Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas is expected to sign a bill today or tomorrow allowing prescription drugs to be reimported from Canada.

But don’t look for the Republican governor to say much nice about the measure, which defies the Bush administration and was heavily promoted by Democrats in Montpelier. In fact, at an editorial board meeting with the Valley News earlier this week, Douglas said it might only help “a small number of people” - as few as 100 - and that he’s also signing the bill to avoid a likely override of a veto.

“I don’t want to prolong the debate,” Douglas said. “There’s also the political reality of overwhelming (Democratic) votes in both chambers, and I’m going to pick my fights.”

And in statements certain to infuriate some Democratic lawmakers, Douglas said the legislature had spent too long on drug reimportation, rather than addressing what he considers more substantive reforms.

Douglas, for instance, has proposed a health care package that includes tax credits and other subsidies to cover about 12,000 of the 60,000 uninsured Vermonters.

“I’m frustrated the focus has been so narrow for a long time. -  The program I’ve offered to them would cover a lot more people, and they’ve spent a third of the session on this reimportation bill,” said Douglas, who noted that Democrats made health care a major issue in the 2004 elections.

“What happened to the sense of urgency?”

Senate Majority Leader John Campbell, a Quechee Democrat, yesterday said Douglas could have saved time by signing an executive order allowing drug reimportation, and also said Douglas’ estimate of Vermonters who would benefit from the measure was far too low.

“I’m kind of perplexed by the governor’s statement. All he had to do was sign the order,” said Campbell, who said the legislature “absolutely” will pass other health care legislation this session.

“I’m as frustrated as every other Vermonter,” Campbell said. “If (Douglas) doesn’t want to upset Washington, the federal government, that’s fine, just come out and say it. But we’ve got Vermonters that are really seriously in trouble because of health care costs. We need to put politics aside. This is a nonpartisan issue.”

Meanwhile, Campbell had his own personal experience with the health care system last week after his dog scratched him in the eye.

Campell was wrestling with his 100-pound boxer when it “hit me and scratched my cornea, and lacerated 20 percent of my cornea,” he said, noting that his wife had been warning him about the dangers of wrestling with the pooch.

After being examined at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Campbell had to wear an eye patch for several days and was stuck at home for a week, unable to read or watch TV.

He was back in the Statehouse this week “with a little blurriness,” but expects to regain full vision in the eye. “I’m very fortunate,” he said.
Resolution Debate

Look for some vigorous Town Meeting debate on a couple of resolutions that are on the warnings of several Upper Valley towns.

Bethel, Strafford, Norwich, Randolph, Sharon, Thetford and Weathersfield are among 52 Vermont towns with a resolution calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and questioning whether the heavy reliance on National Guard troops is appropriate.

“We want to have a dialogue about the efficacy of the war -  when Iraq really did not pose any threat to American freedom or American safety,” said Joseph Gainza, an organizer with the American Friends Service Committee helping to promote the resolution. Supporters are also working to get it on the Hanover warrant, he said.

Meanwhile, Stockbridge, Norwich, West Windsor, Randolph, Hartland and Strafford are among 19 towns with a resolution on the warning calling for universal health care in Vermont. The measure is backed by the Vermont Citizens Coalition for Health and former Windsor County state Sen. Cheryl Rivers.

Informational meetings on the health care measure, to start at 7 p.m., are scheduled for Monday at Stockbridge Central School; Wednesday at West Windsor Town Hall; Feb. 25 at Norwich Town Hall and Feb. 28 at Randolph Elementary School.
Briefly Noted

No “man bites dog” story in Vermont with New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch’s proposal to raise the cigarette tax by 28 cents to pay for school funding. Even if it passes, the state tax on cigarettes in New Hampshire would be 80 cents per pack, compared to $1.19 in Vermont, where merchants also struggle under the burden of a 6 percent sales tax.

Joe Shadwell, the owner of Ken’s Country Store in Wilder, said of cigarette sales: “That business is lost,” but for the occasional pack.

“Where I am, 80 percent of the people that shop here, they work in New Hampshire. Nobody works in Vermont. Most of the employment is over there, so they are there all day long,” Shadwell said.

“I hardly sell any cartons. Over there, you can buy them so cheap.”

Look for Lynch today to announce a low-cost loan program with Citizens Bank for companies that want to locate or expand in New Hampshire. Citizens unrolled a similar program recently in Massachusetts as part of a $100 million New England loan fund.