The Bernie Buzz

Recently, we sent out a Bernie Buzz asking Vermonters for their thoughts on the state of our health care system. Frankly, the responses we received were striking, heartbreaking and a bit overwhelming.

I wanted to invite Vermonters to my Valentine’s Day Dance with Bernie: Music Through the Ages for All Ages event. That’s music from the 60s to the present time. Music to enjoy. Music to dance to. Join us Friday, February 14 at 7:30 pm, for a night of great music with one of Vermont’s outstanding DJs, Joel Najman. The dance will take place at the Elley-Long Music Center at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester.

In 1983, entrepreneur and environmentalist Will Raap cofounded a catalog, mail-order business in Vermont to get farmers and gardeners the tools they need to grow food, nurture beautiful plants, and steward the land. Since then, Vermont’s own Gardener’s Supply Company has become well-known in our state’s agricultural community and beyond – with locations in Vermont, as well as New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

No matter the season or weather, Vermonters love the great outdoors. This is true even in the middle of our long and cold winters, when people get out on the ice to fish. Whether you’ve never been ice fishing or it’s been a tradition in your family passed down from generation to generation, you may be interested to know about Vermont’s upcoming Free Ice Fishing Day this Saturday, January 25.

Here is some good news regarding the filing of your tax returns. You can now schedule an appointment with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA is designed to help individuals and families file their state and federal income tax returns and can also help with Vermont Renter Credits, Homestead Declarations and Property Tax Credits. And the best part: VITA is free for low and moderate-income Vermonters and is staffed by local volunteers who understand this far-too-complicated process.

In my view, the health care system here in Vermont and across the country is broken, dysfunctional, and outrageously expensive. I believe that health care is a human right, should be guaranteed to all, and that we need to move to a Medicare for All single-payer system. We should not continue being the only major country on earth not to provide universal health care.