manchester
What does Vermont mean to you?:
high taxation, expensive food, expensive housing, etc. You can't live off beautiful landscapes and someone else's farms. VERY limited future for graduates or professionals here.
What common values do Vermonters share?:
no business growth here! People mistakenly believe that the world is what it was 30 years ago. This is 2009 and Vermont is stuck in the distant past.
What challenges and opportunities do we see for our communities and state?:
too expensive to live here. Few career opportunities. Dead zone.
What should our priorities be as we work together to prepare Vermont for the future?:
Find a way to lower taxes! Get taxes from low-impact technology businesses. Attract businesses that provide jobs for educated people and teach new applicable skills to those who do not have them. Too many low-end unskilled jobs and not much for professionals throughout the State. Stop depending on the skiing and hospitality industries to define Vermont. Bring it into the 21st century.
How do your thoughts about Vermont's values, future challenges and priority issues apply to YOUR community?:
Many full-time people are leaving. Second-homeowners are not going to stay either. Lots of homes on the market here. The property tax system is terrible. I have put my home on the market. I love Vermont, but it is just too expensive. I will find a better solution in another State with nice landscapes. Long-term, Vermont is for the very wealthy.
