Vermonter.com

It’s almost summer and most people are out and about jogging, biking and trying to shed a few winter pounds. Usually, this time of year results in health and fitness clubs becoming virtual ghost towns as folks venture outside to get in shape and enjoy the weather. Because of this, health clubs usually start offering specials and promotions to lure fitness junkies back inside.
I received a call a few weeks ago about a summer “special” at a health club in Shelburne. I gave them a call back and was quoted $180 for a 3-month special offer. My first thought is “wow, that’s pretty expensive for a so called special” but a quick call to Racquets Edge (or Fitness Advantage, I think thats what they’re called now) was even more at $199+ for 3 months.
I guess these aren’t quite so special “specials” after all unless the rich and elite of Chittenden County are already forking over $150 per month, etc. Maybe these health and fitness clubs haven’t heard that we’re in a recession. In any case, $80 or $90 per month is a lot of greenbacks to take a few pounds off your plump butt.
So the next time you hear Dr. Phil or one of those other quacks tell you to get off the couch and hit the gym, be sure to write or email him and ask him to send you a few bucks (or in Vermont, substantially more than a few bucks). In the meantime, us average Joe’s will just plod along as best as we can and enjoy the nice Vermont summer. Hopefully, we’ll lose a few pounds somewhere in between.
The well-to-do crowd can take advantage of the wonderful specials and promotions going on at the local health clubs and rattle their jewelry on their way to the showers…if they can afford it. After all, we are in a recession, aren’t we?

Here we go again in the nutty state of Vermont, laughing stock of the USA. Actually, it seems that anything goes in VT except any activities involving heterosexual males (yes, there are a couple of us left here). Let’s legalize prostitution while we’re at it. With businesses stagnant in VT, this might be a great way to attract some corporate execs back to the Green Mountains. Got a great marketing logo too…”Business in VT, play and stay!”. I can see it now, the Colchester Cathouse and the Shelburne Sweeties. Lots of empty buildings on Shelburne Road you know!

With the cost of veterinary care, I feel that it is my right to declare my cat as a legal dependent with access to free medical and day care services.

In the meantime, why should the kids have all the fun? Isn’t that a bit discriminatory? In Vermont??? Perish the thought!!!

From News 10, Albany NY:

Sexting even has the Vermont legislature considering a change to its laws that would legalize the consensual exchange of graphic images between two people 13- to 18-years-old.

The idea is to make sure young people could not face harsh charges with long prison sentences. Supporters say they’re not condoning sexting, but that they just don’t think teenagers should be prosecuted as sex offenders for consensual conduct.

That bill has not yet come up for a vote.

Welcome to the new boss. Same as the old boss?

From The Onion:

WASHINGTON—According to sources in the White House, President Barack Obama has been uncharacteristically distant and withdrawn ever since last month’s two-hour series finale of Battlestar Galactica.

“The president seems to be someplace else lately,” said one high-level official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Yesterday we were all being briefed on the encroachment of Iranian drone planes into Iraq, when he just looked up from the table and blurted out, ‘What am I supposed to watch on Fridays at 10 p.m. now? Numb3rs?’”

Obama told aides he feels “like a cylon without a Resurrection Ship.”

“I haven’t seen him this upset since Admiral Adama realized that Earth was actually an uninhabitable wasteland,” the official continued. “Or at least that’s what he told me. I don’t actually watch the show. It’s not really my thing.”

Obama attempts to console himself with leaked production stills from the upcoming spin-off Caprica.

IBM takes the money and runs. Americans, don’t you really feel sorry for IBM? Apparently, the feelings aren’t mutual. Here comes that great “sucking sound” again, of jobs leaving the USA that Ross Perot warned us about a few years ago:

Washington - Computer giant IBM plans to cut a “large number” of US employees in its business services unit and transfer their duties to India, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper, citing “people familiar with the situation,” said that IBM generally avoids public disclosure of layoffs and the number of US jobs being eliminated could not be determined.

It said that earlier this year, IBM sent notices of layoffs to around 4,600 employees in its software, sales, semiconductor and finance groups.

The Journal, citing an internal document, said the global business services group targeted for layoffs is the largest at IBM in terms of revenue and employment, with 180,000 employees worldwide.

The newspaper said IBM had 398,500 workers worldwide at the end of 2008 and 115,000 in the United States, down from 121,000 at the end of 2007.

IBM is one of the few major corporations to have weathered the global economic showdown and ended 2008 with 12.9 billion dollars in cash and marketable securities in hand.

Battlestar Galactica (the new version, not the campy old 70’s series) debuted it’s final show last Friday night, after a 4 year run. It was arguably the best show on television and ranks right up there with the Sopranos and many other classic TV shows. Now it’s gone and there isn’t much reason to stay home and watch TV.

Hmm, maybe that’s why people drink so much and frequent the bars on the weekend? Unfortunately, many great TV shows have passed on replaced by crap like all those so-called reality shows and a dozen variations of CSI and those other medical shows. All of which are about as enjoyable as appendicitis.
So what are we left with? The Ghost Whisperer (aka the “Boob Whisperer”)? Sorry, not worth the wait. Fortunately, warm weather is around the corner and it’s a great time to get our fat butts off the couch.
Can Tony Soprano and Admiral Adama do for the American weight problem what others could not? Maybe. With the crap that’s on TV these days, we may all have to just close the refrigerator door and go out for a walk.
So say we all!

On February 20 members of the Vermont House of Representatives voted 88 to 50 not to take a 5-percent pay cut. Fast forward in time and now there is a bill in the works that, if passed, will pay for a laptop for every legislator – apparently from the pockets of taxpayers.

During the debate about whether to accept a pay cut, most of those who spoke in favor of the cut insisted that in such dire times, when so many Vermonters are making sacrifices, that legislators should also make sacrifices. However, of those who voted against the cut, most of those who spoke insisted that they work far too hard for anybody to think they should be paid any less than the pay they already earn serving in legislature.

There is now a bill creeping forward, which if passed, will provide each legislator a laptop computer – apparently courtesy of Vermont taxpayers. House bill 385 is sponsored by four Democrats, all who voted against the pay cut. They are Ken Atkins of Winooski, Richard Howigan of Fairfield, Tim Jerman of Essex, and Kathy Keenan of St. Albans City. The following is the “statement of purpose” as recorded on the bill.

“This bill proposes to appropriate sufficient funds for the purchase of laptop computers for every member of the general assembly.”

If this bill comes up for debate on the House Floor it will certainly be interesting to know why the legislators promoting this bill think we all need a laptop computer at taxpayer expense when many taxpayers can’t afford their own.

To find out how your legislators voted on various “roll call” votes, votes that are recorded, go to www.leg.state.vt.us.

The author of this article, Scott Wheeler of Derby, represents Brownington, Charleston, Derby, Holland, and Morgan in the Vermont House. He serves this district along with Representative Robert Lewis of Derby.

Unbelievable. Despite a deepening recession and 100’s of people losing their jobs in Vermont, the Democrats refused a pay cut and now want Vermont taxpayers to buy them laptops. To add insult to injury, Democrats are also proposing new taxes to take money from YOUR pocket. I guess it’s ok for Vermont legislators to take your hard earned money but they certainly don’t want to part with theirs!

From the VTGOP newsletter:

Just 2 weeks ago, House Democrats voted against cutting their own pay by 5%, but now some in the Democratic caucus want you, the taxpayer, to buy them their very own laptop computer. See the text of the bill below. You just can’t make this up.

BILL AS INTRODUCED
H.385
2009
Page 1

1 H.385
2 SHORT FORM
3 Introduced by Representatives Atkins of Winooski, Howrigan of Fairfield,
4 Jerman of Essex and Keenan of St. Albans City
5 Referred to Committee on
6 Date:
7 Subject: Appropriations; legislature; laptops
8 Statement of purpose: This bill proposes to appropriate sufficient funds for the
9 purchase of laptop computers for every member of the general assembly.
10 An act relating to laptops for legislators
11 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
12 (TEXT OMITTED IN SHORT-FORM BILLS)

Please forward this to your friends and family or take the time to contact your legislator. It is up to us to show Vermonters how out of touch the Democrats in the Legislature really are.

The Dandelion Run is a competitive and recreational half marathon relay event for runners of all ages and all abilities along roads passing through the Northeast Kingdom’s world famous fields of dandelions – one of ten geotourism areas in the world specially designated by National Geographic. To some, there is nothing more beautiful than the sight of uncut green fields blanketed with thousands and thousands of dandelions. It’s May! It’s time to run! Just for the fun of it!

This is a charity run to support the Orleans County Victim Assistance Fund and to support free, public access to IROC’s 1/10th of a mile padded, low impact, Rotary Walking Track.

The run will start at the Derby Beach House on the 4-H Road at Lake Salem, in Derby, Vermont. Runners will head east on Route 111 toward Morgan, South on the Gore Road, and then West on Route 105 to the Village of Derby Center and back to the Beach House. Total distance: 14 miles even. Relay stations will be available at 3.5, 7, and 10.5 mile points. Run the whole event, or enter as a team of 2 or 4 runners.

Registration is open now. Early registration is encouraged to help us plan the event. Register by May 1st to get your free T-Shirt commemorating the event. The run will start promptly at 9:00 am on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at the Derby Beach House on the 4-H Road at Lake Salem in Derby, Vermont. Sign in starts at 7:30 am.

Most everyone in Vermont is familiar with Green Mountain Coffee, Starbucks, etc. but one of the best VT gourmet coffee roasters you may not have heard of is Brown & Jenkins Trading Company, located in the small, picturesque town of Cambridge, VT. I had the opportunity to visit with the owners a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised by their freshly roasted and brewed coffee. The moment you walk in the door, the aroma of flavored coffee beans grabs your attention.

They’ve been in business since 1984 and sell most of their fresh coffee online at www.brownandjenkins.com. They have a “coffee club” and offer private branding, which is a great way to start a mini-coffee business of your own. If you’re driving through Cambridge, they’re up on the hill at the curve. Prepare yourself for a “damn good cup of coffee”!