Reply #53: No matter what Dean says

[Nicholas_J]

I still do not beleive that he has any devotion to progressive ideas or principals as his record as Governor based on almost complete opposition to any progressive political ideas, He opposed medical marijuana, vetoing legislation that had passed both Vermont houses, and had large support from the Vermont Public accoring to polls, he opposed maintenance treatment for opiate addicts, only giving way and allowinig a public clinic when faces with regular lage protest in front of his Governors offices, and still he would not allow prisoners in Vermont jails any treament whatsoever, even though Vermont Lower courts ruled that he had to allow people who were being treated before they went to jail to keep recieving their treatment, and did not allow any alternative treatments to prisoners. He made massive cuts to legal aid programs for people who could not afford their own attorneys in criminal cases, refused to allow the defender general he appointend to accept federal grants that the defender general sought in order to make up for Deans cuts to legal aid programs. When He refused federal grant money that the defender general sought and received to assist the mentally ill with a proper defense, the Vermont Supreme court had to intervene and found that Dean had exceeeded his authority as Governor in refusing the grant money. At the same time, Dean greatly increased the funding to prosecutors and police. Dena staed that he did not beleieve that the state should pay for legal defense for the poor as 95 percent of them were guilty anyway.Deans solution to the Supreme Court ruling againsthis refusal to accept the grant money was to not re-appoint the defender general and replace him with someone who would not actively seek to find funds to replace the money that he cut from public defenders offices.

Dean never took an active part in securing the civil unions granted to gays in that state. While the case was before the courts, he would not tyake a stance on the issue, though most of the states other democrats actively supported the plaintiffs in the case that was before the Supreme Court, including the democratic heads of bothe the Vermont Senate and House, as well as the Vermont Lt Governor.

Dean also opposed the attempts to set up a progressive property tax system in Vermont, but again, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the tax system that Dean prefered was unconstitutional, and forced him to accept a progressive property tax system.

Same thing goes with the methods that Dean chose to balance budgets, which relied heavily on cutting social programs to the poor, the disabled, and the elderly, while refusing to raise taxes on the wealthiest people in the state, which both Vermont Democrats and the Vermont Progressive party had to fight Dean over on many occasions, frequently relying on taking legal action to prevent Dean from making the large cuts he requested every year of his tenure as governor.

This new, progressive Dean is someone who did not exist as Governor, and all Dean really can claim as Governor is that he abided by the principals of fiscal conservatism. Principals very similar to those that were the basis of the policies of the neoconservative "Contract with America" established by Newt Gingrich. I would like to actually see Dean actually behave in a progressive manner when it comes to legislation that is actually before him before I could ever trust him to be president. Perhaps I could re-think supporting Dean for a future run as president if he serves in another office in which he has the opportunity to actually support and vote in favor of progressive legislation and ideology.