Candidate Tarrant: ‘Our politicians are not listening to people like me’

November 2, 2022 | By Kathi Tarrant

Waterbury resident Kathi Tarrant is a Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives.

I am running for the Vermont State Legislature because for years now, as a mother, a small/independent business owner, and as a tax-paying citizen, I feel our politicians are not listening to people like me. They are often out of touch with our day-to-day needs along with an accumulating obsession with ideological issues on a national level and/or a global scale – things that have little or nothing to do with working Vermonters.   

My wake-up call to get involved happened this past spring when gasoline and home heating fuels were soaring to record high prices. Our legislature seemed hell-bent on passing a new carbon tax on home heating fuels (H.715). I decided to contact an incumbent. It took that person awhile to get back to me, and the response seemed contrived. Instead of challenging the framework, that person regurgitated data based on the absurd goal of zero human impact on the environment. Vermont is incredibly lush/ green and rural. The idea that Vermonters need to somehow set the standard for controlling emissions when corporations around the world are the biggest polluters…our goal should be to reduce human suffering, not add to it, especially with everything that’s happened in the last 2-3 years. 

Because I’m interested in the need to establish a positive pro-freedom goal, we need positive policy in relation to heating oil, propane, natural gas, and kerosene, and to make affordability a top priority; so that working Vermonters will NOT be forced to have to switch to something else. Many of the supposed expert conclusions that we’re taught, particularly the notion that we should rapidly eliminate fossil fuels, ignore the benefits, especially to working Vermonters. 

Gov. Scott thankfully vetoed the Home Heat Carbon Tax bill, but that was sustained by only one single vote in the House. The lesson learned here is that every vote counts and your vote can make ALL the difference. The Home Heat Carbon Tax and a similar carbon tax on gasoline and diesel motor fuels will be back before the legislature in January. Making sure they do NOT become law will be a high priority for me. Vermonters are already paying too much to heat their homes and to drive to work.

Public safety will also be a top priority. I will work to ensure state and local law enforcement are properly funded, fully staffed, and supported.

Removing costly and counterproductive regulations is another area I will focus on. Childcare is a good example. We used to have many hundreds of small, in-home childcare providers serving thousands of families. The legislature passed a slew of regulations in 2015 making it nearly impossible to operate such businesses. We now have a childcare crisis as it relates to availability and/or affordability. Similar stories can be told regarding affordable housing regulations and healthcare regulations driving up costs and limiting access.

Vote for Kathi Tarrant/Vermont House candidate on November 8!

Kathi Tarrant is a Republican candidate for the Washington-Chittenden House district in the state Legislature. It covers Waterbury, Huntington, Bolton and Buel’s Gore.