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Messages - Mike ODay
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« on: January 26, 2015, 05:46:27 PM »
I think more townspeople should read the language before agreeing with Barbara's vote, and also understand that a resolution is not a piece of legislation, it is formal way of asserting a position, not enacting a law. Holding elected officials to account when they impact your livelihood is a just common sense. To stick to dogma on an issue you have not read up on belongs to the Fox Channel.
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« on: January 26, 2015, 03:49:11 PM »
Barbara, The VT delegation in Washington DC has already signed onto a sternly worded letter to Fairpoint CEO Paul Sunu, that they are very concerned about the service quality, 911 outages that mostly effect our most at-risk Vermonters, the elderly. Your no vote at the state level was a slap in the face to workers, and meant little to Fairpoint. Your vote to not support your constituents who work for Fairpoint , who are now in their 15th week without a check over the draconian terms imposed by Wall Street hedge funds is ludicrous. You were not asked to use public dollars, you were not asked to spend a dime, only to encourage a private company to negotiate fairly with its employees. If that task is too difficult for you comprehend, I dare say 104A will be a dirt road with you on the transportation committee. If the school kids go to visit you in Montpelier, I hope you can tell the 25 Fairpoint workers kids from Fairfax why you don't support their mommies and daddies getting a fair contract.
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« on: February 04, 2013, 10:21:02 AM »
This dialogue is fascinating. The Walmart in St. Albans is breaking ground and Walmart will use its tried and true formula to hire employees part time and make them eligible for welfare and food stamps, benefits that the working stiffs will have to subsidize through our taxes. On the flip side the far right will say 'they don't have to work there if it pays so little' on the other hand the unemployment rate is over 10% in Franklin county and again the far right will say, 'get those lazy slugs off unemployment and welfare'. Real wages have declined at the same rate as the decline of labor unions. Card check is the foundation of union organizing; the employees vote on whether to organize, not outsiders. Should they vote to authorize a union to negotiate fair wages and benefits for them, that is their right. Should they vote to authorize a closed shop where all workers contribute to the cost of bargaining a contract, maintaining the contract through the grievance process that is also their right, not yours. Just as a worker can choose to work for nothing at Walmart, workers have the choice to work in a union shop or not. What few people understand is that the cost of negotiating large contracts can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Union dues pay for that. Arbitration can cost $30,000 or more, freeloaders do not contribute to that, yet current labor law MANDATES that unions represent non-payers in bargaining and the grievance process. Unless you separate representation from non-payment, the argument for 'right to work' holds no water. Can you get free gas at the pump because the guy ahead of you paid for his?
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« on: November 05, 2012, 08:19:58 PM »
All good points Nick, which need an advocate to happen. I think I am the first and only candidate to discuss actual issues through this forum, and I have supported funding to education throughout this campaign. We can not afford to cut back on programs that give our children the opportunity to succeed, whether through the trades, or 2-4 year colleges. Employers can use college degrees as a screening tool, due to the high percentage of kids graduating without employment. Investing in education, infrastructure, tax incentives for companies hiring and a single payer health system that takes the burden of healthcare away from the employer will stimulate job growth throughout the state in all job categories.
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« on: November 03, 2012, 11:39:04 AM »
You are correct, we need more emphasis on the trades. I have 2 family members who graduated from VTC and are very successful businessmen. VTC is very expensive though, on par with private colleges, and does an excellent job. I don't differentiate between higher education to be an accountant or a master electrician - each is an essential profession but education costs can be contained to retain jobs here. When the Big Dig was as its height, welders, pipe fitters, tin knockers from VT helped complete it. They needed work when that job was done though. The wind project on Georgia mountain is being done by a company from Maine, with Maine IBEW members, not Vermonters. We need more Vermonter's being given the chance to work on Vermont projects. You make a great point about educating kids before they make the leap to college about debt and personal finance, it can be a life sentence to repay loans if you don't weigh your options.
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« on: November 02, 2012, 09:49:55 PM »
The campaign season is coming to a close, and voters have to make their choices.
I am running for the open house seat vacated by Gary Gilbert, and I would be humbled to earn your vote and proud to serve the town of Fairfax.
My wife Lisa and I have lived in Fairfax for the last 11+ years. We were both born and raised in Vermont and attended college here. Lisa is a graduate of UVM, and I graduated from St. Michael's College. I went on to earn a Masters in Business Administration, and ran a very successful repair shop in NH. One thing both of us benefited from as students was affordable tuition and federal student loans to finance it. Today it is much different for our youth who see 4Xs the tuition costs and median incomes that are lower than they were in the 1980's. The state college system should be the affordable path to degrees for our youth yet tuition there is on par with private institutions. I have been a fiscal conservative my whole life and believe in balanced budgets, yet I know this is problem we can and must fix. Children saddled with student loan debt equal to the cost of of a new home is now, unfortunately, possible.
I have always worked in the private sector but I do respect the work that our teachers, local and state employees do for us. Vermont has a rich tradition of balancing its budgets while treating its employees with respect. That is a tradition I want to follow.
I am running as a progressive not a D or R for a reason: we need a legitimate 3rd party in the general assembly. Having one party with a lopsided advantage is undesirable, as is gridlock. With a strong 3rd party dialogue, discussion and compromise win out, so do voters. Some of the broader issues I would like to address in the statehouse as your delegate are:
1) Address and enact a conflict of interest law so that legislators, or political appointees & their relatives do not reap windfall profits based on legislation they pass, or decisions that they make at a regulatory level. Why should we pay more to fuel the greed of others? Is it no wonder why we as ratepayers did not get the $21 million rebate we were legally entitled to when CVPS was acquired by Green Mountain Power?
2) Convert the Affordable Care Act into a single payer system in VT. It is currently the law, and as such we should do right by the taxpayers and ratepayers by getting the best deal possible by eliminating waste. The savings by having just one PRIVATE SECTOR clearinghouse for claims instead of dozens will save the policyholders millions.
3) Encouraging the development of green energy, but not limited to wind. Solar and biofuel must be encouraged as well. Apart from eliminating the carbon footprint left by coal and oil fired powered power plants, these sources of energy require employees, they create local jobs, not plant jobs 2 states away. Regarding wind farm installations, I think it is important that Act 250 NOT be set aside and that communities still have a say in development and deployment. If state land is used for a site, and the project passes Act 250 oversight, then the project should go forward only if the majority of the construction work done is performed by qualified VT workers.
4) A serious discussion and action plan need to be developed to lower the cost of state college tuition. We need to encourage Vermont students to study here and also work here after graduation. We can't continue to have the most expensive state colleges in America and expect our kids to stay in VT and work in VT.
In the past I have have worked with Sen. Bernie Sanders to protect benefits for seniors, veterans, workers and the poor. I am proud to state that he has endorsed my campaign. Bernie is not afraid to buck the system, nor am I.
I look forward to hearing from you and what you see as problems and more importantly, the solutions to those problems. I have a website if you would like to know more about me: MIKEODAY.ORG
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me at: My email address is: MIKEODAY1400@AOL.COM and my phone number is : 802-849-9889
God bless, Mike O'Day
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