Democrats, who controlled the House, the Senate and the governor’s office, were unable to achieve their major goals last year, including “tax reform.” They had neither the desire nor ability to stop government growth.

What did they include?

• A tax on nursing home residents costing you $26 million.

• A continuation of the death tax in Maine – $38 million.

• A tax on Maine hospitals – $66 million.

• Dozens of new fees – more than $40 million.

When I first came into the Legislature in 2002, I pledged not to support any increased costs to the Maine taxpayers. My obligation is to the voters, to represent and defend those paying the bill, not the state government’s payroll.

When you consider that most of the budget dollars pay for salaries and benefits, and that those increases happen “automatically,” you can see the problem quite clearly.

Here’s what many Republicans believed should be done.

• Immediately fund education at 55 percent as directed by the voters.

• Impose spending caps at all levels of government.

• Enact a permanent constitutional spending cap for the Maine budget.

• Expand the Circuit Breaker and/or Homestead Exemption programs.

• Freeze the state budget at the fiscal year 2002-03 levels.

Of course, despite the great title, “L.D. 1 – An Act To Increase the State Share of Education Costs, Reduce Property Taxes and Reduce Government Spending at All Levels,” it appears none of that is going to happen.

Rep. Michael Vaughan, Durham

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