Latest news with #Progressives
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vermont property taxes are increasing this year, but not by much. Here's why
Property taxes in Vermont are set to increase an average of 1.1% in fiscal year 2026, down from the 5.9% increase the Department of Taxes projected in December 2024 and significantly lower than fiscal year 2025's unprecedented 14% jump. Lawmakers bought down property tax increases for fiscal year 2026 using a one-time $77.2 million allocation from the general fund, a strategy Gov. Phil Scott proposed at the beginning of the legislative session in January. Scott, who originally wanted a zero percent increase or even a property tax decrease, signed the new property tax bill into law on May 20. Scott reiterated that the buydown should be a one-time approach to providing tax relief and reminded lawmakers of their promise to reform the education property tax system. 'After last year's significant property tax increase, we knew it was important to provide Vermonters tax relief," Scott said in a press release. "But I want to be clear, buying down rates year after year isn't good fiscal management and we should only view this as a bridge to the real education transformation our system needs." The legislature's next step, Scott said, is to pass an education transformation bill that creates a more sustainable, affordable and equitable funding structure before the legislative session adjourns. The education transformation bill in question, H.454, is currently in the senate and, if passed, will once again need the approval of the house due to the many edits senators made to the original legislation. Vermont's skyrocketing property taxes, which critics say has made living in Vermont more difficult each year, are widely believed to be the reason Democrats and Progressives lost their supermajority in both chambers in November. All parties agreed to make working on the property tax crisis their top priority this session. Additionally, school districts helped to lower property tax increases for FY26 by making significant budget cuts, Scott reported in December. Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@ This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: How much Vermont's property taxes will increase this year
Wall Street Journal
26-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
JD Vance Is Wrong: The Market Isn't a ‘Tool'
Even with a few minutes to think about it, most people couldn't come up with a good definition of 'the market.' The concept is slippery. Depending on who you talk to, a market could be anything from a collection of fruit stands to a stock exchange. It could be an efficient way to increase prosperity or an arbitrary implement of economic oppression. In a world better informed about basic economics, this imprecision might not matter much. But in the world we live in, 'the market' is frequently wielded as a rhetorical weapon. Progressives use it as a synonym for capitalism, by which they mean greed. Artists deploy it as a metaphor for materialism, which they also consider synonymous with greed. Sociologists conceive of the market as a machine for exercising economic control, aka rewarding greed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vermont Progressive Party's director to step down
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermont's Progressives will be looking for someone new to guide them for the first time in eight years. Josh Wronski, who became the party's executive director in January of 2017, announced Monday that he will be stepping down on July 4 to take a position with the Vermont State Employees Association. The party's executive director is its only paid position. Wronski wrote, 'I came into this role from the labor movement, and am excited to now be joining the staff of the VSEA – one of the most impactful unions in our state. Working people are under attack like never before, and the need for a powerful labor movement is clearer than ever.' Opioid overdose deaths in Vermont dropped significantly last year The Vermont Progressive Party, the third largest political party in the state after the Democrats and the Republicans, is known for its platform of 'economic, social, and environmental justice'. It currently counts among its members five members of the Vermont State Legislature and five of the twelve members of the Burlington City Council. It is frequently associated with independent Senator Bernie Sanders, from whose campaign for Burlington mayor it originated; Sanders has been an 'affiliated non-member' since 1981. Progressive candidate David Zuckerman narrowly lost the election for lieutenant governor in the state last year to Republican John Rodgers, by less than 6,000 votes out of over 330,000 cast. Anthony Pollina, who served in the Vermont State Senate from 2011 to 2023, remains as the party's chair. He thanked Wronski for his time as director, saying, 'Josh has been an incredible asset to the Progressive Party and the progressive movement in Vermont, providing leadership and working tirelessly behind the scenes. Thanks to Josh we are a stronger, more resilient party. He will be missed.' The party's leadership will meet next week to discuss next steps. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC Isn't Ruling Anything Out, Including the White House
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's rise to prominence worries some Democrats who say the base is taking the wrong lessons from the 2024 election.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Bernie Sanders makes 'no apologies' for private jet travel on 'Fight Oligarchy' tour
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is making "no apologies" for chartering private jets to travel for his " Fighting Oligarchy " tour stops across the country. The Vermont lawmaker and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have been gaining influence through their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, quickly becoming the face of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Organizers started the tour in response to President Donald Trump's second term to "take on the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and influence in this country." With multiple rallies a week, Sanders defended his mode of travel, telling "Special Report" executive editor Bret Baier in an exclusive interview Wednesday "that's the only way to get around." "You run a campaign, and you do three or four or five rallies in a week. [It is] the only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people. You think I'm gonna be sitting on a waiting line at United…while 30, 000 people are waiting?" Sanders said on "Special Report." "That's the only way to get around. No apologies for that. That's what campaign travel is about. We've done it in the past. We're gonna do it in future." JAMES CARVILLE SAYS DEMOCRATS NEED TO STOP LETTING BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC DEFINE THE PARTY Sanders' campaign committee, Friends of Bernie Sanders, spent over $221,000 chartering private jets during the first quarter of 2025, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by Fox News Digital. The filing, which was released last month, shows that Sanders dropped the massive haul between three private jet companies: Ventura Jets, Cirrus Aviation Services and N-Jet. Some of these flights included Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez's chartered private jet worth up to a staggering $15,000 an hour for several West Coast stops on their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. AOC, SANDERS FALL FLAT WITH YOUNG VOTERS AS GEN Z REJECTS 'WEIRD, RADICAL WING': RNC YOUTH CHAIR While defending his travel choices, Sanders, an Independent with considerable influence in the Democratic Party, also offered his take on the considerable success of his country-wide campaign. Sanders claimed the crowds were a mix of Americans across the political spectrum who have "concerns" about the state of U.S. politics. He pointed to alleged concerns over a "government of the billionaire class," "movement toward authoritarianism" and Republican Party policies. "I think at a time when the people on top are doing phenomenally well, when seniors, working-class people are struggling, people want to hear action to stand up to the people who have the wealth and the power and create an economy that works for all of us, not just the people on top," Sanders concluded. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital's Marc Tamasco, Deirdre Heavey, Andrew Mark Miller and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.
