No doubt about it: the Senate has gone headlong into the endgame this week. Next week will be even more substantial, but even now the pace and distance covered each session is impressive. One day we vote out a telecom bill that directs and structures the spending of over $400 million in combined state and stimulus dollars, bringing the wiring of Vermont seriously within reach.

The next day we pass out a bill allowing the creation of up to four marijuana dispensaries, potentially ending that strange state of affairs under which Vermont legalized the medical use of marijuana — so long as it was purchased from an illegal source.

Both of these things were things I talked about a lot on the campaign trail, in livings rooms and church basements around the County. Can’t tell you how satisfying it is to have the opportunity, when asked the $64,000 question in a roll call vote, to be able to say “Yes” as loudly as decorum will allow.