Vermont

Vermont Republicans
by Anna Szczechowicz

            The Vermont Republican Party was organized on July 13, 1854, in Montpelier, before the national Republican Party was created. One of the main goals at the time was to oppose slavery, to stop the spread of slavery in the United States and its territories. They had a lot of success at the beginning, their candidate for Governor was elected in the fall if 1854, and the national Republican Party nominated its first Presidential Candidate in 1856-John Fremont. In 1860, Republicans were in the White House as Abraham Lincoln was elected and stayed there until the election of 1888.
            Vermont is historically a Republican state. In two elections - 1912 and 1936 - Vermont was one of only two states to vote republican. Republicans held every major office in Vermont until the election of William Meyer as United States Representative in 1958, Phillip Hoff as Governor in 1962, and Patrick Leahy as Senator in 1974. Lately Vermont has become a state of many independent voters.
            Now the Republican Party wants to address issues of freedom, independence, and self-reliance to the Vermonters. Republicans gained 10 seats in the Vermont House of Representatives, reducing the Democrats total from 87 to77 out of 150 members.
            Republicans search for alliances with some Democrats to achieve tax cuts, and generally less liberal policies. In the state of Vermont, there are 13 Republicans and 17 Democrats.
Therefore, Republicans no longer hold majority. In the year 2000 Presidential Election Poll George W. Bush won with Al Gore.
            According to the most recent platform: Republicans want the Government’s role to be limited, to promote freedom, be accountable and predictable. It should be a Government that is close to the people. Party’s view on the following issues had been provided.
            1) Education: Republicans will promote citizenship and opportunities of lifetime learning. The Party will support choosing a school, charter schools, and educational savings account. The state regulations should be limited so that locally elected school board can ensure highest academic standards. School Board should be able to revise labor regulation laws.
            2) Economy: The Party would like to prevent anti-business climate, support “Regulatory Accountability Act” which will scrutinize departmental rule making and make it more accountable. They want to repeal Act 60 statewide property tax, want to make it more fair and effective. A tax cut is necessary to promote economic growth and investments in Vermont.
            3) Environment: Republicans want to do the most to preserve natural resources, forest and mountains, good water and air through supporting research and incentives to landowners that use environmental friendly technologies.
            4) Personal freedom and property rights: They believe that wherever a value of land decreases because of government dictates, a just compensation should be provided.
            5) Gun Control: Vermont Republican Party continues to support the constitutional right to bear arms.
            6) Family Matters: The party believes that families and communities should decide on their own affairs, and the government ought to respect it. Tax policies should support and benefit families, make childcare more accessible.
            7) Sexuality: The party will enact to clearly define the marriage institution as the union of one woman and one man.
            8) Gender issues: The Vermont Republican Party talks a lot on the women’s role in the Vermont’s task force environment. There are many women entrepreneurs in Vermont, the largest percentage of women with children have regular jobs in the state. The Republican Party seeks to explore issues of independent women, find ways to address them and encourage participation in the party. They also would like more women in the offices of Vermont. Republicans oppose partial-birth abortion.
            9) Health care: Rep. Frank Mazur talks about health care and its enormous costs for people of Vermont. A monthly coverage for the family of four in this state costs $543, whereas in Pennsylvania it costs only $190. What happens now is that only very sick people buy insurance. Another problem is that when calculating the premium charges, the insurance companies do not take into the consideration the lifestyle a person leads. It does not matter whether you smoke or if you exercise even if it always has an impact on your health, and therefore on the money the insurance company would have to earn/spend on you People with different risks have the same premium, which hurts those who try to have a good diet, etc. They support medical savings accounts, private and competitive market to ensure lower costs, oppose government monopoly in health care. The party supports plain language and full disclosure in HMO contracts.
            10) Welfare: The Party will oppose welfare in general as one class living at the expense on the other. They will support welfare-to-work programs and curb abuses.
            The Republicans of Vermont believe that government should be to do the things that cannot be done by individuals. The best government is the one that is the closest to the people. Each person’s freedom and dignity must be honored. Free enterprise and individual initiative is the basis to the best economic system. Equal rights should be ensured regardless of race, sex, or creed.