peter shumlin carries on the tradition. when we come in situation, governor douglas, his predecessor worked with the unions and said hey, we've got to share the sacrifice here. they negotiate a pay cut. they sat down at the table and worked it out and there is a sense of common purpose should sacrifice. if there is pain, they have to be sustained. we have to share the pain together. and what it's done is help us make progress in tough times. peter just to give you an idea, the senate president where the large democratic majority, he did something you get kind of mentally tested around here to get it. he appointed republicans to chair major committees. so in vermont, the two principals are listening to each other, truth on both sides. it is my pleasure to introduce governor peter shumlin of vermont. >> i thank the gentleman. pursuant to committee rules, all witnesses will be sworn in. which you please rise to take the oath and please raise your right hand. peter, you can stay seated. do you solemnly swear or affirm that the

governor shumlin from vermont and governor walker from wisconsin. both face budget shortfalls this year. they oppose the right workers in different ways. they taste about $176 million for fiscal year 2012. state employees who accepted a two-year, 3% pay cut. vermont teachers also agreed to work three additional years before retiring and to contribute more towards their pensions. and the vermont state employees association voted to increase pension contribution by 1.3% over the next five years. in addition to obtaining confessions, governor shumlin also did something else. he opposed additional cuts across state agencies as well as as well as facing additional revenue through select surcharges and assessments. in other words, he developed a plan to spread out and shared sacrifice is across state and we should know that those employees went along with it because they too wanted to strengthen their own state's fiscal situation. governor walker took a very different approach in wisconsin. he faced a projected shortfall of 137 million in the current fisc

>> the gentleman yields. >> let's go back to you, governor shumlin. as i listen to you talk about the maple syrup in your methodology, there was one word that she left out. and the reason why i think you got the cooperation that you've got is because the restart. the workers felt that he respected them. i heard your story and i wouldn't be here either it's the were not for unions. no doubt about it. my parents were former sharecroppers come in many south carolina came to baltimore, got a union job and that's why it here today. i just wanted you to know they felt respected. >> i appreciate your comments and obviously we write for firefighters, four police officers, folks that are plowing the roads and all of our public employees is incredibly important to any chief executive. >> the gentleman from arizona, mr. gowdy -- i'm sorry, dr. kosar. >> i want to get back to original topic of state and municipal debt. we are not talking apples to apples in your state. when we get this right. you actually are a tax giver to the federal government in your attacks

state house put passed the bill last month now it just needs to be signed into law by governor peter shumlin he's already expressed his support for the measure there is one last step mom would need to secure a waiver to opt out of obamacare in order to build its own health care system and full lawmakers of introduce legislation to allow states in particular vermont to drop out of obamacare if they prove they can cover just as many people with insurance as the law would have added without adding to the deficit. but surprise surprise republicans now don't like the idea that's right after bashing obamacare for two years they don't want to let states. this happen to their whole states rights for that only apply to stuff like abortion and gay marriage and not to giving people free health care for more on the efforts by progressives in vermont to change the way our nation delivers health care i'm joined by said johnny porter a blogger for think progress has been following this topic closely said welcome back thank you for having me tom great to have you with us. first of all obamacare i'm calling

vermont's democratic governor peter shumlin campaigned on health care so if it does get through the senateis expected to sign it. the mayor of the second largest city of vermont, the mayor of rutland, vermont even though he is a republican he is one of the big supporters of what vermont is trying to do telling the "valley advocate" newspaper that more than a third of the city of rutland's annual payroll is consumed by health care costs and that it is frankly unsustainable, saying, "the only way to fix the problem is to blow it up and start over." so big picture here. even though republicans are talking this huge game about the evils of tyrannical obamacare and how they would totally do it differently and way better and it should be left to the states, the only people who are actually trying to do it better instead of just trying about it are building a single payer health care system in the great state of vermont. the phrase "neener, neener" comes to mind. >> what is unique and important about your presence here today is that you are saying i want to be the best doctor and the best healer

possible and it's pretty slow because the strong democratic majority in both houses of legislator and a shumlin himself have to do with a viable political formation to the left. the party in vermont as members of the house have now elected a state matter with an independent socialist u.s. senator bernie sanders who is then a very important part of this political equation in the state's largest city. unless you have a formation like that it has been campaigning for single-payer is in vermont is the mid-1970s. this is not some new ideas the democrats just cannot wait for the legislature in montpelier. that tendency will be to drive to the center for the right and you had with the mishmash that came out of congress last year that could have gotten more and better in some cases would've put us on the road hopefully for a more inclusive and cost effective and less wasteful insurance systems. keep an eye in vermont and the real lesson is if we build viable political alternatives we can make these people more accountable. any final thoughts? >> one more question if i can ask you to take one more quest

. >> let's go back to you, governor shumlin. as i listen to you talk about the maple syrup in your methodology, there was one word that she left out. and the reason why i think you got the cooperation that you've got is because the restart. the workers felt that he respected them. i heard your story and i wouldn't be here either it's the were not for unions. no doubt about it. my parents were former sharecroppers come in many south carolina came to baltimore, got a union job and that's why it here today. i just wanted you to know they felt respected. >> i appreciate your comments and obviously we write for firefighters, four police officers, folks that are plowing the roads and all of our public employees is incredibly important to any chief executive. >> the gentleman from arizona, mr. gowdy -- i'm sorry, dr. kosar. >> i want to get back to original topic of state and municipal debt. we are not talking apples to apples in your state. when we get this right. you actually are a tax giver to the federal government in your attacks