2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThis is the Vermont ethos I so love and that Bernie represents so well
People like me- and Bernie- didn't move here to get away from diversity but because we fell in love with this wonderful place. It's just.... different. And yeah, we grow actual good politicians here. Bravo to Mayor Louras and the citizens of Rutland. (population about 16,000) Btw, this article is from April 27 and it's been clarified that all the refugees will be Syrian. Churches and civic groups are getting together things and clothes people will need.
Rutland opens arms to Syrian war refugees
The City of Rutland, in the midst of a socio-economic turnaround that has boosted downtown, reduced crime and improved quality of life, is looking to make compassion the latest tool in its ongoing revitalization. Mayor Chris Louras, flanked by a host of community and business leaders, announced plans Tuesday to resettle up to 100 refugees including families from war-torn Syria in Rutland starting this fall.
As a community whose forefathers, including my own grandfather, came here to escape poverty and persecution, we have a unique opportunity to repeat our storied history, Mayor Louras said. Just as our grandparents and great-grandparents were welcomed to Rutland in the late 1800s, early 1900s and during the World War II era, we will welcome new families facing peril.
Their arrival will signal a new wave in the ongoing economic growth of the region, Louras said. As our forefathers arrival added to the rich cultural melting pot of Rutland County, our newest residents will enrich and expand the tapestry we cherish today.
Louras announced that the city is working with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, a field office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, to serve as a new refugee resettlement site. The Committee is a refugee resettlement provider through an agreement with the U.S. Department of State.
With approval expected, children and their parents, forced from their homeland by civil war, terrorism and atrocities, could begin arriving as early as October, with all 100 refugees settled within 12 months. On average, it takes 18 to 24 months for the State Department to clear refugees through a rigorous security screening process for immigration to the U.S.
These innocent people, including infants and toddlers, have been driven from their homes by the collapse of their nation, said Louras, whose grandfather, Nicolaos Louras, immigrated to Rutland to escape persecution from the Ottoman Turks in 1906. As Rutland welcomed my grandfather when he left the Greek island of Chios, we will welcome a new generation of Rutlanders facing the same kind of oppression and fear. These new residents seeking the American dream will bolster the economic growth taking place in Rutland and make us a stronger and better community.
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http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/april/rutland-opens-arms-syrian-war-refugees
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)MerryBlooms
(11,778 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)beautiful state...
MelissaB
(16,420 posts)My daughter is in school at Middlebury, and we get to visit her. Yes, it is different, and it is one of my favorite places in the world.
k8conant
(3,030 posts)and his wife got her MS from UVM.
They're back here in West Virginia now and he is still facilitating solar panel installation.
Uncle Joe
(58,595 posts)Thanks for the thread, cali.
democrank
(11,115 posts)~Vermont~
Depaysement
(1,835 posts)I love VT. Best friend, another Bernie guy, loves VT even more than me.
panader0
(25,816 posts)The school I went to was not challenging.
bobbobbins01
(1,681 posts)I dropped out too. I still regret it. I could have been the next Trey!
merbex
(3,123 posts)I'm very proud to be from New England.
We are in the midst of Town Meeting season here - there is nothing like it, it is a fantastic experience.
It makes you realize how government is SUPPOSE to work.
democrattotheend
(11,607 posts)My boyfriend and I are polar opposites - he thinks Nassau County is a big city and I think remote is anything east of 2nd or west of 8th. But when I went to Vermont with his family last year, I told him that if I had to live somewhere rural, I'd want to live in Vermont, because at least most people there are progressive and the state has such a fascinating political history. Of course, the only two people I know in Vermont, his aunt and uncle, are Trump supporters. But even they couldn't deny that Bernie is a good man; they just don't like his policies.
P.S. What happened to the vomit smilie? I wanted to use that in reference to them being Trump supporters.
neverforget
(9,437 posts)And good on Vermont!
joshcryer
(62,287 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)I love the Vermont Progressive Party platform
https://progressiveparty.org/2014/11/vermont-progressive-party-platform/
Armstead
(47,803 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)Armstead
(47,803 posts)I'm a native New Englander and have lived here much of my life.
It's the best place in the world -- except I've always hated winter. If I could afford it I'd be a snowbird.
But I guess it does add to the sense of "we're all in this together" that marks the politics here.