First off I would like to say thank you to the organizers of this event. It’s an honor and a privilege for me to be speaking here today. It’s great to see people of different backgrounds and different political parties come together to fight for the best interests of Vermonters.

    My name is Mike King, and I was an independent candidate for the house of representatives in this last election for the Lamoille 2 district, which is Wolcott, Hydepark, Johnson, and Belvidere. Obviously since I am out here, I didn’t win.

     When I decided to run for House of Representatives last spring, it was because I have felt that our currently leadership has lost touch with the people they represent. They have represented only their own interests, and not the interests of the citizens of Vermont. They have continued to burden us financially at every turn, despite many people packing up and leaving the state because they could no longer afford to live here.

The late Senator George Aiken said it best:

“To represent the people one must know them.”

To our politicians I have a few questions:

“Have you ever put less than ten dollars worth of gas in your vehicle?”

Because many of the people you  represent have.

“Have you ever had to buy heating oil from a gas station 5 gallons at a time because you couldn’t afford a full delivery?”

Because many of the people you represent have.

“Have you ever been late on a utility bill because you had to buy heating fuel?”

Because many of the people you represent have.

“Have you ever worried about losing your house or becoming homeless because you had so many bills you couldn’t afford your property taxes?”

Because many of the people you represent have.

“Have you ever lived paycheck to paycheck?”

Because many of the people you represent have.

So after all of these questions, my final question to the politicians that claim to represent us would be only this:

“What financial impact will this incredible tax burden have on the people of Vermont I just mentioned?”

    Over 21 thousand Vermont Households already receive Fuel assistance to heat their homes.

Last year the deputy commissioner of the department of children and families stated:

“Without this resource, it could be very dangerous for those households being able to survive without heat in their homes.”

His message was very clear. These families ALREADY cannot afford heating fuel without this program.

How many more will be unable to afford heating fuel after this tax increase?

This tax hurts our Seniors already on a fixed social security income or a fixed pension.

It hurts our citizens on disability.

It hurts our Working class,

And it hurts our business owners, our employers.

It hurts our families who are already struggling. It hurts Vermont.

    I guarantee that passing a carbon tax results in more Vermonters needing fuel assistance each winter. This isn’t wild speculation, it is common sense.

The sad part is that most of the people that depend on these benefits to survive every winter, and those that will now be dependent on these benefits under a carbon tax don’t WANT to use these benefits. They only take them because they need them to survive.

So here is the part of my speech where I enlighten our representatives in that building. Here is where I tell them EXACTLY what the people that elected them want, because honestly they don’t really seem to understand.

Vermonters want the dignity and self sufficiency that has continuously been taken away as Vermont becomes more and more unaffordable.
A carbon tax only continues to strip Vermonters of these things.

Finally, I would like to just remind our politicians that they are elected to serve the will of ALL Vermonters. They are not elected to pass legislation they are personally passionate about, or legislation that a small number of people support.  They are elected to serve all people in their districts, which at its core is part of the very definition of a Democratic Republic.

It’s time that they remember this as they consider passing a carbon tax that the people of Vermont do not want.

Thank you!