The Legislature’s majority Republicans are doing their job responsibly.
They inherited unaffordable Department of Health and Human Services programs from the previous eight years of Democratic majority. Those programs have run out of money.
There are no more one-time federal stimulus grants or withholding-hospital-payments tricks, which the Democrats used to balance the budget and pay for those programs.
In order to keep all of those DHHS programs, the Legislature must raise taxes or rob other departments of their funds. Maine’s benefits are already well above the national average, and so are the taxes. The solution is forthcoming.
The Republicans are now peeling back the protected layers of the Maine Housing Authority budget. The expenditures for personal pleasure and other unrelated items are astoundingly large, as well as the excessive cost of each housing unit. The previous Democrat majorities created this agency, made it accountable to no one, and have chosen to look the other way.
The previous Maine Turnpike Authority director (a Democrat) has confessed to the misuse of funds and will serve prison time. The previous Democrat majorities chose to ignore his expensive expenditures for personal pleasure.
Fiscally responsible Republicans found the problem and exposed it.
If the citizens of Maine want responsible, honest government, they should support Gov. Paul LePage and elect a Republican majority. The Republicans’ track record so far has proven their worth, and much more needs to be done.
Maine people deserve proper care of their tax dollars.
Thomas F. Shields, Auburn
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David FYI
Abbreviations & Acronyms
legis:
legislation
legislative
legislature
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Mr Shields Said "The expenditures for personal pleasure and other unrelated items are astoundingly large, as well as the excessive cost of each housing unit." Now really there is no proof of this -just a list from the MHPC proving nothing !! When the non partisian investigation is done you will have the truth-- you do not have it now .
Mr. Shields said "The previous Maine Turnpike Authority director (a Democrat) has confessed to the misuse of funds and will serve prison time. The previous Democrat majorities chose to ignore his expensive expenditures for personal pleasure." But they had a Board of Dirctor made up of Republicans and Democrats to watch over the MTA looks like we can blame both for this mess.
I do not find maybe cutting 65,000 peole off DHHS in a depression- in a state where we have a very high elderly population and our wages are below the country average-- a great idea. Maine does have a lot of the working poor. I am glad the Legis . makes laws not the Governor
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not a legis.
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I was very surprised to read this week that the Koch brothers are actually paying people to write in to columns like this to support their point of view. So if you are doing it for free you should probably look them up. Just sayin.
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Wind another couple of turns of tin-foil around your head. You can't credit the Koch brothers for every spasm of common sense displayed by others. But, I suppose you can try - it's easier than thinking about issues.
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Just think how much we spend on people who are greedily bellying up to the welfare bar. 50 years ago, before our Congress Critters opened the trough the number on welfare was significantly smaller. Them main reason that welfare and DHHS budget have grown so large is the entitlement mentality that was fostered by politicians who knew and understood that loafers vote for a living while workers work for a living. Show me where it says that I owe you a living if you do not earn it yourself. Don't quote the Bible, that refers to helping the truly needy, not providing those who choose not to work a living. There is a whale of a difference!
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George "Just think how much we spend on people who are greedily bellying up to the welfare bar"
We're paying Agri-Business $10-30 Billion per year in Agri-Welfare simply not to plant crops.
Agricultural Subsidies
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Then we turn around and subsidize the price of corn for ethanol production, don't we?
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http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/agriculture/subsidies
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Good post, George. Spot on.
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I am not one to praise Republican legislators very often. Being bound to a philosophy which is anti-Constitutional, self-destructive, and delusional along with a fair dose of political hypocricy doesn't allow for much mature, rational, constructive legislative action. But I have to give it to the current crew of Republican legislators, faced by a completely irrational, self-serving bully in the Baine house they have worked with Democrats to come up with some adult solutions (like the bipartisan budget) to Maine's real problems.
Then there is little tommie - refugee from past Republican legislatures. "Maine’s benefits are already well above the national average, and so are the taxes." So what made the national average god. Find me a state which is "average". Average is a artificial and not very meaningful seventh graders' term. When Maine's population's age and income are average; when its transportation, real estate, and heating costs are average, when its distance to markets is average then let's talk about its benefits and taxes. Truth is Maine taxes are below average and benefits are below the average in New England much less the nation. Now I'm talking real numbers here not MHPC mangled for effect numbers.
The Maine Housing Authority investigation is so far a witch hunt. Not a single issue, problem, has been established. No cause to investigate has even been proposed (other than its head is a Democrat). No evidence has shown that any "expenditures for personal pleasure and other unrelated items" has been made. Not one. Now maybe little tommie has some secret confidential information that has been illegally leaked to him by his buddies in Augusta. All I can go on is the published reports.
Apparently little tommie is happy with his governor's proposals to poison babies and turn the state of Maine into funtown for rich developers. The rest of us aren't.
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Less vitriol and zero "little tommies" and you'd have had a readable post, Jon.
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I think he learned "Little Tommie" from David Gagnon
Which is a shame. Jon authors some pretty keen posts and has no need to stoop to 2nd grade antics to get his point across as David must.
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you disappoint me.You and Danny boy must be related. Thin skinned.
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This is the second time, David. Please follow the rules.
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No, Dr. Shields has earned my contempt for his frequent letters to the editor because - they weren't his.
Some time back he was one of many Republicans in the Senate who submitted letters to local newspapers claiming they were his own when in fact they had been written by the Senate Republican Staff. He was showing his contempt for his constituents by trying to mislead them. He didn't have time to convert the daily Republican talking points memo into a letter. He was above all that. If Dr. Shields is going to act like a baby we have the right to treat him as a baby. I suspect it contributed to the Sun asking if letters to the editor are unique and written by the supposed author.
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If someone acting like a baby is treated like a baby by another who is treating them like a baby in response to their acting like a baby, don't we end up with TWO babies?
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Give me a 'freakin break
When we even extend a bit of decorum to folks who like to play Pirate..... ;)
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Except for the "as David must", the Pirate's in total agreement.
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Ah, but you ignore the fact that David dos Do-Do's
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As my ex-wife used to like to say, "I suppose".
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[This comment was removed at the request of the poster]
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It was a bit testy considering the innocuous nature of what preceded it, but one must always take into account where one is when posting and receiving posts in response. No offense was taken by the Pirate. Veritas will not walk the plank today.
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I removed this comment at Ron's request.
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I give credit where credit is due. And I don't outright reject someone due to their party affiliation.
That said, Mr Shields, to make this about party is silly. There are corrupt and double dealers on both sides of the isle.
The majority of Republicans I think haven't been that bad. They have rejected a few of LePage's really bad ideas, so I give them credit.
I would still like a democratic majority just because I prefer when neither party controls both the executive and Legislative sides. Because then compromise goes out the window, and you can end up with one sided laws.
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Ron and Al, for starters, do you remember a guy named David Lamoine? He was Baldacci's pal who was entrusted with investing state revenues in order to earn interest on the money. He put $20 million of those funds into a Ponzi Scheme investment because he didn't know what he was doing. Then we have the MTA, likely Maine Housing, Maine Green Energy Alliance, and I'm sure I'm missing some here. It must be nice to have selective memories. My point is, you can find garbage on both sides of the aisle if you are open minded enough to look at the whole picture.
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Selective memory, gary? Yes Mr. Lamoine invested in those funds, as did many other investors public and private. BUT he recognized early on what was going on, recovered ALL of the $20 million and also DIVESTED the state from all such schemes, thereby saving the state MILLIONS when the defaults happened, unlike other entities that invested in those securities. ALL of our money was saved by the quick thinking of Mr. Lamoine, something you conveniently left out, since it blows your rant all to heck.
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Dan, the Attorney General, Steve Rowe, got the money back from Merrill Lynch. My point is that both democrats and republicans have their share of stinkers. You, of course, are totally blind to any viewpoint not entirely in agreement with your own, so once again, here we are.
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And you decided to leave out that information before because... you wanted to diss Democrats. Yes there are stinkers on both side, but this situation was not one of them, he made an investment that many others made, because they were promised the moon. When the situation became apparent the situation was remedied. So how is the equally to the Speaker who stole million in Mainecare funds and hasn't repaid it totally?
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But I have been just as critical of Violette and McCormick as I have been Nutting and Poliquin and actually, I don't remember the Lamoine thing. I can't imagine I wouldn't have been critical of him too. And yes, there's plenty of rotting garbage on both sides of the isle. No wonder the state is broke.
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What you're saying Al, is that white and black or black and white, a skunk still smells like a skunk.
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There Paul.
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Tom, 12.02.06 22:15 hst •
. . All politics are local in deed and in fact √ When are the next elections in ME ?http://www.twincitytimes.com/ <- certainly not an endorsement /s, Steve Dosh
b t w - Ronald ? Dan ? Tom Shields and Robert Reed aren't the same person , are they ? i am in Hawai'i • Just that their pictures. ...their faces, visages. , outlooks , etc. :)
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I've been hanging around "The Wire" MHPC's propaganda arm to post. There they actually have to write something to disagree with one instead of hit a 'Dummy Button'
And it's a lot more amusing to actually be in the "Belly of the Beast!"
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Ahhh, we are no longer froggy. Now, we are British. Good change of clothing, Doc.
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Didn't you ever tie up in Hawaii and fly their 'State Flag' from the mizzen????
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Can't say I have. Always preferred Caribbean waters. But then, who'd ever notice except an eagle eye such as yourself?
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So the Republican Legislature elects a Treasurer who is in Business - Which is a violation of the Maine Constitution - But who knew, as he hadn't filed a financial report.
Yep - That's a good start, Mr. Shields.
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Innocent until proven guilty of wrongdoing.
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in administrative law.
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Time will tell. In fact, fairly soon, would be my guess.
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naw, a republican 'investigating' a republican, I wouldn't be surprise if this dragged on until he's out of office.
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Good point, but a democrat investigating a democrat wouldn't be any different. Your forget; they're all snakes. They just call themselves donkeys and elephants.
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Lets not forget Mr. Nutting who swindled the state out of a cool million or so. Dr. Shield's, your foxes are now guarding the chickens.
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Was Mr. Nutting ever convicted of a crime and sent to prison, Al?
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Nutting used his own profit margin formula to overcharge the DHHS millions. His formula for establishing this ridiculously high profit margin would boggle the mind of any honest retail businessman but he was able to muddle his way through the swindle with double talk, pleading ignorance and having lots of cronies in high places. He did pay back some of the money when he got caught, but certainly not all. Had he not been caught I'm sure he'd still be ripping us taxpayers off, but alas, he's now the Speaker.
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You or I get caught doing that crap, we go to jail. A politician gets caught doing it and he gets promoted. Go figure. Then they wonder why basically honest but unstable people go off on shooting sprees. For the anti-gun activists; no, I'm not condoning the phenomenon, but simply pointing it out.
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And I am certain Dr. Shields got a lot of his money from DHHS, for his patients.
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That's neither here nor there, Dan - as bringing your circumstances to the table may be.
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Like as in stealing, you mean, T? And how many crimes of theft has Dr. Shields been convicted of, Tron?
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Lies, dr shield, nothing but lies. DHHS is NOT running out of money, it wasn't funded fully during the last session in order to give you and other wealthy Mainers a huge tax cut. Nothing untoward has been found at MSHA, only a massive witch hunt lead by a constitutional officer who is violating the State Constitution and benefiting illegally from the Tree Growth Tax plan. So, as is usual during your weekly rants, lies covered by falsehoods to reach illogical conclusions.
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So a questionably viable unproven allegation against Poliquin gets McComrmick a pass on misappropriation of public funds? That's how liberal thinking works, eh?
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Actually anyone who has been following the mid-coast news last year has some awareness of Bruce Poliquin's business dealings with his Popham Beach Club and his attempts to expand the business.
Those of you a bit more inland were probably concentrated more on casinos and the like. Then it finally dawned on ex-Sheriff Mark Dion, now Rep. D-Portland "Hey, the Treasurer can't Constitutionally be in business"
Shazamm, Batman!!!
We'll wait for 'Due Process' to grind along - but there's not a lot of question concerning the facts of the matter. And it's not like we're asking for his Birth Certificate or Proof of Franco Heritage.
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I don't think anyone should get a pass, but, Ms. McCormick should only be held accountable for the MSHA for the period that she has held the position. In the same mode of thought Mr. Poliquin should be held accountable for any misdoings or misdeeds and should be investigated with the same intensity as Ms. McCormick. I also believe that Mr. Nutting should pay back ALL the money he overcharged the state or suffer the consequences for failing to repay the state. I believe the laws, rules, ethics, etc should be the same for everyone and not just one party or the other. How much money is the state wasting trying to prove something just to get rid of one person? I can think of better places to spend that money...try putting it on the shortfall the state is facing.
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