I'm talking about fireworks sponsored by the town (or chamber of commerce or something...). They still have those in Vermont, don't they??
Oh. Yeah, those state-run fireworks shows are run in Vermont. You should have seen my Letter to the Editor of the Burlington Free Press from last year's July 4th celebrations. It was pretty mean.

I found it! Here it is:
Fourth of July
Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope you had a good time watching the fireworks on Lake Champlain. I know I did! Especially considering the fact that I had no choice whatsoever but to watch the display since all consumer fireworks are illegal in Vermont.
Most Class C "consumer" fireworks are only legal in 18 states; 21 states allow certain types; and 11 states, including Vermont, ban most or ALL consumer fireworks.
Learn more here:
http://fireworksafety.com/statelaws/Oh, I can just hear the politicians now. "If this ban protects even one person from accidental death or injury then it's worth it!" They used the same logic to ban toy guns in New York. What ever happened to common sense in America? And personal responsibility? These concepts have been replaced by regulation, taxation, and frivolous lawsuits. Why should people stop smoking when they can just try to sue Big Tobacco for billions for causing their lung cancer?
What's next? Complete bans on alcohol, tobacco, guns, fast food, chainsaws, and coffee? You know, sometimes people black out when driving if they've had too many cups of coffee, and "if a ban saves even one person from accidental death or injury then it's worth it!" Oh yeah, and I heard recently that chainsaws cause 40,000 deaths or injuries in the US each year. Let's ban those too!
If we really wanted to see a state-run fireworks show, we could go to China. It's ironic that even Independence Day can show Vermonters and many other Americans how many of our freedoms are being stolen from us each day.
Mike Fisher
Burlington, VT