Vermont Has the 3rd Highest Tax Burden in the United States.

A pile of proposed new taxes and fees could make us Number 1.

The legislative supermajority in Vermont has turned a deaf ear to Vermonters as the lawmakers feed an insatiable hunger to raise taxes and fees.

"There is a disconnect between the values of legislative leaders who hail from communities in Chittenden County and those of many rural Vermonters," said John Rodgers, a former Democratic state senator from Glover.

Rodgers spoke at a protest on May 9, according to an article by VT Digger, where he told the group that the Legislature had “forgotten” them.

The protest theme? "Tap Trees-Not Vermonters."

In today's name-calling culture, questioning tax increases has been dubbed a conservative position.

But what if you just don't have enough money to pay all those taxes, or you are one of the 64,000 Vermonters below the poverty line?

What if your state ranks 22nd in median household income but your taxes rank 3rd?

Vermont not only has the third highest tax burden in the United States, it has the single highest in New England while ranking 4th out of five in household income.

The Vermont legislative supermajority considers itself "progressive."

Is it progressive to add seventy-cents per gallon to the cost of heating fuel to Vermonters who can't afford to switch to cleaner energy?

Is it progressive to refuse to strike a balance between regulation and building new homes instead of clinging to heavy regulations that are older than the cassette tape?

"After the rally, James Ehlers — an activist and former gubernatorial candidate — urged the crowd to head down to the Sergeant-at-Arms’ office and draft paper messages to their senators and representatives, which would then be delivered throughout the building that afternoon," according to the article. Vermonters have become skeptical that any of power-brokers in Montpelier will even read them.