I am writing about the recent hiring freeze that the governor has imposed. I wonder if he realizes how many people in the state of Maine he has affected?

The department that I have been volunteering for in Lewiston is severely understaffed. Finally, they were given the go-ahead to hire for the vacancies that they desperately need to fill. They had almost completed their interviews when the governor imposed his freeze.

The governor is not looking at the big picture. Understaffed departments cost more money than hiring the required employees to do the job. The cost of mistakes made by overworked employees far outweighs the cost to pay their salaries. Combine that with the cost of the cases that do not get processed and you have a substantial loss.

This area has been severely hit by the recession. I understand that he plans on using the funds that were going to be used to hire state employees for his tax relief plan, but people in Maine need jobs. Many companies have gone under or decided to get their employees overseas.

Also, the state of Maine doesn’t give tax relief to the small businesses so that they can grow and hire more employees. Many people are given no choice but to move to where the jobs are. If we want to keep people in the beautiful state of Maine, we need to stimulate the economy by providing jobs.

Rebecca Tiernan, Auburn

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