WHITE RIVER JUNCTION-We in Vermont are struggling with the rising cost of living. Gasoline, heating fuel, groceries, housing, and health insurance all put pressure on household budgets.
These are not isolated local problems. They reflect national policies and global events that have be ineptly administered and executed by Republican leadership in Washington, D.C., that affect working families across the country and around the world. Tariffs, tax policy, and the war with Iran have become part of the debate over why costs are rising.
Whatever our political affiliations, we should demand that our leaders confront these consequences rather than give lip service to the hardships facing ordinary people. When families must choose between heating their homes, buying groceries and paying for medical care, affordability is not an abstract political issue. It is a matter of dignity, security and survival.
Washington alone will not solve these problems. We must start in our own communities and elect representatives willing to work on practical solutions: expanding access to primary care, increasing affordable housing, protecting rural schools while controlling costs, and finding ways to ease the burden on working families and seniors.
These are priorities that Will Hoser has identified in his campaign for the Vermont House.
This election also raises a larger question: What does it mean to represent the Windsor-Windham legislative district? Tom Charlton is the Republican incumbent. He hasn't told voters yet where he stands when national Republican leaders pursue policies that undermine constitutional checks and balances, engage in unwarranted warfare, destroy our global unions and relations, weaken civil rights protections, or raise serious questions about conflicts of interest and accountability.
He says that it's not his problem when confronted with the rise of annual inflation by 3.7%, with two bags of groceries now costing about $100, gasoline prices up 34.2% and heating oil up 74.2% over the preceding year.
Party loyalty should never excuse silence when fundamental democratic principles and the rising cost of living are at stake.
You should expect independence, candor, and the courage to speak out from your representative when our values and interests are threatened. Silence in the face of serious abuses of power is itself a matter of character and one that voters should consider when evaluating Charlton's record.
The Windsor Windham District election is your opportunity to decide what kind of representation you want: one that places party loyalty first, or one that focuses on the needs of Vermonters and the principles that sustain our democracy.
Leigh, my wife, and I lived, raised kids, worked, and voted in Chester for about 50 years. We are impressed with and believe that Will Hoser's good character and his emphasis on affordable health care, housing, economic fairness, and the needs of rural communities deserve serious consideration. You should weigh Charlton's legislative record and priorities, if you know them, and note his failure to hold his Republican leaders accountable.
Will Hoser deserves your vote on or before Nov. 3.
William E. Dakin Jr.
White River Junction
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