NEWFANE — There are tremendous differences between the Vermont Republican party and the Vermont Democrat Party, and those differences are evident in their platforms and in people's political activities in the state.
On the Right, we see a discussion opposing policies like the Global Warming Solutions Act and a desire to reopen businesses and schools, along with truck convoys supporting political candidates.
On the Left, we see attempts to drown out opposing voices by screaming into bullhorns in people's faces, burning newspapers, lobbying local government to limit free speech, and attempting to destroy businesses if the owners or their employees don't pass an ideological purity test.
Republicans in Vermont respect individual liberty and want the government to be small and to do those things that benefit all citizens and that the people can't achieve on their own.
Such things include building and maintaining roads and bridges, ensuring clean air and water for all, and protecting all Vermonters' freedoms.
Democrats, on the other hand, want to constrain individual freedom and want the government to be in charge of everything: thoughts, language, school curriculum, and the fuel you burn in your house or car.
Republicans trust people to make decisions that work for them, within the confines of the law. Democrats trust the government to make those decisions for everyone and don't trust you if you disagree with what they have decreed is the right way to think or speak - and they want to make those things law.
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What makes our great country so exceptional is our foundational document: our Constitution.
We are a nation built on overthrowing tyranny and must remember our Constitution and Declaration of Independence to stay great and be that shining example of liberty and justice that draws so many people from around the world who want to come here and pursue the American dream: a job, a safe place to live, and freedom to live in whatever way they want, following their own religion, loving whoever they choose, thinking and speaking freely, reading any book they want and joining any political party that they agree with.
The laws based on our Constitution are made to ensure that we, the people, can pursue life, liberty, and our own version of happiness.
Our Vermont constitution is also designed to protect the rights of citizens so that we can live freely. And freedom is one of the three simple words in our state's sublime motto: “Freedom and Unity.”
What a profound sentiment.
The idea of freedom in Vermont is so strong. You want to raise goats? build a house out of pallets? make solar powered go-carts? sell tie-dyed t-shirts? forage and hunt for your own food? live off grid? home-school? make garlic ice cream? Great! Vermont's cool with that.
But what about unity?
Unity has to go hand in hand with freedom to maintain the specialness of the Vermont society. If people care about only their own ideas of freedom, there's no unity. The wish to cancel any dissenting voices is chilling.
Uniformity has nothing to do with unity.
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If left unchecked, the way that the Left - across the country and here in Vermont - is attempting to silence voices it disagrees with will lead to an authoritarian society where the only words spoken or ideas thought are the ones they approve of.
In order to teach school, hold a government job, run a business, or do just about anything, people would have to pledge to say all the approved things and never question authority or have a thought that was “problematic.”
Have you read 1984? The Handmaid's Tale? Fahrenheit 451? These books show you what happens in a totalitarian society where the government controls the media, burns books, watches people in their homes, rewrites history, has an official vocabulary, and dictates the meaning of words. What we're seeing now on extreme Left is what leads to that totalitarian government being installed in power.
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If you consider yourself a moderate, reasonable person (that's what we Vermonters generally are, after all), you can make a choice to stem the tide.
It might surprise you, but you can vote Republican.
Vote for Phil Scott and Scott Milne. Vote for the Republican candidates in your local election. Join the Republican party and run for office.
Talk to a Republican. If you disagree with us, we'll listen to you have a conversation about ideas. We won't scream in your face, try to silence you, try to get you fired from your job, demean your opinion, or say you have no right to your opinion and must go to be re-educated.
But you don't have to believe me - take a look at the two parties' respective platforms.
The Vermont GOP platform is simple and clear. It refers repeatedly to the constitutions (U.S. and Vermont) and provides general outlines for a vision of freedom and unity that can be achieved in many ways and affirms that government's job is not to control people but to protect the rights of individuals.
The Vermont Democratic platform, on the other hand, is a list of specific demands that includes putting “revised curricula” in schools, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote, ending the use of fossil fuels, and instituting many other specific visions of daily life, big and small.
And while the party supports freedom of the press (notably not freedom of expression by individuals), there is no mention of the Constitution or the liberties guaranteed in it.
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“What about Donald Trump?” you might ask. Many Republicans, including the governor and the candidate for lieutenant governor, who very publicly disavow President Trump and have stated that they did not and will not vote for him. And they're still Republicans. We Vermont Republicans have a big tent.
Read those two Vermont party platforms and see which one expresses the idea of a place where you want to live. If that's the Republicans', then please vote GOP.
If you like the Dems', vote Democratic - that's your right, and no Vermont Republican would ever even consider trying to constrain your right to your thoughts, speech, or vote.