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Lange: A State I Love

http://www.vpr.net//audio/programs/56/2013/02/Lange-0220.mp3

(Host) Vermont and its citizens are unique in the universe; everybody recognizes that. Writer and storyteller Willem Lange thinks that Calvin Coolidge said it best.

(Lange) In 1928 President and Mrs. Coolidge toured Vermont by train to see the efforts at recovery from the disastrous flood the year before. On September 21, standing on the rear platform of his train in Bennington, he looked at the crowd in overalls and gingham who'd come out to see him, and became uncharacteristically emotional. Grace Coolidge later said she was sure he had nothing specific planned; but he gave a short speech whose last sentence is preserved in marble in the Hall of Inscriptions at the State Capitol: If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the Union, and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.

I think I know just how he felt. Mother and I've lived here only about five years now, and I'm just beginning to appreciate the uniqueness of the state.

In some ways, Vermont is a lot like Texas: Both were once in dependent republics; each, with considerable justification, considers itself unique. Both have occasionally sported license plates warning, Don't mess with us! But while Texas seems to cling to the cowboy values of the 19th century, Vermont, with about two percent of Texas' population, seems to be venturing into the unknown territory of the 21st.

It's the healthiest state in the Union, and the best educated. It's the least religious, probably because of the unpredictability of its climate. It has one of the lowest percentages of uninsured citizens. Other states in my experience - mostly to the east of us - seem to regard new ideas with hostility: If it were a good idea, we'd have had it 200 years ago. Vermonters seem to say, Well, it sounds a little odd. But let's try it; doesn't work out, we can always repeal it.And with only about 600,000 people (and shrinking), we can! The current debate over the Death With Dignity bill is a perfect example.

Whatever some of us may think of our unique Act 250, it's responsible for a lot of the preserved natural beauty of the Green Mountain State. We have no billboards, and have only to drive through Ohio to appreciate how great that is.

Solar-electric farms are sprouting quietly all around Vermont. Gay marriage is an accepted fact of life; even those who object to it seem content to wait and see if it'll work. We're exploring statewide single-payer health care,with the goal of improving our own system and demonstrating to other, skeptical states that it can work. Maybe it can't - there are many skeptics - but at least we're working on it. Calvin Coolidge was right: This is a brave little state.

Vermont's motto is Freedom and Unity, which I frankly find confusing; somebody had a bad motto day. I much prefer the alternative that I hear frequently all over the state: Let's get'er done!

This is Willem Lange in Montpelier, and I've gotta get back to work.

Willem Lange is a retired remodeling contractor, writer and storyteller who lives in East Montpelier, Vermont.
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