Democrat State Rep. Suggests that Vermonters Leave State
Democrat to Vermonters Hoping to Follow their Dreams: “You’ll have to leave!
St. Albans, Vt. – In a stunning admission of Democrat defeatism, State Representative Jeff Young (D – St. Albans) claimed in a recent letter to the editor that if Vermonters want to pursue their dreams, they will “need to leave.”
In a letter to the editor printed in the St. Albans Messenger on July 29, Young said “If you wanted to stay in Vermont you would have to find a profession that is here…But if you want a job that isn’t going to be found in any numbers in any rural state, you’ll need to leave. So do I want to stay or do I want to follow a career dream?”
“Vermont is a great place to live and work,” said Vermont Republican Party Chairman, Steve Larrabee. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to attract more opportunities for young people in our state – it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hope to attract new high tech, high paying jobs.
“To suggest, as Rep. Jeff Young did, that young Vermonters leave the state to pursue their dreams is outrageous,” he added. “The Vermont Republican Party is committed to increasing opportunities in our state so that Vermonters, young and old, can pursue their dreams right here in the Green Mountain State.”
Young, along with every Democrat in the Legislature, voted to override Governor Douglas’ 2009 veto of the state budget – raising taxes by more than $20 million. “The super-majority in the House also voted to prevent the full pass through of the domestic production tax deduction this year, which would have increased taxes on manufactures and farmers. Fortunately, Governor Douglas, Lt. Governor Dubie and Republicans in the Legislature stood up to have it restored at the end of the session.
“There is a mindset among Democrats that we shouldn’t try to compete for jobs in the 21st century economy,” Larrabee continued. “They seem to be fine with raising new taxes and sitting idly by as property taxes soar. We need legislators who understand that tax policy does matter. We need more leaders, like Governor Douglas and Lt. Governor Dubie, who believe that we can create jobs and opportunities for the next generation.”
Unfortunately this is not the first time a Democrat has said Vermont cannot compete. In fact, candidate for governor Deb Markowitz has said on a number of occasions that, “Rather than focusing on poaching the next IBM or Husky from another state, we should focus on the jobs and businesses we have.” (Times Argus, July 25, 2010) And another gubernatorial candidate Susan Bartlett recently was quote saying, “Vermont has always been a relatively high-taxed state in a low-taxed country. Vermonters are willing to pay because that reflects our values.” (Vt.Buzz, July 29, 2010)
“Republicans believe that by reducing the tax burden, Vermont can both keep and grow Vermont businesses and attract new, good paying jobs,” Larrabee said. “Unlike Deb Markowitz, we don’t believe Vermont shouldn’t work to attract world-class employers like IBM. Unlike Susan Bartlett, we don’t think it is a ‘Vermont value’ to pay high taxes. And Unlike Jeff Young, we don’t believe Vermonters should have to leave to pursue their dreams.”
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