Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain to Morrisville VT on Saturday, Feb. 28

I’ll be driving more than 6 white horses when I travel from Maine to Morrisville, Vermont to speak at the Annual Meeting of the Citizens for Property Rights, Saturday afternoon, February 28th, at 1 p.m. (Our mechanic says there are at least 170 horses under the hood of my white Oldsmobile.) CPR graciously welcomes people to this meeting who are not members, which is why I’m letting you know.

The function room of The Charlmont complex will be the place. The Charlmont is located near where Route 15 intersects with route 100. Martin Harris will moderate the meeting. After he opens it and makes introductions, the agenda, as explained to me, goes this way: Ken Davis, President of POST will speak about 10 minutes, updating the audience on POST activities, and then I will speak of how Maine got rid of the state property tax in our school funding law using Maine’s initiative referendum process. Especially important to Vermont audiences right now in its history is how to develop a strategy which will build coalitions of voters to produce solid majorities. I’ll be able to give examples from three referenda, one which repealed the state property tax and two (within the last 14 months) on forestry, which were all successful. I realize that Vermont doesn’t have an initiative process in its constitution, but framing issues clearly to attract majority blocks fits Vermont’s situation today as you seek to replace unrealistic office holders with those who closely identify with the solid citizens of Vermont. The title of my speech is “What part will you play in the Revolution for Common Sense?” Martin expects a lively Q & A session following the remarks. Afterward, CPR will hold its annual meeting (which all are invited to stay for) and he expects everything to be over by 4 p.m.

The revolutionary atmosphere in Vermont right now over taxes and over regulation makes the air crackle and my message is sounding more like Sam Adams’, the advance man of the American Revolution. That’s because when I went to Montpelier on March 18, 1997 at the invitation of a group of Vermont town selectmen for a press conference at the State House to warn against adopting a state property tax, the Legislators didn’t heed Maine’s terrible experience. I said at that time that if the Legislature adopted a state property tax and I were ever asked to return, the times would demand that it would be as Sam Adams, not Mary Adams. That’s because the legislature, no matter how well meaning, underestimates the rapid transmogrification of the tax which soon blows up in all directions and rains down as unintended consequences. The atmosphere was certainly charged at Killington last month and I expect it will be at Morrisville this month. What is happening in Vermont now is a rerun of what happened in Maine over 20 years ago. By all working together, we got rid of it. Vermont can do the same…So what part will you play in the Revolution?

If you have questions concerning the meeting on February 28th contact:
Martin Harris, of Waltham, Vermont
Tel: 802-877-3961
Email: mharris@together.net


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