2011: Vermont Year in Review
Bernie and his staff want to take this opportunity to wish all Vermonters a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you think we can be of help to you on any issue involving government agencies or policies.
The year 2011 has been a tough one for Vermont and our country. The recession caused by the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior of Wall Street continues. While Vermont is doing better economically than much of the country, too many of our friends and neighbors are unemployed or underemployed, or are earning less than they need to adequately support their families.
Further, in Vermont, we have had to deal with the devastation of Hurricane Irene which caused so much hardship for individuals and businesses. We should all be grateful for the efforts of the volunteers, workers and members of the Vermont National Guard who did such an extraordinary job in the clean-up and recovery effort.
[ Simply place your curser over the graphic below to move through the timeline. Click on a "hotspot" to find out more about that subject. ]
During the last year, Bernie helped lead the fight in the Senate to protect the interests of the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. He founded the Defending Social Security Caucus, which helped prevent Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits from being cut as part of a misguided deficit reduction deal. Bernie knows the nation’s $15 trillion debt must be addressed, but he has fought to make sure that it is dealt with in a way that is fair to America’s struggling middle class. In his view, the country’s wealthiest people and largest corporations, many of whom are doing extremely well, must be asked to contribute their fair share toward deficit reduction and job creation. It cannot just be working families who are asked to sacrifice.
As the year concluded, Bernie introduced his first ever constitutional amendment. This bill is designed to reverse the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision which ruled that corporations are people and have first amendment rights to spend, without disclosure, unlimited amounts of money in the political process.
December
SAVING THE POSTAL SYSTEM - Bernie helped persuade the Postal Service to agree to a five-month moratorium on closing postal facilities and laying off tens of thousands of workers. In Vermont, the Postal Service is considering whether to close the mail processing facility in White River Junction, costing 245 jobs, as well as closing 15 rural post offices. The moratorium will give Congress the time to consider comprehensive postal reform legislation, including Bernie's Postal Service Protection Act.
A MAJOR INVESTMENT IN VERMONT ENERGY - Bernie announced a $15 million, three-year commitment to a new Center for Energy Transformation and Innovation at the University of Vermont. This partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories has the potential to discover new approaches to energy efficiency and sustainable energy and, in the process, create good paying jobs for the Vermont economy.
SAVING OUR DEMOCRACY -- A constitutional amendment by Bernie would reverse the infamous Citizens United Supreme Court decisionthat allows corporations to secretly spend unlimited sums on election campaigns. "That is not what American democracy is about," Bernie said.
Read more and sign the petition »
November
PROTECTING SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE - While Bernie was disappointed the Congressional Super Committee failed to reach an agreement to reduce the $15 trillion dollar national debt in a way that was fair to the middle class, he was pleased that no "deal" was reached which made cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. As Chairman of the Defending Social Security Caucus, Bernie has been a staunch defender of these programs.
Read a letter from Bernie »
Watch: Vermont's Virginia Humphreys »
ONE OF THE GREENEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS - Bernie, a strong supporter of transforming our energy system, helped open a 507-panel solar energy project at Richmond's Camels Hump Middle School. The project was assisted by federal funds that Senator Sanders helped bring in and makes the Camels Hump Middle School one of the greenest schools in Vermont.
Read more »
Watch more on WPTZ »
October
FINALLY, A RAISE FOR RETIRED VERMONTERS - Nearly 129,000 Vermonters rely on Social Security to pay their bills. After two years without any COLA increase they, and tens of millions of other seniors, will finally receive a cost-of-living adjustment that will give Social Security recipients an additional $460 next year. Bernie, who founded the Defending Social Security Caucus, has been a leader in the fight for this increase.
Read more »
RETHINK THE FED - After an investigation requested by Bernie uncovered widespread conflicts of interest in the Federal Reserve Bank System, Bernie assembled some of the best economic minds in the country, including a Nobel Prize winner, to help him develop legislation to fundamentally reform the nearly 100-year-old Federal Reserve. Bernie said; "The Fed is one of the most powerful and secretive agencies of the federal government. It is in need of serious reform."
THE RECESSION AND OLDER AMERICANS - Millions of American seniors have seen a decline in their standard of living and are struggling to survive, according to a report released at a Senate hearing chaired by Bernie. The report showed unemployment among older workers has doubled since 2007 while household incomes fell and medical costs rose. Gail Ruggles, 61, of Newark, Vt., testified at the hearing.
Watch the NBC Nightly News report »
Watch Gail Ruggles' moving testimony »
September
GUARD GOES SOLAR -- The Vermont National Guard unveiled a field of solar panels that will provide nearly 1.5 megawatts of clean energy for its base at Burlington International Airport. The array of solar panels is the second largest solar project at any National Guard base in the country. Bernie obtained funding for the project and worked closely with Major General Michael Dubie to complete the innovative energy project.
August
REBUILDING VERMONT AFTER IRENE - Tropical Storm Irene forced more than 1,500 families from their homes, washed away some 2,200 roads and bridges, devastated 450 farms, and completely isolated a dozen towns for almost a week. In November, President Obama signed legislation that will deliver up to $250 million to Vermont to help the state rebuild its roads and bridges. Bernie and the delegation helped advance the measure. "When disaster strikes anywhere in our country, our nation comes together to provide the support that communities need in order to rebuild," Bernie said.
Watch: Bernie discusses the damage on CNN »
July
AT LEAST 110,000 VERMONTERS - There are eight federally qualified health centers in Vermont, operating 40 sites and serving nearly 20 percent of Vermont's population -- more than 110,000 people. In July, the East Corinth health center opened a new building, thanks to $500,000 Bernie helped secure, and construction continued on a new $11 million community health center in Burlington. The health centers provide affordable primary care, dental care, mental health counseling and low-cost prescription drugs. Bernie successfully fought to double funds for community health centers in last year's health care reform law which will provide primary health care for almost 20 million more Americans.
Find a federally qualified center near you »
54.5 MPG - Bernie praised the deal reached by the Obama administration and U.S. automakers that will increase the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. "The deal," Bernie said, "will save car owners money at the gas pump, cut greenhouse gas emissions and create American jobs."
June
MONEY-SAVING ENERGY PROGRAM - Martha Heitkamp, 72, is looking forward to spending nearly $800 less on heating oil each winter, thanks to energy efficiency improvements to her Rutland County home. The savings are a result of an innovative, energy-saving program, which Bernie helped create. The program is quickly becoming a national model to help Americans save energy.
SHARED SACRIFICE - "Don't yield, Mr. President," Bernie said in a Senate speech after congressional Republicans walked out of budget talks. Bernie called for at least half of the deficit reduction to come from taxing the wealthiest Americans and the most profitable corporations.
More than 100,000 people signed Bernie's letter calling for Shared Sacrifice
May
SOLDIERS RETURNING HOME - Bernie helped persuade the Pentagon to commit more than $2.1 million to the Vermont National Guard outreach program. The program, which has become a national model, provides critical services to soldiers returning from deployment, including: health care services, marriage and financial counseling.
April
BUDGET OUTRAGE - Americans were outraged about a House-passed budget bill that would destroy Medicare and Medicaid, put Social Security at risk and give $1 trillion in new tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Bernie called the measure "the most right-wing extremist piece of legislation that I have ever seen in my life."
Watch: Bernie describes budget as "Robin Hood in Reverse"
Read more »
A VERMONT EDUCATION MODEL - In order to reform the much disliked No Child Left Behind legislation, Bernie introduced a bill which would allow the "community school" model, similar to the one used by the Molly Stark Elementary School in Bennington, to serve as an option for low-performing schools to receive federal funding without firing principals or teachers.
March
THE UNTHINKABLE -- As Japan's nuclear crisis worsened, Bernie raised questions about nuclear safety in the United States. Reactors with nearly identical designs as the crippled Fukushima plant now operate at 23 U.S. plants, including Vermont Yankee. "People think that a terrible event is unthinkable until the day after that event occurs," Bernie said.
Watch Bernie at the hearing »
Read more »
February
VOICES FROM VERMONT - Hundreds of Vermonters shared personal stories with Bernie about how the longest recession since the Great Depression has changed their lives. The booklet, "Struggling Through the Recession," caught the attention of New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.
Read "Struggling Through the Recession" »
Read the column »
January
VERMONT: SINGLE-PAYER - Bernie announced plans to introduce a bill to authorize federal waivers for Vermont to adopt a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system three years sooner than the current law allows. Also in January, a health consultant told state lawmakers Vermont could provide every resident with health insurance, improve care and save money with a single-payer system.
