[FrugalYankee]

According to this article, Vermont ranks second in the nation among states that are losing its middle class.

https://homes.yahoo.com/news/states-...194711986.html

I see this as a huge problem for the sustainability of the economy.

[cgregor]

Absolutely! What role does income inequality play in it?

[DauntlessDan]

Vermont for one, when we (wife and I) lived there we lived through the 1990s when a lot of the mills and GOOD manufacturing shut down and moved out. Prior to that in the 1980s good paying jobs were plentiful in our medium size Vermont town. Not only did manufacturing pay well and pay taxes, it paid employees that paid taxes that in turn shopped at businesses that employed people and paid taxes. After that the people that were making, let's say $40,000 a year with benefits had to take jobs that paid half that amount with little or no benefits. Personally know people that went through that and had to take jobs paying half that amount, many in service sector, with little or no benefits. I am sure this phenomenon was NOT limited to our town. And Vermont has not recovered since then, especially being a tourist state. The COL has gone up substantially since then but wages/jobs have not. A lot, not all, of your "NEO Vermonters" do not want manufacturing in the state. To them, that is for third-world countries. Manufacturing is evil as far as they are concerned, no matter how much you clean it up. And quite frankly I think a lot of large companies do NOT want to come to Vermont due to it's anti-business climate and reams of hurdles/regulations it imposes. So if one stays there, they are either in the lucky upper percentile where they are self-employed or a professional and earning enough not to worry. Or they are in the lower percentile where they subsist day to day on partial or full public assistance. Or they are in the dwindling middle class where they struggle with stagnant wages and job opportunities whilst watching the COL move higher and higher each year. THAT, over time, gets very old and frustrating....

[cgregor]

It sounds like you lived in Precision Valley. We're still hitting ourselves over the head.

For me, the problem with attracting manufacturing is that the process involves civic prositution-- the towns compete by debasing themselves more and more, to the point where the industry that moves in sucks up all the benefits in a few years and then decamps, leaving the town in a financial situation even worse than before.

Towns have to get smart, get classy and play hard to get. They can do a lot better by having the infrastructure businesses need for an intelligent, dependable and happy workforce.

[95whipstick]

Vermont should start by getting rid of Bernie Sanders. He I so far left it is scary. Prosperity is a good thing. He hates those who are more prosperous and Vermont pays the price. VT should also lower property taxes, it would bring in more business both from tourists and businesses.

[DauntlessDan]

Yes and Vermont should get rid of things like the machinery tax. One of few states that still have it I believe. But even after doing that you still have a lot of the anti-business types in Vermont. The ones that have moved there and want it to be a forever Currier and Ives picture postcard state. While the scenery is nice, you need jobs. No not just the little eclectic Mom and Pop businesses that employ maybe 10-20 people at the most at a modest wage. You need a more robust employment environment. Not everyone can/wants to be an entrepreneur. To too many, Vermont is there retirement oasis or bedroom community from the city and that is all it should be. The middle class in Vermont is an endangered species.

[jackmccullough]

Originally Posted by 95whipstick

Vermont should start by getting rid of Bernie Sanders. He I so far left it is scary. Prosperity is a good thing. He hates those who are more prosperous and Vermont pays the price. VT should also lower property taxes, it would bring in more business both from tourists and businesses.

You know, if you care so much about who our senators are you are more than welcome to move here and vote against him. Same with our property taxes. Don't get too optimistic, though, because Bernie is the most popular politician in the state and has been for many years. He gets great support from all over the state, even from places that otherwise vote a straight Republican ticket.

The fact that you make absurd arguments like "He hates those who are more prosperous" demonstrates that you don't know what you're talking about.

[95whipstick]

Bernie Sanders is a radical- there is not a party liberal enough for him. His tax proposals are un-American. I would consider myself a moderate Republican, socially liberal on some issues but fiscally conservative, but his views are dogmatic and dangerous.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by 95whipstick

Bernie Sanders is a radical- there is not a party liberal enough for him. His tax proposals are un-American. I would consider myself a moderate Republican, socially liberal on some issues but fiscally conservative, but his views are dogmatic and dangerous.

I consider him a great American. One of the greats.

Him and Russ Feingold, who I hope run again, are the only two politicians that ever inspired me to work on public campaigns. And most people I know wouldn't consider me very liberal or progressive at all. Quite the opposite sometimes.

[RememberMee]

Deep South has a rustbelt of its own, famous manufacturing jobs frequently pay WalMart wages, all brought by the business friendly policies. I wonder how friendlier you are willing to get, especially if you are a business friendly worker.