BRATTLEBORO-If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That has been a handy phrase for a long time, often used by conservatives to attack progressive ideas.
But the reverse is true today in the Brattleboro District 7 House race where Amanda Ellis-Thurber is trying to unseat Rep. Emilie Kornheiser.
A liberal Democrat, Kornheiser has been on the cutting edge of tax reform, most recently with H.829, a bill to tax those earning over $500,000 a year in order to raise an estimated $10 million for affordable housing.
Ellis-Thurber may or may not be opposed to making the rich pay their fair share. It's hard to say, because her campaign information is woefully short on specifics about anything, much less tax policy. Her campaign page only says she supports "tax policies that promote economic vitality without hurting our middle class."
Who doesn't? But what are her tax policy specifics?
The whole problem with Ellis-Thurber's campaign is that she never spells out how she is different from Kornheiser. What would she do differently in Montpelier? Why should we vote for her instead of Kornheiser, someone with a proven track record?
Kornheiser has the right positions on equal rights, economic development, affordable housing, a living wage, the environment, and much more.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
George Carvill
Brattleboro
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
This piece, published in print in the Voices section or as a column in the news sections, represents the opinion of the writer. In the newspaper and on this website, we strive to ensure that opinions are based on fair expression of established fact. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, The Commons is reviewing and developing more precise policies about editing of opinions and our role and our responsibility and standards in fact-checking our own work and the contributions to the newspaper. In the meantime, we heartily encourage civil and productive responses at [email protected].