Rick Barton

To the Editor: Bill Bruner’s letter of Oct. 29 (“Elect those with common sense and fiscal sense”) caused me some depression and despair; he taught me that the long-time Democratic majority in the Legislature is to blame for all the serious problems in Vermont. Then I had a thought: why, that same liberal majority must therefore be the cause of all the favorable aspects of this state.

To the Editor: I was struck by the juxtaposition of columns by Rep. Katherine Sims and Nichole Loati in the March 14, 2024, News and Citizen. The first, by a member of the supermajority in the Legislature, I found thoughtful and temperate. The second is perhaps best described by John Kennedy Toole from “A Confederacy of Dunces,” “I doubt whether any hack, under pressure, could pen such atrocious melodrama.” The column under Loati’s byline, though likely her opinion, is likely not her writing.

Barton is an attorney and adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. He has served on the boards of several Jewish organizations and served as the national chair of leadership, national chair of education and national vice chair of international affairs for the Anti-Defamation League. He lives in Encinitas.