Vermont’s Serious Drug Problem
I am writing regarding a recent article about two family members facing drug charges.
My main concern is not with the people in the article itself, but in the steadily increasing number of articles related to heroin (and other drugs) and their spread to northern New England. As it stands, Vermont is ranked number one in drug use per capita for more than just heroin by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Burlington Police Department and our governor have cited heroin as the primary drug threat throughout the state. It’s not just heroin; other drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and meth are also cited as high threats and widely available.
I have heard that within the last year or so there have been more burglaries related to drug trafficking and more stories about people being arrested in Vermont who aren’t from the state. I even know of some people within my own community who have been arrested on multiple drug charges. Just about $200 million worth of heroin is trafficked into Vermont each week. It’s turning Vermont into a terrible place. We need to put a stop to it because I don’t want to live in a state known for the rate of heroin addicts.
Vermont is a beautiful state. People should work harder trying to stop our drug problems. The nearby town of Groton, Vt., has a neighborhood crime and drug watch, where responsibility is put into the hands of the locals. Perhaps a similar proposition could be made at the next Town Meeting in West Topsham, Vt.
Kiersten Barber
West Topsham, Vt.
Protests Deserve Coverage
Whenever 60 percent of Americans agree on a political issue, it’s considered a strong majority, so how about when 80 percent of Americans support a cause in a bipartisan supermajority? Any current internet search for poll results will turn up a majority of from 78 percent to 81 percent of us supporting shutting off the flood of money in politics by overturning Citizens United.
With such a margin reported by the likes of Washington Post and Bloomberg polls, large and growing crowds participating in two weeks of protests from Philadelphia to Washington, and hundreds of people being arrested at the Capitol for civil disobedience — protests unseen for 40 years — shouldn’t the mainstream media be covering this story? What’s with this media silence? Valley News: Hello, are your wire services down? Even Upper Valley people are joining the protests, so how about some page 1 coverage, or at least something in your World & Nation section about what’s going on?
Michael Whitman
Lyme
Salute to the VA in WRJ
As a veteran U.S. Navy hospital corpsman who visits the Veterans Affairs Medical Facility in White River Junction several times a year for treatment, I wish to thank, offer my total respect to, and praise the entire staff of this fine medical center.
My appointments have always been timely and I seldom wait more than 10 minutes to be seen. I have been treated courteously, professionally and always with a friendly greeting. Support staff as well as medical providers are thorough in assessing my needs and answering my questions without delays. Medical treatments are carried out with my well-being in mind and discussed with me. My visit or two to the emergency room area during the past year have been short ones, as my treatment is evaluated, discussed and performed by the medical teams on duty.
As an inpatient on a surgical floor twice last year, I was given every courtesy and my medical condition was evaluated routinely during my short stays. Therefore, a hearty and heartfelt thank you to medical/surgical teams members, administration employees, dieticians, patient support groups and nurses who work long hours around the clock caring for us in-house patients — always with a smile, always taking care of our needs and always being there when we need you!
Timothy Larson
Chelsea
Where Sanders and Trump Agree
Bernie and the Donald: Both are right! Sen. Sanders speaks of the corruption wherein Wall Street companies buy influence with Washington legislators. Trump talks about the incompetence of federal administrators negotiating deals on behalf of U.S. citizens.
Readers might find one example, among many, informative. This came to my attention watching a YouTube video of Democrat Alan Grayson grilling the CEO of Citigroup over its bailout details. In sum, the bank negotiated and purchased an insurance policy from U.S. taxpayers to cover potential losses from toxic assets the bank held. The U.S. insured the bank against $280 billion in potential losses, for a one-time premium of $7 billion, with a deductible of $30 billion and a co-pay requirement of 10 percent
We regular folk were put on the hook for potential losses totaling 90 percent of $250 billion, with no upside. First, we received no claim on the assets, so for any which turn out not to be toxic, all gains go to Citigroup, and not the government. Second, the premium we received was paid not in cash, but in Citigroup stock of uncertain future value. For Citigroup, this incentivizes the government to issue new laws and regulations in favor of the company. Crony capitalism at its finest. Surely the financial juices flowing from these benefits will be repaid in election campaign donations, not to mention exorbitant personal speaking fees.
Taxpayers should not be bailing out private banks, and legislators should not be making “too big to fail” banks even larger. I watched the video with increasing anger, but with the dawning realization that it was misplaced. The Citigroup CEO who looked so uncomfortable answering Grayson’s questions had simply done his job, negotiating a good deal for the shareholders he represents. My anger is better directed at the federal bureaucrats who negotiated the deal and the legislators who approved it.
Why are they not the ones being grilled, if not by a complicit Congress, then by an independent press? Why are they not in the witness chair?
Bernie and the Donald both have serious flaws. But their representation of the people’s anger is right on.
Tim Dreisbach
South Royalton
Clarifying Remarks About Project
I read the April 7 article regarding the City Council discussion concerning the Route 120 Sewer Improvement Project and wanted to provide comment/clarification of several statements attributed to me.
It stated, “Public Works Director Michael Lavalla said additional money is needed because crews ran into unexpected rocks while drilling beneath the highway.” This leaves the impression that the existence of the rocks was unknown. During the discussion, I informed the Council that obstructions were identified as a result of the subsurface exploration effort (horizontal boring), which was completed by our engineering consultant prior to the bid phase of the project, but that the extent of the obstructions resulted in greater time expended than was anticipated.
In the same paragraph, it stated, “Initially, he said, Kingsbury Companies LLC planned on spending 100 hours addressing the rocks, but now are in the high 500-hour range.” This leaves the impression that Kingsbury initially had determined the time of this effort and this was not the case. The estimate was developed by our consulting engineer based on the information obtained by the completion of the horizontal boring and their review of other information.
The article also stated, “Lavalla said about half of the $1.7 million request also comes from payment claims due to additional time crews spent working on the project.” While the following sentence goes on to note that the City is in talks to determine which of those claims are the city’s responsibility, it leaves the impression that the baseline is that the claims are due the contractor. This is not the case, as I explained clearly to the Council that the claims were developed and submitted by the contractor, that we have not determined the validity of the basis of the claims yet, that we would be proceeding through negotiation and other means to resolve this issue and that we were not going to just issue payment for them without further review.
I appreciate the Valley News’ coverage of this important issue/project and your consideration of my comments/clarifications.
Mike Lavalla
Lebanon Director of Public Works
Thanks, Volunteers
April 10 through 16 is National Volunteer Week and the White River Junction Vermont VA Medical Center thanks volunteers who give back to veterans every day at local VA medical facilities. Our volunteers vary in age and gender, but they share one thing in common — they are all driven to use their unique talents and skills toward improving veterans’ lives. Here at the White River Junction VA, more than 300 volunteers provided more than 41,000 hours of service this past year. These volunteers show up with arms wide open for tasks that range anywhere from driving veterans to appointments, providing directions throughout the medical facility, answering telephones, singing in the hospice choir, or holding a veteran’s hand at their bedside to keep them from being alone during trying times.
We thank the volunteers who make such a difference in our veterans’ lives. Thank you for all you do.
Karen Campbell
Voluntary Service Chief,
White River Junction VA Medical Center