With the summer months being so busy with Garden 2022, hiking and other good weather activities, I neglected to post much in the way of commentary on the blog. This was a conscious decision, for a couple of reasons.

When I post social or political observations it’s to mark where I stand, and what I believe. I don’t for a minute believe (or care) if my maunderings will change anybody’s opinions. There’s no schedule or other time pressure to meet. These are simply my “receipts”, published for all to see in as public a domain as I care to manage. 

The other reason for the lull in commentary was I simply didn’t have time! Between Garden 2022 and the incredible amount of fun I had hiking and writing about 15 mountains- so far!- and all of the rest, something had to give, and the rants went on hiatus.

Now that we’ve hit that dead-center time between the good weather and winter, I’ll be returning to making occasional observations on social and political items of the day. Rant-lettes, if you will. The upcoming election might be a good place to start.

A couple of days ago I sent a 375-word Letter to the Editor to seven news outlets here in Vermont. I think it was a well-presented and respectful appeal to Vermont voters to look back upon the last 40 years of this State’s government practices and policies and evaluate the performance before casting their votes. This column was sent to:  VT Digger; Rutland Herald; Addison Independent; Caledonian Record; Barton Chronicle; Newport Dispatch; Burlington Free Press. It’s appended to the end of this post.

The VT Digger published it on their website today, and I’m honestly surprised. Kudos to them for presenting the politically incorrect minority opinion. I don’t hold much hope of the others posting the letter. By and large the Vermont media of all stripes carries the Democrat Party’s water. 

Let’s revisit the Crona Pandemic. As each day goes by there is more and more evidence that the citizenry of the United States, and indeed most of the world, was and continues to be manipulated and flat-out lied to regarding the virus and the vaccine.

Many of us actually searched for and “followed the science”- the real stuff, not the crap being put out by Fauci and the Biden Administration. The virus did not and does not seriously affect most of the population, and the data collected around the world has proven that.

“The Science” showed early on that the virus posed very little risk to children, yet the powers-that-be still insisted they mask up and get vaccinated. “To prevent transmission and protect others” was the line, I believe. Recently we learned from Pfizer that the vaxx was never tested to prevent transmission. And now it’s an established fact that the vaccines do not prevent transmission.

Today the CDC is considering adding the Crona Vaxx to the recommended schedule of childhood vaccinations. This action will not only make it a mandatory vaccination for children in many states (including Vermont) in order to attend school, but will also extend the liability exemptions Pfizer, Moderna and others now enjoy. As things stand today, none of them can be sued for the harmful effects of their mRNA vaccine concoctions. How does any of this make sense?

The world is experiencing a dramatic increase in myocarditis affecting the one segment of the population it never has significantly touched before. Young people. Don’t take my word for it, do a search for “myocarditis increase in young people” and read the studies yourself.

Moving on to the Pandemic of the Unvaccinated. Sleepy Joe stated publicly about a year ago that if you got the shot you wouldn’t get the virus, and if you didn’t you’d face a “winter of illness and death”. Whoops! Turns out that the best way to get the virus is to get said vaccinations and boosters. 

We are now seeing signs of awakening to the saddest result of the past few years- a dramatic increase in deaths, and not of the “Unvaccinated”. There’s a significant increase across the COVID-vaccinated world of people dying that shouldn’t. Young folks; those normally thought to be in the prime of life. I could bombard you with links supporting this statement, but will not. The information is there for those who care to learn the truth of these matters.

Sadly, most people don’t want to know. I truly hope that changes as time goes on. The irresponsible and yes, tyrannical policies imposed upon the people of the United States and much of the world are inexcusable. Many lives and livelihoods were irreparably harmed without reason, cause or recourse.

Those responsible need to pay the price. I have faint hope that anyone will. Perhaps the best we can aim for is to drive those responsible for this travesty out of power, and keep them there.

On a more cheery note, it looks like the hiking season will extend for at least one more weekend. We’re planning to bag a couple of summits in one day this Saturday, and I’ll tell you all about it here next week.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

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Forty Years is Enough October 18, 2022

We’re three weeks away from the general election and once again Vermonters are being begged, hustled and hectored by all of the usual suspects to elect Democrat candidates pushing the same tired and failure-ridden Progressive policies and programs.

I urge my fellow Vermont voters to spend a few minutes thinking about the last 40 years of Progressive rule in this beautiful state. Have economic and social conditions improved for the average Vermonter? Has your life been improved by the Progressive agenda? 

I see people struggling to feed their families and heat their homes. I see businesses avoiding a state with a stagnant economy and ridiculous regulatory burdens. I see our children fleeing Vermont to find opportunities elsewhere. I see Progressive Democrats making things worse, not better.

Throughout my adult life I have watched the Progressive Left promise utopia via regressive taxes, regulations and social programs, and fail to deliver. Consider the following sampling of failures (there are many- space is limited):

• Their “Green Agenda” is based upon fantasy and not science, resulting in financial hardship for the average Vermonter. What’s your heating bill going to look like this winter? 
• Law enforcement initiatives such as “Defund the Police” brought on record increases in violent crime across Vermont. Whatever did the Progressives expect when they decided to reduce law enforcement efforts and not punish criminals?
• Our education system boasts the 5th highest cost per pupil and soon will boast more employees than students. How much has the “Education” portion of your property tax bill increased year over year?
• The unrelenting Progressive promotion of divisive identity politics and policies, setting groups of people against one another rather than build programs to unite Vermonters. 

Progressive Democrat rule in Vermont has resulted in cascading failure for two generations. These failures of policies and programs are accelerating, continuing to inflict hardships and real harms on Vermonters. It’s time to heed the definition of insanity, and stop voting for Progressive Democrats and their train-wreck programs and policies. 

It’s time to rebuild Vermont. Send the long overdue message. Vote against all Democrats this November. 

Ted Ropple
West Charleston, VT
www.tedropple.com