Global and national trends; global warming, peak oil, international relations and war. Local trends;maintaining infrastructure, supporting the poor, maintaining a balance for working class and costs of services.

Challenges: taking care of Vermonters in the midst of global and national trends and in-state problems. Opportunities: basing plans on our assets and resources, especially those in our wider region.

Energy and the untapped labor force in the undereducated and welfare populations

Challenges: High living costs, youth leaving Vt, permiting process too long. Medical care controls restrict care givers and hospitals. Doctors just out of school can not afford to practice in Vt. Opportunities: Develop energy resources, such as wood chip heat, wind; hydro; plan to keep operating Vt Yankee. Manage our wood lands. Better job in training our youth in job skills.

Crumbling infrastructure (roads, bridges, buildings.)The opportunity to invent a better way will never be a reality because it would mean doing things differently.

Vermont's rural landscape and old school mindset leave us without many tech jobs or the atmosphere to attract young professionals. This leaves our beautiful state quaint and charming, but left behind and aging. As for opportunities, Vermonters live the old cliche, "thinking outside the box." We may be the breath of fresh air the US desperately needs, that is if anyone will listen.

The aging population is going to stress Vermont more than any other issue in the next decades; we do not have the resources or facilities to care adequately for aging, ill, disabled or troubled people in great numbers. Our challenge is too keep the quality of interpersonal respect, caring and tolerance when we face these issues of age and decline.

To be a model for the nation/ world.

Our young people are leaving at 4x the national average due to high taxes and lack of good career opportunities with larger companies. The opportunity is to create a pro-economy political agenda and incent growth of responsible business to drive our economy and our tax base. Create an affordable lifestyle for people to thrive rather than spread entitlements.