Vermont's population is declining and Vermont Yankee may be on its way out these are some of the topics Governor Jim Douglas discussed at this month's Legislative Breakfast.

Governor Douglas said, "If the exclusion is three and a half million dollars from a taxable estate everywhere else and only two million dollars in Vermont well for people who have choices to where they live and where they invest their resources that gets to be a fairly easy decision."

Three goals the governor has for improving growth in the state of Vermont are to balance the state budget without raising taxes. Many people are feeling the state has become too expensive to live in. Vermont would need to address how it would pay for public education and also investing in the economic future to bring more jobs to the state.

However for small business owners, it is becoming too difficult to stay in Vermont and claim it is easier across the river in New Hampshire.

Governor Douglas also said, "It's the small businesses that are the backbone of our economic base that provided the real strength of Vermont at a time when other places have been more reliant on larger industries."

The proposed budget for the state of Vermont was also discussed, and in order to keep from raising taxes cuts needed to be made. However the 2011 appropriations bill as passed by the house should resolve the one 154,000,000-dollar shortfall, and will balance the budget.

Representative Howard Crawford of Caledonia County said, "We did resolve about 15,000,000-dollars shortfall and balance the budget. We did two thirds of that was filled with cuts, 46,000,000 in human services."

The issue of Vermont Yankee was also brought up at the breakfast with many wondering why the plant should be shut down seeing as how it is the cheapest power available. The next legislative breakfast will be held on April twenty-sixth.