Mart is that many of their employees wind up on food stamps or other public benefit programs because of the low wages they are paid.
8
« on: January 24, 2011, 11:24:29 PM »
Sunday afternoon, just as the sun was setting, we noticed the smell of burning plastic in the basement. The pipe that attaches to the chimney from our wood boiler was orange hot.
We called 911 and within minutes Fairfax Fire & Rescue showed up. They took time out of their day and showed up with temperatures below zero to do their job promptly, professionally and courteously. They are our neighbors and they take their responsibilities seriously.
They noticed that there was no smoke coming out of the chimney. They sent a couple of guys up to the roof to drop a chain down the pipe to clear any blockage. When the chain came down, so did quite a bit of creosote. Once the blockage was cleared, you could hear the sound of the smoke going up the chimney.
The Chief used an infrared scanner to check the temperature of the stack that houses the chimney on all of the floors. They also checked for CO2.
Everything checked out fine, but we were told not to use the wood boiler until the chimney is cleaned and inspected – which was not welcome news since we had the chimney cleaned and inspected before the heating season and I had set aside some nice large pieces of wood for the minus 20 temperatures, but the right thing to do.
There is a lot of discussion on this forum about the taxes we pay in this town. Although the Fire & Rescue squad is all volunteer, their equipment, vehicles and facility are a considerable expense. Our taxes help pay for those things that allow them to do their job efficiently.
I am grateful all of it is there when needed. Thanks for being there for us today.
9
« on: October 30, 2010, 11:03:20 PM »
Just a couple of comments What we really need is a balanced budget. Vermont's constitution does not mandate a balanced budget, but every year the Legislature passes and the Governor signs a balanced budget for that year. The year that the Legislature overrode the Governor's veto, the Legislature passed a balanced budget. They made hard decisions in tough times. How about no COLA increase for them. There will be no COLA increase for those on Social Security this coming year. Just like last year. I work for the agency on aging - some of the Vermonters getting assistance are seniors who live in this town. Their benefits have been reduced over the past few years and their expenses are increasing. Others are people who have lost jobs during this recession - who would rather be working. Please try to put yourself in their situation. Thank you.
10
« on: October 11, 2010, 08:42:16 PM »
I fully support Gary and find this conversation confusing.
I don't think you can say that Democrats always raise taxes and Republicans cut them. Even Jim Douglas has signed budgets that raised taxes. I don't know all of Carolyn's voting record, but my guess is that when the Republicans controlled the Legislature and Governor's office she voted for a budget that included tax increases.
I think it is fair to say that Democrats believe that there is a place for government to make a difference for the people. Earlier there was a post on this forum thanking Jim Douglas for their DSL service. I had to chuckle. The ARRA funds provided that DSL service, not Jim Douglas. If it were up to Jim we would still be waiting for private enterprise to wire the last mile. Private companies won't do this - why do you think Verizon left New England? It wasn't a profitable venture for them. Without the ARRA funding, we would be nowhere near having the coverage that we have now. Several of the democratic nominees for governor suggested that Vermont use its bonding capacity to create a public-private partnership to make good on Jim's promise of an e-state by 2010.
If you want to support Chris and Carolyn that is your choice, but please stick to the facts.
11
« on: October 11, 2010, 08:26:21 PM »
Chris - I respect your opinion about our healthcare system, but the facts paint a different picture. New England Journal of Medicine - Ranking 37th — Measuring the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System - http://healthpolicyandreform.nejm.org/?p=2610Despite the claim by many in the U.S. health policy community that international comparison is not useful because of the uniqueness of the United States, the rankings have figured prominently in many arenas. It is hard to ignore that in 2006, the United States was number 1 in terms of health care spending per capita but ranked 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy. These facts have fueled a question now being discussed in academic circles, as well as by government and the public: Why do we spend so much to get so little? Commonwealth Fund - United States Healthcare Most Expensive and Lowest Ranking - http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=20100623_united_states_healthcare_costs_twice_as_much_ranks_last_among_industrialized_countries.htmDespite having the most costly health system in the world, the United States consistently underperforms on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries. This report—an update to three earlier editions—includes data from seven countries and incorporates patients' and physicians' survey results on care experiences and ratings on dimensions of care. Compared with six other nations—Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. Newly enacted health reform legislation in the U.S. will start to address these problems by extending coverage to those without and helping to close gaps in coverage—leading to improved disease management, care coordination, and better outcomes over time. I also disagree with your suggestion that insurance companies be able to sell across state lines. Vermonters are protected from some of the worst insurance companies and their practices because of the State's insistence on quality coverage.
12
« on: September 29, 2010, 07:20:59 PM »
Will you please post where that crock of pancake batter came from? There is a lot of disinformation out there.
Thanks.
13
« on: March 26, 2010, 10:19:54 PM »
Reposting this from before: I would like to clarify something since this keeps coming up - despite the fact that that it has been covered in the papers.
The Purchase Power Agreement that Enexus (the leveraged spin-off that Entergy is trying to get approved) has put on the table is offering about a third of their current amount of power and 1.5 times the current price.
Also, at a shareholders meeting the CEO of Entergy was quoted as saying that Vermont Yankee's rates were too low and the company would need to increase rates to make money.
The bottom line is with or without (my preference) Vermont Yankee our electric rates will go up. Period. The day before the vote in the VT Senate an IBM spokesperson was part of a group of corporate lobbyists who were touting this new power agreement as a great thing for VT. However, this is the same person who a year ago was threatening that IBM would leave the state if the price of power went up. Let's keep some perspective here. Thanks.
14
« on: March 22, 2010, 09:47:03 PM »
15
« on: March 09, 2010, 10:40:08 PM »
I would like to clarify something since this keeps coming up - despite the fact that that it has been covered in the papers.
The Purchase Power Agreement that Enexus (the leveraged spin-off that Entergy is trying to get approved) has put on the table is offering about a third of their current amount of power and 1.5 times the current price.
Also, at a shareholders meeting the CEO of Entergy was quoted as saying that Vermont Yankee's rates were too low and the company would need to increase rates to make money.
The bottom line is with or without (my preference) Vermont Yankee our electric rates will go up. Period.
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