New Ideas : Sam Young for Vermont Governor

Stop what is really killing Americans

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:33:01 PDT

Raise cancer research funding so it is at least more than 1% of the defense budget.

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education- reconnect innovation and funding

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:03:53 PDT

As long as innovation in quality education is divorced from the funding mechanisms, change cannot occur. Where there is inequity in the funding of schools in a property tax based educational system, innovations cannot happen.

It is a mistake to pitch education to voters as something which only affects K-12 or colleges and universities. Until the state sets the tone for a lifelong educational process and everyone understands that they may need to access the educational system several times( look at the ages and enrollment statistics for community and technical colleges) people will think education is something that doesn't affect them once their kids are out of school. Even if they are not thinking about the next generation, a case could be made for thinking about themselves. So the funding mechanism needs to be linked to all Vermonter's needs for education and re-education. Because just as technology grows obsolete quickly, skills in some areas are constantly in need of updating.

An innovation in education funding needs to be presented along with education proposals.

I also want to argue not just for technical education, which is self-evidently necessary, but for a renewed emphasis on another and less obvious set of educational experiences.

Creative thinking and problem solving is not always a linear process, like a math problem. Skills required have to do with taking information from different domains, extracting and analyzing the relevant elements, and juxtaposing and synthesizing that info into new ideas.

Critical thinking skills can be developed through the humanities, but especially the arts. Arts experiences develops those very skills in imagination--in conceptualizing, analyzing and synthesizing ideas.

There was a book published by the Sloan School of Business, at MIT which talked about the importance of the arts in developing those very skills, which it found underlay success, in their case, in business.

While technology can produce tools for connecting, it cannot furnish the content, or what folks want and need to connect about.

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Working seniors

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:46:23 PDT

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Many folks over 65( particularly the many self-employed) in Vt, cannot afford to stop working. They would lose their homes because of both maintenance and rising property taxes,(Ask a senior homeowner about the impact of recent reappraisals coupled with a declining home value) and especially if they work out of their homes.

The Vt dept of Aging and Disabilities report on Seniors, projected through 2010, show both an increasing senior population as well as rise in the expected number of seniors living in poverty. Those living in poverty are not necessarily the frail, ill, or handicapped, for whom most of the state's resources for elders are spent.

There are three issues working seniors face which could be addressed through governmental leadership and initiatives:
Job development, retraining, and incentives to businesses for hiring.

As it now stands, a job-hunting senior is routed both by employers, the state, the temp( or pre-screening) agencies, to low paying, hour intensive jobs which require few skills-crossing guards, parking lot attendents, maids, elderly care, in which, regardless of their skill sets, transferrable skills, education, abilities, they are routed.

Even if seniors haven't a BA in computers, it takes less than six weeks to teach the rudiments of data entry, and e-mail screening for a company.

Seniors, ( as well as folks coming through the Vt Voc Rehab training programs) can be cross trained in groups so that one position could be filled by a team in rotation, which would take into account abilities and limitations, and assure the employer that a reliable position would be filled by a responsible employee.

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Consolidating Towns

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:06:40 PDT

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The greatest thing about Vermont is in general it has a very socialist mindset, it wants to do everything it can for the people. I think its time the people make a sacrifice for the state. We have urban sprawl, we have lack of business, we have young people moving out of Vermont because there is no future here, we have open land that we want to conserve. The answer to all of this is the same: Structural Development. We plan out how a town grows, we consolidate sprawling neighborhoods so that its is a closer community, we give the open fields to farmers and community co-ops. The more people there are concentrated in an area the more attractive it is for business. The more business the more revenue for the state in taxes to pay for such services as health car. Also more absolute town lines makes it possible for public transportation. which would take a load of our roads and highways. then we can re-introduce the train and replace the truck shipment local/national transportation with train travel.

Comments (1)Category/Tags : New Ideas (10) consolidate towns small structural development

Question(s) for Candidates for Governor re: Addressing Homelessness & Affordable Housing Policy Matters

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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While I am by no means a person who could be termed a one issue voter, it is my opinion that among the key issues in serious need to be made top priorities and meaningfully addressed by the candidates for Governor are both homelessness and affordable housing.

Thus my question to the candidates would be:

If the voters (re-)elect you as Governor in the general election, when it comes to addressing homelessness and affordable housing across the state, please answer the following five (5) part question:

* Priorities: What type of priority would both of these matters hold within your administration?

* Steps: What concrete steps would your administration take to address these matters?

* Time Lines: What time lines would your administration set for addressing such?

* Outcomes: What are the expected outcomes by which your administration would measure the effectiveness of such proposals?

* Funding: How would your administration fund such proposals?

Comments (1)Category/Tags : New Ideas (10) policy priorities issues vermont housing homeless resources

Stop cuts in school busing and find alternatives for heating in schools

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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Vermont schools grappling with high fuel costs (August 10, 2008)

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080810/NEWS01/808100392/1002/NEWS01

Again, community-owned grass pellet plants come to mind. . .but that is another idea!

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Vermont History

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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How can we be so surprised that so many youth are leaving Vermont when there is no Vermont History requirement in high schools? Vermont youth need to understand the legacy of independence that is their inheritance and to be taught pride for this beautiful state. American History is a required course in American high schools, and for the same reasons, Vermont History should be a required course in Vermont high schools. Teach our youth to love this state and make them want to come home and take part it its interactive democracy.

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Stand in Solidarity with the Mountains

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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In the last 50 years, the coal companies have destroyed over 450 mountains in the Appalachian region. This is intimately tied to the production of power in the US. . . approx. 50% of US energy is from coal-fired power plants.

As lovers of mountains, Vermont should stand in solidarity against this travisty. . . mountains are not replacable! Vermont should lead the country in renewable and sustainable sources of energy, decentralizing energy, and promoting efficiency.

Learn more at www.ilovemountains.org

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Vermont's Rapidly Aging Population

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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How are we going to support the growing number of elderly in our state?

The aging community are becoming more and more numerous, and with the surge in new and changing family structures that have been taking place over the last 60 years, there is much confusion over who will care for all the people that no longer work. Social Security cannot provide for these people to lead healthy lives, so who will?

Check out these links for a little more info:
http://www.understandingvt.org/aging-population/
http://www.vhfa.org/about/news/releases/75_aging_report.pdf

Comments (4)Category/Tags : Youth Issues (2) social security aging elderly retired retirees vermont

Bring the Guard Home!

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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Over 3,000 Vermont guardsmen are set to deploy to Afghanistan by 2010, many for the second time.

Almost half of all soldiers in Iraq have been National Guardsmen.

Bush's call to war has expired!

It is time for the Governor of Vermont to take back control of the Guard.

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