2009 Message
September 5, 2009
Dear Friend,
It is an honor to serve as Auditor for the State of Vermont . In 2006, I was
elected as a Democrat. In 2008, I was re-elected on the
Democratic/Republican ticket. 2010 will be different.
I am changing my political affiliation to align myself with the party closest to
my core beliefs. It is my belief that the VT Republican party is closest to
accepting the realities of our times; and is therefore the party best equipped
to manage the very real and troubling economic and social conditions which
confront us not only today, but in the coming decade.
As many of you know, in the face of the enormous fiscal crisis, I have
sounded the alarm for new thinking, responsible budgeting, meaningful long-
term planning and painful prioritization.
When I returned home from Iraq , I witnessed first-hand a budget process rife
with deficiencies and dysfunction. There was little balance in the debate.
As a Certified Public Accountant, I recently completed my required Ethics
course for re-licensing. The Professional Code of Conduct demands that I act
with integrity, objectivity and independence. As Auditor, I have preached that
Vermont is on an unsustainable track we cannot tax ourselves out of.
I believe the majority of Vermonters do not want to see tax increases as a
consequence of poor planning. However, without major restructuring of
human services, corrections management and public education (which
together account for some 75% of our expenditures) we are going to find
that situation unavoidable. Removing even greater sums of capital out of our
job-creating private sector and the budgets of Vermont families will only
hasten the ill effects of the current crisis.
We all watch a healthcare reform movement focused on increased access
rather than A) addressing the root causes of the problem B) fixing Medicaid
and Medicare or C) promoting incentives and personal responsibility. The big
losers are our young people, the vulnerable elderly population and the viability
of Vermont 's 1778 motto of “Freedom and Unity.”
I am a believer in the America of hard work and “get oneself upstream” with a
combination of personal commitment and external support.
I’m not a believer that all of our future tax dollars should go to interest on
debt or “education, medication and incarceration.” In the current form of
these primarily government-controlled expenditures, this is a path leading to a
dangerous imbalance of our "Freedom and Unity.” Economic freedom is an
essential component in achieving and maintaining political freedom. Over the
more than 200 years of our nation’s founding, too many of our fine soldiers
have died for the protection of these freedoms.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you with full commitment and
transparency. I promise to do my best to perform the job Vermonters have
elected me to do.
Thomas M. Salmon CPA
Vermont State Auditor
Dear Friend,
It is an honor to serve as Auditor for the State of Vermont . In 2006, I was
elected as a Democrat. In 2008, I was re-elected on the
Democratic/Republican ticket. 2010 will be different.
I am changing my political affiliation to align myself with the party closest to
my core beliefs. It is my belief that the VT Republican party is closest to
accepting the realities of our times; and is therefore the party best equipped
to manage the very real and troubling economic and social conditions which
confront us not only today, but in the coming decade.
As many of you know, in the face of the enormous fiscal crisis, I have
sounded the alarm for new thinking, responsible budgeting, meaningful long-
term planning and painful prioritization.
When I returned home from Iraq , I witnessed first-hand a budget process rife
with deficiencies and dysfunction. There was little balance in the debate.
As a Certified Public Accountant, I recently completed my required Ethics
course for re-licensing. The Professional Code of Conduct demands that I act
with integrity, objectivity and independence. As Auditor, I have preached that
Vermont is on an unsustainable track we cannot tax ourselves out of.
I believe the majority of Vermonters do not want to see tax increases as a
consequence of poor planning. However, without major restructuring of
human services, corrections management and public education (which
together account for some 75% of our expenditures) we are going to find
that situation unavoidable. Removing even greater sums of capital out of our
job-creating private sector and the budgets of Vermont families will only
hasten the ill effects of the current crisis.
We all watch a healthcare reform movement focused on increased access
rather than A) addressing the root causes of the problem B) fixing Medicaid
and Medicare or C) promoting incentives and personal responsibility. The big
losers are our young people, the vulnerable elderly population and the viability
of Vermont 's 1778 motto of “Freedom and Unity.”
I am a believer in the America of hard work and “get oneself upstream” with a
combination of personal commitment and external support.
I’m not a believer that all of our future tax dollars should go to interest on
debt or “education, medication and incarceration.” In the current form of
these primarily government-controlled expenditures, this is a path leading to a
dangerous imbalance of our "Freedom and Unity.” Economic freedom is an
essential component in achieving and maintaining political freedom. Over the
more than 200 years of our nation’s founding, too many of our fine soldiers
have died for the protection of these freedoms.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you with full commitment and
transparency. I promise to do my best to perform the job Vermonters have
elected me to do.
Thomas M. Salmon CPA
Vermont State Auditor
| Salmon For Vermont P.O. Box 341 Bellows Falls, VT 05101 -or- 1115 Railroad St St Johnsbury VT 05819 802-779-8979 |
Contact: tom@salmonforvermont.com |
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