“Knowledge-based entrepreneurship” sounds like a made-up phrase to me. I think local businesses (whether they are small or not) can usually flourish when the are providing a product or service that is unique to their locality.

Let’s face it…VT is a small state. There are way, way, way too many people (both flatlanders and natives) that want VT to stay that way…small. I agree that job “alternatives” are not very plentiful here, and marketing alone will not change that at all. There are *huge* parts of VT that aren’t even in the 20th century yet…let alone the 21st century. This needs to change both in substance and in attitude before VT will ever have a real, robust economy IMO.

“That old caricature of the big factory that dumps waste into the rivers and pollutes the air with its towering smoke stacks is not the future of the American, nor the Vermont, economy.” I agree with this, but tell that to the Bush Administration…these are exactly the kinds of businesses that they coddle everyday!

Assuming that you think global warming is real and needs to be combated, “carbon off-sets” are never going to be enough to change the environment for the better. I’d rather stop polluting the environment myself and encourage others, including businesses, to do the same. That’s real change instead of just subsidizing someone else to offset your own pollution.

I agree that most statewide political offices need to have 4-year terms. The VT Senate should have longer terms as well, and there are too many people in the legislature for small state like VT. A state like VT that has, IMO, relatively low political turnover is just wasting its time and money re-electing the same people to the same offices again and again every 2 years. Even Gov. Jimmy D. recognizes that…

Don’t take things so personally. I was not talking about your post, but about the comments on the post.