Fun_People Archive
12 Oct
Look honey, syrup!!

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 100 19:37:14 -0700
To: Fun_People
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Subject: Look honey, syrup!!

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From: Nichael Cramer <nichael@sover.net>

[This is probably a case of "you hadda been there", but to give you a little
 background:

 First, in the past few years the Vermont Legislature has passed a number
 of bills that --without any discussion of their merit-- can safely be said
 to have generated widespread popular opposition and debate.  Most notably
 these include Act 60 (a somewhat radical restructuring and "redistribution"
 of the state-wide property tax burden); Act 250 (a group of rather
 stringent "land-use" ordnances and regulations); and most recently --and
 most famously-- Vermont's recent Civil Unions bill.

 It's perhaps the nature of most of these controversies that --regardless
 of the merit of the argument-- their opponents have, in many case, been
 able to quite easily cast their opposition in terms of the interest and
 desires of Real Vermonters versus the Big Intersts

 In particular, the Civil Unions bill is seen as the final straw; and since
 it came in effect this summer, signs have begun appearing along the
 roadsides and in various front yards urging the people to "Take Back
 Vermont".   (Needless to say, these have in turn prompted the appearance
 of "Take Vermont Forward" signs and have lead to the charge that the real
 agenda of the posters of these signs is to "Take Vermont Back"; but I
 digress.)  The number of these sign --no doubt, not a coincidence-- have
 been growing steadily as the election approaches.

 In short, the signs are a focal point of very strong feelings, from many
 quarters.


 The second thing that you need to know is that the first two weeks of
 October is the height of Leaf-Peeping season in Vermont.  All Vermonters
 spend this time carefully planning routes into town that don't involve
 major roads, but more importantly for a great many Vermonters --especially
 those in tourism-related trades-- this time can be the most important
 revenue-gathering period of the year.
]


--
From: the Brattleboro Reformer last Friday (13Oct, the day before the long
Columbus Day weekend):

Political "Sign of the Times"

The "Take Back Vermont" signs are driving tourists to stock up on maple
syrup.  Some leaf peepers have mistaken the political message for a
marketing campaign.  After a couple of visitors bought syrup at a
Wilimington farm stand, they thanked the proprietors for putting up those
helpful advertising signs that reminded them to stock up before heading
home.  Several people involved with tourism said this week that some
visitors saw the "Take Back Vermont" signs peeking out from foliage as a
propomptional campaign.  [...] Govenor Howard Dean said a Lousiana woman
even congratulated the state tourism department for the clever marketing
strategy.  "How did you evah get so many people to put up those signs?"
Dean said, imitating the woman and her accent. [...]

© 2000 Peter Langston