House candidate Burns: Legislators as ‘guardians of the people’
October 4, 2024 | By John Burns Protect the people.
The Vermont Constitution states that adherence to “moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality” is “absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty.”
Further, the Constitution provides the oath that representatives take wherein they pledge not to do things that “appear to you injurious to the people,” and that they conduct themselves as a “guardian of the people.”
As an independent candidate for one of the two Washington-2 House of Representative seats this November, I am asking voters of this district to think deeply about who they are voting for, and why. I have provided these constitutional references to help with this.
You may ask yourself if you see any evidence of “moderation, temperance, or frugality” from this current or any recent legislature. Do you feel like the legislature is acting as a guardian of the people? Or do you feel – as I do – that they are acting as social engineers or global saviors appointed to conduct experiments on Vermont's citizens?
These experiments are threaded through most legislation on major issues, resulting in injury, loss of liberty and property, and a sense of bewilderment as Vermonters are forced to adjust their lives around outrageous taxation and ever-increasing costs.
Most everyone I talk to is thankful to have Gov. Phil Scott as a balance to the wild spending legislature. The governor seems to have a “protect-the-people” ethos and espouses moderation, temperance, and frugality as part of a balanced leadership approach. The sense of hope in having a sensible governor along with his highest-in-the-nation popularity is contrasted against the dysfunction of Vermont's polarized legislature.
More bewilderment follows as we realize that Vermonters have elected both, and the legislature is happy to display its disregard for working with the governor. (Yes, this is a two-way street, but the governor sure seems outnumbered).
Part of this contrast must be explained by the thinking that “the legislature is dysfunctional, but my legislator is OK.” We want to think well of our own representative. We have likely met them and they seem nice. So we vote for them again, despite their voting record, not working with the governor, and their previous failure to protect the people of Vermont. They pledge to do that next time, to protect taxpayers and consumers, and to be a guardian of the people in the next session. And we believe them, because they are our legislator, they seem nice, and surely they mean it this time!
This is Lucy-and-the-football thinking, and we the voters are Charlie Brown as we continue to send the same people to the State House under the dire circumstances we face today.
I hope we can break the cycle of dysfunction in this upcoming election and sending fresh thinking, independent voices to Montpelier is a key part of this. As an independent representative, I will strive to protect Vermonters and be a voice/vote to restore reason, balance, and compromise to the legislature. My number-one priority will be to prevent Vermonters from being taxed and expensed out of their homes!
John Burns
Moretown resident John J. Burns is an Independent candidate for the Vermont House in the Washington-2 district representing Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren. His campaign website is here. Email: independent4vt@gmail.com.