Gov. Paul LePage is holding Maine in a position of limbo by failing to specify what he wants to accomplish by not selling voter-approved bonds until 2014. It’s good that he wants to rein in state spending. But what level of spending will be sufficient to him before he will issue bond money? How does he plan to get to that spending goal? He is concerned about the long-term economic prospects of the state, but he must be careful that his plan to delay bond issues doesn’t backfire, as borrowing has the ability to help spur development.
The state’s land conservation program, Land for Maine’s Future, faces a $2.3 million funding gap that threatens its ability to follow through on commitments it has made to 19 conservation projects across the state. It has pledged to help trusts and other partners purchase land to be used for conservation, recreation, sustainable forestry and farming. The program expected to have enough money in hand after voters approved bond funding in Nov. 2010. But LePage has said he doesn’t plan to sell the bonds until 2014.
The Land for Maine’s Future program is just one entity potentially affected by LePage’s decision not to sell bonds right now. On Nov. 6 Maine voters approved the borrowing of about $64.5 million for road and bridge repairs, water treatment and the conservation program. It’s unlikely those bonds will be sold at market in the near future.
In addition, the Communities for Maine’s Future, part of a bond initiative passed by voters in June 2010, awarded grants to 11 municipalities, many for rehabilitating historic downtown buildings and encouraging reuse, before LePage announced the delay in issuing bond money. Upon request, LePage has provided letters to the towns, saying he will approve the bonds before they expire in 2015. In the meantime, some towns have pieced together new financing arrangements to complete their projects in hopes they’ll be repaid; others have not.
LePage is acting within his legal bounds; the governor and treasurer have five years from the time voters approve bond money to the time the bonds are sold. He has also been clear that he doesn’t intend to let the bonds lapse. But these points raise questions about the worth of waiting. Is the harm of putting off projects — causing people to ultimately spend more in some cases and potentially losing federal matching dollars — offset by a benefit of postponing until a year when the state is projected to have a little less debt?
What is also concerning is that the LePage administration changed course from its original guidance. The Land for Maine’s Future board issued a request for land conservation proposals in early 2011 on advice from the LePage administration. In the case of the Communities for Maine’s Future grants, the rules were changed more than six months after the grants were awarded.
LePage should be clear about his thinking. Spokesmen have said LePage’s position is not based on the individual merits of the projects but on the state’s fiscal situation: The state is still paying debt service on already issued general obligation bonds, and it owes Maine’s hospitals money. But saying “not right now” to reasonable projects — such as to fix roads in order to aid businesses’ productivity and to conserve 22,000 acres near Grand Lake Stream in order to aid an economy dependent on natural-resources based tourism — has the potential to hinder, not help, the state’s long-term economic outlook, particularly at a time when interest rates are at some of the lowest levels ever.
This is not a question of capacity, as the state can take on more debt. The battle over bonds is more about differing visions for how to improve the state’s economy. But unless the LePage administration can explain exactly how waiting two years to issue bonds will help, his move is more likely to be viewed as an ideological bent against borrowing.
By simply saying “not now,” LePage puts possible bond-money recipients on the defensive. They deserve to have a better idea about what the state has to accomplish before the bond money will be released and how putting their projects on hold will help the overall economy. By trying to answer those questions, LePage might find that the bond money actually plays into his larger goals for development.
No one should worry about what Paul LePage might do. Simply do what Maine voters asked you to do. If LePage stands in the way just push on by him. If he’s too big to move then let him use his well known by now “charisma” to explain why he’s standing in the way of Maine voters. The end result of that will not be good for him or the party he’s supposed to be representing.
Penny wise and pound foolish = Paul LePage.
a/k/a “cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face.”
You’ve got it wrong. Endless spending and borrowing is pound foolish. If Lepage was being either penny wise or pound foolish he would be acting irresponsibly. No individual, group of individuals, or corporation can continue in that fashion. Why do you believe it is any different with the state?
Let’s your roof is leaking and you decide not to go any further into debt, and then your walls and floors get damaged and need to be replaced, and meanwhile you still need to replace your roof. That is an example of being “penny wise and pound foolish.” Maine’s infrastructure needs repairs. Any delay in doing those repairs is likely to be very costly. The cost of the repairs is likely to go up, plus it doesn’t exactly make your state any more attractive to business if you have bridges, roads, etc. that need work.
Since when does doing nothing constitute good leadership? The Penguin administration is nothing more than an obstacle at this point.
I believe LePage’s actions are completely legal, are they not?
And your point is??? Okay, I’ll play. The GOP/Tea Party just had one colossal political failure who spent a good deal of time and money suggesting that all his tax dodging was perfectly “legal” and it very well may have been. Clearly legality does not equate with votes or support from the typical American voter. You know, the “majority” that actually IS the majority. We set the bar a little higher than that. I think you’re correct in suggesting that Mr. LePage is keeping things “legal” (why you‘ve made that point here is not clear), but I’d have to say that you’d be foolhardy to believe that anything he’s been doing is acceptable to or worthy of support from the majority of Maine citizens/voters. That was proven in the last election and will be even more evident in 2014. Have you got any more deflections?
So trying to pay down Baldacci’s 500 million dollar hpspital debt is not acceptable or worthy to you? It appears you are part of the problem, not the solution. If I were to place money, I would be willing to bet you are a member of these special interest groups whose members personally profit from the Maine taxpayer.
read their- the people of maine said spend the money
What does that have to do with sitting on the bonds?
the hospital “debt” is in dispute.
It is perfectly legal to drive through an intersection when you have the green light. Don’t worry that you see a vehicle running the red light that is going to crash into you. You, after all have the right of way.
Are you saying that LePage should violate the law?
Lepage feels he IS the law.
I didn’t see that, anywhere in the post.
Patom said, “Go ahead, the light is green and even though a Mack truck is running the red light at 60 mph, go anyway. You have the right of way. You are ‘dead right’ if you go.”
Are you saying that Governor LePage would be violating the law by signing off on the bonds?
He would not be violating the any law if he allows the bonds to pass.
Boy, you are really ducking the questions! You should have been a politician or an attorney. As you know voters don’t have much regard for either.
I don’t know much about government bonds … but your analogy is quite interesting
I am sure that Attorney General Dill might have a different opinion then yours. But we will find that out in a couple of months
He wants to release all of the bonds prior to the next election cycle, then blame all of the “debt” on Democrats. He also is ticced off that he is losing liar in chief Poloquin, and ALEC won’t be running the legislature so don’t look for any cooperation on bonds.
Maybe the ones contributing to his re-election fund should reconsider. No sense in throwing good money after bad. Karl Rove taught everyone that lesson.
The bond money would go right into jobs of all kinds. Government stimulus works. The primary jobs result in a ripple effect as the workers spend their money in local stores.
The wealthy, on the other hand, don’t spend most of what they make, and when they do spend, it is often in other countries. Buying capital in China, for example.
Some of the bond initiatives, like the road and bridge ones will create some temporary jobs. The land for Maine futures bond will produce no net jobs, in fact may well decrease employment as land that is already open to public use , e.g. Verso gets tied up with a thousand strings and restrictions.
We shouldn’t need to sell bonds to repair bridges and roads, that is what we pay taxes for. At least that is what I am told.
And why does it matter where the wealthy spend their money or what they spend it on? Is that any of your business? Yeah, let’s impose your beliefs about what they should be doing with their money onto them, much like conservatives do with homosexual marriage.
If we have 5% unemployment then what difference does it make how many jobs they outsource? Besides, the only way companies can manufacture in the United States and remain competitive is to have fully automated manufacturing, which yield no jobs for the manufacturing. So, I guess we should all be against robots too.
WOW….somebody who actually has a clue
Thanks Lincoln, we’ve tried it your way for over 150 years now and it STILL isn’t working, in fact the system is now more unstable than at any point in that history
“internal improvements” and the racist “American system” hasn’t worked since the Whigs and Hamilton dreamed up the fraud over two centuries ago
you’d think with all the blood on your hands you’d have gotten a clue by now…
It should be interesting to see how the few Republicans left in the legislature cotton to Governor ‘Won’t Lift a Finger’ LePage’s antics.
But he does lift a finger, the middle one.
cute seaweed
You are right on all the new debt, but only the voters can take credit for that!
Maine has more bonding capacity? There are shortfalls in Maine’s budget
every single year and we can afford to borrow more? How do we pay that
debt back from a budget that has already been cut back, especially when
you criticize those cuts on this same page? Who doesn’t get paid this
time so that we can invest in Maine and buy more land for the
conservation geeks? Address the real issue, where’s the money going to
come from to repay the debt?
bonding and budgets aren’t he same thing .as we pay off the bonds; we are free to issue ( and pay off) more
Usually one doesn’t get out of debt with more borrowing. What makes you think borrowing will work to get the state out of debt? The federal government has been doing this for the past two administrations and look where we are today: massive debt and more debt with no end in sight. The governor is right. It’s time for belt tightening to ensure Maine has a good future.
LaPlague is just following his handlers marching orders to keep the economy from recovering and punish the people who voted overwhelmingly for Democrats here in Maine, and across our nation as well. Obstruction, denial, spreading fear and misinformation are the republican way.
You might have a point about LePage carrying out marching orders except for one very significant fact: From the beginning, even before he was elected, he was not a party man. He stated he would put the interests of the state before politics, and I think he meant business. Why, he even criticizes his own party. How many politicians today actually do what they promised? There are very few if any. LePage however comes as close to being one of them as you’ll find anywhere.
Whawell, people want politicians to lie to them and tell them everything will be OK as their house is burning down
just take a look around, the cacophony of money-grubbing, me-me-me democrats is overwhelming
LePage clearly puts the 1% above anything. This trog clearly gets all his marching orders and legislation from ALEC and the Koch’s.
It is clear that the Governor does not have the interest of the people in mind. He programs are to delay development and economic expansion that would benefit the citizens of Maine.
Dear reader, please bear in mind that this editorial was written by the same people who endorsed Pingree, King, and Obama. they are firmly committed to expanding government at all cost, regardless of the perilous position it places this state and nation.
The BDN may shrug off the debt owed to Maine hospitals, but it’s editors do not reside in the Blaine House, for good reason. he may be a little course, but like sandpaper, LePage is getting the job done of stripping this state down to its Comstitutional fundamentals.
You forgot Kevin Raye in their list of endorsements. Another big expander of government I am sure.
It was suggested at the time that the BDN endorsed Raye just so progressives could say “You forgot Kevin Raye….” Endorsing someone with a chance of winning would have been a more convincing show of even-handedness.
Your assigning an ulterior motive doesn’t change the fact that the BDN endorsed Kevin Raye… Could it be he is viewed a moderate…? That this endorsement WASN’T a partisan conspiracy, and was actually because Raye was considered a GOOD candidate…? My, oh, my… could it be… the BDN did something out of an informed consideration of the candidate…? Hate to burst your bubble, but not everything is a partisan political conspiracy… I know, Beck and many others in the echo chamber make it seem that way, but sometimes, as they say, a cigar is just a cigar…
snort – really I think BDN endorsed Raye because they believed the Tea Party hype that Romney was going to get in, there would be a Republican majority in Congress. Because Michaud clearly is better than Raye on so many levels.
Maybe. I really don’t know why they endorsed him… it’s just, everything isn’t a conspiracy all the time… I certainly agree that Michaud has been good in Congress.
If it isn’t a conspiracy all the time, and some of the people can be fooled some of the time, was there one yesterday?
“Endorsing someone with a chance of winning would have been a more convincing show of even-handedness.”
That would have required a Republican who had a chance of winning a national office last November. There was no such animal.
So all that money the Democrats spent to get Obama re-elected (by a quite small margin, incidentally) was just wasted, spent because they had it on hand? Very characteristic of them.
Sorry Dannyboy7, except for installing Peter Mills at the Maine Turnpike Authority ( a good idea) and the mess he made of Social Services, LePage really hasn’t accomplished much in terms of making government run more efficiently. Yeah, there have beenstate firings and hiring freezes….which doesn’t make anything run more efficiently – it just postpones the inevitable rehires. While I didn’t vote for the guy, it occurred to me that here was the chance conservatives had to prove that a businessman would get stuff done in government. I would have liked to have seen something smart happen….but sadly nothing did.
You said “Dear reader, please bear in mind that this editorial was written by the same people who endorsed Pingree, King, and Obama. ”
Another name for those candidates would be the winners. Please find me a quote from one of them that says they want to expand government at all cost, etc. etc.
You can’t because like all of the right wing talking points, you made it up instead of being able to discuss the issues.
Just to give you a hint……..The election that just gave the house and senate to the Democrats in Maine is called a “fact”. It seems you are not familiar with the word and seemingly will try to avoid one if possible, deny facts if you can’t avoid them, learn to deal with reality.
Obama expanded the deficit by $4 trillion. Pingree is a devoted redistribution it’s who has never cut taxes and has repeatedly expanded govt spending. Ditto KIng.
Yeah, your side won. Now please govern responsibly by cutting spending, and stop damaging the economy with your burdensome excessive regulations and taxes. Thank you.
No, Obama did not expand the deficit by four trillion. Over two trillion was all of the off the books cost of two unfunded wars plus another trillion of deficit run up by Bush. Please learn how numbers work and how federal budgets overlap until the next president. Remember Bush claimed a surplus? Clinton’s surplus.
Well Said. Hope your truthful words will sink into the commenters here. A dose of the Truth is so refreshing.
You don’t really expect the Governor to do anything the remainder of his term, do you? I would hot doubt that he would pull a Palin before his term is done.
Mr. LePage will spend the rest of his term vetoing legislation passed by the legislature.
And in doing that will keep people from (as noted below thanks cosmo!) voting for republicans again.
Really? Didn’t you mean Democrats?
You mean “from”??
yes!
Poor Paul is a Koch Head. Everything he says or does has an ulterior motive. He is constantly seeking the approval of a couple of trust fund baby billionaires, usually at the expense of the other 99% of Mainers.
Are you familiar with George Soros or Donald Sussman? Every Democrat is their puppet.
seriously ??The difference is THEY are NOT buying votes that benefit them personally , unlike the Koch boys!!!
The Koch contigent poured money into Maine (and other states) to get Lepage ( and R’s) elected in 2010. Almost his /their FIRST move was to try to over turn nearly 30 years of environmental protection that would have BENEFITED …. drum roll please… the Koch boys… see the difference??
That casino dude addesen ( sp) poured BILLIONS into this years elections to try to buy enough seats in Congress to change a law to keep him out of Jail for “bribing foreign officials ” to build the biggest casino ever in China, in violation of US law.
LOL…..reducing buffers on SVPs and IWWH habitat is ‘rolling back 30 years of environmental legislation’?
too bad those rules (i.e. NOT legislation) were implemented in the late 90s and early 2000’s
your misinformation campaign is breathtaking, and apparantly a full time job
You forgot to fit in ALEC, and Fox News.
The governor has an agenda……seems rather childish.
This article proves that LePage doesn’t have a plan in place. He talks a lot, but really has accomplished little, which is particularly telling because he had the majority to make real change. Frankly, because he focused on the fallout of from stupid gestures like hiding the labor mural (now how did that action bring jobs/business to Maine?), running his mouth, or hiding the computer glitch that double paid social services recipients, so really very little of note happened that has been positive for Maine. We need someone who has a plan to make government in Maine more efficient through audits, procedural and regulatory review, make some smart investments in infrastructure (as noted in these bond packages approved by the vote) and put forth some intelligent tax reform in state. But that appears to be way over LePage’s abilities.
This is an Editorial, not an ‘Article”. The replies here are laughable. All spout negative comments about the Gov.. But noone has offered a concrete solution to the debt problem Maine is experiencing. If you read about the Gov. you will see that he loves to Stir the Pot. The message is to get the People of Maine, involved with the issues and to help seek solutions to help the state rid its debt.
I would say he is one up on most of the people who have replied here today.
You can think whatever you want hammock bear, but instituting agency audits and procedural reviews, along with regulatory reviews to eliminate conflicting actions are postitive steps that should have been done across the board. The savings would be tremendous. If the Governor spent more time doing this work instead of “Stirring the Pot” he might be one up, instead of on his way out.
Did former Gov. Baldacci do this? Or was his spending spree part of the problem that got us where we are today in debt?
Well maybe if they did not cut a huge amount of taxes when they first took office it would have added some credibility to his actions. It would have made more sense to pay the the bills first, while you cut spending, then adjust taxes to a level needed to maintain a small surplus. That would have been a better solution.
By adjusting taxes, don’t you mean that would raise the taxes? Yes, it would have been wise to pay bills first but had that been done, we would be facing sky rocketing tax increases today.
Yeah, well, the money to pay off the debt incurred has to come from somewhere, and with those initial tax cuts, and then budget cuts on the state level, my local property taxes have increased dramatically. I’m paying anyway. If LePage had a plan to make government work better, the adjustments to our tax bills would be less onerous.
Just a reminder that this Gov. Inherited a pile of debt. Baldacci went on one of the largest spending sprees in over 50 years.
Hmmmm, I’ve heard that excuse somewhere else……give it up. The guy had a majority and no plan tailored to Maine’s problems,, instead took his marching orders from outsiders. And he has failed, so instead of re-grouping and doing what the voters want him to do – which is to invest something in the state infrastructure. He is telling us no. You didn’t like the above excuse when it was attributed to Obama I bet, and really why fall back on it now? LePage is in office now and really not effective.
Inheriting debt was a Large problem. liberals see only what they want to see. I did NOT bring Obama into this commentary.
Ahh you can use the Bush vs. Obama claim for your own now?
No, don’t count on that one roxieow. I call it as I see it. My taxes rose while Baldacci was Gov. And our taxes are still paying for his failed energy grants. Bush /Obama is an entirely different category. And I will add that with our tax increase under Baldacci, we lost our school and still pay taxes on that, thou it is closed .
Sorry…gotta call B.S….numerous solutions have been proposed. Mr. LePage says no to all of them.
Can you tell us if those solutions actually got to the Gov.? And if so, what the heck are they/ We are all in this together and need to work together. It is up to the People to help.
We would not be having this woe if Baldacci had not spent so much and over spent money we do not have.
Baloney.. we would not be having this woe if both Dems & Repubs hadn’t handed the mortgage market to the foxes to run.. thereby sinking the global economy after their orgy of thievery.
And what, bear, has LePage done to offer a “concrete solution” to anything? All he does is bluff and bluster and hold progress hostage because he is a petty bully beholden to his puppet masters. Sickening!
The best he does to the liberals is get under your skin and that in turn gives the GOP a good laugh. Sour grapes continue to linger.
And that is rather childish for a man who thinks he’s in charge? Playing games with the lives of citizens is wrong. Of course people are going to get angry with him. He’s hurt many by pandering to a few.
Let’s face it the GOP lost big. He no longer has a majority in the legislature, his belligerence will anger some but won’t get him what he wants. The people of Maine put a fork in the governor…. he’s done.
No sense of humah eh/ He is NOT playing games with citizens of Maine. WHO has he HURT? Keep the GOP out of the State politics. If you think he is DONE, then you Best remove your blinders. It is the Gov. who is doing his job and it has NOTHING to do with fact that GOP did not get the White House. Man , guest, he is Really under your skin. hope you don’t blister.
What will happen like some other have done don’t spend any money then went the next governor comes in he / she will half to spend all kinds of money to try an catch up on the roads an it will make them look bad
To answer your question. If you max out 1 credit card and then place all the charges on a new 2nd credit card, are you debt free? LePage is doing the right thing. After 40 years of liberal rule, the train wrecked state budget needs to get its priorities straight.
Using the same logic Republicans do with with Obama and the deficit, LePage and his crew of financial wizards have had plenty of time to right things, he owns this train wreck and has done little if anything positive over the past two years even with a legislature packed with tea nuts. The actual majority have spoken on Nov 6th, and what they discovered was the train wreak LePage and crew were playing with was an HO gauge train set, the real train left them standing by the tracks at the back door of Mardens.
If it can’t be fixed with tax and spend…it can’t be fixed. Spending money we don’t have at the Federal level also seems to be the answer. Debt…what debt?
It can be fixed grumpygrampy, but we need someone with a plan, not a bully buffoon who clearly didn’t write a ‘business plan’ for how he was going to procede to ‘reform’ Maine government.
Just like Obama..he will need another four years to finish the job. The Ds believed that.
Can’t stay on topic here huh? Does that mean you have nothing to say to defend LePage? Speaks volumes about his sycophants. Get off topic to deflect.
ok he does not release the road bonds an when they are released not as many roads will not get done because the cost will go up
Your example using personal finances is the wrong one. Government bonding debt is not like credit card debt. It consists of long term capital improvement and investment funds and is much more similar to a mortgage.
The more accurate analogy would be the choice a person must make if he or she owns a house with serious structural defects and is offered a second mortgage to finance essential repairs at a very low interest rate right now or is guaranteed to be required to borrowed even more money (as inflation makes the work more expensive) at much higher interest rates later.
In either case the investment is absolutely necessary or the house will become unsafe and/or unlivable at some point in the foreseeable future.
A sane and logical person would borrow the money at the lowest cost and not delay for no reason in a manner that will only make the necessary repairs even more costly later.
An even better analogy would be, for at least some of the bond measures that are far from structural, like the land for Maine’s future program, getting a second mortgage to add a wine cellar (very popular with liberals) to your home when you are behind on your first mortgage dating back to 2007.
I know plenty of very wealthy conservatives with wine cellars. Quite a few with whine seller’s too…
And for a state with a large eco-tourism component that could be developed even more, land conservation is an investment… at least to some of us.
You must not know a lot of liberals……most of the folks I know who actually have wine cellars are conservative retirees along the coast….
Who have paid off those homes with their own funds.
Your point being? Given your earlier context? Most of thewealthy retired, whether conservative or liberal have money from a lifetime of work from other places. Not too many people I know are jumping to second mortgage for much of anything – banks won’t let them. Most I know are struggling to find work, which….some of the infrastructure bonding might help with.
The point is, Maine is broke. It has hundreds of millions of dollars of debt owed to hospitals for services rendered to Mainecare patients, some of it going back to 2007. The “second mortgage” is bond borrowing. The “first mortgage” Is this old debt. Not responsible to borrow more when you can’t pay your old debts, eh?
We still owe the state pension funds a few billions, too.
I am a liberal. My mortgage was paid off several years ago and if I want a wine cellar I could afford to build one without remortgaging.
Point?
The point is then, your personal financial situation is not like the State’s. Maine owes hundreds of millions of dollars to our hospitals, dating back to 2007. Its unfunded pension liabilities are… unknown and hidden but surely enormous.. Does the guest family owe debts that are more than 5 years old? Would the guest family build a new wine cellar, or even replace an old, but not leaking roof for that matter, to your house, taking on new debt if it had 5 year old unpaid debt? Wouldn’t you call that…irresponsible?
If Maine hospitals are so broke and need money, how can EMMC afford to build a new $2.5 million dollar wing?
I’m so tired of hearing about the “poor” hospitals!!
The debt is real. How tired you are is irrelevant.
The fact that you think conservation and promotion of open spaces in Maine accessible to the public are the equivalent of a wine cellar explains a lot … about you.
Maine is underdeveloped. “Conserving” more land which means in many cases taking privately owned land that allows more access than the publicly owned land it becomes is like a wine cellar, nice to have, far from critical. The face that the purchaser is insolvent makes it all the more irresponsible. That you think it good says a lot about you. Will you join me in forming RESTORE: Longfellow Square? This organization will take borrowed taxpayer funds to prevent development in Portland.
It is truly sad that greedy, short sighted “me-me-me” types do not value or even understand the heritage of Baxter and others in Maine.
.
Luckily you are in the minority here.
Even sadder still, the insatiable greed of those “me me me” types who like to waste tax money on unnecessary, unwarranted, and ineffective land conservation schemes. Tyke, do you camp out overnight to get a permit to stay in a fake cabin at Baxter along with your Cumberland friends? Have you ever been to the NMW? 3.5 million acres of wilderness, where you have true access.
A sane and logical person would rid themselves of their wasteful spending and pay off their debt ASAP, to avoid paying unnecessary interest. In the long term, they would be much better off and would have more spending money because they would not be interest poor.
“A sane and logical person would rid themselves of their wasteful spending and pay off their debt ASAP, to avoid paying unnecessary interest.”
Bonds have a set payout on maturity. Pre-paying them is a sucker’s bet – it only pays off if inflation decreases below the interest rate.
Correct, so why take on more unnecessary bonds on items that our elected officials didn’t see important enough to place in the state budget? Their lack of budgeting priorities is the problem, not the need for more bonds.
Because improving our roads and water resources is a smart ‘business’ investment with a better pay off?
Then don’t bond it, budget for it.
And so why? when LePage had the majority? Why didn’t he do just that?
He’s been working on it, for two straight years. As you may have noticed, he’s had a lot of opposition.
Grateful-I fear that we are trying to educate someone who does not want to learn, an impossibility, like his/her user name. S/He does not represent the majority. S/He is part of a dwindling minority. The encouraging news is…look at the possible republican candidates behind him. Very weak.
“as inflation makes the work more expensive”
The last i heard, bond interest was roughly the same as inflation, meaning that the loan is essentially interest free.
But unlike your mortgage this is variable rate.
Once the bond is issued the interest will be paid and if it is at a higher rate it will cost us more.
If only it was that simple to manage a government budget like a household huh? They will never understand.
What exactly has LePage done though Maine Majority? Freezing state salaries, hiring freezes is not doing much of anything except delaying the inevitable. Not acting on infrastructure bonds doesn’t fix roads or create new local jobs. Now you are using the argument liberals used for Obama….Le Page had a majority for 2 years and if he had a plan he could have done a lot. Funny how that happens isn’t it?
I believe the salary freezes began under the failed Baldacci administration, along with furlough days, which LePage abolished. If our elected officials would budget properly, they would appropriate enough money from the state budget to repair our roads. Bonds wouldn’t be necessary. Maine is the 6th highest taxed state in the nation, so the idea that we need to borrow more money is crazy. It’s also an indication that we have too many government programs that we simply cannot afford. These nice to have programs cannibalize the state budget, which creates the perceived need for more and more bonds to fulfill the state’s most basic duties, which is to keep our roads properly maintained, for example.
You still haven’t told me what LePage has done about this? A smart business man when faced with such a mess would start audits across the board immediately. A next smart step would be to review procedures, practices and conflicting regulations. While he has done some cutting, guess what? My local property taxes have gone up as a direct result of the burden falling on local government. In rural towns with ex bus drivers running town budgets that is a freaking disaster, many of these small towns are not equipted to deal with what’s coming their way.So inefficient it’s ridiculous.
maine MINORITY cannot reply because LePage has done NOTHING. They just keep up the talking points.
Ask Paul Violette about audits. He is now in Jail. The funny thing is Baldacci thought Violette was doing one heck of a job. He was, but it was fleecing the Maine taxpayer.
Yes, and I freely admit that the one good thing LePage has done was put Peter Mills in charge there. So….if that was the case, why didn’t LePage continue with audits across the board?
MSHA – Dale McCormick, enough said.
Not enough said……smile. Across the board audits……..all agencies, not just the most obvious.
Fair enough. Let’s start auditing from President Obama on down, all the way to the city level. I think it would reveal many governmental inefficiencies. Once we rid ourselves of these inefficiencies, there will be no need to resort to bonds.
Smile, so you can learn. I’m all about starting from the bottom up. If Maine can achieve these efficiencies from the local level up, then maybe we can make the case for federal efficiencies. Let’s get our successes in hand first. We need to fix our own house.
How about we audit everyone at the same time? Bottom up, top down, how about the same time? Isn’t this the best way to maximize efficiencies?
You would think, but I am not sure there are enough qualified accountants available to do top to bottom. Politically it’s not an easy sell, people don’t understand, and procedural/regulatory reviews are definitely not sexy. In my town, several of us brought a forensic audit question to town meeting. It was voted down for two reasons. People were afraid the audit itself would cost too much, and they were afraid of what it would find, costing local taxpayers even more – talk about heads in the sand. That’s crazy, but it’s what we heard – now that our property taxes took such a leap, there is some interest again. If there are successes on a local/state level, then it will be easier to make an overarching push to the Federal level, which is a much more complicated. Consider for instance trying to do forensic audits on the Iraq War – where so much money simply dissapeared. The first steps should be to fix our own house(s) and then leverage that success.
Too bad LePage stopped with the Highway Authority, guess he thought that was as much reform as we could handle.
Stopped? Ask how Dale McCormick how she feels about the audit at the Maine State Housing Authority. Yes, more corruption and inefficiencies (political favoritism) were exposed, enough so that she had to step down.
Um how about Nutting who ripped off the state? If that had been you you would owe every penny. How about Poliquin and his false tree status in Georgetown or his pitiful club at Popham….
I believe it was the failed Baldacci Administration who paid Nutting those allotments. Of course, Baldacci never did anything wrong, so apparently Nutting did not rip off the state. Nope, no inefficiencies in the failed Baldacci Administration, nope, none at all. Is that the same Poliquin who was accused of wrong doing, but the courts finally stepped in and said his tree growth status was perfectly legal? Apparently, the special interest groups who were no longer benefiting from cronyism were simply trying to bring him down simply because Poliquin did his job.
Not to mention, the reforms at the Maine Bond Bank, and the cessation of questionable real estate and other state property sales (Warren prison warden is one example).
We are talking about LePage. And Violette is Baldacci’s fault? Ha on that one. LePage has got his own crooks and we all know what they have done. Got any other excuses?
Yes, Violette is Baldacci’s fault because it was Baldacci who allowed Violette to steal state funds, all while he turned a blind eye. It was the LePage Administration who exposed Violette for the crook he is. Isn’t this a good thing? I wouldn’t expect anything less from an elected official, regardless of party label. LePage happens to wear an R label and the liberals will never give him credit for anything, not even for exposing corruption and for bringing justice to the taxpayer.
Violette became the head of the MTA during the McKernan’s administration and the audit that caught him and resulted in jail time occurred during the Baldacci administration.
OMG. Never mind. Twist and turn some more. Baldacci let Violette steal. Yup. Sure.
The audit that caught Violette was done while Baldacci was still governor and it was initiated by a Democrat in the legislature.
We haven’t maxed out a credit card, except in the minds of fools who are scared by big numbers. America, in it’s history, has never been wealthier.
The facts do not support your opinion. America has never been in greater debt, thus poorer. Ever heard of our 16.5 trillion dollar national debt? When Obama began his failed presidency, it was about 10 trillion, which was still too high. You are ignoring the facts, which you liberals do so easily.
You mean when Obama took over for Bush’s failed Presidency don’t you? I don’t ignore facts, but then I am independent.
I too consider myself an independent. At the end of Bush’s failed presidency, the national debt was about 10 trillion dollars. After 4 years of Obama’s failed presidency, it’s now about 16.5 trillion dollars with no end in sight. Is this the right direction? It’s the right direction only if your goal is for the demise of the U. S. Greece, here we come.
You may consider yourself an independent, but I’m just not hearing it. Factchecking on the national debt shows some other figures,and I have little love national leadership right now, but I do know that on the state level – Le Page has proven that business as usual has us retreating, not moving forward. We dodged a bullet when Romney and the business as usual Republicans were reined in.
I don’t think it has been business as usual with LePage. More corruption (MSHA and MTA) and inefficiencies have been uncovered in his first 2 years, than had been uncovered in the past 40 years under liberal control. Why else would the unions and various other special interest groups hate LePage so much? It’s because LePage has been effective at ridding the ME taxpayer of political cronyism to these two groups.
smile, who’s hiring family and friends?
Are you talking about Bill Clinton who hired his own wife to head the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, back in 1993?
Stop deflecting…….that’s such a tea party trait. I’m talking about LePage’s very open display’s of croneyism. And yes, I realize it happens everywhere, with every administration, but I was responding to your point about LePage. LePage is just a business as usual guy, with no new ideas that are tailored to the very specific ‘landscape’ of Maine. He’s refusing these bonds like a petulant child.
I don’t believe he’s refusing anything. He plans to issue the bonds when it’s most beneficial to the ME taxpayer. Isn’t this what we elected him to do, represent the ME taxpayer?
Well….the Maine taxpayers voted for ALL the bonding issues during the election – yes? His saying he wants to wait until he determines that we are stable enough to issue bonds is legal, but definitely giving the finger to projects that are in the hopper and may require money. I noticed this summer that a developer friend of LePage’s working on a project in Livermore Falls somehow was able to secure a promise from the Governor to get that bonding money. While there are at least a dozen projects languishing at the same time….funny most of them are in Democratic districts. Now he is legally within his perview, but he is definitely being petty now. Not what we elect a leader to be….petty.
What did you say to Baldacci, who similarly declined to issue bonds during his own administration? LePage issued some of those Baldacci bonds himself, over the last two years.
People act like not issuing bonds is a big precedent, when in fact, it’s not that unusual.
Exactly — that is precisely why I, and so many other fiscal conservatives, voted to put him in charge of Maine’s checkbook.
Absolutely! Let’s be thankful he’s in the Blaine House.
And, those eradications continue. That’s why they’re going to hate him even more, once he starts using his veto authority, because the Dems don’t have the numbers to override his vetoes.
Holding up bond money for road and bridge repairs makes no sense at all. Anyone that has dealt with road or bridge construction knows, the longer you put off repairs, the more it will cost in the long run. I voted to approve these bonds thinking our roads and bridges would actually be repaired. Better roads are safer and cause less damage to vehicles saving taxpayers money. We the people voted for and approved better roads, now put some people to work and build them Governor LaPage!
If he does not do it will it cause car insurance to go up ?
Road and bridge repairs also create local jobs with decent pay.
Then do you agree that the State of ME should do a better job in prioritizing expenditures, so they could include needed road repairs in the state budget? This is my point. If it’s important enough, then budget for it.
The budgeted money is stripped out or pared down all the time by those wonderful fiscal conservations, the antediluvian GOP.
If Maine does not have enough money to do the work then raise the gas an fuel tax an other fees that go to the state to fix the roads .
NO. Lets find the money in the taxes we already pay.
Really. The last I heard it was the liberals who wanted free cadillac welfare services that are 40% above the national average. Yes, stripped out, but by the liberals. Of course, we can’t promote buying votes, now can we?
ignorance is bliss.
spoke the blissful PF
If true, you must in a constant state of ecstasy.
The state money comes from the fuel tax and is dedicated revenue. Federal share, on the Federal Aid System, also comes from the Fedearl Fuel Tax, via the Highway Trust Fund.
The available funds from those two sources does not add up to the cost to keep the system at its present condition, let alone improve it. The alternative is a tax increase, which the public absolutely hates to do.
Your alternatives all have a cost, so pick your poison:
1. Bonds;
2. Increase the motor fuels tax, which is always very unpopular;
3. Use money from the General Fund, which won’t happen in this current climate. If anything, pressure will mount to raid the Highway Fund, or un-dedicate the revenue;
4. Let the condition of the network decline, which really means, let it decrease in value so that I can spend elsewhere. This last is really another form of deficit spending, although it is not as obvious to the casual observer.
Warren Spaulding, PE
Former Region Manager, Eastern Region (retired)
Bangor
I still wish we could garnish Baldacci’s big paycheck at Pierce Atwood, for all the DOT budget money he siphoned off to fund DHHS program expansions.
Then they should budget for it, not rely on bonds. Plain and simple!
Just use the money we have each year to fix roads an thats it let the rest go
Gravel roads were good enough for the Colonists, it should be good enough for us.
#snark
It’s called budgeting. Don’t you budget with your household expenses? Perhaps you believe in free for all spending spree’s, from which the bill miraculously never comes. This is not reality.
Under Baldacci, the gravel roads is where Maine was heading. The roads were terrible under his leadership because he chose to spend the taxpayer dollars on free beer, lobster dinners and tattoos to the welfare crowd. Welfare was so bloated under Baldacci that it was 40% above the national average. Welfare still cannibalizes way too much of the state budget.
Your ignorance is growing!
Aaaah yes, can’t win the argument so the personal attacks begin. Same old, same old and it’s what we’ve been accustomed to expect from you liberals.
Are you aware of how much welfare grew under Baldacci? Food Stamp usage increased 75%. I guess you would call that “success.”
And why is it that you and your ilk do not see that the jobs left.
i think you are pulling numbers out of thin air.. But yes the number of food stamp recipients( and medicaid etc) has gone up and they are up for a VERY good and simple reason …we are in a recession ….. we are in a recession because R policies BUSTED the economy !!! I know it is an in convenient truth to the “OMG the sky is falling” syndrome…
How many cases of welfare fraud have been prosecuted since LePage took office? It would seem to me that would be the place to start to cut the bill. He is targeting legitimate Mainecare recipients and not going after violators.
In 2010, DHHS fielded 1,200 reports of possible welfare fraud and abuse. In 2011, the number of reports nearly doubled to 2,100.State prosecutors secured 10 convictions last year, up 25 percent from a year earlier.Courts ordered nearly three times the amount of restitution be paid last
year over the year before. The amount of money collected through
court-ordered restitution nearly doubled last year. Just a small sample to answer your question.
and how much did it cost us ??? Baldacci did the same thing when he first came in to office.Every new governor “goes after welfare fraud ” first . That is how they “CAUGHT” nutting , among others Eventually they figure out the cost of pursuing these cases isn’t “worth it “.
So according to the right 400,000 Mainers are “on welfare” And they ONLY prosecuted 10 cases in one year?? so what happened to all those “reports”. Were they all unfounded?? How many did Baldacci pursue in his first years, for comparison purposes??
Agreed. Under King Angus and Baldacci, catching welfare and medical fraud cheats wasn’t a big priority. That has changed under Governor LePage’s administration.
Actually, the prosecutions and convictions for welfare fraud and medical compensation fraud have increased since Gov. LePage took office. There are more convictions still to come, as investigations continue.
Ask, and ye shall receive.
These are all separate prosecutions and convictions.
*************
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/05/10/news/former-lewiston-woman-pleads-no-contest-to-welfare-fraud-forgery/
Lewiston Woman Pleads No Contest to Welfare/Benefits Fraud in Maine
http://www.pressherald.com/news/DHHS-catching-more-welfare-fraud.html
2011 Maine Grand Juries Return 12 Indictments for Welfare Fraud in Maine
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/10/17/news/portland/antiguan-pleads-guilty-to-falsely-claiming-u-s-citizenship-getting-fed-benefits/
$120K in illegal benefits in Maine
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Brunswick-woman-sentenced-for-food-stamp-fraud-.html
$60K in illegal benefits in Maine
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/city/2012/01/05/five-indicted-welfare-fraud-schemes/1136287
Five Maine Residents Engaging in EBT Card Fraud Scheme
http://www.sunjournal.com/city/story/821667
Mechanic Falls Couple – $10K+ Welfare/Food Stamps Fraud
http://www.pressherald.com/news/feds-target-small-stores-in-inquiry-into-food-stamp-fraud_2011-11-20.html
Feds Target Small Stores Engaging in Food Stamp/EBT Fraud
http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=AGOffice_Press&id=242340&v=article10
$4 million in medical provider fraud in Maine
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Kittery-business-pleads-guilty-to-health-care-fraud.html
$220K Health care fraud in Maine.
http://www.sunjournal.com/city/story/878892
$90K in Medicaid fraud in Maine
http://www.sunjournal.com/city/story/958853
$220K MaineCare fraud in Maine
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2011/05/03/maine_man_convicted_in_dirigo_case/
$100K Dirigo Health fraud conviction in Maine
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/09/13/news/court/old-town-woman-pleads-guilty-to-methadone-clinic-mileage-scam/
$10K Methadone Clinic Mileage Scam
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Westbrook-woman-pleads-guilty-to-.html
Fake Immigration Papers and Federal/state Benefits Guilty Plea
**********************
There’s plenty more on the web.
http://www.asmainegoes.com/content/lepage-double-number-dhhs-fraud-investigators
Here’s just one of the threads on AMG, tracking numerous
welfare fraud cases, going back years.
And I expect most of lepage cuts will be reversed now. Most of those costs are paid by the feds, not Maine taxpayers, to benefit Mainers and the Maine economy..
And those Federal dollars are free and magic.
And if you own a home you bought it with cash right? Grow up.
I did not buy a home I could not afford. I bought the Chevy, not the Cadillac. Yes, to avoid paying unnecessary interest, the home is now paid off.
As so many of us do and have done.
Conservatives are not the only ones who buy what they can afford.
A state cannot be run as a business. The human element is too important. LePage has ignored the human element .
A state needs to live within its means. Prior to LePage, we were not. Had we lived within our means, ME would not be the 6th highest taxed state in the nation and the 500 million dollars owed to our hospitals would have been paid by the Baldacci Administration. I agree there is a human element we need to consider and that is why burdening our grandchildren with today’s wants is totally unjust. LePage is protecting the human element by providing DHHS services to only the truly needy, not the abusers.
How does giving a huge tax break to the trust fund babies and pledging to eliminate the corporate tax pay down Maine’s debt?
Under LePage’s tax plan, 70,000 of Maine’s lowest income earners no longer pay a state income tax. Are these the trust fund babies you are referring too? Have you ever heard of business investment incentives used to create jobs? More pocket money leads to more investment, which leads to job growth. This is how it works in the private sector. The additional 7,400 private sector jobs created since July, 2011 is testament to this. Of course, you did not know about the 7,400 new jobs because the liberal media filtered this out because it was not news worthy. Perhaps it didn’t fit into their narrative.
600 less government jobs. 7,400 new private job looks like right direction to me. I like that better then regulations, new taxes, and spending money we don’t have, unlike the pass sixteen years.
all regulations are the result of some GOOMBA (S) not doing the “right thing” to begin with.. I EXPECT MY government to protect me from those who will not do the right thing on their own . Nope I don’t expect to buy tainted meat etc when I go grocery shopping. NOPE I don’t want our rivers brown with foam again and our air smelling like rotten eggs.
I don’t want MY body to become a cancerous vessel because someone wants to make a buck using the air I breath and the water I drink as a free dumping ground . Those days are OVER
Those days are coming back because the easily corrupted, centralized system you have supported to achieve your perceived safety is about to come crashing down under the weight of its own debt and malfeasance
Maybe you would like to tell us how much those 70000 saved on taxes and compare it to the trust fund babies who used to be in the top bracket although I doubt you will. That wouldn’t support your argument. As far as the “job creators”‘ it has been proven time and time again that the trickle down garbage doesn’t work. It just further lines the pockets of the rich. I’m not sure where you got your figures on job creation, but the unemployment rate in Maine hasn’t changed much in the last year. How did those tax breaks work for you? Maybe we need to throw more to the rich? Maybe we can give them our grocery money. I am sure they would then feed us.
Those percentages are about the same as the national returns actually. So I guess it is a good thing that the economy is recovering overall – given that a majority of Maine jobs were in healthcare, with an aging population, this is no surprise. Of course, as you cut back social services for the elderly, that number may or may not be sustainable. A good number in casinos too. Now watching how casinos are doing in CT, that’s a good sustainable industry….
The amount exempt from inheritance tax was eliminated to benefit those inheriting up to $2 million (the first million was already exempt).
No one except multimillionaires benefited from that.
So you believe it is OK to take away money from those who have earned it and give it to those who have not? Is it greed to want to keep what you have earned or is it greed to want to take from someone else?
IN a free and democratic society, taxation is a personal reponsibility.
“IN a free and democratic society, taxation is a personal reponsibility.”
LOL, in the free and democratic society of King George!
My ancestors fought a revolution to bury people like you
Amen, and how.
Your attempt to change the subject is duly noted.
Progressive taxation has been part of our representative Republic form of government for hundreds of years. I have no need or use for a debate on that subject.
I clearly and accurately countered your false statement that the rich did not get disproportionate benefits from recent changes to the tax laws in Maine. The fact that you ran away from even addressing that makes it clear that you know you were completely wrong.
Thanks for reinforcing my point so effectively.
The trust fund babies are the children of the wealthy who were given everything they have without having to pay for it. They are sheltered well.
Like Romney they don’t pay their fair share and they are wealthy.
50% of the $400 million in tax cut does to the top 10% of Maine “earners”. Joe, the minimum wage earner ‘s, tax break is all of $9 annually The person earning 350,000 get $3,000.
should we be giving away revenue, that we need to pay the bills, is “hard times” ?? THIS is the type of economic policy that CREATES deficits and budget gaps.
Well said.
Right….He’s been doing a bang up job at that….Currently wondering how the ancient lady across the way will fare when she has to choose between her medicene, food and heating….
She can thank the federal government. If you haven’t noticed, the country is not doing well. Just wait for Obamacare. Remember as Obama said, “under my administration energy prices will sky rocket.” I guess he was not thinking of the elderly, or the middle class or the next generation.
Wow. Great point.
Except that whole thing where Obama NEVER SAID THAT.
The same as she did back when King Angus and Baldacci were bankrupting the state with their frivolous and unbalanced spending.
LePage cries wolf too often and too loud.
You actually have incurred costs by having it paid off. It is not necessarily the soundest way to go. And I think you implicitly have admitted that, yes, you did borrow.
you are contradicting your self.
How true, wondering, and nowhere is there more proof of that than the city of Waterville, where former mayor LePew still brags about having saved the taxpayers so much money. Now all those neglected roads are twice as bad…as he laughed his fat arse all the way to Augusta.
Isn’t the very reason we pay taxes is for road and bridge repair? Since we have the highest tax burden in the country, shouldn’t we have nicest bridges and roads in the country? That is clearly not the case, so where is all the money going? And why should we need to sell bonds to pay for something that is supposed to already be done in the first place?
In past administrations, money was siphoned from DOT budgets to expand Maine’s social programs and welfare benefits past sustainability. Baldacci never repaid most of the money he “borrowed” from the DOT. That’s one answer.
Paul Richard LePage has been Governor of the State of Maine for almost two years now. In the 2011 legislative session there were a lot of “reform” measures enacted. Is the average Mainer better off now then they were the day he took office? The results of our recent election would seem to indicate that Mainers were not happy with their State Government and by extension the way Mr. LePage has run it.
So you don’t think the constant media bias against Republicans had anything to do with the Republican legislative losses. How about all that special interest money that far outnumbered the Republican campaign expenses. I suppose you think this had nothing to do with it either. The losses were not a referendum on LePage. The losses verify that many people are still too easily influenced by the liberal media’s constant lies and distortions. Now that the unions and special interest groups are back in charge of the Senate and House, do you actually think this will benefit Maine. No, it will not. These leftist special interest groups only care about themselves and at the expense of everyone else. Ask the Hostess workers how they feel about the special interest group representing them. They are now out of a job.
What comes out of LePage’s mouth is not the result of ‘liberal media’. LePage’s failures are not the result of liberal media. Boy mainemajority you are deflecting now to every other issue because you have no answers to the topic of whether LePage is doing the right thing by ignoring the voters decision to invest bond money for state projects.
Gov. Lepage is one of the best governors Maine had in office . You simply cannot see the good for the fog of the liberal media.
LMAO. Wow are you wrong. LePage is as inept as one can get and a true lame duck.
He won’t get his way from now on. Kicking him to the curb is what needs to be done for the best interest of Maine. He needs to pull a Palin and be on his way to FLA never to return.
Time will show how bad this guy is for Maine. He’s for hurting not helping. He’s derisive, rude and ineffective in so many ways. His boorish behavior is not a plus obviously.
Pa many thanks for LOLS. You surely described Yourself. He is the BEST for Maine. You are just in a pity pahty that you don’t have a leftie in his position.
Next time try to be more coherent when you attempt to deride a person publicly.
Your man is toast. He’s not what Maine wants any longer. His derisive nature has done him in. TIme to get down to business and actually help the state and the people who live here.
People who keep praising the man are getting scarce and those who insist on being his cheering squad are only setting themselves up for a rude awakening.
I can’t wait for this state to get back to business with our new and IMPROVED legislature, minus the many GOP incumbents that were shown the door.
With you Pa, it is all about political parties. This gov. is the Best in Years. He says it how it is. Must be too rough around the edges for many liberals. GOP in Maine love this guy. They usually do not read BDN. Hear that all the time. C’est la vie.
I cannot wait for the first gubernatorial veto, when you find out how little the new Dem majority can do in Augusta. Maybe you can find a bargain price on Pepto Bismol, over the next couple weeks, so that you’re prepared.
lol
You tell me how LePage has been good Hammock bear? Maine Majority couldn’t.
He can’t. He might have to tell the truth and admit LePage really isn’t that ‘great’.
Guest — Ask the Maine Hospital Association if their members are grateful for the $400 million + that has been paid off since Gov. LePage took office. The debt that King Angus and Baldacci allowed to accumulate over 16 years.
http://articles.boston.com/2011-01-13/news/29345955_1_hospital-debt-budget-proposal-budget-revision
LOLOLOLOL!!!!
Wow. I’m just gonna call B.S. once more and not even TRY to explain this stuff to you sir. Management failed to save Hostess.
Time to change your handle “mainemajority”. Don’t even try to be so condescending to tell me I don’t know how to vote and other Mainers were somehow fooled.
Face up to it. Very few people bought the package. Liberal Media? 800 right wing radio stations, maybe 50 that will play someone from the left.
There is no “left wing media control” only your mind controlled by Fox.
Most people I know, get this paper to start their wood stoves just as people used rags in the old days.
Well you’re here aren’t you?
And yet here you are hammie!
Not really my choice. BDN covers articles that interest me. Not all, but some.
You cannot blame a “liberal” for the trash that comes out of his mouth. The man is in way over his head.
You go right ahead and tell yourself what ever lies you want to hear. You can blame the Republican defeat on the media, on the Unions, hell you can blame it on the weather we had on election day, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy if you want to but the fact remains…… YOUR SIDE LOST…. AND LOST BIG. Oh and by the way after the defeat your side took at the polls on Nov. 6th I hardly think you are in the majority of Mainers or Americans or anything else.
Lost big, ever heard of a veto pen?
Of course I have. That is what a lame duck Governor uses just before the legislature over rides him.
With what numbers? Good luck.
The Democrats are finally starting to figure out they do not have the numbers in House and Senate to override the Governor’s vetoes. Suddenly, the beating on chests and the promises of “scorched earth” are giving way to conciliation and talk of “compromising.” Imagine that.
———————————
http://www.pressherald.com/politics/democratic-legislature-will-re-evaluate-tax-cuts_2012-11-26.html
“Overriding a governor’s veto requires two-thirds support of each chamber of those lawmakers voting and present. Assuming all members of the 151-member House were present for a vote, an override would require support from 101 lawmakers. In the 35-member Senate, an override would require 24 senators.
“All but one race has been finalized, and Democrats currently are in line to hold a 90-58 advantage in the House with four unenrolled members. Democrats will hold a 19-15 edge in the Senate, with independent Sen. Dick Woodbury of Yarmouth caucusing with both parties.
Neither margin is enough to override a LePage veto without Republican support.”
Fact is. Democrats spent far MORE on elections than GOP in Maine. Election is over and time for business. When others do not share your liberal views, that should be no reason to be rude. Some ego trip that is gonna backfire on you.
The losses weren’t a referendum for LePage. Then explain why he lost his majority? The lies people are fabricating are getting more desperate each day!
Let’s see, the biased media and the special interest group money had a lot to do with it.
It is Fact that the Democrats paid much more in the Maine campaigns than Republicans. Double standards from the Left each time they accuse GOP of wealthy members.
Apparently the wealthy Democrats (Soros, Oprah Winfrey, John Kerry, Bil Gates, Michael Moore, etc.) don’t count in their classifications of evil rich people. Double standards indeed.
Hmm does the name Adelson sound familiar.
The writer of this article and those who agree with its positions are operating their lives as a young child does. Spending money on non essentials like “conserving” land in a state that is already underdeveloped, with tens of thousands of acres of public land and millions of acres of private land, the devil uber liberal Quimby’s being the exception, open to public use is great. Except when you are already broke. Our state government is broke. It can not afford to pay the bills it already has, like to the hospitals. “We could miss out on matching Federal money “(which is also our broke and in debt, $53,000 per person and growing every second) is the most infantile argument there ever was for borrowing money by the state but it is telling of the lack of financial sophistication of its believers. That Federal money is not magic and free. Adults understand this. Children do not. So keep sucking on that borrowed money teat today folks. Don’t think about tomorrow. If we just don’t think about it, maybe it will go away.
What is infantile is continuing the bs that the federal government is broke, that there was no utility in the feds saving jobs with stimulus spending (which every prez has done when necessary), and the deficit is so gargantuan the wealthy MUST have a tax cut and social services MUST be cut which would increase the debt and deficit… Talk about the whining class… Talk about a lack of financial sophistication… What is it with these navel gazers who do nothing to help think crashing the economy is saving the economy…?
“Saying that the Federal government is broke is BS.” By that same logic you must believe that if I haven’t maxxed out my credit line yet, I can still afford to charge this new sweater. That is what people on the way to bankruptcy believe. Responsible adults know that it is not prudent to borrow more when we can’t afford to pay our current bills. Please, instead of just instantly voting down arrow (at least you can’t just flag my posts anymore and have them removed for no reason other than you are frustrated by logic) would you have the guts to say that you think we are heading in the right direction to borrow more when we are broke?
Your mistake appears to be the belief that the fed govt’s budget is the same as a domestic household’s budget. They are not. Running a deficit is not a bad thing for a govt to do, especially the US, while running a deficit for a household is a problem. The US is not on the way to bankruptcy. That is as baseless as saying the federal govt is broke and comes out of the same misunderstanding of macroeconomics. One of the last times a prez tried to balance the budget deliberately was Andrew Jackson. A 75 month depression followed.
What the repub leadership is doing has NOTHING to do with the debt and deficit… they know that is a non-issue… what they are trying to do is dismantle the social safety nets they have been trying to dismantle since they were put in place. The debt and deficit provides the cover for this agenda. If the US were on the way to bankruptcy the world would not be buying US T-bills, STILL considered the safest investment in the world.
We are not Greece. We are perfectly capable of fiscal and monetary policy that could create a faster recovery except for the obstruction by Congressional lugheads that have blocked nearly every attempt… those attempts at expansionary fiscal and monetary policy are responsible for the recovery we have witnessed IN SPITE of the repub lugheads that voted against stimulus spending (which every prez has done in the recessions they faced.. yes, Reagan and Bush) while making sure their districts take the funds offered (and then taking credit for the help the fed govt gave the district…)
The State’s budget is a bit more like a household’s budget in that by law the state has to balance it’s budget. LePage’s actions appear to be without logic, or at least is a hidden logic, because he is NOT helping put people back to work, is not helping the state collect more revenues by those people getting put back to work, is waiting to sell the bonds when interests rates will be less favorable than they are now. People need jobs now more than the state needs to sort out the hole in the budget produced by massive tax cuts to the wealthiest families in Maine. It doesn’t make much sense to folks that understand the economics involved.
You are correct in that the state of Maine is insolvent (unable to pay its creditors) rather than bankrupt (court-declared insolvency with systematic resolution of debt). This is a fine situation if you are a deadbeat who doesn’t care about actually repaying your debts, like so many Americans these days. If you are a responsible adult, continuous over borrowing is a problem however. The US government cannot be insolvent as long as it can roll the printing presses. So what if a gallon of gas goes to $16.00 a gallon? It has quadrupled in the past 14 years and could easily do it again. Inflation punishes those who have saved for a rainy day (not most of these BDN bloggers who seem to make a point of pride of being broke) so may as well spend and live it up today. Don’t worry about it, don’t even think about it. Mommy’s here, you are safe and warm.
The heartless, rightwing nanny state rhetoric — “moochers,” “the 47%,” “the dependents” — lost Romney the election because, one, enough voters saw through it for what it is, BS, and two, at bottom it is all about redistributing more wealth upwards to the wealthiest among us. I wonder if the bad judgment about fellow Americans so many reactionaries express comes out of a superiority complex. Even those that are hurt by the policies that created an extremely unequal society with 93% of income gains in the last 4 years going to the top 2%, 90% of wealth in the US in the hands of the top 10%, 70% of debt being owed by the bottom 80% of Americans… even people hurt by the policies that created this inequality yet vote against their own interests because they aren’t savvy enough to know otherwise must derive some feeling of superiority. How else to explain them voting to hurt themselves? Talk down about your neighbor while being in the same boat with them… talk down about your neighbor while knowing little if anything about them.
I’d suggest you read more history and economics. You are confused on some basic facts. Have a good one…
I’ll read some more. I thought that overborrowing to the point of insolvency was bad. You and your liberal friends have shown me the light. Please teach me some more basic facts. Like how are massive budget deficits are good. I can’t wait to learn.
Your in a bit over your head. Get some sleep.
Sorry, your subjective opinions will not silence me. At least you don’t even try to put forth any arguments.
The point is sometimes deficit matter, and matter a lot, and other times not so much, like when there are several million people out of work and creating the conditions for work to take place is both good for those people AND good for the economy… that is, good for EVERYBODY. Simplistic notions about balanced budget good, deficit bad… in every case doesn’t make good policy. But until you learn more about how every president that has faced a significant recession, such as Reagan in the mid to late 80’s, or Bush in 2001, and use Keynesian models of spending and deficts, to be the spender of last resort in order to stimulate the economy, and succeeded largely depending on other factors… until you learn something about how that all works, not much sense in carrying on…
Though I voted against 2+3 (non-essentials), 4+5 – infrastructure is essential. Adults understand that without infrastructure, our collective business and quality of life suffers. It was over 70% that voted for 4 – which indicates it was approved in a bi-partisan manner.
The conservation bond, while I voted against, was the smallest. Your debt burden might be a couple of bucks. Get over it.
Then how about you pay my share and yours too of this totally unneeded expense? You’ll get over it.
Our state government is not broke, it needs better management. The Baldacci administration didn’t get that. Democrats don’t. Republicans have lost their way following the Tea Party down the path of misinformed hysteria. Clearly LePage doesn’t know how and has proven a businessman is maybe not the best idea for running state government. Maybe we need to elect a bunch of auditors next.
Do you owe 400 million dollars that you can’t pay? If you did,would it be reasonable to call you broke?
The state has a ‘reliable’ income through taxation. With better management, revenue increases (yup taxation), aggressive audits, procedural and regulatory reform and smart investments in our infrastructure, we should be able to pay that down fairly fast. LePage clearly isn’t the guy to do it.
Borrowing at near rock bottom interest rates now instead of later at higher rates, and the jobs created from infrastructure upgrades, roads and bridge repair, putting people back to work and with the increase these jobs provide to state revenues are two reasons the Govnah’s decision defies his “fiscal conservative” street creds. Will his decision to defer selling these bonds until it is more expensive to service them pay off in the long run…? What was the calculation done to validate that conclusion?
“What was the calculation done to validate that conclusion?”
Ah gee, lets see here sdemetri, perhaps it was helicopter Ben and his expectation to retain ZIRP into 2015, well after LePage is out of office
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/federal-reserve-interest-rates-low-mid-2015/story?id=17226149
Are you seriously THAT clueless when it comes to the economy?
Please stop posting as if you have a clue…because you don’t even read basic news or keep up to date
Well tell me, o wise one, how that will help people needing jobs now? And if that is the calculus LePage was using, why is he deferring helping the folks that need jobs now, and the infrastructure that is in need of help now? If interest rates are going to stay stable, why wait…? How is waiting going to change the calculation for these bonds vis a vis the state’s fiscal situation… what is going to change… more tax cuts on the way?
I’ll post when I want, what I want, about what I want… thanks… :) If you don’t like my posts, don’t read them…
Serious questions I’m asking… please enlighten me.
When you are in over your head or dont know what to do you do nothing,which is what the gov.seems best at.Maybe if the gov.muddys the water enough,people cant see the problem.
The answer is NO.
LePage is a fool and needs to move back to Florida ASAP, PDQ.
Yessah
Can we delay some of the Lepage family paychecks?
Maybe this is the reason. Maine is the one of the few states where the debt clock looks like this.
http://www.usdebtclock.org/state-debt-clocks/state-of-maine-debt-clock.html
Hows that cheese?
Obviously the debt is being reduced. The debt per citizen is being reduced. Why is that hard to figure?
OK, so I’m still failing to see how kicking the can down the road on the bonds is going to help us in the long term.
Prove the bonds are necessary.
Have I delved through the intricacies of the transportation bond and how they came to that exact total? No, though decay is the nature of infrastructure. Nothing lasts forever and constant maintenance, rebuilding and replacement is simply the nature of the business. The time to do work is not at the last minute or after the fact. That is a more costly long term solution. So on paper, LePage might be saving a few bucks here and placating his base, though long term, it will end up costing us more collectively.
Do you believe everything you see on the internet? I wonder who is paying the bills in this “not-for-profit”? I doubt that they could get much from fundraising, I’ll bet it is a bogus Koch Brothers site.
LePage doesn’t get it. He is supposed to be a businessman. I guess he doesn’t understand financing, just fire sales. Through his actions, Mr. LePage has convinced he that he cares little about Maine and less about Mainers.
We don’t need to borrow period… If a business borrows money it is because there is a potential long term benifit… Any job created will bonds is only temporary, 6 months maybe a year, then we have to pay it back over 15/20 years.. Doesn’t make economic sense.. Also the DOT budgects for projects. The exact ones that the bond lovers claim are need..
So improving the infrastructure does not create permanent jobs? Wow! No wonder Maine will stay last with your attitude.
Did you read my comment?? I don’t think you did. Spin it as you may to suit your needs.
Did you read my comment Never mind you’ve got a one track mind set, repeating your erroneous holders.
Six months, maybe a year? With all the crappy roads in Maine? All the culverts needed? All the bridge repair? With winter frost heaves occuring every year? With thousands of logging trucks trammeling out roads? You don’t think that there is long term benefit in transportation infrastructure?
Excuse me but i think your button is broken again:)
This is more evidence that LePage is not a good governor.
LePage is going down and the “Worst” Governor ever to be elected in Maine history. He is a shame to the office of Governor – this does not concern him as his only interest is to support the people that fund him now and when he leaves the office of Governor with a Maine pension and one for his Daughter – what a deal:)
Maines in the red, hmm and people want to borrow more money, not smart…
Hmm, the same as most businesses in the US. It is called slow cash flow, and you use a line of credit to keep business going until revenues pick up. You look at every major corporation in the US, and they all have debt, and they all incur more when they need it to continue operations,
True, they keep building up debt until the tax payer pays for it, they go bank rupt…. Personally I like to stay in the positive, dont borrow when I cant afford to play.
……..
You have to stop borrowing at some point….. Govt should be run like a household.. If it was we would be in the situation we are in …
Now is the time to get these things done with the interest rates as low as they are. He’s too busy trying to get his ‘point’ across.
Our roads need fixing and he’s playing games.
Then cut the bloated welfare system and start budgeting more of our money for road maintenance. Plain and simple. No more free tattoos, lobster dinners and free beer.
Right, not to mention relatives on the payroll that get a 40K plus “entry level” job.
The position isn’t new. The same exact job existed during all 8 years of the Baldacci regime, at the same kind of salary.
Meanwhile, check back and see how many Baldacci campaign donors and their sons and daughters were put on the state payroll during those eight years.
But Baldacci was a Democrat, so it is unfair to criticize his hiring practices. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
Bonds are for roads not the budget. Plain and simple.
The rest of what you are spouting is typical tea publican rant about welfare. Those on welfare are not living lavish lifestyles.
More disinformation by the GOP and btw it cost Romney the election by believing the hype he was spoon fed.
Gov. LePage is very wise and always has Maine’s welfare at the top of his agenda.I agree with him on this.
LMAO!!!! You are a real card there! Please stay out of Maine politics!
You first, Oh Anonymous One.
Do you have anything substantial to add? By all means please elaborate as to why I need to stay out of the politics of my own state?
No she does not. Just snarky remarks.
That is all she does! Although she isn’t as vocal as she used to be when she actually thought the GOP was going to take the election and the people of Maine would put up with the antics of the governor for much longer.
You got it!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ………………………..
Pure Comedy Gold!
LOL!
Right, he has his rich Republican agenda. He will move out of Maine as soon as we throw him out of office, wanna bet?
You hit the nail on the head. You will upset people here with that comment…Be careful.
Stevey — what else is new? :)
If there was a shred of evidence his actions are helping the Maine economy, you might be justified in thinking him wise. If you can find some actual data that supports that, please, pass it along…
It takes spending to stimulate a dead economy. If the super rich move their excess cash to the Cayman Islands or Switzerland, a few folks might wonder where the stimulus money that will get us back on track is supposed to come from.
Anyone who reads history books knows.
The humble Farmer
Has anyone asked Baldacci why his own administration failed to issue bonds that were approved by the voters during his tenure at the Blaine House?
Gov. LePage issued some of those Baldacci bonds, in his first two years in office.
Seeing you brought it up, why don’t you list a few of them here. Might be a conversation starter…
Do you think Paul LePage is delaying because he knew the Re-Declaration of Independence was coming?
Anything to keep people from getting back to work…
That is the rethugs mission.
If Lepage holds the bond money until early 2014 the jobs created by releasing the money will make him look like a job creator.
I am cynical enough to believe that just might be the justification for not moving and putting people to work now. Hard to justify it otherwise. And he ain’t sayin’.
Will delaying bond money help Maine’s economy? Haw-haw-haw! (Sound of knee-slapping here.) That’s the best one I’ve heard today. Got any more good jokes?
Simple answer to the headline; No.
By not issuing the bonds and following the clear will of the majority of Mainers, LeBUFFOON is going to make sure that he won’t be elected dog catcher in 2014 and that his sad little TeaBabyParty will continue to degenerate into irrelevance.
Two ideas,first is to look at the ME Debt Clock-it is shrinking,not going up as in the past(liberal policy had brought ME to a 1-2 billion dollar hole when Gov. LePage took over two years ago). Secondly, view the following: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/journal-editorial-report/index.html#/v/1987689576001/is-obamacare-a-sure-thing/?playlist_id=86921
When it comes to keeping his thumb in his bum and his mind in neutral, no one can hold a candle to our great Governor.
Way to go, Paul, you set a great example for those of us in the Tea Party.
The state stagnates whilst Le Page idles away this game of playing governor..
“Decisions on the 2011 tax cut package, the largest in Maine history,
will be forced by a projected $756 million revenue deficit for the next
two-year budget. The bill for approximately $342 million of the tax cuts
comes due in 2013. That means lawmakers will have to decide how they
plan to pay for the cuts in the face of grim revenue forecasts,
complicated by uncertainty over how Congress will handle the so-called
“fiscal cliff.”
Incoming House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, has indicated that
the unfunded tax cuts need to be re-evaluated for the next budget.” from the PPH
This is how deficits are created
The state stagnates whilst Le Page idles away this game of playing governor..