Without Headrest, who’ll help?

Headrest bites the dust. The creation of a ragtag bunch of compassionate conspirators has fallen victim to the curse of blind leadership. When the first consideration became self, then service would be quickly compromised.

In the beginning, volunteers gave it all away under the banner of saving the world. At the end, another ethos was driving the game.

As the final buzzer sounds, please take a minute to thank every person who showed up to join with a most honorable mission that served the untouchables of a broken population. That need will live on and so must the spirit.

Who have you helped today?

Robert Bryant

Thetford Center

Questions about
EFAs and taxes

In the discussions about expanding the school voucher system (known as Education Freedom Accounts in New Hampshire) to all families, even rich ones who don’t need the assistance, a couple of themes emerge.

One is transparency. Do our tax dollars benefit the individuals using them as well as society in general? Both are necessary in responsible tax policy. The Children’s Scholarship Fund, the New York based nonprofit that administers the program, does not disclose student outcomes. One can go to the schools that receive voucher money and see how well they report this, but they are not required to disclose as much as public schools are. And we certainly don’t get information about outcomes from homeschoolers. This contrasts with the myriad ways we can access data in the public schools: the website, school board meetings, district meetings, parent-teacher nights, school performances, sporting events, etc.

The CSF also doesn’t report anything on the financial stability of the schools that get the money. Since the onset of the school voucher movement in the US, a whole industry of schools has cropped up eager to receive this revenue. Some require families to have applied for voucher money before they can apply to the school. Some schools aren’t well run and have closed in the middle of the school year, wasting all those tax dollars. Some have raised tuition considering newly available voucher money.

The second theme is parental choice, and it is what voucher advocates hammer on as the decisive feature in the discussion. Parents should have choices to get their kids the best learning experience possible. But that individual parent’s right to choose is no more important than my right to know how my tax dollars are spent (There was something about that in the American Revolution). That parent’s right is no more important than the choice of most parents that they have a well-supported, well-funded public school system that doesn’t overburden property tax payers. That parent’s right is no more important than my right not to have to monetarily support someone’s religious education, a violation of the state Constitution.

I am not against efforts to help all kids get the education they need. The taxes I pay to my school system are a testament to that. Why wouldn’t voucher advocates build a system that is more transparent though? It’s as if the whole voucher movement is trying to hide something.

Leslie S. MacGregor

Grantham

A predictable failure

I was left both astonished and amused by the recent front-page article on the closure of the dry bridge in West Lebanon (“In poor condition”; March 8). Not by any information contained therein, but by the fact that something as ubiquitous as “a failure of government” was considered worthy of bold type.

Anthony Stimson

Lebanon

Vermont can address medical debt

Like many young Vermonters, I have experienced the tension of walking the razor’s edge of financial uncertainty while working to build my own bright future. My story includes many close calls with falling through the cracks.

One of those situations happened while I was studying at the University of Vermont. While at UVM I experienced an allergic reaction that landed me in the emergency room with a bill for thousands of dollars.

I was anxious and fearful because I could not pay for this ER visit, and I nearly signed up for a credit card to cover the cost, which would have only put me further in a cycle of debt. Thankfully, I avoided that debt because I was able to take advantage of a financial assistance program that helped clear up my debt. Not every young Vermonter’s story has that resolution.

The burden of medical debt does not fall evenly. Young people are particularly vulnerable. We are less likely to be insured and more likely to struggle with the complexities of the insurance system. I have had countless friends delay urgent medical care because they were afraid of what it would cost. Women and young families can accrue tens of thousands of dollars of debt simply from giving birth. These disparities are unacceptable, and we can change them.

Right now, the Legislature is considering a proposal put forward by Treasurer Mike Pieciak to eliminate up to $100 million of medical debt with a one-time investment of $1 million. As someone familiar with the stress, uncertainty and financial hardship that can come from medical debt, I am proud to co-sponsor the bill.

The program, requiring no new taxes or fees, would erase crushing debt for thousands of Vermonters, providing them with financial stability and peace of mind. The bill would also prevent medical debt from impacting credit scores, ensuring Vermonters’ futures are not derailed by a medical emergency through no fault of their own.

Vermont’s health care system is in need of bold change. We must seize every opportunity to help Vermonters access the care they need, when they need it, without fear of financial ruin.

Let’s pass this initiative and give Vermonters the freedom to move forward with their lives, without medical debt holding them back.

State Sen. Rebecca White

D-White River Junction

Skiing deserved
coverage

I appreciate your extensive coverage of local high school sports; however, a major sports event took place in the Upper Valley March 4-9, 2025, and I am disappointed you ignored it. It was the NCAA ski championships, 20 colleges from all around the country competing in Alpine and Nordic events hosted by Dartmouth College. The events were exceptionally well run and attended by hundreds of local spectators. It’s a shame you failed to acknowledge such a major sports event right in our own backyard.

Eric Sailer

Lyme Center

Editor’s note: The Valley news published a story about the upcoming NCAA ski championships on the sports page of Feb. 15 under the headline “Preparing for their moment.”

Taking it to the streets

Last Friday I had the privilege of standing with others in Hanover and protesting what is happening in our country. As I got in my car to head over, I was a little nervous, unsure of what to expect. Each corner at the intersection of the Hanover Inn was crowded with people holding signs on many different topics. Protestors promoted the value of science, democracy, providing aid to the vulnerable such as through Medicaid, supporting our allies such as Ukraine and Canada, truth telling, federal employees, inclusion and diversity and many other issues.

While I stood shoulder to shoulder with people, I asked someone what made them want to stand on a corner with a sign. For her it was the treatment of Ukraine. For me the list of issues is long. My mother was cared for in a nursing home by those from other countries. They treated her with respect and reverence. I worry about immigrants being treated unfairly. I hate to hear about veterans, especially those who are disabled, being fired from federal government jobs. I want our allies to be treated with respect. I want those who have disabilities to be treated with respect. These are just a few examples of why I am bothered. I am grateful that so many others are concerned as well.

Although I was nervous heading over to protest, I am more anxious about taking no action. I hope you will join me and others on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Lebanon at the Green to continue protesting.

Julia Neily

Lebanon