Legislative Report 3/17/2012 - The Doyle Poll


One of the highlights of Town Meeting across Vermont is the opportunity Vermonters have of registering their opinions on a variety of issues in the Doyle Poll.  This survey has been conducted for many decades by Senator Bill Doyle, and this year 84 Charlotters filled out the survey.  Here for your consideration is a tally of the responses.


Q#

Question

Yes

No
Not Sure

%Yes

%No
%Not Sure
1
Should VT continue efforts to close VT Yankee?
51
29
4
61%
34%
5%
2
Should drivers be prohibited from using cell phones while driving?
62
18
4
74%
21%
5%
3
Should Vermont have a 4-year term for Governor?
61
16
7
73%
19%
8%
4
Do you think Gov.  Peter Shumlin is doing a good job?
53
18
13
63%
21%
16%
5
Do you think the VT legislature is doing a good job?
47
23
14
56%
27%
17%
6
Are you optimistic about the future of Vermont?
62
13
9
74%
15%
11%
7
Are you optimistic about the future of our nation?
24
37
23
29%
44%
27%
8
Do you believe VT’s bottle deposit law should be expanded to include all bottled beverages?
68
9
7
80%
11%
9%
9
Do you support the federal law that requires everyone to have health insurance?
55
21
8
65%
25%
10%
10
Should wind turbines be built on Vermont ridgelines?
54
15
15
64%
18%
18%
11
Should state and federal funds be used to allow VT’s school children to have nutritious meals?
65
9
10
77%
11%
12%
12
Should VT legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana (2 ounces)?
50
23
11
60%
27%
13%
13
Should the high school dropout age be changed from 16 to 18?
48
19
17
57%
23%
20%
14
Should the state of VT continue to support our working farms and forests?
81
2
1
97%
2%
1%

Most of the questions differed from last year’s poll, but questions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 were similar if not the same.  For all of those questions the sentiment of those taking the poll was the same as last year.  Optimism about the future of Vermont was very positive in stark contrast to optimism about our nation.  The few comments on the poll entries addressed wind turbines pro and con, marijuana for medical use, and the current use program.  I’m grateful for those who took the time to fill out the poll this year.

In other matters, the issue of removing the philosophical exemption for vaccines has generated a lot of comments.  I am still trying to understand all the implications of doing away with this exemption.  The concerns of parents are real with respect to the large number and variety of the required vaccines.  The concerns for public health are also valid, however, and it is difficult to weigh one against the other.   My thanks to everyone who contacted me about this subject.  Also, at the time of this writing, there is still no word on how reapportionment of the Senate districts is settling out.  Finally, last week was the deadline for passing any bills out of committee in time to be voted on by the full House and sent on to the Senate for consideration.