The Vermont Papers: Re-creating Democracy on a Human Scale

by Frank Bryan, John McClaughry

Unabashed advocates of such basic American values as self-reliance, tolerance, diversity, and liberty, the authors argue that democracy is an endangered institution.

Genres: Politics

308 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1989

Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was born and raised in Vermont. I spent 18 of my first 22 years there. I love Vermont dearly. But sometimes Vermont is a little too in love with the smell of its own farts.

The first 60 pages of this book are actually pretty great. A bit of Vermont history, and a worthwhile exploration of how and why Vermont is a special and unique place. There was a mythic quality to it that I really enjoyed.

Then I read a little further and realized that it wasn't just a literary trick. The authors - wholeheartedly and unironically - believe in their own myth. It's like getting 20 minutes into a conversation at a party that you're really enjoying, and then slowly starting to realize that you're being recruited by a cult. A cult of people who like The Lord Of the Rings a little too much.

There is literally a chapter called "The Shires: Government With a Human Face." And it opens with a Tolkein quote.

I gave up on page 102, after this paragraph:

"Once established in their shires, the people may subdivide, combine, or eliminate the towns altogether, but only if they meet the requirement of the *state* constitution. (Three-fourths vote of the shire-moot and three-fourths vote of the shire's population must approve.)"

Thus begins 200 pages of incredibly, insanely detailed plans for a communal libertarian utopia that presumes that the solution to every single problem that humanity faces or will ever face can be solved by something found in the magical societal DNA of Vermontiness. It's the literary equivalent of inventing your own language, or building a life-sized Statue of Liberty out of matchsticks, and then claiming that those things cure cancer.

Which, just for its pure excess, I almost kind of respect. But as someone who came from Vermont, loves Vermont, sometimes misses Vermont but ultimately is glad he left, it's hard to read this as anything other than an obsessive, stalkery love letter that doesn't realize how goddamn creepy it is.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book (after Believing Cassandra by Alan Atkisson) that transformed the way I thought about the world and thus changed the way I lived my life as a result.

The beginning of the book has some wonderful Vermont history that only expanded my appreciation for my home state. This book is definitely a must read for anyone from Vermont or thinking about moving there.

More than that though, I think that the core ideas about "real democracy" that may seem specific to Vermont are really seeds for a larger "living democracy" movement that can empower and engage people in making decisions to improve their own lives and communities. This is a foundational book for me and I recommend it to anyone interested in Vermont, living democracy, and/or the future of local engagement and decentralized decision-making.

While I am highly skeptical of John McLaughry's regressive politics (my understanding is that he is a global warming skeptic and libertarian enabler for corporate power and centralized control) I believe that Frank Bryan's is the dominant voice here and that this is really Frank's book. As a communitarian consistently against large, centralized forces - be they governmental or corporate - that take power away from people at the local level, I find Bryan to be much more respectable and a less hypocritical messenger than McLaughry.

[Cathal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is nothing less than a blueprint for Vermont's secession from the Union and its eventual dissolution into autonomous and self-reliant local and regional entities in a loose confederation. Bryan and McClaughry explain why and how it can and should happen.