Vermonter.com

I remember renting a home in South Burlington back in 1987 for $650 per month. That was pretty steep back then even though I was earning $9 per hour (which was a decent wage in 1987). Anyway, I eventually ended up taking a 10 year job with UPS for a $11 per hour as a starting driver. Back then, loading trucks was $9 per hour. Fairly good wages especially for the Northeast Kingdom where a really nice house could be purchased for $50,000 or so.

Fast forward to 2007. I believe UPS (and FedEx) are still paying $9 per hour (in Chittenden County) for loading trucks. I recently noticed a morning maintenance job at a local McDonalds for $10 per hour. A scan through a job website for high-tech jobs brought up a computer support position in Williston for a whopping $11 to $15 per hour. Meanwhile, the prices for a single family home have tripled or even quadrupled since 1987. Utilities have also at least tripled and gas prices, well ’nuff said.

So how does anyone make a living in Vermont these days? It just doesn’t make sense. Wages are at 1987 levels or slightly above while everything else is in the stratosphere. I noticed in the Free Press that crime is up in Vermont, particularly drug related crimes. Nice.

In 1997, the Sunday edition of the Burlington Free Press used to be loaded with good paying tech jobs. Companies like IBM were so busy that recruitment firms (or headhunters) used to do all the hiring for the positions. Now, it seems those jobs are mostly outsourced overseas. Now, the Sunday paper is full of service jobs at local hotels, banks and other low paying companies. Not much left for manufacturing jobs either and the temporary IBM jobs at $10.50 per hour are more insulting than inviting.

Vermont is becoming a very difficult and unaffordable place to live for middle class families. I can remember hearing years ago that someday, Vermont would become a playground for the rich. One look at Stowe, Woodstock, Manchester and now most of Chittenden County certainly confirms that. Worse yet, places like the Northeast Kingdom with annually high unemployment are also becoming unaffordable for native Vermonters.

Pretty sad really and it looks like it’s only going to get worse instead of better.

A few weeks ago, the publication, Seven Days, ran a pretty good article about illegal workers employed at Asian restaurants in the Burlington area. Unfortunately, they only reported half the story and missed the other unsavory facts. They did point out that many Asian restaurants around Vermont employ workers illegally and pay them barely enough to live on. That is very true. I personally know about an Asian restaurant in Montpelier that regularly hires illegals. The owner puts them up in a dwelling that he owns with barely enough furniture to say so and sometimes not enough beds. They have to sleep on the floor. He is also paying them “under the table” so he is cheating the IRS and law abiding taxpayers. It is pretty apparent that this is a regular occurrence so how do these so called business owners get away with these practices?

On the other hand, here is what Seven Days did not report. There are also illegals working as waiters and waitresses who make a substantial amount of money in unreported tips and other compensation. I know of one woman, employed at an Asian restaurant in Chittenden County, who makes approximately $1000 per week as a waitress, tax free! She does not report the income to the IRS and does not have a green card and/or the right to work in the USA. Yet, even though she puts in a lot of hours (though probably no more than anyone else who nets $50,000 per year legally) she makes a pretty decent living at your’s and my expense. Again, why isn’t there an investigation into these establishments, hefty fines and deportation processes? It is a slap in the face to legal immigrants and U.S. taxpayers. Look what the government is doing to the American citizens barracading themselves into their homes in NH because they refuse to pay taxes. What if an American citizen can’t pay his mortgage and has to rob a bank for money? That’s right…they go to jail.

Somebody is making a lot of money at the expense of American taxpayers and legal immigrants. Illegal immigrants are either taking advantage, at our expense, or being taken advantage of by unscrupulous businesses. Either way, that’s not fair to anyone involved. Billions of dollars for wars in other countries but the US cannot even control blatant criminal activity in our own country. What a hoot!

I decided to take a hike up Mt. Philo in Charlotte this morning. It was a nice cool, brisk day and I was surprised to see a fair number of people venturing a hike at 8am in the morning. The leaves are still in the beginning stages of change with a few reds here and there.

Below, is a photo taken at 8am on Sunday, September 30, 2007. Note the clouds setting below the peaks of the Adirondacks. Enjoy!

The colors are more pronounced in northern Vermont this week but not quite at peak yet. Some vibrant reds can be seen but next weekend should make for the best viewing. Fall seems to have come late this year while we experience an extended summer. Meanwhile, it Chittenden County the colors are still in the early stages with light, rusty reds and yellows. Below is a photo of the stateside trails at Jay Peak taken on 9/25/2007.

I came across a short video from an Alan Parsons concert recently and was eerily surprised to notice just how much he resembles the infamous Howard Stern whackpacker, Bigfoot (an equally infamous Newport, Vermont resident). If Alan Parsons has a twisted, twin brother could Mark “Bigfoot” Shaw Jr. be the long lost sibling? Judge for yourself because here is a side-by-side photo comparison.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide which one is Alan Parsons and which one is Bigfoot…it is!

It’s the third week of September and the trees are just starting to take on orange colors in Chittenden County. Not much for reds yet! A view of the Adirondacks indicates that colors are indeed changing. Looks like a late foliage season this year but that’s ok as long as the nice weather holds out!

1. There aren’t many real, native Vermonters living there.
2. People from the Northeast Kingdom vacation “way down” in Burlington.
3. Ethan Allen’s monument is here but he was a flatlander.
4. Because Phish’s last concert was in Coventry.
5. There are no holsteins or chainsaws anywhere to be seen.
6. People from Burlington think the “Logger” is what a real Vermonter would be like.
7. Burlington folk drink pricy bottled water. Real Vermonters get there’s free…from the tap!
8. The Queen City has the highest per capita weirdo count in the state.
9. No real Vermont town would vote for a mayor that wants to turn their town into a sanctuary for criminals.
10. McDonald’s closed and left downtown Burlington. McDonalds never leaves anywhere (except Stowe, which ain’t really Vermont either!).

BoingBoing.net has just added a feature to their extremely popular blog for a page posted on Vermonter.com. In case you missed it, the article is Timothy Clark Smith of Vermont who was so concerned about the possibility of being buried alive that he arranged to be buried in a special crypt that included a breathing tube and a glass window, in his grave marker, that would permit him to peer out to the living world six feet above.

Visit the Timothy Clark Smith feature and add your comments.

The fall colors usually begin in early September. There are a few trees in Shelburne that are already taking on the colors of autumn right now, in the second week of the month. The northernmost areas of Vermont typically experience the Vermont foliage hues first.

A trip to Willoughby Lake on September 7, 2007 indicated a few reds starting to appear in the maples. By the end of the month, the Northeast Kingdom should be a virtual light show of Vermont foliage highlights. Unfortunately, Vermont’s autumn colors don’t stay around very long. Maybe a week at the most during peak foliage season. Leaf peepers will need to act fast.

Inns and hotels throughout Vermont typically fill up fast during foliage season. If you wait until the last minute, it can often be pretty tough to get a place to stay during September and early October. If you haven’t reserved a place to stay, see what’s available through Vermonter.com’s discount lodging and hotel search. For stays in the Northeast Kingdom, we recommend the Newport City Motel and the Anchorage Inn if you’re vacationing in the Burlington, VT. area.

We’ve been tinkering around and adding a few more articles and such to Vermonter.com lately. There have been a number of photos added throughout Vermonter.com (we’ll let you dig around to find them). A new section called Vermont Cities Towns and Tales has been added. We promise to try and stay away from dry descriptions and hopefully won’t get too ‘touristy’, including an article about how to spend a day in Stowe, VT., where Ben & Jerry got started in the old Burlington gas station and a rundown on things to do in Shelburne.
Speaking of Shelburne, we’ve saved the best for last . We have added 3 new Shelburne Museum photo slide shows and three new pages so check ‘em out. The files are whoppers though, so you’d better have a fast connection or stick with viewing the regular scenic photos throughout the site.
What else is coming? Well, we ain’t telling so you’ll just have to come back and poke your head in our door once in awhile!