Richard Marek

<p>I&rsquo;<span class="smallcaps">m sad to say</span> that the recent Viewpoint by Dale and Nancy Gassett fails three key tests that I always found useful when I was in the Legislature &mdash; regardless of whether I was in the minority or the majority.</p> <p>To summarize, they are outraged that a &ldquo;tyrannical&rdquo; legislature passed a law allowing Brattleboro to have people under 18 to vote on local issues, and they demand that Brattleboro officials do their supposed duty under their constitutional oaths by refusing to implement it.</p> <p>The first test I used was the MYOB Test. Whenever I received calls and emails from people in other states telling me what I should do, I thought perhaps I should listen to the folks who elected me instead.</p> <p>For a couple from Vernon to demand that Brattleboro officials do what they personally wish regarding Brattleboro&rsquo;s local elections obviously fails that little test on its face.</p> <p>My second test was the Hyperbolic Ranting Test. There almost always seemed to be a direct relationship between the strength or weakness of an argument and the way it was presented. This fit in nicely with the old legal maxim that if you&rsquo;ve got the law, argue the law; if you&rsquo;ve got the facts, argue the facts; but if you haven&rsquo;t got either one, stand up and make a lot of noise.</p> <p>Now, I often had occasion to differ with other legislators &mdash; including, at times, with some in my own party. But regardless of all that, I never saw any of the hundreds of people with whom I served up there as &ldquo;arrogant and power-hungry tyrants.&rdquo;</p> <p>Terms like that flow through the Gassetts&rsquo; commentary with such tiresome frequency that I eventually stopped counting. And every time I saw another one, I felt more of the shards of...